《The Nebula's Civilization》


 Chapter 1: Practice Game, Until Now

    <h4>Chapter 1: Practice Game, Until Now</h4>


    The Lost World.


    It was an early ess simtion game Choi Sung-Woon liked. Not only did he like it, but he was also good at it. In ¡®The Lost World¡¯, up to thirty-two yers participated as gods to develop various races such as humans, elves, and orcs to modern civilization and fight each other for sess.


    Last year, Sung-Woon had been in first ce every now and then, but this year he was on a streak and had been in first ce for eleven months. If he maintained his rank till the end of today, he would be champion for twelve consecutive months.


    As Sung-Woon was ying thest game of the day, a system message appeared on his screen.


    [Will you approve the nuclear attack in God Neb¡¯s name?]


    [Yes/No]


    Sung-Woon pressed ¡®Yes.¡¯ On the screen, he could see ICBMs loaded with dozens of nuclear warheads from his nuclear missile base raised their heads all at once.


    After ying for several hours, Sung-Woon and his opponent were the only two yers remaining.


    The nuclear missiles wereunched all at once and flew over to the enemy state.


    Several ABMs wereunched from the enemy state and sessfully intercepted some of Sung-Woon¡¯s nuclear missiles, but that was within his calctions. The enemy¡¯s missile interception system couldn¡¯t keep up with him.


    Using the eyes of his incarnation, Sung-Woon headed to the enemy¡¯s imperial pce. When the Orc Emperor heard the news of the nuclear missilesunched toward his country, he prayed at the temple in an underground bunker.


    This was something Sung-Woon was concerned about. In a non-hierarchical society in real life, a ruler praying to a god could be seen as ridiculous or pitiful, but that was not the case in ¡°The Lost World.¡±


    <i>¡®My opponent would have umted as much Faith as they could instead of investing in skills while I was developing my nuclear build.¡¯</i>


    In The Lost World, yers were gods. They could intervene to some extent in the affairs of the race or nation under their rule, and through that intervention, their goal was to make their power well known to the rest of the beings of The Lost World and gain followers. That belief then became a resource called Faith, which would enable yers to create Miracles to protect their followers and keep them safe.


    <i>¡®My opponent initially selected Orcs as their main race, but that¡¯s only because they could quickly increase the poption that way.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon watched the nuclear attack through his incarnations that were spread out all over the world. The nuclear missiles not intercepted by the ABM soared through the air. A great amount of power was required to deflect a flying missile that was generating so much heat, and soon, the nature of that power was revealed.


    Overall, it resembled the silhouette of a bipedal creature but was hundreds of meters in height. Amid a great dark cloud entwined with raging wind, thunderbolts crackled continuously. It was the opponent¡¯s incarnation of wind.


    Soon, the air became sopressed that the missiles were caught and swept vigorously to a height where they were no longer visible. The sky was the opponent¡¯s realm. Defying the will of the god of the heavens, the power of the sky manifested as a Miracle as it pulled up the flying missiles.


    The nuclear missiles rose high enough that creatures living on the surface wouldn¡¯t be affected, and as the missiles exploded, light spheres appeared all over The Lost World. The prematurely rising artificial suns dispersed the darkness and obscured the stars, revealing a blue sky.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s the Holy Orc again.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was well aware of this strategy. Only Orcs were selected as the main race to quickly increase poption, and as the number of believers increased, Faith resources were also quickly acquired. Science, technology, and culture were then gained through invasion. This was a good strategy that constantly received good reviews because the great amount of Faith umted and therge number of Orcs resulted in an advantage in war.


    The fact that the opponent chose the sky as their realm meant that they were aware of and took into ount Sung-Woon¡¯s choice of skill¡ªScience Development. Their choice of realm prevented Sung-Woon from employing his anti-air strategy in theter half of the war. If aircraft-rted technology had been used without much interference, the war could have been easily won by using nuclear missiles.


    But he already knew. The opponent was probably thinking of gathering a little more Faith after blocking all the nuclear missiles and counter-attacking with natural disasters such as lightning, tornadoes, and typhoons.


    Recently, Holy Orc had been the meta with the highest win rate. That was how Sung-Woon had been able to easily remain in first ce: he was good at counter-building. He had also used Holy Orc after the meta version was released, and if he had thought that there were no ws to the strategy, he likely would have used it now as well.


    Sung-Woon moved ¡®the thing¡¯ in the highest possible ce, above everything else, more than two thousand kilometers above the surface, to be exact. ¡®The thing¡¯ was one of Sung-Woon''s incarnations that used an AI-operated military satellite made from ancient relics.


    Even if a god had obtained arge realm of the sky, one could not im all of it.


    <i>¡®At most they can im the sky right above their head.¡¯</i>


    Outer space did not belong to the realms of the gods, and that was exactly where the satellite was ced. The sky, after all, was still within the atmosphere.


    The god in the sky was sternly looking down below and didn¡¯t notice what was above them. Sung-Woon moved his incarnation and aimed at the head of the enemy¡¯s emperor.


    Even though it was a military satellite, not a single projectile weapon was loaded onto it. Just a few tungsten rods, but that was more than enough. One of the enormous tungsten rods, weighing up to ten tons, began to fall. At first, it was so slow that one couldn¡¯t tell if it was even moving or not, but soon after, it grew red and tore through the sky.


    The opponent was unlikely to notice the rod falling while focusing on dealing with the nuclear missiles, and even if they did, a Miracle from the heavens could at most knock the rod slightly askew.


    <i>¡®Have you heard of the God¡¯s Staff?¡¯</i>


    The tungsten rod pierced through the roof of the Imperial Pce as well as several floors. Even that couldn¡¯t slow its fall in the slightest. The tungsten rod prated the bunker and dropped into the underground temple. Right under it was the emperor who had been praying¡ªnow squashed t and dead. One momentter, the Imperial Pce and the underground temple beneath it began to crumble.


    <i>¡®I won!¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon had not used the God¡¯s Staff right away because he had been curious about what his opponent had nned. His opponent, using the yer name ¡®Hegemonia¡¯, was ranked second, and had recently be a famous yer after rapidly increasing their rating and score. Since they could often run into each other in the game going forward, it had been necessary for Sung-Woon to figure out what their main builds were.


    <i>¡®You should surrender before it gets ugly.¡¯</i>


    His opponent had lost an incarnation, namely the emperor, and the underground temple likely to have housed the greatest amount of Faith had copsed. Even though it was not possible to know exactly how much Faith the opponent had lost, it seemed that there wasn¡¯t enough left to maintain the incarnation of wind. It started to lose its shape and eventually vanished. It was evident that Sung-Woon¡¯s nuclear missiles could no longer be stopped.


    His opponent was flustered and couldn¡¯t control the Miracle. The apostles of the wind scattered, and the enemy''s capital, major cities, and infrastructures started to explode like fireworks.


    In the end, his opponent did surrender, but only after things became ugly.


    [You have won!]


    As Sung-Woon saw the scoreboard, he smiled. Not because of the score differences, but because based on Pacific Standard Time, the next month had already started. He had been ranked first for twelve consecutive months. Not only was it a unique record in the game of ¡°The Lost World,¡± it was also a record that no one could easily surpass in the future. But what made Sung-Woon happy most of all was that he had obtained all of the achievements in the game.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe the only way to achieve it is by being in first ce for twelve consecutive months.¡¯</i>


    The productionpany had been criticized by achievement maniacs for making such a ridiculous achievement, but since the achievement existed and had been very difficult for Sung-Woon to obtain, he felt that the challenge had been worth it. There had been many failures, and after losing a streak in the fifth month, he had wondered if he could do it again, but he had indeed ended up doing it.


    Sung-Woon stretched and looked at his screen to find a message waiting for him.


    ¡¸Thank you for enjoying The Lost World. The Lost World, which has been in early ess until now, is scheduled to be officially released as a full game. yer ¡®Neb¡¯ can enjoy the game before the official release. Would you like to y?¡¹


    [Yes/No]


    Sung-Woon felt suspicious.


    <i>¡®Is this just good timing? Or was it nned to be officially released when the achievement was unlocked?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon nced at his watch. He had maintained first rank for twelve months in a row and sessfully obtained 100% achievement, which put him in an elevated mood. It wasn¡¯t time to sleep yet. His hands had just warmed up and were ready to y more. He clicked ¡®Yes.¡¯


    ***


    Sung-Woon¡¯s silhouette flickered.


    ***


    Sung-Woon thought that he had lost consciousness, but that was not the case. Once his vision cleared, what he had thought a pitch-ck night sky turned out not to be aplete void. The stars were twinkling, and a familiar-looking blue, glowing caught his eye. However, his field of vision was mostly upied by the sun.


    He sat up.


    <i>¡®Are these temple ruins¡­?¡¯</i>


    Stone columns in a rugged style reminiscent of Greek temples circled the ce, and the floor was of the same gray stone. It seemed the building where he hadin down was at a rtively high elevation, and simr architectures lined up beyond the pirs. The strange thing was that the sky was ck even though the horizon was visible.


    <i>¡®There must be no atmosphere.¡¯</i>


    With no atmosphere, there was no light transmission, which in turn resulted in ack of light scattering, making the sky look ck even when the sun rose. Obviously, one wouldn¡¯t be able to breathe without an atmosphere, so he got up thinking that it was a vivid dream.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dream.¡±


    Sung-Woon turned towards the voice. A strange man was standing there wearing the kind of robe that medieval monks would wear, his face obscured by the hood. Sung-Woon slightly bent down to check if he could get a peek at the man¡¯s face, but all he saw was darkness.


    Sung-Woon asked, ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not a dream?¡±


    ¡°Sung-Woon, I¡¯m Aldin. You have also been chosen.¡±


    Sung-Woon blinked, and before asking how the man knew his name or what the man meant by ¡®chosen,¡¯ something more peculiar piqued his attention.


    ¡°Did you just say ¡®<i>also</i>¡¯?¡±


    Aldin nodded and raised his arm to gesture at the space around Sung-Woon. Shadows that had been invisible to Sung-Woon appeared before his eyes. He was a little surprised, but he knew the silhouettes of the shadows were those of ordinary people. He knew this because the shadows were also surprised and looking around just like he was.


    ¡°You have alle from the same world, Earth. Because there is a chance of you knowing one another, we have covered everyone in shadows for a fair game,¡± stated Aldin.


    ¡°You mean ¡®game¡¯ as in¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon then realized what he had been doing until now. Aldin raised his arm and pointed at the above his head. The Sung-Woon had thought was Earth was actually another he was very familiar with¡ªit was the Lost World.


    <i>¡®That means the ground under my feet belongs to the moon of the Lost World.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes, the game you all yed, The Lost World, was based on a real world, and those countless matches were all practice games for the one about to start. You will all be real gods in the Lost World.¡±


    1. Intercontinental ballistic missiles.


    2. Anti-ballistic missiles

 Chapter 2: Reptiles or Amphibians

    <h4>Chapter 2: Reptiles or Amphibians</h4>


    The voices of the shadows were not audible, but it was clear from their movements that they were either talking to themselves not knowing how to react, or speaking to Aldin.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure some of you are very familiar with the story of the Lost World through the game. On that, brilliant civilizations bloomed in the past, and various races lived in harmony. However, for unknown reasons, the gods left and did not return, and now, the poor creatures who have lost their gods are living in misery, wandering through the wilderness. They need a god. That is why I searched for a world to find a candidate to be their god and embrace those living on the Lost World. Once I settled on a world, I created the game ¡®The Lost World¡¯ to simte the. If you wish to give up and go back, you may do so, but your memory of this ce will be erased.¡±


    ¡°What if I ept the challenge?¡± asked Sung-Woon.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If I give up, I lose my memory. Then what do I gain if I ept the challenge and win?¡±


    Aldin turned to Sung-Woon and replied, ¡°You¡¯d be a god just by epting the challenge. As you would have experienced in the game The Lost World, only low-ss creatures will believe in you at first, but if you seed in increasing your number of followers, you may be the one and only god of the. The world bes yours, and you¡¯ll be able to do everything you want.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded, but there was something Aldin still wasn¡¯t addressing.


    ¡°I understand we¡¯ll be able to go back if we give up now, but what about after we ept the challenge?¡±


    ¡°You will not be able to give up.¡±


    ¡°Then if you¡¯re defeated by other gods¡­¡±


    ¡°You will have a divine end.¡±


    It was the answer Sung-Woon expected. If it was a game where the victor could gain everything; it stood to reason that the participants would have to risk their lives. And should this real worldpetition follow the game The Lost World, one might have to risk more than their life.


    ¡°Are the victory conditions the same as in the game The Lost World?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    An Alliance Victory was one of the ways to win the game, but it was just a term. Even if an alliance was created to fight against a major enemy, one would eventually betray the other, and to prevent such from happening, it was best to only make alliances when there was a need to achieve a short-term goal.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s because winning alone would increase your rating score more. It¡¯s probably¡­the same here.¡¯</i>


    You wouldn''t be able to raise your rank with your rating score, but you would be able to be the only god who could not be threatened.


    Sung-Woon knew that the 32 people here was the maximum number of yers able to y The Lost World.


    ¡°I know that epting the challengees with its costs, but is it okay to qualify us for this challenge just because we yed the game?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Aldin stated. ¡°You all deserve it. You have all saved the world hundreds and thousands of times through ying The Lost World. The interface of the game that you all are familiar with will be provided. However, this is not a game. The creatures on this are very much alive, and because of this, it is guaranteed there will be much variability.¡±


    Sung-Woon had more questions to ask, but Aldin held out his hand and stopped him from doing so.


    ¡°It is now time to choose. If you would like to give up, please tell me now.¡±


    ¡°What about those who want to ept the challenge?¡±


    ¡°You may just stay where you are.¡±


    Soon, it seemed as if some people were moving their mouths. They must be asking questions or dering they wanted to give up. Then, as shadows started to disappear here and there, Sung-Woon stood still and remained silent.


    <i>¡®Be a god?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought about the life he would lead if he were to go back. There were reasons why he was so immersed in the game The Lost World. There was bad blood between his family members, and all he had was debt. He wouldn¡¯t go as far as saying that there was no hope for his future, but if the calctions he made in his head were correct, he would likely be happier by staying and bing a god here. It wasn¡¯t a difficult decision. He was good at The Lost World, and not only was he good at it, he liked it.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no reason to give up.¡¯</i>


    After the 32 shadows were reduced to 27, no one spoke of giving up.


    Aldin then dered, ¡°Now, choose one card from this altar. That card will determine your first area.¡±


    As Aldin stepped back, a round altar appeared as if it had always been there, and therey a few cards with their back sides up.


    <i>¡®It is the same as the game.¡¯</i>


    Aldin pointed to Sung-Woon.


    ¡°You may pick first.¡±


    Sung-Woon shrugged. The order of selection didn¡¯t matter because the cards were randomly picked as in the game, but it seemed that they had taken him being ranked first into consideration.


    ¡°Once the card is flipped, you will be moved there.¡±


    Fortunately, Sung-Woon was good at handling all 32 Small Areas that could be selected in the beginning.


    <i>¡®Still, there are some areas where the winning rate is a little better¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon picked up the card in the very middle and flipped it over. He checked the picture and frowned.


    <i>¡®Damn.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon¡¯s first Small Area was ¡®Insects.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t insects in a strict sense, but rather a category that covered, to some extent, several arthropods and crustaceans.


    Among the 32 Small Areas that could have been selected first, Insects wasn¡¯t very well evaluated and actually had the lowest winning rate ording to actual data.


    <i>¡®I do think it¡¯s because of those who throw the game as soon as they pick the area.¡¯</i>


    However, the circumstances prevented Sung-Woon from giving up, so he had to do his best with whatever he got. He wasn¡¯t too worried though. Even though there was a little difference, his winning rate was evenly good no matter which area he started with.


    <i>¡®Insects are just a little more difficult than the popr areas like Minerals and Livestock.¡¯</i>


    Getting Minerals was quite advantageous at the beginning of the Bronze Age. One could start the Iron Age civilization more easily than with any other starting areas. Everyone knew the strength of iron. Livestock was also a great option; meat resources were easily increased, andrge quantities of grain resources were attainable using cattle. It was also a bonus to gain Faith resources through sacrifices of livestock.


    <i>¡®On the other hand, insects¡­¡¯</i>


    After thinking deeply, Sung-Woon looked down at the with the insect card in his hand. He let out a sigh.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t expect the start to be this bad.¡¯</i>


    To begin with, the continent he had been transported to was not that good. The Lost World was divided into threerge continents, and Sung-Woon found himself in the northern part of the third continent. Although the third continent was thergest, it didn¡¯t have as many resource reserves as the first continent and didn¡¯t have as good a climate as the second continent. Instead, various races and monsters lived there, and there were lots of ruins where special abilities in the game were provided. Depending on how it was used, it could be an advantage or a disadvantage.


    .


    <i>¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon tended to spend more time trying to get out of unsatisfactory situations rather than expressingints about the cards he¡¯d been dealt. He soon learned that he was able to move in the air however he wished to or zoom in on the surface of the. He wouldn¡¯t say he was omnipotent, but he did feel somewhat like a god.


    Sung-Woon quickly scanned through thend given to him and identified the species and tribes. Thend was a penins located in the eastern end of the third continent.


    <i>¡®It would have been nice to start a little further west.¡¯</i>


    At the first to mid stage of The Lost World, he was confident in winning the battles of the Middle Ages and the Bronze Age, and also confident in winning fights against other gods. However, the penins had a disadvantage in advancing.


    <i>¡®On the contrary, it could be considered safe in the beginning.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon began to think of builds in his head. Compared to the average game duration of four hours in The Lost World, he had a lot of time. Hurrying wouldn¡¯t even give him much advantage. Rather, urate judgment was needed.


    Once the territory andnd were determined, yers had to decide on their first species and tribe. In the Lost World, there were numerous species besides humans; tribes varied in poption size, and smaller tribes were the only ones allowed to be chosen in the beginning.


    <i>¡®Even though I¡¯m a god, I only have a little strength in the beginning.¡¯</i>


    Not even a god could do whatever they wanted to do, and in the Lost World, gods could only influence creatures on the by getting through a filter called Causal Rate. Faith was required to overthrow the Causal Rate, and ten Faith points was initially all that Sung-Woon had. He had to use it well to make the species he chose believe and rely on him because that was the only way to gain more Faith points and conjure more Miracles.


    <i>¡®Well, two tribes are catching my eye.¡¯</i>


    One of them was a group of Lizardmen. Their skin was blue and mottled, and as characteristic of their species, they were small and skinny. There were thirty of them, too small of a number to even be referred to as a small tribe, and it was likely that they were all rted by blood.


    <i>¡®They must have been driven out of therger tribe by a power struggle.¡¯</i>


    In fact, where the small group of Lizardmen was moving away from was an oasis upon which a tribe of the same species had built a settlement. There were about one hundred and fifty of them. However, Sung-Woon was more interested in the smaller group, and that wasn¡¯t out of sympathy.


    The bigger the group, the less little Miracles were cared about. It may be a benefit to gain a big tribe in the beginning, but there was a risk of vainly consuming all ten Faith points. On the other hand, the smaller the group and more in need they were for help, the easier it was to make them believe and follow a god.


    <i>¡®Faith depends on the degree of individual belief, how much they believe in and entrust their hearts to the god, and whether they actually rely on them¡­ But there¡¯s no need to take the rough road from the start.¡¯</i>


    In fact, the biggest reason why Sung-Woon was so interested in Lizardmen was because Lizardmen ate ¡®Insects.¡¯ Other species ate insects as well when put into an extreme situation that necessitated it; humans and elves were both such examples. However, there was a cultural aversion to consuming insects, for nothing if not for the germs and parasites one might contract. With their high resistance, however, Lizardmen had no qualms rearing insects.


    It was easy for humans to obtain food from livestock; simrly, insects would be of use for Lizardmen.


    <i>¡®Of course breeding insects requires quite a bit of technology. And for something that eats insects as well¡­¡¯</i>


    This time Sung-Woon turned to the second tribe. It was a bunch of Frogmen. These aquatic, amphibian creatures actually enjoyed eating insects more. Insect farming was possible at the level of Bronze Age culture, and bases were starting to get established atkes and rivers where civilization would develop. The Frogmen Sung-Woon was overlooking in the southwest of the wilderness was actually arge tribe of five hundred, which was very rare for the first tribe.


    <i>¡®But aquatic life is not necessarily a strength. You can¡¯t really do anything where there are no bodies of water until you achieve a high level of technology. There won¡¯t be enough time for adventures in this game, and I need to be able to make flexible choices. Is it possible with these guys?¡¯?</i>


    Sung-Woon pondered for a bit.


    <i>¡®Reptiles or amphibians?¡¯</i>


    He chose the first tribe.

 Chapter 3: Nameless Beetle God

    <h4>Chapter 3: Nameless Beetle God</h4>


    At the back of the small group there was a young, wounded Lizardman. The Lizardman had been scratched by a sabertooth tiger, and the wound was not healing well due tock of nutrition. The wound was irritated every step the Lizardman took, and the steps were slow due to low strength.


    The n of around 30 Lizardmen were barely surviving on their journey through the wilderness as there were birds and stray animals here and there, and for those who were weak and unable to participate in hunting, they were only given the remaining bones after all the flesh had been torn off.


    The wounded Lizardman thought this was obvious. It was clear that the ones who hunted should be eating more meat. Those who weren¡¯t able to hunt had to be thankful to even be given the leftovers. The group could have left the weak and wounded behind to decrease the number of mouths to feed, but they hadn¡¯t done so, at least not yet.


    This wasn¡¯t just out of sympathy. The wounded Lizardman had recently been given a name, Lakrak, which meant ¡®the wounded one¡¯, and some of the men in the group had been in debt to him.


    This Lizardman was the only one who had faced a sabertooth tiger when everyone else turned their backs and ran away. Thanks to Lakrak, there was no other damage to the group other than his wounds. If it wasn¡¯t for Lakrak, many would have died or gotten injured, and in the worst case scenario, the whole group could have fallen apart.


    They were already a group<strong>?</strong>who had gotten kicked out of the bigger tribe for being old, weak, and diseased, so without Lakrak, they would have had a hard time keeping their lives. Lakrak, however, had survived longer than everyone expected, and one by one, some started to think it was a waste to even give Lakrak leftover bones.


    If they were lucky enough to find a termite nest, they had to be quick with their hands to eat them. Only if that happened would Lakrak be able to fill his stomach with proper food since he was dexterous, but some of the Lizardmen began thinking his actions were offensive.


    If Lakrak had died while fighting the sabertooth tiger instead, they could have just buried him and left. However, this group knew how it felt to be abandoned by others, so they were matching Lakrak¡¯s pace.


    Lakrak himself also thought that it might have been better to die then. He began to hate himself for being a nuisance to everyone. The wilderness was too wide, and there wasn¡¯t enough food. Not everyone would be able to survive, and it was natural for the weak to be culled. Strangely enough though, Lakrak¡¯s steps never stopped, and even when he thought it was hisst step, the strength to take the next step arose from somewhere.


    <i>¡®What is that?¡¯</i>


    With fading vision, Lakrak nced at a small hill in the wilderness. The leader must have missed it because he was walking with his head down in exhaustion, but at the top of the hill, there appeared to be a ck mist, the tail end of which disappeared behind the hill.


    <i>¡®Am I seeing things?¡¯</i>


    That¡¯s what Lakrak had thought, but he had good hearing, and he could faintly hear what seemed to be a buzzing sound. His gaze shifted between the group and the ck mist on the hill before he decided to go up the hill. Even though it seemed ridiculous, he thought his assumptions were right. A few of the Lizardmen stopped once they noticed Lakrak going up the hill. Some thought he was trying to leave the group, and eventually, the whole group stopped to look at him.


    Some suggested they leave without him, but others said they shouldn¡¯t. While they were talking, Lakrak shouted something from the top of the hill. He had discovered a swarm of beetles. Other species would have been disturbed with beetles, but for Lizardmen, beetles were snacks and with the right amount, it became a meal.


    The beetle swarms weren¡¯t mating, they didn''t escape from some narrow areas, and nor did they evade Lakrak¡¯s hands or the hands of the other Lizarmen when they grabbed at them. It was as if the beetles were determined to be a good meal. This was surprising. The Lizardmen were able to binge eat that day, and with a full stomach, Lakrak spent the rest of his time pondering how this happened.


    ***


    [The Lizardman 1102-1 tribe has recognized the Miracle.]


    Sung-Woon was relieved once he saw the system message that appeared in front of him. Just as Aldin mentioned, the interface was the same as that in the game The Lost World. In the small area of Insects, Faith points could be used to create or control insects. Naturally, this creation and control was different from the game. In the game, there were only a few methods to choose from given by the system, but on this, Sung-Woon was able to control whatever he wished.


    <i>¡®This control doesn¡¯t seem very useful right now, though.¡¯</i>


    There were numerous species in the Lost World and all of them had their pros and cons. Of course, humans were the most popr species, but they were less resistant to parasites and diseases, and were rtively picky about food. Their low physical ability was also tricky to deal with. In theter-half of the game, humans were a good species in many ways, but they weren¡¯t what yers would rmend as the starting species. There were no human tribes where Sung-Woon was located anyway.


    <i>¡®It would be better to get humans halfway through because of their dexterity.¡¯</i>


    On the other hand, Lizardmen were able to quickly increase in numbers and they grew up rapidly. Even though the Orc had the same advantages as a species, there were more Lizardman tribes where he was.


    Sung-Woon moved towards the next n.


    <i>¡®After they recognize the Miracle, they should recognize the Divinity.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon decided to initially name the group of Lizardman ¡®Lakrak¡¯s n.¡¯ In the game The Lost World, there were individuals sensitive to Miracles, which seemed to be the case here as well. Lakrak was likely to be very important to Sung-Woon.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll also be important to Lakrak.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon repeatedly created a Miracle to make swarms of beetles appear near the Lizardman n. When they got hungry, the beetles would appear, and every time Lakrak would notice and lead the group. Previously, the group hadn''t really had a leader, but at some point, Lakrak began to lead them.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s indeed not that different from the game.¡¯</i>


    Intelligent beings knew it was an amazing thing when Miracles happened, and after repeated urrences, they would attribute the Miracles to an existence. They realized such instance wasn¡¯t idental, but inevitable.


    [Lakrak¡¯s n has recognized the Divinity ¡®Nameless Beetle God.¡¯]


    Sung-Woonughed at the part ¡®Beetle God.¡¯


    <i>¡®I guess a great name isn¡¯t always a must from the start.¡¯</i>


    Just as an intellectual existence developed civilization and technology, a god¡¯s name also changed. They might have noticed his Divinity after the Miracle, but this wasn¡¯t enough.


    <i>¡®To umte Faith, recognizing Miracles and Divinity is not enough.¡¯</i>


    If all went ording to Sung-Woon¡¯s ns, he could get what he wanted through the next Miracle.


    ***


    Lakrak found another swarm of beetles again. Thanks to the several days of binge eating, the wound on his shoulder was getting better. In addition, the n relied on Lakrak, who was gifted with good hearing and vision and found beetle swarms easily. Some of the Lizardmen who had said harsh things to him had even apologized. Lakrak epted the reconciliation but he just said he was lucky. A few other Lizardmen were ashamed of their attitudespared to Lakrak and reflected on their past. At any rate, they had great potential to be a better n.


    Unlike the rest of the group, Lakrak was suspicious of the strange swarm of beetles. The Lizardmen had lost their civilization so long ago that little remained of their story. However, among the many rumors about why the gods had left them, there was a story that there was an evil even the gods could not prevent. It was said that this evil still existed and sometimes appeared in front of a n to seduce them to destruction.


    <i>¡®But they¡¯re just words from the wandering Lizardmen who were kicked out of groups.¡¯</i>


    The wanderers had no power, and they were also storytellers who made up false stories to beg. However, now as Lakrak saw things, it seemed that the ¡®Nameless Beetle God¡¯, who was creating these swarms of beetles, was leading them somewhere, and that direction was North. Winter was soon toe.


    Lizardmen were able to survive in winter, but the blood of their cold-blooded ancestors still affected them. Their bodies became dull in the winter. Food supply was low, and they would only be able to travel during the day when the sun was up. As a result, a number of them would starve to death. And so, at the very least, they had to get through the wilderness to find a forest with a lot of firewood to keep themselves warm.


    Lakrak¡¯s group was initially heading South, but the beetles swarm led them North. Until now, they were in great debt to the swarms of beetles, however, the beetles could be leading them to a trap if one looked at the matter from another perspective.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s still time till winteres. It¡¯ll be fine to find another swarm of beetles before heading South again.¡¯</i>


    That was what Lakrak was thinking when heading towards the beetle swarm. But something was strange. Even when they were going towards the beetles, the beetle swarm wasn¡¯t getting any closer as they were before. Lakrak then knew the swarm of beetles was moving.


    <i>¡®Nameless Beetle God¡­where are you leading us?¡¯</i>


    The impatient Lizardmen tried running, but the swarm of beetles moved away faster. Lakrak decided to hold a meeting to decide whether they should follow the beetle swarm or give up and go back South. Almost everyone, except the skeptical Lakrak, voted on following the beetles, and he decided to share his fate with the group even if it was a trap.


    Lakrak¡¯s n walked for two days straight, not sleeping at night. He carried the youngest Lizardman on his back and led the group. The swarm of beetles began to climb a small hill that rose past the wilderness. Lakrak became puzzled as he noticed bushes here and there because few nts grew in the dry wilderness, but as they climbed the hill, a wide spring of water appeared. Thick bushes and trees circled the spring, from which small waterfalls and streams flowed. A small rabbit, seen through the trees, noticed the strange species and ran away.


    The beetles then swarmed around Lakrak as if they had finished their task. He picked up a beetle and turned towards the group, who was surprised after climbing the hill.


    .


    ¡°The Nameless Beetle God has led us to the sanctuary!¡±


    There was a cheer of joy from the crowd.


    ***


    [The Lakrak n sends thanks to the ¡®Nameless Beetle God.¡¯]


    [Divinity has leveled up.]


    [1 ¡ú 2]


    [Faith has leveled up.]


    [3/10 ¡ú 36/50]


    [¡®Small Area: Insects¡¯ has leveled up.]


    [1 ¡ú 2]


    [¡®Blessing of Insects¡¯ has been unlocked.]

 Chapter 4: Three Blessings

    <h4>Chapter 4: Three Blessings</h4>


    Sung-Woon checked and confirmed that both Divinity and Small Area: Insects had leveled up. In the beginning, the Divinity level only yed a role in increasing the limit of umting Faith, so there was no need to pay much attention to it right away. The important part was that Small Area: Insects had leveled up. Even though it only reached level 2, the second level allowed him to grant Blessings.


    <i>¡®Now I should be able to make Customs.¡¯</i>


    In the game The Lost World, it was possible to grant a special ability to the believers who supported the Small Area once the yer¡¯s Small Area leveled up. This was called ¡®God¡¯s Blessing¡¯ in the system, but was known as ¡®Custom¡¯ among yers. For example, if one had the Small Area: Fire, it was possible to make the believers resistant to heat, and in the Small Area: Grass, believers could be resistant to grass irritation. In other words, the believers could evolve. The Blessings would change the appearance of the species, and the change would be passed down to the descendents.


    <i>¡®But there¡¯s a problem.¡¯</i>


    One Blessing consumed 10 Faith points for each believer. Sung-Woon had 36 Faith points, with a maximum limit of 50. There were about 3 good Blessings per Small Area, so blessing even one of the believers would pretty much consume all his Faith.


    <i>¡®If the blessed individual continued to reproduce, of course, it wouldn¡¯t be considered a waste¡­¡¯</i>


    However, there wasn¡¯t time to wait forever. Considering how he needed to get more Small Areaster on and created Blessings and Miracles to support them long-term, Lakrak''s n needed to be granted a Blessing soon.


    <i>¡®I need to gather more Faith.¡¯</i>


    Luckily, there were many ways to gather Faith, and even at this stage, many of them were viable.


    <i>¡®First, I should make Lakrak a High Priest.¡¯</i>


    A High Priest was a title that could be held until the Middle Ages. Appropriate hints could be given to someone chosen as a Priest through dreams while consuming only a small bit of Faith. In addition, Lakrak was a ¡®special individual¡¯ with a high level of a special ability.


    [Lakrak (Warrior Lv.1)


    Strength 14


    Intelligence 15


    Sociability 16


    Willpower 9]


    <i>¡®Does he have that much willpower because he saved his group members from the sabertooth tiger? Or did he save them because he had that much willpower? Either way, willpower is a good ability to have.¡¯</i>


    Willpower was the foundation that allowed one to continuously put in effort and not give up when doing something challenging. It being 9 did not seem like much, but if it had been truly average, it wouldn¡¯t even have been marked in an individual¡¯s stats.


    <i>¡®Next is the altar. Buildings like temples aren¡¯t the best idea right now, but there should be no problem making an altar.¡¯</i>


    In primitive faith, praying to a god at an altar was the most basic foundation. This kind of altar was able to provide a continuous supply of Faith, and the Faith could be strengthened through sacrificial rituals led by priests.


    <i>¡®And to hold a sacrificial ritual, we need an offering.¡¯</i>


    If offerings were made in the proper ways of the Small Area on the altar, a great amount of Faith could be umted. The more precious and important the offering was, the more difficult it would be to obtain, which would thus serve as proof of how strong their faith was in their god, in turn leading to more Faith being generated. However, there was a trap in all of that.


    <i>¡®This reminds me of the early days of ying The Lost World.¡¯</i>


    When the mechanism linking sacrifices and Faith became known, many people were fascinated by the special build. Having the most precious, important, and hardest thing to obtain in the game as a sacrificial offering on the altar, resulting in great amounts of Faith, was the build called ¡®Human Sacrifice.¡¯ After all, people were the most valuable things. However, the build was not popr for long. It shined and guaranteed a high winning rate, but soon it¡¯d turn into the Destruction build. If the Human Sacrifice build was used, and one¡¯s fellow tribe members or rtives were offered as a living sacrifice, rtionships would be broken.


    Then, rather than relying on their god, fear of their god would grow. As societal rules would be rigid, priests would make restrictions andws that the yer did not intend, and those who vited said restrictions andws would be sacrificed. It would also be difficult for a technological civilization to develop, and human resources that could otherwise produce more valuable results would be converted into Faith, making it difficult to transfer to other builds.


    <i>¡®Though, it is valid to offer a living sacrifice of a race other than your own under certain circumstances, but¡­¡¯</i>


    Even that would be problematic, as diplomatic rtions would be broken instead of familial rtionships. Such a build was no better than a standard build unless it was in a special situation like the Aztec civilization that existed on Earth. Sung-Woon did need an offering, but the Human Sacrifice build was not in the discussion at all.


    <i>¡®There is a need for Lakrak¡¯s n to take on a challenge.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon determined that the location where Lakrak¡¯s n was at was not very good. They were on a penins that made it hard to get to another continent. Arge portion of it was wilderness, so there weren''t enough useful resources in the beginning either. In order to get ahead of others, a risk had to be taken.


    <i>¡®Not to the point of the Human Sacrifice build, but I do need a living sacrifice. The bigger, the better.¡¯</i>


    However, there was nothing big around Lakrak¡¯s n. Although the n was located on a hill overlooking the wilderness, the forest that they thought to berge was only a product of the stream descending from the hill. The forest was not big, and past it was the wilderness once again. The biggest prey in the forest were rabbits.


    Deep in the wilderness, there were sabertooth tiger like the ones that had attacked Lakrak, drakes that were stronger than sabertooth tiger, and a herd of water buffalos which were prey of the top predators. But it was problematic to urge Lakrak¡¯s n, who had just begun to settle down, to leave for the wilderness again.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s bless Lakrak with the remaining Faith points first and start from there.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked down at Lakrak¡¯s n.


    ***


    Lakrak had been recently feeling a change in his body. First, his scales were turning ck. He was initially afraid as he thought it might be a disease, but after shedding skin, his scales gained a smoother glossiness, and they were softer but sturdier than before, just like a beetle¡¯s carapace. There were also other changes. Lakrak, who had been originally dwarfed by the others, was now bing average sized and stronger than anyone else. When they were building a hut, no one was able to carry a tree bigger than what Lakrak carried.


    There were also other interesting urrences.


    Red mushrooms that had never been seen in the forest were now growing there. Lakrak initially suspected that they were poisonous, but it didn¡¯t feel like it when he touched one with a part of his finger that wasn¡¯t covered in scales. He ate a little part of the mushroom, thinking that it would be okay, and when he experienced no adverse effects the next day, he finished eating the whole mushroom. It wasn¡¯t delicious, but it didn¡¯t give him a stomachache, either.


    However, for some reason, the other Lizardmen in the n who tried to eat the mushrooms alongside Lakrak found their fingers swollen just by touching them. The swelling did get better after a few days, but it was clear that the mushrooms were poisonous.


    These sudden changes were all a novelty, and the group, including Lakrak himself, were in awe of them. The changes could have been brought about by the Nameless Beetle God.


    <i>¡®But why did God give me this power?¡¯</i>


    A few dayster, Lakrak became aware of the reason.


    <strong>***</strong>


    Lakrak escaped the group and walked through the wilderness, looking for someone. After walking for several days and nights, he could see the back of a Lizardman. It was the one that Lakrak was looking for. Lakrak dly ran and tried to catch them, but he was hardly getting any closer.


    As Lakrak became exhausted and kneeled down, the Lizardman, who had only been showing him their back, slowly turned around. As they did, the bright sky darkened, and the face of the Lizardman that Lakrak was chasing also became hidden in the dark.


    Lakrak tried to get a glimpse of the face, but he couldn¡¯t. The unknown Lizardman reached out his hand. Lakrak had wondered if they were offering to help him up, but soon realized that wasn¡¯t the case; before he knew it, he had a water buffalo skull in his arms. Giant horns were rising from the head, the orbits and nasal cavity were hollow, and the teeth of the upper jawbone were still firmly attached.


    Lakrak handed the water buffalo skull to the Lizardman. The Lizardman wore the skull on top of his head and reached out again. Lakrak looked at his hands, wondering if there was something else given to him, but there was nothing, and as he raised his head, the Lizardman was gone.


    Then, Lakrak woke up from his dream.


    <strong>***</strong>


    ¡°We have to hunt water buffalo.¡±


    These were the first words Lakrak said after gathering the n.


    Zaol grumbled, ¡°We have to go deep into the wilderness to hunt buffalo.¡±


    Zaol was therge Lizardman who had originally led the n. As Lakrak had found the sacred ground, Zaol had handed the authority to Lakrak without much trouble, but her voice was the most influential after Lakrak¡¯s.


    Lakrak nodded and said, ¡°The Nameless Beetle God wants us to catch water buffalo.¡±


    ¡°God? Did you see God?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he appeared in my dream today.¡±


    Lakrak cautiously told the story of his dream. Anyone could tell that God wanted a water buffalo as an offering, and everyone started talking about Lakrak¡¯s dream.


    Zaol shook her head. ¡°To catch a buffalo, all our hunters need to go. If all of the hunters leave, who¡¯s going to protect the remaining who are weak? The hunters could also get lost along the way. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    Her opposition made sense, and Lakrak did not dislike Zaol. But blind faith excluded differing opinions, and Lakrak thought differently from Zaol.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go alone.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°God appeared in my dream. God means for me to do the work.¡±


    Zaol growled.


    ¡°No. There are many people in the group who trust and follow you. Are you trying to split the n? And how do you n on catching a buffalo by yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    Lakrak took a spear and got up. The spear, which was a crude yet sharp stone de tied to a wooden shaft, was his favorite weapon.


    He walked to the front of the group and pointed at an old tree in the distance. Standing on one leg, he then threw the spear. Its trajectory was not a parab, but a perfect straight line. With a thud, the spear was buried into the dry old tree. The tree split with a crack.


    At the sight of such phenomenal power, the whole group cheered, while Zaol kept her mouth shut. Lakrak looked at Zaol and then walked to the edge of the hill where the old tree was located to retrieve his spear. As he was pulling out his spear, he saw the scenery at the bottom of the hill and paused. He smiled.


    ¡°Zaol! Look at that, our quarrel was useless in the face of God¡¯s will.¡±


    Something was approaching from the bottom of the hill. It was a herd of water buffaloes, precisely what Lakrak wanted to sacrifice. It wasn¡¯t a big herd, so hunting them was not that big of a problem.


    It seemed that the herd was slowly approaching after smelling the water on the hill. However, considering that they had never seen a herd of buffaloes make their way to this hill, there was no doubt that the buffaloes were also lost. It was strange that a herd of buffaloes, who always moved around the same ce, would be lost.


    <i>¡®This could never have happened without God¡¯s arrangement.¡¯</i>


    The n let out a shout at the sight of the herd of buffaloes. God hadn¡¯t appeared in Lakrak¡¯s dream for the purpose of dispersing the group.


    Lakrak pulled out his spear and eximed, ¡°He who desires to glorify God, follow me!¡±


    And as he took the lead, the hunters of the group followed him.

 Chapter 5: How to Acquire Knowledge

    <h4>Chapter 5: How to Acquire Knowledge</h4>


    Lakrak and his n sessfully hunted 5 water buffaloes. Some argued that all the sacrifices should be offered to the altar, but Lakrak said there was no need to go that far. Sung-Woon thought the same; there was going to be more hunting anyway, and feeding the n was also important. Lakrak wondered how the Nameless Beetle God had moved the buffalo herd, but he focused first on sharing the lean meat in front of him with his n.


    Sung-Woon smiled as he saw Lakrak¡¯s n move the hunted buffaloes. He wasn¡¯t the god of animals or livestock, and the only Small Area he upied was Insects. In other words, he could be called the ¡®God of Insects,¡¯ and therefore had no power to directly control the herd of buffaloes.


    <i>¡®But if I use Miracles well, nothing is impossible.¡¯</i>


    Having used a simr method already in the game, Sung-Woon assumed he would be able to move the herd of buffaloes without much trouble, and that turned out to be true. Just like in the game, everything in this world was also organically connected. Buffalo herds moved while grazing, so it was possible to lead the buffaloes by determining where the grass was.


    <i>¡®However, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m the God of Wild Grass.¡¯</i>


    But Sung-Woon was the God of Insects. Using his increased Divinity, he summoned a swarm of locust to feed on the grass. He wasn¡¯t able to create grass that didn¡¯t exist, but he was able to eliminate the grass that was already there. As the buffaloes grazed in the direction they were already heading, Sung-Woon would slowly narrow the range of directions they could go by using the locust, and eventually, it would be possible to direct the buffaloes to his desired destination.


    <i>¡®The system support is a bit insufficientpared to the game.¡¯</i>


    He actually began moving the herd of buffaloes long before Lakrak was appointed a priest. To be more exact, Lakrak became an oracle the day before the herd of buffaloes arrived at the hill.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s see how they make an altar and give their offerings¡­¡¯</i>


    ***


    The first altar was shabby. One live buffalo and four untouched buffalo heads were ced on top of the altar made up of buffalo bones poorly stacked together. Lakrak of course had never held a ¡®ceremony¡¯, so he didn¡¯t have that clear an idea about the concept of ¡®sacrifice¡¯. Fortunately, the process wouldn¡¯t really pose a problem. The important part was the idea of sacrifice. Lakrak¡¯s offering was sloppy and clumsy, but after several trials and errors, he hung the buffalo upside down and sessfully drew blood, which trickled down between the buffalo bones and heads. Lakrak and the rest of the n bowed to the altar where blood was gushing out. For Lizardmen, this was the only act of showing respect to a higher being than oneself, and it was enough.


    <i>¡®The only thing that matters in the offering ceremony is sincerity.¡¯</i>


    Bugs gathered between the heads and bones, and everything slowly began to rot.


    [Faith is acquired from the altar]


    [Faith has leveled up]


    [3/50 ¡ú 162/50]


    <i>¡®It exceeded the limit. I should use it up quickly.¡¯</i>


    One by one, Sung-Woon blessed the Lizardmen who followed Lakrak and actively participated in hunting, and the Blessings were the same as the one Lakrak had received. It was a no-brainer for him which two Blessings he should pick first.


    The first Blessing was ¡®Hard Shell,¡¯ and for those who were granted this Blessing, their skin changed into a hard outer shell simr to the exoskeleton of an insect. The second Blessing was ¡®Power of Beetles,¡¯ which made those who received it grow stronger so that they would, like some insects, possess strength much greater than what their sizes would suggest. If there was something good about the area of ¡®Insects¡¯, it was that one could create good Blessings about physical traits that would allow the tribes to better maintain their numbers in battles or extreme environments. Therefore, Blessings that enhanced physical build were imperative.


    Sung-Woon had to give the third blessing some thought, but he ultimately went with ''Toxic Resistance¡¯. Generally, Lizardmen were able to eat anything, but outside of bacteria and germs, their ability to resist chemical poison was poor. And so, to allow them to eat everything without worry, it was better to strengthen their existing strength.


    <i>¡®Because¡­over time, the food resources around here will run out.¡¯</i>


    Creatures that travel in herds consumed a great deal of resources. Fortunately, Lakrak¡¯s n knew the rudimentary basics of smoking meat so they had stored quite a bit of buffalo meat. Since there was no need to collect food for a while, they were able to build a house and focus on taking care of their home.


    <i>¡®Then the herd numbers will increase.¡¯</i>


    But that wouldn¡¯tst forever. Lakrak¡¯s n was located on a small hill in the middle of the wilderness, so they would only be able tost a few years at most.


    <i>¡®These guys won¡¯t know how to farm.¡¯</i>


    They knew how to dig up root nts, but didn¡¯t know it was better to leave some and bury the good seeds together to crossbreed them, or to keep the buffalo calves alive to mate and breed livestock.


    <i>¡®I¡¯d like to tell them through a Miracle or divine message, but¡­¡¯</i>


    Again, this part worked just like The Lost World. It wasn¡¯t possible to pass that type of ¡®knowledge¡¯ on to the Lizardmen given his current amount of Faith. That would be a ¡®causality vition¡¯ in the game¡¯s setting, and while it hadn¡¯t been confirmed, the same seemed to be true of this. In order to directly transfer that type of knowledge, thus viting causality, it was necessary to acquire an amount of Faith that was practically impossible.


    <i>¡®Then¡­doing nothing is one way to go about it.¡¯</i>


    The process of tribes gaining ¡®knowledge¡¯ was easy. One just had to wait. Then someone smart among the group would appear, or technology may be discovered by chance. And if that knowledge and technology were handed down to future generations, civilization would advance.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no time for that though.¡¯</i>


    It would take too long. Sung-Woon knew that a few Lizardmen in Lakrak¡¯s n had bronze swords. The Lost World started between the end of the Neolithic Age and the beginning of the Bronze Age, so he knew technology had advanced enough to build a furnace to melt bronze. However, Lakrak¡¯s n was a group that separated from a bigger tribe, so their knowledge likely wasn¡¯t as urate.


    <i>¡®Knowledge and technology can vanish at any time, especially before a line ofmunication is established.¡¯</i>


    The only way out of a decline was for different tribes to interact in some way, especially as Lizardmen were proficient in basic abilities but slower with technological development. Now that the existence of a god was clearly demonstrated, it was time to make his real name known.


    <i>¡®Even though this method is a bit rough.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was already projecting a Miracle on a distantnd from where Lakrak was. He could already move insects, which also enabled him to move the water buffaloes, and with enough time, motivation, and sufficient amount of Faith produced by Lakrak¡¯s n, other things could be moved as well.


    <i>¡®It¡¯ll probably take some time.¡¯</i>


    Time would fly by instantly in the game of The Lost World, but here, one was able to move things one by one. Sung-Woon could have done things half-heartedly with the help of the game system, but he didn¡¯t n on doing that. Interestingly enough, he didn¡¯t find this task boring or difficult. The way he perceived time already seemedpletely different from that of humans.


    <i>¡®Alright, let¡¯s do it.¡¯</i>


    <i>***</i>


    Years had passed.


    Lakrak and his n had survived the winter without much difficulty thanks to the spring water and the small ecosystem it sustained, and many more of the n were blessed by the Nameless Beetle God. Even the young children had been blessed, making them strong and healthy, and those who were initially awkward with their ck, glossy scales were now humbly grateful and proud of the blessing from God. But good times neversted forever.


    Lakrak sensed the slow decline of the hill. As the n grewrger, the little spring could no longer support the n. The fish disappeared, and only the root nts that had a strong taste were left.


    He was in front of the altar made of bones. It was hard for him to even recall the first shabby altar they made years ago. The altar in front of him was about 8 meters long. The altar, densely stacked with bones that belonged to dozens of buffaloes and possibly more, consisted of threeyers. The buffalo head decorating each tform was awe-inspiring.


    ¡°Lakrak, you¡¯re up early.¡±


    ¡°I was looking at the altar. I had a bad dreamst night.¡±


    Lakrak answered and looked at the neer, Zaol. At first, Zaol hadn¡¯t epted or acknowledged Lakrak and the Nameless Beetle God, but that was no longer true. Now the whole n was covered in ck skin, believed in the Beetle God, and had such a strong body that couldn¡¯t be exined without the existence of a divine power. Even the weakest warrior of the n was able to cut a buffalo¡¯s throat with bare hands. Just like the other Lizardmen, Zaol now treated Lakrak as the chief of the n. After Lakrak became chief, twenty young Lizardmen were born healthy, and the n poption grew to almost 50 in total.


    ¡°Dream? Is it a divine message?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, it¡¯s ambiguous.¡±


    Lakrak talked about his dream.


    .


    ¡°The altar was dangerously shaking in the distance, and looking around, I saw no more fishing up from the pond of blessing. Moreover, no root nts could be found when I dug through the ground.¡±


    ¡°Things aren¡¯t that bad yet.¡±


    ¡°That may be true at the moment, but our home is bing barren. Wasn¡¯t the rabbit we caught two months ago thest prey we got?¡±


    Zaol nodded.


    ¡°But Lakrak, there¡¯s still lots of time. The Nameless Beetle God is still sending us herds of water buffaloes. There¡¯s nothing to worry about while God is taking care of us.


    ¡°I believe in God too. God won¡¯t abandon us.¡±


    Lakrak grabbed a spear and strode up the altar.


    ¡°But if there¡¯s ack of understanding of what God intends, then we¡¯ll be betraying God¡¯s will¡­ Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°At dawn, I sent Yur and his friends to the West.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why those noisy children are nowhere to be seen. Do you think it is a divine message?¡±


    ¡°Yes, perhaps.¡±


    Sitting on the altar, Lakrak looked over to the horizon. Then he jumped to his feet as if he had found something.


    ¡°Of course. Now I see why the altar shook.¡±


    As Zaol tilted her head, Lakrak pulled her arm. Once they got to the same eye level, Zaol was able to make out what was at the end of the horizon. It was a group of something. They were slow and there were too many of them to be water buffaloes, but there was nothing to be confused about as it was a very familiar sight to them. A long snout, walking upright on two legs, covered in scales, with a long tail hanging down¡ªit was another Lizardman tribe. They had blue skin like Lakrak did in the past.

 Chapter 6: Beauer of the Blue Skin Tribe

    <h4>Chapter 6: Beauer of the Blue Skin Tribe</h4>


    The Lizardman, Beauer, had reigned over his tribe and wends for a long time. Having been a giant ever since he hatched from an egg, he had a talent for making other Lizardmen frightened and obedient due to his atrocious temper. His temper alone wouldn¡¯t have made it easy for him to survive long in the tribe he called ¡®Blue Skin,¡¯ though, as only being fierce and rough was not the makings of the chief of a big tribe of 300 Lizardmen.


    Beauer was good at arithmetics. For example, 300 Lizardmen could live just fine in a small wend one could circle around in about half a day, but that wouldn¡¯t be the case for 310 or 320 Lizardmen. The wend would run out of resources little by little. It wouldn¡¯t take long till all the root nts were dug up, the small animals all hunted, and even the tree bark peeled off and eaten. And so, Beauer routinely kicked out the weak, sick, and old Lizardmen from his tribe andnd; at least 10 were driven out every time, and at most 30. This way, the remaining Lizardmen were able to have a little bit of a grace period.


    Of course, the Lizardmen getting kicked out didn¡¯t justply and leave, so there was always a bloody battle, and in every battle, a drake named Manun was always there helping him. He was another of Beauer¡¯s assets. Beauer had picked up a drake egg when he was younger and had been the first individual that Manun saw when he was born. Manun was vicious, but he followed Beauer who fed and raised him, willingly lending Beauer his back. This four-legged lizard grew so big that it could easily ovee a sabertooth tiger and was even able to move quickly with Beauer, who was a very big Lizardman, on his back.


    Even before Beauer had decided to kick tribe members out, there had been many who attacked him. It was the only way the other Lizardmen could avoid and survive the results of his arithmetic. However, the huge, 5-meter long drake, Manun, always protected Beauer, and together, they killed the traitors.


    Later on, Beauer sessfully defended his small territory with Manun¡¯s strength. He didn¡¯t think about the Lizardmen who were kicked out into the wilderness. To this day, he had gathered and ostracized Lizardmen five times in his life, and so far, he hadn¡¯t seen any of them again. Beauer looked to the remaining 300 Lizardmen. He thought his arithmetics were undeniably correct, but that thought changed not too long ago.


    The wend, which wasn¡¯t abundant but also wasn¡¯t barren, was attacked by a swarm of locusts. Even Beauer had never seen such a swarm of locusts in his long years of life. The swarm wasrge enough to make the sky of the marsh ck and cover the sun. At first they thought a rare opportunity hade to fill their stomachs with meat, but the strange urrence turned out to be threatening rather than propitious. The locusts gnawed at all the grass and trees in the marsh, making the nts dry, and killed the other animals that lived in harmony amongst the nts and trees. Some locusts even attacked the weak Lizardmen. It took less than two days for half the wends to disappear.


    Beauer¡¯s arithmetics no longer worked in that bizarre situation, and he knew that his Blue Skin Tribe had to leave in the opposite direction of where the locusts came from, towards the wilderness he had driven the other Lizardmen to.


    ***


    Lakrak recognized Beauer easily as nothing about him had changed much from when Lakrak was kicked out of the tribe. Beauer was over two meters and fifty centimeters tall, and was big enough to make other Lizardmen look like children, but his big size wasn¡¯t his only strength.


    ¡°The drake Manun¡­Did he get bigger?¡±


    Beauer was riding on top of Manun. Although notparable to a dragon, a drake was considered an ultimate being one couldn¡¯t afford to antagonize in the wilderness. An average group of 30 or even 50 Lizardmen would find it difficult to defeat a drake.


    ¡°That lizard finally seems to have eaten through all the wends that belonged to the Blue Skin,¡± said Zaol in a worried voice.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that. Though it was bound to happen sooner orter.¡±


    Lakrak had thought that Manun would eat too much food when he was still a part of the Blue Skin Tribe. Even though Manun hunted food for himself, there wasn¡¯t much to eat in the wilderness, and without the drake, it was possible the tribe would have kept the weak rather than kicking them out. Beauer had kicked out the other Lizardmen because he wanted to have the drake with him.


    ¡°Even now, he¡¯s the only one who gained weight. Greedy idiot.¡±


    As time passed, Yur and his friends came running back, having aplished the scouting mission they¡¯d been sent to conduct before Beauer was spotted. Lakrak exined exactly what he saw. The fat and old Beauer, the drake Manun he was riding on top of, followed by 300 Lizardmen.


    Beauer, who saw the sacred ground of the Nameless Beetle God, was approaching right away.


    Zaol said anxiously, ¡°If theye, the forest will soon be exhausted of all lives.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°Then are you gonna kick them out?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to kick them out?¡±


    ¡°We have the power to do so. They¡¯re great in numbers and have the drake Manun on their side, but I am confident we will triumph under the protection of the Nameless Beetle God.¡±


    Lakrak nodded. He liked that answer, but it wasn¡¯t the correct one.


    ¡°In my opinion, they must have been sent by God.¡±


    ¡°What? Why would God put us to the test?¡±


    ¡°We were abandoned, but got saved. Seeing the tribe move, it seemed the same fate had befallen them. There is no mistake that they were abandoned by the earth. We need to save them. Thus, we need to let more people know of the prestige of the Nameless Beetle God.¡±


    ¡°But how¡­?¡±


    It was definitely more difficult to subjugate them than to drive them away. If the Blue Skin Tribe had no more men to fight, they would split up and run, but they had more men, and it would be difficult to subjugate everyone who ran.


    ¡°I dare not try to understand God¡¯s will. I¡¯ll just do what I can.¡±


    ***


    Sung-Woon became interested while listening to Lakrak and Zaol¡¯s conversation.


    <i>¡®You already know what I want, don¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    On the flip side, that also meant Sung-Woon was inplete control of Lakrak.


    <i>¡®Other yer¡¯s didn¡¯t really like individuals who had strong willpower.¡¯</i>


    High willpower meant individuals could carry out their own actions. And unexpected actions would lead to trouble in a simtion game. Of course, willpower itself and the constant efforts made could result in good actions being carried out even if the individual¡¯s behavior was out of control, but naturally, many yers didn¡¯t like characters that moved of their own will.


    But Sung-Woon was different.


    <i>¡®Having strong willpower doesn¡¯t always mean one would act differently than what the yer intends. If I can guide that willpower in the way that I want, it would be a more powerful and sessful way than simply controlling everything.¡¯</i>


    In the end, what Sung-Woon wanted was tobine both groups. Lakrak¡¯s n got stronger due to the Blessings from Sung-Woon, but their technological abilities were low. Sung-Woon had checked and found out that the Blue Skin Tribe had some techniques he considered valuable, and those techniques were to be used to feed the entire tribes and develop civilization.


    <i>¡®Lakrak¡¯s n will eventually have to subjugate the Blue Skin Tribe without any harm done.¡¯</i>


    As Sung-Woon watched from above, Lakrak was taking Zaol, his aide, and Yur and his friends towards Beauer. Beside Lakrak, they were all elite fighters in the n.


    Beauer stopped at the bottom of the hill and watched theme down. He dragged Manun forward and spoke to Lakrak. It seemed he had no idea that these ck Lizardmen were from one of the groups he had kicked out in the past.


    ¡°Young Lizardman, do you live here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What is at the top of the hill?¡±


    ¡°Bushes, trees, and hunting game.¡±


    Beauer thought that Lakrak had given the answer easily because he was frightened by therge tribe behind him.


    ¡°Great. We are hungry. If you leave this hill, we will not attack.¡±


    ¡°This is ournd.¡±


    ¡°So? Does that mean you¡¯re not going to leave?¡±


    ¡°We are warriors. We protect thend.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many more of you there are, but¡­You cannot win.¡±


    ¡°We can defend ournd fine with just the men you see in front of you.¡±


    Beauer chuckled at those words.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know arithmetics.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t know God.¡±


    Beauer asked, wondering at the remark, ¡°God?¡±


    ¡°Get on your knees and obey me, now. Then I will take care of you ording to God¡¯s will.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lunatic. Die,¡± said Beauer as he kicked Manun¡¯s back.


    Manun¡¯s eyes shone brightly and charged towards Lakrak. Lakrak twirled his spear before gripping it.


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t find the ensuing battle urgent. Ever since bing a god, the flow of time hadn¡¯t felt imminent to him. Manun approaching Lakrak even seemed like slow motion in his eyes. If Lakrak had that much faith in him, though, Sung-Woon wanted to reward it properly.


    A pop-up appeared.


    [sh of civilizations!]


    [Two different tribes havee into contact. Experience points (XP) are rising for both tribes.]


    Sung-Woon closed the window and checked his stats.


    [Divinity level]


    [4]


    [Faith]


    [482/500]


    [Small Area: Insects]


    [Lv. 3]


    Sung-Woon had gathered a bit of Faith for this battle, and the small area of Insects had leveled up as a result of him controlling the swarm of locusts.


    <i>¡®And¡­¡¯</i>


    As the two Lizardman tribes came into contact with each other, a new ability appeared.


    [You have been paying a lot of attention to one particr tribe until now. Now this tribe belongs to your territory.]


    [Area: Lizardmen]


    [Lv. 1]


    In The Lost World, after obtaining the first small area at the start of the game, various additional areas could be obtained depending on the actions taken. It was a bit frustrating as this wasn¡¯t marked until one actually acquired the area, but Sung-Woon knew from experience that it would be possible for him to associate the Lizardmen to his territory.


    <i>¡®If I didn¡¯t get this, I wouldn¡¯t be able to win without harm.¡¯</i>


    Tribal areas were different from small areas as tribal areas did note with dramatic effects. For example, in the small area of Insects, insects could be created out of thin air, but obtaining the area of Lizardmen didn¡¯t make it possible to spawn Lizardmen from the ground. Nevertheless, that was not to say tribal areas were useless. In The Lost World, early builds depended on how quickly yers gained a small area of a species. Such an area was simple and strong.


    <i>¡®That means¡­¡¯</i>


    [You can now use the skill ¡®Divine Control¡¯.]


    .


    [Would you like to use it?]


    [Yes / No]


    Sung-Woon clicked ¡®Yes.¡¯

 Chapter 7: Divine Control

    <h4>Chapter 7: Divine Control</h4>


    yers in The Lost World were eligible to receive additional skills if their Divinity level rose or if they gained another area. For example, Miracles were avable at level 1 in ¡®Small Area: Insects¡¯ at level 1, while Blessings were introduced at level 2.


    <i>¡®As Small Area: Insects reached level 3, I have gained a new skill, but it would be useless this time.¡¯</i>


    For the ¡®Area of Lizardmen,¡¯ ¡®Trance¡¯ was given at level 1. Different skills were made avable at the same level because the general small areas and the areas of species were different.


    Trance was a simple skill.


    <i>¡®...!¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked down at ¡®his body.¡¯ ck scales, sharp ws longer than a joint of his foot, and a long snout came into his view.


    <i>¡®Is this Lakrak¡¯s body?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak was over 2 meters tall, so the ground seemed far away, and the feeling of having a tail was also very foreign to him. He clenched and unclenched his fists.


    <i>¡®It might take some time to fully adapt to this.¡¯</i>


    But there was no need to adapt. Even while Sung-Woon was freely controlling Lakrak¡¯s body, the drake Manun running towards him was so slow that it was boring.


    <i>¡®Still, I shouldn¡¯t becent.¡¯</i>


    [Faith is decreasing as Trance is being used.]


    [Faith]


    [482/500 ¡ú 477/500]


    Faith declined rapidly as Sung-Woon controlled Lakrak through Trance. Fortunately, the number of points he lost was tolerable.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s see what you can do.¡¯</i>


    [Beauer (Warrior Lv.1/Tribal Chief Lv. 4)


    Strength 24


    Intelligence 15


    Sociability 16


    Skill: Husbandry


    Tribal Chief of the Lizardman tribe Blue Skin]


    Beauer had the ability to lead 300 Lizardmen. It wasn¡¯t that impressive, but it also wasn¡¯t too bad.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t have to use Trance if it was just Beauer.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked at Manun¡¯s eyes.


    [Manun (Drake Lv.1)


    Strength 87


    Intelligence 6


    Sociability 9]


    Manun¡¯s Intelligence and Sociability were on par with the average Lizardmen, but that wasn¡¯t the case for his strength. He was a literal monster, and him being a level 1 drake meant he was still young.


    Sung-Woon then looked at Lakrak¡¯s stats.


    [Lakrak (Warrior Lv.2/Tribal Chief Lv.2/High Priest Lv.1)


    Strength 30 (+D3)


    Intelligence 24 (+D3)


    Sociability 26 (+D3)


    Willpower 14(+D3)


    Tribal Chief of Lakrak¡¯s n


    Status Abnormality: Controlled (Divinity Lv.3)]


    The strength of the water buffaloes was approximately 22. If his strength was 30, then that would be more than enough to break the neck of a water buffalo with his bare hands. Beauer would likely be destroyed without much trouble in a head-to-head battle due to the modifier.


    <i>¡®But Beauer needs to show his abilities too without a big battle.¡¯</i>


    This was because Beauer¡¯s tribe had to be won over without any harm done to them so that they could share the Intelligence the Blue Skin Tribe possessed. Luckily, there seemed to be no problems with the n in Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion. Lakrak=Sung-Woon pierced the head of his spear into the ground.


    The D that was shown in Lakrak¡¯s stats meant Divinity, and the number that D represented was 200, which was the maximum value that could naturally exist in a creature.


    <i>¡®Simply put, Lakrak¡¯s current Strength is 630.¡¯</i>


    If the opponent did not have the same amount of Divinity, then a fight against God would never be viable or even possible.


    Lakrak=Sung-Woon grabbed Manun¡¯s upper jaw as he charged at him with his maw wide open, and Manun was instantly flipped backward.


    ¡°Gaahhhh!¡±


    As soon as the 5-meter long giant flew into the air, someone screamed. Beauer, who had already lost his bnce, was rolling around on the ground.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    The impact seemed to be shaking the¡¯s very core, and some of the Blue Skin Lizardmen fell to the ground. With more strength, Sung-Woon could¡¯ve rendered Manun into a flood of blood, but he thought that would be too much. The Lizardmen would be afraid rather than be in awe.


    <i>¡®The drake is also valuable.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak=Sung-Woon approached Beauer, leaving Manun unconscious after being flipped. Beauer was crawling backward, and got up in a hurry once he saw the Blue Skin Lizardmen murmuring amongst themselves.


    ¡°Th..that¡¯s ridiculous! You..you punk!¡±


    It seemed as if Beauer didn¡¯t fully understand the situation, and Sung-Woon found that ratherfortable. Beauer then grabbed his well-forged bronze sword and charged toward Lakrak=Sung-Woon, but Sung-Woon quickly jabbed with his spear.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Beauer¡¯s neck bent back, and his knees buckled soon after. Silence spread through the Blue Skin Lizardmen. Absolute strength. There definitely were some Lizardmen who believed they couldn¡¯t escape now.


    Lakrak=Sung-Woon asked, ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡±


    The Blue Skin Lizardmen all bowed down and expressed obedience.


    <strong>***</strong>


    The hill was now too crowded to be used as a base for Lakrak¡¯s n, which had increased to 350 members. Fortunately, even though the numbers of the two groups weren¡¯t the same, they knew each other well as both groups used to be one tribe. In addition to that, as the Blue Skin Lizardmen began to hear myths about Lakrak¡¯s god, the Nameless Beetle God, they got worked up out of their envy and expectations towards Lakrak.


    Zaol approached Lakrak, who was sitting in front of the altar.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you say the power you showed today was not all yours? Didn¡¯t God dwell in you?¡±


    Lakrak nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t remember it well, but a few scenes dimlye to mind. I had a lot of power. God performed his Miracle himself through my body, and thanks to that, they began to follow us.¡±


    ¡°But now the hill will be ruined.¡±


    ¡°So we must prepare to leave.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re going out into the wilderness again?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only choice we have.¡±


    ¡°Just believing that God will guide us?¡±


    Zaol had thought Lakrak would nod, but this time, he shook his head.


    ¡°God has already helped us. He doesn¡¯t help us every time we are hungry.¡±


    ¡°But if we wander in the wilderness without any answer, a lot of us will die of starvation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe there isn¡¯t an answer.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    Lakrak tilted his head. It seemed he couldn¡¯t give a clear answer, but he had an idea.


    ¡°It seems that the Nameless Beetle God wanted us to be brought together once again with our old tribe, so there lies our answer. We were isted for a long time, and they have more numbers. There might be someone amongst them that wille up with a wise idea.¡±


    ¡°Like how to make metal pieces?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. No one among us knew how to heat a metal piece so hot, but now I know there are a few from the old tribe who know exactly how to do that.¡±


    ¡°One of them actually just notified me that they want to dedicate an object to the tribal chief.¡±


    Lakrak nodded.


    ¡°But I would then wish that all our warriors be armed with it as well.¡±


    ¡°I will let them know.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    Zaol waved her hand as if she didn¡¯t need to hear more and said, ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find a guide. We don¡¯t have any vagrants among us, but they might. I¡¯ll also try to find out if there is anyone with wisdom who can help us cross the wilderness.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll leave that to you.¡±


    After sending Zaol away, Lakrakid himself down on the bones of the altar to cool off his still hot body, and a bone rolled, making a ttering sound.


    ***


    Lakrak was introduced by Zaol to three Lizardmen. One of them was the de craftsman that Zaol had mentioned earlier. The craftsman told Lakrak that with Lakrak¡¯s approval, he could burn down some trees to create a harder de before they left. Looking down at them, Sung-Woon realized the craftsman was talking about ¡®ironware.¡¯


    <i>¡®Copper and tin is used to make bronze, and iron is moremon than zinc. They¡¯ve had the technology to increase heat, so why haven¡¯t they been using it?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak found it a bit strange and asked. Just as he expected, it was revealed that Beauer had stopped them from burning down trees. Beauer believed that preserving the environment was better for the tribe than having harder metal, and since they had been forced to leave in a hurry, there hadn¡¯t been enough time to test it out.


    <i>¡®I do understand, but Lakrak is different. It would be worthwhile to test it out on the premise that they would be leaving the hill.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon could have granted them Divinity, but it had its pros and cons in his opinion.


    <i>¡®If they don¡¯t reduce the number of trees on the hill, they could benefit from them if they are to return to thisnd. I¡¯ll leave this matter to Lakrak.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak said he would think about it till the next day and sent the de craftsman away.


    The next he met was a one-armed Lizardman.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­a vagrant.¡±


    ¡°That is right.¡±


    As an old Lizardman, he had different colored scales than the Blue Skin Tribe, and of course, was also different from Lakrak¡¯s n, whose skin was ck. The man wasn¡¯t a totally different species, so patches of his green skin still had a base of blue, but there was no mistaking that he was a part of a different group.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re looking for a guide. I am old and only have one arm. I had to rely on a group and therefore had to be on a constant look out for a group that would ept me. That¡¯s why I know my way around. If the group can¡¯tpletely settle somewhere, I have ces in mind that wouldn¡¯t cause them to starve. But, of course, I can¡¯t guarantee that.¡±


    Lakrak could live with that.


    ¡°There will be other vagrants and tribes.¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±


    ¡°As long as you can lead us to those grounds, we can always make them ours.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that.¡±


    ¡°Then can I trust you?¡±


    ¡°Trust me?¡±


    ¡°I lead arge group, so I need to trust that you aren¡¯t just saying nonsense to attain a spot in our n.¡±


    The one-armed Lizardman paused to think and read the sky.


    ¡°I am a star catcher.¡±


    ¡°Star catcher?¡±


    ¡°I was close to my sister when I was young, and she knew the locations of the stars very well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stars move?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, do you? Stars always look for their ce.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°If you know when and where the stars move, you can go everywhere without getting lost. I¡¯ll tell you where my stars are today and where they will be tomorrow. Then you can keep that in mind and see if I am right or wrong.¡±


    Lakrak nodded.


    Sung-Woon was impressed by the early astronomer.


    <i>¡®Iron aside, I didn¡¯t know there would be an astronomer.¡¯</i>


    Astronomers couldter help with the techniques of architecture or mathematics. Sung-Woon hoped Lakrak would use the star catcher well.


    Lakrak¡¯sst guest of the day was a Lizardman very familiar to him.


    ¡°Yur?¡±


    ¡°The evening breeze is nice, chief.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Yur was a younger Lizardman than Lakrak, but he was now simr in size and equally shrewd, making him the best fighter after Lakrak and Zaol. Yur hung out with Lizardmen who were alsopetent, and they all worked together well, which allowed Lakrak to entrust them.


    ¡°Zaol says we need a way to get across the wilderness without starving.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course I should have asked you as well.¡±


    ¡°No, chief. I am a fool.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. A warrior is not all about strength.¡±


    Yur shyly scratched his head.


    ¡°Anyways, this thought only urred to me today after looking at that gluttonous drake.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Beauer ¡®tamed¡¯ the drake, so wouldn¡¯t he be able to tame other things like he has already done?¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    Yur pointed to the ox bone altar and said, ¡°Like a water buffalo?¡±


    [¡®Lakrak¡¯s n¡¯ has noticed the skill: Livestock Farming.]


    1. We decided to keep the formatting as the author had written. It is an indication that Lakrak and Sung-Woon are acting as one being for now as Sung-Woon is using the Trance skill.

 Chapter 8: The Bone Warrior

    <h4>Chapter 8: The Bone Warrior</h4>


    Sung-Woon learned history by ying games. Therefore, he didn¡¯t really know what the actual history of mankind¡¯s development was like.


    <i>¡®But in the game of The Lost World, it was one of the two.¡¯</i>


    And that was either livestock farming or agriculture.


    <i>¡®There are always pros and cons.¡¯</i>


    Agriculture was a stable option for the development of civilization. Creating an environment that could block attacks from the outside while stocking up on food allowed the poption to grow continuously. In fact, human civilizations on Earth often started in river basins.


    <i>¡®Of course there are difficulties.¡¯</i>


    The problem with agriculture was the environment. Even in modern times on Earth, human will alone wasn¡¯t enough to prevent droughts and floods, and the less technologically advanced a society, the more vulnerable it was to natural disasters. Until technology advanced further, difficulties would continue to arise in the work of maintaining rivers to control floods, selecting seedlings to grow crops, and all other aspects of agriculture.


    <i>¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s easy to farm livestock either.¡¯</i>


    Within Sung-Woon¡¯s area, none of the tribes had started farming livestock, but there were most likely other yers whose first choice were tribes starting out with livestock farming skills. However, having those skills didn¡¯t automatically guarantee good potential.


    <i>¡®There are many cases in which I can¡¯t tell whether thend is dry or fertile until I actually visit it myself. And until I umte enough experience in surroundingnds, I¡¯ll only be able to do small, primitive farming of livestock..¡¯</i>


    As a result, it was best to do what could be done at that time ording to the tribe chosen.


    <i>¡®And I chose the Lizardmen.¡¯</i>


    If he had chosen Frogmen, it wouldn¡¯t have been impossible to farm livestock since the tribe started with the concept of ¡®salmon farming¡¯, but a yer would normally go with agriculture instead. On the other hand, Lizardmen did have an advantage in farming livestock and looting due to their physical builds.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure they¡¯re strong enough on average at this time.¡¯</i>


    Therefore, Sung-Woon believed there was nothing to be afraid of. It was a bit unfortunate they had to leave the altar made of bones as it was used in the beginning to give a generous amount of Blessings to Lakrak¡¯s n of 50 Lizardmen, but these kinds of early altars were disposable as they were made of bones which wouldn¡¯tst long. However, it seemed Sung-Woon was the only one who didn¡¯t have lingering feelings for it.


    The next day, Lakrak gave orders to Yur and the other warriors to bring in as many living water buffaloes as possible. They would find a herd of buffaloes that Sung-Woon had intended for them to find, and they would appease and bring the herd over before it was toote.


    It wouldn''t be possible for the water buffaloes to be domesticated right away, but the Lizardmen could still raise them since they were strong enough to drag the buffaloes along by force. If they continued to do so, the skill: Livestock Farming would be obtained, resulting in the buffalo herd bing more manageable. In the end, they would be able to increase the number of buffaloes they brought with them.


    <i>¡®Everything takes time.¡¯</i>


    During the day, Lakrak helped the Iron Craftsman build the fire. To be exact, the craftsman made a ¡®soot tree.¡¯ They made a brazier and put lots of firewood on top. Then they applied mud to the outer surface to prevent the fire from escaping. Once the fire was lit, the holes that were left to allow airflow to help the fire get started were blocked, and they waited for the wood topletely burn.


    Lakrak couldn¡¯t really understand why it was done that way, but he decided to just trust the Iron Craftsman. When it came to God¡¯s will, he knew he was right, but he acknowledged his ignorance in other matters.


    Sung-Woon saw a system message that said ¡®charcoal¡¯ next to the soot tree the iron craftsman was standing by.


    That wasn¡¯t the end of the Iron Craftsman¡¯s skills. The craftsman took two wooden boards that had been split and ced them in front of the fire hole, putting them together in a way that looked like a pinwheel. Its role was not much different from that of a pinwheel, either. The craftsman then tied a wooden stick to the center of the pinwheel-like structure before pushing it with his palm, allowing wind to easily ess the fire hole. This was a primitive bellow.


    <i>¡®It seems enough heat has been secured. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have any problems with the ironware.¡¯</i>


    As night came, Lakrak met again with the guide who was also a star catcher. The night sky had changed just as the star catcher said it would. However, Lakrak thought that one night could just be out of coincidence, and the star catcher agreed. The star catcher thus told him how the stars would move again, and Lakrak kept it in mind.


    <strong>***</strong>


    A few dayster, the first iron spear was made. It was clunky, but because of its hardness, it was sharper than any other spear Lakrak had ever touched.


    <i>¡®Considering the quality, it does seem a bit softer than a well-made spear would be in the Bronze Age.¡¯</i>


    But there was no reason for Sung-Woon to step in and throw a spanner in the works. The advantage of ironware was not only that it was hard. Compared to the Bronze Age, it was easier to obtain iron above ground, and outside of alloy, it was easier to work with than bronze. The right temperature to melt the iron was all that was needed. Still, it was impossible to do without the necessary knowledge and skills.


    <i>¡®It would be better for supplying agricultural equipment, but supplying weapons isn¡¯t all that bad.¡¯</i>


    Initially, Lakrak the tribal chief was holding a spear made of stone, so the change of de was great progress.


    ***


    Another few dayster, Yur and the other warriors led a herd of water buffaloes back. Most of the warriors were exhausted even with the Blessing of Insects, but the herd of water buffaloes they brought back had already given up resistance and stayed in formation. There were 20 altogether.


    <i>¡®They¡¯ll likely celebrate and consume a few, but that I can deal with.¡¯</i>


    However, contrary to what Sung-Woon had thought, Lakrak did not do so. They had already made wooden fences to temporarily keep the herd of buffaloes in, and once they locked them in there, a sentry was ced to prevent the buffaloes from being secretly ughtered. There was a stir among the Lizardmen that there were 20 delicious buffaloes but they couldn¡¯t eat any of them. Zaol even asked Lakrak on behalf of the men.


    ¡°Everyone wants to eat the water buffaloes.¡±


    ¡°I know. I want to eat them more than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡­¡±


    Lakrak was next to the water buffaloes and standing guard himself.


    ¡°ording to calctions, there¡¯s no need for us to eat them when we aren¡¯t starving. They will be valuable food when we go out into the wilderness. Looking at the bigger picture, it will benefit us greatlyter on.¡±


    [The Lizardman Lakrak¡¯s ¡®Willpower¡¯ has increased.]


    [14 ¡ú 18]


    Sung-Woon nodded. He didn¡¯t know much about the development of human civilization, but he assumed that the base for development was the result of resisting the small gains at the moment for bigger gains in the future. The small and trivial willpower used to persevere for the future was what caused the change. Zaol was alsoter convinced.


    ¡°But the warriors are hungry and tired. Yur is good and follows you, but there are some who are dissatisfied. Not all the Lizardmen are as wise as you are.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Lakrak looked up at the sky and seemed to think for a moment.


    He then opened his mouth and said, ¡° Wake up the warriors who are tired and asleep right now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, wake everyone up. Hit the metal to make a loud noise. Put lots of branches into the fire to shake off everyone¡¯s drowsiness.¡±


    ¡°Are you being serious?¡±


    Lakrak looked at Zaol rather disapprovingly. He stepped onto the altar and took a deep breath before shouting.


    ¡°Wake up, warriors! Wake up! Children of the n!¡±


    Only then did Zaol realize Lakrak was serious.


    Sung-Woon watched this scene with interest. Something was about to happen.


    Zaol first woke up her immediate subordinates, then proceeded to wake the entire tribe with a loud noise. Finally, she put more tree branches into the fire to make it bigger just as Lakrak had told her to do. It was early morning, but it wasn¡¯t time to wake up yet. Lizardmen also had difficulty waking up when temperatures were low. Smoke started rising from the fire that had been dying throughout the night, and so the Lizardmen of Lakrak¡¯s n started to murmur and gathered in front of the altar.


    The warriors who had brought the herd of buffaloes were lined up in front of the altar just as Zaol had prepared. They looked tired, but also seemed nervous as they stood in front of Lakrak, the n¡¯s wisest and strongest Lizardman and the High Priest. Especially because they didn¡¯t know what his intentions were.


    ¡°This morning, we are leaving,¡± stated Lakrak.


    The n started to talk quietly among themselves. They knew they would leave soon after the buffaloes were brought back, but no one seemed to have thought it would be right the next day.


    ¡°There, star catcher. Come here.¡±


    The curious one-armed, turquoise skinned guide and star catcher approached Lakrak.


    ¡°For the past few days, you have told me where the stars would move, and I have confirmed that you were correct. Therefore, I hereby announce in front of everyone that you are worthy to be a star catcher, as well as our guide. You are not a liar, nor are you a fraud.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for trusting me.¡±


    ¡°So, tell us about the ce you have decided to lead us to.¡±


    ¡°I say it myself?¡±


    ¡°Yes. To everyone here.¡±


    The star catcher then said, ¡°When morninges, the sun will rise from over there. We will go to the right of the sun, and once we walk for another 10 days, there will be smallkes that smell rotten and are so hot that they bubble. Another 15 days to the right side of thekes, we will encounter a steep and deste mountain path. And after another three days through that valley, we will see wild grass.¡±


    ¡°And after that?¡±


    ¡°There is continuous vegetation.¡±


    ¡°Even if we go 5 more days?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gone that deep in there. There are many wild beasts, and there is also a tribe of another species.¡±


    Lakrakughed and said, ¡°So it¡¯s a good ce to live.¡±


    Some of the Lizardmen warriorsughed at the remark.


    ¡°You may go back to your spot. Thank you, star catcher.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    Lakrak said as he walked up onto the altar, ¡°Time has passed since God led us to thisnd. We could have made a different choice. That choice would have been to drive away the bigger tribe with the help of God¡¯s power and continue to live on our own. Then we would have been able to stay on thisnd for a long time, and those who were kicked out would have died in the wilderness.¡±


    Lakrak let out a single breath from his nose.


    ¡°But that was wrong. God wanted salvation, not exclusion. That is¡­¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    ¡°Because it benefits more people.¡±


    The group of Lizardmen were nowpletely silent and listening to Lakrak speak. His deration was of value to the entire tribe. He was announcing that the aim of life wasn¡¯t just to merely survive, but to live with a greater rule and cause.


    ¡°Yur!¡±


    Standing the very first in the line of warriors, Yur looked up when he was suddenly called.


    ¡°Yes, Lakrak!¡±


    ¡°You must have been a bit sad that you couldn¡¯t eat the buffalo yesterday, right?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, yes, a little bit. We didn¡¯t eat a single buffalo while hunting for them as you had ordered. I thought we would eat them together once we got back.¡±


    ¡°But you do know the reason why I gave those orders and why I didn¡¯t allow you to eat a single buffalo even though you were all exhausted once you got back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. You¡¯re saying we need to endure it now so that we can receive moreter on, right? God wants that.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then I will continue to endure it. If God has that expectation upon us, we should live up to it.¡±


    The other warriors nodded at Yur¡¯s words, and Lakrak smiled.


    ¡°All right. Since you have shown patience and respect for the Nameless Beetle God, you shall be rewarded ordingly¡­ Where is the Iron Craftsman?¡±


    At those words, the craftsman walked out from the group.


    ¡°Yes, I am here.¡±


    ¡°Give them the iron des that were prepared.¡±


    ¡°I will do so.¡±


    This was a pre-arranged event. After all, it was obvious for the best warriors to have the best equipment. However, it appeared to the other Lizardmen as well as Sung-Woon that there was something dramatic about what was happening.


    <i>¡®Did he n all this?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought Lakrak¡¯s surprise event woulde to an end by now. But it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Starting with Yur,e up onto the altar.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Come on now.¡±


    In a somewhat pious manner, Yur walked up to the altar made of buffalo bones.


    In the meantime, Lakrak said, ¡°We are now leaving this blessed hill and the bone altar. However, as God¡¯s will is with us, location is no longer important. Even the bone altar is only a figure rather than where God truly resides. God existed before that.¡±


    When Yur came up, Lakrak took the skull of a water buffalo that was at the very top of the altar and ced it onto Yur¡¯s head.


    ¡°From now on, use this skull when you act as a warrior. God will be with you, and you will be the ¡®Bone Warrior¡¯ who acts on behalf of God. These are God¡¯s will.¡±


    Yur seemed to be getting choked up by these words. Tears welled up in his eyes.


    ¡°Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°Go back down and properly tighten it with a string. Next warrior,e up.¡±


    And that was how 23 Bone Warriors were born. The Bone Warriors thought they were rewarded much more than just being able to satisfy their hunger, and indeed they were.


    [The Lizardman Yur¡¯s ¡®Trust¡¯ had increased.]


    [4 ¡ú 7]


    [The Lizardman Yur¡¯s ¡®Level (Warrior)¡¯ has increased.]


    [2 ¡ú 3]


    <i>¡®His abilities and XP have actually gone up.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon had seen something simr happening in the game The Lost World, but these kinds of events were not intended. After all the Bone Warriors received their buffalo skulls, Lakrak also ced one on his head. At the same time, the sun rose.


    The Lizardman tribe cheered with enthusiasm as the warmth of dawn enveloped them. The Bone Warriors weren¡¯t the only ones who had developed.


    [The Lizardman Lakrak¡¯s ¡®Leadership¡¯ has increased.]


    [7 ¡ú 14]


    [The Lizardman Lakrak¡¯s ¡®Level (High Priest)¡¯ has increased.]


    [1 ¡ú 2]


    [The Lizardman Lakrak¡¯s ¡®Level (Warrior)¡¯ has increased.]


    [2 ¡ú 3]


    <i>¡®The special ability that wasn¡¯t visible has been revealed. His level even went up 2.¡¯</i>


    Not acknowledging the cheers, Lakrak was standing on the remains of the bone altar and looking up at the sky. Sung-Woon thought Lakrak was just identifying the constetions that were disappearing into the light of dawn, but he wasn¡¯t. Lakrak was muttering something.


    ¡°Please forgive me for saying it was God¡¯s will alone.¡±


    Then Sung-Woon realized that Lakrak had been speaking to him.


    <i>¡®It wasn¡¯t me who chose the Bone Warriors, it was Lakrak.¡¯</i>


    But of course, Sung-Woon had nothing to be upset about. Perhaps a yer who wanted to move and control all their characters wouldn¡¯t be very satisfied, but it was Sung-Woon himself who chose Lakrak, who had high ¡®Willpower,¡¯ to be the High Priest in the first ce. Thus, these results were to be weed.


    <i>¡®Come to think of it, these guys haven¡¯t tasted any proteintely.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon agonized and eventually decided to conjure a Miracle that would be weed by the Lizardmen.

 Chapter 9: Over that Hill

    <h4>Chapter 9: Over that Hill</h4>


    The Lizardmen marched across the wilderness while eating maggots. After ten days, ake that had a rotten smell to it appeared just as the star catcher had said. It was a wastnd, and they couldn¡¯t drink from theke, but luckily, they still had water left in the jar that Lakrak had filled and put on Manun¡¯s back.


    ***


    After another 15 days of journey, a steep mountain path appeared. Low shrubs could be seen, and some food was spotted, but it was still deste. Fortunately enough, there was a spring to drink from, and because they had run out of drinking water, Lakrak gave out orders to fill the jar with the water from the spring, and the remaining Lizardmen ran around busily to fill their stomachs with food. There were root nts and small, thin animals. The water buffaloes, who had now adapted to following the n somewhat, began to eat dried nts.


    Lakrak called the star catcher over and asked, ¡°Do we just have to keep going for three more days now?¡±


    ¡°Likely.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost your confidence.¡±


    ¡°The position of stars does not change, butnd does.¡±


    Lakrak nodded to show that he agreed. If it was a year of drought, vegetation wouldn¡¯t prosper, and they would have to go further into the mountain path, while they would see grass sooner if it was the opposite.


    However, Lakrak was worried about the buffalo herd. The warriors who were dragging them forward and the buffaloes who were being dragged along were both getting tired, and though the buffaloes were now following the n well, it also meant they were bing exhausted.


    <i>¡®Hopefully they can be fully fed soon.¡¯</i>


    For the month the Lizardmen were crossing the wilderness, God did not abandon them. There were a few minor Miracles that saved them from danger, but God couldn¡¯t feed the buffaloes until they were full. Lakrak judged that God ¡®did not¡¯ do such rather than ¡®couldn¡¯t.¡¯


    <i>¡®We need to take care of the buffaloes just as God takes care of us.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak had no choice but to continue walking along the path they were on till now, but he made the judgment that things would be difficult if there were any other dys.


    Lakrak supervised the drake, Manun, until the water was brought back. Manun was hungry, so he went after the other Lizardmen if there were no warriors around. He was calm when Lakrak was around, though. The one hard flip he got from Lakrak left quite an impression in his mind.


    Zaol brought a plump root nt for Lakrak, who was starving.


    Lakrak shook his head and said, ¡°Do you want a chief who can¡¯t even fill his own stomach?¡±


    Zaol tapped her tail on the ground twice as a gesture of discontent.


    ¡°There is no n that lets their chief starve.¡±


    ¡°How can the chief only fill his stomach when the whole n is hungry?¡±


    ¡°All right then. Let us share.¡±


    Zaol divided the thick root nt and gave half of it to Lakrak. Leaning against Manun, Lakrak epted his share and bit off half of it before offering the rest to Manun¡¯s snout. Manun, who was dozing off, drooled as something came into his mouth and swallowed it in a hurry.


    Zaol hit the floor with her tail again, and Lakrak said as an excuse, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he also need the strength to carry the water jar?¡±


    ¡°That is true, but¡­¡±


    As Zaol trailed off, Lakrak blinked.


    ¡°Do you have something to say?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Speakfortably.¡±


    ¡°Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You should start looking for apanion.¡±


    The root nt Lakrak was eating got stuck in his throat, but he was able to swallow it due to the uniquely wide throats Lizardmen were born with. He coughed awkwardly. He was thrown off by Zaol¡¯s words as he had never cared much about finding apanion for the past few years; he was preupied with his concerns about God, the tribe, and surviving in general.


    ¡°...Oh,panion?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve never really thought about it, how about me?¡±


    Lakrak was male, and Zaol was female. He knew finding apanion was important, so he tried not to answer insincerely or indifferently. Looking into his heart, however, he realized he wasn¡¯t sure how he should reply. Fortunately enough, something else happened that he needed to attend to. The n members murmured at the entrance of the hillside, and a warrior came running to Lakrak.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Minnows.¡±


    ¡°How many? What color are they?¡±


    ¡°There are about 20 of them, and they¡¯re green. They¡¯re big.¡±


    Minnow was a name that the Lizardmen used to refer to species that had smooth skin. The species included were humans, elves, orcs, and goblins.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Orcs. Were they armed?¡± asked Zaol.


    ¡°No, they are not. They are exhausted. There are only 3 to 4 warriors, and our warriors are besieging them. They are waiting for you, chief.¡±


    Once Lakrak heard what was going on, it wasn¡¯t that urgent of a matter, but he followed the warrior to the Orcs anyways. Once he got there, he saw that the group was small and weak.


    Lakrak came forward and asked, ¡°Which one of you is the leader?¡±


    ¡°It is me. I would like you to let us go.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to go quietly, you shouldn¡¯t havee to us. Why are you making such a fuss? Were you not after our food?¡±


    The Orc leader had a puzzled expression. Lakrak thought his assumption was right. He assumed the Orcs believed that it would be possible to steal their food and run away by blending in with the many Lizardmen. Surprisingly, however, the Orc leader lowered his weapon and bowed his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We did not mean to make such a big fuss. We were in a hurry as we wanted to get out of there.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Lakrak looked over the hillside. It was deste, but there didn¡¯t seem to be a problem. ording to the star catcher, the canyon they were in now would take 3 days for them to traverse, but as they had endured everything until now, they would surely be able to endure another 3 days. In addition, as the environment changed, edible things began to appear here and there.


    ¡°There¡¯s a monster over that hill,¡± said the Orc leader.


    ***


    If the group of Orcs were guilty of something, they would have to make up for it, but Lakrak thought that was unnecessary. Following the rules of the wilderness, Zaol rmended taking away what the Orcs had, but Lakrak didn¡¯t do so. Instead, just as Zaol gave Lakrak food, and Lakrak gave Manun food, he gave some food to the Orcs. The Orc leader hadn¡¯t expected to be weed, and he bowed down so far that his head touched the ground. Lakrak left the Orc to do as he pleased.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t given for nothing. Tell me more about the monster.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll tell you in exact details.¡±


    The group of Orcs had lived close by. They weren¡¯t able to go deeper into the mountains as there were stronger species and especially carnivores there. However,pared to the wilderness, it was easy to find food in this area, so it wasn¡¯t much of a problem for a group of 30 Orcs.


    ¡°But one day, the monster appeared.¡±


    The monster apparently had a hard upper body and seemed to crawl on the ground like an insect with many legs, and it was over 20 meters long ording to the Orcs.


    Sung-Woon recognized exactly what it was once he heard the description.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s an Abomination.¡¯</i>


    The plot of the game, The Lost World, was that ¡®old gods¡¯ had left the. However, the gods were the only ones who had disappeared, and the numerous species and creatures that served the gods remained. Among them was the Abomination. Simply put, it was like a giant boss monster that appeared on the field, and whoever took the risk and hunted it would get a corresponding award.


    <i>¡®...The problem is that it¡¯s tricky to deal with for a low level civilization.¡¯</i>


    The reason was simple. The Abomination was a creation of the gods. Therefore, Divinity modifiers existed for its skills.


    <i>¡®Its skills are going to be incredible. It won¡¯t be that high because it¡¯s out in the field as opposed to inside a dungeon, but considering its basic skills and special abilities, it will be stronger than Lakrak with +D3.¡¯</i>


    If they had an equal fight, Lakrak would likely be injured, and even if he didn¡¯t, the rest of the warriors would suffer injuries.


    <i>¡®Should I give them a hint to take a detour?¡¯</i>


    But it wasn¡¯t quite a good idea to do that either. Lakrak¡¯s n and the herd of buffaloes were all losing energy. As if he had a simr thought to Sung-Woon, Lakrak called the star catcher.


    ¡°Is there a way we can go around?¡±


    ¡°There is another path.¡±


    ¡°How long would it take?¡±


    ¡°We would have to go back to the wilderness and walk around the mountain for eight days.¡±


    Lakrak shook his head as if he didn¡¯t like what he heard.


    ¡°We can¡¯t run away without even seeing what our opponent is like.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± Zaol said from beside Lakrak. ¡°But it would be wiser to turn back if you think fighting it is impossible.¡±


    Lakrak nodded. There was no need for everyone to go. He had a small group of warriors guard the rest of the n and told them to get enough rest. Then he went on his way with Zaol, Yur, 10 other warriors, and an Orc to find the monster.


    Sung-Woon identified the location of the monster through the swarm of insects that he released before Lakrak arrived. Once he saw it, he also found out the name of the monster.


    <i>¡®I had wondered what they were describing. Turns out it¡¯s an Ancient Coleoptera.¡¯</i>


    It was called a Beetle, but it looked more like a centipede. It was about 15 meters long, which was smaller than what the Orc had described, but it was in no way small. The body was elongated and covered by a hard outer shell. It even had a pair of venomous fangs. Hanging from the top of the outer skin was a half-destroyed stone structure which signified that the ancient people had served this creature. The moss that covered the structure gave away how old the creature was.


    [Ancient Coleoptera (Abomination Lv.9)


    Strength 120 (+D3)


    Intelligence 12 (+D3)


    Sociability 4 (+D3)


    Beetles Poisonous Tooth


    Blessing of the Forgotten God (Unknown)]


    <i>¡®It¡¯s strong.¡¯</i>


    As expected, its Divinity level was at 3. Since its basic Strength was 120, it would still be stronger than Lakrak even if Divine Control was used. Although the Beetle couldn''t bepared to a dragon in the first ce, it was still a monster so strong that only a drake or a giant mutated animal as ancient as the Beetle could deal with it.


    <i>¡®I would rather it have a lot of special abilities but a weak body¡­¡¯</i>


    Even though they couldn¡¯t see the creature¡¯s stats, Lakrak and his warriors seemed intimidated by the Ancient Coleoptera as it twisted its body under the valley.


    Yur murmured, ¡°Its mere movements shake the ground. Shouldn¡¯t we run away?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sleeping right now. That¡¯s just it moving in its sleep,¡± said the Orc leader.


    Sung-Woon thought it was rather a good thing that the Lizardmen were scared. If they had to suffer damage, it would be better to suffer less. Going back was an option. Not getting the reward was unfortunate, but there was no other way.


    <i>¡®If only I could control everything, but I can¡¯t push Lakrak to the challenge when he¡¯s in a frightened state.¡¯</i>


    Then Zaol said, ¡°We have the advantage, chief.¡±

 Chapter 10: Ancient Coleoptera

    <h4>Chapter 10: Ancient Coleoptera</h4>


    Lakrak looked at Zaol and asked, ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    Zaol raised a finger.


    ¡°First of all, God will not just overlook our danger. If we fight, God will surely help you, chief.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe in God too. But that¡¯s not just a drake that is a few years old. Seeing how it can shake the earth¡¯s core just by moving in its sleep, we¡¯ll have to level the ying field somehow even with God taking over my body.¡±


    Sung-Woon was surprised by Lakrak¡¯s urate judgment, but he was even more interested in Zaol¡¯s opinion. He briefly took a look at Zaol¡¯s stats.


    [Zaol (Warrior Lv.3/Mediator Lv.1)


    Strength 26


    Intelligence 35


    Sociability 28


    Intuition 11]


    <i>¡®The Mediator ss means that one is trusted by the n. I already knew, but her Intelligence level is higher than Lakrak¡¯s. It keeps on rising. But the most interesting thing is this special ability, ¡°Intuition¡±.¡¯</i>


    It was a special ability that hadn¡¯t popped up until recently. It was perhaps newly created due to recent experiences.


    ¡°The warriors and I are here too,¡± said Zaol.


    ¡°I know you warriors are strong, but that won¡¯t help in a fight against that kind of monster.¡±


    Zaol shook her head.


    ¡°Chief, before we left the hill, do you remember what the iron craftsman did to heat the iron?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Lakrak could imitate the actions, but he did not understand exactly what purposes the tasks served and what effects they had. There already was an iron craftsman, so as the leader of the n, he had no reason to learn the work of one, which was a more fitting role for a leader to assume as civilization developed, andbor work was being divided.


    <i>¡®But Zaol isn¡¯t wrong either.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon waited for Zaol¡¯s next words.


    ¡°Chief, you also know that air is needed for a fire to grow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Until now, we have been blowing air with our mouths, waving our hands, or rippingrge pieces of bark and fanning them. However, the iron craftsman seems to use a different method.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the things called ¡®bellows,¡¯ right?¡±


    Zaol nodded.


    ¡°I asked the craftsman if I could try it, and it was able to blow much more wind and was more convenient. Why do you think that is?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that by using tools, less power can be used to project more power?


    ¡°That is right.¡±


    ¡°But we do not have a tool like the bellows. Also, that tool was made by the craftsman after much thought.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t need such a sophisticated tool.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°The monster we need to deal with is sleeping at the bottom of that hillside, and we are up here. We¡¯re no different than a craftsman sitting in front of a forge. If we prepare and act ordingly, we¡¯ll be able to heat the metal.¡±


    These words alone didn¡¯t make sense to Lakrak or the rest of the warriors, but Zaol proceeded to tell them a specific idea she had in mind. Lakrak and the warriors nodded and took it well.


    That was also true for Sung-Woon. Sung-Woon used a Miracle to summon a blue butterfly in front of Lakrak.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure this will be enough of a confirmation for him.¡¯</i>


    The warriors wondered what was happening as a blue butterfly appeared out of season in the wilderness. Lakrak stared nkly at the butterfly¡¯s wings, and his eyes began to shine. He raised the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°God has given permission. Zaol, let¡¯s do as you said.¡±


    ***


    The hillside was steep and rugged. At the bottom of the hillside, where the Ancient Coleoptera was twisting and sleeping, there was a steep slope of about 70¡ã angle. This meant that were Lakrak and his warriors to fight the Ancient Coleoptera there, they wouldn¡¯t be able to easily move around due to the steep slope and would likelye into direct contact with the Ancient Coleoptera. On the other hand, the giant Ancient Coleoptera had many legs, so it would be able to climb an even steeper slope.


    <i>¡®But it won¡¯t matter because Lakrak will be the only one to get close to it.¡¯</i>


    ording to ns, the only time Lakrak was going to approach the Ancient Coleoptera was when they were going to kill it.


    Lakrak was standing on a mountain ridge overlooking the Ancient Coleoptera.


    ¡°This boulder, that boulder, and that one will do?¡±


    ¡°Each of them is about half the size of the monster. It should be enough,¡± said Zaol, nodding.


    Warriors were stationed beside the boulders that Lakrak had pointed to. They weren''t bare handed. They found and uprooted a few tall trees in the area and were each holding one in its entirety.


    <i>¡®Rolling the boulders and crushing it to death.¡¯</i>


    It was indeed a simple n, but a n that required imagination.


    <i>¡®Even Lakrak thought confronting and fighting it face to face was the only way.¡¯</i>


    But Zaol, on the other hand, thought differently. Zaol didn¡¯t know exactly how to express it, but she was using her knowledge to prove with real actions that movingrge things with little strength was possible.


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s eyes, her knowledge could be referred to as ¡®physics¡¯ to systematize it.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s basically applying the principles of mass and kic energy alongside positional energy and leverage.¡¯</i>


    That didn¡¯t mean Zaol would suddenly be a physicist.


    <i>¡®However, just as the iron craftsman¡¯s skills influenced Zaol¡¯s intuition, one event could influence many individuals.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Get started,¡± said Lakrak.


    At Lakrak¡¯s words, Zaol raised her arm and sent a signal to the others. The warriors stuck the tree logs under the boulders on the ridgeline of the mountain before tilting them upwards, hard. The boulders didn¡¯t move right away.


    Zaol said in a low voice, ¡°Work together. When I raise my hand, push, and when I lower my hand, leave the boulders to shake.¡±


    As Zaol signaled to a beat, the boulders gradually started to shake more and more. It was not long until a boulder rolled over the ridge.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s time for me to step up.¡¯</i>


    If possible, it would be better for all three boulders to go over the ridge and crush the Ancient Coleoptera at once.


    Sung-Woon took over Lakrak with Divine Control.


    Sung-Woon=Lakrak sessfully pushed the second boulder that was about to roll over the ridge with great force. Then he proceeded to push the third boulder hard, which wasn¡¯t moving easily due to it being thergest one out of the three.


    ¡°It¡¯s going over!¡±


    At Sung-Woon=Lakrak¡¯s shout, apanied by the huge explosion shaking the mountains that the falling boulders had triggered, the Ancient Coleoptera raised its head. It seemed that the Ancient Coleoptera didn¡¯t recognize what was going on. However, it quickly raised itself up.


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s not a smart creature.¡¯</i>


    If it was smart, it would have avoided the boulders. However, the Ancient Coleoptera perceived the boulder rolling towards it as a challenge rather than a danger. It ran towards the first boulder, and the boulder rolled down at a tremendous speed before hitting its head.


    <i>Kaaaooo!</i>


    As the Ancient Coleoptera let out a fierce sound in pain, the second boulder that had been rolling and bouncing down the slope towards the creature¡¯s back collided with it. In addition to the remains of the ancient stone structure that was hanging on top of the creature, the Beetle¡¯s back waspletely bent. However, its vitality still seemed vigorous.


    <i>¡®That won¡¯t work.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon=Lakrak sped his spear and did a triple jump from the mountain ridge. Flying 300 meters across the air, Sung-Woon=Lakrak twisted his body and threw the spear.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The spear shot through the air like a ray of light and prated through the Ancient Coleoptera¡¯s shell as it struggled to raise itself back up. Speaking in terms of surface area, it was a small wound, but it was enough to restrain its movement for a moment.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no need to deal a finishing blow.¡¯</i>


    The third boulder directlynded on the Ancient Coleoptera¡¯s head.


    [Abomination Hunting: Your n has killed the ¡®Abomination: Ancient Coleoptera¡¯!]


    ***


    Lakrak sent a warrior to gather the rest of the Lizardmen and Orcs. After seeing the death of the giant monster, the group roared for Lakrak, the warriors, and for the ¡®Great Beetle God.¡¯


    As a reward, Sung-Woon used the Faith points obtained to conjure a Miracle to provide them with food. It wasn¡¯t the increased Faith points that mattered. Sung-Woon¡¯s Divinity level hadn¡¯t changed. Leveling up had gotten slower, and there wasn¡¯t much XP.


    <i>¡®But that wasn¡¯t why I wanted to hunt the Abomination.¡¯</i>


    [You have received ¡®Essence of Abomination¡¯ as a reward for hunting an Abomination.]


    When it came to being a god, their greatest power was the ability to ¡®create¡¯ something. Just as Sung-Woon was able to create enough maggots to feed the Lizardman due to his Small Area: Insects, each god was able to create resources ording to their areas by using Faith points. However, to create something that doesn¡¯t exist in the world, resources that were equally umon had to be used.


    <i>¡®And that would be the Essence of Abomination.¡¯</i>


    The Essence naturally existed in the world, in other words, it was a spirit or abomination that was left behind by the gods who, ording to the storyline of the game, had left the. Defeating a greater existence, such as a higher level fiend, could yield such Essence. And with this Essence, it would be possible to create a ¡®creature¡¯.


    The creature made by the god could grow, and at a higher level, it would obtain the title ¡®Apostles¡¯ or ¡®Incarnations¡¯ and could be employed as useful strategic weapons in ce of god¡¯s will. They would be used as Faith generators by spreading the god¡¯s prestige themselves.


    <i>¡®I won¡¯t make one right away as it costs a lot to maintain in the beginning.¡¯</i>


    It was better to create a creature at another time even if all the necessary resources had been collected. For now, it was a priority to use Faith points to help Lakrak and the group, but at least Sung-Woon had learned that the ¡®Creature Maker'' program that was in the game The Lost World was also avable to him now. He left the program window open within his view.


    <i>¡®I have lots of time, so I should be able to take things easy.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was thinking of ideas for his first creature when a system message that he hadn¡¯t expected appeared.


    [Lakrak¡¯s n¡­]


    ***


    Lakrak cut off the tip of the Ancient Coleoptera¡¯s foot and put it into his mouth before promptly spitting it out.


    ¡°It tastes bad. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s edible.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we build a brazier and try to boil or cook it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Lakrak didn¡¯t expect much of the oue, but he thought it was better than doing nothing.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    After saying this, he walked up to the Ancient Coleoptera. Many of the Lizardmen were sitting around it and talking in low voices amongst themselves, but they didn¡¯t dare get closer in case the fearful creature was still alive. Zaol also thought they should be careful as they didn¡¯t know much about this behemoth.


    ¡°It is dangerous, chief.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dead, and God knows that, so it''s true.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Point taken.¡±


    ¡°I saw something on top of it before I killed it, but it must have been crushed by the boulder, or broken.¡±


    Lakrak murmured when he saw the broken altar on the Ancient Coleoptera¡¯s back.


    Zaol smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re upset because there¡¯s no harvest even though we hunted, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Lakrak couldn¡¯t deny it. He seeded in killing the monster that prevented the n from going forward and raised the prestige of God, so that should have been enough of a harvest in itself. Still, it was somewhat a shame they didn¡¯t gain more from it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would taste so bad.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It might taste different if we cook it differently.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Also, the shell is hard. It might be of use if we rip it off and take it.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fine.¡±


    Zaol strode up and stood next to Lakrak.


    ¡°Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we pick up our conversation where we left off?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I want to know the answer to the question I asked.¡±


    ¡°What was the question again?¡±


    ¡°About apanion.¡±


    Lakrak cleared his throat and looked away. Therey the altar broken by the boulder, and inside of it, something was shining, reflecting light from the sunset.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s something there.¡±


    Only after Lakrak pointed at it with his finger did Zaol see it too.


    Zaol ordered the warriors to use the same principle of leverage they had employed when rolling the boulders over, and something was revealed among the fragments of the altar. It had been crushed by the boulder, but they could still see that it was a tablet made of gold.


    Lakrak picked up the golden tablet.


    ¡°Zaol, what did you think this is?¡±


    Lakrak found the tablet strange. It had a number of winding lines engraved, seemingly following someplicated rules.


    [Lakrak¡¯s n has discovered ¡®Writing¡¯!]

 Chapter 11: Golden Tablet

    <h4>Chapter 11: Golden Tablet</h4>


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t expect much.


    <i>¡®Discovering writing isn¡¯t too big of a deal by itself. Ancient ruins are pretty much everywhere.¡¯</i>


    <i>Discovering</i> writing and <i>inventing</i> writing werepletely different things. In general, once writing became a thing in arge culture, it spread quickly.


    <i>¡®Even when I yed the game The Lost World, there weren''t many cases where my tribe or civilization created their own writtennguage.¡¯?</i>


    That was especially true in situations like now, where it was only the beginning. The ¡®Golden Tablet¡¯ that Lakrak found was a verymon relic. If one was lucky enough to chance upon an ancient ruin, they could find a library of calligraphic works that was full of writtennguage from that era. The ancient people wrote about every little thing, so it would be considered great luck if the writings they found weren¡¯t simply about building houses or other trivial matters.


    <i>¡®But this is a decent find.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak and the group didn¡¯t know what it said on the Golden Tablet as they didn¡¯t know what the characters meant, but to the yer, all information was revealed.


    [Golden Tablet: The Way to the Great Kalonbar Empire (2)


    The inscription on the Golden Tablet is an introduction to the ancient civilization that was once called the ¡®Kalonbar Empire.¡¯ Itrgely consists of writings about the greatness of the Kalonbar Empire and its achievements, so there isn¡¯t much important information to be gleaned. Nevertheless, aside from its value as a source of information about an ancient civilization, it gives a hint about other ancient remains of the Kalonbar Empire. (Read more)]


    <i>¡®But civilization needs to be a lot more advanced to trante it.¡¯</i>


    Because The Lost World was full of ancient civilizations, it wouldn¡¯t be necessary to reach the level of development of modern civilization on Earth, where a framework to interpret Egyptian hieroglyphics could be established based on the famous Rosetta Stone. Nevertheless, a diverse society with archaeologists, linguists, universities, and sufficient knowledge of a variety of civilizations was needed.


    <i>¡®So right now¡­the Tablet is no different from trash.¡¯</i>


    Of course, the Golden Tablet itself was a piece of very shiny metal, so it attracted the attention of the Lizardmen. However, gold was a soft metal and would serve them no better than iron right now. It would be worth having the precious metal as decoration, but that type of art was unfamiliar to the Lizardmanpared to other species.


    <i>¡®Are they going to just leave it?¡¯</i>


    But Lakrak did not do so. It seemed that Lakrak actually liked the Golden Tablet as he sniffed, tasted, and bit the corner of the Tablet that was already damaged, leaving a deep bite mark.


    ¡°It¡¯s too soft.¡±


    ¡°I think it is gold.¡±


    ¡°Gold?¡±


    ¡°The iron craftsman once showed me several metal pieces that he had in his pocket. Gold was heavy and soft, so it was useless. If it is wiped well, though, it reflects the light and shines beautifully.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still useless, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, and I heard it doesn¡¯t change color or rust, so the Minnows think it is somewhat valuable.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t rust?¡±


    Then Lakrak felt the engravings on the Golden Tablet with the tip of his fingers.


    ¡°Anyways, Zaol, I think this is an ancient object.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It must have been hand-made. I don¡¯t think this monster just grew it out of its back¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying the ancient people made the altar and hid this object in there.¡± Zaol took a moment to think about what Lakrak had said and realized what he was getting at. ¡°You mean this was valuable to the ancient people.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The ancient people probably used gold because, as you said, it doesn¡¯t rust. So the important point is not what it''s made out of, but why they engraved on it.¡±


    At Lakrak¡¯s words, Zaol also began to stare intently at the Golden Tablet.


    ¡°There are rules to the engravings. Here, here, and there, the shapes are the same, and this here and that one there also have the same shape.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s simr to the hunting marks our warriors make?¡±


    Lakrak nodded in agreement.


    These Lizardmen were primitive beings; they found it easy to use <i>symbols?</i>rather than letters. For example, their ways of using symbols included weaving two tree trunks together to mark the direction, or piling up stones to mark their territories. In particr, in hunter-gatherer cultures, knowledge of the directions that animals moved in or which nts were edible developed over generations.


    <i>¡®Of course the knowledge passed down isn¡¯tplicated, since there¡¯s no writing record, but¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon saw a slight possibility.


    <i>¡®With my support, Lakrak might be able to invent primitive letters.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak¡¯s Willpower was high, so he was likely to continue paying attention to something that he was interested in. Zaol, who was next to Lakrak, had high Intuition, so she might be able to catch information that Lakrak overlooked.


    <i>¡®Then it¡¯s worth a try.¡¯</i>


    A god giving direct knowledge to their tribe would consume a great amount of Faith points, but giving hints was no different from a normal Miracle.


    <i>¡®It might be a waste of points as they might not even recognize the hints, but all investmentse with risks.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon began thinking of how he should let Lakrak know about the concept of writing and its value.


    ***


    Lakrak gave thend back to the Orcs, and the Orc leader bowed several times.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°It was an obstacle we had to defeat ourselves, and we couldn¡¯t be dyed any longer. You also mentioned this was yournd to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Are you nning to go deeper into the mountains?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Orc leader slowly nodded.


    ¡°We are a small group, so it was hard to survive deeper in the mountains. There live manyrge beasts and tribes, ones that are much bigger than ours. But you and your n are strong enough, so it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°I owe you and your n a great favor, and I would like to repay it. We¡¯ve lived here for a long time, so we know a path through the mountains that is wider and isn¡¯t as rugged. Would it be okay for my son to show you the way?¡±


    Lakrak dly nodded at the generous gesture.


    ¡°Send some porters. If we hunt or find food, we¡¯ll send some back with your son and the porters.¡±


    The Orc leader smiled brightly.


    ¡°We are parting ways now, but I will never forget your grace, Lakrak.¡±


    Lakrak and his n went on their way in a hurry. Fortunately, Zaol¡¯s ¡®cooking¡¯ made a portion of the Ancient Coleoptera edible. The body and intestines, which were thergest part, weren''t edible, but therge legs lost their pungency after getting covered in spices and cooked on top of charcoal. It was still nd, but it was better than before.


    ¡°Cooking seems good to know. I should learn how to cook. Would you teach me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    However, charcoal was a limited resource, and because the Ancient Coleoptera began to rot faster than expected, they couldn¡¯t just keep using it to sustain themselves.


    Lakrak thus urged them to quicken their pace, unable to make enough meals to feed the over three hundred beings.


    The journey through the gorge covered in short shrubs and sparsely grown trees wasn¡¯t easy, but they made it deeper into the mountains without much hassle thanks to the Orc guide. After a few days, thendscape became smoother, and the trees began to rise higher. The warriors didn¡¯t know what to do as the water buffaloes kept stopping at the sight of grass to graze. The herd of buffaloes was barely moving now.


    For the first time in his life, Lakrak saw a fur beast with a long neck and antlers on its head prancing around. This furry beast seemed to be alert after seeing a Lizardman for the first time. Lakrak went up to the furry beast to keep a cautious eye on it and noticed there was a small group of the same animals behind it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a deer,¡± said the one-armed star catcher.


    ¡°Do they taste good?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only tried it once, but I still remember how it tasted. The flesh is sweet.¡±


    Lakrak ordered the n to rest and went to hunt the deer with his warriors. He ced the first hunted deer on a ck rock and offered it to God. The second deer hunted was given to the Orcs in gratitude for leading the way, and the rest of the deers filled the stomachs of the Lizardmen.


    For the first time in a while, Lakrak enjoyed his meal and sat in front of the temporary altar. He brought the Golden Tablet out and watched the sacrificed deer rot. Lakrak suddenly became lost in his thoughts.


    <i>¡®This doesn¡¯t rot, but that does.¡¯</i>


    If Zaol was right, the Golden Tablet would never rot, and from what Lakrak had seen until now, dead things rotted and disappeared.


    <i>¡®Now that I think of it, lots of things in the world are divided in two. Day and night. Light and shadow. The ground and the sky. Chasers and those being chased. Eaters and those being eaten. The living and the dead¡­ Men and women.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak shook his head.


    <i>¡®Zaol will be waiting for my answer¡­ My answer.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak quietly looked up at the head of the dead deer. The deer¡¯s body was bleeding, already covered in flies and infested with bugs.


    <i>¡®What is dead can also abound with life, but that, too, is fleeting.¡¯</i>


    Then right at that moment, Lakrak saw something strange. It seemed that the bugs were moving ording to certain patterns, as if there was an invisible hand guiding them. Then, as Lakrak blinked a few times, everything went back to its original disorderly state.


    <i>¡®What was that?¡¯</i>


    These hallucinations appeared and disappeared several times before Lakrak¡¯s eyes. He thought the wriggling motion seemed familiar, and his realization wasn¡¯t far off.


    <i>¡®The movement of these bugs is simr to the engravings that the ancient people made on the Golden Tablet.¡¯</i>


    It then dawned on Lakrak that not everything was divided into two. Between day and night, there was dusk and dawn, and if one looked closely, there was an unclear boundary between lights and shadows. The ground rose high as mountains, and it was hard to define exactly where the sky started. Chasers also would have been chased, and eaters would also be eaten.


    <i>¡®And men and women¡­¡¯</i>


    Lakrak thought of a few things and drew on the ground with a stick. At first, he copied the characters on the Golden Tablet. Then, he doodled things that weren¡¯t letters or symbols, and soon after, he erased the lines that he had left on the ground with his hands, lost in his thoughts.


    <i>¡®After all, it might not be the gold that won¡¯t rot with this Golden Tablet. What really might not rot is¡­¡¯</i>


    Lakrak made a fire near the altar and spent the night writing on the ground with the stick.


    Early the next morning, Zaol opened her eyes and saw Lakrak in front of her.


    ¡°Chief, what is it?¡±


    ¡°I have something to show you.¡±


    ¡°Something to show me?¡±


    Zaol was worried about what was going on, but Lakrak seemed somewhat excited. She decided to follow him.


    Lakrak said to Zaol, ¡°I got lost in my thoughts while looking at the Golden Tablet and the rotting deer, and it seems God has given me grace. The thought suddenly came into my head¡ªit¡¯s not the gold that doesn¡¯t rot. What really doesn¡¯t rot is¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean.¡±


    Lakrak stopped talking, kneeled on the ground, and picked up the stick.


    ¡°Look at this carefully.¡±


    Lakrak first drew a triangle and two perpendicr lines with the stick.


    ¡÷


    ©Ø


    ¡°This is me.¡±


    ¡°This is Lakrak?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no¡­¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you say this was you, chief?¡±


    ¡°I mean this is¡­ It¡¯s a male Lizardman.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Keep going.¡±


    Then Lakrak drew an inverted triangle and two lines.


    ¨Œ


    ©Ø


    ¡°This is you.¡±


    ¡°You mean a female Lizardman.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°To be exact, there¡¯s the female part and the Lizardman part, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak then proceeded to draw two lines between the two drawings.


    ¡÷©¤¨Œ


    ©Ø©¤©Ø


    Lakrak fell silent after drawing these two lines, so Zaol had no choice but to ask first.


    ¡°And what is this?¡±


    ¡°This means¡­they will be each other¡¯spanion,¡± Lakrak said. ¡°This is my answer.¡±


    Zaol looked down at the characters that Lakrak had drawn without much reaction. Then, she took the stick from Lakrak and drew a circle.


    ¡ð


    Zaol asked, ¡°Lakrak, do you get what this means?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ***


    [Lakrak¡¯s n has invented ¡®Writing¡¯!]


    Sung-Woon cheered in joy on the inside as there was no one to even watch him if he expressed it.


    <i>¡®However, it¡¯ll still take lots of generations to develop more.¡¯</i>


    Nevertheless, it was still the beginning stage of the game.


    Lakrak was a leader of a fairly strong group and would be motivated to use these characters. And just as Sung-Woon had wished, the Lizardman quickly became motivated and energized in their search for food once they got to a humid, grass-fillednd on a mountain that wasn¡¯t too rugged. The water buffaloes weren''t used to the environment, but once their stomachs were full, it was a lot easier for the warriors to handle them.


    Lakrak and Zaol decided to be each other¡¯spanion, and the n celebrated this matter with a festival. A kind of hunting contest was held as a primitive proposal, and Lakrak once again proved his eligibility as apanion by offering thergest deer to his bride.


    Everything seemed to be going smoothly. However, Sung-Woon knew this game wasn¡¯t that easy.


    <i>¡®The reason why there were so many random encounters and negative events in The Lost World is probably because it is based on a real world¡­ And I can already foresee what the next event will be.¡¯</i>


    After the wedding, Lakrak sent warriors to check for any danger around the forest. There were sightings of a giant beast, but it wasn¡¯t an urgent threat. It was the other tribes that Lakrak was worried about.


    Within the next few days, Lakrak learned of another tribe not too far away that was also constantly scouting for danger around them. Lakrak didn¡¯t recognize the footprints, but the star catcher did.


    ¡°It¡¯s a frog footprint.¡±


    1. The term ¡®rot¡¯ here is used for the Korean term ¡®??¡¯, which can mean both ¡®rot¡¯ and ¡®rust¡¯.

 Chapter 12: At the New Home

    <h4>Chapter 12: At the New Home</h4>


    ¡°Frogs?¡±


    Lakrak knew much when it came to the frogs. They were slippery, swam well, jumped up and down, and some even had poison.


    <i>¡®We are able to eat the ones with poison now after God gave us his Blessing.¡¯</i>


    Many frogs lived in the ponds, and when the end of winter came, they would run out of food and had toe out of hibernation. The Lizardmen would catch and eat them.


    The footprints looked simr to the ones left by those frogs the Lizardmen had eaten, but were very different in size.


    ¡°Frogmen. A species that walks on two legs.¡±


    ¡°Do they know how to speak?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as much as we do.¡±


    Frogmen were a rare sight given their natural habitats were few and far between, such as rivers andkes. Even for Lizardmen with their wide range of activities, Frogmen were hard toe by.


    Lakrak searched through the bushes and counted the footprints.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t just one, but quite a bit of them. Maybe five?¡±


    ¡°They must be scouting too.¡±


    ¡°Are they belligerent?¡±


    ¡°They might be, as they made their home here first, but that¡¯s not always the case. They¡¯re the same as any other bipedal species. Some are good, and some are bad.¡±


    After finishing scouting, Lakrak and the star catcher went back to their temporary vige and had a meeting. Zaol, who managed domestic affairs, and Yur, who was the best of the warriors, were actually the only other Lizardmen in attendance.


    ¡°It seems that a species called Frogmen have settled down somewhere in this area. We can¡¯t be sure how many of them there are, and they are reluctant to present themselves to us so far. Thus we can¡¯t tell if they are good or bad Frogmen. However, we can¡¯t guarantee they are good Frogmen just because they are taking caution. Tell me each of your opinions on what we should do.¡±


    ¡°I would like to do as you wish, chief,¡± Yur said.


    Zaol sighed.


    ¡°Yur, you¡¯re unrivaled when ites to your hunting skills, but you could use some more wisdom.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean, Zaol?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to do as the chief says at the end of the day, but that doesn¡¯t mean he is always right. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Yur nodded.


    ¡°My knot was better than the chief¡¯s when we were tying the buffaloes up. You even used my method to tie the knots afterwards.¡±


    Lakrak scoffed.


    Zaol chuckled and said, ¡°If the chief shared his opinion, we would respect and follow his way and wouldn¡¯t think otherwise. That is why the chief allowed us to speak our mind first so that our voices wouldn¡¯t be stifled.¡±


    The star catcher nodded in agreement, and Yur let out a small exmation as if he had just realized this.


    ¡°Oh, I see. I actually did have something I wanted to say.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything because you weren¡¯t saying anything about it, either, but I think it would be good to find out more about how strong the Frogmen are. Why don¡¯t I gather a scouting party and go deeper into the forest?¡±


    Zaol seemed to think carefully and then said, ¡°I¡¯m against it.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Thisnd may or may not be dangerous, but it is rich.¡±


    Yur seemed to not understand why that mattered, but Lakrak and the star catcher nodded in agreement.


    ¡°If those Frogmen are a simr species to us, they would be as strong as we would be in a rich environment. We may have over 300 Lizardmen, but their tribe could be bigger. You need to assume that their tribe is much greater than ours and then think about if they are hostile.¡±


    Yur agreed with half of Zaol¡¯s words.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t God with us? If their abilities to fight areparable to ours, us Bone Warriors will be stronger.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t guarantee that. Even if we are stronger, we will be at a disadvantage if they have more men.¡±


    Lakrak agreed.


    ¡°Warriors need to prioritize the protection of our n, but we also can¡¯t stay unaware of our opponent. Why don¡¯t we send our warriors to scout in a wider range instead of going deeper into the forest? We need to check how far they upy the area, if there are any other tribes, and if there is any other danger rather than going to them and checking them up close. We need to protect our n, so we can¡¯t send our warriors too far out, or send too many of them at a time. Yur, have a meeting with the rest of the warriors and make a scouting n. Then brief me tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°All right, chief.¡±


    There were currently about 40 Bone Warriors in the n. Sung-Woon had additionally Blessed some of the Lizardmen that were initially part of the Blue Skin Tribe. Compared to the size of the n, the number of Lizardmen of the Warrior ss was quite high, but given that there wasn¡¯t a perfect distribution of work yet, there was still some flexibility that they could fulfill other roles. It was reasonable to leave the work to someone who knew each warrior well like Yur. Even Sung-Woon thought so.


    Zaol was the next one to offer her opinion.


    ¡°Chief, we should be mindful that the Frogmen will keep an eye out for us as much as we do them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, Zaol. Do you have a good idea in mind?¡±


    Zaol nodded.


    ¡°As much as we don¡¯t know how they will act, it is best to keep the worst situation in mind. If they look down at us as a small, weak tribe, they might attack us right away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, we need to deceive them into thinking our n isrge when seen from the outside. Here¡¯s what I think. There are lots of trees here, so it¡¯s easy to make a fire. We¡¯ll have a bunch of guards keep an eye on the fires at night, and if we make more fires here and there, they¡¯ll think our group is twice the actual size despite the fires not being of use. It will also be good to keep watch at night, keeping in mind that the warriors will go on a reconnaissance.¡±


    The others agreed with Zaol¡¯s suggestion. If Lakrak¡¯s n were to be more cautious and on the lookout, there would be more Lizardmen who were tired during the day, but the benefits were greater than the energy expended.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do what Zaol said. However, the work will need to be equally distributed amongst the Lizardmen staying guard so that no oneins.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Lastly, the star catcher said, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything too different to share.¡±


    ¡°You may speak your mind without reservations.¡±


    ¡°I would like it if we could change the way we are building houses.¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s n dug the ground to make a space, built a wooden frame over it, and then used thinner tree branches, leaves, reeds, and such to cover the top to prevent rain from leaking in. Digging the ground that way was a good way to keep warmth, so it was a method the Lizardmen of the Blue Skin Tribe had been using.


    ¡°What is the reason?¡±


    ¡°Thisnd is warmer than thend before. There are many nt roots under the ground, and it is humid. Besides, it¡¯ll rain more in theing days.¡±


    Lakrak epted the advice of the one-armed star catcher, guide, and wise Lizardman. The star catcher¡¯s scales had been a different color than theirs, but they were now turning ck just like Lakrak¡¯s. This was likely due to God''s Blessing.


    ¡°All right. You can tell them it was I who said to do so, and you can supervise the n build the houses.¡±


    The star catcher nodded.


    ***


    A few days passed at their new home.


    The water buffaloes adapted well to the new environment and seemed satisfied as there was plentiful food, and because of this, it didn¡¯t take too many Lizardmen to look after the water buffaloes, and the n started to pick up speed as hunter-gatherers. The Lizardmen also consistently gathered information about the surrounding areas.


    Lakrak was actively using the writtennguage he had recently discovered. When the warriors came back from reconnaissance, he would always listen to what they saw at the big, wide rock in the middle of the vige.


    ¡°We went this way when the sun was rising, and we arrived at a small river when the sun was in the middle of the sky.¡±


    ¡°From where and to which direction does the river flow?¡±


    ¡°Rtive to the direction the sun rises¡­like this¡­ It flows diagonally.¡±


    ¡°And how wide is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that wide. It¡¯s about the distance from here to that tree over there.¡±


    Lakrak nodded, grabbed a spearhead, and marked the shape of the river onto therge rock. On the rock, the vige was marked at the center, and distances were marked based on a particr scale to show the topography of the area. To be exact, it was a <i>map?</i>that was developed from hunting marks, but the idea of making a permanent record like writtennguage was applied. This record was actually useful, helping the warriors that were split into groups to figure out the surrounding terrains while Lakrak was away.


    This served as an opportunity for the n to be interested in the utility of writing and records, which were made possible because their now more stable lifestyles allowed them more spare time. Rather than having them overwork themselves, Lakrak rmended keeping written record as they went about their various activities. As an example, he told them they could each write down how many pieces of fruit they had collected every day so that it was possible to know exactly who worked less and who worked more.


    Nevertheless, Zaol was worried.


    ¡°Well, if you tell them to do so, wouldn¡¯t the ones who are dull and slower be criticized?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    In fact, once the Lizardmen started recording things, the ones who were more diligent reduced the amount they collected by a reasonable margin rather than criticizing their fellow Lizardmen, while those who fell short collected more. It was just as Lakrak had expected. However, he gained more insights than he had expected.


    <i>¡®When we relied on our memories, we would live bypromising. It caused emotional stress since some were more diligent, while others gotzy. And no one was able to say anything because there was no clear evidence. Now, though, everyone is being careful as they know records are permanent.¡¯</i>


    Although Lakrak¡¯s idea hadn¡¯t been recognized by the game system, Sung-Woon noticed what Lakrak¡¯s idea stemmed from.


    A simple discovery was meaningless. Once the culture of writing and recording began, they could do a greater variety of things than before, and realizing the importance of this idea was the first step.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re doing better than I thought.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t been able to pay much attention to Lakrak¡¯s n recently. Even though Lakrak¡¯s n was Sung-Woon¡¯s only tribe, he had many other things to do just like in the game of The Lost World, as gods had many more responsibilities outside of managing their tribes.


    Sung-Woon currently had threerge swarms of insects. These swarms weren¡¯t simply controlled by Sung-Woon; each group had grown into their own entity. One of these swarms was the swarm of locusts in the west that indirectly benefited Lakrak and his n. These locusts focused on disrupting and eliminating factors that could pose a threat or create unnecessary variables to Lakrak¡¯s n.


    The second swarm of insects, which Lakrak and his n weren¡¯t even aware of, were in the far south of the forest. In the game, there was a trick called Small Area XP Farming, and the south of the forest was dedicated for this. At this ce, Sung-Woon was creating and cultivating all kinds of insects to transform the area into a nest full of insects. Because of this, Sung-Woon was able to surpass level 3 for ¡®Small Area: Insects¡¯ and reached level 4, which gave him a new skill.


    If there were other yers nearby, they definitely wouldn¡¯t just watch and do nothing at the sight of this kind of farming, but because Sung-Woon¡¯s starting location was on the outer part of the penins, it seemed that other yers hadn¡¯t discovered it yet.


    <i>¡®I have to take advantage of the fact that I started in an area with only a few other yers.¡¯</i>


    If other yers were around, there would be many technical benefits from a sh of civilizations just like when Lakrak¡¯s n and the Blue Skin Tribe met, so rather than Sung-Woon being ahead of the other yers, it could be said that he was trying to make up for potential losses.


    <i>¡®...at least for now.¡¯</i>


    The third swarm of insects was also one that Lakrak¡¯s n was not aware of, and it was a lot closer to the vigepared to the second one. There was a reason Sung-Woon had used the swarm of insects that he¡¯d recently created to lead Lakrak¡¯s n here.


    <i>¡®I was a bit surprised when the Abomination appeared though.¡¯</i>


    The Ancient Beetle was an anomaly in Sung-Woon¡¯s n of leading Lakrak¡¯s n to thisnd, but they overcame it without much difficulty thanks to Zaol. Lakrak¡¯s leadership over the next few days was also superb.


    <i>¡®Thanks to you, Lakrak, I was able to finish the preparations.¡¯</i>


    The Frogmen tribe that Lakrak was soon to encounter was in fact a tribe that Sung-Woon had known about for a long time.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s the one I was considering other than Lakrak¡¯s n when choosing the first tribe.¡¯</i>


    At that time, they were a strong tribe of 500 Frogmen. Sung-Woon had kept an eye on them because they could be his second or third tribe if needed. However, a special event that urred sometimes in The Lost World was associated with this Frogman tribe.


    <i>¡®This special event made it slightly difficult to have them as my second or third tribe.¡¯</i>


    The Frogman tribe had grown into arge tribe of 1,500 due to a Courtesy Event, and there was a reason Sung-Woon had let thisrge tribe and Lakrak¡¯s n encounter each other.


    <i>¡®Tribes need to interact and face one another in order to grow.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon observed the first encounter between the two tribes.


    <strong>***</strong>


    ¡°Chief! The Frogmen areing towards us!¡±


    Inside the hut at the center of the vige, Lakrak received the message brought by a warrior. Calmly, he responded, ¡°Didn¡¯t I already mention to include how many of them there are, if they¡¯re armed, and how fast they¡¯re approaching when delivering a message?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. There are six¡­no, seven in the group, they are all armed, and they are slowly making their way towards us.¡±


    ¡°Anything special?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    Lakrak was briefly surprised by what the warrior said, but he decided not to think too deeply about it before he saw and judged things for himself.


    <i>¡®Being armed but approaching on foot means there¡¯s a chance for conversation. Their numbers are also small.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak decided to lead ten armed warriors to meet the Frogmen before they reached the vige. He took ten because they needed more numbers for safety, but they also shouldn¡¯t look intimidating just to have a conversation.


    The two tribes met at a small clearing in the forest. The warriors had been observing and delivering information about the Frogmen until now, so their first sight of the Frogmen wasn¡¯tpletely unfamiliar. Their skin was slippery, and they were somewhat smaller than Lizardmen. They were characterized by theirrge eyes and transparent eyelids, and their short necks and bodies that looked hard and firm seemedmon for Frogmen.


    <i>¡®And that¡¯s¡­¡¯</i>


    Lakrak confirmed that the special note ryed by the warrior was true. There were six Frogmen, and next to them was a Lizardman with grayish brown scales.

 Chapter 13: The Encounter with the Frogmen

    <h4>Chapter 13: The Encounter with the Frogmen</h4>


    ¡°I am Shunen, son of the great tribe leader Auloi. Lizardmen, we have no intention of fighting you.¡±


    ¡°Lakrak. I am the chief of the n. We also have no intention of raising our weapons.¡±


    As the two leaders spoke to each other, both tribes that were standing guard returned to a resting position.


    Lakrak took a look at the Frogman that identified himself as Shunen.


    Shunen was one of the bigger Frogmen among his tribe, and he had a fancy string that was dyed red around his neck.


    <i>¡®It seems they have shown courtesy by sending the tribal leader¡¯s son.¡¯</i>


    It would have been better if the tribal leader hade himself, but Lakrak didn¡¯t expect that much.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°We havee to let you know that your tribe has invaded our territory.¡±


    It was just as Lakrak had expected. There was no need to ept Shunen¡¯s words as an attack. After all, only by stating that their opponent was in the wrong could one press for an advantage.


    ¡°Is that so? I wouldn¡¯t say the wholend is your territory. There was no sign suggesting that thisnd had an owner already. We didn¡¯t know, but I apologize for not noticing you were here first.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Shunen didn¡¯t say anything for a moment after Lakrak made a clear apology. Lakrak had gotten one over on him.


    ¡°Apart from this being your territory, we havee from a ce very far away. I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯ll settle down long-term, but we need to stay here for now as we have no other ce to go.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Shunen, son of the great tribal leader Auloi, it is my first time seeing Frogmen, but you seem like a warrior capable of making decisions. Don¡¯t you have the authority to show us mercy?¡±


    Shunen couldn¡¯te up with anything contrarian and ended up agreeing with Lakrak.


    ¡°That is right. I will be the one to lead our tribe one day after my father. Determining whether we should yield a part of our territory to you and your n is something I can decide on my own.¡±


    Lakrak noticed the big warrior standing beside Shunen ncing at him. It was a look of dissatisfaction.


    <i>¡®The tribal chief probably assigned that warrior to his son because he doesn¡¯t trust him.?</i><i>But that Lizardman is still suspicious</i><i>. I should find out more about him.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Instead of talking here, you shoulde to our vige to be weed since both tribes havee to an agreement without much conflict,¡± said Lakrak.


    ¡°Oh, then¡­¡±


    When Shunen was about to go along with what Lakrak had suggested, the big warrior whispered something into Shunen¡¯s ear. Shunen¡¯s attitude suddenly changed.


    ¡°...That¡¯s a bit much. We don¡¯t have a lot to thank each other for, and I don¡¯t think we have that much mutual trust built yet.¡±


    ¡°Really? Us Lizardmen can¡¯t just send you off after being indebted to you for what you have done for us. What about sharing the food we have here?¡±


    Shunen turned to the big warrior, and the warrior nodded.


    ¡°That seems fine. We also have food, so we¡¯ll share that as well. Just in case there is a misunderstanding, we like Lizardmen very much. Isn¡¯t that right, Owen?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Answered the grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen, who Lakrak was carefully keeping an eye on.


    Lakrak decided not to overreact.


    <i>¡®If I want to find out what the rtionship between them is and what their intentions were ining together, I can¡¯t let them know that I¡¯m curious. If they realize I want to know more, they¡¯ll use it to their advantage.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak ordered his warriors to make a fire and prepare food while he started a casual conversation with Shunen.


    ¡°I may ept that thend around here is your territory, but I want to know on what grounds you¡¯re saying this.¡±


    ¡°Hm, alright. Do you see these decorative feathers hanging on this string?¡±


    Shunen pointed at the red string hanging from his neck with something like pride. There were only a few feathers on the string, but they were so big that they coveredrge parts of Shunen¡¯s chest. Lakrak also thought they were very impressive.


    ¡°These are the feathers of the Cockatrice that lives in a forest nearby. ¡°


    ¡°Cockatrice?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a huge bird that runs on two legs. It is¡­about as tall as the second branch on that tree over there.¡±


    That was approximately over 3 meters tall. It was likely to be a very dangerous creature.


    ¡°Can I take a closer look at the feathers?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lakrak closely studied the feathers. Even if Shunen had exaggerated a little, it was likely that a bird with such big feathers would be that tall. Lakrak was also aware that his warriors had found big feathers, just not as big as these ones.


    <i>¡®Then these red feathers are likely part of the decorative plumes or fancy part of the Cockatrice. Information about the Cockatrice seems to be reliable at least.¡¯</i>


    Shunen continued to say, ¡°Not only is the Cockatrices big, but it also has poison. It¡¯s a dangerous creature. We never manage to kill it in our many encounters, but only barely chasing it away. It¡¯s very fast and has a wide home range, so wee all the way to this area when we scout.¡±


    ¡°Then it would be thanks to you guys that we haven¡¯t encountered it yet. Thank you, but how do you deal with a Cockatrice?¡±


    ¡°Even if you have a long spear, it¡¯ll be hard to face it up close because it¡¯s so tall. Throwing a javelin wouldn¡¯t work either as it¡¯s too fast, and even if you throw rocks, it¡¯s protected by its feathers. Usually a bow and arrow would work by aiming at the part where its skin is exposed.


    ¡°Bow and arrow?¡± Lakrak took interest in the weapon he hadn¡¯t heard of. ¡°Is it that thing by any chance?¡±


    ¡°Is this your first time seeing a bow?¡±


    ¡°Hm, I have seen something simr.¡±


    Lakrak was talking about the bow-shaped bellow that the iron craftsman had. Simr looking objects had been used before the inception of bows making use of tension. However, a properly made bow differed in appearances and purposes. The Lizardmen hadn¡¯t seen a bow before since they grew up in ces where there weren¡¯t many species of trees and thus were short on wood supplies


    ¡°What kind of weapon is it? It doesn¡¯t seem like something that you throw rocks with, like a slingshot.¡±


    Shunen preened in response to Lakrak¡¯s curiosity.


    ¡°I should show you how it¡¯s used. Let¡¯s see¡­Owen.¡±


    ¡°You call?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you a favor as the others are busy. I¡¯m going to practice some archery, so would you set up an appropriately-sized wooden board over there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Lakrak noticed a strange power rtion between Shunen, the tribal leader¡¯s son, and the Lizardman Owen.


    <i>¡®He acts like he¡¯s asking a favor¡­but it seems to me that Owen is an errand boy. However, anyonepared to the son of the tribal chief would seem like an errand boy.¡¯</i>


    Without saying much, Lakrak observed Owen do his work and watched Shunen¡¯s archery practice. The wooden bow that Shunen had was not very long given a Frogman¡¯s stature. The wood was strong enough to arch and create tension, and the bowstring, which was made of unknown material, was tightly tied so it wouldn¡¯te undone.


    The arrow Shunen shot flew with a whoosh and struck the middle of the target.<i>?</i>


    ¡°Wow. That was great.¡±


    As Lakrak admired Shunen¡¯s skills, he was also picturing in his head how to respond if they were to fight the Frogmen.


    <i>¡®At the moment our warrior¡¯s javelins are stronger. However, this bow can shoot several arrows, and it seems more urate than a javelin. It can also be shot faster if intended. It¡¯s a weapon we need.¡¯</i>


    ¡°We learn archery from when we are young. I am one of the best archers in our tribe,¡± Shunen said.


    ¡°I see. Can I try it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, though it will be hard since it¡¯s your first time.¡±


    Shunen was right. Strength wasn¡¯t an issue. He knew what a beginner would face, so he and the other warriors put some distance between them and Lakrak.


    Everytime Lakrak bounced an arrow sideways or dropped an arrow on the ground, Shunen gave appropriate advice, and after Lakrak shot a few arrows, he was finally able to shoot toward the target.


    ¡°It¡¯s always hard the first time.¡±


    Lakrak huffed and went to collect the arrows.


    As he was doing so, Shunen said to Owen, ¡°What are you doing not collecting the arrows?¡±


    Owen ran, but Lakrak replied, ¡°No, I shot them, so I¡¯ll go collect them.¡±


    Lakrak picked up an arrow from the ground. Shunen shrugged and shifted his gaze to where the meal was being prepared. Lakrak picked up another arrow and approached Owen.


    <i>¡®Finally the two of us can have a conversation.¡¯</i>


    Walking up to the target, Lakrak said, ¡°Owen is your name?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, yes.¡±


    Owen panicked like he didn¡¯t know how he should behave in front of Lakrak.


    <i>¡®Why is he panicking? That¡¯s a strange reaction.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak tried to interrogate Owen and asked, ¡°Why is a Lizardman with the Frogmen?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Lizardmen and Frogmen are living together. We are different species living together.¡±


    Lakrak was thrown off as he never imagined such a thing would be possible. If different species lived together, their differing lifestyles would inevitably lead to conflicts. Lakrak didn¡¯t think of Frogmen this way, but some other species would be disgusted by the physiological aspect of Frogmen. Even if a friendly rtionship was maintained, it was normal formunities to divide.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because both species are of help to each other.¡±


    ¡°Helpful? How so in specifics?¡± Lakrak asked out of pure curiosity.


    Owen replied as if he had rehearsed what to say.


    ¡°Lizardmen are protected by the Frogmen, and in return, Lizardmen do tasks that are inconvenient for the Frogmen, as Frogmen can¡¯t live outside of water for too long. Lizardmen are also better than Frogmen at climbing trees or picking fruits, and Lizardmen in return can eat the fish in the water.¡±


    It sounded like they were helping each other, but something was strange to Lakrak.


    ¡°Sharing food is good, but Lizardmen don¡¯t need protection. Lizardmen have the ability to defend themselves.¡±


    Owen shook his head, but seemed surprised.


    ¡°No, you heard of the Cockatrice, didn''t you? This forest is dangerous. Auloi¡¯s Frogmen are a big tribe. It will be hard for us Lizardmen to survive without the Frogmen.¡±


    Lakrak wanted to ask more, but he was starting to feel the weight of Shunen¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Forget the conversation we just had. I only asked about how to be good at archery.¡±


    ¡°What¡­? ¡­Okay.¡±


    ¡°So tell me any tips you may have.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know how to shoot arrows.¡±


    Lakrak looked at Owen with suspicious eyes.


    ¡°Then you aren¡¯t a warrior. Why is a non-warrior with a group of warriors?¡±


    Owen dropped his head and didn¡¯t answer. He instead replied with an archery tip.


    ¡°...H..however, I have heard things. Before letting go of the bowstring, you need to hold your breath and look exactly at the target.¡±


    ¡°...I see. Thank you.¡±


    To avoid being caught about interrogating Owen, Lakrakplimented Shunen¡¯s archery skills and persistently asked about bows, arrows, and archery. Shunen, who became proud, was talking about what kinds of woods were used to make bows until he eventually got stopped by therge warrior keeping an eye on him.


    ¡°I think that is enough, Shunen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Oboi. Isn¡¯t it okay? It¡¯s not like you can quickly make a bow just because you know how to. Our bowmakers have trained for a long time, but trial and error is what is needed to make a good bow.¡±


    ¡°Still, we have done enough for them.¡±


    The Frogmen warrior named Oboi had the fanciest decorations after Shunen. Lakrak assumed he was likely a henchman of the tribal leader, Auloi.


    <i>¡®Oboi is the most important one to keep an eye on.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 14: Grayish-Brown Scaled Owen

    <h4>Chapter 14: Grayish-Brown Scaled Owen</h4>


    Afterwards, the two groups ate while having small talk, during which Shunen introduced the Lizardnman Owen and mentioned the fact that the Frogmen and Lizardmen were living together, helping each other out and getting along fine.


    The other Frogmen cheerfully went along with what Shunen had said and acted close with the Lizardmen warriors, so if Lakrak hadn¡¯t interrogated Owen first, he would have believed everything word out of Shunen¡¯s mouth. Like Owen, however, Shunen also seemed to have a speech prepared, which raised Lakrak¡¯s suspicion even more.


    <i>¡®I need to find out for sure what these Frogmen are up to and how the Frogmen and Lizardmen are living together. They are definitely hiding something.¡¯</i>


    As Lakrak finished his meal, he offered for the two tribes to meet again. Such events were mainly for tribes to exchange or share food to make them closer.


    Shunen dly epted the offer.


    ¡°But your tribe must have just settled down at your new home. Do you have things to exchange?¡±


    ¡°We have water buffaloes.¡±


    Shunen stuck out his tongue a little, which was a way for Frogmen to express that they were greatly surprised.


    ¡°What? Water buffaloes? I had water buffalo meat once¡­ It was very old, but it still tasted good.¡±


    ¡°The water buffaloes we have are alive. If you want, we can trade you a water buffalo for a few bows.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­the water buffaloes are alive? If that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    Lakrak noticed Shunen¡¯s mouth watering at the thought of eating buffalo meat, and at that moment, Lakrak knew another meeting wouldn¡¯t be that far off. Judging from Oboi¡¯s facial expressions, though, it would seem there was no chance they would trade even a single bow.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll meet you somewhere a bit closer to your tribe next time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then¡­¡±


    Standing next to Shunen, Oboi once again interrupted before he could ept Lakrak¡¯s offer.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we meet again here, Shunen? It¡¯s wide, there¡¯s nothing to block our vision, and it''s a good ce for both tribes to keep an eye on each other.¡±


    ¡°I-Is it? Then let¡¯s just meet here again.¡±


    ¡°Hm, here it is then.¡±


    The two tribes decided when to meet and went their separate ways. Lakrak saw Owen ncing back at him a few times through the group of Frogmen returning home.


    <i>¡®There is definitely something going on.¡¯</i>


    ***


    A few hourster, along theke where Auloi¡¯s Frogmen settled down and made home.


    Owen, the Lizardman, copsed on a small sandy beach.


    ¡°You, what did you talk about with the chief of the Lizardmen?¡±


    The warrior Oboi kicked Owen¡¯s jaw as Auloi¡¯s son, Shunen, watched.


    Owen tumbled on the ground with a grunt and waved his hands as he said, ¡°We¡­we didn¡¯t talk about much. He asked about how to shoot an arrow well. He praised the bow saying it was a good weapon.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°And then he kept asking how a bow is made as he didn¡¯t think the Frogmen would tell him.¡±


    ¡°Hm, and then?¡±


    ¡°So I said I couldn¡¯t tell him because I was in great debt to the Frogmen. Then he asked to at least tell him how to shoot an arrow well. ¡°


    Oboi then said to Owen while lightly kicking his jaw, ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to shoot an arrow, do you?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. So I firmly responded that I couldn¡¯t tell him how to shoot well, and that learning archery was worth paying a price for. I then told him I would teach him if he gave me a pouch of fruit, but he said regretfully that he didn¡¯t have any with him at the moment.¡±


    ¡°You shrewd Lizardman.¡± Shunenughed at Owen. ¡°I think that would be enough, Oboi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shunen. I think so too.¡±


    As Owen got to his feet and shook dust off himself, Shunen said, ¡°Owen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    ¡°You must know that your role in this is big, right?


    ¡°O-Of course.¡±


    Shunen was talking with his head turned towards theke. Owen followed his gaze. There was a small ind in the middle of theke, on which were a few huts obscured by bushes. The Frogmen warriors took turns surveilling the area closely. Young Lizardmen were trapped inside of the huts, and among them was Owen¡¯s child.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re lucky, Owen?¡± asked Shunen.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Shunen licked around his mouth and said, ¡°In the near future, our Two-Headed Fiend will request for a young sacrifice, at which point we would sacrifice you Lizardmen. You would have needed a new offering to keep your child safe. And what do you know, now there¡¯s so many new Lizardmen to sacrifice instead.¡±


    Owen looked down and nodded.


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­luck or not, I¡¯ll trick them in any way possible.¡±


    Shunen ced his hand on Owen¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Owen. We haven¡¯t figured out how big of a tribe they are or how strong they are yet, and they don¡¯t look too strong, but we will suffer unnecessary casualties if we fight them head-on. As long as you trick them and make them fall into our trap, our warriors will do the rest.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I believe you, master.¡±


    Owen clenched his teeth while saying so.


    The Frogmen tribe currently had 1500 Frogmen, and 200 grayish-brown Lizardmen were enved by them. Aside from the difference in numbers, the Lizardmen children and their caregivers were all held hostage on the ind, so the other Lizardmen never tried to make a stand against the Frogmen.


    <i>¡®And they even have a god.¡¯</i>


    ***


    These grayish-brown Lizardmen hadn¡¯t started out here. They hadn¡¯te from the wilderness, but had been looking for a home as they had been attacked by several forces in the south. It was then Auloi¡¯s Frogmen took the exhausted Lizardmen in and warmly weed them.


    <i>¡®Outside of our different skin color, they weed us even though we are of another species.¡¯</i>


    But of course it was all trickery. The Frogmen invested time to grant them favors and kindly epted the grayish-brown Lizardmen into their tribe. The Lizardmen began to live a somewhat pleasant life alongside and under the influence of the Frogmen. Then came the day the two tribes decided to hold a ¡®Brotherly Ritual¡¯, and everything changed.


    The grayish-brown Lizardmen went kayaking with the Frogmen warriors to enjoy a banquet held in the middle of the ind. The Lizardmen suspected nothing and had gottenpletely drunk on the alcohol Auloi gave them. The moment they passed out, they were all captured by the Frogmen warriors.


    The Frogmen had a god, and that god demanded living sacrifices. The god didn¡¯t want the sacrifice to be animals, but instead wanted people, more specifically, beings that had a conscience and walked on two legs. And so, the tribal chief and warriors of the Lizardmen were offered. The other grayish-brown Lizardmen could clearly see what was happening on the ind from across theke.


    Several Frogmen surrounded the sacrificed Lizardmen, praised the Two-Headed Fiend, and soon after, the god revealed itself from the water. The monster chewed on and ate the tribal chief and warriors one by one, spitting out parts that tasted bad. Even as the Lizardmen bore witness to the horrifying sight of their fellow men getting eaten alive, they couldn¡¯t do anything out of fear.


    Owen had also been among the Lizardmen watching.


    ***


    Owen was shrewd just like Shunen had said. He knew what kind of attitude he had to have in order to survive and protect his family. Owen knew that it would be more advantageous to approach the son, Shunen, instead of the old andrge Auloi. Owen wasn¡¯t a warrior, but he would¡¯ve been regarded as the wise one among his tribe, and he learned to be obedient at the present time. But still, reality hadn¡¯t changed.


    The Two-Headed Fiend liked soft flesh. If old Lizardmen were sacrificed, it would only kill them, and then it would demand the next sacrifice to be offered right away. Sometimes it would even secretly go after and swallow Frogmen saying that the Lizardmen¡¯s flesh was too thick, and on those days, the Frogmen would hit the Lizardmen and hurriedly sacrifice the children.


    <i>¡®The Two-Headed Fiend rules over the Frogmen, and the Frogmen rule over us. This won¡¯t change.¡¯</i>


    In Owen¡¯s opinion, things couldn¡¯t be changed if they weren¡¯t meant to be changed. The number of grayish-brown Lizardmen had been rapidly decreasing ever since they were subjugated by the Frogmen. They were either sacrificed, or beaten to death. And if some managed to run away, the same number of Lizardmen would then be sacrificed. It was inevitable that Owen¡¯s child would be imed someday.


    <i>¡®But the opportunity hase.¡¯</i>


    It was worth enduring everything until now. Even though the size of the new Lizardmen tribe was still unknown, their poption didn¡¯t seem small.


    <i>¡®Though I don¡¯t think they have enough to fight against the Frogmen.¡¯</i>


    ording to the Frogmen warriors, there were about 600 Lizardmen. Owen had considered inciting a fight between the Frogmen and the Lizardmen, but he thought the 600 Lizardmen would just be outnumbered, and it would be impossible for them to defeat the Two-Headed Fiend.


    <i>¡®We can live a lot longer if they are all sacrificed first.¡¯</i>


    The ck scaled Lizardmen wouldn¡¯t stand a chance should a battle break out. They were a barbaric tribe from a distantnd and didn¡¯t even know what a bow and arrow was. In addition to that, the Frogmen had a secret weapon.


    <i>¡®Even if our grayish-brown scaled Lizardman tribal chief and warriors had fought the Frogmen, we wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance. Everything is already set in stone.¡¯</i>


    Owen whispered and said to Shunen, ¡°Now that I think of it, Mr. Shunen.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°How is Mr. Auloi these days?¡±


    ¡°Hm, I think his itching is getting a little worse, but he is still alive and kicking.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try this?¡±


    Shunen took the pouch Owen handed him.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s medicine that works well for itchiness, which was brought by a collector.¡±


    Shunen was suspicious of it at first, but smiled after seeing the contents. Inside the pouch was a handful of a five-pronged medicinal herb that Shunen knew treated itchiness well. Owen had likely annoyed a collector into giving him the medicine, or stolen it.


    ¡°You are great, Owen. I¡¯ll hear less of my father¡¯s tantrums for a while.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Then Obo said from beside Shunen, ¡°Would you mind sharing some with me? It seems that the itching illness has also gotten my back.¡±


    ¡°Hm, my father would need enough to spread over his whole body¡­¡±


    At those words, Owen took out another handful of medicinal herbs from a basket made of tree trunks.


    ¡°Mr. Oboi, this should be enough for the early stages of the itching¡­¡±


    ¡°Fellow, it seems you¡¯re well prepared. I¡¯ll use it well,¡± Oboi said and took the basket, hanging it on his arm.


    Owen simply chuckled. He had learned to give up after learning to be obedient.


    Owen¡¯s world wasn¡¯t ever going to change.


    ***


    ¡°How is it this time?¡±


    ¡°It flies about half as far as they shoot.¡±


    ¡°Not even close.¡±


    Lakrak disapprovingly chewed on some root nts. He and Zaol were together on the outskirts of the vige. A bow and arrow the vige had produced was in front of Zaol.


    ¡°I can¡¯t seem to figure out what exact material was used to make the bowstring. It seemed like the tendons of a creature were torn and weaved back together when I saw itst time.¡±


    ¡°We also did that using a water buffalo.¡±


    ¡°We only used one buffalo for practice. It¡¯ll be better if we kill and use a few more buffaloes.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t. We used too many for the exchanges.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing more we can do. This is the limit for now. If they happened to use the tendons of a Cockatrice, wouldn¡¯t it be too difficult for us to also get a hold of some?¡±


    Lakrak gulped down the nt and nodded.


    It had been several days since their first encounter with the Frogmen. Since then, Lakrak¡¯s n and the Frogmen had met four more times, and Lakrak¡¯s n was able to exchange quite a few items that they liked. Lakrak¡¯s n had offered the Frogmen two buffaloes until now, and Lakrak judged that they benefited four or even six times more from the crafts and food they received in return.


    <i>¡®However, they never offered even a single bow. Those greedy Frogmen.¡¯</i>


    <i>?</i>When they were exchanging items, the Lizardmen that were smart and had good vision would sneak a look at the bows and pretend to borrow and use it to take a closer look, but this approach had its limits.


    <i>¡®We¡¯re going to find out this time.¡¯</i>


    Today, the fifth meeting was arranged. They weren¡¯t thinking of bringing with them any buffaloes this time, but a piece of therge monster¡¯s shell. They realized that this piece of shell could only be damaged by Lakrak when God assumed control over his body; not even iron or other tools could leave a single scratch. This mysterious shell was valuable on its own, but apart from that, it could be used to boast that they had killed such a monster.


    <i>¡®They might not believe it, but they¡¯ll likely be cautious at the least.¡¯</i>


    The bow was in fact a secondary issue to Lakrak. While it would definitely be a useful tool if they learned how to use it, therge Frogmen tribe was the main problem. Even though the two tribes had gotten quite close, the Frogmen had never shown them their vige. Their reason was that Lakrak¡¯s n hadn¡¯t weed the Frogmen into their vige either. However, in Lakrak¡¯s opinion, he thought that because the Frogmen tribe wasrger, they should be the ones to show their vige first.


    <i>¡®They acted the same as Owen. There¡¯s no mistake that they¡¯re trying to y a dirty trick. The problem is we don¡¯t know how they¡¯re going to y it.¡¯</i>


    Even though exchanges with the Frogmen were underway, Lakrak always made sure to stay alert. It wasn¡¯t easy for the Frogmen to scout around Lakrak¡¯s n.


    ¡°Alright. We must make some progress today. Did you check if our people have collected a lot of the medicine that apparently treats itchiness well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The herbalist apparently knew of a ce where the medicinal herb abundantly grew.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    As Lakrak heard, the Frogmen tribe was currently suffering from an itching illness, but fortunately, no one in Lakrak¡¯s n had contracted it.


    <i>¡®Hm, this might also be by the grace of the Nameless Beetle God.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 15: About Trust

    <h4>Chapter 15: About Trust</h4>


    ¡°Enticing those Lizardmen is taking too long, Owen.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Owen made a groveling apology to Shunen. The Frogmen warriors were currently on the move with objects tied to their backs for the fifth meeting with Lakrak.


    ¡°These Lizardmen with ck scales and water buffalo skulls on their heads seem especially vignt,¡± said Owen.


    ¡°Are you saying they are different from you guys, who werepletely ignorant and epted everything?¡± asked Shunen.


    ¡°...Yes. Haha.¡± Owen tried his best to reply with a smile. ¡°But didn¡¯t you see him getting anxious like a child every time we showed him the bows? I think it is time.¡±


    Shunen nodded, but it was curt.


    ¡°Alright. One bow isn¡¯t too great of a sacrifice if that means we can enve them all. The bow would eventually return to our possession anyway.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Owen thought he had put a lot of work into thest four meetings. There was no mistake that the young Lizardman called Lakrak was a pretty strong warrior.


    <i>¡®However, I¡¯m not sure if he is a wise tribal chief. Just because you¡¯re a good fighter doesn''t mean you would be a good chief. I know this because I experienced it myself.¡¯</i>


    Being obsessed over a good and new weapon was a virtue for a warrior, but not for a chief.


    <i>¡®Lakrak won¡¯t be able to handle the Frogmen, let alone the Two-Headed Fiend.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Would one bow be enough?¡± asked Shunen.


    ¡°Yes, I think so¡­b-but he might try to make a deal for more, so I believe it would be better if you could let me borrow two more¡­¡±


    Shunen frowned.


    ¡°Have you noticed that his archery skills have improved even though we only met four times?¡±


    ¡°...He does seem like a talented warrior.¡±


    ¡°Well, he still has a long way to go if he wants to be as good as I am. It was a close call thest time I suggested we make a bet through archery. I think he has been practicing by making a bow that resembles ours¡­¡±


    Shunen was suggesting that it would be a bit risky if they gave away three bows. Owen shook his head.


    ¡°However, it wouldn¡¯t matter that we gave them a few more bows if I seed in enticing him, would it? The weapons they have would return safely to us.¡±


    ¡°That is right. Your role is big. He doesn¡¯tpletely trust us, but he seems to treat you, a fellow Lizardman, nicely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that seems to be the case. It¡¯s probably because it''s his first time seeing Frogmen, and you¡¯re still unfamiliar to him.¡±


    ¡°That also means he¡¯s that inexperienced¡­ Hm.¡±


    Owen was about to leave the conversation when he noticed that Shunen had something to say. Owen had to probe.


    ¡°Is there something wrong by any chance?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be better to hurry. Obtain as much information from them as you can this time, and if possible, you must try your best to invite him and his warriors to our vige without raising any suspicions.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong?¡±


    It seemed that Shunen was hesitating whether to tell Owen or not. Owen waited for Shunen¡¯s reply in the most subservient manner.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s information that is only shared amongst the Frogmen. I need to hear it.¡¯</i>


    Owen realized that Oboi wasn¡¯t here to stop Shunen from telling him. Oboi was at the front of the group, talking about how great it would be if the Lizardmen brought water buffaloes again today.


    ¡°Sure, it would be okay for you to know. My father, Auloi the tribal chief, wishes to hurry and carry out the living sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Owen was surprised. There was still quite some time until the sacrifice should be held. This was because they had hurriedly done so not long ago. The ritual was held to get revtions from the Two-Headed Fiend about Lakrak¡¯s n, but nothing much came out of itpared to the value of the sacrifices.


    ¡°The disease is getting worse for the elders, my father included.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by disease? Are you talking about the itching illness?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are they not just itchy?¡±


    Shunen spoke unusually slowly and seriously.


    .


    ¡°A priest died of this itching illness yesterday. We didn¡¯t tell you Lizardmen, but once you get the itching illness, a sticky whiteyer of mucus begins to cover your skin, and that area bes itchy. No matter how hard you try to wipe it away, the mucus doesn¡¯t disappear, but continuously expands. It bes hard to breathe once you are covered with the mucus for a certain period of time. And eventually, you die.¡±


    Owen listened with no facial expressions. He couldn¡¯t appear d or surprised.


    <i>¡®Shunen is testing me. This is the first time I¡¯m hearing that this itching illness is a deadly disease. So that¡¯s why some of the Frogmen haven¡¯t been showing themselvestely. Everything makes sense now. Some of them are probably already dead.¡¯</i>


    Owen put on a sad expression.


    ¡°Oh my, if I had known it was that kind of disease, I would have annoyed the collectors for more.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what would they know?¡±


    ¡°I should also be careful so word of this doesn¡¯t spread. Some healthy and energetic Lizardmen may make fun of the Frogmen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obvious. However, we won¡¯t be able to hide the fact forever¡­¡±


    Owen quickly tried to think of something.


    ¡°Even if word spreads, there is a way to keep the Lizardmen in check¡ªwe tell them that it could also spread to Lizardmen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but it wouldn¡¯t really spread to them.¡±


    ¡°There are grasses that create white foam if you mash them and also grasses that make you itch. We¡¯ll act ordingly to deceive them.¡±


    ¡°Ha, Owen, you really are a great¡­¡±


    Shunen was about topliment Owen, but he couldn¡¯t think of an appropriate word to use and ended up mumbling. Then he thought of a good word to refer to Owen as.


    ¡°You¡¯re like a trickster.¡±


    ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    Shunen nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, my father¡¯s itching illness is bing worse. He is a strong man, so he is holding against the disease longer than anyone else, but he is slowly losing energy. He wishes to be treated by offering a sacrifice to the Two-Headed Fiend.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­?¡±


    ¡°Different fromst time, we need arge-scale living sacrifice. We will need quite a lot this time.¡±


    Owen asked, ¡°...exactly how much?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure. He might sacrifice as much as possible until it works. He was a bit sad that there were quite a bit of children in the huts in the middle of the ind, and that they weren¡¯t being used as sacrifices.¡±


    It seemed that Shunen didn¡¯t think too much about the lives of the Lizardmen that were going to be abandoned anyway. However, Owen got shivers down his spine.


    <i>¡®Until it works? That damn Two-Headed Fiend is ipetent at doing anything. It¡¯s just a giant, man eating,motion making and threatening monster. Just like we are ves to you, you are ves to that monster. If it could cure the disease, it wouldn¡¯t have let you get it in the first ce!¡¯</i>


    However, Owen did not express these thoughts.


    ¡°We will need¡­a lot of sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to get as much information out of them and invite them to the vige.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ***


    The Lizardmen warriors and Frogmen warriors were getting familiar with each other''s faces, so the fifth meeting wasn¡¯t going too bad. Those who brought new goods to barter began to talk to each other and bargain. However, Owen the trickster knew there was not much information to get out of those Lizardmen.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know how Lakrak the chief is keeping them quiet, but they don¡¯t say anything other than talking about trading goods.¡¯</i>


    Owen looked at Lakrak.


    <i>¡®But this guy is different.¡¯</i>


    The exchange with Lakrak was much better than Owen had expected. Owen wondered how Lakrak had been holding it in until now, but the tribal chief now pleaded for at least one bow in exchange for the abundant medicinal herbs they had collected.


    <i>¡®Three bows won¡¯t even be needed.¡¯</i>


    Basically, Lakrak suggested that they move this conversation somewhere far from the bartering site so that he wouldn¡¯t embarrass himself in front of Shunen. Shunen approved while Oboi opposed the suggestion, but Oboi eventually caved given the attitude Lakrak had disyed.


    Just as Lakrak and Owen finally got to be alone, Lakrak asked, ¡°Are these medicinal herbs not enough?¡±


    ¡°Hm, I¡­I don¡¯t think it is enough. If we give you this bow, you will soon be able to make a simr one.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know the materials.¡±


    ¡°You also have craftsmen, so they¡¯ll be able to make something simr.¡±


    ¡°...Hm, alright.¡±


    Lakrak, who had been staring at the bow with shining eyes, suddenly looked at Owen.


    ¡°What else is it that you want?¡±


    Owen didn¡¯t recognize the change in Larkak¡¯s attitude right away. All Owen thought was that the time hade to say what he had prepared.


    ¡°Trust, Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°Trust?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Owen began to lie.


    ¡°Before us grayish-brown scaled Lizardmenbined tribes with the Frogmen, we held a Brotherly Ritual. Before that ritual was performed, we hung out and shared good things with each other, and also spent time getting to know each other. But what is it like between your tribe and ours right now? We are sharing good things, but don¡¯t know anything about each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°This is because you guys haven¡¯t put any trust in us yet. And that¡¯s also why you¡¯re willing to give that much medicinal herbs just for a single bow.¡±


    Lakrak shifted his weight to one foot and crossed his arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What should I do to give you our trust?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about yourselves. Where did you guyse from, how many of you there are, and with what goals did youe here?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, if we give you our trust, you guys will also give us your trust?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lakrak seemed to ponder for a moment. He then noticed something behind Owen¡¯s back and quietlyughed. Owen turned around to see what was going on and saw a blue butterfly pping its wings behind him.


    <i>¡®It isn¡¯t too warm yet, so why is there a butterfly? Have there even been this kind of butterflies around here in the first ce? That¡¯s strange.¡¯</i>


    However, after seeing the blue butterfly, Lakrak became more cooperative towards Owen. Lakrak replied to Owen¡¯s questions. The group had about 350 Lizardmen, which was way less than Owen had expected, they were living in the current area, and most of all, Lakrak told Owen they had twenty living water buffaloes.


    <i>¡®Shunen will want them so bad once he knows of this.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak also said that they had 30 warriors, which was quite a lot rtive to the poption of the n. There might have been some exaggeration, or there was likely a problem with the skills of the warriors.


    <i>¡®He might have included older or younger Lizardmen. But they can¡¯t rival the 80 warriors the Frogmen have no matter how much they include a few more warriors. They don¡¯t even know how to shoot arrows.¡¯</i>


    Owen thought this was good and spilled false information about the Frogmen. Owen told Lakrak a lower number than the number of Frogmen there actually were so that Lakrak wouldn¡¯t be afraid, and he also told Lakrak that it was in fact difficult to make bows so they didn¡¯t have too many, making it a bit hard for them to barter with bows. Finally, he told Lakrak that there weren¡¯t many warriors who knew how to shoot arrows.


    ¡°Frogmen are a mild-mannered species. They can¡¯t be as tough as you and I.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Owen nodded at Lakrak¡¯s question.


    ¡°To be honest, Shunen wanted to invite you to the vige once we gave each other trust. He always wanted to invite you and treat you as guests, but was sad that you didn¡¯t open up to him.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Would you like toe?¡±


    ¡°Is it okay to be apanied by my warriors?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You can bring them all.¡±


    In fact, it was better for all the warriors toe in the Frogmen¡¯s perspective. Lakrak¡¯s vige and the Frogmen¡¯s vige were quite far away from each other. The Frogmen would miss out on quite a few Lizardmen if some warriors were left behind.


    <i>¡®It would be best to bring all the ck-scaled Lizardmen at once.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll talk more about this with Shunenter on¡­ I would like to give you something more to express my gratitude for the invitation, is that okay?¡± asked Lakrak.


    ¡°Give more?¡±


    ¡°<i>Trust</i>, I mean.¡±


    After Lakrak said so, he sat on a small rock and picked up a dry wooden stick. And then he began to write something on the ground.


    ¡°Come and look at this.¡±


    Owen was dubious, but went closer.

 Chapter 16: Lies Lies Lies

    <h4>Chapter 16: Lies Lies Lies</h4>


    As Owen came closer, Lakrak wrote down characters that he himself, Zaol, and a lot of the other Lizardmen in his n had created and shared with each other. Then he exined the meanings to Owen. These primitive characters were very simple, and there weren¡¯t that many. Owen was smart enough to quickly memorize all of them.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re not just simple scribbles¡­or hunting marks. You canbine them to express a different meaning. Just like talking.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak then said to Owen, who was quietly listening to the exnations, ¡°Isn¡¯t this fun? My n and I made it together.¡±


    ¡°...It is fun. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s useful though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely useful. We call these things ¡®writings¡¯, and you have to know their meanings to understand what is being written.¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying such an obvious¡­¡±


    Owen trailed off, realizing what Lakrak¡¯s words meant.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s saying that I, who just learned them, and Lakrak himself know what the characters mean, but the other Frogmen wouldn¡¯t know. Did this ck scaled Lizardman want to have a private meeting so that he could tell me this? ¡­Why?¡¯</i>


    It seemed as if Lakrak had read his mind.


    ¡°Because of trust, Owen.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°The things we talked about earlier, the conversation we had about building trust¡ªit wasn¡¯t between you and me, but between me, Lakrak, representing the Lizardmen tribe, and Auloi, representing the Frogmen tribe. However, the real trust I want to have is between you and me.¡±


    ¡°...Haha. Is there really a need for that? I¡¯m just someone in between the Frogmen and you, the ck scaled Lizardmen who¡­¡±


    Lakrak shook his head.


    ¡°We have exchanged trust today, but I do not trust the Frogmen. I don¡¯t believe anything you said about them. I actually believe that there is a lot more you are hiding and not telling me.¡±


    ¡°T¡­then, is everything that we talked about today a lie?¡±


    ¡°No. I can swear on everything I have that my name and everything about my n is all true.¡±


    Lakrak said these words with his eyes wide open, and Owen could see from those eyes that this warrior and tribal chief had a strong sense of pride, and that he¡¯d only told the truth. Owen wouldn¡¯t have been able to say that about himself though.


    Lakrak rxed his facial expression and said, ¡°The important thing is the trust between you and me.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°You have the face of someone who is suffering.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Owen unconsciously touched his face. As Lizardmen had long snouts, they weren¡¯t a species known for their wide range of facial expressions.


    ¡°I know much about suffering. Me and my n know very well what it''s like being pushed aside and kicked out. I saw that in you,¡± said Lakrak.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Owen eximed without realizing it and quickly shook his head.


    ¡°No. I am not suffering.¡±


    ¡°Only those who actually suffer say that.¡±


    There was silence between the two.


    Lakrak lightly spun the wooden stick in his hand and said, ¡°Well then, there are a few more. This means ¡®no¡¯ or ¡®refusal¡¯.¡±


    Lakrak wrote on the ground.


    X


    ¡°And this means ¡®lie¡¯ or ¡®fake¡¯.¡±


    As Lakrak moved his hand, another character was written below the X.


    ¡Ì


    Owen blinked.


    ¡°If you put these two closely together¡­¡± Owen muttered. ¡°It says, ¡®It¡¯s not a lie.¡¯ Thus it is true.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wait a second. I¡¯ve never thought about it like that. You¡¯re smart, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°...Also, what you wrote before¡­¡±


    Owen gave Lakrak a few ideas, and Lakrak thought it was a valuable discovery. Owen found this moment strangely joyful and fun, but he realized his voice was shaking. He hadn¡¯t had a moment like this since getting enved by the Frogmen, where he was so immersed in using his intellectual capabilities. It was the feeling wise individuals would get when they discovered a valuable innovation for their civilization. As Owen was telling his ideas to Lakrak, he vaguely thought to himself, <i>¡®I wish time would just stop right now.¡¯</i>


    But that didn¡¯t happen. Lakrak slightly raised his head at the sound of movement.


    ¡°The time we spent was helpful. Oboi has been hanging around over there though. Shall we head back?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Owen watched Lakrak¡¯s back get farther away after getting to his feet. Hesitating, he barely managed to say to Lakrak, ¡°Is there nothing else you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I believe that trust has been shared between us two. And I¡¯ve already seen the signals.¡±


    ¡°Signals?¡±


    Lakrak didn¡¯t say anything further and simply smiled with his teeth showing. Owen could sense that there was something behind Lakrak¡¯s appearance of confidence, but he couldn¡¯t tell exactly what that was.


    ***


    ¡°Good work, Owen.¡±


    ¡°T-That was nothing.¡±


    ¡°This is a significant aplishment, especially just for a single bow.¡±


    Owen bowed to Shunen.


    Lakrak had told Owen almost everything about his n and their vige. That alone was already a great aplishment, but Lakrak even talked about trust and invited Shunen and a few of the Frogmen warriors to his vige. At first, Oboi thought it might be a trap, but that wasn¡¯t the case. The Frogmen warriors weren¡¯t able to go too far into the vige, but they managed to confirm that everything Lakrak had said was true.


    ¡°I never thought he woulde to trust us this much. A lot of it is thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what it is you want.¡±


    Owen gulped.


    ¡°I¡¯m...not sure if you remember the agreement we madest time¡­¡±


    ¡°Agreement? What was it?¡±


    Owen wanted to strike the Frogman in front of him for his bad memory, but held himself back.


    ¡°If I seeded in doing something big, you said you would allow my child toe out of the ind and live with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that. Hm, okay. I¡¯ll allow it.¡±


    Shunen nodded.


    ¡°Oboi will oppose this, but I can probably convince my father. I always thought it was necessary to show you Lizardmen that if you obey us well¡ªno, not only obey, but if you serve us well, there will be times where good things can happen.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    Owen¡¯s heart was full as he felt that his long cherished dream had finallye true. And somewhere in his mind he also thought of Lakrak. He thought of Lakrak, the writings that Lakrak had shown him, and the conversations they had about the different characters.


    <i>¡®...Even though he¡¯s a tribal chief and he¡¯s confident, he won¡¯t be able to win against this many Frogmen and the Two-Headed Fiend.¡¯</i>


    In Owen¡¯s head, he thought that it would be hard for the 30 Lizardmen warriors to even make a small scratch on the Two-Headed Fiend¡¯s scales.


    <i>¡®They mentioned they¡¯ve caught a huge monster before, but that kind of news is nothing to those who see a real monster all the time in their everyday life.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak had brought a big and hard piece of the Ancient Beetle¡¯s shell to the barter, but the Frogmen saw little value in it. Disappointed, Lakrak didn¡¯t go ahead with the exchange.


    <i>¡®It might have been an object that a vagrant traded saying it was valuable. Frogmen also have lots of those kinds of things. Fangs the size of a forearm or leather that doesn¡¯t rot. They are fascinating objects, but they don¡¯t really have any value¡­¡¯</i>


    In other words, while Lakrak did seem more thoughtful than Owen first assumed, he still believed Lakrak was a naive chief.


    <i>¡®You should have been more suspicious and taken caution. You shouldn¡¯t trust someone like me.¡¯</i>


    Owen thought he had made up his mind.


    <i>¡®Shouldn¡¯t have believed someone like me.¡¯</i>


    However, Owen looked at the ind in the middle of theke at night and picked up a wooden stick.


    <i>¡®...Why does he want to trust me? I¡¯m nothing but a trickster.¡¯</i>


    He then began writing on the ground.


    ***


    Shunen was in a good mood the day Lakrak and his warriors came to the Frogmen¡¯s vige.


    ¡°Wee, friend.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for inviting us. I hope to deepen the friendship between our tribes through today¡¯s gathering.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Shunen took warriors with him to the front of the Frogmen tribe¡¯s vige to greet Lakrak and his warriors. Oboi, who refused to lower his suspicions to the end, kept saying that Shunen had to bring 30 warriors with him to greet the Lizardmen, which left Shunen a bit dissatisfied. Fortunately, it seemed to Shunen that Lakrak did not suspect a thing.


    ¡°Oh, I hope you¡¯re not upset that we came armed. You made us scared after telling us about the Cockatrice, so a few of our warriors insisted that we should be armed. It would have been a problem should we run into something like it on the way here without our weapons, right?¡± said Lakrak.


    ¡°Oh, I understand.¡±


    Shunenughed on the inside.


    <i>¡®Stupid Lizardman. I already told you that a spear like yours wouldn¡¯t be enough to do anything to a Cockatrice.¡¯</i>


    It was also pointless for the Lizardmen to be armed with three of four spears because the Frogmen used bows. The Lizardmen would only be able to throw the spears three or four times, but the Frogmen each carried around ten arrows each.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll get you all drunk in the middle of the banquet hall, and then we¡¯ll shoot poison arrows into your backs.¡¯</i>


    The Frogmen hadn¡¯t shown the Lizardmen that, but they also carried secret weapons around their waists other than their quivers of arrows. These secret weapons were living poisonous frogs. Neurotoxins were secreted from the backs of these poisonous frogs, and applying some of the poison to an arrow would grant it a strong paralyzing effect.


    Shunen felt happy at the thought of the big ck Lizardman in front of him helplessly copsing.


    <i>¡®Father will finally be satisfied.¡¯</i>


    There was a truth that Shunen hadn¡¯t told Owen about. The Frogmen tribe wasrgely divided into three areas around theke. One was where the lower ranked Frogmen that weren¡¯t warriors or elders lived alongside the grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen to keep them encircled and under surveince. Another area was the ind where the Lizardmen children to be sacrificed were, along with the Frogmen that watched over them. And thest area was on the opposite side of theke, where Auloi, the elders, and the warrior Frogmen and their families lived.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s good that the disease hasn¡¯t spread a lot among the lower ranked Frogmen. Father isn¡¯t the only issue now.¡¯</i>


    This illness they called the itching disease was known to cause white fluid to secrete out from the body, and it had spread throughout the vige where higher ranked Frogmen lived. There were already some deaths. The disease had imed ten warriors, and another ten were suffering from it. This disease was oddly more fatal for the young and healthier individuals.


    For the most part, if the Frogmen hadn¡¯t lived divided into two viges, the remaining Lizardmen not on the ind would have noticed. Shunen didn¡¯t take his eyes off of Lakrak and his warriors for a second to make sure there were no disruptions to their n.


    Lakrak then asked when he was invited over to the banquet hall in the middle of the vige, ¡°Right, now that I think of it, where¡¯s Owen?¡±


    ¡°I left Owen to prepare the banquet¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­there he is. Owen! Owen! Huh, it seems he can¡¯t hear me because he¡¯s too far away. What is he doing?¡±


    ¡°It seems he¡¯s drawing something on the ground.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I got it. It looks like he¡¯s deciding where everyone should sit. Smell the food and the smokeing from over there. Go have a seat, and say hi to Owen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go check if the food is being prepared well for a moment.¡±


    At those words, Shunen left, and Lakrak led his warriors to the banquet. Owen and ten Frogmen warriors were waiting.


    ¡°Owen.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived, Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve marked the ces you may sit at. Once you and your warriors take a seat, the banquet to celebrate peace and friendship between our two tribes will begin.¡±


    Lakrak nodded and looked at the character Owen had drawn on each seat.


    ¡Ì


    ¡Ì


    ¡Ì


    ¡­


    Lakrak said while looking behind, ¡°Yur.¡±


    ¡°Yes, chief.¡±


    ¡°Start.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Yur pulled out the spear strapped to his waist. His actions were so natural and slick that the Frogmen surrounding the Lizardmen at the banquet didn¡¯t even notice what was going on.


    Then Yur said, ¡°Bone Warriors, kill all the Frogmen.¡±


    The sharp spear in Yur¡¯s hand flew across the air like a lightning bolt and pierced a Frogmen warrior¡¯s head.

 Chapter 17: Burn It

    <h4>Chapter 17: Burn It</h4>


    With the Blessing of Insects they received, Lakrak¡¯s thirty warriors killed ten Frogmen warriors in the span of a breath. The Lizardmen and Frogmen preparing for the banquet began to scream and run away at the sight of the sudden bloodbath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run into the chaos. Calmly find the warriors that are armed and kill them first,¡± said Yur.


    One of the warriors then asked, ¡°What do we do if the grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen attack?¡±


    ¡°Try to subdue them, but if it isn¡¯t possible, kill them. We have no other choice.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Lakrak already had in mind the possibility of the Lizardmen being enved by the Frogmen. Therefore, he had also told Yur and the warriors to pay sufficient attention. Lakrak clicked his tongue at the sight of the Frogmen warriors shouting and running towards them from far away.


    <i>¡®Is this the worst case scenario I thought of?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak had already been prepared to fight the Frogmen after their first encounter. He had noticed a certain look on Owen¡¯s face.


    <i>¡®The face of suffering.¡¯</i>


    And Lakrak wasn¡¯t the only one who had noticed. Some had read a face of submission, and others read a face of defeat. These weren¡¯t things that could be concealed through acting just because one wished to hide it.


    <i>¡®It might be because we are all Lizardmen.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak was certain the Frogmen were hiding something from them, so there was no mistake in considering the Frogmen as their enemy. The only problem was when and how they would turn on them. The Frogmen were as vignt as Lakrak was. It seemed peaceful at the ce of barter, but there was a fierce war of nerves between the scouting parties of each tribe. Lakrak tried to figure out the right way to fight the Frogmen with the help of Zaol, Yur, the star catcher, and other trustworthy individuals, asking them to keep an eye on the Frogmen. They thus used the five barter sessions as an opportunity and, in the end, came to an easy solution.


    ¡°Chief, why don¡¯t we get out of here as they wish?¡±


    ¡°What if we get into danger by doing so?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have God? I know you said that we shouldn¡¯t rely too much on God, chief, but if we go the wrong way, God will stop us. And if we go the right way¡­¡±


    ¡°...God will help us.¡±


    Yur agreed with those words.


    ¡°Our warriors are also strong. Each of our warriors will be able to deal with at least three of them at a time.¡±


    ¡°Even if they have bows and arrows?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yur, arrows can¡¯t be blocked with confidence alone.¡±


    Yur shook his head.


    ¡°Even if arrows are shot, they won¡¯t be able to pierce the water buffalo skull we have on our heads.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t get shot in the head if we keep our eyes open and watch out, but how will we protect our bodies, which is more important?¡±


    ¡°What about that?¡±


    Yur had pointed to the Coleoptera¡¯s outer shell that Lakrak had brought.


    ¡°It is best to have spears in both hands, but now that we have been blessed by God, we should be able to tear apart the Frogmen¡¯s smooth skin with one hand. We can hold that with our other hand and protect our bodies.¡±


    The idea was to use the Coleoptera¡¯s outer shell as a shield. They had taken and brought a rtively smaller part of it, and so it wasn¡¯t big enough to cover them entirely. If held as a shield, though, it would cover their upper bodies.


    Lakrak wasn¡¯t sure if it would be okay to be used as a shield at first, but once Yur struck it with a spear, and Lakrak saw how it blocked it, he approved of the idea.


    ¡°It would be good if we could hold it better. Perhaps attaching a wooden handle to grab onto or tying it to our wrists.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°...but I don¡¯t think our warriors making a surprise attack would be enough. I don¡¯t know how God will help, but even if we win in the end, I can¡¯t help but worry about the loss of our warriors.¡±


    Next to Lakrak, Zaol nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This needs to be a triumphant victory, not a precarious one.¡±


    Lakrak looked at Zaol with hopeful eyes.


    ¡°Should we divide our warriors? However, if the information our scouting party gathered is true, they would have two times the warriorspared to us. We¡¯d be that much weaker if we are to divide our group. We don¡¯t have any other warriors either.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not a warrior¡­we do have something that can fight.¡±


    ***


    The screams of the Frogmen resounded throughout the night. The Ancient Coleoptera shield wasn¡¯t the only countermeasure the Lizardmen had against the arrows. Lakrak looked at Owen.


    <i>¡®He must have mixed feelings. It¡¯s best to make a move in this case.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak didn¡¯t leave Owen to just stupidly stand around.


    ¡°Owen! I have a favor to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what?¡±


    ¡°Get a torch from one of the bonfires surrounding the banquet and use it to burn down all the houses¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The banquet was held in the center of the vige and was mainly surrounded by the Lizardmen¡¯s houses so that they could be surveilled. In addition to this, all the dry houses that would burn well belonged to the Lizardmen. The Frogmen overall preferred mud houses.


    ¡°There¡¯s no other choice. If they shoot arrows at us from far away, it¡¯ll be good to obstruct their view. The dry houses will create smoke once caught on fire. And that will act as another signal¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Hurry! Persuade the Lizardmen if necessary. Tell them that the ck Lizardmen will save them from the Frogmen!¡±


    An arrow came flying. Lakrak didn¡¯t even use his hands, but instead hit it away with his tail.


    ¡°They are no match for us. My warriors are busy dealing with Frogmen. So hurry.¡±


    ¡°A-Alright.¡±


    Owen picked up arge firewood that was burning in the pit and ran. Once he checked that the first house was empty, he set it on fire. Right then, a group came pouring into the alley. Startled, Owen first thought they were Frogmen warriors, but then he realized they were the same Lizardmen as he was. They were all familiar faces he knew.


    ¡°What are you doing? Owen?¡±


    ¡°What about you guys?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Oboi said to kill the ck Lizardmen, so we¡¯re on our way to the banquet.¡±


    The lean, skinny, and pitiful Lizardmen were holding wooden clubs that couldn¡¯t even be used as weapons.


    Then Owen said, ¡°I¡¯m going to burn the houses down.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°Is that Mr. Shunen¡¯s orders?¡±


    ¡°No. That ck scaled Lizardman over there asked me to do so.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°They will destroy the Frogmen,¡± said Owen.


    ¡°...What? That won¡¯t be possible. No one can kill the Two-Headed Fiend.¡±


    Owen¡¯s heart began to pound.


    <i>¡®Will Lakrak be able to defeat it?¡¯</i>


    However, Owen had already made up his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that, but I have steeled my heart to help them.¡±


    ¡°What if they lose? What are you gonna do then? Shunen won¡¯t stay still and do nothing if he finds out you helped them.¡±


    Owenughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡±


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re burning down our houses. Do you think they¡¯ll say anything if we¡¯re burning our possessions and not theirs?¡±


    ¡°Why the homes¡­¡±


    ¡°Because this is the only way to stop the Frogmen from properly shooting their arrows.¡±


    The grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen went silent. Owen was the smartest among their kind. The other Lizardmen realized that if this trickster was risking everything, it would be worth it for them to do the same.


    The tips of the Lizardmen¡¯s wooden clubs caught on fire. And in no time, the Frogmen vige was in mes.


    ***


    Frogman warrior Oboi, who was Auloi¡¯s henchman and Shunen¡¯s friend, was very confused. The vige was on fire, and he heard nothing from the warriors at the banquet.


    <i>¡®Ten at the banquet, five sent to see if there¡¯s something going on. It¡¯s probably fair to say they¡¯re dead. Shunen has another fifteen warriors, and I have ten.¡¯</i>


    Oboi sent an errand boy to go tell the fifteen warriors at the high rank vige and the four or five warriors guarding the ind to hurry and get to the lower rank vige. Oboi was currently on the outskirts of the vige next to theke.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no mistake, they suddenlyunched an attack. There are 30 of them altogether. Even if we have more numbers, the fight won¡¯t be in our favor unless we attack them all at once. Then they¡¯ll all be defeated one after another.¡¯</i>


    However, Oboi wasn¡¯t convinced that the situation was that bad. He didn¡¯t think the ten warriors at the banquet would easily be defeated, and he had sent the other grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen to besiege their enemies.


    <i>¡®They should now be caught. The grayish-brown Lizardmen just need to buy some time. If Shunen, me, all the other high ranked warriors who haven¡¯t caught the disease, and the few who are guarding the inde together¡­there will be at least 45 of us. It will be difficult to shoot arrows because of the smoke from the burning vige, but each of us only needs to hit one each.¡¯</i>


    Instead of getting nervous, Oboi encouraged the warriors.


    ¡°Have you all packed the poisonous frogs?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know when a battle will break out. Each of you, have an arrow prepared. We will move as soon as Mr. Shunenes.¡±


    Oboi prepared the ten warriors he had as of now for battle. His intuition as a warrior seemed to be warning him of aing danger.


    <i>¡®My heart is pounding¡­just like the day we eventually killed the Cockatrice.¡±</i>


    Oboi realized his intuition was no mere feeling.


    ¡°Something ising from beyond the bushes!¡±


    ¡°Beyond the bushes?¡±


    Oboi was puzzled as that was the opposite of where the vige was. However, there was a chance the ck Lizardmen had lied about the number of warriors they had.


    ¡°Get ready to attack!¡±


    Oboi confirmed the bushes were moving and shouted as soon as something was revealed, ¡°Shoot!¡±


    The arrows coated with frog poison flew into the bushes at once. But the big thing that appeared from beyond the bushes didn¡¯t stop moving. And it continued to reveal itself until the Frogmen freaked out. This thing was long and gigantic.


    ¡°Mrs. Zaol, Manun has been hit by an arrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh no. Did it hit its eye by any chance?¡±


    ¡°No. Manun¡¯s eyes are small. I think one of them got stuck in between its teeth. Oh, Manun ate it. No, nevermind, it just spat it out.¡±


    The drake Manun, who had recently grown even more and was now around 6 meters long, chewed on the arrow and spat it out. Following the development of its species, the young drake still had a habit of chewing everything that came into its mouth because its teeth hadn¡¯t finished growing yet. And perhaps because the arrow didn¡¯t taste good, it let out a powerful roar.


    <i>Rawr!</i>


    Zaol and the errand boy were on Manun¡¯s back. The Frogmen froze at therge beast¡¯s cry. It seemed that they hadn¡¯t even noticed the Lizardmen riding on its back. Zaol lightly hit Manun¡¯s back.


    ¡°Manun!¡±


    <i>Rawr?</i>


    ¡°You grumble too much. Isn¡¯t there a dinner over there? I won¡¯t tell you to stop eating today, so go ahead and eat.¡±


    <i>Raaawr!</i>


    Manun jumped at Oboi, who was right in front of it. But Oboi was an experienced warrior. He rolled backwards and took out an arrow while Manun stumbled, and the drake snatched the warrior next to Oboi instead. The warrior¡¯s neck ended up stuck between Manun¡¯s teeth, and Manun chewed the warrior¡¯s head off.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a monster that isn¡¯t evenparable to a Cockatrice!¡¯</i>


    Oboi quickly put poison on an arrow and drew his bow.


    <i>¡®Should I aim for the eyes? No, shoot poison into its mouth¡­ No, this isn¡¯t the way.¡¯</i>


    Oboi ripped off the legs of the poisonous frog that was tied to his waist. The poisonous frog threw a fit.


    ¡°Everyone untie your poisonous frogs! Throw them into that monster¡¯s mouth!¡±


    However, Oboi should have realized after the first arrows were shot that the drake didn''t get poisoned. Manun snapped its jaw like the times Lakrak threw food at it, and it caught the poisonous frogs in its mouth before swallowing them.


    From atop Manun¡¯s back, Zaol asked the errand boy, ¡°What are they doing?¡±


    ¡°They had frogs tied around their waists, and they ripped them off and threw them.¡±


    ¡°Well, I saw that as well. Why are they throwing their snacks?¡±


    Zaol knew well about poisonous frogs. After Lakrak¡¯s n received God¡¯s Blessing, poisonous frogs had be nothing but a savory meal to them. And when it came to resistance to poison and disease, the drake was much stronger than even the blessed Lizardmen.


    The errand boy thought about it and replied, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s an act of goodwill?¡±


    ¡°Is it? Isn¡¯t it a bitte for that? Manun, tell them it¡¯s toote.¡±


    Zaol poked at Manun¡¯s side.


    <i>Rawr!</i>


    Manun then jumped at Oboi again. This time, it didn¡¯t miss.

 Chapter 18: God鈥檚 Appearance

    <h4>Chapter 18: God¡¯s Appearance</h4>


    From far away, Shunen saw the Frogmen warriors at the banquet getting defeated in an instant without even having the chance to fight back.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe they made the first move!¡¯</i>


    Even though this was a surprise attack, the Lizardmen¡¯s spears were way too violent. There was no denying that Shunen would¡¯ve been pierced in an instant if he were there. That left him with two choices, and he chose the second one.


    <i>¡®In this case, run away rather than fight back.¡¯</i>


    The thirty Lizardmen warriors didn¡¯t decrease in number at all, while Shunen only had fifteen warriors with him. Truthfully, it wasn''t much of a surprise attack as they could get properly equipped and fight from afar with their bows, but¡­


    <i>¡®Why would I have to take such a risk? I¡¯ll be the next tribal chief if my father dies, won¡¯t I?¡¯</i>


    Shunen couldn¡¯t find a reason to risk his life fighting back. If he fought now, he would have to fight at the very front due to his reputation as a warrior, and that meant he had a higher probability of dying. Shunen was a coward, but until now he had led a life that allowed him to conceal his cowardice.


    One of the warriors eximed, ¡°Mr. Shunen! They just killed our warriors!¡±


    ¡°Shut up. We¡¯re at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, aren¡¯t we? They¡¯ll be preparing for a counterattack, so they won¡¯t be able to move recklessly. We¡¯re going to find reinforcements in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about warrior Oboi? A-Alright.¡±


    Shunen didn¡¯t give a positive or a negative answer. While he did think of Oboi, there was something he was more certain about.


    <i>¡®Damn Owen. You¡¯re a Lizardman, and you think you had the right to deceive me?¡¯</i>


    Shunen wasn¡¯t sure how, but Owen was definitely involved in Lakraking to their vige and suddenly attacking them.


    <i>¡®You¡¯ll regret this, Owen. And all the other Lizardmen too. Because of the choice you made.¡¯</i>


    Shunen led the fifteen warriors away from the lower rank vige. They headed to the ind in the middle of theke.


    ***


    Sung-Woon watched the battle taking ce in the vige and was satisfied.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll lose.¡¯</i>


    In reality, Lakrak¡¯s n was strong enough to defeat the Frogmen without much damage even if they fought equally head to head. On average, the warriors of Lakrak¡¯s n were two levels higher than the Frogmen, and there was also a big difference in their Abilities and Blessings.


    <i>¡®Thanks to the Blessings, the poisonous arrows had no effect.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak¡¯s n were already eating poisonous frogs as part of their meals.


    <i>¡®And they have Manun.¡¯</i>


    With Zaol and the errand boy riding on its back, Manunpletely eliminated Oboi and his warriors. Then he ran to the vige and excitedly chased the Frogmen away. The Frogmen put up a poor resistance and ended up stomped to death by Manun.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t know Zaol would be the first to acquire Husbandry. Did she already have some talent for it?¡¯</i>


    Eventually, the only advantage the Frogmen had were the new weapons called bows and arrows, but Lakrak handled it well by gathering wisdom from members of the n. The crude shield seemed in need of improvement, and there was no telling how long it wouldst as there was no technology to permanently preserve organic matter yet, but it was useful for now.


    <i>¡®So it seems there¡¯s no casualty so far.¡¯</i>


    The thirty warriors, as well as Manun and the two riding on Manun¡¯s back, were rampaging all over the Frogmen vige. In addition to that, Owen had faithfully carried out Lakrak¡¯s orders, and the Lizardmen persuaded by Owen stopped resisting Lakrak and his warriors and instead set fires to the houses like Owen had told them to. There were even some who got inspired by Lakrak¡¯s warriors and started attacking the Frogmen.


    <i>¡®This is an obvious development.¡¯</i>


    The emotions they had been suppressing deep down had exploded once they saw with their own eyes the copse of the system that brought them to their knees. Lakrak didn¡¯t stop those who were doing so.


    Even though they weren¡¯t warriors, there were a lot of nobatants among the Frogmen as well. Excluding the older and younger Frogmen, if the leader of the group coaxed and gathered the remaining Frogmen to fight back, there was a chance Lakrak could fall into danger even now. However, Lakrak was skeptical about that part.


    ¡°Where even is this great Auloi that we¡¯ve only heard of? Also, why isn¡¯t Shunen returning?¡±


    Sung-Woon grinned sheepishly at Lakrak as he murmured to himself.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s because of me.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The Lost World was aplicated game.


    As nature¡¯splex ecosystem evolved, and civilization developed, the rtionship between cities as well as the rtionship between countries would begin to reflect the variousplex mechanisms of a capitalistic society, in addition to developing magic and Divinity.


    <i>¡®Therefore, tactics and strategies used to beat opponents were almost endless.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was good at following the meta which was bing the trend, but he also had what it took to create strategies to destroy meta. This was because following the trend wasn¡¯t enough to maintain a high winning score. And among one of the countless strategies Sung-Woon created, there was one that used a disease.


    <i>¡®This might be one of the most powerful weapons throughout this game.¡¯</i>


    A disease worked effectively at any era. It was powerful with lower level civilizations since treatment would be difficult, and even if the level of civilization was high, the rate of contagion would be too fast. Nevertheless, it was a weapon that would burden the yer using it.


    <i>¡®Diseases areplicated, and they don¡¯t pick and choose who gets infected.¡¯</i>


    If one wasn¡¯t sure if they could properly control the disease, it would rather be a dumb move to use it. Of course, Sung-Woon was confident.


    <i>¡®The disease was easily transmitted among the same species, and then variants would be created among simr species. But of course, it could also be contagious to apletely different species¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon only had one disease in mind anyways, and if he was able to find it, that would be enough. It was only a matter of time for Sung-Woon to find the disease he wanted using the many swarms of insects he had.


    Sung-Woon knew that the maps of The Lost World were randomly generated, but he was also aware of the overall shape of the continents, the variety of special terrains, the distribution of living things, and more importantly, he knew that the diseases wouldn¡¯t be distributed too far from specific locations.


    Sung-Woon began searching for the disease he had in mind the moment he thought he would need to get rid of the courteous Frogmen tribe one day. In the meantime, Lakrak had knocked down Beauer of the Blue Skin tribe and followed the star catcher towards the southeast. And Sung-Woon found the disease in time.


    [Disease ACO-023731 has been found!]


    [Disease ACO-023731: Mycelium, applies to amphibian mucosa, highly contagious, slow onset, fatal.]


    All diseases have variants, but this disease had all the attributes Sung-Woon wanted.


    <i>¡®The most important thing is the fact that mycelium diseases only apply to amphibian mucosa.¡¯</i>


    A virus would be a different story. This particr disease wouldn¡¯t have any effect on other species even if it did develop variants. It was only fatal to amphibians because of the fact that amphibians breathed through their skin.


    But the disease was found at a location about a hundred kilometers away from the Frogmen vige. A god would need to reach a certain level of Divinity to have the choice to move a disease elsewhere, and Sung-Woon had not yet met the requirement.


    <i>¡®I would need to raise my levels for a loyal vassal.¡¯</i>


    However, there was no need to do so. Sung-Woon already had countless beings that could run his errands for him. There were beetles that could fly for long periods of time, and right now, they were rubbing themselves against a sick and dying smander like a honey bee coating themselves with honey. The mycelium did get transferred to the beetles¡¯ bodies, but it was hard for the antigens to securely stay on the bodies due to the smooth surfaces. And then the beetles began to fly.


    As one of the beetles¡¯ life cycle came to an end and died, Sung-Woon created a dragonfly which could fly longer, and this dragonfly bit the legs of the dead beetle with mycelium on it and flew with the other beetles. The number of beetles did decrease as some of them became exhausted, some got eaten by birds, and some flew into trees, but a small number of mycelium hosts eventually made it to the Frogmen vige.


    Sung-Woon infected Auloi first. This took ce at about the time Lakrak discovered the Orcs in a ce not too far away.


    [¡®Small Area: Insects¡¯ has reached level 4!]


    [Now you are able to use the skill: Make Insect¡¯s Creature]


    ***


    Once Shunen got to the ind, he realized there were a few Frogmen that got there before him.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­Shunen¡­I heard the news from the errand boy Oboi sent. The lower vige is on fire? Because of the Lizardmen?¡±


    ¡°Yes! You also know of Owen, right? I think he tricked us.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I knew this would happen. I knew it. There is not a single one to trust out of those long tailed Lizardmen.¡±


    Shunen was talking to his father, Auloi. Old Auloi had a solid build, but his whole body was covered in ayer of white mucus, which painted a macabre scene. Auloi, who couldn¡¯t breathe well, was shaking. The elders and warriors that had gotten the itching disease after Auloi were also covered in white mucus.


    Shunen could tell what Auloi¡¯s intentions were.


    <i>¡®Oboi would have called for more warriors for backup. However, father can¡¯t wait any longer. Oboi, you¡¯re gonna have to buy us some more time.¡¯</i>


    It would have been good if Oboi could be here to hear this, but there was no other way. Shunen believed he had the authority to be arbitrary.


    ¡°Are you going to start the ritual right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will start to call God. Shunen, you¡¯re bringing and preparing the offerings. First I¡¯ll ask for all the Lizardmen at the lower vige to be killed using the offerings here. Then¡­then we¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°There''s the Lizardmen vige they came from. I¡¯ll send our warriors to go there tonight and enve and bring back the other Lizardmen there. Before dawn, you and all the other warriors with the disease will be cured.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Thank you, Shunen. You¡¯ve grown to be a reliable warrior just as I expected.¡±


    Shunen smiled.


    ***


    The Frogmens¡¯ lower rank vige was almost done with. No more Frogmen challenged the Lizardmen. The soil of the vige had turned red from all the blood the Frogmen shed, and Lakrak felt a sense of exaltation at the smell of wood burning and the pools of blood.


    ¡°Lakrak! Lakrak!¡±


    Lakrak saw Owen run to him from far away. The ashes covering him had turned him ck.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a great job, Owen. What is it?¡±


    ¡°W-We need to go to the ind in the middle of theke right this instant.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Lakrak knew that the Frogmen at least had two more viges. But he wasn¡¯t in a hurry. They just had to keep up what they were doing now, and they would achieve victory. Moreover, the Lizardmen weren¡¯t hurt, let alone tired after their first win. They could go around theke to destroy the other vige at the crack of dawn.


    ¡°Is there something on the ind in the middle of theke?¡±


    ¡°My¡­my son is there.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s how they threatened the Lizardmen, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Lakrak was already aware there were no grayish-brown Lizardmen children in the lower rank vige.


    ¡°Y-Yes. And now they are going to sacrifice my son as an offering.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    ¡°They have a god!¡± Owen cried out.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°If they offer a sacrifice, their god wille and do them small favors. It won¡¯t be able to help cure the disease they have, but it¡¯ll likely attack you and your warriors.¡±


    Owen hoped his words would convey to Lakrak his feelings, but Lakrak sighed.


    ¡°You should have told me that earlier.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°My warriors chased after the Frogmen just now and were searching the shores. Most of the Frogmen took boats or were too good at swimming, so we couldn¡¯t catch up and follow them. I thought they would just go to the upper vige, so I didn¡¯t order my warriors to secure any boats. We can¡¯t go to the ind.¡±


    ¡°If¡­if we swim¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. They have bows. Each and everyone of us will be defeated once we start heading toward the ind. We also can¡¯t swim as well as them, and it¡¯s harder for us to breathe, so we might get attacked in the water.¡±


    ¡°But...but my son¡­¡±


    Lakrak punched Owen in the jaw. Owen copsed, and his nose started to bleed.


    ¡°Stupid! You should have told me sooner! You should have trusted me sooner! I¡¯m confident that we can beat the god that these crude frogs believe in with our own strength. If their god appears from the ind and attacks us, I¡¯ll show you that my warriors and I can destroy the thing they call god.¡±


    Lakrak was angry, but then he looked down at Owen with pity.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t you think you should have told me sooner, even just a little sooner, to save your son?¡±


    Owen didn¡¯t think Lakrak had said anything wrong.


    <i>¡®...Everything would have changed. If only I knew of Shunen¡¯s intentions just a little sooner. No, if only I trusted Lakrak before the fifth, the fourth, the third time we met¡­ No, that¡¯s not it. Perhaps¡­everything could have been changed before I met Lakrak. It¡¯s just that I acted toote.¡¯</i>


    Zaol and the other warriors came at the sound of Lakrak shouting. Lakrak warned the other warriors to prepare for a fight against a big monster.


    ¡°Something is getting started.¡±


    The ind was visible from the edge of theke. The Frogmen began making a strange shout, held torches up high, and shook their bodies. There were small things that weren¡¯t moving. They were young Lizardmen who had been tied up.


    ¡°There is something under theke! Everyone, get ready to attack at any point.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Soon, something emerged from the water. It was the Two-Headed Fiend.


    ***


    This was a type of Fiend that Sung-Woon was familiar with.


    <i>¡®Was it the Serpent Fiend? I¡¯m pretty sure two heads meant double XP.¡¯</i>


    ording to the setting of the original game, fiends were one of the ancient evils. If the Ancient Coleoptera was like a field raid boss, fiends were AI-controlled monsters that would appear every now and then to rule over tribes, and those tribes were considered more difficult enemiespared to tribes with no god.


    <i>¡®But its Divinity level is lower than the Ancient Coleoptera. And I thought there were no stronger fiends to bnce out the strength of therger tribes thate with them, but since this is the real world, there should be some kind of a reason.¡¯</i>


    Fiends sometimes grew as well, and there were yers who lost the game when the fiends grew quite a bit by midgame.


    <i>¡®But they¡¯re still only AI.¡¯</i>


    In the end, the only issue to be considered when targeting fiends was how much resources one could take from them without suffering losses. And in that regard, Sung-Woon was perfectly ready.


    <i>¡®It was worth doing some work behind the scenes.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon got into a good mood because Lakrak¡¯s n had gained XP, technical skills, and other resources without much loss. The resources gained this time would be enough to create a gap between himself and the other yers.


    <i>¡®Alright. Lakrak has done enough. It¡¯s my turn to take over.¡¯</i>


    There was enough Divinity umted, and it was a chance to use the new skill.


    [Would you like to use the skill: Make Insect¡¯s Creature?]


    [Yes / No]


    Sung-Woon clicked ¡®Yes¡¯.


    ***


    Lakrak thought the fight with this fifteen-meter-long two-headed serpent would be worth a try, and he soon discovered something which made his eyes shine.


    ¡°Hey, trickster,¡± said Lakrak.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Owen, who had his head lowered in frustration, looked up.


    ¡°Do you believe in Miracles?¡±


    The shadow of arge mantis cast over the Two-Headed Fiend.

 Chapter 19: Creating a Creature

    <h4>Chapter 19: Creating a Creature</h4>


    Creating a Creature.


    Outside of a handful of exceptions, once a Small Area reached level 4, it was possible to create a creature that would follow the god''s will. The creature¡¯s strength, intelligence, and skills were all influenced by many factors such as the nature of the Small Area, the amount of Faith points invested, the yer¡¯s Divinity level, and the resources used. And the abilities of the creature would rise depending on the proportions of these factors.


    At this stage of creating a creature for the first time, Sung-Woon currently had all the necessary resources to create a creature with the best abilities possible.


    <i>¡®At this time, there probably aren¡¯t many yers who¡¯ve already created creatures before me.¡¯</i>


    This was because Sung-Woon had obtained the Essence of Abomination by killing one, the Ancient Coleoptera.


    [Essence of Abomination: Ancient Coleoptera (Abomination Lv.9)


    This Essence is used when creating a creature.


    Additional Ability: Blessing of the Forgotten God (Unknown)]


    <i>¡®What kind of ability would it gain? I don¡¯t expect much since it¡¯s my first creature anyways. But I do hope it''s a skill.¡¯</i>


    As the game progressed, the amount of creatures made would increase. Even for a god, there was a limit to how much they could be aware of at once. Therefore, it was necessary for there to be beings that would carry out the god¡¯s will in their stead, and these creatures that the gods made were no different than errand boys in charge of those duties.


    <i>¡®But¡­Is it okay for me to make something like this?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon paused as he opened the Creature Creation Helper, which was supported by the system. This subwindow was a program that supported and allowed yers to create the creatures they wanted using various 3D models. With Creature Creation Helper, it was possible to simply add multiple parts together that were already provided by the program to make a myriad of differently-shaped creatures, and if desired, yers could start with a lump and mold it into the shape they wanted.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a different feeling from guiding a tribe from behind the scenes.¡¯</i>


    There was something about creating a being with one¡¯s own hands that moved Sung-Woon emotionally. However, Sung-Woon shook his head and focused on victory. Being able to push aside his emotions and strictly focusing on achieving the goal was one of the reasons Sung-Woon was able to rank 1st ce.


    <i>¡®Who cares. I¡¯m a real god now.¡¯</i>


    Even if the yers didn¡¯t have the necessary resources, the Creature Creation Helper allowed yers to model creatures in advance, so Sung-Woon¡¯s first creature was alreadypleted appearance-wise. Even the models Sung-Woon had created when he yed the game were saved, but he decided to use thoseter once he gathered more resources.


    <i>¡®I have to make a new shape from scratch because none of the premade ones would be useful in Small Area: Insects.¡¯</i>


    The creature¡¯s outer appearance wasn¡¯t that important though. In fact, appearance didn¡¯t affect the creature¡¯s abilities too much because otherwise there¡¯d be yers who got stressed trying to shape the creature in a way that would grant it good abilities. It was alsomon for yers to just use the standard models that were provided as basics, or for yers to directly copy and use a model that had a cool appearance made by someone else. But ranked yers usually wanted to be appealing to others by creating models that were distinct from others.


    <i>¡®Or maybe instead of appealing, it¡¯s more about aggro.¡¯</i>


    That was why in the ranked games, the yer¡¯s creatures would usually belong to three kinds of outer appearances. They would either look funny, bizarre, or cute.


    <i>¡®Well, that was only a game.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon actually preferred cuter looking creatures, but he decided not to go with that this time.


    <i>¡®Even if it¡¯s a slight difference, I need to bet everything on practicality this time.¡¯</i>


    When seen in a statistical manner, Sung-Woon knew which outer appearance had the strongest physical capabilities. He added appendages, elytra, and sturdy legs, which would get him some additional abilities, even though not much. For battle, the best form to have was to be standing rather than crawling. He added a mandible, sharp forelegs which could be used as a weapon, antennas to prevent encountering sudden attacks, and bigpound eyes which would allow it to see in all directions at once.


    <i>¡®Now that I¡¯ve finished making it¡­it looks like a mantis.¡¯</i>


    But it was apletely different organism. It wouldn¡¯t be able to fly due to itsrge size, but it had two more pairs of elytra that would allow it to glide in case of a sudden fall, and even more so for protection. Apart from the forelegs that could be used as weapons, it also had a pair of hand-like body parts that could grasp things when needed or break its opponents.


    <i>¡®Maybe I should use blue for its ent color since I kept showing a blue butterfly when giving Lakrak hints until now. A little darker shade. Also to make it shine clear and bright under the moonlight¡­¡¯</i>


    Thest step was to name it.


    ¡°Its name will be¡­uhh¡­¡±


    Sung-Woonbined two names that came to mind when he thought of a mantis in the game.


    ¡°Maybe Sratis will do.¡±


    ***


    And like that, Sratis was created from nothing.


    ***


    Auloi cried out with all the remaining strength he had, ¡°The Two-Headed Fiend hase! Everyone, bow down!¡±


    The Frogmen that were standing at thekeside all bowed down, and Shunen trembled in fear at the sight of the hideous Two-Headed Fiend swaying side to side by the shore.


    <i>¡®Now all those Lizardmen will die.¡¯</i>


    The Two-Headed Fiend was simr to a serpent, which made it a kind of water snake. Serpents were strong enough to bepared to a drake on the ground, and it was fair to call them the top predators underwater. In addition to that, as a fiend that was divine, it had good levels of intelligence and Divinity. However, this fiend wasn¡¯t aware that it had the potential to grow and instead just ate things weaker than itself to satisfy its hunger.


    Shunen watched as the Two-Headed Fiend approached the sacrifices. Then it suddenly paused in hesitation.


    <i>Krrrrrr¡­</i>


    The Two-Headed Fiend always coveted the sacrifices as if it had been starving for days, but that didn''t happen this time. Both its heads were now looking over Shunen¡¯s shoulders.


    <i>¡®What is it doing? Is it looking at something?¡¯</i>


    Shunen went against the submissiveness toward the fiend that had been ingrained in him and turned around, following its gaze. There was arge shadow over the tall trees. Shunen instinctively froze. That thing withrge eyes lightly pushed the trees away, and at the sound of the trees getting ripped out of the ground, the Frogmen that were bowing to the Two-Headed Fiend shot up and turned around.


    Then someone profanely cried out, ¡°I¡­it¡¯s a god!¡±


    Lengthwise, the Two-Headed Fiend was simr in size to Sratis, but Sratis standing tall on the ground made all the difference between the presence of the two. Sratis¡¯s exoskeleton shined blue as it reflected the light from the torches. Anyone who saw the Two-Headed Fiend would say it was just a shabby water snake inparison to Sratis, which looked like a real god.


    <i>¡ªKrrrrrr!</i>


    The Two-Headed Fiend didn¡¯t know where that thing came from, but knew it couldn¡¯t back away now. That thing had invaded its territory, and if it just let it be, the Two-Headed Fiend would have to give up the savages and the sacrifices that they offered. They belonged to the Two-Headed Fiend. Although the opponent seemedrge and strong, the Two-Headed Fiend knew that it itself was a divine being that could rule over all living things.


    <i>¡ªKaaaooo!</i>


    The Two-Headed Fiend pushed itself along the shore to slither onto the ground. The sight of the serpent''s fifteen-meter-long body emerging from water was very bizarre, but Sratis took his next step forward with no agitation, and another tree fell down.


    As a few Frogmen got crushed, the other Frogmen realized these two monsters would collide, and they began to scream and run away. The Two-Headed Fiend squeezed itself through the Frogmen running away and crushed them. Its target was Sratis¡¯s head. The Two-Headed Fiend thought its widened maw wouldnd on Sratis¡¯s head, but that didn¡¯t happen.


    <i>¡ªWater snake, you im to be a god¡­</i>


    Sratis mumbled in a low voice, but that voice was also heard by the Lizardmen from all the way across theke.


    <i>¡ªKaaoo¡­alright!</i>


    The arms that were folded in front of its body could clench things. Sratis reached out and clenched the head of one of the figures that tried to attack it. The Two-Headed Fiend opened its other mouth as if it had been waiting to do so, but that was also useless. The sharp w of Sratis¡¯s foreleg squeezed in between the fiend¡¯s tightly shut second mouth.


    <i>¡ªKnow that you are nothing more than a nonentity¡­</i>


    Sratis grabbed its first head and yanked. The Two-Headed Fiend tried to resist, but couldn¡¯t withstand Sratis¡¯s strength and ended up torn and split in the middle. The two heads fell in either direction. The snout that was the length of Sratis¡¯s arm, which was about ten meters long, was destroyed. The Two-Headed Fiend then toppled backward with its spine revealed.


    <i>¡ªKu, ku, ku, kug¡­</i>


    The Two-Headed Fiend continued to have a convulsion, but was still breathing and alive.


    <i>¡ªI will offer you to my creator and help you with your atonement as your stupidity is not a sin¡­</i>


    A proper battle hadn¡¯t even started. Sratis¡¯s next task was nothing but to kill the Two-Headed Fiendpletely.


    <i>¡ªYour sins shall be forgiven with your blood and flesh.?</i>


    Sratis grabbed the fiend and cut arge chunk of its flesh into pieces while it was still alive. The pieces fell all around the Frogmen.


    Even Sung-Woon was a little surprised as he watched this happen.


    <i>¡®I did think it would be andslide victory for Sratis due to the differences in their levels and abilities, but still¡­ Was it because of its skill?¡¯</i>


    [Two-Headed Fiend (Serpent Lv.4, Fiend Lv.3)


    Strength 163 (d+2)


    Intelligence 32 (d+2)


    Sociability 8 (d+2)


    Machinations 4


    Small Area: (Unknown)


    The fiend¡¯s abilities weren¡¯t that bad given fiends were also gods. It had a Small Area, but it was a Minor Small Area rather than a Major Small Area that all the yers started with. That was why catching a fiend was a very important factor in the strategy known as Small Area Farming.


    <i>¡®But the Small Area wasn¡¯t even used in battle. Well, it didn''t seem like it even had a chance to use it¡­ Was Sratis too strong?¡¯</i>


    [Sratis (Creature Lv.11)


    Strength 220 (d+3)


    Intelligence 32 (d+3)


    Sociability 22 (d+3)


    Skill: Supernatural Strength]


    A greater ¡®d¡¯ modifier made all the difference in terms of abilities. And the skill Sratis came with was indeed an ideal one.


    <i>¡®Supernatural Strength¡­ This is a tier 1 skill for a creature made for battle. It would dominate the other creatures in the same rank if they fought. It¡¯s unfortunate that creatures made for battle be inferior going into thetter half of the game, but¡­ I hope I didn¡¯t use up all my luck on something weird.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon decided to think positively about it. His goal of killing the Two-Headed Fiend was achieved, all the Frogmen had run away to the higher rank vige in panic, leaving the Lizardmen sacrifices, and all the Lizardmen cheered and cried out to the god in joy.


    ¡°Look up to the guardian of the Blue Insect God that came down to save us! Send thanks to the guardian! Glory to the Blue Insect God!¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s warriors bowed to the Blue Insect God in good faith, and the grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen that witnessed the Miracle, especially Owen, copsed to the ground with tears pouring down their faces.


    Sung-Woon was pleased. One of the reasons was the status window that had just popped up.


    [The Two-Headed Fiend has been killed!]


    [You have received the Essence of Fiend!]


    [You have received the Small Area: (Unknown)!]


    Just like with an abomination, one could acquire Essence from fiends. Fiends were rarer, but it was moremon for Essence from abominations to grant physical advantages. Thus, creating a creature with a fiend¡¯s Essence would require caution.


    <i>¡®And the most important Small Area for farming¡­¡¯</i>


    [Would you like to check the Small Area: (Unknown)?]


    [Yes / No]


    Sung-Woon quickly clicked ¡®Yes¡¯.

 Chapter 20: Moving Target

    <h4>Chapter 20: Moving Target</h4>


    [You have obtained the Small Area: Sea!]


    Sung-Woon unconsciously let out a burst ofughter.


    <i>¡®Ah, is that so?¡¯</i>


    Though the Two-Headed Fiend had a low level, and Sung-Woon had used a disease to weaken it, it was still a god that had a Small Area. And despite it being level one, it was still an area that could be created or controlled; therefore, divine power could be used.


    <i>¡®I guess it¡¯s the consequence of a random creation.¡¯</i>


    However, the Two-Headed Fiend was at ake, not an ocean.


    <i>¡®Well, serpents can respawn anywhere as long as there''s water. Even though this is the real world, I wonder if they get created the same way they do in The Lost World. Did this fiend live in the ocean in the past and somehow get all the way here? ¡­Or maybe it was just set up like that?¡¯</i>


    Overall, it was a good thing that the Two-Headed Fiend was easy to deal with.


    <i>¡®The only issue is I don¡¯t really need Small Area: Sea at the moment.¡¯</i>


    Being able to control water was a very valuable ability to have. Therefore, during the stages of the Small Areas rather than the Large Areas, bodies of water were divided into several categories, and the most valuable out of them were the seas and rivers.


    <i>¡®But the rivers would have been better because size matters. Even if the sea is okay for the Lizardmen, who seem to have be nomads, things would be better bnced if my next tribe were a species that lives around a river.¡¯</i>


    On the other hand, various conditions had to be met in order to make the best use of Small Area: Sea.


    <i>¡®They need to go out to the ocean to use this Small Area¡­? They¡¯repletely in the ind area right now, so going out to the ocean wouldn¡¯t be the best strategy.¡¯</i>


    And so, while it was good to have obtained the Small Area, it was hardly something to be happy about.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s notpletely useless. It¡¯ll be useful someday.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon, who had been considering future strategies for a while, realized that Sratis was still at the Frogmen vige. Unlike with Divine Control, where Sung-Woon would actually enter an individual¡¯s body and control them, less Faith points were used to maintain Sratis. Additionally, it was possible for Sung-Woon to summon Sratis whenever he needed, as well as calling it back and keeping it in a frozen state whenever he wished to. So it was more likely for Sung-Woon to summon Sratis rather than use Divine Control in the future whenever he wished to use physical force.


    <i>¡®Though Divine Control would be stronger considering my Divinity level would be applied, it is possible to use both if needed.¡¯</i>


    Since Sung-Woon made Sratis in order to gain advantages on the battlefield, he felt that Sratis was a bit too fanatical and imposing. But there was no need to feel burdened about it. If the system of The Lost World was modeled after the real world, Sratis would be an evesting friend to Sung-Woon that wouldn¡¯t ever betray him.


    <i>¡®The Lizardmen will be like that all night if I leave Sratis there.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon smiled wryly at the Lizardmen across theke and approached Sratis.


    Sung-Woon was unrecognizable to all beings on the, but Sratis could recognize Sung-Woon as he was its creator. Once Sung-Woon walked through the air and approached Sratis, Sratis spoke to Sung-Woon¡ªnot literally, but its his mind.


    <i>¡®O Creator, I have done as you wished.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought the way it spoke to him was a little too respectful, but he let it be since it suited it.


    <i>¡®You did good. You can rest until next time.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I will honor the will of my Creator again once the timees.¡¯</i>


    As Sung-Woon summoned it back, Sratis disappeared into the shadows.


    Creature: Sratis was added to Sung-Woon¡¯s list of possessions.


    <i>¡®The Lizardmen have calmed down now¡­ Lakrak, you''re not the type of Lizardman who does nothing in moments like this.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked beyond theke.


    ***


    Lakrak encouraged his warriors after he saw Sratis disappear.


    ¡°Today, we will achieve a perfect victory. I¡¯ve checked that the ind is empty, so we''ll swim there. We need someone to guide us to the Frogmen¡¯s upper vige. Are there any volunteers?¡±


    At those words, a bunch of grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen came before Lakrak.


    Then Owen, with his face covered in blood and body covered in ck ashes, raised his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°I think you should rest.¡±


    ¡°I need to get to the ind to find my son anyways. I¡¯m not tired yet.¡±


    Lakrak looked down at Owen for a moment and nodded.


    ¡°Then you shall lead the way.¡±


    At Lakrak¡¯s words, a grayish-brown scaled Lizardman came up to him.


    ¡°Please forgive my rudeness, ck-scaled Lizardman.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, tribal chief Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Please allow us to help you as well. <i>Please</i>.¡±


    Lakrak looked down at the Lizardman talking to him. It was an old and injured Lizardman.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a warrior, and you can¡¯t fight properly with that body.¡±


    ¡°I used to be a warrior. I¡¯m not one now, but warriors aren¡¯t the only ones who can kill Frogmen.¡±


    ¡°You would kill the Frogmen who aren¡¯t warriors?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ve already done so.¡±


    Lakrak looked at the wooden club the old, injured Lizardman had in his hand. Blood was dripping from it, and by the looks of the viscosity of the blood, it didn¡¯t seem to belong to Lizardmen.


    The grayish-brown Lizardman then said, ¡°I know it¡¯s not honorable. You can say it¡¯s cowardly for us to only do this now because there is a chance. You may also think going after someone who isn¡¯t a warrior is crossing the line¡­but seeing you guys fight made me feel my heart burn. However, this burn didn¡¯t start today. It has been there for a long time¡­ My heart¡¯s been burning since the day I became a ve to these Frogmen.¡±


    ¡°Seems like resentment,¡± replied Lakrak.


    ¡°...Resentment.¡±


    ¡°A feeling of anger.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It is resentment, and I need to let it out.¡±


    ¡°A fire thates from the heart, not from someone else¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°That is right. I want to burn the Frogmen with this fire.¡±


    The Lizardman began to cry and continued to say, ¡°This anger from losing mypanion, my child, and my grandchild. I need to pay it back anyway I can.¡±


    Lakrak looked around at the other grayish-brown Lizardmen. In his perspective, there weren¡¯t many who were holding a proper weapon, and they were all unhealthy, not to mention hurt. They were all scrawny because they hadn¡¯t been allowed to eat properly, and they were covered in many wounds from getting beaten that hadn¡¯t healed.


    <i>¡®It¡¯ll be hard for them to fight properly. The Frogmen still have troops, and they also have bows and arrows. I don¡¯t wish for these hurt and exhausted Lizardmen to keep getting hurt, or even die. If they fight, at least one of them will definitely get hurt or die. It might even be a safer battle for us if there are only our warriors, but¡­¡¯</i>


    ¡°You are right. You have a right to fight and I have no authority to stop you,¡± said Lakrak.


    ¡°...Right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about revenge.¡± Lakrak then said to all the grayish-brown Lizardmen, ¡°Everyone who wants to take revenge, follow me. Never give up on your right.¡±


    At Lakrak¡¯s words, they all raised their weapons and cheered.


    Then Lakrak said to Zaol, ¡°Zaol, the remaining Lizardmen need to be protected.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. What are you gonna do about the children on the ind?¡±


    ¡°Once we swim there, some Lizardmen will have run out of energy. We¡¯ll send the children back with them on boats.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    The warriors submerged into the water first, and fifty more avengers followed. Eighty Lizardmen swam across theke with their snouts above the water. After they made it to the ind, there were about ten Lizardmen who were exhausted from the trip just as Lakrak predicted, so they took the children on boats and returned to the lower vige. Zaol directed the healthy Lizardmen to examine the injured and make them rest.


    Lakrak put the Lizardmen who couldn¡¯t swim well onto the remaining boats and had Yur direct them to go far around the upper vige.


    ¡°Are you saying we¡¯ll attack them from both sides?¡± asked Yur.


    ¡°Yes. The Frogmen will be keeping an extra eye out on theke, and now that we aren¡¯t short on numbers, we can divide into two groups.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s a trick. The forty men I am taking can¡¯t fight well, but the Frogmen will be disoriented if we show up in the dark.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Once they¡¯re distracted, I¡¯ll take our warriors and attack them by theke.¡±


    ¡°Will you be alright?¡±


    ¡°There are fewer than ten of them that can properly fight anyways. And I discovered another Blessing God has given us while we were swimming to this ind.¡±


    Surprised, Yur asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Our scales are ck. They will glimmer under the moonlight the way water glimmers.¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s predictions were correct, and all the fighting that happened at the upper vige went as Lakrak had nned.


    ***


    Shunen bolted as soon as he witnessed his father Auloi getting stabbed several times with a spear to his death.


    ¡°H-How did this happen! T-Two-Headed Fiend! H-How¡­!¡±


    Shunen cried out to his dead god, and his dead god, now cut into many pieces, didn¡¯t answer.


    The healthy Frogmen had already run away from the vige, and the only Frogmen getting caught by the Lizardmen were those afflicted with the itching disease and thus had trouble breathing.


    ¡°Those stupid Lizardmen!¡±


    Shunen couldn¡¯t risk shouting and instead murmured, ¡°Even if they have more warriors, we have way more people. There are some men that have the disease but can still fight, and there are also lots of men that are old but still have the energy to shoot arrows. If we could just buy some time to get ourselves together, we would have a chance to fight back¡­¡±


    But Shunen soon realized there wasn¡¯t really anyone to do that. His father, Auloi, was a brave warrior back in his heyday, but from some point on¡­no, to be exact, from the day the Two-Headed Fiend awoke from theke, Auloi had be enchanted by the Two-Headed Fiend¡¯s prowess.


    As long as sacrifices were offered, the Two-Headed Fiend granted anything that Auloi wished to do, and through that, Auloi was able to eliminate hispetitors, drive out hostile tribes, and defeat Cockatrices. This seemed like a good deal at first, but once Auloi stopped doing things on his own and instead had his god do everything for him, he became less and less like a warrior.


    Since everyone had learned the qualities of a warrior from Auloi, the Frogmen who should have be courageous actually learned how to deceive others and act weak.


    ¡°...They¡¯ve all be cowards,¡± Shenen muttered. Then he realized, ¡°...I became one too.¡±


    However, it was toote of a realization. Shunen wanted to run out and tell the Frogmen to not be scared, and that they still had a chance. He could picture himself shooting arrows into the heads of the Lizardmen and leading the Frogmen to turn the tides, but it was all nothing but fantasy.


    ¡°Damn it¡­damn it¡­¡±


    Shunen hid in a hut as he saw the Lizardmen warriors running nearby. The ck-scaled Lizardmen were faster and more agile than he was, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to run away.


    He listened quietly to thest of the screams that the Frogmen were letting out before taking a look outside, making sure no one was there.


    ¡°...Are they gone?¡±


    ¡°Here you are.¡±


    Startled, Shunen whirled around. He unconsciously reached toward his quiver to grab an arrow, but he had already wasted them all. He had sessfully shot a few into some Lizardmen, but none of the wounds he inflicted were fatal, and the poisonous frogs were useless. This was the consequence of relying on poison; it became a habit to aim at body parts that weren¡¯t vital.


    The shadow revealed its face.


    ¡°...La¡­Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°Shunen, are you not a warrior? Get up and draw your sword. I will allow you to at least keep your honor.¡±


    ¡°P-Please spare me.¡±


    ¡°Are you not going to fight?¡±


    ¡°Please just spare me. W-We¡¯ve built our friendship over thest few times we met, haven¡¯t we? I have no ill feelings towards you Lizardmen.¡±


    ¡°Had no ill feelings, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yes! We Frogmen were threatened by the Two-Headed Fiend!¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Shunen racked his brain for words when it seemed that Lakrak wasn¡¯t convinced.


    .


    ¡°Y-Yeah. I¡¯ll let you in on a secret. How about that?¡±


    ¡°What kind of secret?¡±


    ¡°The way to make a bow. You wondered about the material of the bowstring. If I tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it. What is it made of?¡±


    Shunen then realized he wasn¡¯t in the position to bargain.


    ¡°...They¡¯re made out of the tendons in men¡¯s backs.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Lakrak was immediately convinced. He knew it would be the tendons of some kind of animal, but something always seemed off. If the tendons belonged to those who walked on two feet, it made sense they would be suitable materials to make a bow long enough for the Frogmen.


    ¡°And from which species were the back tendons used to make your bows?¡±


    Shunen btedly mumbled with a frustrated expression, ¡°...L-Lizardmen.¡±


    ¡°I see. Even this bow?¡±


    Lakrak pointed to the bow he had around his chest, which he received from Owen.


    Shunen nodded.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Lakrak tilted his head, causing his face to be hidden in the shadows again. Only Lakrak¡¯s eyes were shining, and Shunen had no clue what Lakrak was thinking.


    Shunen prepared for death.


    However, the words that came out of Larkak¡¯s mouth were unexpected.


    ¡°Alright. Well, it¡¯s hard to say that there''s any grace or resentment between us. I¡¯ve already achieved a perfect victory. You also offered a deal. I¡¯ll take it. Go, Shunen.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak stepped aside from the entrance of the hut. Shunen hurriedly ran away, afraid that Lakrak might change his mind, so he didn¡¯t even realize there was a familiar Lizardman next to Lakrak.


    Owen then asked Lakrak, ¡°A-Are you letting him go?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak picked up the bow he had around him and notched an arrow.


    ¡°I need a moving target.¡±

 Chapter 21: Blue Daybreak

    <h4>Chapter 21: Blue Daybreak</h4>


    Lakrak had been thinking he should slowly begin practicing with moving targets. He thought of the trick Owen had taught him before.


    <i>¡®Before releasing the bowstring, hold your breath and look directly at the target.¡¯</i>


    It was hard for Lakrak to understand at first, and he thought it was a fake trick.


    It only took a moment to let go of the bowstring, and in Lakrak¡¯s opinion, the advantage of the bow was that it could be quickly pulled and released, thus allowing a fast shot.


    However, this trick that Owen taught him applied when aiming at moving targets far away.


    Lakrak let go of the bowstring. The arrow released from the bow passed through both of Shunen¡¯s ankles, and Shunen fell to the ground in an unsightly manner.


    ¡°Aak!¡±


    The grayish-brown Lizardmen who were waving their bloody wooden clubs around in search for a target to take revenge on heard Shunen¡¯s scream.


    ¡°There¡¯s Shunen!¡±


    ¡°Take his skin off while he¡¯s alive!¡±


    ¡°Take his intestines out!¡±


    ¡°Keep him alive until we take his brain out!¡±


    Shunen soon went through everything the Lizardmen had threatened to do to him.


    As Lakrak watched everything happen, he snapped the bow in half with his knee and threw it on the ground.


    ¡°Why break the bow¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I broke your gift, Owen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just asked because it was a good bow that could be used for a long time.¡±


    Lakrak shook his head.


    ¡°We can always make another bow. Until we find a better way to make bows than they did, we¡¯re going to use the back tendons of the Frogmen to make bows in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Lakrak¡­ There''s no need for that. There are plenty of bows already made by them¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You taught me a trick to shoot well, Owen, so let me repay you.¡±


    Lakrak reached out his hand to Owen, who was lying on the ground. Owen hesitated to grab Lakrak¡¯s hand several times.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°...I have too many sins.¡±


    ¡°Owen, hold my hand now, when you have the chance to make things right.¡±


    Owen¡¯s cold heart filled with warmth. He now knew that the world could indeed change and decided to kill the trickster inside of him that day.


    <i>¡®I will live the rest of my days with my forgiven sins.¡¯</i>


    Behind the burning Frogmen vige, a blue dawn broke.


    ***


    Many Frogmen had died, but there were more Frogmen who had run away, and Lakrak guessed there were about more than one thousand of them. There was a limit to how many Frogmen the thirty warriors and grayish-brown Lizardmen could kill in one night.


    Lakrak kept in mind the possibility of Frogmen wandering around the area and gathering to make aeback. So Zaol suggested an idea.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯ll take some time, it¡¯ll be best to destroy all the huts. We should also have our warriors routinely scout around theke so that the Frogmen can¡¯te near.¡±


    Zaol¡¯s words worried Lakrak.


    ¡°Theke is wider than we thought. There are warriors among those who ran away, and our warriors will get tired if we do as you said.¡±


    Zaol was about to agree with Lakrak when Owen suddenly said, ¡°No, they won¡¯t wander around the area for too long. If we destroy the huts, many of the Frogmen will leave theke before your warriors start to feel tired.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If the Frogmen stay out of water for a long period of time, they start to lose their shiny skin and be dry. They¡¯ll have no other choice but to be satisfied with the little streams or puddles for now, but the only ce to soak their whole bodies around here is theke. Since they can¡¯t take the risks ande to theke every time, they will eventually leave to find another ce with water.¡±


    Lakrak checked to see if what Owen said was right. And some Frogmen did frequently appear for a few days, but as the Lizardmen warriors wandered around scouting the area, and the Frogmen huts werepletely destroyed, most of them left as they no longer wished to stay. There were of course some Frogmen that stayed around theke in small units avoiding the Lizardmen warriors. They either stayed because they couldn''t afford to leave, or they were still attached to the vige or harbored resentment towards the Lizardmen.


    Lakrak thought it would be okay to leave them there, but Owen questioned it.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you chase them all away?¡±


    ¡°They are now hardly a threat. They don¡¯t even attack us often. And on the other hand, we need them to make our bows. At least for now.¡±


    Owen was terrified that Lakrak now thought of the Frogmen as nothing but bow making material, but there was another thing he had been wondering about.


    ¡°You should capture them and enve them. It¡¯ll be easier to make bows that way,¡± said Owen.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Lakrak looked at Owen in disbelief. Then Owen took some time to think about it and answered his own question.


    ¡°Is it because the Frogmen have ultimately been defeated?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We stuck to our way of doing things and they stuck to theirs, and in the end, we won. It would be nice and convenient if we enved them. That might even be our justifiable right since we fought and won. However, we¡¯ve already seen them be weak once, so we can¡¯t do that again.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Owen realized it wasn¡¯t simply because the god Lakrak believed in was strong.


    <i>¡®Lakrak was still going to fight the Two-Headed Fiend even if his god wasn¡¯t there to help him. He would have fought even if there was no Miracle, and he would have done so even if he wasn¡¯t the tribal chief or a warrior. The courage he has to fight may be the reason why he is who he is today.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak not only tried to cautiously approach the Frogmen, but he did the same with the grayish-brown Lizardmen. To Lakrak, it seemed that the grayish-brown Lizardmen had also been ruled by another tribe. Even though they had warmed up to the other Lizardmen, they still were a bit wary toward Lakrak¡¯s tribe as a whole once their desires for revenge had calmed down.


    <i>¡®Is it because they¡¯ve experienced the horror of being controlled by a bigger group?¡¯</i>


    To Sung-Woon, it seemed that Lakrak wanted to protect the grayish-brown Lizardmen and were weing them into their fold.


    <i>¡®But this is different from what happened with Beauer. It¡¯s their first time seeing this tribe. They also have about two hundred Lizardmen, which is quite a lot. Not to mention their culture is very different. And in addition to that, they have an experience of being tricked by simple courtesy. Then what method can be used to take them in?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak also seemed deeply troubled about how to go about it, but surprisingly, the answer came from the grayish-brown Lizardmen themselves.


    While he was leading a scouting party, Lakrak passed by the grayish-brown Lizardmen who began to settle down into their new homes and saw a young Lizardmane running towards him. It was likely that the child had also been trapped on the ind. However, Lakrak, who didn¡¯t know how to handle children, became nervous when all of a sudden the child handed Lakrak a wooden statue from behind his back without saying a word and left.


    ¡°That young fellow. How rude to the tribal chief¡­ Should I go get him?¡± asked a warrior, ashamed as Lakrak stared at the wooden statue.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a carved statue of our guardian.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The wooden statue was Sratis. It was carved with a chisel made out of metal, so it was very detailed.


    ¡°By the looks of it, whoever made it must have practiced many times. I¡¯m not sure if that child made it or if someone else did, but there should be more wooden statues somewhere around this vige¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I get someone to look for them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If someone wants to exchange them for something, use my share of wealth to pay and exchange them. It¡¯s okay to take a partial loss. I wish to have more of these objects.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell them so.¡±


    The wooden statue of Sratis became expensive just as Lakrak wished. Even those of Lakrak¡¯s n who thought it was beautiful had to pay the full price to get a hold of one.


    ***


    While the grayish-brown Lizardmen were getting help from Lakrak¡¯s n, the ones who were tired from rebuilding the vige began to do more deeds of goodwill as they started to have a decent amount of food.


    Sung-Woon understood what was happening.


    <i>¡®Of course. The grayish-brown Lizardmen have be more rxed with Lakrak¡¯s n due to the profit they¡¯re making from selling wooden statues to them. But that doesn¡¯t mean Lakrak is at a loss.¡¯</i>


    This was because the wooden statues of Sratis that were being made had be a source of Faith points and Divinity XP for Sung-Woon. As the value of the wooden statues went up among Lakrak¡¯s n, making them and praying to them became a way for the Lizardmen to cultivate their faith in their Blue Insect God.


    [Your Divinity level has increased!]


    [4 ¡ú 5]


    [Your Faith Points have increased!]


    [492/500 ¡ú 730/2000]


    <i>¡®In terms of progress, things are going pretty fast.¡¯</i>


    The Lizardmen quickly got along with each other thanks to the wooden statues of Sratis. Small families more frequently invited other families to their homes, and other interactions took ce as well. Lakrak¡¯s warriors would teach the younger Lizardmen how to hunt, and the grayish-brown Lizardmen who were familiar with the surrounding forests in return told them about the ces where medicinal herbs grew.


    ***


    Soon after, a big festival was held. It was to celebrate theplete destruction of the Frogmen¡¯s vige and the restoration of the grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen¡¯s vige by theke.


    At the festival, Lakrak¡¯s n prepared the meat of the Two-Headed Fiend, and the grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen prepared fermented fruit liquor. The smoked serpent meat was cooked with various spices from the forest to get rid of the bloody smell, and those who tried fermented liquor for the first time were surprised at the sour taste and soon became drunk.


    The Lizardmen praised the Blue Insect God and talked about the viciousness of its guardian. They also talked about the weakness and cowardice of the Frogmen. The conversations turned into songs, and the Lizardmen who started out as mere acquaintances hugged each other and raised their voices singing to a repeated rhythm.


    Lots of lovers were made that day.


    ***


    Lakrak shot the head of a Frogmen that was tied up and rotting. He had used it as a target for a long time.


    Then he stayed still for a while. Zaol, who was watching from behind him, asked, ¡°Is there something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering if this is the best we could do.¡±


    ¡°Well, it at least shoots as far as the bows the Frogmen used.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re stronger, and we can also pull the bows harder, but we can¡¯t risk breaking them.¡±


    ¡°I understand. But the bows the Frogmen made were the best that can be made within this forest.¡±


    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s true,¡± Lakrak said as he nodded. ¡°Then I guess we can¡¯t just stay in this forest.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s not only to make a better bow, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak had learned from the star catcher that this mountain area would be very cold once winter came. The Lizardmen would be physically weaker, but they could endure the winter by making fires and wearing leather. However, the buffaloes that Lakrak¡¯s n had were the problem. Lakrak knew water buffaloes of the wilderness would go to warmer ces to avoid the winters, where there would still be grass.


    <i>¡®Then a few of us will have to leave to raise the water buffaloes.¡¯</i>


    The water buffaloes had already given birth once and were adjusting well. As time passed, the herd would getrge and be a long-term food source for the Lizardmen, just as Yur had initially envisioned.


    Lakrak was thinking about something when he suddenly came to an idea to make better bows.


    ¡°Lakrak.¡±


    Broken out of his reverie, Lakrak turned to the voice that called him. It was a Lizardman with a Frogman skull on their head, but Lakrak knew who it was just by their voice.


    ¡°Owen.¡±


    There had been no warriors among the grayish-brown scaled Lizardmen, but there definitely were some who had the qualities to be one. Lakrak tested and selected them himself, and Owen was one of the Lizardmen who became a warrior after going through several tests. Owen¡¯s scale began to turn ck and shiny faster than the others, as if he was meant to be a warrior.


    These new warriors insisted on using Frogmen skulls rather than buffalo skulls, and Lakrak dly allowed it.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Not long ago, a small Frogmen group was seen wandering around here, and you ordered us to track them down, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and?¡±


    ¡°We were tracking them and found the cave they were hiding in. It takes about half a day to get there from theke. We killed all of them without much trouble, but the cave was a bit strange.¡±


    Lakrak showed interest.


    ¡°Strange in what way?¡±


    ¡°As we went into the cave, we noticed there was another entrance that seemed to have been carved out. I¡¯m not sure how they carved the hard rock¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to check it out myself. Did you go into the entrance?¡±


    ¡°No. I thought it was something we should tell the tribal chief about first.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Lakrak took Owen and Zaol and went down to the vige. Lakrak thought it was something worth checking out, but Sung-Woon already knew what it was.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s an ancient ruin. Is it okay to go in already?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 22: The Ancient Ruin

    <h4>Chapter 22: The Ancient Ruin</h4>


    Contrary to Sung-Woon¡¯s worries, Lakrak already seemed interested.


    Lakrak had been exposed to too many things ever since he was young to turn down an adventure. Lakrak had lost both his parents when he was a child, so he had to grow up without anyone¡¯s help, and he had also fought a sabertooth tiger to protect his tribe at the time when they had gotten kicked out into the wilderness.


    This caught Sung-Woon¡¯s eye, and to Sung-Woon, Lakrak seemed to have the qualities to be a tribal chief, which also led to him bing a High Priest that acted on behalf of God¡¯s wills.


    Not too long ago, with the help of God, Lakrak defeated the violent Lizardmen tribal chief, Beauer, flipped Beauer¡¯s drake with one hand, and also defeated an Ancient Coleoptera when they crossed the wilderness once again. After that, he saw through the deceits of the Frogmen tribe that he met for the first time in his life and witnessed the guardian he believed in cut the inferior fiend the Frogmen worshiped into pieces.


    Lakrak¡¯s life had been full of excitement. He didn¡¯t think of a new adventure as something dangerous, but rather as a trigger that could change the future.


    There were many who opposed it when Lakrak said he would go to the Ancient Ruin himself, but his stubbornness won in the end. Zaol then told Lakrak that if he was going, she would have to go with him as hispanion. And this time Lakrak couldn¡¯t win with a logical argument.


    The next day, Lakrak and Zaol started their journey and were apanied by six additional warriors. Owen was also with them as their guide.


    Sung-Woon was a little worried.


    <i>¡®The ancient ruins are a little different. You might be disappointed.¡¯</i>


    Unlike the fiends and abominations who appeared ording to a yer¡¯s Divinity level, locations of ancient ruins were already set at the beginning of the game, which meant that the difficulties of the challenges were also predetermined. Therefore, at this stage of the game, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for Lakrak to be stopped at the entrance to the Ancient Ruin without even the chance to give the challenge a go due to not meeting the challenge requirements,monly known as an invisible wall.


    <i>¡®But even in that case, it¡¯s still worth discovering an ancient ruin. Even if it may be useless right now, Lakrak has lots of interest in writing, so his n or their descendants may discover itter on.¡¯</i>


    There were a few kinds of things that could be obtained just by sessfully entering ancient ruins.


    <i>¡®First, there¡¯s Ancient Knowledge.¡¯</i>


    Ancient Knowledge was also known as Ancient Technology. It was called ¡®ancient,¡¯ but in the game The Lost World, ancient things wereparable to things in the most modern and advanced civilizations, entering these kinds of Ancient Ruins could yield advanced knowledge and technology that had degenerated over time.


    <i>¡®But usually it isn¡¯t even possible to get past the entrance if the level of civilization is too low.¡¯</i>


    No matter what, the doors to an ancient ruin would never open identally, and in many cases, required various archeological knowledge on technology of the era right before the era of the ancient ruin.


    Sung-Woon actually thought of these Ancient Ruins as technology farming dungeons made for the progression of the game.


    <i>¡®So there¡¯s no need for Ancient Knowledge to be given in ruins at this stage of time. Then would it be Rank Knowledge or skills?¡¯</i>


    Just like livestock farming and agriculture, being able to obtain knowledge and technology indicated that the level of civilization was still low. Knowledge and technology would eventually be developed overtime, so it wasn¡¯t necessary to discover an Ancient Ruin, but acquiring various kinds of knowledge and technology never hurt.


    <i>¡®At the moment, it seems like Rank Knowledge would be the best to have. That way, it would also be possible to adequately raise Lakrak¡¯s, Zaol¡¯s, or Owen¡¯s XP.¡¯</i>


    Obtaining something did feel good, but what was obtained could be difficult to use at times.


    <i>¡®Mystery.¡¯</i>


    Among the Ancient Ruins, there were cases where the ruins themselves had special powers. These special powers included automatically creating special resources, colonies of particr organisms being formed, converting certain resources to other resources, cursing or blessing the surrounding areas, or applying a status effect to a tribe or species that think they have ownership of the ruin.


    <i>¡®Mysteries themselves are good most of the time. The only problem is most Mysteries are predetermined. It¡¯ll be hard for Lakrak¡¯s n to properly utilize a Mystery as they¡¯re already thinking of Livestock Farming.¡¯</i>


    Splitting the n wasn¡¯t a problem, but their geographical location was. Mysteries weren¡¯t always good, and Sung-Woon had already led Lakrak¡¯s n into the inner part of the penins, far away from the other yers. Even if the Mystery was on the good end, it would be hard to properly utilize it.


    <i>¡®When beginners obtain a Mystery, they try to somehow change their builds to take advantage of it, but in reality, Mysteries rarely y a significant role in winning the game.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon always believed in the statistics of The Lost World. And there was another thing that he wished he wouldn¡¯t get other than these Mysteries.


    <i>¡®I mean, as long as it¡¯s not a Demonic Ruin, things should be fine, right?¡¯</i>


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, getting into the ruin wouldn¡¯t be too bad as long as it wasn¡¯t a Demonic Ruin.


    <i>¡®The chances of it being a Unique Ruin is low.¡¯</i>


    Other than Ancient Knowledge, Rank Knowledge, Mysteries, Demonic Ruins, and Unique Ruins, yers would usually get other things that were ssified as Misceneous Relics.


    There could be piles of insignificant treasures, such as the Golden Tablet Lakrak had already obtained. It would have been of great value in the middle ages or modern times, but they weren¡¯t at that stage of development yet.


    <i>¡®Well, it would be useful to have a magical item as an ancient relic. It would be advantageous in future battles.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon decided to wait and see what would happen, as it seemed that Lakrak¡¯s curiosity and boldness wouldn¡¯t lead to a bad scenario.


    ***


    The entrance to the Ancient Ruin was simple. It was a heavy disk-shaped boulder, so several people who had sufficient strength could just push it aside.


    Sung-Woon could see that the ruin wasn¡¯t a Unique Ruin or a dungeon that would give Ancient Knowledge because of how easy it was to enter.


    Zaol picked up a squarish rock and stuck it under the disk-shaped boulder so that the entrance wouldn¡¯t be blocked.


    ¡°I thought we would have to burn some firewood assuming the cave would be dark, but it¡¯s not,¡± said Zaol.


    ¡°I see that. Is that luminous moss?¡± asked Lakrak.


    Inside the Ancient Ruin was a shockinglyrge empty space. It was roughly hundreds of meters in diameter, and there was green and red luminous moss here and there, which made it possible to see the overall size of the clearing. In the center of the empty space were arch stone bridges that were around tens of meters tall, and they were ced in a zigzag pattern that led downward.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll have to go on that path where the stones areid,¡± said Zaol.


    ¡°It would be nice if we could jump down at once,¡± replied Lakrak.


    ¡°Are you going to pray to God?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to bother God with something like this¡­ And besides, I can¡¯t just go down alone.¡±


    Zaol looked at Lakrak¡¯s expression of pure anticipation. She was going to ask, ¡®Because that wouldn''t be fun?¡¯ But in the end, she refrained from doing so.


    Lakrak, Zaol, Owen, and four other warriors briefly came together toe up with a n. The idea of weaving long vines together into ropes was the most reasonable, but considering the time it would take, they decided it would be better to go down the bridge instead. They spent a few more minutes trying to think of something else, but as no great ideas came to them, Lakrak, who believed it was better to end meetings quickly, concluded the meeting, and they moved on to the next task.


    They began to go down the bridges with their strong Lizardmen legs.


    However, difficulties emerged not long after they got onto the bridges.


    ¡°What is that?¡± asked Lakrak.


    ¡°It looks like¡­a rat. A very big one.¡±


    Owen, who had lived in the area for a long time, replied, ¡°It¡¯s a Nutria. You may have eaten it a few times before.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I remember. I wondered what kind of rat would be so big. But this one looks a lot bigger than the ones we ate.¡±


    An average nutria was about sixty centimeters long and weighed around ten kilograms, but the Nutria Lakrak was looking at seemed to be about a meter long, which meant it would weigh tens of kilograms. Additionally, there was something else that piqued Lakrak¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I get why I didn¡¯t think of Nutrias. They don¡¯t travel in groups or charge at people while baring their front teeth like that.¡±


    ¡°Hm, then maybe they aren¡¯t Nutrias.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just call them Rat Monsters.¡±


    It was a simple yet fitting name.


    In Lakrak¡¯s opinion, normal animals wouldn¡¯t get hostile towards people for no reason. In fact, they would usually run away, but monsters on the other hand ran towards people as if they had a purpose.


    ¡°They might be the ones protecting this ce, or maybe they¡¯re just rats¡­ Everyone, prepare your weapons.¡±


    The battle began, but it quickly came to an end. There were around twenty Rat Monsters, which was quite a lot, but Lakrak and his warriors were veterans. While the bridge was quite narrow for all seven Lizardmen to stand on at once, the Rat Monsters charging at them ended up skewered by the warriors¡¯ spears.


    Lakrak pulled out the body of a dead Rat Monster and said, ¡°We should be able to eat these, right?¡±


    At those words, Zaol poked at the dead Rat Monster.


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be a reason we can¡¯t, but why is it that you always divide things as edible or inedible?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the most important thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but you could look at it in a different way.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Would we be able to raise them like the water buffaloes, or not?¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ Well, let¡¯s remove the organs first and move along.¡±


    As they quickly took the organs out, Owen asked, ¡°What do you mean by raising them?¡±


    ¡°It means¡­¡±


    Lakrak was about to answer when he realized he didn¡¯t know what it meant himself.


    The water buffaloes were raised for food, but that wasn¡¯t the case with the drake, Manun. They weren¡¯t going to eat Manun.


    <i>¡®Then is it the same as ves?¡¯</i>


    However, ves were dissatisfied with their status, while things that were raised seemed somewhat satisfied. ves would also receive bacsh for doing as they wished so they had to suppress those feelings, but that didn¡¯t seem to apply to things that were raised.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Lakrak looked at Zaol, expecting her to answer instead, but Zaol also seemed troubled by the question. Zaol soon also gave up on giving a proper answer.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since we¡¯ve raised something, so we don¡¯t know much about it. We¡¯re currently raising water buffaloes and Manun. We gain meat from the buffaloes and strength from Manun, and in exchange, we find nts for the buffaloes and give Manun food. We wish for these rtionships tost long. This is the only answer I can give you about what it means to raise something.¡±


    Owen thought that was a good enough answer and said, ¡°Then I think it would be possible to raise fish.¡±


    ¡°Fish? Don¡¯t fish juste and go?¡±


    That was what Lakrak thought. In the swamps and ponds Lakrak used to live around, the fish would gradually decrease as they got eaten and eventually disappeared.


    However, Owen, who used to live with the aquatic Frogmen, knew that wasn¡¯t the case in bigger ponds.


    ¡°Fish alsoy eggs and give birth to young. The Frogmen would warn us against catching fish when it was breeding season.¡±


    ¡°I guess the Frogmen also had some wisdom.¡±


    ¡°They might have been kind until the Two-Headed Fiend appeared.¡±


    Lakrak agreed.


    ¡°So how would you raise fish?¡±


    .


    ¡°There are fish that grow big, which are easier to catch and eat, but they are also easily eaten by other fish when they are young. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to stack rocks or wood to make a dike to prevent the younger fish from getting eaten?¡±


    ¡°You mean block the water?¡±


    Lakrak thought it would be difficult to do such a thing in a huge and deepke, but he didn¡¯t say it out loud as he considered it a unique and good idea regardless of it being difficult in reality.


    <i>¡®And I¡¯m thinking of dividing the n into two, so it¡¯ll be cruel to those who have to leave and also to those who have to stay through the winter.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak then nodded and said, ¡°It would be nice to find a way to do so.¡±


    Then all of a sudden, one of the warriors handling a Rat Monster screamed.


    ¡°Aack!¡±


    Lakrak quickly turned around and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The warrior held his hand in pain; one of his fingers smelled slightly burnt.


    ¡°The Rat Monster is still alive.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like you got bitten though.¡±


    ¡°All I did was touch this living one, and I felt pain.¡±


    Another warrior then raised his spear to kill this Rat Monster, which was ring at the Lizardmen despite having been pierced.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Lakrak stopped the warrior and reached toward the Rat Monster.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can bear that much of a wound.¡±


    Lakrak touched the Rat Monster with his hand.


    <i>Pzzzt!</i>


    There was a bright spark.


    Lakrak knew the concept of static electricity from when he touched fur leather in winter, but this was too painful to bepared to that. Lakrak clenched his fingers for a moment before opening them again.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Only Sung-Woon, who was watching everything unfold from behind, realized what it was.


    <i>¡®Was it a Demonic Ruin that I hoped it would not be?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 23: Demonic Magic

    <h4>Chapter 23: Demonic Magic</h4>


    Divinity wasn¡¯t the only source of power in The Lost World. For example, thest time Sung-Woon had won the game on earth, he used nuclear weapons, which was technology rather than Divinity. Divinity and Science would grow directly proportional to each other until the Middle Ages, and in modern times, they became negatively corrted.


    <i>¡®When people be faithful to their gods, they tend to distort science. On the other hand, when people be proficient with scientific technology and knowledge, they believe in God less.¡¯</i>


    This was because Science could do what the gods could do. But this decrease in belief was still less than in the real world, Earth.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way to really know if gods exist on Earth, but gods are real in the Lost World.¡¯</i>


    And in the Lost World, alongside Divinity and Science was Magic. Magic was also negatively corrted with Divinity, but it was different from Science in that the negative corrtion between Magic and Divinity existed from the very start.


    <i>¡®This is because Magic is its own force. Anyone or anything that used powerful magic in ancient times was unstoppable. Those who had Magic would be perceived as a god, and thus they wouldn''t believe in a god.¡¯</i>


    Magical powers naturally began to weaken and fall during modern times as science developed.


    <i>¡®But not every game progresses until modern times. I¡¯ve also secured quite a few wins with Magic.¡¯</i>


    Therefore, it was important for yers of The Lost World to not only utilize Divinity, but also bnce Science and Magic well. Sung-Woon had a good understanding of these rules and always thought of using Magic if necessary.


    <i>¡®But I didn¡¯t think I would obtain Demonic Magic this quickly.¡¯</i>


    Among the many kinds of Ancient Ruins were the Demonic Ruins, which were considered an ultimate dungeon to obtain Demonic Magic. Simply put, acquiring Demonic Magic would grant the individual the ability to learn Magic.


    <i>¡®Additionally, the effect not only applies to the individual making the achievement, but also to a few generations of their close kins. Especially if it¡¯s a n society like Lakrak¡¯s n, all members of the n may obtain Demonic Magic.¡¯</i>


    That was the dangerous part.


    Obtaining Demonic Magic did not mean one would be a Wizard right away. In order to use Magic, spells needed to be learned, and these types of spells required research on Ancient Ruins, all kinds of Ancient Knowledge, and Magic. However, those who had Demonic Magic were powerful just by having it. They could make small mes, make objects shine, or even make sparks fly.


    <i>¡®I think this Ancient Ruin will give Electrical Demonic Magic.¡¯</i>


    There was a hint indicating what kind of Demonic Magic it was.


    The system window Sung-Woon was looking at showed the name of the Rat Monster that was on the floor, which was Demonic Magic Enchanted Nutria. As Sung-Woon clicked on View More, it was shown that its magical attribute was Electricity, and that it could electrocute anyone or anything that came into direct contact with it.


    <i>¡®Electricity is always useful. It''s on the better side of Demonic Magic, but¡­¡¯</i>


    The problem was that if Demonic Magic was obtained, there would be penalties in obtaining Faith points. Lakrak was likely to be the one to conquer the Ancient Ruin, so there was no question that Lakrak would receive the Demonic Magic. In addition to that, it was possible that the 350 Lizardmen rted to Lakrak within his n would also receive the Demonic Magic, and three out of the 350 would get it for sure.


    <i>¡®They¡¯ll just think it¡¯s some kind of mysterious power. It¡¯ll even seem fancy since it¡¯s Electrical Demonic Magic.¡¯</i>


    However, Sung-Woon knew what would happen afterwards. Making use of the Magical Ruins was amon mistake among the beginners of The Lost World. Beginners would be obsessed with the fact that they could obtain Magic and lead their tribes to Demonic Ruins just to make them obtain Demonic Magic. They would also then focus their resources on those who had the Demonic Magic and increase their XP. The cultivated individuals would pass on their Demonic Magic to their descendants, and the Demonic Magic would be stronger and stronger over the generations until finally, a Wizard emerged.


    <i>¡®A Wizard is one of the best sses from the beginning to the middle stages of the game.¡¯</i>


    Wizards had strong powers that no individual could handle. The stronger they became, the greater the number of enemies they could deal with at once, which would lead to them gaining the authority to create aristocracy. Above all, because the source of the Wizards¡¯ powers were Magic rather than a god-given gift, they would not rely on a god. And in the Lost World, Demonic Magic stemmed from an ancient evil called ¡®Red Herring¡¯.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s why Divinity and Demonic Magice into conflict.¡¯</i>


    Once Wizards became that powerful, even the yers would not be able to do anything to control them. Therefore, the yers would invest in Witch Hunting or Taboo to decrease the influence of Demonic Magic.


    <i>¡®As a result¡­it is possible to control the power somehow. But in the process, too much time and resources would be wasted. Such power might be a perk in the beginning, but that all bes meaningless if resources are wasted on unnecessary things by the middle of the game.¡¯</i>


    A yer such as Sung-Woon would be able to bnce Magic well, allowing him to apply it to his build with no other problems, but it was tiring to do so. Determining whether to increase or decrease unnecessary variables was also an important task in the game. ording to the statistical side of things, Demonic Magic did have a lower win rate due to beginners getting overthrown by Wizards, but it was still on the higher side of things whenpared to Pure Divinity or Deity Demon Blend.


    <i>¡®I do aim to y with more variability, but¡­ Should I warn Lakrak? The Demonic Ruin will start to show its true colors and try to tempt them. With his personality, he would go to the ends of the Ancient Ruin if I don¡¯t warn him.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon agonized whether to warn Lakrak, but decided not to. This was because once he checked Lakrak¡¯s stats again, he discovered a unique ability that hadn¡¯t been there until recently. It was likely to have appeared as Lakrak defeated Shunen and Auloi¡¯s Frogmen.


    <i>¡®It might be fine to just leave it to him if he has this kind of ability. There is a way to acquire both Divinity and Demonic Magic without getting penalties for either.¡¯</i>


    So Sung-Woon decided to wait and see what happened.


    ***


    Amid the sharp pain, Lakrak suddenly heard a voice speak to him.


    <i>¡®What do you think? Do you want this kind of power?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak looked around, but saw nothing unordinary.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Zaol asked.


    Lakrak replied while using his spear to cut the neck of the Rat Monster ring at him, ¡°I¡¯m okay. We should make sure to kill these Rat Monsters. Those who know how to shoot arrows, ready your bows. And those who are injured, watch the rear.¡±


    Lakrak left the dead Rat Monsters behind and led the group.


    He then heard the voice again.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t it an interesting power?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak only moved his eyes this time.


    <i>¡®Up here.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak looked up and saw a wide transparent creature crackling with blue sparks hovering in the air. Its outer appearance was that of a stingray, but Lakrak, who had never seen a stingray before, didn¡¯t know what it was.


    The Electric Stingray then said, <i>¡®I can hear you if you speak to me in your mind.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Fascinating. What are you?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I am the spirit that protects this ruin.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Spirit? What¡¯s a spirit? Are you invisible to everyone else?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Yes. I am only visible to those with strong powers.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak thought that was a lie, but realized this thought wasn¡¯tmunicated to the spirit.


    <i>¡®Shallow thoughts aremunicated, but deeper thoughts aren¡¯t. If you really are a spirit that can distinguish those with strong powers, try to read this thought too.¡¯?</i>


    The Electric Stingray wasn¡¯t able to read this thought.


    So Lakrak thought shallowly and said, <i>¡®Okay. I am the strongest out of the others here. What power is it you¡¯re talking about?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡°I¡¯m talking about Electricity.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Electricity?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®The power to burn other beings and create light. Sun-like light and fire-like heat. I can give you that power.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak nodded in a subtle way that would nott seem strange to the others that were with him.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll dly ept it if you give it to me.¡¯</i>


    The Electric Stingray hesitated.


    <i>¡®...On one condition.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not given with no conditions?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®That is right.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Then it¡¯s a trade.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak frowned.


    <i>¡®State the conditions first when you are initiating a trade. You need to make sure to convey what you are giving me and what it is that you want from me.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®...I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no need to be sorry. Just keep it in mind for the next time. So what is the condition?¡¯</i>


    The Electric Stingray flew closer to Lakrak, but its fluttering seemed less powerful than before.


    <i>¡®I am sealed within this ruin.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Sealed?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®It means I¡¯m trapped. I can fly freely within this space, but I can¡¯t go outside. I wish to be freed from this restraint, and then I can give the power of Electricity to the one who frees me.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®What needs to be done to set you free?¡¯</i>


    The Electric Stingray replied, <i>¡®It¡¯s simple. If you go down there and kill the one guarding my seal, I be free and I can give you the power.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Then would I be able to do the pzzt thing that the Rat Monster did? With the power of Electricity you give me?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Of course!¡¯</i>


    At Lakrak¡¯s show of interest, the Electric Stingray excitedly exined, <i>¡®That¡¯s not it. You can train the power by continuously using it. It bes stronger.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®And?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®The power I have is very strong, so it won¡¯t only go to you. Other than yourself, a few others within your n will get the power too.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®And?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®My power can be passed down to your descendants. The progress in power you¡¯ve made won¡¯t be directly passed down, but should your descendants continue to train their power like you do, some of those who share your blood may be stronger than you.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®That¡¯s amazing.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak expressed his true thoughts and asked about the elephant in the room.


    <i>¡®So why are you trapped here?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Well¡­it¡¯s because¡­my power is too strong. People stay away from dangerous things like poison or monsters. And if they can¡¯t stay away from it, they trap it and put it away.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak¡¯s face hardened.


    <i>¡®Do you know?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®You just said yourself that you¡¯re dangerous.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Oh.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak huffed.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re hiding something. Or the harm is greater than the benefits of having that power.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®No, that¡¯s not true. If you have the power¡­¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t lie no more. I¡¯m warning you. I can go back right now and block the entrance to this cave that seemed to have been blocked for no apparent reason. Then I could order my warriors to prevent anyone from entering this cave and warn all the descendants of my tribe to never enter.¡¯</i>


    The Electric Stingray was clearly in a state of panic.


    <i>¡®N-No way.¡¯</i>


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s knowledge, the Intelligence of spirits wasn''t that high. However, it wasn¡¯t easy for individuals who entered a Demonic Ruin to resist the temptation of the spirits.


    Sung-Woon then thought to himself.


    <i>¡®As expected, Lakrak is acting like this because of the new ability he gained.¡¯</i>


    [Lakrak (Warrior Lv.4/Tribal Chief Lv.3/High Priest Lv.3)


    Strength 42


    Intelligence 35


    Sociability 38


    Willpower 23


    Trickery 8


    Tribal Chief of Lakrak¡¯s n]


    Lakrak¡¯s new unique ability was Trickery. Sung-Woon judged that this ability was likely expressed now due to Lakrak seeing through Shunen¡¯s tricks and, in reverse, sessfully attacked the Frogmen first.


    <i>¡®...But I still want to have that power. Why don¡¯t we start the deal again, Pzzt?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Pzzt?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®That will be your name from now on.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not Pzzt though.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®My deal starts with me choosing your name. You tried to trick me, so the conditions have to be more favorable to me.¡¯</i>


    Pzzt became sullen.


    <i>¡®...Okay.¡¯</i>


    From behind Lakrak, Sung-Woonughed despite himself.

 Chapter 24: The Harder Way

    <h4>Chapter 24: The Harder Way</h4>


    <i>¡®So¡­what are your other conditions?¡¯?</i>asked Pzzt.


    Lakrak replied as if the answer was obvious.


    <i>¡®Exin why you are dangerous.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®...What?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®If you really have a power that¡¯s worth making a deal for, is there any reason to hide why you¡¯re dangerous? If there is a reason to hide, then it wouldn¡¯t be worth making a deal for.¡¯</i>


    Pzzt hovered in the air.


    <i>¡®Okay. My power is worth taking a risk for.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®What kind of risk?¡¯</i>


    Pzzt fluttered around and slowly flew over one of the Lizardman in Lakrak¡¯s group as they went down the dark stone bridge.


    <i>¡®I originated from an ancient evil.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Ancient evil?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®The ones who ruled over this world a long, long time ago¡­but it was so long ago that their existence was forgotten, and even the gods don¡¯t remember them either¡­ I also can¡¯t recall my origin. One day I just found myself trapped here.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Well, that¡¯s a pity. However, I grew up as an orphan. There¡¯s no need to know who you were born to be. What¡¯s more important is deciding what you¡¯ll do about the days ahead of you.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I-I that so..?¡¯</i>


    Pzzt was a bit thrown off that it gotforted by Lakrak¡¯s words, but soon continued.


    <i>¡®A power of unknown origin is intoxicating to people. Because the source is unknown, this allows one to believe that the power belongs to them when in reality, they just happened to get it by chance. Once they start using such a power, they start to believe they deserve it, and once they start to think that way, they look down on the ones without power.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak found it a bit difficult to understand, but nodded, remembering Beauer¡¯s and Shunen¡¯s situations.


    <i>¡®The Demonic Magic also makes people be like that, right?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Yes. My power spreads indiscriminately.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak tried to predict what would happen if he obtained this power.


    <i>¡®This Electrical Demonic Power seems different from something a god would give. God¡¯s power is only given to those God chose and at God¡¯s discretion. On the other hand, if someone is given a power like this without being deserving of it, others would be jealous and envious. And if that power grows greater and greater¡­there would be people who scorn God.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak then understood the reason why Pzzt was dangerous.


    <i>¡®So Pzzt, why should I take such a risk to have your power?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®My power is strong.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Hm.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®It¡¯s destructive.¡¯</i>


    Pzzt then shed. Lakrak thought he had seen this kind of light from somewhere, and eventually realized what it was. It was like thunder and lightning. Lakrak assumed that the strength of the power determined the intensity of the light it produced. It could be just a small spark at first, but once the power grew and became stronger, it could be thunder and lightning. Lakrak also understood that it would be advantageous in battle if he could produce electricity from his body like the Monster Rats did.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s an appealing power.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®So will you set me free?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I have a condition.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Condition? Oh, okay.¡¯</i>


    Pzzt flew towards Lakrak as if it expected Lakrak to say so and continued to talk.


    <i>¡®You want to have the power for yourself, don¡¯t you? I understand. It¡¯ll probably be difficult, but I think it¡¯s possible. There are a few things you¡¯ll need though. In order for one person to have my power, a ritual of the same level as the Magic will need to be prepared¡­¡¯</i>


    Lakrak shook his head.


    <i>¡®No, I have no intention of keeping the power only to myself.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Then?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®You initially said that the power of Electric Demonic Magic is distributed indiscriminately, but if needed, one person could have the power to themself through a ritual. If both of these are true, wouldn¡¯t it also be possible not to distribute the power indiscriminately, but rather to distribute it to certain chosen individuals?¡¯</i>


    Pzzt seemed puzzled.


    <i>¡®Yes. I haven¡¯t tried it, but I think it would be possible. A small ritual should do, but¡­why do you want to do that? Unless you take all the power for yourself, the results will be simr to just leaving things to chance.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s different.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak exined, <i>¡®If the power is only given to certain people, it¡¯ll seem like it were God¡¯s choice.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®In other words, it won¡¯t be a power from an ancient evil that has no source, but instead a power with a clear source of origin.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®No. It¡¯s not God¡¯s choice though. This power isn¡¯t granted by a god.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak slightly smiled.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s not the important part. If people think it¡¯s God¡¯s gift, then it will be from that point on. What difference does that make? The chosen ones will think that God has given them the powers, and their faith and devotion will reach God.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®What kind of¡­¡¯</i>


    Pzzt tried to argue against Lakrak, but couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. What Lakrak was saying was also true of the system of the Lost World. If those who had Demonic Magic believed it was given to them by chance, there would be penalties in gaining Faith points. On the contrary, however, if those who had Demonic Magic mistook it as a power given to them by a god, it would actually result in more Faith points.


    <i>¡®Then to my second condition.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®There¡¯s more? ¡­And if you include yourself naming me however you wish, this next one would actually be the third condition.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®...Then to my third condition.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®...Just tell me already.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak cast his gaze towards Pzzt.


    <i>¡®You need to believe in God too.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®...Believe in God?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Not just any god. Trust and believe in our Blue Insect God.¡¯</i>


    Pzzt shed in refusal.


    <i>¡®The other conditions are fine, but that will be hard. I am a spirit of Demonic Magic. I was created from an existence that has been around longer than gods.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak lightly hit his tail on the ground. The group who was with Lakrak noticed his difort and checked up on him. Zaol asked if there was something wrong and if the pain in his hand was okay, and Lakrak simply said he was fine.


    Lakrak focused on Pzzt.


    <i>¡®It doesn¡¯t matter who gave birth to you, nor how or why. What¡¯s important is what you¡¯re gonna do going forward. Why do you wanna be set free?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯m¡­I was just made that way. Spirits of Demonic Magic want to widely spread their Demonic Magic to as many beings as possible. That¡¯s the purpose of my life.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®You seem useful enough to me. And our Blue Insect Bug happens to be generous towards useful beings. Our God may listen to and fulfill your desires. The reason why you were made is not important. The reason for one''s own existence is determined by themself, not by the one who created them.¡¯</i>


    Pzzt steadily slowed its fluttering.


    <i>¡®Gods do not like spirits of Demonic Magic.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t judge our God through the lens you look at the world with.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Would your God really ept me?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®If you ept all the conditions I offer. I don¡¯t know all of God¡¯s wishes, but I am the one who understands his wishes best among everyone who knows of him.¡¯</i>


    Pzzt made up his mind.


    <i>¡®ck scaled Lizardman¡­I have actually lied to you about a few things.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®About what?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not just simply trapped in this Ancient Ruin. It is true that a challenger of the ruin must defeat the ruin¡¯s guard, but that guard is under my rule. I control everything in this ruin. I am also the one who sent the Demonic Magic Enchanted Nutria¡¯s to you Lizardmen.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Really.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak was not surprised.


    Pzzt continued to say, <i>¡®But the reason I told you that you needed to defeat the guard¡­¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I think I know why. Isn¡¯t it because the power shouldn¡¯t be given to those who are weak? Because they wouldn¡¯t be able to widely spread your powers.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®That is right. Recently, the Frogmen tribe hade to attempt the challenge. However, they didn¡¯t deserve it.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak thought that was obvious.


    <i>¡®I have deceived you. Aren¡¯t you upset?¡¯?</i>asked Pzzt.


    Lakrak shook his head. He had already expected it, and he was not the type of Lizardman to be upset just because he was deceived without even losing anything.


    <i>¡®I can always forgive when I wish to. Forgiveness isn¡¯t a virtue of a warrior, but I am also the tribal chief. And forgiveness and reconciliation are indeed virtues of a tribal chief.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®...Oh.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®And I understand where you¡¯reing from, not as a warrior, tribal chief, or High Priest, but as a Lizardman, as an individual.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Understand?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Getting twisted isn¡¯t strange after living in a wet, dark ce like this, always looking at Monster Rats. It seems like you could use some fresh air outside and look at beautiful things.¡¯</i>


    Pzzt shed. Lakrak stopped walking and watched it.


    Then Pzzt said, <i>¡®I still don¡¯t know your name. What is your name?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Lakrak.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Lakrak, the test is over. I will ept all the conditions you have offered. Do you also agree to the deal?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Of course.¡¯</i>


    [A Demonic Magic spirit wishes to be subjugated to you. If you ept, you will receive Demonic Magic Area: Electricity. Would you like to ept?]


    [Yes/No]


    Sung-Woon clicked Yes.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯</i>


    The only way to ovee the Demonic Magic penalties was to transfer Demonic Magic to the Divinity Area. Otherwise, each individual that had the Demonic Magic would be marked as Demonic Magic Enchanted, and would not be controble. However, Demonic Magic in the Divinity Area was controble.


    Just as Pzzt epted Lakrak¡¯s conditions, it became possible to give Demonic Magic to certain individuals.


    <i>¡®Transferring it to the Divinity Area doesn¡¯t mean it bes Divinity. It¡¯s not even possible to level it up like other abilities in the Divinity Area. There are restrictions. But not getting penalties is a win of itself, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</i>


    If breaking through the Ancient Ruin was all that was needed to be done to obtain Demonic Power, that would be too easy.


    Lakrak¡¯s group would win even if hundreds of those Monster Rats came attacking them, and if needed, Sung-Woon could always support them by using Faith points. However, subjugating a spirit of Demonic Magic was much more difficult to do. Sung-Woon didn¡¯t even know if it would be possible.


    The only way to find out was to wait and see what would happen depending on each character¡¯s abilities, and Sung-Woon seemed to have gotten lucky again and seeded in doing so.


    ~


    [Demonic Magic Area: Electricity has been acquired!]


    ~


    However, Sung-Woon didn¡¯t think this was mere coincidence.


    <i>¡®Meeting you seems to have been good luck for the both of us, Lakrak.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Nine yearster.


    ***


    ¡°...And that¡¯s how the Blue Insect God gave Lakrak the power of Thunder and Lightning.¡±


    ¡°Wooow.¡±


    ¡°This is the end of the story of how the ¡®Chosen Ones¡¯ came to be among our ck Scaled Lizrdmen Tribe.¡±


    There were two figures standing at the top of a hill. They were in front of a tower made from tombstones and water buffalo bones, stacked and assembled with ster to build a structure tall enough to be seen from far away in the wilderness. This bone tower was built on top of the old one that Lakrak had first created, and was not only used as a way to show faith in the Blue Insect God, but also used as a milestone now.


    Finishing telling the long story, the ck scaled Lizardman among the pair gently dust one of the stone monuments. This Lizardman wore expensiveyers of a fabric called silk, which indicated he belonged to a high social ss.


    ¡°That was an interesting story. But I have a question.¡±


    The man asking the question, on the other hand, looked shabby. On his head was a questionable piece of leather that didn¡¯t seem properly tanned, and he had a bushy beard.


    ¡°The God you believe in is an Insect God, so what does that have to do with thunder and lightning?¡±


    The Lizardman tilted his head. He didn¡¯t seem thrown off by the question though. It was more of a tilt that questioned why this man would be asking about such a thing.


    ¡°What color is lightning?¡±


    ¡°Blue?¡±


    ¡°And what do we call our God?¡±


    ¡°...Blue Insect God?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡±


    Then the Lizardman patted the human on the shoulder. The human did not understand what the Lizardman meant by that.


    <i>¡®Lizardmen are always convinced and swayed by the strangest things. They¡¯re so odd.¡¯</i>


    This man didn¡¯t think being odd was necessarily a bad thing though.


    <i>¡®I might be able to take advantage of the fact that they¡¯re odd.¡¯</i>


    Hiding his innermost thoughts, he then asked the Lizardman, ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t even gotten your name while listening to this long story. What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Me? My name is Owen.¡±


    The man was surprised.


    ¡°Oh no. I didn¡¯t even recognize an important figure.¡±


    ¡°Important figure? You must be kidding. What is your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­wait. I think there''s some uninvited guestsing over from there.¡±


    Where the human was pointing at, a group of armed Gnolls were climbing the hill.

 Chapter 25: Two Men in the Wilderness

    <h4>Chapter 25: Two Men in the Wilderness</h4>


    Gnolls.


    This hyena-like species had protruding snouts and ck spots on their brown bodies. They had rough tempers and were obsessive over power structures, so they fought frequently amongst themselves, but the overall opinion of the yers of The Lost World was that they were still worthy of consideration despite all these shorings. Their physical ability and intelligence were both high on average, so they were known to be a good species to have at the start of the game regardless of what the yer¡¯s Small Area was.


    But these facts about the game had no bearing on Owen and the unknown man next to Owen.


    The man said to Owen, ¡°What are you gonna do? As far as I know, Gnolls and Lizardmen aren¡¯t really on good terms right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Owen looked down with a bored face.


    ¡°There¡¯s still time until they reach the top of the hill, so let¡¯s think about what to do. It also doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯ve noticed us yet. Do you think they are Salkait¡¯s men?¡±


    Salkait was the tribal chief of the Gnoll tribe, Ears Cut Tribe, which were hostile towards the ck-Scaled Lizardmen. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen from the south and the Ears Cut Tribe from the northeast were the tworgest tribes of the wilderness, so all the other smaller tribes had great interest in the two.


    Salkait and Lakrak believed in different gods. Therefore, it was inevitable for both tribal chiefs to be hostile towards each other.


    The man next to Owen took great interest in whether the two tribes were going to fight, and if they did, who would win. No human tribe, at least within this specific wilderness, would beparable to these two powerful tribes.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    That was what the man said, but he decided to reply with a bit of sincerity as his opponent was Owen, the storyteller. The man took a closer look at the Gnoll grouping up the hill and came to a conclusion.


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re Salkait¡¯s men.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°Well, first of all, it¡¯s strange that they woulde to this area. If they were Salkait¡¯s men and part of the Ears Cut Tribe, Lakrak would definitely know of theming this way, and they wouldn¡¯t be wandering around here so fearlessly. What if they were to encounter Lakrak¡¯s scouting party?¡±


    ¡°The Gnolls always travel in groups, and they are always full of confidence. They might be thinking they could defeat the scouting party.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess that is true¡­ They¡¯reing towards the bone tower that is visible from the bottom of the hill. What if they¡¯re unlucky and encounter Owen the storyteller, who happened to be inscribing writing on the tombstone? In my opinion, those Gnolls don¡¯t have anything in mind.¡±


    Owen shrugged and said, ¡°Then who do you think they are?¡±


    ¡°I think they used to be part of Salkait¡¯s tribe, but were driven out because of infighting. That kind of situation ismon for Gnolls. They might look armed, but if you look closely, it¡¯s clearly a sham. That one doesn¡¯t even have a knife. He¡¯s just holding a wooden club.¡±


    Owenughed.


    ¡°I agree. But I think it''s because they aren¡¯t cautious of their surroundings at all. If they were kait¡¯s scouting party, they would search the mountain ridge first and wouldn¡¯t take that smooth path. They look tired and exhausted, so they are vagrants.¡±


    The man looked at Owen with interest.


    <i>¡®I guess the rumors of Owen being wise isn¡¯t a false reputation after all. Then I wonder how great Lakrak, the one that Owen follows, would be.¡¯</i>


    The man then asked, ¡°So what are you gonna do?¡±


    ¡°Kick them out.¡±


    ¡°Even if they¡¯re not part of the Ears Cut Tribe?¡±


    ¡°If they were a scouting party of the Ears Cut Tribe, they would actually be friendly. They would know that getting into such a trivial battle is meaningless, and both scouting parties would rather have a meal together and try to get information from each other.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary¡­these Gnolls are just hungry looters.¡±


    The man agreed. He wanted to say something, and hesitated, but eventually ended up saying it.


    ¡°You would think differently if they were Lizardmen vagrants or human vagrants, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I trust Lizardmen and humans. But not Gnolls.¡±


    The man understood what Owen meant and nodded.


    Owen took out his weapon and said, ¡°You can stay here.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay? Alone?¡±


    Owen shook his hand without answering and slowly walked down the hill.


    The man thought this was good.


    <i>¡®Maybe I¡¯ll see a rare sight.¡±</i>


    From the top of the hill, the man saw Owen reach for the bow that was around his shoulder. The man recognized the bow right away.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s the ck-Scaled Lizardmen¡¯sposite bow.¡¯</i>


    Theposite bow was made from therge water buffaloes that the ck-Scaled Lizardmen were raising, and it was one of the bows that could shoot the farthest out of all the other bows in the wilderness. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen only produced a specific number of the bows to arm each of their warriors, and they wouldn¡¯t ever trade them for anything, so theposite bows of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen that others had were either extremely expensive or counterfeits.


    <i>¡®But why is he taking out his bow already? It¡¯s still too far¡­¡¯</i>


    As if rebutting the man¡¯s thoughts, Owen took out an arrow from the quiver around his waist and shot it. Owen did move a little down the hill, but the distance between him and the Gnolls was still over a hundred steps.


    The Gnoll¡¯s were marching with their heads down so they hadn¡¯t spotted Owen. As Owen let go of the bowstring, the man thought Owen had missed, but then he saw one of the Gnolls fall to the ground.


    <i>¡®Did he kill him right away? No, I guess not.¡¯</i>


    The man had good vision.


    The arrow hit the shield that the Gnoll at the very front had tied around their arm. But the arrow shot was so strong that it knocked the Gnoll over.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s an enemy attack!¡±


    The Gnolls panicked and barely spotted Owen. Once they saw that it was only one person, they ran towards Owen. There were a few Gnoll¡¯s that had bows, but they were made of wood, and Owen was higher up on the hill than they were, so their arrows didn¡¯t even reach Owen¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Lizardman! You stinky Lizardman! What are you doing!¡±


    Owen shot a few more arrows without replying. All hit ces that wouldn¡¯t wound the Gnolls, but with enough force to make the Gnolls lose bnce. All the Gnolls ended up rolling down the hill as a result of either getting hit or trying to avoid the arrows.


    The man was impressed.


    <i>¡®Huh, it would be easier to shoot and kill them now.¡¯</i>


    However, three Gnoll¡¯s sessfully got to Owen. They pulled out their bronze swords and charged at him.


    ¡°You damn Lizardman!¡±


    Owen easily dodged all three sword attacks, took out three arrows from his quiver at the same time, and intentionally aimed at the Gnolls¡¯ feet. The three arrows hadn¡¯t pierced through their feet, but through their shoes and buried into the ground. In an instant, the three Gnolls were pinned down.


    Owen huffed and said, ¡°You stinky feet don¡¯t deserve to step into this holy ce.¡±


    <i>Rrrrrr¡­</i>


    The three Gnolls, the Gnolls that rolled down the hill, and the man at the top of the hill all felt chills rush through their bodies, making their hairs stand.


    One of the Gnolls then remembered the famous legend among the ck-Scaled Lizardmen.


    The Gnoll gasped and said, ¡°The chosen one?¡±


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The Gnolls closed their eyes at the loud noise, but their eyelids didn¡¯tpletely shield them from the intense light. They got knocked off their feet by the great force and barely stood up again.


    Owen said whileughing, ¡°Oh no, did I miss?¡±


    Only the man who was far away, saw exactly what happened. A powerful thunderbolt had shot out of Owen¡¯s empty hand and left trails on the ground, where the Gnolls had been.


    <i>¡®Crazy.¡¯</i>


    The three Gnolls yanked out the arrows that had pierced through their shoes and helped the other Gnolls get up and run away.


    Owen then went to where the Gnolls had run away from and collected his arrows, which hadn¡¯t been broken, before walking back to the man.


    ¡°Oh my. It¡¯s been a while since I used my power¡­¡±


    Owen took out a long stick from his silk coat. The end of the stick was round and empty. Owen opened up a small pouch, took out some dry grass, put the grass into the empty hole, and pressed it in with his finger. He then lightly flicked his finger and created a spark. As the dry grass caught fire, Owen took a deep breath. And as he breathed out, a white smoke billowed out from his mouth.


    The man knew what the stick was.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a smoking pipe and tobo. The ritual tool that the chosen ck-Scaled Lizardmen use. Do they need to smoke that herb after they use their power?¡¯</i>


    The man waited for Owen to finish the tobo.


    Owen noticed the man¡¯s silence and said, ¡°You can ask me things if you want to¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ Why do you go around alone when you have that much power?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How would I go around alone if I didn¡¯t have this power?¡±


    The man couldn¡¯t find fault in his logic.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make my question clearer. Owen, why do you follow someone when you¡¯re this powerful? There would be others who follow you within the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe, and even if there isn¡¯t, you would be able to find other Lizardmen somewhere out there and live afortable life. From what I know, the storyteller Owen always goes around alone, like a vagrant. Lonely and dangerous.¡±


    Owenughed as if he just heard a funny story.


    ¡°I have my reasons. I have a lot of sins.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a sinner? But I¡¯ve seen so many Lizardmen that respect you.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­I am a sinner, but it is also true that I have been forgiven by many of those in our tribe. It¡¯s more of a personal atonement issue though.¡±


    ¡°Atonement?¡±


    ¡°It means that I can¡¯t forgive myself.¡±


    ¡°Now I get what you mean.¡±


    Owen then said as the man nodded, ¡°But there was a way I could be forgiven, and this was it. I go around telling stories of the Blue Insect God and Lakrak, the tribal chief, through storytelling and writing. Well, also sometimes giving fear.¡±


    Owen looked at the bottom of the hill to see if the Gnolls wereing back. They were spotted in a distance still running away from the hill. Owen counted how many there were and assumed they wouldn¡¯t return today. If he had killed one or two of them, they would have run away ande back for revenge.


    <i>¡®Then the dragonflies would have been a bit fierce today.¡¯</i>


    Owen said while tucking away his smoking pipe, ¡°Come to think of it¡­your¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, they call me Hwee.¡±


    ¡°Hwee? Hm. Where are you heading, Hwee? You said I was a vagrant, but you seem like one too.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Hwee scratched his beard and continued to say, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not a vagrant. I came from Automation.¡±


    Automation was an isted valley located at the southwest end of the wilderness. A human tribe had settled down where the springs flowed, and at the entrance of the valley was a fortress made from soil. It was called a fortress, but it actually wasn¡¯t built by humans. It was named Automation because, through an ancient Mystery, there existed ancient mud soldiers reaching a human¡¯s waist in height that continuously restored the fortress when it broke down. And because of this, the human tribe that seeded in upying the ce were able to protect themselves from the otherrge tribes. Automation was also a ce that the Ears Cut Gnolls and ck-Scaled Lizardmen were keeping an eye on.


    ¡°I see. Are you an errand boy from Automation?¡± asked Owen.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m on my way to the ck-Scaled Lizardmen to deliver the words of the lord of Automation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my bad. I didn¡¯t recognize a guest. Well, that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by good?¡±


    ¡°I was also on my way to see Lakrak. I¡¯ll take you to the ck-Scaled Lizardmen,¡± replied Owen.


    ¡°Oh, will you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course. But it¡¯s prettyte today, so what do you think of leaving early at dawn tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Dawn? Not morning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of following the stars.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a guest, so I should also treat you generously.¡±


    Owen whistled, and Hwee turned towards the grass. There was a harsh looking chicken which was about 2.5 meters tall.


    Hwee took out his sword.


    ¡°Cockatrice?¡±


    ¡°No, but you were halfway there. It¡¯s a Cuorca, not a Cockatrice.¡±


    The man then realized what it was.


    <i>¡®This is that famous Cockatrice and chicken¡­crossbreed. I¡¯m not sure how the Lizardmen even made it possible¡­¡¯</i>


    The Cuorcas were a creature that only a small portion of the Lizardmen warriors could ride. Overall, it had the appearance of a Cockatrice, but it was smaller and more gentle. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen weren¡¯t able to tame Cockatrices, but they did seed in crossbreeding Cuorca. Alongside the chosen ones, these Cuorca warriors were one of the main reasons the ck-Scaled Lizardmen had a both prestige and evil reputation.


    <i>¡®The ck-Scaled Lizardmen ride Cuorcas, which can run several times faster than people, and shoot theirposite bows hundreds of steps away from their targets. These Cuorcas don¡¯t even be scared when approached. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen warriors actually wish for them to fight back when that happens¡­ I don¡¯t think they would be scared though.¡¯</i>


    The two men ate dinner together, and afterwards, they talked about the difference between humans, Lizardmen, and Gnolls. They also talked about the grasshopper outbreak down south of the wilderness, and about the Blue Insect God that Owen always wanted to talk about,te into the night.


    ***


    At dawn the next day, they rode the Cuorca and went on their way. To not only Hwee¡¯s but also Owen¡¯s surprise, the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe weren¡¯t far away. Owen had expected them to have moved further along.


    The herd of water buffaloes was seen in the distance, and as they headed towards the huts that had been built, they heard wailing.


    Hwee carefully asked, ¡°Is there¡­a funeral?¡±


    Owen nodded. Owen had an idea what kind of funeral it was by the looks of it, as the ck-Scaled Lizardmen held different funerals for individuals of different statuses.


    ¡°I think one of the chosen ones has died.¡±

 Chapter 26: The Last Joke

    <h4>Chapter 26: The Last Joke</h4>


    Half a day ago.


    The ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe.


    ***


    An errand boy came to Lakrak and whispered something to him.


    ¡°He asked for me?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. He said his life is on the line and that he doesn''t think he could speak to you unless it is now.¡±


    Lakrak nodded and shouted over his shoulder, ¡°Stop the procession.¡±


    As Lakrak shouted, each Lizardman warrior in the middle of the other processions repeated his words to all the other Lizardmen.


    ¡°Stop the procession!¡±


    ¡°The chief said to stop the procession!¡±


    ¡°Stop! Orders from the tribal chief.¡±


    The processions of ck-Scaled Lizardmen that wererge enough to make dust clouds instantly stopped at Lakrak¡¯s orders. Lakrak sat on top of arge, monstrous bird and watched the processions stop sequentially. With the bird as his mount, Lakrak was high up enough to easily take in the whole scene.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Those who had never met Lakrak wouldn¡¯t know, but the ck-Scaled Lizardmen hadn¡¯tpletely failed in taming Cockatrices. Therge, monstrous bird was a Cockatrice that was over 3.5 meters tall, and Lakrak was the only individual who somewhat seeded in taming one. One could think it was a shame there was only one special case, but it was due to the sess of taming therge, monstrous bird that the Cuorcas were born.


    Lakrak said to the errand boy, ¡°Tell the star catcher that I will be there soon.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Also tell him to stay alive until then.¡±


    The errand boy smiled and replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    As Lakrak got down from therge, monstrous bird, Zaol, who was following behind him, came down from her Cuorca and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Apparently the star catcher wants to see me. Also saying that his life is on the line.¡±


    ¡°...Oh. Then we should stop here for today. And¡­¡±


    Lakrak nodded as Zaol¡¯s voice trailed off.


    ¡°That old wise man has correctly predicted the days ahead of us as well as his own, so I think he will be correct again this time. I¡¯ll leave the funeral preparation to you, Yur.¡±


    ¡°Okay. It¡¯ll be a sad night,¡± replied Yur.


    Lakrak gave Yur a separate order and walked to the star catcher.


    ***


    The old Lizardman had done a lot for Lakrak and the ck-Scaled Lizardmen. He went by many names - old vagrant, elder, one-armed Lizardman, guide, as well as star catcher¡ªbecause he refused to respond to only one name. But now, he was mostmonly referred to as the Elder by the tribe members


    The star catcher had first led Lakrak and his n from the hill with the tower all the way to where the Frogmen had initially settled down, and after that, he led them to more ces farther away.


    Lakrak had learned how to look at the stars from him, so the two always talked about stars. The star catcher even named the stars so others would be able to learn as well, and as a result, the warriors, herbalists, and buffalo herders all learned how to read the stars to prevent getting lost.


    Before, the Lizardmen had always learned about the earth and believed that the earth provided them with everything, and thus they weren¡¯t too keen on learning things about the sky. As time passed, though, they came to realize that knowledge about the sky was useful.


    Those who went away from the tribe and got lost found their ways back by looking at the stars, and those who wanted to sleep by the rivers looked at how low the birds flew, and by the movement of the stars, the Lizardmen were able to know when flowers bloomed and when nts withered.


    The intelligent ck-Scaled Lizardmen wanted to gain more knowledge of the earth and the sky, so they would go to the star catcher to discuss and explore more about where the stars came from, how the positions of the stars had changed, and how they would change in the future. And oftentimes, the end of another busy day would find Lakrak sitting down with the star catcher, tired but with anguid look on his face. The star catcher would sit with his back hunched but his eyes shining, and they would exchange questions and answers between them.


    Lakrak used to give gifts to thank the star catcher for continuously teaching the young Lizardmen about his wisdom even though he was old and tired, but the star catcher always turned the gifts down with a wave of his hand.


    ¡°How could I ept this considering all that the tribal chief has done for me? You were the one who epted me even when I was a vagrant.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to thank me for. It wasn''t just me who epted you, it was the whole tribe.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s true I have at least one person to thank. It would be better if you take this gift back.¡±


    The star catcher was good with words, and it was hard for Lakrak to win an argument with him. However, Lakrak was quick-witted. He would quickly hide his gifts in the star catcher¡¯s tent when the star catcher wasn¡¯t looking during their conversations. And when the star catcher found these gifts and brought them back to Lakrak, asking where they came from, Lakrak would say he knew nothing of them.


    They spent many years making these small jokes. Lakrak suddenly realized that these small jokes woulde to an end, and he felt like a part of his heart was tearing apart.


    As Lakrak entered the star catcher¡¯s tent, a herbalist, who was beside the star catcher¡¯s bed, got up.


    ¡°Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°Chief, elder¡­has lived a very long time¡­and is very exhausted now.¡±


    With his eyes half closed, the star catcher opened his mouth and said, ¡°...and tired.¡±


    The herbalist nodded.


    ¡°Elder has studied a lot and taught a lot of people, he has traveled back and forth, here and there, even to ces I¡¯ve never been. He has lost an arm, got kicked out, and remained as a loner for a long time. There will alwayse a time when we be extremely exhausted. As far as I know, there¡¯s only one cure to this illness.¡±


    ¡°To sleep forever.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is right.¡±


    Lakrak slowly nodded and admitted what he hadn¡¯t wanted to admit.


    ¡°Alright. If it¡¯s okay with you, could you stay¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to speak alone with the chief.¡±


    The herbalist nodded without saying anything else and quietly exited the tent. All that remained in the tent was Lakrak, the star catcher, and a torchlight.


    ¡°So, I heard you wanted to see me.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to indulge in some extravagance before I leave.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by extravagance?¡±


    The star catcher replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about you, but I think time is very valuable. I have lived my life without greed and tried to take as little as possible of what belonged to others, but this is myst moment. So I wanted to steal time from the busiest Lizardmen in this tribe.¡±


    Lakrakughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s funny. But I don¡¯t think you would have called me just for onest joke.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re right. I wanted to see you because I had a question. Anyone other than you wouldn¡¯t be worthy enough to answer.¡±


    ¡°Worthy, huh.¡±


    ¡°Think of it as a question not for tribal chief Lakrak, but for High Priest Lakrak. The first chosen one, and the one closest to God.¡±


    ¡°Ask away.¡±


    The star catcher seemed to struggle to sit up, and Lakrak, who wasn¡¯t sure what to do, helped him. The star catcher barely sat upright even with Lakrak¡¯s support. He sat facing Lakrak and looked at Lakrak with his murky eyes. Lakrak slowly returned to his spot and sat down. The torchlight crackled.


    ¡°What happens when I die?¡±


    Lakrak was silent. He wasn¡¯t sure either.


    There were stories people talked about. For the past few years, the ck-Scaled Lizardmen had fought big battles, and warriors had died. However, Lakrak had no way of knowing where the dead had gone. He prayed for them to go to a good ce at their funerals, but it wasn¡¯t possible to know whether they really did go to a good ce or not. At least not until Lakrak himself died.


    <i>¡®Where would they have gone? Do they dream because they are asleep? An eternal dream? Would they dream of an eternal dream where they don¡¯t know who they are or why they are there, and can¡¯t understand anything? Or¡­¡¯</i>


    The star catcher seemed anxious, just like Lakrak.


    ¡°Do you also think we will have eternal nightmares?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. To be honest¡­¡±


    Lakrak hesitated and continued to answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure why you think I¡¯m worthy enough to answer that question.¡±


    ¡°I think of it this way.¡±


    ¡°What way?¡±


    ¡°The Blue Insect God saved us when we were lost, and so I believe he will guide us even after we¡¯re dead¡­ Do you think this is far from God¡¯s will?¡±


    Lakrak thought about it for a long time and answered, ¡°No. I think you are right, star catcher. Our Blue Insect God will dly guide us when we are lost. Even after we die.¡±


    The star catcher had a somewhat satisfied look on his face and asked, ¡°What kind of ce do you think it will be?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the ce we go to after we die?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We would sit like we are now, and God would sit in front of us. Do you think things will start with an awkward hello?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I think it''ll be less boring than that.¡±


    Lakrak crossed his arms and continued to say, ¡°First, there would be a huge space so that you could run as much as you want. A space where, everytime you take a step, there would be a slight crunch, and the tip of your tail would pleasantly pass through meadow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too old to run.¡±


    ¡°You would be better. Wouldn¡¯t you be leaving your old body?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I walked and ran a lot when I was young.¡±


    ¡°There would also be arge boulder to rest on when you feel tired.¡±


    ¡°What do you think the weather will be like?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll always be good. No, it won¡¯t be fun if it¡¯s always the same, so sometimes it¡¯ll be gloomy and rainy. Now that I think of it, it would also be nice if there¡¯s a river.¡±


    ¡°I want there to be a house that I can rest in.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t there probably be some? Would they be made out of mud? Wood? Or a tent?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t really like tents. This elder right here has be sick of moving around. A tent implies moving somewhere again.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    The star gazer was also a guide, so Lakrak was sorry that he didn¡¯t know sooner how the star catcher felt.


    The star catcher shook his head.


    ¡°However, I found a ce for my heart to settle down at, so I have no otherints while I am still alive. After I die is the problem.¡±


    ¡°The house you wish for will be there. A sturdy one that doesn¡¯t move anywhere¡­ It might be a house built with rocks.¡±


    ¡°What do you think about the food?¡±


    ¡°You would probably always be able to eat as much as you want.¡±


    ¡°It seems like everything would be there. I think I might feel lonely being alone in a big ce like that.¡±


    Lakrak shrugged.


    ¡°Alone? There are already those who have gone before us, and we¡¯ll all be there someday. You won¡¯t be lonely. Let¡¯s talk about stars when we meet again. We still have lots to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Do you think there will be stars there too?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lakrak, who was unsure of the afterlife, replied as if it was obvious this time.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the stars show us the way? There will be those who wander around lost there too, so God will have definitely put stars in the sky. For them to easily find a way back.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    The star catcher smiled. Then he swayed as if he was losing all his energy.


    ¡°I¡¯m bing sleepy. I better lie down.¡±


    Lakrak helped the star catcher lie down. Then he saw a blue butterflynd on the back of his hand.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    It was a sign. An answer from the Blue Insect God. A sign of positivity.


    Lakrak smiled. The Blue Insect God had been listening to their conversation.


    ¡°Star catcher, do you see this?¡±


    Lakrak slowly brought his hand in front of the star catcher¡¯s eyes, so the butterfly wouldn¡¯t fly away.


    However, there was no response from the star catcher.


    ¡°...Star catcher?¡±


    Lakrak was about to shake the star catcher¡¯s body, thinking he had died, when he realized the star catcher was quietly saying something.


    ¡°...Are you still there?¡± asked the star catcher.


    ¡°I am still here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dark.¡±


    Lakrak realized the star catcher had lost his vision. Death was approaching for him.


    ¡°...Oh, oh no.¡±


    Lakrak felt pity. The blue butterfly was known amongst the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe as a sign of positivity as well as Miracles. Even if it wasn¡¯t this butterfly which glowed with a mysterious blue light, the Lizardmen were always happy when they saw any blue butterfly, thinking it was a good sign.


    <i>¡®The star catcher would certainly recognize it too.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak was agonizing when he suddenly remembered the small joke he would make with the star catcher.


    ¡°...Are you still there?¡± asked Lakrak.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Lakrak whispered into the star catcher¡¯s ear, ¡°I brought you a gift.¡±


    ¡°A gift?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll leave it here.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re thinking of fooling around again.¡±


    ¡°Are you gonna decline my gift again?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll find it right away this time¡­¡± the star catcher murmured and smiled.


    As thest breath of the star catcher reached the blue butterfly, the blue butterfly pped its wings and flew away from Lakrak¡¯s hand.


    Lakrak somehow knew it was hisst breath. Lakrak lightly shook the star catcher¡¯s body while calling his name, and when he confirmed the star catcher was no longer breathing, he called the herbalist in.


    The blue butterfly flew out of the tent and continued flying into the sky. Over the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe as they busily prepared for encampment and the funeral. Then the wilderness where dusk had arrived. Finally, the blue butterflynded on the back of another hand. It was Sung-Woon¡¯s.


    <i>¡®What happens when you die in the Lost World?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon knew well what the answer was.


    [The conditions for creating the Afterlife have beenpleted. Would you like to create the Afterlife?]


    [Yes/No]


    Sung-Woon clicked Yes.

 Chapter 27: The First Prairie

    <h4>Chapter 27: The First Prairie</h4>


    Sung-Woon knew he would eventually create an Afterlife someday.


    After a yer selected their first tribe, and the NPCs in the surrounding areas were defeated, a yer¡¯s Divinity level would reach eleven. It was one of the required conditions to create an Afterlife, and a yer could reach the level if they yed properly in the beginning. Then they would be called Semi-Deities. At that point on, it would be very difficult for XP to increase.


    <i>¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Levels are only one of the additional factors to winning the game. And no one would be at a higher level than I am right now.¡¯</i>


    Though there was another yer that was getting on Sung-Woon¡¯s nerves.


    <i>¡®I think the yer that has the Gnoll tribe is also at level eleven¡­ I should be wary of that yer.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon had been fairly busy for the past few years. He had to take caution of the yers that were slowly starting to expand their areas while also assisting Lakrak in defeating the NPCs nearby.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s why I invested a lot into Small Area: Insects.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak¡¯s n was so far away that they weren¡¯t even aware, but Sung-Woon had three groups of insects. Initially they were merelybeled as groups, but Sung-Woon set a name for each of the insect groups using tags.


    The first group of insects, named Association, were swarms of locusts. Unlike in the past, when the locusts were used to help Lakrak, there was more than one swarm of locusts now.


    They were no longer only active in the penins, but also the wilderness connected to the penins, the continents and mountain regions that extended from the wilderness, and the rivers that flowed to the north. The locust swarms would go far and wide anywhere in those regions during seasons where locusts were active.


    This was possible because Sung-Woon had made a creature to control the groups of locusts through the Essence farming he had done. Association followed the creature¡¯s orders and attacked other yers that Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t directly encountered himself. But Sung-Woon did control the severity of the attacks so that they wouldn¡¯t be fatal.


    <i>¡®That way, the other yers won¡¯t be able to tell the difference between my attacks and the locust attacks that naturally arise from game events.¡¯</i>


    In the Lost World, it wasn¡¯t possible to distinguish if a simple event came from the system or had been conjured by another yer.


    Experienced yers would be able to somewhat guess that Sung-Woon¡¯s locust attacks weren¡¯t game events, but that was okay to Sung-Woon.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m doing well hiding in the outer areas of the penins without encountering the other yers.¡¯</i>


    The evil reputation of Sung-Woon¡¯s locusts groups had spread among the yers that did Agriculture in the center of the continent and along the northern coasts. They all suspected that there was someone with Small Area: Insects, but only turned their gazes to yers around themselves and never thought that it would be Sung-Woon, who wouldn¡¯t even benefit from the attacks immediately because he was located so far away.


    <i>¡®But letting the yers doubt each other makes them lose trust within one another, which makes them less likely to form alliances. Technological advances are also too fast in Agriculture once roads are pioneered. Keeping distance is the only way. So this is worth using my Faith points for.¡¯</i>


    The second insect group was a mixed group of insects named Host. Sung-Woon had used them to attack the Frogmen tribe by theke, but they were barely active now. Just like the creature Sung-Woon made to lead Association, the leader of Host was persistently gathering diseases that Sung-Woon wanted to obtain. Sung-Woon believed that this particr group of insects would be very usefulter on.


    Thest group of insects Sung-Woon had was also a mixed group, and they were called Nest. Sung-Woon had created this group to farm XP for Small Area: Insects. This group mainly consisted of ant hills and bee hives, which were taking over the ecosystems in the southern penins located at the south most side of the wilderness. There was no creature that led Nest, but Sung-Woon thought it would eventually be necessary to have one.


    <i>¡®...So I thought I was doing well without suffering any losses.¡¯</i>


    In the past few years, there hadn¡¯t been any big problems. Sung-Woon intended to take over the entire penins and gather all the Lizardmen. And if time was on his side, he believed it would be possible to do so without running into many issues. The united Lizardmen would naturally gain the upper hand over the other tribes, which would also make them influential. The weaker tribes would have no other choice but to ept and believe in the ck-Scaled Lizardmen¡¯s God.


    However, a Gnoll tribe suddenly appeared from the north. Sung-Woon had to temporarily give up his goal of taking over the penins and led Lakrak¡¯s n north; it was clear that this Gnoll tribe belonged to another yer rather than stemming from an NPC event. The Ears Cut Tribe was a tribe that Sung-Woon should keep an eye out for. They were arge tribe, and since they were a Nomadic tribe rather than an Agricultural one, theirbat power was not to be underestimated. The Lizardmen had Curocas, and the Gnolls had sabertooth tigers. The Gnolls hadn¡¯t been able to advance their bows much, but their metal smelting technology was better than the Lizardmen¡¯s. It was likely a technique that they obtained from a ce Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t been able to explore yet.


    <i>¡®Just by looking at their advancements, the yer might be at a simr level as I am. They also might have created an Afterlife too.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon decided not to think about the opponent that he didn''t know much about. This wasn¡¯t anything out of his predictions, and there were many ways to deal with the situation. The most important thing at the moment was the Afterlife.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m still on the faster side of meeting all the conditions. Level-wise, resource-wise, Faith points-wise, and¡­sufficient deaths.¡¯</i>


    There were four conditions to create an Afterlife. Reaching the necessary levels, killing NPCs such as Abominations and Fiends to obtain special resources, and acquiring enough Faith points were the easier ones out of the four. But thest condition, death, was unclear. Once there were enough deaths of individuals that believed in the yer, then the condition was known to be met. However, the specific form for figuring out how many had to die was not provided in The Lost World, so the yers had to make the calctions and figure it out themselves. There were cases where the condition wasn¡¯t fulfilled no matter how many had died, and there were cases where the conditions were easily met after the death of only a few individuals.


    <i>¡®Some say that it depends on how much Faith points the individual generated¡­but that doesn¡¯t necessarily add up. I can¡¯t figure out what it is. But I¡¯ve already met the conditions, so does it even matter?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon then opened the World Creation Helper ver.2. He knew there woulde a day where he would create an Afterlife, so he had been modeling different kinds of Afterlife he wanted from time to time using the World Creation Helper ver.2, which was provided by the Lost World¡¯s system.


    Just like the Creature Creation Helper Sung-Woon used to make Sratis, there were worlds Sung-Woon had created before and worlds that other yers had made saved in the World Creation Helper program. But just likest time, Sung-Woon decided to make a new one.


    <i>¡®But the basic framework is pre-made. That¡¯s good.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon already knew what kind of Afterlife each species preferred from his previous experiences in ying the game. While Lizardmen all generally preferred the same type of Afterlife, there was a certain kind of world Lizardmen of a young civilization especially favored.


    <i>¡®Green fields with moist, humid air and warm sunny ins.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was somewhat relieved when he heard Lakrak and the star catcher imagining and talking about the Afterlife because the Afterlife he created wasn¡¯t too different from their descriptions.


    <i>¡®The next task would be¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon continued preparing the Afterlife by pressing here and there within the World Creation Helper tab.


    The souls of those who died while having faith in the yer would remain rather than disappear. It was up to the yers if they wanted to collect the souls, and most of the time, they were collected because that was the only way an Afterlife could be created. The souls would be the first ones to set foot in the Afterlife Sung-Woon created.


    <i>¡®Is the star catcher the one with the highest level among all the souls?¡¯</i>


    The Afterlife was a very important element within the Lost World, as it was a factor in determining the view of life after death for those who believed in a god. For example, if an Afterlife of Hell was created, a god could show Priests the image of Hell through dreams. The Priests would then learn from the dreams that those who were wicked would receive eternal punishment, and they would then spread that fact to the other believers.


    <i>¡®That way, the Priests can tell the believers to uphold morality and ethics, but there¡¯s another way topel them to do so.¡¯</i>


    The concept of Hell could be changed depending on a yer¡¯s abilities and utilization. There were multiple ways to inform believers of what could make them go to Hell. yers could have priests tell believers that doing bad things wouldnd them in Hell, but they could also have believers think that attacking a certain species or insulting a specific god could lead to the same fate. This type of gamey wasmon in The Lost World.


    It was alsomon for the concept of Heaven to be used together with Hell.


    <i>¡®There would be no reason to believe in a god if Hell was the only destination after death. Punishments should always be paired with rewards.¡¯</i>


    Therefore, it was also possible to create a world where the believers believed that they would go to Heaven if they attacked a certain species, or insulted a specific god. And it was more than a matter of faith since this actually happened in the Afterlife.


    But it wasn¡¯t possible for Sung-Woon to create an Afterlife of Heaven and Hell just yet.


    <i>¡®I would need at least two Afterlifes, but I can only make one right now. Reincarnation is also difficult because there would need to be judges.¡¯</i>


    As a result, Sung-Woon was only able to create a type of Afterlife called Different Worlds. The Different Worlds were useful Afterlifesmonce throughout history.


    <i>¡®Valha, Water of Forgetfulness, Styx, Limbo¡­ They¡¯re all different from each other, but they all indicate worlds you would go to after you die.¡¯</i>


    These worlds weren¡¯t necessarily individual worlds on their own, but more often used as spaces leading to other Afterlifes. However, these weren¡¯t the only purposes for these worlds.


    <i>¡®Even in Valha, the Afterlife was like a training ce for warriors getting ready for Ragnarok. Afterlifes can really differ depending on how the yers want to use them. If I think about it, there was a time I even won by utilizing the Afterlife well¡­ I did get lucky though.¡¯</i>


    Souls would be immortal as long as an Afterlife existed. It was hard to make use of the knowledge or powers that the souls possessed because it consumed a lot of Faith points, but as the game progressed into theter stages, the souls would be very helpful to the yers.


    <i>¡®...Nevertheless, there¡¯s no need to rush from the start. Many things are still in their inceptions. Let¡¯s think flexibly.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon named his Afterlife as The First Prairie. It was a working title, allowing possibility for future expansion.


    Then The First Prairie that was visible in the World Creation Helper appeared below Sung-Woon¡¯s feet. Sung-Woon opened his possessions window and scattered all the souls into The First Prairie. Hundreds of souls turned into blue wandering butterflies, and theynded on the grasnd. As soon as the spirits that believed themselves to be butterfliesnded on grass, flowers, and dirt, they remembered they used to be Lizardmen and turned back into their original forms before they died. But in The First Prairie, they realized they weren¡¯t injured, exhausted, or had deadly diseases.


    The Lizardmen closed their eyes for a moment to see if this was all a dream, or if it was real. Some fell asleep under the warm sunlight, while others kept their eyes closed in case it was a dream and eventually fell asleep as well. There were also some who opened their eyes again, looking forward to what they would see next.


    Sung-Woon concealed himself.


    There was a soul that Sung-Woon needed to guide personally.

 Chapter 28: The Astronomer

    <h4>Chapter 28: The Astronomer</h4>


    The star catcher blinked.


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    He thought he would be forever sleepy, but when he opened his eyes, he felt refreshed. Lying down, his arms, legs, and tail moved as he wished. He never thought that the pain in his joints would ever go away, even in a dream.


    ¡°...So it doesn¡¯t seem like a dream.¡±


    The star catcher sat up. Immediately, he was presented with an astonishing view.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    It was a green grasnd. A gentle wind swept past, and the star catcher felt the humid but cool air on his nose. He thought his nose felt cold at first, but soon felt the warmth of the sun on his face. All was good.


    The star catcher easily remembered thest conversation he had with Lakrak. The conversation seemed like it had been a dream, but at the same time so very real and vivid.


    ¡°Lakrak, you were right. This is the prairie we imagined¡­ But there¡¯s no stars, or houses made of stone.¡±


    One couldn¡¯t always get what they wished for. There was a chance that houses wouldn¡¯t be needed at this ce.


    The star catcher wasn¡¯t alone. There were other Lizardmen lying on the grass here and there, facing the sky with their eyes closed.


    ¡°Have they not woken up yet?¡±


    The star catcher wandered around wondering whether he should wake the other Lizardmen or not. The Lizardmen looked like they were having a good sleep, so waking them up seemed rude. Among the other Lizardmen, the star catcher saw some familiar faces.


    <i>¡®Oh, this kid¡­¡¯</i>


    It was one of the warriors.


    Once, the ck-Scaled Lizardmen had been attacked by a Goblin tribe four times bigger than Lakrak¡¯s n. Two groups of Goblins cut off the formation of Lakrak¡¯s n in two parts. Lakrak, who was in the front, and Yur, who was in the back, both got their men back into formation and began to fight back. However, the children and elderly that were in the middle of the Lizardmen group were in no ce to do the same.


    <i>¡®...Some of the warriors would go against the chief¡¯s orders if they thought it was necessary.¡¯</i>


    A small number of warriors made sure the formations wouldn¡¯t be broken without them, apologized to their fellow warriors, and charged at the dozens of Goblins. Be it Goblins or ck-Scaled Lizardmen, everyone knew that their life was on the line. And through those heroic sacrifices that no one had wished for, the Lizardmen were able to defeat the Goblin tribe. Some of the Lizardmen survived their heroic act, and some didn¡¯t.


    The Lizardman warrior in front of the star catcher was one of those that hadn¡¯t survived. Lakrak had gotten mad and yelled at those who survived and even at those who died at their funerals. He even yelled at the star catcher.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s all because of arithmetics. Didn¡¯t you teach the warriors arithmetics?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Did you just say it was because of arithmetics?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Yes. All the ones who were smart and good at arithmetics went against my orders and charged at the Goblins. They were so stupid!¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Why is that because of arithmetics?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Sacrificing one life saves two. They thought this was a good exchange,¡¯ replied Lakrak.</i>


    <i>¡®...Oh.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®But the elders and the children can¡¯t protect others. The warriors can.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®So¡­do you think that the warriors were wrong to run into the Goblins?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak was silent for a while and replied, <i>¡®No.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®Then why are you angry?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®That is why I am angry. Because they weren¡¯t wrong. There¡¯s nothing else I can do than be angry.¡¯</i>


    However, what annoyed Lakrak the most was what happened <i>after</i> that. Someone seemed to have overheard the conversation between Lakrak and the star catcher, and all the other warriors who initially didn¡¯t care about arithmetics went to the star catcher to learn afterwards. Since then, the warriors who were good at calctions always died first when there was a fight. And then others would go to the star catcher to learn how to do calctions. The star catcher taught them secretly, being careful not to annoy Lakrak even more.


    The warrior sound asleep in front of the star catcher was the one who led many other warriors of the n to learn calctions. Happy to see the warrior, the star catcher put his hand on the warrior''s shoulder, but pulled back without shaking the warrior awake.


    <i>¡®Yeah. Let¡¯s wake him upter, after he¡¯s had a good sleep. It doesn¡¯t seem like there''s anything to do in this ce anyways.¡¯</i>


    The star catcher assumed that he woke up quicker than the others because he had died recently, and that the others hadn¡¯t escaped the lingering effects of death yet.


    ¡°Anyhow¡­is God not here?¡±


    The star catcher spoke out loud, but his voice simply disappeared into the green field.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve wanted to ask¡­¡±


    The star catcher trailed off. He wasn¡¯t as bold as Lakrak and the other warriors, and he was a bit shy, thinking that God might be listening. Even when Lakrak pointed out that the star catcher was one of the chosen ones, he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    <i>¡®Why us?¡¯</i>


    The star catcher couldn¡¯t quite understand.


    <i>¡®Why did the Blue Insect God save us, protect us, and help us with Miracles? Yur said it was because Lizardmen were better than the other species. But is that really true? The other species seemed to lose either because they didn¡¯t have a god, or their gods weren¡¯t as powerful as ours.¡¯</i>


    The star catcher slowly descended into a dilemma.


    <i>¡®Owen said it was because God is good. But what makes us better than the other species? Are the other species not as kind-hearted as we are?¡¯</i>


    It seemed to be getting hot after being under the sun for a while, but there was a shade within a forest not too far away in the field. This ce really had everything.


    <i>¡®Zaol said God chose the Lizardmen because we would be useful. Then would it be right for us to rely on God? What if we were no longer useful one day?¡¯</i>


    The star catcher thought that Lakrak¡¯s answer was the best out of all the others. Even if it wasn¡¯t the right answer, Lakrak always suggested answers that the star catcher liked.


    <i>¡®Lakrak said it could have been a coincidence. That maybe there was no other choice, just like how we couldn¡¯t be with better species on a betternd. Maybe God did all that he could.¡¯</i>


    In a way, it could sound disrespectful, but the star catcher thought it was okay.


    <i>¡®Because it means we were the best oue.¡¯</i>


    The star catcher¡¯s body slowly cooled down once he got under the shade. He leaned back against a tree and began to hum because he was in a good mood. It was the tune everyone sang after the ck-Scaled Lizardmen defeated the Frogmen and the viges were restored. It had a good rhythm, so everyone liked it, but the star catcher always hummed it because he wasn¡¯t so good at singing. He was even shy about humming it as well, so he only did it when there was no one around.


    Then he heard a rustling. The star catcher blushed and turned around.


    ¡°Who¡­who¡¯s there?¡±


    As the star catcher turned around, he saw a Lizardman tail sticking out from between the trees. Without giving an answer, the tail swayed back and forth before disappearing.


    ¡°So there was someone else who was awake! Who are you? Are you someone I know?¡±


    The star catcher walked into the forest when there was no reply. And soon enough, he saw the tail again between the trees in the distance.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    The tail disappeared as the star catcher called out. The star catcher began to walk faster, thinking he might lose the Lizardman. Walking fast felt awkward as it was something he hadn¡¯t been able to do until now. Then the star catcher broke into a jog and was soon running after the Lizardman, whose tail kept appearing and disappearing among the trees.


    ¡°Hey you!¡±


    The star catcher remembered that he used to enjoy running like this when he was younger. When he was a child, he used to run with a friend that he couldn¡¯t recall the face or name of anymore.


    ¡°Stop! Where are you going!¡±


    The star catcher didn¡¯t feel all that bad while calling after the Lizardman. The tail was leading him somewhere. Once he passed through some bushes, a small clearing appeared.


    There was a stone building. One the star catcher had never seen before. The building was cylindrical, made of rectangr stones, and had a domed ceiling. The tail swayed back and forth at the entrance of the building and suddenly disappeared as if it had gotten sucked inside.


    ¡°They won¡¯t be able to run away as long as they¡¯re in there.¡±


    The star catcher, whose body was hot from all the running, entered the building. There was a blue light at the end of the dark corridor. The light was familiar to the star catcher.


    <i>¡®This light¡­¡¯</i>


    The star catcher walked through the corridor and came face to face with a night sky. Projected to the ceiling was the same night sky of the world that he was familiar with. The stars weren¡¯t drawn, but actual stars that shone on their own, and the depth of the dark sky was no different than the real one.


    ¡°Well¡­you were right, Lakrak. The stone house, and now the stars.¡±


    The star catcher looked around to find the owner of the tail he had been chasing, but the building was empty.


    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s going on here¡­¡±


    However, the star catcher¡¯s attention was already on the night sky and not the tail. He scanned from one end to the other and realized that the sky was even moving the way he had remembered.


    ¡°God moved the night sky exactly as it did.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the end of it. In the middle of the room, there was a strange mechanical device that looked like it would be found in an Ancient Ruin. It was a long cylinder made with brass, and there was a round crystal ss embedded on both ends of the cylinder. It was set up on a tform with a chair to sit on, silently inviting one to look into the strange device.


    For a moment, the star catcher simply stood there, wondering if it would be okay for him to touch the device. He decided it would be fine since there was no one around. After touching different parts of the device, he put his eye to the bottom crystal ss.


    ¡°Oh my, how could this be?¡±


    The star catcher repeatedly moved away from the crystal ss to look at the night sky with his naked eyes and looked back into the ss again. He loosened and tightened the handle on the cylindrical shaped device.


    ¡°Is this what the stars truly looked like? So it is. This was what they looked like. That star would go that way, and this star would go this way¡­ My calctions were right. But I should check again¡­ And what is that?¡±


    The star catcher continuously looked at the mechanical device without bing bored of it when suddenly, a thought came to mind.


    <i>¡®It would be amazing if I could pass this knowledge on to those still alive.¡¯</i>


    In the star catcher¡¯s opinion, knowledge about the stars was one of the ways to do calctions, and if one knew how to do calctions, they could figure out the size and location of everything in the world, which would allow them to predict what would happen in the future. But as far as the star catcher could remember, there had never been a time where someone from the dead had returned.


    <i>¡®Then¡­if you can¡¯t go back once you¡¯re dead, why did God make a ce like this? Just to see an old Lizardmen be happy?¡¯</i>


    The star catcher knew that couldn¡¯t be the case. He stroked the mechanical device.


    <i>¡®God always does his best. He doesn¡¯t do anything for no reason. This knowledge will certainly be useful in the future.¡¯</i>


    The God that the star catcher wanted to meet all this time was right behind him.


    <i>¡®You followed me well, star catcher.¡¯</i>


    The star catcher''s assumptions were right. Eventually, Afterlife would affect the view of life after death and the values of those who believed in God. If warriors went to an Afterlife, the species of the warriors would dream of Valha, and if immortals with special powers entered the Afterlife, their species would dream of a beautiful and peaceful ce.


    <i>¡®Then what if a schr enters the Afterlife?¡¯</i>


    The Afterlife would sometimes change and produce unintended results due to attacks from other yers. But so far, the Afterlife Sung-Woon created was off to a perfect start.


    Sung-Woon gave the star catcher¡¯s back a final look before stepping down from the tform and exiting the first observatory.


    The star catcher got lost in his thoughts.


    <i>¡®I should wake all the other Lizardmen up and teach them how to look at the stars and do calctions. Lizardmen that have more knowledge and are smarter than I am mighte to the Afterlifeter. We¡¯ll have to be taught by them too. But before that¡­ Just a bit more¡­¡¯</i>


    The star catcher then put his eye to the round ss again. The night sky was captured in the eye of the first astronomer.


    ***


    Owen asked one of the Lizardmen passing by who it was that had died, and soon the answer was given to him.


    ¡°The star catcher has died.¡±


    Then Hwee said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about him before. I don¡¯t think today is a good day, so I¡¯ll just¡­¡±


    Owen shook his head and replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad for a traveler toe when we have funerals. We actually believe it''s good luck.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to have one more person to share sadness with, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯ll talk about the star catcher all night today. Once the sun rises tomorrow, you¡¯ll understand our sadness, so juste along.¡±


    Hwee pondered for a moment and nodded.


    Owen and Hwee passed through the tents and walked to the ce where the funeral took ce. All the ck-Scaled Lizardmen recognized Owen, so the two of them were able to get to the funeral without any problems. After seeing all the Lizardmen through the tents, Hwee saw a dead body wrapped in white silkid on top of a tform. And in front of the body was a Lizardmen with a good physique and buffalo horns on his head. The Lizardman wasn¡¯t wearing anything overly decorative or of a unique color, but it could be discerned from how the other Lizardmen treated him that he was someone of high stature.


    Hwee guessed correctly.


    ¡°Is that Lakrak, the chief?¡± asked Hwee.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hm, is it okay for a tribal chief¡­to shed tears?¡±


    At those words, Owen¡¯s eyes becamerge and round as if he couldn¡¯t understand what Hwee meant.


    ¡°Are Humans not like that? You don¡¯t cry when you¡¯re sad?¡±


    1. The original referred to Peach Blossom Spring ???, the fabled utopia where people lead an ideal life.

 Chapter 29: A Lump of Rock Salt

    <h4>Chapter 29: A Lump of Rock Salt</h4>


    ¡°No, we do. Our chiefs cry as well. But Human chiefs would not cry in front of others. Because they have their reputations.¡±


    ¡°Reputation?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    Hwee let out a little sigh. There were different values that different species held, which were hard for each other to understand.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s like this even when we speak the samenguage.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately enough, Hwee did not have to exin what reputation meant. Owen had met lots of Humans as a vagrant.


    ¡°No, I know what reputation is. It is not too difficult to understand. If the tribal chief shows a weak side, the warriors will think the chief is a weak person, right? But don¡¯t try to exin this to the other Lizardmen. They will not understand.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°There is something we consider more important than reputation.¡±


    Owen and Hwee saw tears rolling down Lakrak¡¯s face and dripping on the floor. When Hwee was about to ask what was more important, Lakrak turned around to face Owen and Hwee.


    Lakrak gently wiped his tears with his thumb and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Owen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯mte,¡± replied Owen.


    ¡°Mm, you arete¡­but not toote. You still have the chance to see the star catcher off.¡±


    Owen and Hwee both went up to Lakrak.


    ¡°Your words have made me feel slightly better, chief.¡±


    ¡°Who is the Human friend next to you?¡±


    ¡°I met him on my way here. He is Hwee, an errand boy of Automation. He said he hase to deliver the words of the lord of Automation.¡±


    Hwee bowed to Lakrak in courtesy.


    ¡°I am Hwee from Automation.¡±


    Lakrak looked down at Hwee and beckoned Owen over. Lakrak and Owen had a couple whispered exchanges with each other, and Hwee, who had good vision and good hearing, tried to eavesdrop on what they were saying, but couldn¡¯t hear anything.


    <i>¡®...I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak then said to Hwee, ¡°You must havee a long way, but I¡¯m sorry. We have to stay up all night today, so I wanna get right to the point. What do you think about that, Hwee?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good with that.¡±


    ¡°Good. Follow me.¡±


    Hwee was somewhat prepared for what might happen. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Lizardmen warriors jumped out and attacked him from the tents, or if Lakrak drew his sword. However, no such thing happened. Hwee entered the biggest tent with Lakrak.


    ¡°So, what brought you here?¡±


    Hwee respectfully took out a pouch from his pocket and handed it to Lakrak.


    ¡°First, please ept this gift.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Lakrak opened the pouch. There seemed to be a muted white piece of rock inside. As soon as Lakrak held it in his hand, he knew what it was right away.


    ¡°It¡¯s rock salt.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is this a gift from the lord of Automation?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak knew it was not just a simple gift. Salt itself was a precious thing, while giving a lump of rock salt the size of a fist as a present was more of an insult. But Lakrak knew the lord of Automation didn¡¯t intend to insult him with this. There were things that gave context to the gift.


    Automation had a real rampart that could not be found in modern times. Some species that did Agriculture had put up wooden fences to defend their viges, but the fences weren¡¯t too strong. And because earthen ramparts took too muchbor to maintain, they weren¡¯t good options, either. Until proper construction techniques and fortress architecture were developed, these types of ramparts were used to protect the species doing Agriculture, but they came with a lot of ws.


    On the other hand, Automation, which was an ancient fortress ruin, was over five meters tall and shrouded in mysteries. At the earthen rampart of Automation were mysterious mud soldiers with self-repairing function, which allowed them to automatically rebuild the castle in the event that the castle copsed. The mud soldiers were slow and unintelligent, so they were not very useful in battle, but in emergencies, they could be used as troops to defend the castle.


    Automation also had geographical advantages. There were two routes to get from the north to the northwest of the penins. One was to go through the wilderness, and the other was to pass through a rugged mountain valley below the Automation castle. The average vagrant would be hard pressed to pick one over the other, but those who knew both paths well usually preferred the mountain valley.


    First, even though the path was rugged, it was easier to pass through and less dangerous than the wilderness, which was easy to get lost in. Second, the mountain valley was the shorter path. Andst but not least, it was because Automation was there.


    In the wilderness, once a vagrant ran out of water and food, they would have to pray for a spring to appear as a miracle, but Automation, on the other hand, at least gave water to vagrants.


    <i>¡®That means¡­¡¯</i>


    Automation could cut off the way to the inner region of the continent. Their castle itself did notpletely block the middle of the mountain valley, but if Automation had enough troops, they could pressure those who passed by the castle.


    Lakrak believed that even though the ck-Scaled Lizardmen and Automation had a neutral rtionship, if the Humans of Automation believed they could benefit from even a single betrayal, they would do it.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t be certain if we¡¯ll eventually go out into thergernd¡­but the Blue Insect God is cautious about the continent and the northern region. Then there''s a need to ensure safety when passing through the mountain valley.¡¯</i>


    Past the mountain valley was a path leading to the north and northwest part of the continent.


    <i>¡®And there¡¯s another thing as important as the path.¡¯</i>


    Automation wasn¡¯t simply just an Ancient Ruin built in a remote ce. Inside Automation was a salt mine.


    <i>¡®Salt.¡¯</i>


    The Humans inside Automation weren¡¯t very strong, so the amount of salt they could mine wasn¡¯t much, but it was still salt.


    Salt was an important resource, especially in Livestock Farming. Carnivores and omnivores were able to maintain their sodium levels in their bodies by eating other animals, but that wasn¡¯t the case for herbivores.


    Herbivores wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain sodium levels in their body just by eating nts. Therefore, herbivores would consume minerals by licking rocks that had salt on them and also swallowed soil. However, in cases where herbivores were artificially fed by Humans and continued to travel long distances, they would rarely, if ever, have the chance to consume the minerals they needed. Herbivores thatcked sodium in their bodies would vomit or have upset stomachs due to hyponatremia, and eventually die due to kidney failure. Salt was especially important to those that were pregnant.


    Once the ck-Scaled Lizardmen got on track with Livestock Farming, they continuously required excessive amounts of salt. Salt was also used for things other than Livestock Farming. Not only was it used for seasoning food when cooking, it was also needed to preserve food; it¡¯d be increasingly difficult to rely only on smoking as the ck-Scaled Lizardmen¡¯s livestock herd gotrger. Salt was also used for chemical treatments, such as dye or leather tanning, and it was used for washing things and when holding funerals. Other uses included fertilizer or even currency, but the ck-Scaled Lizardmen didn¡¯t use salt for these purposes.


    <i>¡®And I know that a lot of supplyes from Automation.¡¯</i>


    Salt from the far coast was not affordable because it was too expensive to bring ind, and the supply from saltkes wascking as there weren¡¯t too many saltkes around. That made Automation thergest salt producer in the area.


    <i>¡®The fact that a lump of rock salt was given from such a ce means¡­¡¯</i>


    ¡°This is the first rock salt that the lord of Automation is giving you for nothing in return,¡± said Hwee.


    ¡°The first time means there would be a second and a third?¡±


    ¡°There will be even more after that.¡±


    With his face partially concealed by his beard and the leather hood he wore, Hwee smiled and said, ¡°Please ept it.¡±


    Lakrak nodded and held the rock salt in his hand. He then clenched the fist holding the rock salt. It crumbled and fell through Larkak¡¯s fingers.


    Lakrak then said while shaking his hand, ¡°Tell the lord that I have received it well.¡±


    Hwee clenched his teeth.


    ¡°What have you done?¡±


    ¡±Oh, you would not know because you do not have a god. This is just¡­one of our rituals. If you sprinkle a small lump of rock salt on the ground¡­um, God is pleased. That¡¯s all you really need to know.¡±


    The Humans of Automation did not have a god, but Hwee knew that was a brazen lie.


    ¡°It was a gift from the lord of Automation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small lump of rock salt. And I used it well. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    .


    ¡°You would know that¡¯s not what the gift meant. Didn¡¯t I also tell you that the lord of Automation said there would be a second and third time and even more? And the size would be bigger.¡±


    ¡°I did hear that the lord of Automation was wealthy, but him sending a person to give this amount of rock salt is a bit extravagant. You¡¯re right though. I hope that next time you will bring a lot more to trade. It¡¯s good that it¡¯s not rainy season.¡±


    Hwee almost yelled in anger. However, it was not that they weren¡¯t seeing eye to eye because they were a different species. Lakrakpletely crumbled the lump of rock salt that Hwee gave him. While Lakrak¡¯s actions were rough, it was not rude per se as a way toplete the diplomatic procedure. In the end, Lakrak did receive the salt and use it. There was nothing the lord of Automation could say.


    <i>¡®He seems like an experienced lizard.¡¯</i>


    Hwee swallowed his anger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk seriously. Why have you declined the gift? Don¡¯t you need salt?¡±


    Lakrak stayed seated with disinterest and looked out the tent. He seemed to be looking at the stars.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you head back home now?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just go back like this.¡±


    Then Lakrak turned to Hwee and said, ¡°...Okay, Hwee, Human that came from Automation. Let¡¯s talk. To be honest with you, I don¡¯t really enjoy¡­what do you call it¡­saving one¡¯s face¡­and finding hidden meanings in words¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about diplomacy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that. I don¡¯t really get that. Nor do I like it. I like direct conversations better.¡±


    ¡°...Okay, Lakrak. Let¡¯s have a direct conversation. Why did you decline?¡±


    With his arms crossed, Lakrak raised a finger.


    ¡°First of all, I don¡¯t like epting offers that others have rejected.¡±


    ¡°...What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°If someone else has turned it down, it means the offer wasn¡¯t worth it. It might be a better offer for me, but it¡¯s still something to reconsider.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s not correct. The lord only made this offer to you¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Do you really think Owen coincidentally ran into you and brought you here because you were lucky?¡±


    Hwee gritted his teeth.


    Lakrak continued to say, ¡°Owen told me that you came from the north, not the west. That means you came from the wilderness, not Automation. And across the wilderness is the Ears Cut Tribe. I bet you made the same offer to Salkait, but got rejected.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°He probably declined because of this second reason I¡¯m gonna tell you.¡±


    Hwee listened to Lakrak without saying anything.


    Lakrak said, ¡°Second of all, there¡¯s no such thing as a gift without a price. I don¡¯t believe that. I guess greedy Salkait can discern that much.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s not it. The lord of Automation is trying to give you salt. For nothing in return.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Lakrak shook his head and continued to say, ¡°If we ept your salt, we have to protect you. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°Whenever you people are confined and surrounded in the Automation castle, we¡¯ll worry about the safety of our salt. If we y along with your diplomacy and you get in trouble, we would have no choice but to pay attention to fights that have nothing to do with us.¡±


    Hwee carefully said, ¡°Lakrak, that¡¯s what diplomacy is.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± replied Lakrak.


    ¡°Okay. It¡¯s not necessarily a gift for nothing in return, but we¡¯re making a decent deal.¡±


    ¡°I know that too.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you declining our offer based on the second reason?¡±


    Lakrakughed and asked, ¡°Do you really not know? I¡¯m sure Salkait would have already told you.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Hwee silently listened to the same answer that he had gotten from the bad-tempered Gnoll chief.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we just take over Automation? If we kick out the Humans, the salt mine and the Automation castle be ours. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

 Chapter 30: A Gambling Place called Automation

    <h4>Chapter 30: A Gambling ce called Automation</h4>


    ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re going to attack us?¡±


    Hwee suppressed his anger.


    ¡°No. I only asked you a question. I¡¯m just saying that would be better for us than making diplomatic trade or whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°Humans aren¡¯t as weak as you think.¡±


    ¡°I never said you were weak.¡±


    ¡°Then are you saying that even after considering how much damage your warriors would suffer, no, after considering if you could even take over Automation?¡±


    Lakrak shrugged.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m certain¡­but if my calctions are correct, we¡¯ll be able to take over Automation even though we¡¯ll suffer a little casualties. That¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Can you guarantee that?¡±


    ¡°I know there are other secrets within Automation that I don¡¯t know about. That¡¯s why you Humans are able to stay there for so long without losing your home. I do worry about how much my warriors will suffer due to that secret. However, taking over Automation wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°How are you so sure?¡±


    Hwee was interested in Lakrak¡¯s confidence.


    Lakrak replied, ¡°We follow the Blue Insect God. If God helps us, that tall rampart and all the mud soldiers will turn into debris.¡±


    Hwee couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. Lakrak was right. Hwee had heard about the guardian, Sratis. It was a giant mantis monster that would disappear after helping the ck-Scaled Lizardmen fight difficult battles. The mantis was known as one of the incarnations of the Blue Insect God, and wooden statues made after its likeness could also be found at the market in Automation.


    <i>¡®There''s more problems aside from Sratis. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen have a Cockatoo warrior, as well as the chosen ones. I¡¯m not sure how much power they have, but even if one chosen one used their power, it would demoralize our soldiers. There aren¡¯t many who wouldn¡¯t be afraid after witnessing thunder and lightning strike right before their eyes.¡¯</i>


    Even putting aside all those variables, there were still many other problems.


    <i>¡®Most of all, if what we¡¯ve confirmed is correct, Lakrak has around eighty warriors. And there¡¯s probably more¡­¡¯</i>


    In the wilderness, Lakrak¡¯s n was currently known as the ¡®ck-scaled Lizardmen¡¯ or ¡®ck-scaled Tribe,¡¯ but Lakrak¡¯s Lizardmen was divided into several groups. For the past nine years, Lakrak, who conquered the upper region of the penins, had been attempting to rally together all the other Lizardmen tribes he found, and he seeded with his leadership. Some of the tribes permanently remained where they were, but most of the tribes would willingly move to be livestock farming tribes if necessary as long as Lakrak asked them to.


    <i>¡®Lakrak may just have rushed up here to keep an eye out for the Ears Cut Tribe. He probably already summoned his other Lizardmen. The wilderness is soon going to enter rain season anyway. Then lots of nts will grow for a while, so the tribe that herds water buffaloes won¡¯t be too far out. They would all get here sooner if they sent out some warriors to help.¡¯</i>


    Hwee thought about Automation.


    <i>¡®We have a big poption, but few who can fight.¡¯</i>


    Other than the four warrior families serving the lord of Automation, there were no proper soldiers. The other so-called soldiers would outnumber the ck-Scaled Lizardmen, but they weren¡¯t blessed by a god.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s an even more important matter.¡¯</i>


    If rumors spread about a fight breaking out, many would run away. A great percentage of the Humans within the ramparts were farmers, peddlers, miners, and their families, and they relied on the ramparts to protect them. They were the ones that made Automation wealthy, but wealth alone couldn¡¯t protect Automation. If they began to leave, or more precisely, as long as it seemed like they were going to leave, the soldiers would lose their confidence.


    <i>¡®Word of the brutalness of the Ears Cut Tribe has started to spread¡­but the stories of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen are already well-known. Probably because of people like Owen. I should have been careful with him.¡¯</i>


    Hwee had to admit that he had lost this war before it even began. He wasn¡¯t sure if Lakrak knew what he was thinking, but Lakrak continued to state his third reason anyways.


    ¡°And salt! Salt is indeed a precious asset. It¡¯s also expensive. It¡¯s needed for everything. However, everyone wants it, so everyone searches for it, and therefore it¡¯s possible to get anywhere. Even if it isn¡¯t from Automation.¡±


    ¡°...Okay. I guess the lord has overlooked the fact that the ck-Scaled Lizardmen already know about the ways and means of trading salt. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°No. There is the fourth most important reason.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Tell me what it is.¡±


    Lakrak stated his fourth reason.


    ¡°I don¡¯t respect liars.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t lied.¡±


    ¡°You have. You¡¯re not an errand boy of Automation.¡±


    ¡°Then who do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°The lord of the Automation castle, Hwee-Seo,¡± replied Lakrak.


    Hwee didn¡¯t admit nor deny it.


    Lakrak exined how he came to the conclusion.


    ¡°I figured it out because of the name Hwee. And I assume you used that name on purpose to test how much the Lizardmen know about Automation. Am I right?¡±


    Hwee sat silently.


    ¡°It is said that the lord of Automation hides himself and his true name and is simply known as ¡®lord¡¯. However, that¡¯s only outside of Automation. I heard there are four families that serve the lord of Automation. They likely act as the hands and feet of the lord, yet only a few of them know the lord''s real name. Those who share the same blood as the lord all have Hwee as part of their names, and I¡¯ve heard that the lord has four sons and three daughters. However, you¡¯re not a woman, and by the looks of the wrinkles on your hands, you¡¯re not that young for a Human either. That¡¯s how I figured out your name. Hwee-Seo.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re good.¡±


    Sitting before Lakrak in a well-mannered way, the man took off his leather hood and sat up straight. Now that the act was busted, the man with the responsibility and authority to lead the people of Automation faced Lakrak at the same eye level.


    ¡°...That is right. I am the lord of Automation, Hwee-Seo.¡±


    Hwee-Seo¡¯s face waspletely revealed as he took off his leather hood. It was the face of a middle-aged man, with fierce eyes rimmed with wrinkles and a shaggy beard. He was fairly skinny and had a scar on top of his nose, which looked like it would have been a big cut.


    Lakrak read his face.


    <i>¡®Wrinkles. I noticed the back of his hands. Humans get wrinkles when they age. He¡¯s somewhat old, but has a straight back and clear eyes. He lied, but the fact that he hid his identity might be more dangerous. He¡¯s fearless, but that¡¯s not because he¡¯s stupid. The scar. There¡¯s a rumor that he just orders everything to be done from behind the scenes, but he¡¯s actually the type of person that needs to do everything himself to be satisfied. Lots of problems at Automation were probably solved by this man. He gets himself into dangerous situations, but he¡¯s lived through it all. That¡¯s the evidence that he is a strong man¡­ I don¡¯t believe Humans are weak. That rumor was probably spread by the Humans themselves.¡¯</i>


    Then Hwee-Seo asked, ¡°How did you know? There are no Lizardmen out of the people I am close with.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then I guess there¡¯s a snitch among the Humans.¡±


    ¡°Hm. You sound pretty confident.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What do you think?¡±


    Hwee-Seo didn¡¯t reply.


    <i>¡®This Lizardman is giving me homework. Is he telling me to try and look for the snitch if I want to?¡¯</i>


    Then Lakrak said, ¡°I also have a question. Even if we have a neutral rtionship, aren¡¯t you afraid ofing here alone?¡±


    ¡°I am scared.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Just like your confidence in believing you can take over Automation by force, whether my real identity was caught or not, I knew you would just let me go.¡±


    ¡°What if I didn¡¯t know who you really were?¡±


    ¡°I know that ck-scaled Lizardmen are kind to guests.¡±


    ¡°...Hmm.¡±


    Lakrak wondered if there was a need to change that kind of culture, but he couldn¡¯t find a good enough reason to do so, and he didn¡¯t think it would be easy to do, either.


    ¡°Now that your true identity is revealed, I shall act ording to your belief, Hwee-Seo. What do you think I should do now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll send me on my way.¡±


    ¡°The reason?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that important, but you want to express your condolences for the star catcher, so you hope that I will leave after this conversation is finished.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. But that¡¯s not the only way I can make you disappear.¡±


    Lakrak leaned forward towards Hwee-Seo and threateningly said, ¡°I¡¯ve told you that the ck-scaled Lizardmen Tribe would benefit from attacking Automation, and the way I see things, the four families will panic if the lord of Automation dies. It¡¯ll be easy to win a battle without amander. So what are you gonna do if you¡¯re wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not wrong.¡±


    Hwee-Seo didn¡¯t even blink and continued to say, ¡°You don¡¯t know who my sessor will be if I die.¡±


    Lakrak stood up straight again and slightly rolled up the tip of his tail, as if he¡¯d heard something that piqued his curiosity.


    ¡°Interesting. But why does it matter for the ck-Scaled Lizardmen to know who the next sessor of Automation is? I don¡¯t see any reason for us to know.¡±


    ¡°It might seem like that to you¡­ Lakrak, do you know the game Go?¡±


    ¡°...Go?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a popr game at Automation. We y it on the ground or on a table.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know of it.¡±


    Hwee-Seo exined the game of Go.


    ¡°You draw several crisscrossing lines like a grid. Then you collect white and ck stones and take turns cing each color down one by one. The stones are ced on the points where the lines intersect, and if four stones of one color surround one of the stones of the other color, that one stone dies. It gets taken out. Then you keep ying until there¡¯s no more spaces to ce the stones. You would then count the spaces you¡¯ve encircled with your stones on the board, as well as the number of your opponent¡¯s stones you¡¯ve taken out. Whoever has the highest score wins.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t quite understand just by listening to the exnation.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s not the important part.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you exin it?¡±


    ¡°Because I am one of the stones.¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s pupils contracted as if he realized something, and his eyes seemed to twinkle. He stared off into the distance.


    Hwee-Seo added, ¡°I know the game has already started¡­ It¡¯s a game where two gods are ying with their own tribes as stones, and the wilderness is the board. One god brought Gnolls, and the other god brought Lizardmen. The Gnolls and Lizardmen on that board have started a game of their own. And that game is called Automation.¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s silence was confirmation enough.


    ¡°...Alright. Just like you Lizardmen know about me, I know what you are trying to do. I have to choose my sessor soon, and recently, you have approached my children. From some point on, they¡¯ve been talking about teeth full of anger, and others talked about a blue butterfly. My children have begun to believe in gods¡­¡±


    Lakrak smiled and said, ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do. That¡¯s less damaging for us than attacking Automation.¡±

 Chapter 31: Two Players of the Wilderness

    <h4>Chapter 31: Two yers of the Wilderness</h4>


    Lakrak didn¡¯t think taking over Automation would be easy. It was a castle built from soil, but the tall rampart surrounding it was way taller than an average person, so it was a difficult obstacle to ovee. Even if the Lizardmen were to attack the rampart, they would have to brave through all the arrows being shot at them from afar, the wooden fences in front of the rampart, the rocks being thrown at them from the top of the rampart, and the spears that would try to stab them.


    <i>¡®If we want the salt mine, it would be better to go about it in a way where we wouldn¡¯t see so much blood.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak didn¡¯t think this way when taking over the northern parts of the penins. This was because the ck-Scaled Lizardmen hadn¡¯t been considered arge tribe back then. The tribe had to grow in poption and focus on acquiring the skills and techniques of other tribes, taking their resources as well as taking over theirnd. These hostile acts, however, would make the other tribes feel antipathy towards the Blue Insect God.


    <i>¡®I could have forced them to believe in the Blue Insect God.¡¯</i>


    However, Lakrak and the other Lizardmen didn¡¯t want to do that. Other than the reason that they would be taking everything else and didn¡¯t want to take away others¡¯ beliefs too, Lakrak didn¡¯t think it would be likely for the others to have true faith if they were forced. Lakrak knew that simply bowing in front of the wooden statue of Sratis wouldn¡¯t cause someone to suddenly believe in it. Faith was something that came from the heart, and fake faith wouldter turn into stronger antipathy.


    ***


    In addition, Sung-Woon also had his own reason as to why he didn¡¯t think forcing others to convert was a good idea. Sung-Woon was searching for his second species, so he couldn¡¯t waste his Faith points on useless ones. Therefore, he didn¡¯t rmend Lakrak to propagate God to anyone other than the Lizardmen.


    As his Divinity level rose, he had an abundant amount of Faith points, and there was a need for Sung-Woon to switch to a two species system. He preferred ying with flexibility in builds. However, he needed to choose right away, and unlike his first choice where he just had to find a tribe to use within his area, the second choice would be crucial in determining a yer¡¯s strategy and progression of builds in the future.


    <i>¡®Some say that the first species is just a segway to discovering the second species. Those yers would find their second species, transfer all the skills of the first species to them, and stop making use of the first.¡¯</i>


    That kind of strategy was necessary for some games, but it definitely wasn¡¯t one to be used in this case.


    Because his first species, Lizardmen, did better than expected, Sung-Woon wanted to find a species that could support the Lizardmen and potentially expand the tribe for his second choice.


    <i>¡®The northern part of the penins is currently upied by the ck-Scaled Lizardmen. It¡¯s a good thing that the wide terrain, centered on the hignds in the northern part of the penins, fit well with a nomadic lifestyle. Some of the residents of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe are also living in parts of the mountainous areas.¡¯</i>


    Those Lizardmen and Lakrak¡¯s n were considered onemunity, as they were all Lizardmen and believed in the same god.


    <i>¡®There are lots of other misceneous species, but they¡¯re all controble. The most important thing is the wilderness between the northern and southern part of the penins. The wilderness is sorge that it stretches into the inner continent and northern coast, and even if I take over the southern part of the penins, that would be no different than crossing both enemy lines in the inner continent and northern coast. The problem, out of these two ces, lies in the northern coast rather than the inner continent area. Because Lizardmen get cold easily.¡¯</i>


    Species that were rtively good at handling the cold were species that had hair, including Orcs, Elves, and Humans, which the Lizardmen called Minnows. But the Lizardmen weren¡¯t necessarily the only ones weak to coldness. Species with smaller frames like Goblins and amphibians were more vulnerable to the cold as well.


    <i>¡®In fact, if technology rted to clothes is developed, Lizardmen wouldn''t have a problem, but that¡¯s not the case right now.¡¯</i>


    Spending one winter wasn¡¯t a big problem for the Lizardmen, but it wouldn''t be a good idea to send them to a ce where there were short summers and saw snow for most of the year.


    <i>¡®Then it would have to be one of the Minnows, or a species with fur¡­ Those with fur are pretty brutal, and physical strength-wise, they''re simr to the Lizardmen.¡¯</i>


    In the Lost World, battles and war were one of the better ways to deal with things, and Sung-Woon was confident in doing so, but it wasn¡¯t always the best solution. Compared to other species, Lizardmen were smarter than average, but they always focused on battles and challenges. While species seemed pretty simr outside of their appearances, there were actual differences between them.


    <i>¡®Orcs? They have the fastest reproduction speed and grow the quickest. Before the Holy Orc build came out, they would be used as a starting species and be discardedter, and they also are a bit barbaric. But their intelligence levels actually aren¡¯t too low. It always depends on how one would use them. In fact, Holy Orc was one of the metas. But they have a simr physique to the Lizardmen, so not them.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon picked more species to be candidates.


    <i>¡®Dwarfs? Their physiques aren¡¯t too bad, and they have an advantage in caves and mountain terrains. Not to mention their workmanship. But they¡¯re too stubborn. An alliance could be made, but the Lizardmen are also a little stubborn, so they wouldn¡¯t be a good match for each other. What about Gnomes? They are pretty small, but that might not be a problem considering their preference of science and technology. They¡¯ll probably get along with the ck-Scaled Lizardmen, who have discovered quite a bit of technology until now, too. However, they are passive when ites to working with others, and they¡¯re individualists. So that doesn¡¯t really fit my style of pursuing expansion. Elves are the worst, so I¡¯ll just skip over them. Halflings get along well with other species, and they¡¯re also very curious. They¡¯re excellent in many ways, but points are taken off for their small size. It¡¯s also a disadvantage that they don¡¯t like cold ces. Then out of the general species¡­would Humans be the best choice?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought about the downsides of Humans.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re two-faced, and always have problems with all the other species. It¡¯s alsomon for them to be an alliance one day, and then be enemies the next. Their physical abilities are lower than average, intelligence is average, and their sociability is high.¡¯</i>


    So Sung-Woon searched for Humans. However, it was difficult to find Human tribes within the penins, and even when there were some, the tribe was either too small, or it was hard to find one human to focus on. After a lot of searching, Sung-Woon found Automation, but at that time they were already too big a tribe. That meant it would be hard to spread faith to the humans the way Lakrak had been doing until now¡ªthrough Miracles.


    <i>¡®The lord of Automation has been preaching secrism among the humans within the castle. He¡¯s very wary of yers, or I mean, gods. Humans would just be a waste of Faith points without Lakrak¡¯s help. It is a good thing that no other yers seem to be approaching them though. Wouldn¡¯t it be okay to take my time and see what happens? I want topletely take over the southern penins first to eliminate any risks of being attackedter on.¡¯</i>


    However, before Lakrak¡¯s ck-Scaled Lizardmen went south, the Ears Cut Tribe suddenly appeared, and Sung-Woon had no other choice but to deal with Automation much faster than expected. When Sung-Woon led Lakrak up north to the edge of the wilderness through a revtion, Lakrak¡¯s scouting party encountered the scouting party of Ears Cut Tribe several times, which led to a sh of Civilization.


    [sh of Civilizations!]


    [Two different tribes havee into contact. Experience points (XP) are rising for both tribes.]


    [Warning: The opposing species have Faith.]


    Sung-Woon couldn¡¯t do anything but nod after seeing the warning message. The opposing species having Faith meant that the tribe belonged to another yer. There was nothing for Sung-Woon to be surprised about because it was to be expected considering the scale of the tribe and their calcted movements.


    Sung-Woon clicked on the Local Community tab and checked the window that came up.


    [yer List (1)]


    [Hegemonia]


    There was one other yer nearby with whom Sung-Woon could chat, and the yer¡¯s username was Hegemonia. It was a familiar one to Sung-Woon.


    <i>¡®Wait, this username¡­¡¯</i>


    As soon as Sung-Woon realized who it was, a message popped up.


    [yer, Hegemonia, has requested a Whisper Conversation.]


    Sung-Woon thought about what he should do. Everyone had different preferences when it came to chatting in online games, and Sung-Woon always preferred not to talk to anyone. Chatting with other yers could also be a strategy when ying a game, but Sung-Woon thought it was better to use that time to control another character.


    <i>¡®But this time, it seems a conversation is needed. There¡¯s nothing else I can do.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon epted the request for a Whisper Conversation and asked for a video chat.


    <i>¡®This way, it¡¯s possible to get more information from the other person than simply chatting through messaging.¡¯</i>


    Even though it was called a video chat, only their avatars, which yers could customize using the God Appearance Helper, were shown.


    There was no reply from Hegemonia as if they were taking a moment to wonder what to do, and then they epted the video chat request.


    Sung-Woon checked the opponent¡¯s face. As expected, they wore a spiked helmet which also covered their face. The inside of the helmet was made of metal and covered with shadows, but their fierce eyes were visible, and the pair of horns sticking out from the side of their helmet bent upward and pointed to the sky. The opponent¡¯s avatar had matching chest armor below the helmet and a red aura that burned like fire in the background.


    Hegemonia started the conversation.


    ¡°Oh, you scared me.¡±


    It was a remark that didn¡¯t match the solemn voice that projected from within the metal helmet.


    ¡°Why are you surprised? You¡¯re the one who requested for a Whisper Conversation first.¡±


    ¡°How can I not get scared after seeing your avatar?¡±


    ¡°Funny for you to say.¡±


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡±


    Hegemonia continued, ¡°Long time no see, Neb.¡±


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, it wasn¡¯t all that awkward being called by his nickname, since it was his avatar being shown.


    Sung-Woonfortably replied, ¡°Don¡¯t act like we¡¯re close.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have the most amiable personality, and Hegemonia became somewhat embarrassed.


    ¡°...Well, I couldn¡¯t talk to you until now because you always preferred not to talk to anyone, but we¡¯ve encountered each other in the game quite a few times. Don¡¯t you remember us ying thest game of The Lost World together?¡±


    ¡°I do remember, but we¡¯ve been here for ten years. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s normal to not remember everything?¡±


    ¡°No. Ourst game was such a good one. I think it was worth remembering.¡±


    Sung-Woon thought back to thest game to make sure if Hegemonia was right.


    ¡°No. It was so boring. I countered your Holy Orc meta strategy and you lost, didn¡¯t you? It should have been a close game for it to have been a good one, but the game just ended like that.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    Hegemonia looked down and grabbed their helmet. Sung-Woon thought Hegemonia was probably a soft-hearted person in real life, unlike what the avatar would suggest.


    Hegemonia raised their head and said, ¡°Okay. Sounds good. I¡¯ve made up my mind. We¡¯ll see who the real winner is, Neb. I¡¯ll destroy you for sure.¡±


    ¡°Always saying stupid things.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why would we fight now? For whose advantages?¡±


    Hegemonia hesitated for a moment.


    ¡°The Lost World is basically a free-for-all, multifaceted game. Everyone is fighting for their lives, and you want the first and second ranked yers to lose at the beginning?¡±


    A war of annihtion between two strong yers was something to reconsider. In The Lost World, how the game was yed in the beginning determined how the middle and second half of the game would turn out, and small losses in the beginning of the game would sometimes return as severe damage towards the end. Even if they could make up for the small losses, there would be no way to catch up if the other yers had advanced far more in technology.


    ¡°Of course, if we were able to continuously y more games in the future, it would be worth fighting now for the feeling of triumph. It¡¯d be a gamble worth a risk. That way, a strong rival would be eliminated, and the technology, territory, and a part of the opponent¡¯s area would be taken. If the fight were to end without much damage done, the winner would also have an advantage over the rest of the yers. However, we won¡¯t have any more games to y after this, Hegemonia. This is ourst one.¡±


    Hegemonia scratched the back of their head, which didn¡¯t suit the avatar at all.


    ¡°I know. I just got a little carried away.¡±


    That didn¡¯t seem true to Sung-Woon, but he decided to move on. Sung-Woon also remembered Hegemonia¡¯s y style. It seemed simple, but they had an animal-like instinct in conflicts, and they were good at multitasking. And when Sung-Woon looked up Hegemonia on the statistical site in real life, it stated that Hegemonia benefited from fighting others in the beginning of their games. Sung-Woon also thought he could do that, but¡­


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no reason to follow a strategy advantageous to an opponent.¡¯</i>


    In the end, chatting was also a part of the game.

 Chapter 32: A Contradicting Prophecy

    <h4>Chapter 32: A Contradicting Prophecy</h4>


    Hegemonia, who waspletely unaware of Sung-Woon¡¯s intentions, asked, ¡°So you want to decide who''s the winner with a different method, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems clear what we both want.¡±


    ¡°Automation and Humans.¡±


    The two yers silently looked at each other and tried to read each other¡¯s faces. But there was no way to really do that with their distorted appearances.


    Hegemonia asked, ¡°A Contradicting Prophecy then?¡±


    ¡°That would be the best way to go.¡±


    Hegemonia nodded in agreement.


    Prophecy was a skill obtained when a yer¡¯s Divinity reached level six.


    [Skill: Prophecy]


    [Read more:


    A king received a divine message from a blind prophet saying that the king¡¯s son would kill the king and sleep with the king''s wife to make the kingdom fall. The king was afraid of this prophecy, but couldn¡¯t bear killing his own son with his own hands, so he ordered one of his subordinates to kill his son instead. However, the subordinate couldn¡¯t find the courage to kill a baby, so the subordinate left the baby in a field, and the baby was found by a shepherd.


    As the baby grew into a young man, he heard a rumor saying that the parents he had now weren''t his biological parents. He went to the prophet to find out the truth. The prophet said that as the price of telling him the truth, he would sleep with his biological mother and kill his biological father.


    Even though the young man still loved his current parents, they weren¡¯t his biological parents, and he left his hometown.


    He went on an adventure. While riding his wagon on the road, he fought and defeated a king that wouldn¡¯t get out of his way, and he even fought a monster threatening the kingdom, which had the head of a human and the body of a lion. As a reward for killing the monster, he married a queen, who had lost her husband, and became a king.


    Several yearster, he found out that the prophecy he had tried to avoid had already been fulfilled. The king he had met and killed on the road was his biological father, and the king¡¯s wife, who he got married with, was his biological mother. The queen, who was his wife and biological mother, hung herself, and the king dug out his own eyes and walked out of the pce. The kingdom eventually fell.


    ¡­This is Prophecy.]


    Unlike the confusing example, the skill was rather simple. A yer would set a quest for themself and their species to predict what would happen in the future, and if the prophecy was fulfilled, they would receive the Faith points they spent to give a divine message to their tribe, as well as a reward depending on the difficulty of fulfilling the prophecy.


    <i>¡®For example, I predict that Lakrak would kill an Abomination, and if I help Lakrak fulfill the prophecy, I would get a good amount of XP.¡¯</i>


    However, yers of The Lost World didn¡¯t use this skill as much.


    <i>¡®...Because there¡¯s a penalty if the prophecy isn¡¯t fulfilled.¡¯</i>


    If lots of Faith points were used to make a big prophecy, the penalty when it wasn¡¯t fulfilled would be that much more extreme. The Faith points used would definitely go to waste, XP could decrease, causing the yer¡¯s level to go down, and if the yer was unlucky, their characters that were involved could be cursed as a penalty, or they would encounter an unexpected negative event.


    <i>¡®If the creator, God, can¡¯t even control their own destiny, it means that they aren''t qualified to be a god.¡¯</i>


    Therefore, no matter how simple the prophecy was, yers wouldmit to fulfilling them. Prophecies that were too simple weren¡¯t used too often either because the amount of Faith points returned would be less than the original amount used.


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s still used when necessary. If the yer is confident.¡¯</i>


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, the best time to use Prophecy was now.


    A Contradicting Prophecy was when two yers made prophecies that contradicted each other¡¯s.


    <i>¡®For example, yer A and yer B would make a prophecy about individual C. yer A would predict that C would die within three days, and yer B would predict that C would still be alive after three days.¡¯</i>


    yer A would try their best to kill C in the next three days, and yer B would use every means to protect C from dying. That way, only one of yer A or yer B would fulfill their prophecy, and the other would fail. Thus one would get a reward, while the other would receive a penalty.


    <i>¡®This kind of bet is also possible without making prophecies, but Contradicting Prophecy is directly supported by the game system, so there¡¯s no loophole, and the loser would for sure receive a penalty.¡¯</i>


    Unlike making a bet with words, with a Contradictory Prophecy set up, the loser would still be penalized even if they found the game disagreeable.


    Therefore, it would be a much more advantageous situation to win. No, regardless of the possibility of his opponent disagreeing with the oue of the bet, Sung-Woon simply wanted to see a clear benefit if he won.


    <i>¡®However, that wouldn¡¯t happen unless one was a fool. Even if it were me, I would have Lakrak pull back. Hegemonia¡¯s Ears Cut Tribe have settled down quite far away, so it seems that Hegemonia had Contradicting Prophecy in mind to begin with.¡¯</i>


    Then Hegemonia asked, ¡°So what prophecy should we decide on?¡±


    ¡°You must know that the lord of Automation is deciding on his sessor, right?¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    ¡°Are you ying tricks with me? To see how much I know about Automation?¡±


    ¡°Well, that too. I thought it would be convenient to set a Contradicting Prophecy based on that.¡±


    Hegemonia nodded and said, ¡°Automation chooses its owner on a regr basis. And that person would be the lord of Automation. Apparently, the period the lord can remain in power is different every time, and only the lord of Automation at that time knows how long their term is.¡±


    ¡°If I am to share some information, I think that¡¯s why Hwee-Seo, the lord of Automation, has been acting as the lord while hiding his identity,¡± said Sung-Woon. ¡°Because if people find out when the next sessor needs to be chosen, many would seek the position of lord of Automation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡±


    ¡°Well, you could always say that after you¡¯ve heard it.¡±


    Sung-Woon could see on the screen that Hegemonia was repeatedly clenching and unclenching their gauntlet-covered fist.


    Sung-Woon ignored it and said, ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s important is that the time to decide the next sessor is almost here. And the current lord wants to give his spot to one of his children.¡±


    ¡°Then there would be five potential sessors.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°I think we should each pick one of the five children and predict which son or daughter is going to be the next sessor. Since there¡¯s only going to be one, the prophecies would inevitably contradict each other. And if both of us foolishly guess wrong¡­then we just ept that as is.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I like that.¡±


    Sung-Woon realized something after seeing Hegemonia so willingly ept the challenge.


    <i>¡®Have they also prepared in advance?¡¯</i>


    However, Sung-Woon thought Hegemonia wouldn¡¯t have prepared as much as he had. Sung-Woon knew a long time ago that something like this would happen.


    ¡°Hwee-Seo has five potential sessors. Do you want me to introduce them to you if you don¡¯t know?¡± asked Hegemonia.


    ¡°Really? I would be grateful if you did so.¡±


    Sung-Woon knew very well about the lord¡¯s children, but was curious about Hegemonia¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°The first child, Dan, is a man in his early thirties. He has a strong physique and is trusted by Hwee-Seo. I think he¡¯s also pretty smart. Two out of the four royal families support him, and he is the most likely to be lord.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­let¡¯s decide thatter.¡±


    Hegemonia cleared their throat and continued to say, ¡°The second child, Jun, is a man in histe twenties. He has a different mother from the first child. He is considered weak and doesn¡¯t really show himself to others. There are rumors saying he¡¯s not interested in bing sessor. Though there is a family that supports him. His mother¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Who¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°The third child, Jin, is a woman in herte twenties. She has the same mother as the first child and tends to go out a lot. She is hiding her identity, but she gets along well with hunters and ruffians. She¡¯s supported by the remaining family of the four.¡±


    ¡°Hunters, I see. And?¡±


    ¡°The fourth child, Kyung, a woman in her early twenties. She has a different mother from the first and second child. I think her mother has already passed away, and Kyung was cursed. There¡¯s something unusual about her, so she¡¯s alienated by the lord and the other family members.¡±


    ¡°And finally thest?¡±


    ¡°The fifth child, Min, is a girl in her mid-teens. People say she has extraordinary intelligence and is talented in many ways. The lord had the youngest at his old age, so it seems that she is adored by him.¡±


    Hegemonia then asked in return, ¡°So what do you think? Should we choose right away? Or do you need time to take in the information¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s decide now.¡±


    If Sung-Woon took time, that would also be giving time to Hegemonia. And that was an unnecessary thing to do.


    Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°Why don¡¯t we each write and check our predictions on the Contradiction Prophecy window. If we predict the same thing, the Contradicting Prophecy won¡¯t go through anyways, and we can just click No. And if we choose a different sessor, we can click Yes and start. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Sung-Woon operated the system window.


    [Contradicting Prophecy]


    [Would you like to set a Contradicting Prophecy with the yer Hegemonia?]


    [Yes/No]


    [Warning: If you fail to fulfill your prophecy, you will suffer great damage. Please confirm one more time if you would like to proceed.]


    [yer Hegemonia¡¯s Prophecy:


    ¡°Hwee-Seo¡¯s second child, Hwee-Jun, will be the next sessor of Automation.¡±]


    [yer Neb¡¯s Prophecy:


    ¡°Hwee-Seo¡¯s fourth child, Hwee-Kyung, will be the next sessor of Automation.¡±]


    Sung-Woon checked Hegemonia¡¯s face. As expected, he couldn¡¯t tell what they were thinking.


    However¡­


    <i>¡®They¡¯re surprised. Their finger froze.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°It¡¯s different. Good. I just clicked ¡®Yes.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah. Good¡­ Let¡¯s start.¡±


    Hegemonia recovered their confidence and hit the system message with their gauntlet-covered hand.


    The two prophecies began to spread among Automation from an unknown source.


    ***


    The lord of Automation, Hwee-Seo, tried to ignore the prophecies at first.


    <i>¡®The families must have done something again. They¡¯re rumors that¡¯ll die down over time.¡¯</i>


    However, the prophecies did not die down.


    <i>¡®Why is it Jun and Kyung? And why are both of them listed?¡¯</i>


    Contrary to what the other family members thought, Hwee-Seo wasn¡¯t going to select his first son, Dan, as his sessor. However, people had been talking among themselves that either Dan, the first child, or Jin, the third child, would be the sessor, so the rumors spreading about the prophecies were somewhat suspicious.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure someone started the rumors.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Seo eventually hired someone to find the source of the prophecies. It took quite a while, and Hwee-Seo had to look into it a few times himself. But the source couldn¡¯t be found.


    <i>¡®How can this be?¡¯</i>


    It seemed impossible to Hwee-Seo. Both the children and the families were confused, as they knew the time to select the sessor was approaching soon. Hwee-Seo seeded in getting rid of the rumors within the Automation castle, but this time, something came from the outside. The four families heard news that the Ears Cut Tribe and ck-Scaled Lizardmen were approaching the castle, and Gnolls and Lizardmen, who seemed to be peddlers or vagrants, began to take longer to pass by the rampart.


    <i>¡®I knew they woulde some day. Buting at times like this means¡­¡¯</i>


    The worst case scenario would be the two tribes forming an alliance and attacking Automation, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Hwee-Seo got people to get information on both tribes, and he found out that both tribes believed in different gods. The two tribes didn¡¯t hate each other, but they were still hostile towards the other tribe and considered them rivals they would one day fight.


    <i>¡®Both are huge tribes that I can¡¯t trifle with. They probably think that the wilderness is too small for both to live in, and that only one tribe should have it. While we¡¯re barely surviving in this Automation castle.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Seo knew that he had to do his best in fulfilling hisst duty as lord of Automation and decided to risk his life for it.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s definitely a connection between the movement of those two tribes and the sessor and rumors.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Seo was confident.


    <i>¡®If I don¡¯t die after meeting both tribal chiefs¡­¡¯</i>


    But it was confidence that he was hopeless.


    <i>¡®...I¡¯ll know that I¡¯m nothing but a stone on the board.¡¯</i>


    ***


    And like that, Hwee-Seo confirmed his hopelessness.

 Chapter 33: The Woman Climbing Bedrock

    <h4>Chapter 33: The Woman Climbing Bedrock</h4>


    It was Hwee-Seo who first felt that the warmth in the tent was fading, but Hwee-Seo just endured the cold air.


    The fire was dying.


    Lakrak looked at the dying fire. He broke a few of the dry branches next to him and crushed them in his palms before throwing them into the fire, thus reviving it. The fire began to spread and burn the thicker branches that weren¡¯t burning before.


    Lakrak then said, ¡°Diplomacy and reputation aside, everything about this is simple, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Hwee-Seo¡¯s silence implied disagreement.


    ¡°You just have to choose between one or the other. Salkait, or me. Gnolls, or Lizardmen. The Angry Teeth God, I think they called it, or the Blue Insect God.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    Hwee-Seo put both of his hands on his knees and fixed his posture.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just simply choosing between the two. Others would think you¡¯re asking me to choose between two precious gifts. I think it¡¯s rather a question of which would hurt less if a sabertooth tiger and Cockatoo appeared and I had to put my head into one of their mouths.¡±


    ¡°Hm. It¡¯s a pity you think that way, but wouldn¡¯t it be better to put your head into the Cockatoo¡¯s mouth?¡±


    ¡°Salkait also said that the sabertooth tiger would be better.¡±


    Lakrak decided to think from Hwee-Seo¡¯s perspective. Hwee-Seo wouldn¡¯t believe any of the sweet words that Salkait and Lakrak said anyways. And his doubt was likely the reason why Automation had been protected until now.


    ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± asked Lakrak.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take a step back for now.¡±


    Hwee-Seo scratched his beard with his left hand and continued to say, ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t both sabertooth tiger and Cockatoo fight each other to eat me?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Then what?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s going to be a winner in the end. But the winner will likely be exhausted or hurt. I wish they would rather be half dead, but¡­ At the end of the day, that would give me more options. The true colors of the winner will be shown. I¡¯m sure that as long as they¡¯re exhausted, there will still be more ways to fight.¡±


    Lakrak easily understood Hwee-Seo¡¯s analogy.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s saying that he¡¯ll decide what to do once the sessor is selected. Because the distance between us and the sessor is greater than the distance between the sessor and Automation, so he¡¯s thinking that he can use a hostage to do what he wants. However, a sessor must be chosen no matter what. And the time to choose is almost here.¡¯</i>


    ¡°What do you think?¡± asked Hwee-Seo.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem too bad. It would be fine if you don''t care who wins between Salkait and I, the Gnolls and Lizardmen, and the Angry Teeth God and Blue Insect God.¡±


    ¡°I think you are the same.¡±


    ¡°You might think that way. But ¡®you are the same¡¯ to me sounds like ¡®there¡¯s nothing much I can do.¡¯ And that you¡¯ve just epted your fate as a stone on the board. You think it¡¯s toote now, but there were other ways you could have gone about this matter. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to look more into both tribes and see which one was better? If only you realized sooner that you wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid both of us.¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s words stung Hwee-Seo¡¯s heart.


    Lakrak shook his head and continued to say, ¡°No, you¡¯re right. Doing nothing depending on the situation is also a good choice. You¡¯re wise.¡±


    ¡°...Thanks for thepliment.¡±


    Wind blew into the tent, and the fire danced. The shadows of the two men facing each other also swayed greatly along with the fire. This marked the end of the conversation.


    ¡°...I think it¡¯s good to end things here. I have something to ask before I leave.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Hwee-Seo leaned over.


    ¡°In the end, it¡¯s not only me who¡¯s a stone. You are too. Only the board you¡¯re on is bigger. Aren¡¯t you scared by that? Don¡¯t you feel pain or helplessness?¡±


    Hwee-Seo was saying that Lakrak was also just a ything of the gods.


    The corners of Lakrak¡¯s lips slightly went up, and with that, Hwee-Seo knew Lakrak didn¡¯t think that way. However, he couldn¡¯t guess Lakrak¡¯s answer to his question.


    ¡°I¡¯ll answer that question once this is all over.¡±


    ¡°...Okay. Personally, I hope this is thest time I see you or Salkait.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to see you off?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I came as an errand boy, Hwee, so I¡¯ll also leave as Hwee.¡±


    Hwee-Seo got up from his seat, put the leather hood back over his head, and walked out of the tent. No one stopped or looked at Hwee-Seo strangely, as if Lakrak had already said something to them. Hwee-Seo suddenly had the thought that this was his chance to spy on the Lizardmen, but he abandoned it.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not important anymore. This also might be a trap. No¡­no¡­¡¯</i>


    His heart was filled withplicated feelings. It might have been due to his loss of morales, just like Lakrak said. Hwee-Seo had experienced this kind of situation in the past, and he knew that he had to set things straight one by one rather than doing what his heart told him to.


    Hwee-Seo passed through the tents and walked out into the wilderness. He looked at the stars. He at least knew how to tell directions from the stars. After he walked two hours in the direction he chose to go in, a small, low hill appeared. He knew he hade to the right ce after he smelled horse dung.


    His nephew, Hwee-Woo, who was an aide-de-camp, was waiting for him along with four subordinates and six horses.


    Woo said to Hwee-Seo, ¡°It¡¯s good you¡¯ve made it back safe, lord.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a relief that I made it back safely.¡±


    ¡°But there is nothing more precious than the life of the lord of the castle.¡±


    ¡°No more jokes.¡±


    .


    Hwee-Seo took off his leather hood and began to take off the old clothes that he wore on this trip. A subordinate brought him a jar of water, and Hwee-Seo gulped it down.


    Then Woo asked from beside him, ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Nothing has changed. We¡¯ll do as nned.¡±


    The n was doing nothing and waiting until the fight between the two tribes came to an end so that he wouldn¡¯t get dragged into the fight as well.


    Woo nodded without any expression. That was the reason Hwee-Seo liked Woo.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have no excuses. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen are too wary, just like the Ears Cut Tribe was.¡±


    Hwee-Seo ordered his subordinates to scout the ck-Scaled Tribe while he entered to talk with Lakrak. His orders weren¡¯t simply to find out how many of them there were, how many among them were warriors, or how many livestock they had. There were Lizardmen within Automation who were long-time residents, merchants, or vagrants. There must have been an insider of the ck-Scale Tribe out of them, and they would have supported the sessor fight.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s definitely a connection to them within us.¡¯</i>


    Finding the connection and cutting it off was the only way Automation could escape the game between Salkait and Lakrak.


    <i>¡®We can¡¯t just execute all Gnolls and Lizardmen within Automation. There would be resentment within the castle if we did. However, I can¡¯t just let it be, either. I need to find the connection and cut it.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Seo poured the remaining water onto his face.


    Then he gave the empty jug to one of the subordinates and said, ¡°Start the fire. And bring a mirror.¡±


    While his subordinates replied and carried out his orders, Woo said, ¡°For the past few days, we looked for Lizardmen, but we didn¡¯t see anyone else other than the Lizardmen warriors we¡¯re familiar with.¡±


    ¡°There should have been some passing by, right?¡±


    ¡°Not in the past few days.¡±


    ¡°...Alright. There¡¯s no way that Lizardmen wouldn¡¯t have noticed. There must be Lizardmen who were ordered toe to Automation and gather information about us. We need to expand our range of reconnaissance.¡±


    ¡°If we add more soldiers to the scouting party, there won¡¯t be enough to protect the castle.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The walls of Automation will be safe for the time being. The only issue is the invisible wall.¡±


    Woo nodded.


    As long as the tworge tribes were holding out on both sides of the castle, there was nothing else to worry about the physical defense. Even if Automation and the tall ramparts copsed, they would get fixed on their own, which would prevent invasion from the outside. The real problem was the invisible wall¡ªthe non-physical defense. Even Hwee-Seo couldn¡¯t fully understand the modern concepts of information and psychological warfare, but he was vaguely aware of it.


    In the meantime, a fire was started, and a bronze mirror was ced in front of Hwee-Seo. Hwee-Seo took out an obsidian de from his pocket. The de was long and sharp, and he held it to his neck. Slowly, he moved the de along his skin and shaved his dampened beard. It didn¡¯t take too long. It was far from Hwee-Seo¡¯s first time shaving, and he was proficient at it.


    Beards had a great influence on the impressions a person gave off, and it was a good thing to have when going under disguise.


    Hwee-Seo shaved off his whole beard without leaving any cuts on his skin. Then he looked at the mirror and checked both sides of his face before standing up. He put on theyers of silk clothes his subordinate held up for him. Hwee-Seo, with his beard shaved and dressed in proper clothes, now appeared as the Lord of Automation he had presented to the residents of the castle from afar.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back now. We have lots to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°...There must be lots to be done.¡±


    Hwee-Seo got on his horse and continued to say, ¡°I need some time to think by myself, so I¡¯ll ride ahead. Follow me at a good enough distance.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Woo did as Hwee-Seo said. Hwee-Seo took the lead with Woo riding after him, and the subordinates rode after Woo. Woo suddenly got hit with a drop of water on his face, but when he looked up, the sky was clear. Woo looked straight ahead again. Then another drop of waternded on his cheek.


    Hwee-Seo was the only one riding ahead of him. Unlike Lakrak, Owen, and the other Lizardmen, Woo knew reputation well. And reputation wasn¡¯t as easy and simple as the Lizardmen thought.


    Woo said to the subordinates, ¡°Aren¡¯t you all too close? Slow down a little.¡±


    The distance between Hwee-Seo and his subordinates grew further. And Woo no longer got hit with drops of water.


    ***


    Three weeks ago, when the two prophecies of the gods began to spread¡­


    ***


    A woman was climbing a bedrock with her bare hands.


    ¡°Those damn children.¡±


    Her palms were already cut open, and blood was trickling down her arms. By the looks of how good at climbing she was, she seemed to be talented at it, but at the moment, she seemed to be in a pickle in many ways other than her injured hands. Her left ankle was very swollen. The woman wiped the blood on her hands with her face and reached for a ledge. However, that was a mistake. The ledge was a cleverly hidden rock, and the rock tilted as the woman hung from it and applied her weight. Fortunately, the woman had a good sense of bnce.


    She shifted her center of gravity onto her left ankle, which was barely on a ledge, and was able to properly grab the real ledge that was hidden under the rock. But as she put her weight onto her swollen ankle, the pain she had forgotten about shot up her spine. She didn¡¯t cry in pain though. She calmly rested her forehead against the bedrock and mumbled while frowning.


    ¡°Damn. Fuck. Son of a¡­¡±


    The woman was Hwee-Kyung, Hwee-Seo¡¯s fourth child.


    Hwee-Kyung thought everything was going well at first.


    She was used to being alienated by everyone else, as she grew up hearing things like ¡®cursed child¡¯ and ¡®she ate her own mother¡¯. Hwee-Kyung grew up without the support of the four families nor her own father, and she couldn¡¯t live proudly as a child of the lord, but none of that was a big deal to her. She knew that there were far more people who lived in worse conditions.


    The wilderness was out there, and countless tribes fought for their own interests. On the other hand, there was order within Automation. It was an order maintained by the four families. Although the inside of Automation couldn¡¯t be called a paradise, being able to freely go in and out of the castle walls as a resident was great in itself. In order to stay as a resident of the castle, people had to do great service, or devote arge amount of wealth to Automation. And that was harder for species other than Humans.


    Therefore, Hwee-Kyung decided to live using thest advantage she had. And that was business. Going in and out of the castle walls meant that one could sell goods that were sold outside of Automation for nothing and sell them at high prices within the castle walls, and vice versa. In order to do business, a certain amount of the wealth had to be given to the lord, but Hwee-Kyung was okay with that.


    <i>¡®Father had also contributed when making me, so I can give him back that much. There¡¯s no need to be so upset about it.¡¯</i>


    However, things didn¡¯t work out, <i>again.</i>


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe the wheelbarrow wheel was broken. You damn schoolboy, you dare lend me something like this? Maybe I won¡¯t repay you with salt¡­¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung, who continued to climb the bedrock, looked down for a moment. Several meters below was what was left of a smashed one-wheeled wheelbarrow. It was a miracle that Hwee-Kyung only had a sprained ankle and bruises all over her body after falling down with the wheelbarrow. It wouldn¡¯t have been weird for her to lose her life, but Hwee-Kyung¡¯s thoughts were focused on something else.


    <i>¡®What a relief. Borrowing a wheelbarrow from a schoolboy was a mistake, but it was a good choice selecting silk for business.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung thought about how she would collect the silk that was in the wheelbarrow while climbing up the bedrock. And because of this, she didn¡¯t notice there was someone with a tail standing on top of the bedrock she was climbing.

 Chapter 34: The Man Who Received Commands

    <h4>Chapter 34: The Man Who Received Commands</h4>


    Hwee-Kyung continued to climb with her injured body and put her hand on thest ledge of the bedrock. She suddenly felt fatigued when the thought that the ledge would be thest one she had to climb onto crossed her mind. Even if her body were in a better condition, the climb still would have been a life risking one. It would have been better if there was a foothold on which she could step her uninjured right foot to help herself up, but there wasn¡¯t.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s okay. Enduring is what I¡¯m best at.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung took a deep breath to prepare herself for the pain.


    Then as she was about to put her weight onto her swollen left ankle, she heard a voice from above.


    ¡°Take my hand.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung looked up. There was a hand reaching down from the shadow cast by the bedrock.


    It was a Lizardman. The Lizardman in a fewyers of silk clothing. Hwee-Kyung knew that theyers were used to maintain the Lizardman¡¯s ideal body temperatures, since Lizardmen were sensitive to change in temperature.


    <i>¡®But there¡¯s only one tribe wealthy enough to wearyers of clothing made of silk.¡¯</i>


    In fact, Hwee-Kyung already knew which tribe the Lizardman was from even if it weren¡¯t for the clothes. The Lizardman had ck scales.


    Then the Lizardman from the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe waved his hand and jokingly said, ¡°My hand is getting lonely.¡±


    Hwee-Hyung couldn¡¯t just simply reach out and grab the hand. She believed that her vignce was what had kept her alive until now.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Are you just going to stay like that?¡±


    ¡°Have you been watching me this whole time?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a better idea for you toe up here and have this conversation rather than talking like this, but to answer your question, yes.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t think the Lizardman would be a vagrant robber. However, she had to keep in mind the possibility that the Lizardman could be a troublesome writer.


    ¡°Even if you helped me up, I don¡¯t have anything to give you. I¡¯m broke.¡±


    As if he found her concern ridiculous, the Lizardman asked, ¡°Is that really what you¡¯re thinking about while hanging off of a cliff?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because I can go up by myself too.¡±


    ¡°I know that. But I saw that you were going to use your injured foot to push yourself up.¡±


    ¡°...Damn it.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m not going to ask for anything.¡±


    Done talking, the Lizardman bent down towards her. Hwee-Kyung could smell the unique scent of the Lizardmen¡¯s scales. Some people thought the Lizardmen scales had a fishy odor, so they would cover their noses, but others just thought of water and bushes. Hwee-Kyung was one of thetter.


    As Hwee-Kyung hesitated, the Lizardman grabbed Hwee-Kyung¡¯s wrist and pulled her up. And while she was still reeling from the surprise, she found herself being lowered to the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a better idea to put your right foot down first?¡± asked the Lizardman.


    ¡°I know that too.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung set her right foot down on the ground while still dangling and leaned against the wall of another cliff. Then the Lizardman let go of her wrist.


    <i>¡®Did he just pull me up with one hand? Now I see why the Lizardmen of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe are all called strong.¡¯</i>


    While Hwee-Kyung was surprised, the Lizardman was also puzzled.


    The Lizardman looked back and forth between her and the road near the cliff and asked, ¡°This road is wide enough for a person to barely pass by. One side of the road is where a rockslide can happen at any time, and the other side is a valley with a several meter drop. Were you thinking of pushing a wheelbarrow full of stuff down this kind of road? It¡¯s a relief that this is the extent of your injury.¡±


    ¡°There wouldn¡¯t have been any problems if it hadn¡¯t been for the broken wheel.¡±


    ¡°Wheels can always break and cause trouble. Shouldn¡¯t you have kept that in mind?¡±


    Given the current technological level, the Lizardman had a point.


    Hwee-Kyung knew what to do in difficult situations.


    ¡°So, who are you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet. I am Sairan Muel, from the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe.¡±


    ¡°Sairan Muel?¡±


    ¡°You can ignore the Muel part. It¡¯s a name that was passed down, but neither I nor my father know what it means. It¡¯s not amon name used among the Lizardmen, but my father wanted me to keep it. That¡¯s why I always introduce myself as Sairan Muel. You can just call me Sairan.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded.


    ¡°Okay. Well, I thought I should at least say thank you since I did receive your help. Thank you, Sairan.¡±


    After Hwee-Kyung thanked Sairan, she tried to limp past him and go on her way. But Sairan blocked her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I haven¡¯t finished talking.¡±


    ¡°...Damn it, I knew this would happen. I told you I don¡¯t have anything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    When her name came out of Sairan¡¯s mouth, she reached for the obsidian knife kept at her waist. Hwee-Kyung knew that her identity must not be revealed.


    Hwee-Seo, who took over Automation after his mother, decided to lead Automation in a different way after she was assassinated. And that way was to hide his identity. He only made his true identity known to members of the four trusted families in the castle. He had them act as his hands and feet and, at the same time, made the four families vignt of each other.


    There was risk to live this way, but Hwee-Seo managed to settle matters well within his capabilities. What had seemed like close calls didn¡¯t even seem dangerous looking back, and were considered stunts to him several yearster. And no one could ignore a stuntman that had several years of experience.


    Hwee-Seo also wanted the identities of his children to be kept hidden, and his children had to follow his order. If they didn¡¯t put in enough effort to hide their identities, they wouldn¡¯t be qualified to be a sessor, wouldn¡¯t get the attention of their father, and they could meet an untimely demise.


    Hwee-Kyung knew that ck-scaled Lizardmen were strong, but her obsidian knife was sharp, and it was long enough to pierce one¡¯s heart. She instinctively almost unsheathed her knife, but refrained from doing so at the moment.


    Hwee-Kyung thought, <i>¡®Even if I end up using my knife, I first need to know how he knew my name. It won¡¯t matter that I use my knife after I get information out of him¡­ And it¡¯s certainly not because he helped me.¡¯</i>


    In addition, Sairan was showing both his palms to indicate that he had no intentions of getting into trouble.


    Sairan then said, ¡°I came to look for you.¡±


    ¡°Look for me? Did you know who I was? How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are all that well. Lakrak only told me your name.¡±


    ¡°Lakrak?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung recalled the familiar name. It didn¡¯t take too long for her to recall who it was.


    ¡°Are you talking about Lakrak, the show-off hunter, thunder lizard, first chosen one, tribal chief of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe?¡±


    ¡°...We just call him Chief.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung had heard the rumor that the Ears Cut Tribe and the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe were preparing for a fight in the wilderness. It was a rumor going on among the citizens of Automation as they were the center of the whole fight.


    If Sairan wasn¡¯t lying, knowing how Lakrak came to know Hwee-Kyung¡¯s name wouldn¡¯t matter. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen would have done anything they could to find out. The next question was more important.


    ¡°Why did he ask you to find me?¡±


    ¡°Hm, to be honest, I don¡¯t know for sure either. But I do think I can exin to you part of the reason.¡±


    ¡°Okay, tell me that part.¡±


    Sairan organized his thoughts and asked, ¡°Are you aware of the two recent rumors spreading throughout Automation?¡±


    ¡°...Which ones? The second son of the To family seeding in horseback riding? Or the second daughter of the Soo family giving birth to twins? Or that the fishmonger finally brought living fish to the market?¡±


    ¡°...Is thatst one real?¡±


    ¡°No. I checked. It was a lie. They¡¯re all salted.¡±


    ¡°Well, anyways, I wasn¡¯t talking about any of those rumors. It¡¯s one you should¡¯ve known. Even I, an outsider, heard of it¡­ You haven¡¯t been to Automation recently, have you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I had to buy silk and went as far as possible to buy it at a cheap price. I was lucky enough to find someone that I could buy silk from. What on earth is the rumor you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    Sairan replied, ¡°There are two rumors, to be exact. One is that the second child of the lord will be the next lord of Automation, and the other is that the fourth child will be the next lord of Automation.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung frowned for a moment.


    ¡°They¡¯re false rumors.¡±


    ¡°I know you are Hwee-Seo¡¯s fourth child.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung shook her head.


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t understand because you¡¯re not human and you don¡¯t live in Automation, but fighting doesn¡¯t necessarily mean fighting with knives. Those rumors are a part of the fight between my siblings, who are trying to be the next lord of Automation. I¡¯m not sure why, but it seems that my second brother and I have gotten dragged into a rumor, and I¡¯m sure there is someone who will benefit from this.¡±


    In reality, Hwee-Kyung did know well about the sessor fight. But there was no reason to exin it to a Lizardman she didn¡¯t even know.


    <i>¡®My first brother and older sister aren¡¯t the type to spread false rumors. It¡¯s unlikely they did it. Then was it my second brother or my younger sister? My younger sister is a feeble person, so she wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist the urge to benefit from a false rumor, but she wouldn¡¯t really benefit from this kind of rumor. It¡¯s likely that my second brother was behind it. He always enjoys making things up behind peoples¡¯ backs. He probably wanted to make himself a victim of a false rumor, but thought he would get too much attention brought only to himself, so he got me involved. How childish.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung then said, ¡°Anyways, those rumors have nothing to do with me, or you for that matter. Why don¡¯t you just say that the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe sent you to get information about Automation? It seems you¡¯ve somehow found out I am one of the lord¡¯s children, but I am an outcast. There¡¯s nothing you can get out of me. It would have been better to look into another sibling.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung finished her spiel and examined Sairan¡¯s attitude. And since she had gotten what she needed to know from the Lizardman, the Lizardman had to die. Hwee-Kyung tightly grabbed the hilt of the knife. Even though Sairan was just standing still, there didn¡¯t seem to be a ce where Hwee-Kyung could properly stab him. And because of the height difference, Hwee-Kyung thought she wouldn''t be able to get him. Being strong also meant being fast. Hwee-Kyung already knew that there was a higher chance of failure than the chance of sess if she were to attack the Lizardman.


    <i>¡®What if I fail to kill him?¡¯</i>


    Then she would be subject to the ire of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe that she had heard rumors about. However, she also couldn¡¯t just send Sairan away. If word spread that she let an outsider go even when she had the chance to stop him, and especially if her father found out about it¡­she would die anyway. She had a sibling who died for that.


    <i>¡®...Rather than living with father¡¯s disappointment, it would be better to experience the anger of a Lizardman.¡¯</i>


    Sairan then said to Hwee-Kyung, who had made up her mind, ¡°I think you¡¯ve misunderstood something. Looking for you was Lakrak¡¯s firstmand. I need to carry out the secondmand as well.¡±


    ¡°Secondmand?¡±


    ¡°I wasmanded to protect you.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung felt an ufortable feeling somewhere in her heart. It was a feeling she had been ignoring for a long time because others had ignored her. It was strange, and because she hadn¡¯t felt it in a long time, she couldn¡¯t put a name to it. Hwee-Kyung thought in her head that she didn¡¯t want to know what the feeling was, but somewhere in her heart she heard a voice.


    <i>Do you want me to tell you what it is?</i>


    <i>¡®Shut up.¡¯</i>


    <i>It¡¯s called warmth.</i>


    <i>¡®I told you to shut up, didn¡¯t I?¡¯</i>


    The voice soon faded, and Hwee-Kyung thought it was ridiculous.


    <i>¡®Has my heart be soft for this Lizardman I met only a moment ago just because he said such words?¡¯</i>


    But it was inevitable that she would feel that way. As far as Hwee-Kyung could remember, no one had ever offered to protect her. Her tight grasp around the hilt of her knife had already loosened. Hwee-Kyung had no intention to stab the one who said he would protect her. She always thought that she was a strict person, but people who remembered her thought of her as a person who became weak when it came to affection.


    Hwee-Kyung stuttered, ¡°W-Wha¡­what are you talking about?¡±


    Sairan didn¡¯t know much about human emotions. Therefore, he calmly told Hwee-Kyung what he knew.


    ¡°You said it was a false rumor, but your siblings won¡¯t think so. Neither would the other families. Chief Lakrak said that the session ceremony for Automation is approaching. Everyone is paying attention to the big change that will happen. Therefore, people will react sensitively to even the smallest rumors, and they will want to reduce unnecessary variables. Given the circumstances, the weakest ones are the ones who are eliminated first.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung collected herself while Sairan was talking.


    ¡°...Even if I agree with all that you just said, I can protect myself. So go back where you came from. I have no reason to receive help from the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe. And like I mentioned before, I don¡¯t have anything to offer. Look into another sibling.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I have receivedmands from the tribal chief to protect no other sibling, but the fourth child. And neither I nor my tribal chief want anything from you.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung sighed. She didn¡¯t think that using logic would make the Lizardman go away. So she would have to use emotions.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t want to have to show him this much.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung let go of her knife and walked towards Sairan. It seemed Sairan was surprised as Hwee-Kyung approached him with empty hands.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Sairan.


    ¡°Look at this.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung used her hand to lift her bangs. There was a pair of cylindrical bumps on her forehead. The cross section was so rough that anyone with a keen eye could see that they were cut by hands.


    ¡°As you can tell, they¡¯re horns. Well, parts where there used to be horns, to be exact. Horn stumps, one could call them.¡±


    ¡°...Do they grow back?¡± asked Sairan.


    Hwee-Kyung nodded and said, ¡°Yes. So I cut them whenever they grow long. Everyone who knows me says I¡¯m cursed because of these horns. There also are people who say such a thing just because they feel distaste that a person has horns, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Those who know me well avoid and hate me more. Because I really am cursed.¡±


    Sairan crossed his arms and looked at Hwee-Kyung here and there.


    ¡°You do seem a bit messy, but it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re cursed. They really hate you just because of those cute horns?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung pointed to her horn stumps and continued to say, ¡°I was born tearing my mother¡¯s stomach with these horns. And because of that, she died. One of my siblings also eventually died because of my horns. Apart from that, unfortunate things always happen to those around me. That¡¯s the real reason why I¡¯m a loner.¡±


    Sairan looked down at Hwee-Kyung with no facial expressions for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Hwee-Kyung. My condolences. But my mission doesn¡¯t change whether you''re cursed or not. It¡¯s assigned to me by my tribal chief, and I am here to carry out the will of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe.¡±


    ¡°What if I refuse?¡±


    Sairan replied in a calm voice, ¡°I¡¯ll still protect you. I have the willingness and the ability to do so.¡±

 Chapter 35: Days of Machination

    <h4>Chapter 35: Days of Machination</h4>


    After failing at making Sairan scared, Hwee-Kyung ran out of ideas on how to make Sairan go away, so she began to think.


    <i>¡®Is making him experience my curse the only way?¡¯</i>


    If that were the case, Hwee-Kyung realized that she would have no choice but to travel with Sairan.


    <i>¡®So I would have to go around with this big, strong, powerful man from a Lizardman tribe, who says he will protect my life?¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung looked at Sairan. And Sairan tilted his head, wondering why Hwee-Kyung was staring at him. Hwee-Kyung wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with Lizardmen; there were some inside Automation too. However, even in the eyes of Hwee-Kyung, who was Human, Sairan was different from the other Lizardmen. Not simply because he was wearing precious clothing, but because of all the muscles that could be seen under Sairan¡¯s scales and the dignity shown through Sairan¡¯s attitude.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe he has dignity.¡¯</i>


    Even though Hwee-Kyung had to hide her true identity from others and didn''t even like the fact that she was the lord¡¯s daughter, she was still part of high society and felt embarrassed staring at Sairan.


    <i>¡®...Well, it actually wouldn¡¯t be so bad, would it?¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung quickly did some calctions in her head. She couldn¡¯t send Sairan away like this, so she would have to kill him, but the chance of her seeding was very low. And even if Sairan spared Hwee-Kyung¡¯s life, she would have to risk letting someone who knew her true identity go. On the other hand, if she just let Sairan stay by her side, she wouldn¡¯t feel pressured to kill him and she could prevent the risk of her identity being revealed to others. There was nothing bad about having Sairan with her; it was rather good, actually.


    <i>¡®And he even said he would protect me. That means he would take action and help me if I get into a dangerous situation. This might work...¡¯</i>


    While Hwee-Kyung pondered without a word, Sairan, who couldn¡¯t bear the silence, said, ¡°Hwee-Kyung, what are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m thinking about silk.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Now that Ie to think of it, I don¡¯t think I can just leave all that silk down there. I should go back down.¡±


    Sairan sighed as Hwee-Kyung staggered over to the edge of the cliff and stood there. Hwee-Kyung¡¯s n was easily exposed.


    ¡°People wouldpliment the fact that you were able to climb up a bedrock with that foot, but they would say you are crazy if you go back down with it. I know it, and you know it too. I would stop you from going down, and you would argue that you really need that silk. However, there¡¯s a better way to get people to do things for you, Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Asking for help.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s face turned red when Sairan essentially read her mind.


    Sairan continued to say, ¡°If you can¡¯t get along well with those around you, the first reason would be the curse. But if people you meet for the first time won¡¯t even approach you, that¡¯s your fault.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t me you, since you were made that way because of the curse. I¡¯m just trying to tell you there¡¯s a better way to do things. I havee to protect you, and there are many things that define the way you lead your life. One of those ways is not to starve, and in order to do that, you should retrieve that silk.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung lowered her head, slowly walked back to where she was before, and leaned back against the cliff.


    ¡°Please help me. Help me retrieve that silk.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Sairan began to climb down the bedrock and slid down the rest of the steep slope. He then tied the bundle of silk around his torso and climbed back up. It took less than a minute for Sairan to get back to Hwee-Kyung.


    Hwee-Kyung then said to Sairan, who had a big bundle of silk tied around him like it was no big deal, ¡°Umm, do you think you can carry that for me all the way to Automation?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But let¡¯s treat your injury first.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung was about to reject Sairan¡¯s treatment instinctively, but she decided to ept his help this time. It didn¡¯t seem that lies and rejection worked with the Lizardman anyways.


    Sairan took out a medicinal herb from the pocket near his thigh, mashed it, and spread it on the many wounds covering Hwee-Kyung¡¯s body. Then he applied ointment that had a pain-reducing effect on her ankle and made her a temporary splint out of wood.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be easier to walk this way,¡± said Sairan.


    ¡°Where did you learn to do all this? You¡¯re better than the herbalist at our castle.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung walked around, amazed at the fact that it was now easier to use her left ankle, and Sairan followed her.


    ¡°I learned from Mrs. Zaol,¡± replied Sairan.


    ¡°Zaol?¡±


    ¡°She is Mr. Lakrak¡¯s wife.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded.


    <i>¡®It was said that the tribal chief of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe, Lakrak, was in charge of the warriors and defended the tribe from external matters and enemies, while his wife was in charge of the errand boys and would handle the internal matters. Then is Sairan one of Zaol¡¯s errand boys?¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung figured she should find out more and asked, ¡°Then are you not a warrior? Now that I think of it, I heard warriors of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe wear water buffalo skulls on their heads.¡±


    ¡°No. I am a warrior too. We don¡¯t wear the buffalo skulls often now unless there is a ritual. Though Chief Lakrak still usually wears it. But it is also true that I am one of Mrs. Zaol¡¯s errand boys. I learned how to distinguish medicinal herbs and treat injured people from Mrs. Zaol, and when I got older, I passed the warrior test and learned how to use spears and shoot arrows from Mr. Yur.¡±


    ¡°Yur?¡±


    ¡°He is the best warrior of our tribe.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded as if it weren¡¯t a big deal, but she recognized that Sairan wasn¡¯t just any Lizardman warrior that Lakrak chose to send.


    <i>¡®So he used to be an errand boy of the one who handles all the internal matters of the tribe, and then he learned how to use weapons from the best warrior?¡¯</i>


    There was a need to learn more.


    ¡°How did you even know I was here?¡±


    ¡°I just went to Automation and asked around. I learned the way to Automation when I used to follow Mr. Owen around.¡±


    ¡°Owen? Are you talking about the storyteller, Owen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do you know Mr. Owen?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung wanted to ask more about the Lizardman Owen, who was also famous among the humans, but refrained from doing so because she thought it would be better to stay on the current topic.


    ¡°How were you able to get into Automation?¡±


    ¡°A pass is given to those who''ve dedicated a certain amount of wealth to Automation, right? So that¡¯s what I did.¡±


    <i>¡®He¡¯s even wealthy. Although¡­ maybe I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised since it¡¯s the tribal chief who¡¯s supporting him?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I asked around using your fake name. Mang-Ji was it? That name suits you better.¡±


    ¡°...I think so too. But I don¡¯t think information about me would have been so easily given. My human rtions are pretty bad, but I¡¯m sure my business partners wouldn¡¯t have sold me that easily.¡±


    Sairanughed.


    ¡°If that was so, how would I have found you? Everyone I asked told me everything once I gave them a pocket of salt. They told me you have been nning on doing silk business for some time now, that they didn''t know where you would find silk since the rainy season wasing soon, and that they wondered how you would bring enough silk by yourself to make profit. They also told me that you borrowed a wheelbarrow from them to start your silk business, but that you hadn¡¯te back, so they thought they were scammed, and you had disappeared through the back gate of the castle¡­and so on. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve lost too much trust with your business partners aside from your other human rtions?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung couldn¡¯t raise her head. Her face was red all the way to her ears.


    ***


    The trip to Automation took a whole day.


    Sairan saw the rampart of Automation once again. The rampart was shorter than the bedrock Hwee-Kyung fell down from, but an artificially made fortress was different from things of nature. The fortress was long and disappeared into the cliffs of both valleys. The front of Automation was blocked by a rampart, and the castle was located further in and surrounded by steep cliffs on both sides. The rampart had a main gate in the front, where most people would go in and out of, and there was also a smaller gate in the back of the rampart.


    The path that Hwee-Kyung and Sairan had been following led to the gate in the back. The gatekeeper in the back recognized Hwee-Kyung and scolded her for whatever trouble she had probably caused this time, but Hwee-Kyung just ignored them and walked past.


    Sairan then asked, ¡°Do you know everyone within the castle? ¡°


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many who act like we¡¯re close, but I am familiar with everyone¡¯s faces. Since I¡¯ve lived here for a long time.¡±


    ¡°And aside from you, the same goes for all the other citizens of the castle, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°No reason.¡±


    Sairan shook his head and continued to say, ¡°What are you gonna do now? I think it¡¯s toote in the day to sell silk.¡±


    ¡°The market should still be open¡­but I should meet the Gyo family member first.¡±


    ¡°Gyo family member?¡±


    ¡°You probably would have met him too. He¡¯s the one who lent me the wheelbarrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh right. You have to deliver the unfortunate news.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can pay him back after I sell enough silk. His anger will subside once I show him the silk.¡±


    <i>¡®And if I tell him that this strong warrior will help me, he might even give me some salt.¡¯</i>


    The Gyo family member in question was a salt merchant. Out of the four families that supported the lord of Automation, the Gyo family was the one approved by the lord to trade salt, and this particr member of the Gyo family was one of the youngest out of all the other salt traders. Therefore, they would take on challenges that others wouldn¡¯t because of the risk, and at the moment, they were lending things to people and receiving interest from them.


    The houses within Automation were built by digging the soft bedrock between the valleys, so stairs had to be taken to reach the salt market, where the Gyo family member was. Hwee-Kyung stopped in front of the stairs. The sky got darker quicker because Automation was between two valleys.


    Sairan said, ¡°It¡¯ll be hard to go up the stairs with that ankle. Let¡¯se back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No. They¡¯ll charge me more interest if I don¡¯t go today.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the best idea.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung ignored Sairan¡¯s attempt at stopping her, took a deep breath, and began to go up the stairs. Then there was a sharp sound of wind, but it was drowned out by Hwee-Kyung¡¯s footsteps.


    <i>Whoosh!</i>


    A sharp dagger flew towards Hwee-Kyung¡¯s neck. Hwee-Kyung, who was tired and exhausted, didn¡¯t even notice.


    Then there was a crack behind her. The sound came from Sairan¡¯s hand, which was on Hwee-Kyung¡¯s back. Sairan had crushed the thin dagger. As Sairan opened his hand up, blood dripped down. Hwee-Kyung was hit with the smell.


    ¡°Wait, are you bleeding? I knew the curse¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of the curse. A piece of iron came flying towards you.¡±


    Sairan pointed down at his feet, and Hwee-Kyung saw the crushed dagger.


    ¡°You¡¯re being targeted just like Mr. Lakrak said. One of your business partners probably revealed everything about what you were doing, and the gatekeeper or someone else revealed that you came into the castle. Those who know you well would¡¯ve revealed what you would likely do first once you came back. You value wealth, so you would find the Gyo family member you were indebted to¡­ The sessor battle has begun.¡±


    Then the attackers revealed themselves.


    ***


    Sung-Woon could see Sairan Muel protecting Hwee-Kyung and fighting off the attackers from the sky over Automation.


    <i>¡®There shouldn¡¯t be any other problems here now.¡¯</i>


    Sairan Muel was able to defeat the attackers without much difficulty, which proved that Lakrak¡¯s choice of sending him was a good idea.


    It wasn¡¯t a good idea to send too many Lizardmen to Automation.


    <i>¡®That would attract the attention of the lord of Automation and made him more suspicious of all the Lizardmen. Then others would be vignt towards them as well. Then what¡¯s next? Things would be advantageous for Hegemonia. But one Lizardmen is okay. And if he¡¯s with the fourth child, who no one really cares much about, everyone will just think the Lizardman is a vagrant tagging along with Hwee-Kyung.¡¯</i>


    There was another reason it wasn¡¯t a good idea to send many Lizardmen into Automation. If lots of Lizardmen entered Automation and began to make others feel pressured, Hegemonia would do the same.


    <i>¡®Then we would just end up consuming each other¡¯s power. And there would be no point to having a Contradicting Prophecy. As long as the opponent doesn¡¯t make an unreasonable move first, there¡¯s no need for us to step up either.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon traveled the wilderness back and forth and handled situations at Automation every now and then. And just as expected, nothing happened outside of Sung-Woon¡¯s expectations.


    <i>¡®Sessor fights are all like that.¡¯</i>


    Sairan eventually figured out the identities of the attackers. They were vagrant Goblins from outside of the castle. Apparently, a man in a mask had ordered them to kill Hwee-Kyung. Sairan determined that the goblins would be useful. He then asked Hwee-Kyung to give him some silk in order to give to the goblins to cate them, and she eventually acquiesced.


    Hwee-Kyung suspected the one ordering the goblins to attack her was her first brother, Hwee-Dan, who was supported by the Gyo family, but that wasn¡¯t true. The day after Hwee-Kyung was attacked, Hwee-Dan, who was most likely to be sessor, disappeared from Automation. The Gyo family and Sang family, who supported Hwee-Dan, suspected each other for Hwee-Dan¡¯s disappearance. Sairan then inspected Hwee-Dan¡¯s room and inferred that Hwee-Dan was already dead, and that the dead body was hidden so that the two families that supported him would destroy each other.


    However, if Hwee-Dan was really dead, there wasn¡¯t much space within Automation for a dead body to be hidden. Through a surprising idea, Hwee-Kyung found Hwee-Dan¡¯s body and inferred the criminal was someone unexpected.


    ¡­Everyday after that, horrible, bloody incidents urred.


    The five, no, four siblings, and the four families that supported them, began to feel external pressure from the Ears Cut Tribe and the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe, which had been eyeing what was going on in Automation from afar.


    When the machinations of the siblings were affecting the lives of those within Automation, the only ones who weren¡¯t affected at all were the mud soldiers roaming the fortress, repairing ces that had copsed or broken down.


    ***


    Three weeks passed by, and the lord of Automation came back from traveling in secret. There were now only two siblings left.

 Chapter 36: Firefly

    <h4>Chapter 36: Firefly</h4>


    A few figures came together and sat down in a dark room. The expensive wool carpets decorating the floor revealed how wealthy the owner of the room was, and the one who was sitting at the head of the table was Hwee-Kyung.


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s horns had grown for the past three weeks and were now as long as one¡¯s palm. Hwee-Kyung wanted to cut them off, but Sairan stopped her when he saw how much she bled from doing so, saying that he needed to protect her.


    Hwee-Kyung touched her horns. It felt strange to have them so long. Then she looked at the people sitting in her room, who she was even more unfamiliar with than her horns. Gathered here were Sairan, the Gyo family member, two Goblins, an old miner of the Soo family, and a fishmonger of the marketce.


    Hwee-Kyung unconsciously mumbled to herself, ¡°...How did this happen?¡±


    Sairan, who was next to her, heard what she said and replied, ¡°Hm? It seems like a good idea to review what has happened until now before starting a revolution. There might be something we¡¯ve missed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡±


    ¡°First off, two rumors have spread within Automation. And at the same time, Chief Lakrak of my tribemanded me to protect Hwee-Kyung in the meantime.¡±


    <i>¡®Hwee-Kyung¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung felt like she heard her name more in the past three weeks than she ever had in her life until now. In the first week, several attackers had called out her name to make sure they didn¡¯t get the wrong target. In the second week, those who wanted to form an alliance with her or pretend to do so before betraying her called her name countless times. And in the third week, everyone acted like they forgot her fake name, Mang-Ji, which they had been calling her until recently. Hwee-Kyung was pretty sure that even children running around in the alleys would know her real name by now.


    But those children weren¡¯t seen these days due to the chaos within Automation. Even the market that never closed during the rainy season had been closed for the past week. The secret she had kept for her whole life wasn¡¯t even important anymore.


    ¡°We went to meet the Gyo family member as soon as we came to Automation,¡± said Sairan. ¡°We did get attacked, but I think it was rather a good thing that happened. We were able to cate the attackers and, in the end, benefited from it.¡±


    And at those words, a Goblin in the corner silently bowed his head. This Goblin was the one who led the Goblin vagrant group. He seemed to have lost his ability to speak after hurting his neck. The other Goblins all called this Goblin ¡®Boss,¡¯ so everyone else did too.


    Sairan continued to say, ¡°We first thought that the Goblin group had been hired by the Gyo family to attack Hwee-Kyung, but that wasn¡¯t the case. The day after Hwee-Kyung was attacked, Hwee-Dan disappeared. It seemed strange that the Gyo family and Sang family were both keeping quiet about Hwee-Dan¡¯s disappearance, so we decided to secretly go into Hwee-Dan¡¯s room and¡­¡±


    ¡°We found a spot where sttered blood had been wiped off,¡± said Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°Lizardmen have a better sense of smell than Humans. Looking at the size of the pool of blood, the blood loss seemed great enough to be fatal. That meant Hwee-Dan was dead, but something wasn¡¯t adding up¡ªhouses in Automation are built by digging up soft bedrock, and thus they are all tightly packed next to each other. With the days getting hotter as the rainy season approaches, there wouldn¡¯t be many ces to hide a dead body within Automation. If it hadn¡¯t been for Hwee-Kyung, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to find Hwee-Dan¡¯s body in time.¡±


    What Hwee-Kyung did was simple. Hiding a dead body was easy, but the bad odor and the fact that it attracted bugs made it easily found. This was because corpses dposed. And in order to fix this, measures had to be taken to prevent the body from dposing.


    ¡°...In order to prevent the body from dposing, it just needs to be preserved in salt. And to preserve something as big as a human¡¯s body, arge jar would be needed. A ce where it wouldn¡¯t be awkward for such arge jar to be ced would be the hunter¡¯s hut.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would be the first one to act on this matter,¡± said the Gyo family member.


    ¡°Hwee-Jin was a hunter wasn¡¯t she? I assume it was instinctive of her to do so. She wanted to eliminate the one who would be of most danger to her,¡± said Sairan.


    ¡°However, Hwee-Jin got yed by her own younger sister, Hwee-Min,¡± said Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°Hwee-Min was a schemer. She wouldn¡¯t miss out on an opportunity if she saw one,¡± replied Sairan.


    ¡°Then how do you exin Hwee-Min eventually being defeated by her brother, Hwee-Jun?¡± asked Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°It¡¯s called a trap to catch hunters, Hwee-Kyung,¡± replied Sairan.


    ¡°A trap to catch hunters?¡±


    Sairain nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s something Chief Lakrak told me. When Chief Lakrak was younger, he used to be an errand boy and went hunting with a warrior, and that warrior confidently told him that they would catch a big boar. Luckily, they really did find a big boar. Apparently the warrior then threatened Chief Lakrak to not make a sound no matter what happened, and that if they failed to hunt the boar, it would all be Chief Lakrak¡¯s fault. So the warrior began to concentrate on the boar in order to kill it with one spear throw, and because he was so concentrated, he didn¡¯t hear the rustling sound that came from the bushes. Chief Lakrak was going to tell the warrior about the small rustle he heard, but soon remembered the warrior''s words and stayed quiet. And just as the warrior was about to throw his spear, a sabertooth tiger jumped out from the bushes and bit the warrior¡¯s neck. Then the sabertooth tiger saw Chief Lakrak, broke the warrior¡¯s neck, and ran away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re saying the most dangerous moment is when one aims for their prey, right?¡±


    Sairan chose his words carefully and replied, ¡°Um, simply put, yes¡­ What I¡¯m trying to say is don¡¯t be too arrogant, and don¡¯t hunt by yourself, but rather ask for help if there is someone who can. It also means to be careful because sabertooth tigers target the backs and necks. There would¡¯ve been no reason for me to tell that whole story if it were as simple as that.¡±


    Listening to Sairan and Hwee-Kyung, the Gyo family member sighed. After Hwee-Dan¡¯s body was found, the Gyo family member found out that Hwee-Kyung was Hwee-Seo¡¯s fourth child, and that she was a potential heir who could be the next lord of Automation. Then he gathered all his physical and human assets and bet everything on Hwee-Kyung. His true nature was closer to that of a gambler than a merchant.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough of your Lizardmen story now,¡± said the Gyo family member. ¡°The more important thing is how we¡¯re going to catch Hwee-Jun. The Sang family eventually defected and took Hwee-Jun¡¯s side, so Hwee-Jun is currently supported by the Sang family and the To Family. The Soo family, who used to support Hwee-Jin, haven¡¯t said anything yet.¡±


    Sairan replied, ¡°You¡¯re saying we should get back to the point right? All right. My opinion is that we don¡¯t need the support of the Soo family.¡±


    ¡°There might be a big battle. Each family can provide as many soldiers as they wish with the lord¡¯s approval. Our opponent has two families, and we only have one, so we¡¯re at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°The battle isn¡¯t what¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°I still have enough wealth. I might be able to convince the Soo family with it,¡± said the Gyo family member.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you met the head of the Soo family before? He is a man of integrity. He won¡¯t change his mind because of wealth.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t know so well because you''re a Lizardman, but people like him are the ones most likely to ept these kinds of offers.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung thought about whether she should stop this conversation, which had started out as a debate but derailed into a childish fight.


    It had been a lucky three weeks. Sairan saved Hwee-Kyung¡¯s life many times, and she received his help for so much more. Sairan wasn¡¯t the only one who had helped her. Those she thought had ignored her and hated her all this time began to help her out without asking for anything in return, and there were also people who sacrificed things for her.


    <i>¡®Or it might be a cursed three weeks.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-kyung remembered her three siblings that lost their lives. Her first brother, Hwee-Dan, always felt sorry for Hwee-Kyung. He was scared of her curse so he never really got close to her, but whenever Hwee-Kyung was in trouble, he would secretly have other people help her out.


    <i>¡®He might have thought I wasn¡¯t even qualified enough to be a sessor.¡¯</i>


    Her older sister, Hwee-Jin, was one of the few people that didn¡¯t take Hwee-Kyung¡¯s curse seriously. When they were younger, Hwee-Jin would take her out to the forest to hunt together, and her sister would teach her hunting techniques.


    <i>¡®But she did seem to get bored of ying with her younger sister as she got older.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s younger sister, Hwee-Min, learned things quickly, so she always enjoyed listening to Hwee-Kyung¡¯s stories.


    <i>¡®I do think she only listened because she was lonely. But she did be bored as I wasn¡¯t able to tell her any new stories.¡¯</i>


    After thinking about them, her feelings became a littleplicated; she didn¡¯t think they were the most ideal siblings, but she then thought of herst sibling.


    <i>¡®Hwee-Jun.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Jun was aplicated person. Some thought that he was simply hard to get close to, but Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t think so. And she thought he was always hiding something even though some said Hwee-Jun was introverted and weak. There hadn¡¯t been a way for her to find out what that was, but through the past three weeks, she found out exactly what Hwee-Jun was hiding.


    <i>¡®His teeth. They¡¯re too sharp and dangerous to show everyone else during any ordinary day.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Jun was a monster. Hwee-Kyung thought that Hwee-Jun knew this would happen someday. Unlike Hwee-Dan, who preserved his powers, it seemed that Hwee-Jun had alreadyid down his groundwork in advance, keeping in mind who would act in what way, just like in a game of Go. Hwee-Jun never yed any moves just because. He always did his best, and with his skills, he defeated his three other siblings, Hwee-Dan, Hwee-Jin, and Hwee-Min.


    <i>¡®It was Hwee-Jun who hired the Goblins to kill me that first day.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung brought her attention back to the room and heard Sairan and the Gyo family still bickering.


    ¡°So what is the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe nning?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. Well, to be exact, I don¡¯t know. My only duty is to protect Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    Just as Hwee-Kyung thought she should stop the two from fighting, someone ran into the room.


    ¡°There¡¯s news from outside the castle.¡±


    It was the Gyo family¡¯s errand boy.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I think our scouting party has found the lord.¡±


    Those sitting in the dark room exchanged nces with each other without saying anything.


    .


    Hwee-Kyung and Hwee-Jun both realized that their father, the lord of Automation, had been outside the castle. For the past two weeks, their father had been dealing with external matters, so he couldn¡¯t pay much attention to the sessor fight that was going on. Moreover, this time he left with all his subordinates that would have informed him about the news inside Automation as if he were in a hurry. And within that week, the secret of Hwee-Dan¡¯s death had been revealed, and the two other siblings had died. The absence of their father had elerated the fight for session.


    <i>¡®And once Fatheres back, there¡¯s no way to know who the sessor will be. Hwee-Jun, who is at an advantage right now, will try to make things final before fatheres back.¡¯</i>


    If there was only one child left to be sessor, Hwee-Seo wouldn¡¯t have to think about who to choose.


    Hwee-Kyung then asked, ¡°When do you think he¡¯ll arrive?¡±


    ¡°Our scouts were on fast horses, and the lord wasn¡¯t riding too quickly, so he should get here tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°And there was also news that the scouting party told me to ry only to Hwee-Kyung¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The errand boy crossed the room and approached Hwee-Kyung. Hwee-Kyung craned her ear towards the errand boy as the errand boy indicated that he would whisper to her by putting his hand to his mouth. A hot liquid sttered onto Hwee-Kyung¡¯s face. Hwee-Kyung turned to see Sairan stabbing the errand boy¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°He was taking out a knife.¡±


    Sairan pulled the de out of the errand boy¡¯s chest, and an iron knife fell to the floor. As the errand boy copsed, it turned out that there was another dagger stuck in his back. Everyone looked at the Goblin boss, and the Goblin boss tilted his head as if he was wondering why everyone was looking at him.


    Then Sairan asked the Gyo family member, ¡°Is he a member of the Gyo family?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I would have been suspicious of him from the beginning if he weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°More of the Gyo family could¡¯ve been bribed. We cannot trust the Gyo family anymore.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Just as the Gyo family member was about to protest, a scream came from the outside. Followed by the sound of metal shing against each other.


    Sairan said, ¡°They weren¡¯t simply bribed. Hwee-Jun must have made up his mind.¡±


    ¡°...We will take care of our own family business. All of you should run away. They won¡¯t be able to catch you if you blend in with the crowd and run in different directions. Have you thought about which would be the best way to escape?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ***


    The path Sairan chose was the sewer. Without a sewer, Automation would flood whenever it rained, but fortunately, the ancient sewer allowed Automation to still exist to this day. However, it wasn¡¯t an easy escape route. The sewer was filled with sewage that came up to a Human¡¯s knees, and the sewer system itself was veryplicated. Especially on days it wasn¡¯t raining, the sewage made a great ecosystem for bugs.


    Sairan discovered this escape route by himself, but he wished there wouldn¡¯te a day where he would have to use it. He was also worried that Hwee-Kyung would hate bugs, but surprisingly, Hwee-Kyung was the first one to jump into the sewer. Hwee-Kyung and Sairan kept getting hit in the face by flies and fruit flies.


    ¡°I¡¯m used to bugs,¡± said Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­used to them?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded.


    ¡°It was when I was younger. I don¡¯t remember too well, but the wooden floor seemed to be very loose when I went into the bathroom. The floor broke, and I fell down, definitelynding on a pile of shit. I think I fell all the way down into the sewer.¡±


    ¡°Did you trip and fall then too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I managed to survive with no injuries. Because I fell into the sewer, there was no ray of light, and I couldn¡¯t find my way out. It was full of sewage too. I really thought I would die there, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Very interestingly, dots of light were floating in the distance. So I followed the light and saw the dim outline of the sewer. Of course, I couldn¡¯t leave the sewer just like that. I was curious about the light, so I followed them. And once I caught one of them, it turned out to be a bug. Light wasing from its stomach.¡±


    Sairan listened to Hwee-Kyung while following her. He blinked a few times and said, ¡°I think¡­that would have been a firefly.¡±


    ¡°Firefly?¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s not a species of bug that lives around here.¡±


    ¡°But it <i>was?</i>there. And because of them, I was able to find my way out.¡±


    ¡°Hm, then it might not be the kind of bug I know. It might not have been a firefly.¡±


    However, as Sairan listened to Hwee-Kyung¡¯s description of the bug, he was sure it was a firefly.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s interesting. The fact that they were in a ce where they couldn¡¯t have been¡­¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, they didn¡¯t have to walk too long down the sewer. The exit led to the basement of the Soo family¡¯s hunter hut. Once they got to the front of the stairs to the exit, Sairan grabbed Hwee-Kyung¡¯s shoulder, who had been walking in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first from here on out.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no noise or lighting from the exit. There wouldn¡¯t be anyone there.¡±


    ¡°But just in case. If something happens, turn around and run.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded as she didn¡¯t think it was necessary to argue with Sairan; they had done so many times in the past three weeks.


    <i>¡®Hwee-Jun has been on the offense until now, and that means he¡¯s bing impatient. If we get out of here, we¡¯ll have the chance to fight back.¡¯</i>


    After waiting for a while, Hwee-Kyung figured it would be okay to go up to Sairan. Just as she stepped onto the stairs, she heard fightinging from above. Hwee-Kyung only came to her senses when she was already on the next step with her knife out.


    The fight was already in full swing. It was a dark night, and the moon was hidden behind the clouds. Everyone was just swinging their swords relying on the faint light reflected off their swords. However, Lizardmen were easier to spot among the Humans.


    Sairan then said to Hwee-Kyung when she came up, ¡°Why on earth did you follow?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t reply.


    Behind the fighting men stood a skinny man. It was Hwee-Jun.


    ¡°...It¡¯s toote,¡± said Hwee-Jin. ¡°That Lizardman is no different than dead already.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Hwee-Jun.¡±


    As Sairan turned to Hwee-Jun, Hwee-Kyung saw a spear pierce through Sairan¡¯s back.

 Chapter 37: The Second Best Warrior

    <h4>Chapter 37: The Second Best Warrior</h4>


    ¡°Hm, he can still talk?¡±


    Hwee-Jun looked at Sairan as if he was seeing something strange. If Sairan was an ordinary Human, it wouldn¡¯t have been weird for the level of injury to kill him.


    ¡°Not only can I talk¡­¡±


    Two soldiers ran towards Sairan, one charging straight on from the front, and the othering from behind. Sairan grabbed the spear wielded by the soldiering from the front and whirled around. The soldier lost his bnce and fell. Sairan used the other arm he was holding his sword with and cut the neck of the soldier that wasing at him from behind. Then he stepped on the fallen soldier''s neck.


    There was no scream; only the sound of bones being broken.


    ¡°...I can also fight.¡±


    A quarter of the moon became visible for a moment through the clouds and soon disappeared again. The soldier whose throat had been cut tried to stop the blood spouting out of his neck, but eventually copsed.


    The ck-scaled Lizardman¡¯s outer scales seemed to sh for a moment. About fifteen other soldiers flinched and hesitated to attack Sairan after witnessing what he was capable of. Sairan huffed at the scared human soldiers like he found themughable. He then grabbed the spearhead that had pierced through his chest and wrapped his tail around the rest of the spear protruding from his back.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Sairan snapped the spear that was getting on his nerves without even making a noise. He threw the broken spear onto the ground and pushed aside the enemies that were between him and Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°Hwee-Kyung, if you aren¡¯t going to turn around and run,e here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung went and stood behind Sairan. Sairan red at the enemies.


    ¡°Are you aware that the correct thing to do was to run?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you choose the wrong thing to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Sairan nced back at Hwee-Kyung. Their eyes met.


    Hwee-Kyung then continued to say, ¡°I don¡¯t know. All I know is that Humans sometimes make the wrong choice. Even if it would lead them to destruction.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s use the word <i>people</i>, not Humans.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Chief told me to protect you, but he didn¡¯t say to risk my life. He told me that I could always give up and return home if things got dangerous.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung thought this was strange. In the past three weeks, there were many situations where not only Hwee-Kyung, but Sairan¡¯s life was in danger. Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t tell Sairan, but ever since she began to rely on Sairan, she felt grateful to be able to wake up to another day.


    ¡°...Then why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say so yourself, Hwee-Kyung? You don¡¯t know why, but people sometimes make the wrong choice. They choose it even if it would lead to their destruction.¡±


    Someone whispered to Hwee-Jun, who was standing at a distance, and knit his brows.


    Then Hwee-Jun asked, ¡°Why are you standing there and not killing them?¡±


    A soldier quietly said, ¡°That Lizardman¡¯s power is incredible. And¡­there¡¯s also a rumor that he¡¯s a chosen one¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. There¡¯s no reason for him to hide his powers even when he got a spear pierced through his back, is there?¡±


    The rumor was spread by Hwee-Kyung, and it still had an effect. However, it seemed that Hwee-Jun already knew it wasn¡¯t true.


    ¡°Lizardman! If you really can produce and summon a thunderbolt, strike me.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Hwee-Jun spoke of an old rumor. He didn¡¯t know if it was true himself, but he thought it would be worth bringing it up if it would help the soldiers maintain their fighting spirits.


    ¡°From what I know, there was a limited number of chosen ones, so there¡¯s no need for the Blue Insect God to pay attention to such a low-level warrior like him.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Sairan kept silent.


    Then Hwee-Jun continued to confidently say, ¡°Look! He can¡¯t even refute it! I will give another cart full of silk to those who cut their necks.¡±


    The eyes of the soldiers changed. The soldiers all charged at them, but Sairan warded all of them off. However, even when Sairan knocked the soldiers down, reinforcements came to take their ces in twos or threes. As time passed, the battle tilted towards Hwee-Jun¡¯s favor


    Sairan whispered to Hwee-Kyung, ¡°We¡¯ll run towards the right. It¡¯ll be hard to break through all of them if I carry you, so you must follow me well.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s a wall?¡±


    ¡°Just like Hwee-Jun said, I don¡¯t have the ability to make lightning strike. But I¡¯m definitely not a low-level warrior.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung thought it was only obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known that ever since the first time we met.¡±


    ¡°Then how high do you think I rank?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Hwee-Kyung thought Sairan¡¯s question was a rather childish one to ask given their situation.


    ¡°Tribal chief is the chief, so we don¡¯t debate his strength. Mr. Yur is the best warrior in our tribe.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°...And I am the second best warrior. People don¡¯t tend to remember the second best.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung was able to feel the small wound that Sairan, who was very strong, had inside of him. It would be painful to remain as the second best among warriors. The praises always go to the first.


    <i>¡®If it wasn¡¯t for this kind of situation, he wouldn¡¯t have even revealed this weak side of him.¡¯</i>


    Sairan nced to the right and said, ¡°Remember, we¡¯re going to the right.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, there¡¯s a wall to our right.¡±


    ¡°It soon won¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Stick close to me.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung wondered what was going to happen, and Hwee-Jun¡¯s soldiers never could predict what Sairan would do.


    The route for retreat that Sairan pointed to was a wall made of rock. It was a soft rock which could easily be broken with a low-quality iron chisel, and the wall was likely hollow as it would have been a part of someone¡¯s house, but a wall was still a wall. It had been recognized by the Humans as a geographic feature, and if it was blocking a path, they would find a way around it.


    If the wall was able to think, it would probably think that it would remain where it was for centuries until it wore down itself.


    However, Sairan thought differently. Sairan was the second best warrior of the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe. The second best warrior had the authority to handle things their own way if there was a disagreement between them and their superior.


    <i>¡®If there isn¡¯t an exit¡­¡¯</i>


    Sairan put his right arm onto his left shoulder and bent over. A soldier seemed oblivious to what Sairan was doing and got in between Sairan and the wall.


    <i>¡®...You make one.¡¯</i>


    Sairan then ran straight towards the wall in a tackle position. The soldier, who was raising his sword, bounced off of Sairan. He couldn¡¯t hurt Sairan nor slow him down.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Sairan broke through the wall and disappeared. A dust storm arose from the copsing wall and covered everyone¡¯s field of vision. Hwee-Kyung was the first to realize what had happened. She quickly ran through the dust storm and then the hole that Sairan had disappeared through.


    A soldier then shouted to Hwee-Jun, ¡°He¡­he broke through the wall!¡±


    ¡°I know that! What are you doing not chasing after them?¡±


    Hwee-Jun shouted andmanded his soldiers. The soldiers took a moment to light each other¡¯s torches before giving chase with the excuse that the dust had made their surroundings too dark. Anyone could tell that they were all trying to buy time as they didn¡¯t want to be the first one chasing after Sairan.


    <i>¡®These stupid cowards.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Jun recalled the time when the Gnolls came by three weeks ago.


    <i>¡®Should I have also brought in outside forces? Then would things have ended sooner?¡¯</i>


    Five Gnolls hade to him, and the Gnolls knew very well about the situation inside Automation, and about Hwee-Jun. They had strong ws and legs whenpared to other Gnolls, and were strong warriors. They even said they would help Hwee-Jun without any cost. But Hwee-Jun rejected their help. Not only did he reject them, he kicked them out.


    <i>¡®They said if I became the next lord, Automation would be full of those who believed in the Angry Teeth God. And that was all they wished for.¡¯</i>


    They didn¡¯t tell Hwee-Jun to believe in the Angry Teeth God, but simply said that it would eventually happen. In other words, it would be inevitable even if Hwee-Jun didn¡¯t believe in the god and tried to prevent that from happening.


    <i>¡®If I be the next lord, Gnolls and Lizardmen will be our next enemies. I can¡¯t receive help from such a faction. And I wouldn¡¯t stay on the sideline when the next potential lord receives their help either.¡®</i>


    The other siblings had already believed in either the Angry Teeth God or the Blue Insect God. It was a good thing that they were eliminated sooner. However, Hwee-Jun couldn¡¯t opt for machination and scheming to reach his goal this time.


    <i>¡®Father ising. I need to finish this off before sunrise.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Jun looked at the direction hisst sibling had disappeared in.


    <i>¡®It won¡¯t take long if they ran that way.¡¯</i>


    <i>***</i>


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think we made a mistake in choosing our escape route,¡± said Sairan.


    ¡°To be exact, it¡¯s my mistake. I should have looked for a better route since I lived here.¡±


    ¡°It was too dark to look for a different route. And Hwee-Kyung, you¡¯re not a miner.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung decided not to me herself after hearing Sairan¡¯s words. She wasn''t in the greatest situation to me herself either.


    The route that the two took led to the salt mine. It was a dead end. There was another problem; the interior structure of the salt mine was very simple, which made tracking them easy, and because the path gradually became narrower, it would be difficult for someone big like Sairan to move through. It was only disadvantageous for them to hide deeper into the mine. And in addition to that, Sairan¡¯s wound was only getting worse.


    As they walked further into the mine, Sairan began to limp, and Hwee-Kyung had no other choice but to tell him to stop at that point. Sairan slowly nodded. Hwee-Kyung took off her coat and pressed it against Sairan¡¯s wound, but blood kept seeping through.


    ¡°W-Wouldn¡¯t it be better to take this out?¡±


    ¡°Without any other treatment, blood will gush out if we do that. Then I would not only have to fight Hwee-Jun, but also against my own blood. I would likely die.¡±


    ¡°Shit. What should we do?¡±


    ¡°There are things that can¡¯t be helped, Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    At Sairan¡¯s words, Hwee-Kyung felt like something she had exhausted long ago was about toe out again. It was tears.


    ¡°Hwee-Kyung, are you crying?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me. It¡¯s not the time for that.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not that. It¡¯s because I like it. Are you crying for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You big lizard. How are you saying you like anything when you¡¯re dying?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have seen lots of people, both enemies and teammates, die by spears. I don¡¯t know much, but I do know that if I can move this much, there¡¯s a high chance that I¡¯ll live if I get proper treatment.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak like you¡¯re talking about someone else. How would you receive proper treatment in a situation like this?¡±


    Sairan¡¯s mind went nk for a second, and he knew it was because he was losing too much blood. But he was still able to remain conscious for now. The problem was Hwee-Kyung, who was crying as she didn¡¯t trust the words of the second best warrior.


    Sairan asked, ¡°Are you thinking about your curse?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You think all this happened because of a curse?¡±


    ¡°Can you say otherwise?¡±


    ¡°...We¡¯ve done a lot of reasoning for the past three weeks. So try to do that this time too. Start with the answer that you, Hwee-Kyung, are not cursed.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung wiped her tears with the back of her hand and replied, ¡°Howe?¡±


    ¡°Think about the traps and attacks you¡¯ve encountered for the past three weeks. Your siblings were always behind them. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence or because there was a god that cursed people somewhere out there. People with clear hostility were the ones who attacked you, Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you would want to say that all that hostility arose from your curse, but think of it in the opposite way. How have you survived until now? The fact that you met me, that Boss decided to help you in exchange of silk, that the Gyo family member helped you despite the interest you owed him, as well as the truth that the old Soo family miner told us and the secret of the fish merchant that saved our lives¡­aren¡¯t these all results of coincidence? Hwee-Kyung, do you know what goodwills that happen coincidentally are called?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung replied, ¡°Luck?¡±


    <i>Yes, it¡¯s luck.?</i>


    Hwee-Kyung thought time stopped for a moment. It was the voice of her heart that had been absent for the past three weeks.


    <i>You were born blessed, not cursed. However, someone¡­was afraid of their power¡­</i>


    <i>¡®Shut up.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung held onto both of her horns, and time began to pass again. It seemed that Sairan wasn¡¯t able to hear the voice inside Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s luck,¡± said Sairan. ¡°I took a look at the wheelbarrow that I retrieved the silk from when we first met. The wheel was broken because someone tampered with the axle of the wheel. I wasn¡¯t able to tell you at the time, and I suspected it would have been one of your siblings after I learned that the Gyo family member was on our side.¡±


    ¡°What? But I borrowed the wheelbarrow before the actual sessor fight began.¡±


    ¡°I thought that was strange too. Because until then, the fight to be the sessor wasn¡¯t a fight where siblings would kill each other. Don¡¯t you also find it strange that someone would want to kill Hwee-Kyung, who was least important at the time, on purpose? But that evidence of tampering with the wheel on purpose suggests that someone had steadily been targeting you for a while.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung felt her head ache.


    <i>Don¡¯t you know the answer to this mystery?</i>


    <i>¡®I told you to shut up, didn¡¯t I?¡¯</i>


    Sairan began to worry as Hwee-Kyung felt a headache.


    ¡°Hwee-Kyung?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s no time to worry about me¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me because¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Please. Don¡¯t say the word I don¡¯t want you to say. Okay?¡±


    Sairan said it anyway.


    ¡°I believe in Hwee-Kyung¡¯s luck.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung wished that luck existed. However, she knew that it wasn¡¯t on her side. Many pairs of footsteps could be heard from the entrance of the salt cave, and Hwee-Jun¡¯s soldiers appeared. Hundreds of steps away from them, down the straight corridor of the mine.


    ¡°There they are!¡±


    Sairan barely managed to get up at the shout of the warrior.


    Then Hwee-Jun, whomanded the soldiers, said, ¡°The Lizardman has lost a lot of blood. And this is a salt mine. He won¡¯t be able to break through the walls and run away like he did before.¡±


    Those words seemed to raise the soldiers'' fighting spirits, and the warriors slowly approached Sairan with their spears. Hwee-Kyung also got up and stood beside Sairan. She didn¡¯t believe in luck. However, she had learned how to fight alongside Sairan without getting in his way in the past three weeks.


    <i>¡®Alright. I at least won¡¯t die ming my curse. If I die, it¡¯ll simply be my fault. Just like Sairan stayed by my side even when he thought it was dangerous.¡¯</i>


    But Hwee-Kyung¡¯s predictions were wrong.


    As the soldiers and their fires got thirty steps closer, a blue light shed between Sairan and the group of soldiers.


    It was one who could be called luck.


    Sairan, Hwee-Kyung, Hwee-Jun, and his soldiers were all mesmerized for a moment by the bright blue light flickering within the salt mine. The light formed into a shing sphere that cast shadows behind the people in the cave. Those who had good vision were able to make out a strange square-shaped creature fluttering in the air. And as the mine began to dim, all the other people were also able to see the creature.


    Just as the bright light disappeared, everyone heard a voiceing from within their hearts.


    <i>I am¡­</i>


    The shing blue stingray spoke.


    <i>I am Pzzt.</i>


    Hwee-Kyung, who was used to surprising and novel things, heard the name and instinctively asked, ¡°...Your name is Pzzt?¡±


    Pzzt didn¡¯t react in any way. It was the result of lots of practice.


    Pzzt looked at Sairan and talked to him.


    <i>Sairan Muel, you have been chosen.</i>

 Chapter 38: Automation on a Scale

    <h4>Chapter 38: Automation on a Scale</h4>


    Sairan didn¡¯t seem happy at the words that he was chosen.


    Hwee-Jun was merely making a stab in the dark, but he was right. There were five chosen ones in the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe. Lakrak, Zaol, Yur, Owen, and the star catcher. No one knew why, but until now, they had been the only ones receiving God¡¯s special grace. So the fact that Sairan was chosen meant¡­


    ¡°Did someone die?¡±


    Pzzt¡¯s light dimmed instead of shing while replying to Sairan.


    <i>The star catcher.</i>


    Sairan closed his eyes for a moment and showed his condolences by mumbling to himself. In the meantime, Hwee-Jun¡¯s soldiers seemed confused and hesitant to approach Pzzt since they had never seen anything like it. Nothing changed even when Hwee-Jun told them to go ahead from behind them.


    ¡°You damn cowards. Bring a bow and arrow. Where are the archers?¡±


    Pzzt looked back at Hwee-Jun and the soldiers.


    <i>There are annoying things here. And that human woman over there¡­</i>


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    <i>¡­No, nevermind. I can¡¯t do anything about them because I am only here to carry out God¡¯s will.?</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them myself. But Pzzt, why me?¡± asked Sairan.


    <i>God chose you Himself, so I don¡¯t really know the reason. But you probably think you deserve it. Aren¡¯t you the second best warrior of your n?</i>


    At those words, Sairan slowly nodded.


    <i>You don¡¯t have to worry about them anymore. You will now act on behalf of God, and when you do so, you can borrow His power.?</i>


    ¡°Starting when, do you mean?¡±


    Pzzt shed.


    <i>Starting now.</i>


    Pzzt glowed as he disappeared just like when he had appeared.


    The salt mine then returned to darkness save for a few lit torches.


    Hwee-Kyung quietly whispered, ¡°So that strange creature¡­¡±


    ¡°It is the one who oversees the power of lightning in ce of God.¡±


    ¡°And you have just been chosen by God?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sairan looked at Hwee-Jun and said, ¡°I thought there would be aplex ritual and process to follow, and that one would practice and get used to the power during that process, but I guess not.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°The power is within me, and I know exactly how to use it.¡±


    Sairan grabbed the spear sticking out of his back with his left hand. Then he pulled on the spear and covered the wound on his back with his right hand.


    <i>Pzt!</i>


    A spark scorched Sairan¡¯s wound, and it smelled like burning flesh.


    ¡°Sairan!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯ve be energized after I got the power. And this kind of pain¡­¡±


    Sairan then took out the remaining spear piece sticking out in front of him and scorched the wound before blood could gush out.


    ¡°...Is nothing.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung knew that the pain wasn¡¯t nothing judging by Sairan¡¯s facial expression, but she decided not to say anything; she wanted to protect the warrior¡¯s pride.


    Then Hwee-Jun yelled, ¡°What are you all doing! The monster disappeared! Attack now!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they understood what just happened,¡± said Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to make them understand.¡±


    Sairan held his sword in his right hand and spread his left palm open. Electric lights began to sh between his fingers. Hwee-Jun was the first to notice.


    ¡°Damn, there¡¯s no way¡­¡±


    Hwee-Jun was quick-witted and also physically fast. While the soldiers charged at Sairan with their spears, oblivious to what was happening, Hwee-Jun escaped Sairan¡¯s field of vision and ran away from the corridor.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Those who were closest to Sairan could only see light, while the soldiers who were farther away saw a thunderbolt shoot out from Sairan¡¯s left hand and hit the corner of the salt mine. As for those struck by the lightning, they could no longer see anything.


    As the thunder echoed in the cave, several soldiers copsed onto the ground after getting hit. It was easy to tell what had happened to them by the smell of burning flesh and the white steam rising from their bodies. Intelligible crying and screaming echoed. Only a few words could be discerned.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s the chosen one!¡±


    ¡°Run!¡±


    There were soldiers who threw their spears and ran away, and there were even some who fainted on the spot. Sairan didn¡¯t chase after those who had fled and instead looked down at his hand.


    Hwee-Kyung came up to him.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m fine. I just thought I should use this power carefully. It¡¯s too much for an individual to handle. I think I now know why God only gave this power to a few people.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded after ncing down at the bodies burned to death by lightning.


    ¡°With this power, why is it that the ck-Scaled Tribe isn¡¯t fighting the Ears Cut Tribe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know much about the Ears Cut Tribe since I¡¯d been following Owen around until recently¡­but I think it¡¯s because the Ears Cut Tribe have something simr. And there''s a problem with this power.¡±


    ¡°What kind of problem?¡±


    ¡°This power can¡¯t be used infinitely. I¡¯m feeling a kind of mental exhaustion. I think I should rest and smoke medicinal herbs to recover from it.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung replied, ¡°...What happens if all that mental energy is used up?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I only get tired. And I still have more than enough energy now. I feel a lot better now that I¡¯m not bleeding.¡±


    Sarian¡¯s physical condition didn¡¯t seem so good to Hwee-Kyung, but she nodded anyway. There were a few more shes in the salt mine.


    Hwee-Jun didn¡¯t give up. He reorganized the soldiers that had escaped and blocked the entrance of the mine. Then a sabertooth tiger that seemed to have gotten lost in the mine attacked Sairan. But Sairan defeated all of them with the Power of Lightning.


    When Hwee-kyung and Sairan came out of the salt mine, only Hwee-Jun and about fifteen soldiers remained.


    ¡°...You got to me in the end.¡±


    Hwee-Jun clenched his fists as if he had been wronged and stared at Hwee-Kyung. Hwee-Kyung thought he was ridiculous.


    ¡°You should think about who started all of this in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought that wicked lizard into our castle. You were the one who eventually involved the smelly Gnolls and Lizardmen in this session fight, when it should have been a fight between our siblings.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­no, since when did we have such rules?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. You can never think far enough. Do you think Automation will be fine if you be the lord with the help of outsiders? Humans would be pushed out and swallowed by another species. Even if you got lucky and that didn¡¯t happen, Automation would be in danger due to the interests of either the Ears Cut Tribe or the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe. Do you really want to see the walls of Automation attacked?¡±


    With Sairan by her side, Hwee-Kyung sighed and walked forward.


    ¡°Hwee-Jun. You¡¯re the one that''s stupid. Father has given his blood, sweat, and tears to protect Automation, but that also means that we¡¯ve be passive since we can¡¯t easily change and adapt. The world is big and wide. There are many other big tribes like the Ears Cut Tribe and the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe out there along the northern coast and in the continent atrge, but Father didn¡¯t want to get involved and trade with any of them because he was afraid that interests of each tribe would sh with one another. And this is the result of that.¡±


    ¡°...But¡ª¡±


    Hwee-Jun tried to interject, but Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t stop talking.


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t even know if this result is bad. Every rtionship is a deal. If you gain something, you also lose something. The walls of Automation might get attacked? What would that do? As far as I know, Automation has the tallest ramparts in this area. Tell anyone to attack if they¡¯re confident enough. Father couldn¡¯t put his most valuable trade product on the scale because he loved and cherished it so much. But I¡¯m not a coward like Father. I¡¯ll get something greater in return by giving up Automation.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung noticed Hwee-Jun¡¯s gaze turned to something behind her as she said that.


    <i>¡®Sairan? No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s something further back.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung was about to turn around, but she could sense that it was already toote. Hwee-Jun had already signaled with his finger. Hwee-Kyung realized that Hwee-Jun had prepared onest move.


    She got caught up with Sairan and had been attacking using force until now, forgetting the kind of person she was, but finally, she was realizing her true talent.


    <i>¡®That finger signal was sent to an assassin behind me.¡¯?</i>


    It was likely to be an arrow as she was too far out for someone to throw a dagger from their hiding ce. There were bags of salt stacked on top of the small storage ce at the entrance to the salt mine, and they would likely be hiding there. Sairan would probably react as soon as the arrow was shot, but he might be a littlete.


    <i>¡®Then the arrow would shoot into my back.¡¯</i>


    For some reason, Hwee-Kyung was able to picture the shape of the arrow and the trajectory the arrow would follow.


    <i>¡®What is the arrowhead made of?¡¯</i>


    <i>It¡¯s an arrowhead made of iron. The hardness of the material probably means it came from the inner continent.</i>


    <i>¡®What about the feathers?¡¯</i>


    <i>Three rooster feathers.</i>


    <i>¡®Where would it strike?¡¯</i>


    <i>In the middle of your heart. By the looks of their shaking hands, they don¡¯t seem like a skilled archer. But that shakiness would luckily cause your heart to get shot.?</i>


    Hwee-Kyung realized that she wasn¡¯t thinking to herself, but talking to a voice inside of her.


    <i>¡®You are¡­¡¯</i>


    <i>Are you going to tell me to shut up again?</i>


    <i>¡®No.¡¯</i>


    <i>You will die if you stay like this. And I will too.</i>


    <i>¡®You too?¡¯</i>


    <i>Do you think you can stop the arrow?</i>


    <i>¡®No. I¡¯m too slow. Sairan will also barely miss it.¡¯</i>


    <i>How do you think we can stop this arrow?</i>


    <i>¡®How would we stop an arrow that has already been shot?¡¯</i>


    <i>Use your imagination. Think about the bowstring being pulled, the assassin taking a deep breath, and when they¡¯re aiming at you. You¡¯ve missed a lot of things because your horns aren¡¯t fully grown yet. Think of anything.?</i>


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know. If the wind were to blow¡­¡¯</i>


    Then the voice inside Hwee-Kyung, who seemed to be angry, became calm.


    <i>Wind? Wind, I see. Okay. Wind is always on my side.?</i>


    Hwee-Kyung could feel it. She felt a gust of wind blowing behind her back.


    She then said to the voice inside of her, <i>¡®What are you?¡¯</i>


    <i>Are you asking for my name?</i>


    <i>¡®No.¡¯</i>


    <i>Then are you asking about my species? I am a spirit of Demonic Magic. We have survived long enough to lose memory of the Creator and our time of birth, and we live beside old temples of fallen gods, or in old blood like yours.</i>


    <i>¡®No¡­I didn¡¯t mean to hear that kind of exnation. What are you? Are you the curse that has bothered me? Or¡­¡¯</i>


    <i>You¡¯re asking about the nature of my existence. I am not the curse that you thought I was until now, and I¡¯m not a misfortune that haunts you, either. But the exnation of luck given by the Lizardman, who just got empowered by my Demonic Magic friend, iscking.</i>


    <i>¡®...Friend?¡¯</i>


    The voice inside of her continued to talk.


    <i>I am¡­aplicated being. I choose the appropriate path out of all the possibilities that infinitely unfold into the future. I determine the possible and impossible paths, and choose the one that produces benefits.?</i>


    <i>¡®...Can you exin it more simply?¡¯</i>


    <i>I manipte probabilities.?</i>


    The arrow that flew toward Hwee-Kyung lost its strength after being caught in a sudden gust of wind.


    ***


    The sky, hundreds of meters above Automation.


    A system window appeared in front of Sung-Woon.


    [Demonic Magic Enchanted Hwee-Kyung has be aware of the enchantment.


    The hidden Demonic Magic is now revealed.]


    [Demonic Magic: (Unknown) ¡ú Demonic Magic: Probability]


    Sung-Woon heard Hegemonia shout through the video call.


    ¡°No way! It wasn¡¯t a curse?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Did you think I was crazy enough to choose a cursed individual?¡±


    ¡°But when I saw Hwee-Kyung¡¯s character history, she definitely seemed like a cursed¡­¡±


    Hegemonia fell silent when the answer came to them.


    Sung-Woon held in hisughter and said, ¡°Who would have created that history?¡±

 Chapter 39: Successor

    <h4>Chapter 39: Sessor</h4>


    Every unique entity in The Lost World had a History tab that could be checked when yers clicked View More, which provided a brief summary of the entity¡¯s life since they were born or came into existence.


    Take Lakrak as an example of characters yers paid attention to. His History tab was filled with God-rted entries and countless other aplishments rather than trivial information about him. For any ordinary character, on the other hand, information such as their job, spouse, how many children they had, or how many times they almost died would be recorded. Therefore, History was a kind of profile for characters.


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s History was roughly as follows:


    [(...)


    Age 13, Automation Market. Fell down the stairs because the stairs got swamped with people.


    Age 14, Automation¡¯s Inner Pce. Fell down from the bathroom into the sewer.


    Automation Alleyway. Attacked by a masked hooligan


    3 Kilometers southwest of Automation. Got picked on and fought with children of the same age.


    Automation Salt Storage. Locked up for 4 days for stealing.


    Automation Market. Jar filled with water fell over head.


    Age 15, 5 Kilometers southeast of Automation. Attacked by a herd of stray dogs overnight.


    (...)


    Age 21, 12 Kilometers southwest of Automation. Fell 7 meters down a cliff with a wheelbarrow loaded with silk.


    The Gyo family¡¯s stairs at Automation. Attacked by a vagrant Goblin group.


    Hunter¡¯s Hut at Automation. Attacked by the Soo family¡¯s hunters.


    (...)


    Salt mine Entrance of Automation. Attacked by an assassin from behind.]


    There were no exact dates or times because there were no calendar systems in ce yet, but with automatic age conversion based on Earth¡¯s system, the approximate time could be estimated.


    Sung-Woon saw Hegemonia get annoyed while scrolling up and down the History tab, which didn¡¯t suit the dignified appearance of their horn helmet.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t there. I didn¡¯t see incorrectly,¡± said Hegemonia.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    ¡°There¡¯s no particr sign of you getting involved. You¡¯re not lying about your involvement when you just go lucky, are you?¡±


    ¡°You can think whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn it.¡±


    It had been some time since Sung-Woon first intervened with Automation, but it wasn¡¯t <i>that?</i>long ago. Hwee-Kyung was born before all the other yers were summoned to this world in the first ce.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been about eight years.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon believed one of the most important things in The Lost World was reconnaissance. Discovering species, tribes, Abominations, Fiends, and Ancient Ruins in advance anding up with a n to benefit from them in the future was the way to get closer to victory.


    There were some problems though. yers were called gods, but they only got to think by themselves and only had one pair of eyes. If a yer didn¡¯t utilize the view their Small Area could provide, they could only observe what was going on by going to the ce themselves with their divine body. Fortunately enough, Small Area: Insects was one of the areas good for conducting proper reconnaissance.


    <i>¡®But the best for that would be Small Area: Birds¡­¡¯</i>


    In any case, Sung-Woon didn¡¯t find it odd that Hegemonia would have thought that Demonic Magic Enchanted Hwee-Kyung was cursed.


    There were many ways to obtain Demonic Magic in the Lost World. Among them, Ancient Ruins were the most exemry, but the moremon way was to have an entity who was Demonic Magic Enchanted nearby. There were deviations for each species, but Demonic Magic Enchanted individuals were randomly born and could be distinguished by certain characteristics, such as Hwee-Kyung¡¯s horns, which would grant the individual the special skill of Demonic Magic.


    <i>¡®However, while there is good Demonic Magic like the Electric Demonic Magic that Lakrak got, there is also bad Demonic Magic.¡¯</i>


    Bad Demonic Magic was especially hard to distinguish from curses, and Hegemonia had mistook Hwee-Kyung¡¯s Demonic Magic as the Misfortune Curse.


    <i>¡®Curses can be useful, but it¡¯s a burden to have it in the beginning when the characters are still physically growing. The Misfortune Curse is also the worst. All kinds of misfortunes arise when a character has it.¡¯</i>


    In fact, Sung-Woon thought it was only natural for Hegemonia, who didn¡¯t seem tock in skills or experience, to mistake the Probability Demonic Magic for the Misfortune Curse.


    <i>¡®Because even I thought that way in the beginning.¡¯</i>


    Eight years ago, Sung-Woon had observed several individuals at Automation with Hwee-Seo and his children as his main focus. Automation would serve as a major base in the future, so he knew he woulde back there even though it would be in the distant future for Lakrak¡¯s n at the time.


    The lord of Automation, Hwee-Seo, was better in terms of abilitiespared to an average person, and his children also inherited some of his greater than average traits. However, the most unusual character that grabbed Sung-Woon¡¯s attention was Hwee-Kyung.


    <i>¡®When I first saw her History, I thought I didn¡¯t have to read further to figure out that she had the Misfortune Curse.¡¯</i>


    But Sung-Woon didn¡¯t jump to conclusions just because the probability was high. This world was obviously based on The Lost World, but it was real, and there was something that made him uneasy. Moreover, he had time to spare to observe her further.


    Sung-Woon managed his locust swarms while watching Lakrak¡¯s n every now and then. He also kept vignt of other powers and, at the same time, observed other major bases like Automation with the goal of taking over them in the future. His observations resulted in him discovering an assassination against Hwee-Kyung.


    One of the servants inside the Automation castle had used a hammer to hit the floor of the bathroom to the point that the floor would break if someone were to step on it. Sung-Woon couldn¡¯t tell what that was for at first, but soon realized after Hwee-Kyung went into the bathroom. It was an assassination attempt targeting Hwee-Kyung.


    <i>¡®If she fell into the sewer, she would likely die, and even if she didn¡¯t, she would at least have a broken limb and eventually starve to death, not being able to find her way out in the dark sewer. And even if she found her way out and lived, there would be no way for her to find out who nned it. All the records in her History do seem like idents, but they could also be the results of someone¡¯s intervention. Then this might not be the first attempt at her life. Well, let''s save her first.¡¯</i>


    However, Sung-Woon''s first warning to Hwee-Kyung using his swarm of flies hadn¡¯t worked. Hwee-Kyung only thought the flies were annoying and stepped onto the tampered floor. She then tumbled and fell into the old sewer. She calmly assumed it was because of her curse, and Sung-Woon was the one who was more surprised.


    <i>¡®...She lived through this? Without even getting hurt?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon then created fireflies to guide Hwee-Kyung to escape, but Sung-Woon knew that Hwee-Kyung would have made it out alive without his fireflies. Because this was when Sung-Woon realized Hwee-Kyung didn''t have the Misfortune Curse, but rather Probability Demonic Magic.


    ***


    Sairan was puzzled after seeing the arrow drop behind Hwee-Kyung¡¯s back. He knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to grab it in time, so he was ready to shoot out a thunderbolt, but the arrow suddenly fell to the ground in a gust of wind.


    <i>¡®The wind itself isn¡¯t strange since we¡¯re in front of a cave, but it¡¯s strange that the wind was strong enough to overturn an arrow already shot. It¡¯s not impossible, but¡­¡¯</i>


    Sairan¡¯s next move had already been decided. A thunderbolt struck from Sairan¡¯s hand before the assassin could pick up their second arrow.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The assassin fell as the currents ran through him and copsed, his body charred ck. Small mes rose from his split skin and sizzled as the fat burned.


    Sairan put his arm around Hwee-Kyung and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung definitely felt the time passing by. She thought that everything was finally going as it should have.


    As Hwee-Kyung raised her head, Hwee-Jun seemed embarrassed that hisst move didn¡¯t go as nned. All the soldiers simply stood by him with their spears, intimidated by the thunder.


    Hwee-Kyung then said, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you and be the next lord of Automation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! You¡¯re a monster with horns! You never belonged with our siblings in the first ce!¡± replied Hwee-Jun.


    Hwee-Jun eventually said what he had been thinking, and Hwee-Kyung nodded as if she had been hearing such words for a long time.


    Hwee-Kyung walked forward with her sword and looked back at Sairan.


    ¡°Sarian, help me.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Then the dawn broke, bringing about a blue sky, and the clip-clops of horse galloping could be heard.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Hwee-Kyung had no intention to stop what she was about to do even if it were someone''s errand boy shouting, but she recognized the voice immediately. The man rode towards Hwee-Kyung with his back to the morning sky.


    ¡°I told you to stop. Hwee-Jun, Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    ¡°...Father.¡±


    Hwee-Seo had arrived with his horse.


    Behind Hwee-Seo, Hwee-Seo¡¯s subordinates and soldiers could be seen running up the Soo family¡¯s stairs.


    ***


    Hegemonia clenched their fists and shouted, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s done!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    ¡°It was worth summoning the sabertooth tiger to shamelessly buy some time.¡±


    ¡°...I guess you knew that was a shameless move. Anyways, what do you mean it¡¯s done?¡±


    Hegemoniaughed from inside their helmet.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? I, who bought enough time, already won.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sung-Woon smiled under his mask. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s hear why you think that way.¡±


    Hegemonia said, ¡°You must have forgotten because you were so focused on Hwee-Seo¡¯s children fighting each other, but our Contradicting Prophecy was on who would be chosen as Hwee-Seo¡¯s sessor. First of all, as long as Hwee-Seo is there, all soldiers of Automation will follow Hwee-Seo¡¯s orders. Even if the soldiers belong to a family, only when the lord isn¡¯t present do they act on their own as long as it doesn¡¯t oppose the lord¡¯s will.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Hwee-Seo will definitely choose Hwee-Jun as the next sessor. He¡¯ll probably choose right on the spot, and there¡¯s nothing Hwee-Kyung can do after that¡¯s decided. The seat of the lord of Automation is very special. It¡¯s not one that can be taken just by killing Hwee-Seo. And if legitimacy is broken, all the other families won¡¯t just watch and do nothing.¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head and said, ¡°No, your assumption itself is wrong. Why would Hwee-Seo choose Hwee-Jun as his sessor?¡±


    ¡°What? Isn¡¯t it obvious? You¡¯ve seen everything until now. Hwee-Jun is the one who politically aligns with Hwee-Seo. Even though Hwee-Kyung¡¯s way of thinking is more correct, it¡¯s different from Hwee-Seo¡¯s. And Hwee-Seo is aware of all this.¡±


    Sung-Woon stayed still with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Hey, wait. Did you justugh?¡± asked Hegemonia.


    ¡°No? I didn¡¯tugh.¡±


    ¡°I just heard youugh.¡±


    ¡°I¡®m telling you. I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What is this feeling¡­ Why does something seem off¡­¡±


    ***


    Hwee-Seo walked between Hwee-Jun and Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fight anymore. I will choose the next sessor right here, right now.¡±


    Hwee-Jun seemed a bit surprised, but thought this was rather a good turn of events. While he wasn¡¯t as convinced as Hegemonia, Hwee-Jun thought he was likely to be the next lord.


    However, Hwee-Kyung seemed to think differently as she looked at Hwee-Seo.


    ¡°Father, I have something I want to tell you first.¡±


    Hwee-Seo heard those words quite often, so he almost instinctively replied, ¡®I¡¯m busy now, let¡¯s talkter.¡¯


    But as he looked into Hwee-Kyung¡¯s eyes, his mind seemed to go nk.


    ¡°...Your horns have grown quite long.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you¡¯ve cut your beard.¡±


    ¡°...What is it you want to tell me?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung always thought that the words about toe out of her mouth would be hard to say, but it was easier than she thought.


    ¡°Why have you been trying to kill me all this time?¡±


    Behind Hwee-Kyung, Sairan nodded.


    Hwee-Jun stared like he didn¡¯t know what that meant, and Hwee-Seo stayed silent.


    From far away, Hegemonia was visibly baffled. Sung-Woonughed at Hegemonia¡¯s reaction.


    <i>¡®The reason why Hwee-Kyung seemed cursed was because of Hwee-Seo. Hwee-Seo has wanted to kill Hwee-Kyung ever since she was young. Of course, he couldn¡¯t do it with his own hands because of the pressure from the other families. He would have been embarrassed to reveal his personal vengeance, no, his personal grudge. So his assassination attempts were rather rare and careful. But because of that, Hwee-Kyung¡¯s Demonic Magic was able to prevent those assassination attempts without much difficulty.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Seo then said, ¡°...Since when do you know?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I knew a long time ago, but I just convinced myself it wasn¡¯t true. Because I didn¡¯t want to believe it was true.¡±


    ¡°...You probably don¡¯t remember Ryeo.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung hadn¡¯t heard that name in a while.


    ¡°I married three women, but Ryeo was the only one I ever really loved with my heart. I was trying my best and doing everything I could to protect Automation, but once I looked back, I found my journey full of scars. When I thought I couldn¡¯t do it anymore, Ryeo came into my life. I thought I could push on as long as Ryeo was next to me. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother passed away while giving birth to me.¡±


    Hwee-Seo readily admitted that.


    ¡°Yes. I believed Ryeo died because of you. Because you were born with those damn horns. So I thought you had a damn curse.¡±


    ¡°But that wasn¡¯t true.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung lightly tapped one of her horns with her finger. She could feel it being tapped as they weren¡¯t fully grown yet.


    ¡°My horns didn¡¯t contain such a curse. You even told me that I was born ripping my mother''s stomach with my horns, but if you think about it, that¡¯s strange. Horns are things that grow, and they wouldn¡¯t have been so long when I was born. That was a lie too, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. Ryeo didn¡¯t die while giving birth to you. Her fever was severe. The midwife said Ryeo was too weak to give birth.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded. She felt somewhat relieved now with the guilt of killing her own mother lifted.


    On the other hand, Hwee-Seo seemed to have be more tired and dreary. Hwee-Jun and Hwee-Kyung had never seen him like that. They mighte to know what he was feeling as they get older.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough talking about mother. Choose your sessor.¡±


    Hwee-Jun, who had been holding in what he wanted to say during their conversation, suddenly blurted out, ¡°Father! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to decide on who gets to be lord out of personal guilt.¡±


    Hwee-Jun seemed somewhat rxed after saying it, but his eyes couldn¡¯t stay still. That wasn¡¯t the case for Hwee-Kyung.


    In Hwee-Seo¡¯s opinion, Hwee-Kyung seemed determined about something before she even spoke with him.


    <i>¡®How is this so, Kyung? It seems like you¡¯re the one making this decision, and not me.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Seo opened his mouth to speak. His voice was slightly husky.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any reason to push this any further, so I¡¯ll decide now. The next lord of Automation to follow in my footsteps will be¡­¡±


    ***


    Meanwhile, Hegemonia realized the sudden change in the situation.


    Hegemonia sped their hands together and impatiently muttered.


    ¡°Please, please¡­ God, Buddha, Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°...That won¡¯t work.¡±

 Chapter 40: Looter

    <h4>Chapter 40: Looter</h4>


    As everyone silently watched Hwee-Seo¡¯s mouth, Hwee-Kyung¡¯s time seemed to have stopped.


    Hwee-Kyung said to her horns, <i>¡®Look at father¡¯s mouth.¡¯</i>


    <i>He¡¯s saying Hwee.</i>


    <i>¡®What about the next word?¡¯</i>


    <i>I can¡¯t tell.</i>


    <i>¡®Look more carefully at the shape of his mouth.¡¯</i>


    <i>I can see now. After Hwee¡­the shape of his mouth is about to change. I get it. If he was about to say Jun, the shape of his mouth wouldn¡¯t change. His upper lip is slowly opening. He¡¯s going to say Kyung.?</i>


    <i>¡®Then does that mean I am Automation¡¯s next owner?¡¯</i>


    <i>Yes.?</i>


    Hwee-Kyung thought of something.


    Then the spirit of her Demonic Magic said, <i>it seems something¡¯s on his mind.</i>


    <i>¡®Father is running away. He said he would do justice, but he¡¯s trying to relieve his guilt by giving up the seat for the next lord.¡¯</i>


    <i>You¡¯re right.</i>


    .


    <i>¡®And a rumor will spread.¡¯</i>


    <i>A rumor?</i>


    <i>¡®A rumor in Automation saying that father tried to kill his own child with horns, and for that reason, he gave the seat up to that child.¡¯</i>


    <i>I see how that woulde to be.</i>


    <i>¡®Then the four families would question my ability. As well as the citizens of the castle. They¡¯ll think I became the lord by chance because of father¡¯s guilt and external forces.¡¯</i>


    <i>Then what would happen?</i>


    <i>¡®Automation would fall. People won¡¯t follow me, and there will be people who leave the castle. If Automation loses its life, people will start talking about the four families, followed by the lord. Would they attempt assassination? They might. If the lord of Automation dies, someone else within Automation would be the next lord. Some people might think that¡¯s worth the risk.¡¯</i>


    <i>So we should prevent such things from happening.?</i>


    Hwee-Kyung then suddenly said to her horns, <i>¡®Hey, Horns.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡­My powers doe from your horns, but I¡¯m not Horns.</i>


    <i>¡®You know that¡¯s not the important part.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡­Yes.</i>


    <i>¡®You said you manipte¡­probability, right? And that also means possibilities. Can you manipte father¡¯s thoughts? That¡¯s a possibility, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</i>


    <i>No.</i>


    <i>¡®Then what about father¡¯s mouth?¡¯</i>


    <i>I can¡¯t manipte things that have a conscience.?</i>


    <i>¡®...Really?¡¯</i>


    <i>I can¡¯t solve all your problems. I hope that misfortunes don¡¯t happen to you, but you have no choice but to ept the end result, even if it¡¯s a catastrophic one.</i>


    <i>¡®That¡¯s not true.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s time began to go normally.


    <i>¡®I was only curious if I could have the help of your powers. I¡¯ll handle my own problems.¡¯</i>


    <i>Okay.</i>


    ***


    ¡°The next lord of Automation will be Hwee¡­¡±


    ¡°Father.¡±


    Hwee-Seo paused and looked at Hwee-Kyung with tired eyes.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this, and I should have the next seat to be lord.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Give me the seat.¡±


    ¡°...Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    At those words, Hwee-Jun yelled, ¡°Father, did you just hear her? She doesn¡¯t have the right to be your sessor anymore. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s threatening you for the seat. That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    Hwee-Seo raised his hand to stop Hwee-Jun.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s hear it. You are with a ck-Scaled Lizardmen warrior right now, Kyung. And you each have a sword. However, I have brought all the soldiers of all four families, who protect Automation. These soldiers have spears and swords, some are even on horses, and some have bows. Do you really think you can threaten me in this kind of situation, Kyung?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung grabbed Sairan¡¯s wrist and held it up.


    ¡°This Lizardman is not just any warrior from the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe. He is a chosen one.¡±


    Sairan recognized Hwee-Kyung¡¯s intentions and generated electricity with his palm.


    Hwee-Seo didn¡¯t react in any way, but some of the soldiers eximed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this Lizardmen can kill everyone here, but I do now he¡¯s capable of killing you and running away with me.¡±


    ¡°Father, that¡¯s a lie. That Lizardman is already injured and exhausted,¡± said Hwee-Jun.


    Hwee-Seo seemed to be gauging Hwee-Kyung¡¯s words.


    ¡°So what? What if you kill me? What are you going to do about the seat of the next lord? If I die without naming a sessor, the seat will go to anyone within Automation. That¡¯s not what you want, is it?¡±


    ¡°Probably. But this warrior has already promised me. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe will make me lord.¡±


    This was a lie, but Sairan knew what she was getting at. And no one would think it was a lie that the chosen one would be her protector.


    ¡°But as I said, if I die, the seat will be given to an unknown being within Automation¡­¡±


    Hwee-Seo seemed to havee to the realization as he was talking.


    Then Hwee-Kyung said, ¡°Yes. There is a way though. The ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe warriors just need to kick everyone out of the castle. Of course some would fight back with the lord¡¯s authority, but how would they defeat the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe warriors?¡±


    Hwee-Seo got lost in thought, and Hwee-Jun began hurling curses. Those who could hear him among Hwee-Seo¡¯s subordinates seemed surprised.


    Until now, the Ears Cut Tribe had been the one blocking the ck-Scaled Tribe, but in reality, the Ears Cut Tribe didn¡¯t really have much influence inside Automation. This was due to the fact that Hwee-Jun tried to break off his connections with the Ears Cut Tribe, which made Sarian, someone from the ck-Scaled Tribe, more influential.


    Hwee-Seo said, ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±


    Hwee-Jun shouted that it couldn¡¯t be true, but everyone could still clearly hear Hwee-Seo¡¯s voice.


    ¡°The next lord of Automation is you, Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    ***


    Word that the lord of Automation had changed immediately spread within Automation. And the star of the conversation was Hwee-Kyung, who used to be called a scoundrel, and not one of the other siblings. People were more surprised that Hwee-Kyung had colluded with the ck-Scaled Tribe and threatened Hwee-Seo, who was known as a ruthless character who had reigned over Automation until now, thus obtaining the seat to be lord. All the citizens of Automation simply thought it all happened by chance, and some even believed it was all a part of Hwee-Seo¡¯s trick. There were some who said that Hwee-Kyung had disguised herself until now, and that she nned on taking the seat to be lord a long time ago.


    The real star of all the rumors had lots to learn from her father to be a lord, so she didn¡¯t even leave the pce for a few days.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t believe something this ridiculous has really happened.¡±


    For the past few days, Hee-Jun watched as the power transfer took ce. But there were no plot twists. None of the four families opposed Hwee-Kyung bing the next lord. Wealthy residents of Automation also decided to wait and see what would happen, like she was no different from Hwee-Jun.


    ¡°They¡¯re just letting that bitch be? Who teamed up with a lizard?¡±


    Hwee-Jun decided to leave Automation, but he had no thoughts on bing a vagrant. There were rumors that in the inner region of the continent, there was arge group of Humans. Not as big as the Ears Cut Tribe or the ck-Scaled Tribe, but formidable all the same.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll go there and build my strength. The things I have heard and seen here will certainly have some value. And I wille back. Father, you will regret this.¡¯</i>


    After preparing everything, Hwee-Jun headed to the stable where his horse was. Hwee-Jun saw someone inside and grabbed the dagger in his coat.


    <i>¡®He seems like a stable boy. I¡¯m sorry, but no one can see me until tomorrow morning.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Jun carefully called out to the person in the shadow.


    ¡°Hey you.¡±


    The person raised their head and slowly walked out of the shadow. Hwee-Jun took a good look and realized that it wasn¡¯t a stable boy like he had expected. Sairan walked into the torch light.


    ¡°Hwee-Jun, did you know it was me?¡±


    ¡°You damn lizard.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess not.¡±


    ¡°Move. I came for my horse.¡±


    ¡°With all that luggage?¡±


    Hwee-Jun frowned as Sairan pointed at his packed belongings.


    ¡°What does it matter to you no matter where I go?¡±


    Hwee-Jun walked past Sairan as he spoke. They were in close proximity, but Hwee-Jun wasn¡¯t confident that he could kill Sairan. Hwee-Jun just hoped that Sairan wouldn¡¯t get in his way, and as if to make up for him not doing so well the past three weeks, Sarian silently watched Hwee-Jun get on his horse.


    Hwee-Jun loaded his luggage. After getting onto the horse himself, he said to Sairan, ¡°Are you not stopping me?¡±


    ¡°I have no intentions of getting in your way, Hwee-Jun. In my opinion, it doesn¡¯t matter if you stay or go somewhere else. You won¡¯t be able to achieve what you want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a foolish curse.¡±


    Hwee-Jun was about to say more, but there was no reason for him to provoke Sairan. And he left without saying goodbye.


    Sairan then mumbled to himself while watching Hwee-Jun leave, ¡°But there are lots of people who think differently. I can¡¯t just leave a foolish source of trouble like you around Hwee-Kyung. Hm, now that I think of it, you weren¡¯t wrong.¡±


    Sarian took the torch in the stable and shook it. The fishmonger in the distance saw the torch shaking and waved a blue g from a roof. The Soo family¡¯s miner nodded and knocked on the door in the very corner of the alleyway he was standing in. Then a Goblin sitting inside ran out onto the rampart. The Goblin went to the Goblin boss, who was sitting on top of the rampart. With signnguage, he spoke to the boss.


    ¡¸Boss, he is apparently on his way.¡¹


    ¡¸Okay.¡¹


    The boss covered his face with his ck hood, stood up on the rampart, and drew his sword.


    The gatekeeper Hwee-Jun bribed had left the gate open just so his horse could pass through. He passed the gate without sensing the danger he was in. The boss jumped down from the rampart and swung his sword. The horse was startled when a ck figure suddenly appeared in front of it, but became calm again as the ck figure stroked it. The horse then felt something drop on its back and roll onto the ground, unperturbed.


    The Goblin boss picked up Hwee-Jun¡¯s head from the ground and got onto the horse. He wanted to repay Hwee-Kyung and Sairan for sparing his life and treating him kindly, and killing Hwee-Jun was only a small part of his repayment.


    However, the boss knew that bad rumors would spread about Hwee-Kyung if everyone found out about Hwee-Jun¡¯s death. Therefore, he had no choice but to wait for Hwee-Jun to run away himself.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m d it didn¡¯t take so long.¡¯</i>


    It was nned for Hwee-Jun to disappear just like this. The boss looked back at Automation once before riding out with the dead body.


    ***


    Hegemonia always spoke with their arms crossed in the video chat. Their eagle-eyed eyes were fierce under the helmet.


    ¡°Alright. I lost,¡± said Hegemonia.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem like someone who lost. You¡¯re veryposed.¡±


    ¡°One who doesn¡¯t ept their loss can¡¯t grow.¡±


    ¡°Why have you be a wise quote generator?¡±


    ¡°If you thought I would get angry, yell, and demand to do it again because I lost, you thought wrong.¡±


    ¡°...Okay. Sorry. I misjudged you.¡±


    Sung-Woon was initially concerned about Hegemonia¡¯s sharp attitude, but was d to see it.


    ¡°I am a little upset, but¡­¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Sung-Woon thought that couldn¡¯t be helped as long as they were human.


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°What about your penalty?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s manageable. Due to a sudden event, my Ears Cut Tribe has been hit with a cold wave right after the rainy season was over, but that won¡¯t be too much of a problem. The bigger problem is that my Divinity level has gone down a bit¡­oh, no, no. Pretend you didn¡¯t just hear that.¡±


    On the contrary, Sung-Woon¡¯s Divinity level XP, as well as Hwee-Kyung¡¯s and Sairan¡¯s abilities, all skyrocketed. It hadn¡¯t urred yet, but there would soon be a good event since he seeded with his prophecy.


    <i>¡®Their level went down?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought about the battle route Hegemonia¡¯s main tribe, the Ears Cut Tribe, pursued. He didn¡¯t ponder for long; realistically, it¡¯d be hard for the tribe to catch up now. And Hegemonia¡¯s next move could benefit Sung-Woon.


    ¡°So what are you gonna do now? They won¡¯t be able to stay there for long.¡±


    ¡°...Right. So I¡¯m gonna go west.¡±


    ¡°You mean you¡¯re gonna go to the inner part of the continent.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Anyone not as confident in their skills would be reluctant to go west. Most tribes would have settled down by now, so even if there were conflicts between them, they would be a united front against a nomadic tribe if one appeared.


    However, Hegemonia didn¡¯t seem to care so much about that and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go all the way¡­to the other side.¡±


    ¡°To the west coast of the continent?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯ll be unlikely for you to run into me for a while.¡±


    Sung-Woon believed that Hegemonia had a n.


    <i>¡®Are they thinking about crossing the continent while getting technology from all the other species on the way to develop civilization along the coast? That means they must have obtained a skill or an ability rted to sailing.¡¯</i>


    No matter what, this was an advantage for Sung-Woon. Hegemonia¡¯s Ears Cut Tribe was considered one of therger tribes at the moment. If Hegemonia began to pressure other tribes in the continent, they wouldn¡¯t be able to pay as much attention to what was going on in the east.


    <i>¡®I even have Automation now, so I don¡¯t have to pay too much attention to what goes on in the inner continent. I¡¯ll reap the benefits in the meantime. What¡¯s left now¡­ Is it the northern coast and the other half of the penins?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked down. His harvest had already begun.


    ***


    The market at Automation.


    Merchants already forgot about the recent uproar and were bargaining and trading goods.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen silk like this before.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s strange. Our tribe only had a little, but we did sell these.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before. Technology really is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Where did you say you came from again?¡±


    ¡°I came from the west.¡±


    ¡°The west?¡±


    ¡°The direction in which the sun sets.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    The ck-Scaled Lizardmen merchant looked at the Troll merchant in front of him and nodded. The Lizardman had never seen a Troll before. Meeting a new species wasn¡¯t all that surprising itself, but the fact that the Troll came from the west stood out.


    The Troll merchant then said, ¡°We kept looking for a way toe east, but just as we found a path, the Ears Cut Tribe Gnolls got in our way. We hadn¡¯t been able to trade for a while until recently, and we came over here.¡±


    The Lizardman merchant realized that the word ¡®east¡¯ was the opposite of ¡®west¡¯, thus indicating the direction in which the sun rose. But he didn¡¯t think it was too important to learn new words used by strangers.


    The Lizardman merchant asked, ¡°So, how much do you intend to pay for these silks?¡±

 Chapter 41: Peaceful Trades

    <h4>Chapter 41: Peaceful Trades</h4>


    The two-meter-tall Troll merchant, who was wide and had no facial expressions as if their face was a mask, took something out of their bag. The bag was weaved out of thin vines.


    ¡°Would you like to trade with this?¡±


    The Troll had taken out a piece of iron. Pieces of iron were melted and used for agricultural tools or weapons, so they served as a rudimentary currency just like salt and silk at the time, which wouldter develop into actual metallic money.


    <i>¡®There is always a shortage of iron.¡¯</i>


    The Lizardman merchant thought iron was always worth trading for. Now that the objects to be traded had been decided on, it was time to determine the amounts.


    ¡°What you see here is all the silk I have. How many iron pieces can you offer?¡±


    ¡°Can you see them?¡± The Troll showed the inside of their bag. It was full of iron pieces. ¡°I¡¯ll give you all of this. Because the silk is of such good quality.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow.¡±


    The Lizardman merchant nodded in admiration. Anyone could tell that the trade was ready to be made when all of a sudden, a Human merchant approached the Lizardman and poked the Lizardman¡¯s side.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I thought you agreed to trade the silk with me. Are you trying to make a deal with someone else now?¡±


    ¡°...Huh.?¡±


    It seemed that the Lizardman merchant was confused.


    Then the Human merchant said to the Troll Merchant, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need to talk with this friend here.¡±


    The Troll looked displeased by the sudden interruption to the trade, but nodded and said, ¡°Okay. You do so. I would rather deal with the trouble before the trade than after.¡±


    The human merchant looked at the Troll merchant for a moment. It seemed that the Troll merchant hadn¡¯t recognized the Human; it must be true that the Troll merchant came from the west.


    On the other hand, the Lizardman merchant from the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe recognized the Human.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, lord of Automation¡­?¡±


    The Lizardman merchant trailed off. They had recognized Hwee-Kyung because of the pair of horns on her forehead, but the Lizardman merchant was a little thrown off by the unusual clothes Hwee-Kyung was wearing, which didn¡¯t suit the head of a tribe.


    ¡°Who I am is not important. Were you about to trade this much silk for a basket of iron?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was about to¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think that calction is correct?


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    The Lizardman was a merchant, so being questioned about the calction did hurt his pride a little.


    ¡°I came with Chief Lakrak and brought the silk in a wheelbarrow, so transporting it here wasn¡¯t difficult. I¡¯ve been trading this much with all the other tribes until now. That Troll put forward many more pieces of iron than I expected.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung sighed and replied, ¡°So? Does that Troll know all that too?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That Troll said they had never seen silk like this before. I think that was a lie, but I do know this silk is of high value. That Troll doesn¡¯t know where this silk is from. So that means, aside from the actual value of the silk, you should charge more for your hard work in bringing it here.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°If people don¡¯t know much about the silk from the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe, tell them you came from far away. That it was hard for you to bring it all the way here.¡±


    It was still a period where it wasn¡¯t mandatory tobel products with their distribution channels and ce of origin.


    The Lizardman merchant nervously said, ¡°But¡­wouldn¡¯t that be lying?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung furrowed his eyebrows.


    <i>¡®Always being honest! How will you be fed without lying?¡¯</i>


    Since Hwee-Kyung became the lord of Automation, she had had more interactions with the ck-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe and met a lot more Lizardmen other than Sairan and the Lizardmen that were already at Automation before. And as she met more Lizardmen, she noticed a particr characteristic of the species. Overall, they were honest.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t ever lie, but they always try their best to avoid lying unless it¡¯s necessary.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung felt that the characteristic was especially pronounced with the ck-Scaled Tribe, but she didn¡¯t think it was necessarily bad as their honesty stemmed from confidence. The problem was the trades between the merchants.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re all frauds anyways!¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung thought that this tendency of theirs was why the Blue Insect God needed Humans.


    ¡°I heard that the silk of the ck-Scaled Tribe is made in the northeast of the penins. Even though you brought it here without much difficulty, it¡¯s still true that you had to work and put effort into bringing it. Shouldn¡¯t you get paid for that?¡±


    ¡°That is true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°And the most important thing is this.¡±


    The Lizardman merchant was bing interested in Hwee-Kyung¡¯s merchant lesson.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The quality of iron.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Iron pieces all look the same, but if there are a lot of impurities, they¡¯ll be soft and weak.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s hard to tell just by looking at the outside. For people who aren¡¯t warriors like Mr. Sairan, though, it would be impossible to test its hardiness by bending it.¡±


    ¡°Use a scale. Take a high-quality iron piece that is about the same size and weigh them. If there¡¯s a big difference in the weight between the two, the other piece isn¡¯t pure iron. The Troll merchant must know the truth, so try to use this information to get more out of them.¡±


    Thanks to Hwee-Kyung, the Lizardman merchant learned the names and uses of many interesting mechanical devices on sale throughout the market.


    ¡°Thank you, Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung smiled, sent the Lizardman merchant off, and thought to herself, <i>¡®If you guys act like fools, I¡¯ll be the one in a difficult position.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Hwee-Kyung had a dream the night she became the lord of Automation. It was truly bizarre. She usually dreamed of getting chased by masked men, or eating rice with soup filled with as much vegetable and pork as she wanted, so this dream was particrly strange to her.


    Hwee-Kyung was alone in an empty Automation. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if it had been nighttime, but the sun was in the middle of the sky, yet there was no one around, and the houses were empty as well.


    <i>¡®This is strange. Where did everyone go?¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung thought she should go to the salt mine, pce, and fortress wall to check. As she climbed up onto the wall, she looked out and saw where all the castle citizens were. They were lining up outside the wall and ring at Hwee-Kyung with angry expressions. Hwee-Kyung somehow knew the reason.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s because I, who is worthless, have be the lord.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung then walked to the pce. It was where the lord and their family lived, as well as where the vassals of the four families worked. It was likewise empty. However, as she walked to the grand hall where the vassals or other citizens would gather to talk, surprisingly enough, there were people there. It was her father, Hwee-Seo, and her four siblings. Hwee-Seo and her four siblings were also ring at Hwee-Kyung like the other citizens outside the castle wall.


    <i>¡®But the lord¡¯s seat is empty. That¡¯s my spot.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung then finally walked into the salt mine. It was dark and pitch ck, so she couldn¡¯t see anything. As soon as she thought she should go get a torch, though, fireflies appeared and glowed. Hwee-Kyung followed the fireflies to the very heart of the mine and discovered a man facing the wall. Hwee-Kyung had no idea who the man was.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    With his face hidden from her, the man slightly raised his index finger as if he wasn¡¯t aware of Hwee-Kyung standing behind him. A firefly thennded on his finger.


    Then Hwee-Kyung was able to guess who the man was.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Blue Insect God.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung bowed in the most polite way she knew of.


    ¡°Please forgive me if I seem rude. I grew up very recklessly¡­¡±


    The man continuously looked at the firefly curiously, like he didn¡¯t care whether Hwee-Kyung was talking behind him.


    ¡°I have received a lot of help from those who believe in the Blue Insect God. But this is just the beginning. I am obstinately making things happen, but in the end, I might not be of much help to the Blue Insect God.¡±


    The man then opened his hand, and the fireflies danced and began disappearing into his palm. Hwee-Kyung felt that there was a reason the Blue Insect God was ignoring her. She thought he was rejecting what Hwee-Kyung had said.


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s not true?¡±


    All the fireflies disappeared. There was only darkness left.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have the power or abilities to be of any help.¡±


    Bowing down in the darkness, Hwee-Kyung continued to say to the god, ¡°...I have no help.¡±


    After Hwee-Kyung said those words, the area around her became bright. She looked back to see someone holding a torch.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    It was Sairan Muel.


    ¡°You should get up.¡±


    Sairan took Hwee-Kyung¡¯s wrist and helped her up. Sairan raised the torch and walked through the dark salt mine.


    ¡°I was looking for you. Why have youe so deep into the mine?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m not sure why.¡±


    ¡°There are times like that in life.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded.


    ¡°Oh right, Sairan. Do you know who I saw?¡±


    ¡°Who did you see?¡±


    ¡°I saw¡­¡±


    ***


    Then Hwee-Kyung woke up from her dream. She hadn¡¯t slept on a proper bed, but had fallen asleep on the lord¡¯s throne in the pce. At first, Hwee-Kyung thought it was a silly dream like any other ones, but she came to realize that wasn¡¯t the case over time.


    <i>¡®So¡­the Blue Insect God means I shouldn¡¯t worry because I have Sairan¡­no, because I have the ck-Scaled Tribe Lizardmen?¡¯</i>


    As Hwee-Kyung realized the dream¡¯s intention, she felt the weight on her mind lifted. She wouldn¡¯t have believed the dream so strongly if the Blue Insect God had said they would support her alone, but Lakrak and the tribe existed. The ck-Scaled Tribe had proven their power by chasing away the Ears Cut Tribe.


    <i>¡®God, I have nothing without them anyways. Even if you didn¡¯t give me a revtion¡­¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung suddenly nodded as she mused.


    <i>¡®...Come to think of it, I think we should be able to benefit from this faith too.¡¯</i>


    Automation was in a chaotic situation. Many people were hurt and killed in the session fight. The lord changed, and the leaders of the families hadn¡¯t fully approved of Hwee-Kyung yet. Merchants dide and go, but they weren¡¯t as lively as they used to be. There was a need for the chaotic situation to settle down.


    <i>¡®Believing in the Blue Insect God gives a sense of mental stability. Even if that stability trulyes from Lakrak and the ck-Scaled Tribe¡­ What if we sell Srk wooden statues and say God¡¯s protection would be given?¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung got lost in her thoughts while seated.


    ***


    Looking down at her from far away, Sung-Woon was a little flustered.


    <i>¡®I only wanted her to be a little touched so that she would spread Faith¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    <i>¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter since I¡¯ve achieved my goal, does it?¡¯</i>


    A system message popped up in front of Sung-Woon.


    [You have received lots of attention from a tribe. Now this tribe belongs in your domain.]


    [Domain: Humans]


    [Lv. 1]


    Now Sung-Woon was able to receive Faith points from both species and influence them.


    <i>¡°I can officially get on creating some synergy.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Hwee-Kyung, who was going around the market to prevent the Lizardmen from being fooled, discovered a unique species. They had a simr appearance to Humans, but they were shorter and had pointy ears. Their hair was generally bright and colorful, and they had big eyes. Therefore, even species other than Humans could tell the difference.


    ¡°...Aren¡¯t those Elves?¡±


    Trolls were a rare sight at Automation, but Elves were even rarer. There was a powerful Troll tribe on the continent side, so Automation did see Troll merchantsing and going. The Elf tribe she knew of, on the other hand, was located across the wilderness on the northeast coast of the continent rtive to where Automation was. It seemed that arge group of merchants had crossed the wilderness as there were nearly fifteen Elves, and they were setting up arge stall in the market.


    It just so happened that a Lizardman merchant was trading silk with one of the Elves, and Hwee-Kyung overheard their conversation.


    ¡°What fine silk! This is a top-grade product.¡±


    ¡°You said you would trade with iron, right? How much can you give me?¡±


    The Elf merchant nodded at the Lizardman merchant¡¯s words. The Elf then took a fist-sized pouch out of arge box.


    ¡°Hm, will this be enough?¡±

 Chapter 42: The Elf and Their God

    <h4>Chapter 42: The Elf and Their God</h4>


    The Lizardman merchant seemed a little flustered because the pouch was so small.


    ¡°Can I take a look inside?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    As the Elf merchant confidently replied, the Lizardman merchant hoped he would see where the confidence stemmed from inside the pouch. However, there was only a lone piece of iron.


    ¡°...Hm. I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to ept the trade if this is your offer.¡±


    ¡°...Really? How much iron do you want?¡±


    ¡°At least eight times more than what you have here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Elf merchant asked as if they thought that was ridiculous, ¡°Are you saying silk that¡¯s just used to make clothes is worth that much?¡±


    The Lizardman merchant didn¡¯t think silk was worth so little. Clothes made of good silk were veryfortable andsted a long time. And overall, the silk with its smooth texture was beautiful. Clothes a good tailor made with silk could make the wearer look very regal. Those with a high status thus dressed in good quality silk so that they wouldn¡¯t have to repeatedly prove their status.


    However, the Lizardman merchant didn¡¯t exin all that to the Elf merchant. Some Lizardmen weren¡¯t very personable. And when they met foolish individuals, they would just leave the fools be.


    The Lizardman calmly said to the Elf merchant, ¡°It is worth that much around here.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just any old piece of iron. It¡¯s good-quality iron that is only found in our region.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have the ability to recognize that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I saw a scale over there. What do you think ofparing this with the best quality iron you have?¡±


    The Lizardman merchant shook their head.


    ¡°No matter how good the iron is, I have no intention to trade with only that amount.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you twice this amount.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you turn to other ces if you want to buy silk?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung, who was watching this happen, nodded.


    <i>¡®No matter how gullible you are, I see you won¡¯t be fooled by vulgar people.¡¯</i>


    The Lizardman merchant left with the bundle of silk, and the Elf merchant quietly swore.


    <i>¡®Apart from this, I should keep an eye on the Elves to see what they¡¯re up to.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t interact with the Elves and instead observed them from time to time, or sent someone to find out what kind of trades they were making. After a whole day, Hwee-Kyung managed to find out what kind of merchants they were. The Elves made many attempts in trades, but only seeded a few times. However, the few times they did seed, they greatly benefited from them.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re only tricking the easiest targets.¡¯</i>


    There was awork between the merchants, so the notoriety of the Elves soon spread among them, but there were some who weren¡¯t able to join thework. The Elves targeted those who just started as a merchant, or those who came from far away and weren¡¯t so familiar with the products and prices in this region, so the trades unfairly benefited the Elves that it may as well have been fraudulent ones.


    <i>¡®This is not good.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung could understand the Elves though. They wore attires that weren¡¯t seen around this region, and they were a rare species; that meant they came from far away and had a limited supply of products, so they had to aim for great profit with the few trades they seeded in making. However, in this region, it was moremon to make profits through regional products.


    <i>¡®Who are they to screw the beginners over?¡¯</i>


    In fact, Hwee-Kyung could also be considered a beginner merchant, but the lord of Automation received a cut of the earnings from issuing passes to outsiders entering the city, from the fees for setting up a stand in the market, as well as from the citizens of the castle. In addition, the former lord of Automation, Hwee-Seo, had saved upmodities in case there was a crisis. Hwee-Kyung was richer than all the merchants who had stands in the marketbined, so whether she was an actual beginner wasn¡¯t all that important. Beginner or not, Hwee-Kyung had one unique product¡ªthe market of Automation itself.


    Hwee-Kyung was responsible for maintaining the market¡¯s stability, and if those Elves seeded in their fraudulent trades and went back home, more merchants would trade like the Elves, which would make it more difficult for beginner merchants to get into Automation. And then the number of merchants entering the market would decrease¡­


    <i>¡®Then my profits would go down.¡¯</i>


    Therefore, to Hwee-Kyung, this was a serious matter.


    ***


    Sung-Woon was also closely watching the Elves.


    [sh of Civilizations!]


    [Two different tribes havee into contact. Experience points (XP) are rising for both tribes.]


    [Warning: The opposing species have Faith.]


    <i>¡®That means there¡¯s a yer behind those Elves too.¡¯</i>


    A couple vagrants crossing paths wasn¡¯t enough for a sh of Civilizations event to ur; more than a certain number of individuals had toe into contact.


    <i>¡®Elves are from the north coast. But I couldn¡¯t properly scout the region.¡¯</i>


    ces Sung-Woonmonly scouted were the penins and the inner continent. The reason was simple: the insects and bugs that Sung-Woon controlled were weak against the cold. Luckily, Lizardmen weren¡¯t exactly resistant to the cold, either, and even if they were nomadic tribes, they wouldn¡¯t cross through the wilderness to go up to the northern coast of the continent.


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s also difficult to cross the wilderness to get here from the northern coast, so I thought I wouldn¡¯t have to pay much attention to the region until now.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon clicked on the Local Community tab.


    [yer List (1)]


    [Eldar]


    As soon as he checked the yer¡¯s ID, the next system message popped up.


    [yer, Eldar, has requested a Whisper Conversation.]


    Unlike with Hegemonia, Sung-Woon wondered whether to agree to it.


    <i>¡®Is there a need to have a conversation?¡¯</i>


    Whatpelled him to have a conversation with Hegemonia was the fact that they were in a situation where the two of them had to fight each other to obtain something valuable. Even if Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t talked with Hegemonia at all, the probability of having an all-out war was low, but they would have had to go through quite arge battle.


    <i>¡®On the other hand, this yer, Eldar, hase from across the wilderness. Worstes to worst, they won¡¯t have enough soldiers nearby to be threatening.¡¯</i>


    But Sung-Woon eventually agreed to the Whisper Conversation.


    <i>¡®It is troubling that I haven¡¯t been able to investigate the northern coast. It¡¯s fine as long as I¡¯ll benefit from this trifling conversation.¡¯</i>


    This time, even though Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t requested it first, an additional request came for a video chat. Sung-Woon epted it.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, human,¡± said Eldar.


    ¡°.....¡±


    Sung-Woon looked at Eldar. Eldar looked like a beautiful Elf. It was hard to determine their gender due to their Elf-like androgynous appearance, but gender wasn¡¯t all that important when creating an avatar. Sung-Woon was thus unconcerned about that. Considering there were yers who intentionally made their avatars look gruesome, Eldar¡¯s appearance was rather attractive. But the problem was their way of speaking.


    <i>¡®...No way.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t think the yer was a¡­real Elf, or someone not from Earth for that matter. That would have been an interesting story, but Sung-Woon was worried about something else.


    Then Eldar said, ¡°Ha, have you be speechless due to my beauty?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I have a habit of unintentionally saying things that are on my mind.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t exactly a lie, but a habit Sung-Woon just came up with.


    ¡°...I, Eldar, God of the Elves, humbly forgive you.¡±


    Sung-Woon was able to recognize the sort of yer Eldar was through the short exchanges they just had.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re a RP yer.¡¯</i>


    RP yers, namely yers who roleyed, identified themselves with a specific role in the game and immersed themselves into the role. In other words, they were Concept Bugs. The act wasn¡¯t going to benefit them in any way; it was damaging, actually, as it made conversing with them ufortable, and they were prone to getting attacked by other yers who didn¡¯t like RP. The only reason yers RP was that they found it fun.


    Eldar seemed to be immersed in ying the god of the Elves. Sung-Woon didn¡¯t have harsh feelings against RP, but his personality wasn¡¯t flexible enough for him to y along.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking because you just requested a conversation with me. Do the Elves in Automation make absurd deals because they are like you?¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t keep an eye on everyone at the same time even though I am a god.¡±


    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t intentional.¡±


    ¡°That is so.¡±


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, that was most likely a lie. The abilities of the Elf merchants were fairly high, and it was a level that couldn¡¯t be reached without the help of a yer. However, there were times where it was beneficial to pretend to be deceived if there was nothing to be lost in doing so.


    Sung-Woon asked another question.


    ¡°Then I can take my mind off that¡­ Do you happen to know the yer, Hegemonia?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about that¡­rude¡­ignorant¡­God?¡±


    Eldar seemed to be calling Hegemonia an ill-mannered fool.


    ¡°I kicked out that god and their barbaric Gnoll tribe from the sacred northern coast. Fortunately, you don¡¯t seem as rude as Hegemonia. <i>Yet.</i>¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t sure if that was true or not. Hegemonia mentioned they fled from the north, but hadn¡¯t borated too much on it.


    <i>¡®Hegemonia must have gotten messed up due to their defeat in our recent Contradicting Prophecy.¡¯</i>


    However, this conversation was about more than simple emotions. There was no reason to share that kind of information when there was no benefit to be gained.


    <i>¡®But if that is true, does that mean this RP yer is as strong as Hegemonia? That doesn¡¯t seem likely. But why would Hegemoniae down to the south otherwise?¡¯</i>


    Then Eldar said, ¡°Are you done with your questions?¡±


    ¡°For now. What¡¯s it to you?¡±


    ¡°Then I, the best god, shall exin why I requested to have a conversation with you and epted your rude questions.¡±


    ¡°Sure. What is it about?¡±


    ¡°My Elves are preparing to dominate the continent, but they are still insufficient in something. While my Elves arepetent, the northern coast is cold and deste. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain scarce resources from other species.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    A golden bright light rose from behind Eldar.


    ¡°Give me a tribute.¡±


    Sung-Woon then replied out of habit, ¡°You drive me crazy.¡±


    ***


    The next day, Hwee-Kyung dressed up like a lord and went to meet up with the Elves. Fortunately, the Elves had keen judgment, so they recognized Hwee-Kyung.


    The Elf wearing the fanciest essories said, ¡°You are Hwee-Kyung, lord of Automation, are you not?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I am Leonar, the one leading our group of merchants.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung looked at Leonar. The corners of Leonar¡¯s mouth were slightly raised as if they were smiling, so it was hard for Hwee-Kyung to read their mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get right to the point. You must know that I¡¯m not here just to look at the faces of merchants, right?¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t our faces worth looking at?¡±


    Leonar¡¯s words got on Hwee-Kyung¡¯s nerves. Elves believed their beauty rivaled Humans and other Human-like species, which allowed them to have an advantage in social exchanges.


    Leonar then said, ¡°I¡¯m joking. We¡¯re aware why the lord hase to see us. It¡¯s because of the trades we made yesterday, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re dissatisfied with those trades.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, we knew you woulde find us. So we prepared something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Leonar called out to one of the Elf merchants, and the Elf merchant brought a small box from the inside of their wagon. The box itself was made out of carved wood with metal hinges, which was rare around here, and as Hwee-Kyung opened the box, she was surprised.


    Leonar exined,¡± It is an ancient gem found in an Ancient Ruin. When it¡¯s hit with light, it splits the light into dozens of rays along the carved surfaces. It¡¯s magnificent, even just looking at it. It is a beauty that suits the leader of a tribe. Above all, there is no such object anywhere now as it is an ancient gem. Would you ept this gift and overlook our trades?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung silently epted the box with the gem inside. This kind of gem wasn¡¯t easy to trade, so its value couldn¡¯t be determined as a fixed price. However, the rarity and beauty of the gem was real. Hwee-Kyung knew that if she had an item like this, she would be able to sell it at a high price. There wasn¡¯t even a need to sell it. Disying it alone would prove the nobility of the lord.


    Hwee-Kyung took a good look at the gem one more time before closing the box.


    Leonar then said, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It is a great object. But¡­¡±


    Hwee-Kyung dropped the box onto the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m rich. Bribery? This much won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    1. ???. A term used in the Koreannguage to mock someone who is deeply immersed in ying a specific character.

 Chapter 43: Two Species of the Wilderness

    <h4>Chapter 43: Two Species of the Wilderness</h4>


    Leonar lost his smile and quickly picked up the box. He opened it to check the gem and then let out a sigh of relief.


    Seeing his reaction, Hwee-Kyung thought to herself, <i>¡®That¡¯s good. I guess it didn¡¯t break.¡¯</i>


    She probably had more than enough money to pay for the jewel in the box, but she did think it wouldn¡¯t have been worth it topensate them for the broken gem just because she wanted to show them she was angry.


    Leonar dusted off the sand on the box and handed it over to another Elf merchant.


    Leonar then said in a colder tone, ¡°How much do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    Hwee-Kyung trailed off while ripping off a hangnail on her finger. Leonar impatiently waited for her to continue. Hwee-Kyung looked down at the back of her hand, which was well taken care of, and then looked at Leonar.


    ¡°But do you want to go this far? If you bribe me like this, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll really benefit from your trades in the end. And I¡¯m the most powerful one in this region. I can always go back on my promise at any time. I know well that there aren¡¯t any other Elves around here. It won¡¯t matter if I take the gem and not honor the promise.¡±


    Leonar regained the smile around his eyes.


    ¡°Well¡­it¡¯s to build a good rtionship with you. I can take that much of a loss if it¡¯s for this rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t ask him the reason.


    <i>¡®You want to have a good rtionship with me? Because you want to continue trading? But there haven''t been many cases where Elves visited Automation. Are things different now?¡¯</i>


    Information hadn¡¯t been exchanged between the northern coast and Automation, so there was a lot they didn''t know about the other. Hwee-Kyung decided to withhold her information for now.


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m not interested in shiny stones. I know I can resell it at a high price, but it¡¯s hard to find a buyer. You get what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­Alright.¡±


    ¡°Until then, abide by thew. And don¡¯t cross the line.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung was pleased to see Leonar be humble, and then something came to mind.


    ¡°Oh, also.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If you want to do me a little goodwill, why don¡¯t you buy this?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung took something out of her bag. Leonar took the object with considerable doubt.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a wooden statue made after the Blue Insect God¡¯s guardian.¡±


    ¡°...Blue Insect God? ¡­A guardian?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the god I believe in. He trusts in us and protects us.¡±


    Leonar nodded as if he now knew what it was.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, but I have faith too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The Dancing Shadow God.¡±


    ¡°Dancing Shadow God? Hm. If you believe in two gods, wouldn¡¯t you receive twice the blessings? What do you think?¡±


    Leonar showed disapproval at Hwee-Kyung¡¯s words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°Then buy it even if you don¡¯t believe in it. You can sell it to someone else.¡±


    ¡°That would be difficult. From what I know, gods are very jealous.¡±


    ¡°Really? It seemed that my God was very generous. He would think it¡¯s okay for me to sell this anyway.¡±


    This was purely Hwee-Kyung¡¯s interpretation of the Blue Insect God¡¯s will. Sung-Woon never considered himself generous. In the midst of their quarrel, Hwee-Kyung took out all the wooden figures in her bag and offered them at a cheap price as if she had lost the bargain. Leonar was forced to buy the wooden statues as they thought it was a waste to continue talking with Hwee-Kyung, and not because they thought the wooden figures were valuable or that the price was reasonable.


    ***


    Sung-Woon immediately ended the call with Eldar and blocked them. He did get into a bad mood, but there was more of a strategic reason why he ended things this way. Sung-Woon was able to get a lot more information than he expected from his conversation with Eldar.


    <i>¡®Just like how I don¡¯t know much about them, they don¡¯t know much about me either.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t know about them because it wasn¡¯t possible to scout the northern coast through Small Area: Insects. There were other solutions, of course. He could always enter the opponent¡¯s area himself. However, that would essentially reveal that his area was unwatched, and it wasn¡¯t possible to use Fast Move, which was simr to teleportation, in an opponent¡¯s area. Gods were generally able to fly quickly when floating in the air, but that wasn¡¯t a very useful way of transportationpared to Fast Move, with which they could instantly move to where their followers were.


    <i>¡®And the same goes for Eldar. That said, Eldar never attempted to scout my Small Area.¡¯</i>


    That meant that Eldar was also in the same situation as Sung-Woon. Either they weren¡¯t able to do so with their Small Area at the moment, or their Small Area wasn¡¯t of much help in scouting in the first ce. Sung-Woon assumed thetter was correct due to the name Dancing Shadow God.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s probably why. They were more unlucky than I was at picking their Small Area. However, them being that confident also means there¡¯s something else they¡¯re relying on. They might have obtained a useful Small Area while ying in addition to the Major Small Area they received at the beginning of the game.¡¯</i>


    Eldar had no other choice but to use the third method. It was to send the Elves, who believed in Eldar, to personally visit Automation, allowing Eldar to scout that way. That was why Leonar and the other Elf merchants hade to Automation.


    Sung-Woon had thought it would be okay for him to take his mind off of the northern coast for a while as it was arge region where there would be other tribes, but again, an opponent just had to pick a fight with him. Sung-Woon judged that Eldar would make their first move soon because he had ended the call in response to Eldar¡¯s request¡ªwhich he believed was very reasonable. So Sung-Woon prepared for war.


    Since he didn¡¯t know much about his opponent, he decided not to underestimate Eldar as a fool like their avatar would suggest.


    <i>¡®Firstly, there¡¯s a high chance that Eldar had a hand in making Hegemonia and the Ears Cut Tribe flee from the north. And there¡¯s likely a reason why they are so confident.¡¯</i>


    Signs of war emerged during the rainy season. It started with a quarrel. A messenger arrived saying that the person who sent them wanted an apology from Hwee-Kyung, the lord of Automation, for persecuting Leonar. And the person who sent the message was The Great Chief Hasadian, the tribal chief of the Green Eye Tribe consisting of Elves.


    Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t like the opponent¡¯s fabrication. So she added an even bigger lie to the message that she was sending through the messenger, making sure to include insults about the Elves and tell the messenger to deliver the message in her exact wording. Hasadianter requested a meeting using lofty words through the next messenger, but Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t think there was a reason to agree to it. Hwee-Kyung then told the messenger to ry her message containing new Elf insults she had learned¡ªsome of them from Sairan. Then Hasadian didn¡¯t send a third messenger.


    It seemed Hasadian instead wanted to speak to Hwee-Kyung directly because as soon as the rainy season was over, Hasadian led their warriors and crossed the wilderness to Automation. After the rainy season was over, there was a short period where grass would grow thickly in the wilderness.


    Sung-Woon was able to start his reconnaissance using his bugs before the Elves even stepped foot in his area. He was confident of victory before the war even began.


    <i>¡®Just as I don¡¯t know much about them, I¡¯m sure they don¡¯t know much about me.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The Dancing Shadow God, Eldar, looked down at the Elves that believed in them.


    <i>¡®This should be enough to take over Automation.¡¯</i>


    There were three hundred warriors. That wouldn¡¯t be a lot in a more developed civilization, but at this stage of the game, three hundred was nothing to sneeze at. Above all, all three hundred warriors were trained warriors. Eldar had seeded in scouting Automation by sending Hasadian and the Elf merchants there. Three hundred warriors seemed more than enough to conquer Automation.


    If there were any variables, it would be the big Lizardmen nomadic tribe which seemed to be nearby, but fortunately, they seemed to have gone down south because of the rainy season.


    Eldar knew well that it was dangerous to have resident warriors travel a long distance in this stage of civilization. There would be a supply problem, and having that many people leaving the tribe meant there wouldn¡¯t be anyone to protect it.


    <i>¡®However, Automation is an Ancient Ruin and a Mystery. It¡¯s also a big city with lots of residents. I have no other choice if I want to advance south.¡¯</i>


    Hasadian, the tribal chief who believed in Eldar, also viewed this situation in an optimistic way. Hasadian was a bit bewildered when their own god gave them a prophecy that they would take their warriors to attack Automation, but became relieved when they found out Automation didn¡¯t have as manybatants.


    Automation had mysterious ancient mud soldiers. But other than the mud soldiers, there was only a group of barbaric Humans living there.


    <i>¡®The rampart was said to be quite tall, but because it was made out of soil, Leonar said warriors who were good at climbing trees would be able to climb up the rampart without much difficulty. And there are only one hundred fifty soldiers at most. Leonar also said that the bows they used were crude.¡¯</i>


    Hasadian proudly looked at his horn bow, which could easily hit a target over eighty steps away.


    <i>¡®First, we¡¯ll decrease their numbers by shooting the archers, who are said to barely even hit targets fifty steps away. Then our agile warriors will climb up the rampart and open the gate. Then it¡¯s finished. I¡¯ll finally be able to get the damn lord of Automation on her knees.¡¯</i>


    Unfortunately, Hasadian didn¡¯t see that happen. Before the Elf warriors could even get close to Automation, they met a group of Human soldiers. It was at a narrow gorge leading towards Automation. Hasadian was confused and ordered his warriors to check out who the men were, and a messenger ran back and forth between Hasadian and the warriors.


    ¡°They¡¯re soldiers of Automation.¡±


    ¡°What? If they are soldiers of Automation, why are they outside of the castle?¡±


    ¡°Apparently they already knew we wereing.¡±


    ¡°But why are they out here? If they knew we wereing, shouldn¡¯t they have quietly waited at the castle?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go ask again.¡±


    However, the messenger didn¡¯t make it back. That meant that the opponent had no intention to have a conversation. Hasadian was flustered, but they knew that their warriors outnumbered their opponent¡¯s soldiers. Rather than bringing all their soldiers, the opponent brought only around seventy.


    <i>¡®Did they think it would be advantageous for them to fight in a narrow path because it would force a one-on-one confrontation? That¡¯s dumb. It seems the lord of Automation has no expertise for battle.¡¯</i>


    Hasadian definitely would have fought inside the castle if they were in their opponent¡¯s shoes. The only situation that would justify fighting outside the castle¡­


    <i>¡®Right. It would only be when there were allies outside the castle.¡¯</i>


    As soon as Hasadian had that thought, he got the feeling that something he hadn¡¯t been aware of was happening, and as if in response, another messenger came running from the end of the army.


    ¡°Great chief!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an emergency! A big army is moving to block off our retreat route!¡±


    ¡°What? The Humans?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re Lizardmen!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Hasadian turned around. ck-scaled Lizardmen were blocking the way the Elves hade from.


    ¡°Why are there Lizardmen¡­with Humans?¡±


    Right then, Eldar, Hasadian¡¯s God, saw a system message pop up.


    [sh of Civilizations!]


    [Two different tribes havee into contact. Experience points (XP) are rising for both tribes.]


    [Warning: The opposing species have Faith.]


    Eldar had seen this system message not long ago. It was when the Elves entered Automation. But Eldar didn¡¯t expect to see it again so soon. Flustered, Eldar hurriedly requested a Whisper Conversation with Neb. Fortunately, the request went through.


    ¡°Are those Lizardmen¡­y-your allies? You have an alliance with a Lizardmen species?¡± asked Eldar.


    ¡°Stupid. You should¡¯ve checked the Local yers list before requesting a Whisper Conversation,¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    Eldar checked the Local yers list.


    [yer List (1)]


    [Neb]


    There were no other yers around. That only meant one thing. Still, Eldar was confused, like it was hard for them to wrap their head around the situation.


    ¡°Oh, wait. W-Weren¡¯t you the Humans¡¯ God? I thought you would be¡­¡±


    ¡°I am the Humans¡¯ God.¡±


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°And I¡¯m the Lizardmen¡¯s God as well.¡±


    Eldar¡¯s roley came to an end.


    ¡°What? How are you already ying with two species?¡±

 Chapter 44: Small Victory

    <h4>Chapter 44: Small Victory</h4>


    Despite Eldar¡¯s exmation, a battle had already begun on thend.


    Hasadian shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! The enemy has fewer men than we do!¡±


    There were seventy Human soldiers and eighty Lizardmen. Altogether, there were still only one hundred fifty of them. On the other hand, there were three hundred Elf warriors.


    <i>¡®Though we haven¡¯t been able to rest after a long march. One side is a cliff, and the other is a precipice. It is difficult to take advantage of therge numbers of men we have given how narrow the path is. But the same goes for the opponent. Since we have a lot of men, the opponent¡¯s pincer movement won¡¯t matter too much.¡¯</i>


    Hasadian then said to the other three centurions, ¡°Leave the front unit to finish preparing, and have the rear unit turn around and get ready for the Lizardmen¡¯s attack.¡±


    ¡°Which unit would you like to take charge of, Chief?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the front unit.¡±


    The other three centurions agreed with Hasadian¡¯s order. It was toote to retreat now anyways. Given how well-prepared the opponent was, their main troops were probably here and would be destroyed once the battle was over.


    <i>¡®The Lizardmen tribe seems powerful, so we¡¯ll attack the Human tribe first. Once the Human tribe is defeated, we can escape this narrow path. If we pressure the Lizardmen with ourrge numbers at a wider area, there¡¯s a good chance we can win.¡¯</i>


    It still wouldn¡¯t be ideal even if the battle turned out exactly as Hasadian hoped. It would be difficult to attack Automation with the remaining troops after the battle, and the Human soldiers would likely go back to Automation and ambush the Elf warriors when they were resting. The ones who knew the surrounding terrain well were the Humans, not the Elves. Moreover, it was too much to think that the battle would go as Hasadian wished. When the Elf archers leisurely waited and hoped for the enemies toe within eighty steps from them with their arrows, they were attacked from above.


    ¡°Great chief! Human soldiers have appeared from above the gorge! There are arrows!¡±


    ¡°Fight back!¡±


    As arrows started raining down from above, some Elves broke formation to avoid the arrows, and others ducked down to block them. Horses that had been shot struggled, flinging their riders off their backs and refusing to calm down. The ones remaining on horseback found it difficult to focus on shooting back. Because of this chaos, most of the Elf warriors hadn¡¯t noticed the Lizardmen cavalry slowly approaching them.


    Then Hasadian looked back and shouted, ¡°The Lizardmen are charging! Spearmen, don¡¯t get out of formation!¡±


    At Hasadian¡¯s roar, the spearmen in formation barely regained focus and lifted their spears. However, it wasn¡¯t exactly a good tactical response.


    The one who was at the very front leading the cavalry was Lakrak. Riding on his Cockatrice, Lakrak pointed to the sky. The oblivious Elf spearmen had no clue what that meant and nced at where Lakrak was pointing. Then Lakrak dragged his index finger from the sky down to where the Elf spearmen were. It seemed as if a solid white line was drawn through the atmosphere.


    A sh. There was a tremor. Then light.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Lightning struck. All those who came into contact with the lightning stood unmoving with steam rising from their noses, mouths, and ears. And those who almost got hit copsed from the shockwaves and became blind and deaf.


    Lakrak and the other Lizardmen riding on Cockatoos began to yell and charge straight towards the swordsmen, stepping all over the copsed Elves.


    Btedly, Hasadian yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t show your backs! You cowards!¡±


    However, Hasadian¡¯s words sounded distant and muffled even to themself. Their hearing had been damaged by the thunder.


    With the first wave of attacks, the Cockatoo warriors stabbed through two or three Elf spearmen at a time like a skewer. They then threw away their spears and took out their swords. Once the Cockatoo warriors shed their enemies and moved on, the Cockatoos stepped on those still alive and crushed their heads.


    As the Elf spearmen got back into formations a beatter, the Cockatoo warriors prepared to retreat without receiving any othermands. Hasadian was relieved for a moment.


    <i>¡®We can finally take a breather now¡­¡¯</i>


    But they couldn¡¯t. The Lizardmen swordsmen took the ce of the retreating Cockatoo warriors. Unlike the Cockatoo warriors, who had to keep themselves light in order to climb onto the Cockatoos, the Lizardmen swordsmen wore leather armor which had been soaked in oil to harden the material, and they carried shields made of the shell of the Ancient Coleoptera. Speardes didn¡¯t even scratch the Lizardmen swordsmen, and the Elf spearmen got shed in their chests, abdomens, and necks before they could take out their backup weapon, daggers.


    While some Elves fought back, the majority of the Elf spearmen had already lost their fighting spirits due to Lakrak¡¯s lightning. However, there was no way for them to retreat as they were stuck between cliffs and precipices. The only other way out was also blocked by the enemies.


    Lakrak looked back at the status of the battle.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯</i>


    There were still about two hundred twenty enemies left, but only a few were fighting the ck-Scaled Tribe Lizardmen. The rest of the Elves had their back to the Lizardmen as they pushed and stepped on each other to run away, and the ones who seemed to be themanders tried and failed to rally their troops.


    Across from the Lizardmen, the Humans of Automation were putting their ramparts to good use and killing the Elves who were reluctantly running towards them. The Elves¡¯st hope was going down the cliff, so the shrewd ones had already begun their descent. They likely weren¡¯t aware of the Human soldiers waiting at the bottom. The Elves who had realized their fate bowed and prayed to their God.


    For the sake of the Elves as well, Lakak decided it would be better to end the situation faster.


    ¡°We¡¯ll charge again.¡±


    Lakrak quietly mumbled to himself. Pzzt, who had been flying low above Lakrak, repeated his words.


    <i>We¡¯ll charge back.</i>


    The warriors who were supposed to hear those words finished maintenance and were prepared to attack again.


    ¡°Charge.¡±


    <i>Charge.</i>


    ***


    Sung-Woon took advantage of Eldar¡¯s moment of confusion and promised not to intervene in the battle under the condition that Eldar stayed out of it as well.


    Sung-Woon could easily figure out what Eldar was thinking.


    <i>¡®Eldar probably thought my Divinity level was high and that they would lose if we both intervened in the battle. Then they might believe that the Elves would have a chance if neither of us intervened. That¡¯s not wrong per se. But it was better to prevent Eldar from using Divine Control and hurting the Lizardmen. I still would have won the battle no matter what.¡¯</i>


    As a result, Eldar was only able to watch their Elf warriors get massacred.


    Eldar then said with a sad face, ¡°I¡­I lost¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°I thought three hundred warriors was quite a lot at this stage.¡±


    ¡°...So?¡±


    ¡°So? Nothing really. I just wanted to let you know that protecting your Elf tribe would be difficult now since you¡¯ve lost a considerable number of warriors.¡±


    Eldar sighed.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Sung-Woon could¡¯ve shouted, ¡®I want your life,¡¯ and made Lakrak run through the wilderness. But Eldar¡¯s Elf tribe, Green Eye tribe, was still far away.


    <i>¡®And I have no information about the northern coast.¡¯</i>


    Acquiring information on the northern coast from Eldar wouldn¡¯t change Sung-Woon¡¯s n to conquer the Elf tribe. Historically, the sess rate would be higher if he imed that he wouldn¡¯t attack his opponent and thenunched an attack.


    Sung-Woon stated what he wanted.


    ¡°Information, technology, and resources.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s asking for everything, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not everything.¡±


    Sung-Woon pointed to Eldar. Eldar flinched as if they had really been poked.


    ¡°...Ugh.¡±


    Eldar seemed to be thinking. In the case of a resounding victory in a battle between yers, the yer about to lose would sometimes keep ying the game after epting a few conditions and obsequious behavior. Out of the possible conditions, technology and resources were the most simple offers.


    Asking for technology meant asking for all the technology that Eldar¡¯s Elf tribe had found and developed. As for resources, it was basically the tribute Elder had first demanded from Sung-Woon.


    Information was a bit more special. In The Lost World, information referred to information on all entities, areas, maps, and entity abilities, and this information was all saved in a yer¡¯s Information Tab. Giving someone information meant sharing all the objective facts that were saved and updated constantly, including the locations of surrounding species and tribes, their numbers and level of development so far, and more specifically, the locations of Ancient Ruins that a yer had discovered alone, as well as the stats of entities that a yer was keeping an eye on.


    While handing over technology and resources would mean giving away everything the yer had umted until now, handing over information would also mean surrendering all the information to be gained in the future.


    Sung-Woon thought that the chance of Eldar epting these conditions was less than fifty-fifty.


    <i>¡®Even though their life is on the line, they could always run away. Running away might be a better choice than allowing the enemy to benefit from handing everything over.¡¯</i>


    But Eldar thought differently.


    <i>¡¯...This might be better.¡¯</i>


    The loss of Hasadian and three hundred warriors was a painful defeat. However, even if Hasadian and the warriors were spared, there was no knowing how long they wouldst in the northern coast.


    <i>¡®Neb. This person is ying with two species at this early stage, so if I need to pick a side, it might be better to stick with him. They are ridiculously strong.¡¯</i>


    Eldar suddenly cleared their throat and fixed their posture.


    ¡°I, Eldar, the God of the Elves, have been moved by the mercy of Neb, the God of Humans and Lizardmen.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, I will provide you with the information, technology, and resources you have asked for. I will also provide you with anything else you will need going forward.¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Please forgive my arrogance in the past.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Eldar bowed to Sung-Woon. Sung-Woon was trying to figure out Eldar¡¯s intentions. However, he was able to understand the situation despite Eldar¡¯s roley after listening to their exnation.


    ***


    ¡°I am Hwee-Kyung, lord of Automation.¡±


    ¡°Before I introduce myself, may I ask what this action is?¡±


    ¡°We call this¡­a handshake. We hold and shake hands before hugging each other. As an expression of intimacy.¡±


    Lakrak looked back at Sairan to make sure that was true, and Sairan nodded. It was a greetingmon among the merchants from the inner continent, and it had be a trend within Automation. Hwee-Kyung liked trends. Because trends meant change.


    Lakrak reached out his hand and hesitated one more time.


    ¡°There¡¯s blood all over my hands and body.¡±


    Lakrak was currently covered in the blood of Elves. It was proof that he fought at the very front from beginning to end.


    Hwee-Kyung shrugged and shook Lakrak¡¯s hand before giving him a hug. The sticky blood got onto not only Hwee-Kyung¡¯s hand, but also her clothes and face.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Chief. It¡¯s blood you got from saving us. What good would it be if we didn¡¯t also get the blood on us? It¡¯s an honor to be able to smear blood this way.¡±


    Lakrak wasn¡¯t very amused by the words uttered by the Human woman with horns, but he agreed that she was a good speaker. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing for the ally¡¯s leader to be good at speaking.


    Lakrak slightly smiled and looked around. After defeating the Elves, Lakrak and his warriors had followed the Automation soldiers into Automation. Lakrak felt a strange emotion as he stepped into the city he had been hearing much about.


    Then Lakrak said, ¡°Hm, as you said, it¡¯s just a deal, so does it matter whether it¡¯s an honor or not?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important. If you swindle, you would lose a future trade partner, but if you give more, previous trading partners woulde back.¡±


    Lakrak looked at Hwee-Kyung with the eyes of a lizard. Honor was just part of a trade for this Human. But that wasn¡¯t the important part.


    ¡°Does that mean you want to do business with us often from now on?¡± asked Lakrak.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lakrak nudged Sairan, who was standing next to him, in the side with his elbow.


    ¡°You must be busy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act surprised.¡±


    Lakrak then said to Hwee-Kyung before replying to Sairan, ¡°This fellow has been around until now, but he¡¯ll be the representative residing within Automation from here on out. I wish you would treat him well enough.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lakrak saw Sairan and Hwee-Kyung exchange looks. It took time for Lakrak to understand Hwee-Kyung due to her unique deposition, but he believed they were likely to benefit in the future.


    <i>¡®Of course I should solve the problem at hand first.¡¯</i>


    As Hwee-Kyung brought up throwing a banquet, Lakrak shook his head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about our deal first¡­ Bring it here.¡±


    Their deal included exchanges of several technologies and a great amount of resources, but there was something that took priority for Lakrak. Two Lizardmen warriors struggled to push the wheelbarrow loaded with arge fabric pouch, and when Lakrak opened the pouch, it was revealed to be filled with iron pieces.


    Hwee-Kyung looked down at the iron.


    ¡°This is the thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s for sure iron. It¡¯s also much harder than the iron we use.¡±


    The disadvantage of these iron pieces that the ck-Scaled Tribe discovered at an Ancient Ruin was that it was hard to smelt them despite their strength. The melting point was high, and it was difficult for even their skilled cksmith to shape it. Lakrak was dissatisfied that good materials for weapons weren¡¯t being used properly. Hwee-Kyung told this to the cksmith at Automation, and the cksmith answered with much confidence, so Hwee-Kyung told Lakrak to bring the iron here for smelting and shaping.


    Hwee-Kyung expected the Human cksmith to be better than the one with the nomadic Lizardmen tribe, as the Humans had been smelting ore for a long time. Hwee-Kyung invited Lakrak to the inner pce, put the iron pieces into a small pouch, and brought it to the cksmith. The cksmith told Hwee-Kyung to wait and went into his cksmith¡¯s shop, taking a while to wrestle with the iron.


    The cksmith then came out sweating and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to work, Lord.¡±

 Chapter 45: The Mud Soldier Room

    <h4>Chapter 45: The Mud Soldier Room</h4>


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s eyebrows twitched.


    She hadn¡¯t lost all hope yet.


    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to work? You need to tell me clearly whether you can or can¡¯t do it.¡±


    The cksmith solemnly dered, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You said you could do it.¡±


    ¡°I said I could <i>probably?</i>do it. It would have been better if you asked for sure.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung realized that she couldn¡¯t remove the cksmith shop from Automation until the problem was solved. It didn¡¯t matter to her if the cksmith shop was removed after the problem was solved.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°You shape iron by heating it up and hammering it while it¡¯s hot. But it¡¯s really hard to forge this iron. If other kinds of iron only require ten strikes, this one requires thirty to forty.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying it¡¯s not iron?¡±


    ¡°It is iron. However, the type of iron depends on where it is from. It¡¯ll likely make a good tool if it is hammered and shaped well, since the quality is good. I also want it done.¡±


    ¡°So? Does your pride as a professional cksmith notpel you to heat it up and try again?¡±


    The cksmith pointed at the pouch and shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s much too hard.¡±


    ¡°...Okay. Let¡¯s think of another way. Can¡¯t you just melt it? What do you think? Melt all of it and put it in a mold for it to harden in the shape we want.¡±


    The cksmith pursed his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already tried that. I actually knew what would happen before I even tried. If iron that has been cooled gets melted again, it turns into a different kind of iron.¡±


    ¡°Howe? It¡¯s just melting and hardening again.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure myself. That''s just how it is. Didn¡¯t I tell you before that the properties of iron differ depending on where ites from? Some iron bes harder every time it is melted and cooled again. That¡¯s usually the case with soft iron. But not that one. I don¡¯t know what the problem is, but that one breaks easily if it¡¯s melted in the bloomery and hardens again.¡±


    The bloomery was heated using charcoal. In the process, carbon entered the bloomery and got mixed into the iron melted inside. Soft iron with low carbon content became harder with more carbon added into the mix, while iron with already high carbon content would turn into hard but fragile iron.


    Hwee-Kyung sighed.


    ¡°Then what can we do?¡±


    <i>Thud!?</i>Suddenly, there was a sound of something copsing in the cksmith shop, and someone ran out.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible! Lord!¡±


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°This is my son.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung looked at the cksmith¡¯s son. He was taller and wider than his father, and his arms were strongly-built, with visible veins, the result of lots of tempering.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Look at this.¡±


    The cksmith¡¯s son showed her two pieces of iron. They looked the same to Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°Do you see this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking.¡±


    ¡°No, the one on the right.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung took a closer look and saw marks left by a hammer.


    ¡°It is a very hard iron. The best I¡¯ve ever dealt with. This would make really good farming tools. Or I guess the Lizardmen would prefer weapons.¡±


    ¡°...Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Father has be weak since he¡¯s getting old, so he¡¯s given up sooner. Just leave it to us.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung looked at the cksmith¡¯s face. She could feel residue heat from his work beside the bloomery. His clothes were so drenched in sweat it looked like he had gone for a swim. His eyes also seemed very tired.


    .


    ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take to make a spearhead?¡±


    ¡°Half a day should be enough!¡±


    In order to produce sufficient strength in a low-quality wrought iron, the iron would have to be stretched and folded tobine it with oxygen. And it would take a lot more time to go through the same process with iron that was already hard.


    But Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t express her feelings.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a good idea for you to rest first?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, lord.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take it easy if you¡¯re still going to work?¡±


    ¡°Charcoal is used to heat the bloomery, so work needs to be done while it is hot.¡±


    ¡°Has the bloomery cooled down now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give what you just said a proper consideration, so go rest for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, lord!¡±


    The cksmith looked in the direction his son had disappeared into and worriedly asked, ¡°Are you really going to consider my son¡¯s words?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung sighed.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not exaggerating the hardship. But the problem remains.¡±


    The cksmith scratched his neck.


    ¡°...Look, I told you before it¡¯s not impossible. It¡¯s just a problem of inefficiency. If I keep striking the iron, it will eventually find its shape.¡±


    ¡°So what? Now you¡¯re going to work your butt off?¡±


    The cksmith cleared his throat.


    ¡°No, no. Can¡¯t we just make the Lizardmen work here? They won¡¯t have a cksmith¡¯s shop, so it¡¯ll be hard for them to heat metal, and we¡¯re getting tired of striking it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to use the Lizardmen, are you?¡±


    ¡°...No way.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung felt it was at least somewhat true by looking at the cksmith¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Also, this isn¡¯t all the iron there is.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a wheelbarrow full of it, and that¡¯s probably not all of it.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be a difficult task even if all the cksmiths in Automatione together.¡±


    ¡°What if we increase the number of workers?¡±


    ¡°It takes years to learn how to handle soft metals.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take in more students?¡±


    ¡°Nine out of ten would likely run away. And with what time would I teach all of them?¡±


    The cksmith was right.


    <i>¡®The cksmith¡¯s method would eventually work if there were only a small amount of iron, but that''s far from the best solution. And it doesn¡¯t address the fundamental problem. Moreover, if we have the Lizardmen help and work on this, what would Lakrak think of me?¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung had the desire to solve this problem even if it weren¡¯t for Lakrak¡¯s request.


    ¡°Anyways, do good work and work hard until the smithy is removed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, lord¡­Wait what?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Where does the watere from?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung looked up at Lakrak¡¯s question. Her growing horns made her head feel heavier. It naturally tilted down when she thought about something else for a moment. Hwee-Kyung looked out at the buildings inside Automation and the citizens. The two of them were in the dining hall carved into a cliff. One wall waspletely torn down so they could look outside.


    <i>¡®What were we talking about?¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung wondered if Lakrak also enjoyed talking like all the other wise men, but fortunately, that wasn¡¯t why Lakrak asked his question.


    ¡°I asked where the water in Automationes from. There needs to be water for people to live, no?¡±


    ¡°Oh right.¡±


    ¡°I heard there¡¯s something called a water supply system. The wateres from above, along a specific path. With that, there is no need for wells.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t see a river flowing through the gorge on top of Automation. There was no waterfall either.¡±


    Fortunately, Hwee-Kyung managed to stop herself from saying, ¡®Oh you¡¯re right. Where does the watere from?¡¯ But she did have the same question.


    ¡°There is a waterwaying from inside the pce.¡±


    ¡°Waterway?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so there¡¯s a source of water, but it¡¯s not seen because it¡¯s hidden inside the building. Ancient people were very smart. That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good thing?¡±


    ¡°Then enemies won¡¯t be able to attack Automation by polluting the water source.¡±


    Then, Lakrak continued to boast that he once attacked another tribe by polluting their water source with dead bodies. Surely, for Humans, it wasn¡¯t the best thing to listen to while eating, but Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t have too weak of a stomachpared to the other Humans.


    Fortunately, Lakrak didn¡¯t ask about what happened with the iron even after they were finished eating. With a sigh of relief, Hwee-Kyung struck up a conversation with Sairan, the only one left after Lakrak and the other Lizardmen had left.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m doomed.¡±


    Sairan was still in his seat, drinking herbal water.


    ¡°...Are you still troubled about the iron problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t think of another method?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t a lot of merchantse from the inner continent?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And our cksmiths are learning from those merchants. But nothinges up.¡±


    Sairan shrugged.


    ¡°There''s nothing we can do if there¡¯s no other way. Just tell Chief Lakrak the truth.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Wouldn¡¯t Lakrak kill me for swindling him or something?¡±


    ¡°No. Lakrak will be generous. He¡¯ll probably say that¡¯s okay since he couldn¡¯t do it either.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m not actually scared, but wouldn¡¯t you feel slightly hurt if it were you?¡±


    ¡°If you failed, shouldn¡¯t you pay that much of a price? There¡¯s no reason why Automation wouldn¡¯t be able to make up for it with something else either.¡±


    Sairan wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± said Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°You mean to study writing? I thought you would want to do it here,¡± replied Sairan.


    Sarian shook his bag of silk and charcoal. Hwee-Kyung was learning how to write because she thought it would be useful. The ck-Scaled Tribe¡¯s writing was already fairly famous, so a small number of merchants in Automation were using the system. There was no better way to keep track when someone borrowed something from them.


    ¡°I have something I want to check.¡±


    ***


    Hwee-Kyung took Sairan to a ce deep inside the pce. This part of the pce wasn¡¯t that much different from everywhere else, but there were no decorations since people didn¡¯t frequent the area. And as they headed deeper, windows also disappeared. It got quite dark, with only a few torch holders lining the walls.


    ¡°The ancient people must have used this part of the pce too,¡± said Sairan.


    ¡°I think so,¡± replied Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°But why have wee all the way here?¡±


    ¡°Do you know why Automation is called Automation?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of the mud soldiers that move on their own?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded. And just in time, a mud soldier a head or so shorter than Hwee-Kyung came from the other side of the hallway. These soldiers seemed to be modeled after the armor and helmets the ancient people wore, and they had unique, albeit sloppy-looking faces. The mud soldiers usually devoted all their energy to repairing the castle¡¯s rampart. Outside of that, they would stand still in line at several designated ces in Automation.


    Sairan made way for the mud soldier and said, ¡°Theye all the way here, I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They were created inside.¡±


    ¡°What? Then was the mud soldier we just saw newly made?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Not only do they move on their own, they also manufacture themselves. But I think there¡¯s a limit to their total number. The citizens don¡¯t break them, but they do break down due to excessive rain or idents. Then they would be reced like that.¡±


    Sairan was a bit surprised as Hwee-Kyung said all of that like it was nothing.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you give them orders other than to repair the ramparts?¡±


    ¡°It is possible, but that order would only be to protect me.¡±


    ¡°I guess that is the most importantmand.¡±


    ¡°Father said there used to be more in the past, but they probably lost them over time. Anyways¡­¡±


    Hwee-Kyung reached the end of the corridor. There was a door made of stone with no handle. Sairan realized at first nce that it wasn¡¯t a door that could be opened and closed by force. Hwee-Kyung picked up the token of the lord hanging around her neck.


    ¡°This is the Mud Soldier Room where the mud soldiers are made. Now that I think of it, the room has another important role.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung raised the token, and the door opened. The first thing Sairan heard was the sound of water.


    ¡°This is the source of Automation¡¯s water.¡±


    There was a smallke. Water poured down from a cliff and filled the waterwheel on the wall. When the waterwheel was filled with water, it would rotate and move the water to the next waterwheel, and so several waterwheels attached to the wall moved one after another. Thest waterwheel turned very slowly, causing the water to calmly pour into theke.


    Each waterwheel had a long axle that turned with the wheel. There was aplex mechanism that forced the waterwheels to change directions, and it was connected to an even more perplexing device which Hwee-Kyung and Sairan couldn¡¯t understand. Underneath it was a jar filled with mud. The mud inside was whirling due to an unknown force.


    Hwee-Kyung turned to Sairan as if she had wanted to show him this for a while.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­truly amazing. I¡¯ve been to a few Ancient Ruins, but I¡¯ve never seen one like this.¡±


    ¡°However, I didn¡¯t bring you here to show you around. I always thought that it being automatic was strange. People and animals need to eat in order to get strength. And wheelbarrows only move when it¡¯s pushed or pulled. But the mud soldiers don¡¯t eat anything, and there isn¡¯t anyone pushing or pulling them, yet they still move. So I figured these mud soldiers would also have some kind of power source.¡±


    ¡°Now that I think of it¡­¡± replied Sairan.


    Hwee-Kyung pointed to the water source of Automation.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It was the power of water flowing.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung hadn¡¯t pointed to theplex mechanical device, or the mysterious jar where the mud soldiers were born, but one of the waterwheels.

 Chapter 46: Four Waterwheels

    <h4>Chapter 46: Four Waterwheels</h4>


    Hwee-Kyung wasn¡¯t sure how the power of water made the mud soldiers move, either.


    <i>¡®I understand up to that cylindrical device. As water falls down, each bucket gets filled with water, and as one bucket gets heavier, it tilts down and causes the device to rotate. As the device rotates, the axis of the device rotates, and as the axis rotates, those parts would rotate¡­.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung went through each part of the device and stopped when she came to the point she couldn¡¯t understand.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s fine. Just figure out what¡¯s possible.¡¯</i>


    Then Sairan said, ¡°So you¡¯re saying they use the power of water to move?¡±


    ¡°Yea.¡±


    ¡°More specifically, how?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung pointed to one side of the Mud Soldier Room.


    ¡°There is enough watering from the source. That¡¯s why they made a hole in the wall as a waterway. Given this ce is pretty high up in Automation, the strength of the water flowing down can be utilized, making it viable to install many of those wide cylindrical devices.¡±


    ¡°Hm, then what?¡±


    ¡°We could install those devices on each floor. Look at the intersections of the axes when they turn. They spin as if someone is turning them by hand, when in reality, it¡¯s just water.¡±


    ¡°...So you mean there¡¯s no concrete n yet.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung scratched her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible. What do you think? I¡¯m sure there are people who know better than I do. Like the To family.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s possible. If it¡¯s okay with you, I can bring someone from our tribe who might be interested.¡±


    ¡°...Hm. Alright. But Lakrak can¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Sairan considered Hwee-Kyung¡¯s idea. It was strange that Hwee-Kyung would be the first lord throughout history to think of this.


    ¡°But would this be okay?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t the other lords thought of using ancient technology? Don¡¯t you think maybe there used to be a legend about something dangerous happening if the ancient technology was touched, but it was forgotten? Consider the matter carefully. If there was something your father might have told you about a warning from the ancient people¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung crossed her arms and began to think.


    ¡°To me, it just seems that they were cowards. They probably couldn¡¯t understand it because it was made a long time ago, and they assumed it would be a problem if they touched it and broke it. And not a lot of people knew about it in the first ce. There haven¡¯t been many lords until now either, and Automation was just a forgotten ruin until recently. Perhaps there hasn¡¯t been anyone who thought like me. Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Or?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung took out an iron piece from her pocket. It was the one Lakrak had requested her to work on.


    ¡°I may be the first lord who had to melt this much of such hard iron.¡±


    ***


    Hwee-Kyung looked up at the Lizardman holding both of her cheeks. She seemed more interested in Hwee-Kyung¡¯s face than Hwee-Kyung herself, and she sniffed, pushed and pulled Hwee-Kyung¡¯s head in one way and another, examining the shape of her horns.


    Hwee-Kyung nced at Sairan from the corner of her eye.


    ¡°...Who did you say this was again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Mrs. Zaol.¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s wife, Zaol, was also at Automation. Automation and the ck-Scaled Tribe were nning on making arge deal, so Zaol hade to check the goods and do inventory.


    Zaol mumbled to herself, ¡°Amazing. I¡¯ve never seen horns on a Human. No, I mean I¡¯ve never seen a Human with horns. I¡¯ve seen people who grew something simr to horns, but they were mushrooms or diseases. These are real horns.¡±


    As the horns grew, the tips became numb and insensitive. However, Hwee-Kyung suspected Zaol had just licked her horns.


    Hwee-Kyung then said to Sairan, ¡°Does Mrs. Zaol know this behavior¡­can be a little¡­rude to someone who leads a tribe?¡±


    ¡°I think she may have forgotten.¡±


    Zaol turned around at the sound of Sairan clearing his throat. Then she met eyes with Hwee-Kyung, who she was still holding onto.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, lord of Automation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mrs. Zaol.¡±


    ¡°What were we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. We were just about to greet each other.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Zaol let go of Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°I be interested in things I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung thought Zaol was a strange person, but it wasn¡¯t a bad thing. A curious person would also be interested in work. As expected, Zaol showed great interest when Hwee-Kyung took her to the Mud Soldier Room. Zaol considered Hwee-Kyung¡¯s idea in a positive light. After they returned to the dining hall, theyid out sketches of different parts of the device and discussed how they would continue the design.


    Zaol put down the charcoal and said, ¡°We need to check if the finished product really does move, but I think this would work. However¡­¡±


    ¡°However?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need a lot of manpower. And it¡¯s a job that doesn¡¯t produce food, so you would have to find a different way to pay them. That requires a lot of wealth. And of course, you¡¯ll need a lot of wood to get this done. You¡¯ll have to find wood from somewhere else since there aren¡¯t any hard enough around here.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded and replied, ¡°It¡¯ll take lots of money, but I¡¯ve made the calctions, and we should be able to make things work. Things might change depending on the weather and the turn of the seasons, but Automation can handle it even if the cost ends up high.¡±


    Zaol shook her head as if that wasn¡¯t the point.


    ¡°Being able to handle it or not is not the important part. The real question is whether the reward at the end will be worth all that it takes to make it happen.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Even if you can afford it, once this waterwheel construction is done, a great portion of Automation¡¯s assets will vanish in vain if it doesn¡¯t make much of a difference. Then it would be better not to do it.¡±


    Zaol organized the various drawings on silk and ced them in front of Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°Another lord of Automation or an ancient person might have had the same idea. And they might have gotten this far as well. It¡¯s possible they gave up after doing the calctions and decided it wouldn¡¯t be profitable.¡±


    ¡°You mean there¡¯s a reason it hasn¡¯t been done, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung wondered if it would be better to just give up like Zaol said, or if she should just push through with the construction, believing she would be able to bring about a change. Hwee-Kyung had lots of money, but none earned by her. She was a beginner when it came to being a merchant.


    <i>¡®Is there no way to know what the future holds?¡¯</i>


    <i>- The only future I see is the moment right ahead.</i>


    <i>¡®Then listen to the future I picture.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung exined to her horns, <i>¡®I¡¯ll leave the first axis of the waterwheel empty. Another lord in the future might think it¡¯s useful. Then I¡¯ll put a bellow on the second axis. The bellow will blow air into the?</i><i>bloom</i><i>ery and the water would constantly flow, so the bloomery would always be heated. There will be a hammer on the third axis. So that it can tten the iron that Humans aren¡¯t able to strike. And on the fourth axis there will be a millstone to grind or pound grain.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Seems good.</i>


    <i>¡®That¡¯s it?¡¯</i>


    <i>-It¡¯s a future I can¡¯t see. In my opinion, it seems like a good idea.</i>


    <i>¡®It seems good?¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung looked out the window, watching the interior of Automation from above. Then she tapped the table with the charcoal and looked at Zaol.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try.¡±


    ***


    Sung-Woon knew what Hwee-Kyung and Zaol hadn¡¯t calcted. It took a lot of wealth to hire workers, but in the end, the workers would be spending money within Automation. They would spend money eating, drinking, and sleeping, so the money given to the workers would eventually return to the merchants of Automation. As merchants of Automation became richer, more and more merchants would enter the city. And as more goods were traded, the resulting profit would return as Hwee-Kyung¡¯s assets. Therefore, even though Hwee-Kyung was pouring money into the waterwheel construction, she was making more money.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s what civil engineering is. If peoplee together to work on a big project, a bigger market is formed, and that means much more moneying and going.¡¯</i>


    Iron pieces were used to pay the workers long-term, and in order to distinguish the iron pieces, the ck-Scaled Tribe would print writing onto the iron pieces and use them as currency. In this kind of situation, it wasmon for yers to get a Continent Message, which came in the form of a yellow system message.


    [The start of the major currency ¡®Pyeon¡¯ has been established in the third continent.]


    [The major currency, Pyeon, has been established by the tribe (Unknown). The currency is being used by 6 tribes, and is considered reliable.]


    As Sung-Woon exited the Continent Message, there was a General Message window underneath it.


    [Your civilization has created the currency. Your civilization can determine the value of the currency, and other civilizations that use your currency will feel stronger trust when trading with your civilization.]


    Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t terribly impressed.


    <i>¡®Tribes and species will be more trusting, but other yers will be wary. The good thing is that the other yers won¡¯t know who¡¯s created the currency for now.¡¯</i>


    The borders between each tribe hadn¡¯t been properly defined yet. It would have been difficult for tribes far away to pay attention to Sung-Woon because they would be focused on the tribes next to themselves. However, that wasn¡¯t the only Continent Message that appeared while the construction at Automation went on.


    [The start of the major writing ¡®Choongmun¡¯ has been established in the third continent.]


    [The major writing system, Choongmun, has been established by the tribe (Unknown). The writing system consists of ideograms and is used on stones, tablets, silk and charcoal. The writing is being used by 12 tribes, and is considered valuable.]


    [Your civilization has created this writing system. Civilizations that use this writing will feel a sense of goodwill and rapport, and they will feel stronger trust when carrying out diplomacy.]


    It would be disingenuous to say that there was no benefit to creating a new currency, but the benefit wasn¡¯t anything to write home about. That was because civilizations wouldn¡¯t benefit from using currencies and writing.


    <i>¡®Currency and writing. Unless you¡¯re being altruistic, it¡¯s better to develop your economy and culture ahead of others in the game.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, Sung-Woon had obtained two cards he could use for both economy and culture.


    ***


    The construction had been progressing quickly, but they still had to ovee some unexpected difficulties. The first waterwheel was so big it couldn¡¯t stay upright, and twenty workers had been killed by its copse. Hwee-Kyung found the families of those workers andpensated them.


    There was also a time where they were swindled for the trees. It was originally a deal for dozens of straight trees, but what they actually received was drying firewood in a wagon. The ck-Scaled warriors were hired to track down the frauds, and payments were recovered.


    There had also been a mistake in the designs. The third waterwheel waspleted and got installed, but further calctions revealed that there was no room for the fourth waterwheel. Hwee-Kyung could have concluded the construction with the three waterwheels, but boldly decided to scrap all the construction done until then.


    When the third waterwheel went up again, a message appeared in front of Sung-Woon.


    [The Skill: Iron Manufacture has reached Lv.2.]


    [Your civilization now has the technology and foundation to produce a higher level of iron. Your civilization can smelt iron however they want, and can make stronger, more durable iron tools.]


    [The current technology is way ahead of the other civilizations¡¯ development out of all the yers.]


    Sung-Woon¡¯s goal had been aplished, but it wasn¡¯t much now that he came to think of it.

 Chapter 47: Monsters of the Northern Coast

    <h4>Chapter 47: Monsters of the Northern Coast</h4>


    <i>¡®When Lakrak first discovered the hard iron, I thought it would make good armaments.¡¯</i>


    However, when Sung-Woon checked the information on the hard iron pieces, he found out it would be difficult to do anything with it at the current stage of civilization. It wasn¡¯t impossible, but it wouldn¡¯t be efficient. So they either had to tell the truth about the iron and sell it at a lower price, or they could pretend it was a normal piece of iron and make fraudulent trades.


    Lakrak was aware of both choices, but found another way to go about it.


    <i>¡®The ancient people knew ways of making better iron. Why can¡¯t we do that?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak asked tribes with high technology levels if the iron pieces he had could be smelted. Automation was just one of the tribes he had consulted. Lakrak hadn¡¯t expected much at first. However, Hwee-Kyung was a person with an innovative idea.


    <i>¡®There are many people with ideas like mine. Even a beggar in the corner of the market may have an idea to help people produce more grain in a small plot ofnd, or a way to preserve food longer. But they don¡¯t have as many assets as I do.¡¯</i>


    Not only did Hwee-Kyung have an innovative idea, she also had a wealth of resources, and she was a person who could use those resources of hers to invest in her idea. All that coincided and resulted in a much greater achievement than those who were involved had expected.


    [The construction of four waterwheels has beenpleted.]


    [This structure is extraordinarily ahead of the average level of civilization development out of all the yers. Numerous species are amazed by this structure .]


    [Word of this structure has spread to other cities, and fame is rising.]


    A famous structure would be an attraction that would benefit diplomatic rtions. If a merchant of Automation left for a differentnd to make trades, they could easily gain trust by saying they¡¯re from Automationpared to from the northern or westernnd. The Ancient Ruin of Automation was also considered an attraction itself, and its rise of fame meant that the range from which merchants came to buy and sell wares would also expand.


    <i>¡®Next is¡­war preparation.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Sung-Woon was able to learn more about the northern coast from the roleyer, Eldar, the god of Elves. The term northern coast actually referred to the entire northern coastline of the third continent, so it was fairly wide. There were three yers in total who Sung-Woon was keeping an eye on. The first was Eldar, whose territory was at the southern border. The second yer was Solongos, who upied quite arge chunk ofnd with a nomadic tribe. The second yer had something Sung-Woon was interested in.


    ¡°Centaur?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    It was a rare species in the Lost World. Tribes of Centaurs were rare, and individual Centaurs were an umon sight in general, so it was hard to find them unless a yer was really lucky when selecting their first tribe. Of course, all species had as many disadvantages as there were advantages, so yers seeking high winning rates didn¡¯t find it necessary to look for them.


    <i>¡®A Centaur has the lower body of a horse, but the upper body and head of a Human. It seems as if they were riding themselves. However, it is difficult to increase their numbers, and they consume a lot of resources. They¡¯re not a good fit for a first species.¡¯</i>


    If Sung-Woon were to be honest, he wouldn¡¯t have chosen them as his first species even if he had found a group of them.


    <i>¡®However, this species is difficult to deal with when another yer ys them.¡¯</i>


    Since they were all essentially cavalrymen, it would be disadvantageous to fight them on a in.


    But the yer that grabbed Sung-Woon¡¯s attention the most was Lim Chun-Sik.


    ¡°What¡¯s their yer ID again?¡± asked Sung-Woon.


    ¡°Lim¡­Chun-Sik. Ahem.¡± replied Eldar.


    Sung-Woon definitely saw Eldar coughing on purpose in order to hold backughter.


    <i>¡®I think this guy is Korean.¡¯</i>


    But if Sung-Woon pointed that out, he would also be revealing his nationality, so he decided not to. The Lost World was a game with a high proportion of Korean yers, so the nationality didn¡¯t really matter. More importantly, Lim Chun-Sik had a loose alliance with Solongos and Eldar. In The Lost World, there wereplex conditions that had to be met for an official alliance to form, so yers usually made loose alliances and broke them easily as they weren¡¯t supported by the game system.


    <i>¡®No, rather than an alliance, does Lim Chun-Sik have the other two yers as his subordinates?¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia had to fight Lim Chun-Sik and the other two yers as Hegemonia¡¯s interests hadn¡¯t aligned with theirs. However, Hegemonia was outnumbered, and even though Hegemonia had tried to develop their civilization while defending against their enemies, the northern coast wasn¡¯t all that good a location for a civilization. Therefore, Hegemonia decided to run away. It would have been a hard decision to make if their tribe weren¡¯t a nomadic one.


    ¡°Did Hegemonia directly sh with Lim Chun-Sik?¡±


    ¡°No. Hegemonia and Lim Chun-Sik never officially crossed each other''s borders, and Hegemonia usually fought Solongos and I.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why Hegemonia was able to keep their army.¡±


    By the looks of Eldar¡¯s expressions, it seemed that their pride had been hurt, but they seemed unable to protest since their main army had been destroyed by Sung-Woon. But putting Eldar aside, Lim Chun-Sik was definitely a yer to keep an eye out for.


    ¡°Ogres are hard to handle.¡±


    ¡°I am aware of that, but the god of the Ogres, Lim Chun-Sik, has ovee the limitations that came with the species.¡±


    Ogres weren¡¯t rare. However, they came with many disadvantages, so they were used as jokes or memes when The Lost World had been popr.


    <i>¡®The characteristics of Ogres are simple. They are incredibly strong, but they''re that much more stupid.¡¯</i>


    The Lost World was a game of advancing civilization. Low intelligence was the worst factor in such development. If a yer chose Ogres, the development of civilization would be dependent on looting. It was difficult to utilize them well, so they were rarely seen in ranked games, and they weren¡¯t rmended even when ying against AIs. That was why ying and winning with Ogres were once popr among streamers.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t think they¡¯re the worst choice. If the yer is lucky enough, they might be the best species to have.¡¯</i>


    Ogre¡¯s had bad intelligence. Then it just needed to be raised.


    Sung-Woon had blessed the Lizardmen through Small Area: Insects. And because of the Blessing, the Lizardmen gained ck scales, along with hard scales, great strength, and resistance towards toxic chemicals. And physical abilities were far from the only Blessings an area could grant.


    Once Sung-Woon chose Humans as his second species, he granted them three Blessings.


    The first Blessing was Sensitivity, which was derived from Small Area: Livestock. Providing the ability to quickly detect external physical threats, it was a popr Blessing which raised the survival rate of the whole tribe ording to statistics.


    The second Blessing was Vitality, which was derived from Small Area: Grass. This was the only physical Blessing rted to physical improvement, and Humans with this Blessing would have overall improved athletic abilities.


    The third Blessing was Prediction, which was derived from Small Area: Sea. The Blessing provided a sense for things that were tooplicated to predict. There was a heated debate among the yers about whether the Blessing was really useful. Sung-Woon was on the side iming it was useful when they actually tried and used it.


    Through Small Areas or by killing Fiends, yers could bless individuals with skills they already had or obtained new ones. And out of these skills, there was one that raised intelligence.


    ¡°The average intelligence of the Ogre is 10¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Other Ogres usually have an intelligence of 5 or lower, which doesn¡¯t even show in the stats¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon almostughed while thinking about an Ogre with high intelligence, but it was noughing matter. If their average intelligence was 10, there could be an Ogre with an intelligence of 15 or 20 depending on the variability between individuals.


    <i>¡°If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no reason they wouldn¡¯t be the leader of a tribe and develop civilization. Diplomacy is also possible.¡¯</i>


    yer Lim Chun-Sik had gambled on the Ogres and seeded.


    ***


    ¡°So is that why you asked me to give you tributes out of the blue?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Eldar cleared their throat and continued to say, ¡°Hmmm. Lim Chun-Sik has lost his trading partner after Hegemonia disappeared, and he is demanding tributes from Solongos and I. However, it was too difficult for me to meet the demand as I was surrounded by the northern coast above and the wilderness below me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s two against one for you though. Why don¡¯t you fight back?¡±


    ¡°The god of the Ogres, Lim Chun-Sik, is too powerful¡­and Solognos favors Lim Chun-Sik.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded. He seemed to know the reason.


    ¡°Lim Chun-Sik is nicer to Solongos, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s because the Ogre tribe is a sedentary tribe, while Solongos¡¯s Centaur tribe is nomadic.¡±


    ¡°How is that relevant?¡±


    Sung-Woon exined, ¡°Sedentary tribes need to control the nomadic tribes. The Centaur tribe won¡¯t be the only nomadic tribe in that big chunk ofnd, right?¡±


    ¡°There are other nomadic NPC tribes.¡±


    Sung-Woon was aware thatrge and small NPC tribes existed across the wilderness and in the northern coast.


    ¡°Nomadic tribes fight and are wary of each other right now, but there will be a day when nomadic tribes be unified. In that case, even though the Ogres are intelligent, they would be in danger.¡±


    That danger already existed. Sung-Woon¡¯s ck-Scaled Tribe was an example of a unified nomadic tribe. In general, nomadic tribes had cavalry, and they had arge proportion of warriors to handle and protect livestock. Moreover, they were usually experiencedbatants since they had to loot resources they needed from smaller sedentary tribes. Therefore, it only made sense for nomadic tribes to be stronger than sedentary tribes.


    ¡°When Hegemonia was still around, the tworge nomadic tribes would have been keeping each other in check, but after Hegemonia left, the god of the Ogres¡­Lim Chun-Sik, has no choice but to be kind to the Centaur¡¯ God, Solongos.


    ¡°Then why am I¡­?¡±


    The rtionship between sedentary and nomadic tribes Sung-Woon was talking about had nothing to do with the yer¡¯s actual feelings, but rather exining the rtionship that would inevitably form because of their role. The rtionship between sedentary tribes was also simple.


    Sung-Woon scratched his nose from above his mask.


    ¡°Land is the measure of strength for sedentary tribes. That¡¯s why sedentary tribes can¡¯t help but have bad rtionships with each other. They need to take morend to be stronger, butnd is always limited. He¡¯ll take yournd someday anyways, so would there be a reason for him to be kind to you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that means¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon yed innocent and said, ¡°You don¡¯t get it? I can¡¯t tell you when, but you¡¯ll eventually be betrayed.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be a betrayal since you¡¯ve been yed this whole time.¡±


    Eldar¡¯s expression darkened. Sung-Woon secretly smiled. It was the reaction he had expected.


    Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°However, if something like that happens, I¡¯ll also be in trouble. I would have more ces to be wary of should they gain more power in the north.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, we could help each other out. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how useful I would be when I just lost my main force and priest¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°I think your Small Area would be very useful.¡±


    ¡°My Small Area? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve told you what it is yet.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re the Dancing Shadow God?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, perhaps your Small Area is¡­¡±

 Chapter 48: Tamaridu, the Centaur

    <h4>Chapter 48: Tamaridu, the Centaur</h4>


    At the northern coast, where the ground was frozen. North wind blew, and vegetation curled at the tips and barely survived.


    Tamaridu, the Centaur, crossed his arms and looked down at the stranger. The stranger was an Elf prophet Tamaridu had been searching for the past few weeks. This Elf prophet had been spreading word about something in the wilderness and northern coast which bothered him. And thus Tamaridu of the Iron Hoof Tribe tracked down the Elf prophet.


    ¡°Prophet.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about what you¡¯ve been saying across thend.¡±


    ¡°Alright. This is a prophecy soon toe true¡­¡±


    The prophet began to tell the prophecy.


    ¡°In the near future, a king wille. When the kinges, a new world order will be established. Those who reign now will lose their seats, and those who freelye and go in thisnd will get lost.¡±


    ¡°A king you say.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What is a king?¡± asked Tamaridu.


    ¡°Someone who everyone bows their heads to.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the chief of each tribe?¡±


    ¡°No. It is someone even the tribal chiefs bow down to.¡±


    Tamaridu was the chief of arge Centaur tribe. However, he hadn¡¯t ever bowed down to anyone before except for one existence.


    ¡°For king, do you mean a god?¡±


    The prophet shook their head.


    ¡°No. Gods are not here on the ground, but this king will be.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s the chief of all the tribal chiefs with only God above them.¡±


    ¡°That is right.¡±


    Tamaridu hit his chest with his hand.


    ¡°Then that refers to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    Tamaridu looked curiously at the prophet, who had been talking back at him. It wasn¡¯tmon for someone to do so. Tamaridu decided to continue the conversation a little more.


    ¡°Then are you talking about the Lizardmen?¡±


    Tamaridu had recently heard stories of the Lizardmen in the south called the ck-Scaled Tribe. Because of therge area that the Ears Cut Tribe Gnolls had dominated, it was only after the Gnolls had run away that Tamaridu found out about the Lizardmen. It did make Tamaridu recognize how vast the world was, but he wasn¡¯t afraid.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve met Lizardmen before. They are afraid of the cold and sluggish and slow. Like any other species, they¡¯re probably just showing off their powers with how many of them there are.¡¯</i>


    Then the prophet said, ¡°Those Lizardmen are indeed powerful and fearful. But they won¡¯t be able to get to the northern coast because there is a strong man standing in their way.¡±


    ¡°Ha, that must be me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is right.¡±


    ¡°Then who is the king you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    The prophet turned to the north. It seemed empty, but across a few short hills was thend that the Ogre dominated.


    ¡°The one who will be king is going to be a giant. It is said they have arge body and stand on the ground with two feet, and they sit on a throne made of rock. It is also said that Centaurs cannot defeat them in strength, and that they are wiser than Elves. They are in the north.¡±


    ¡°So I can¡¯t be the king?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I would serve the tribal chief of the Ogres, Kajin, as a king?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, pointy ear.¡±


    The Elf prophet turned to Tamaridu, but their head had already fallen to the ground before they could get a look. Tamarind swung his favorite weapon, arge ax, to shake off the Elf¡¯s blood.


    ¡°I, Tamaridu, do not bow before anyone except God.¡±


    ***


    A deste wind swept through the Elf prophet¡¯s dead body. Eldar, the god of the Elves, looked at the prophet without much emotion.


    Small Area: Art was the first Small Area Eldar had obtained. Unlike the other Small Areas, this one had a low rating as it wasn¡¯t very valuable in the beginning and was hard to build upon.


    <i>¡®But of course, it has be useful now.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon exined to Eldar how the Small Area would be used, and Eldar did as he was told. Just like other Small Areas would allow for Creature Creation to be used at the first level, Small Area: Art would enable the yer to give individuals an Inspiration at the first level. It differed from giving revtions through dreams in that those who were Inspired would get intoxicated with themselves. They would believe that the inspirations were their own ideas, and they would want to spread their ideas through artistic acts such as poetry, paintings, dances, or ys. And this Inspiration was contagious.


    Therefore, Eldar gave a false prophecy to an Elf vagrant. The Elf vagrant called themselves a prophet and spread the false prophecy to several tribes.


    Eldar then said to Sung-Woon, ¡°Do you think this would be enough?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    In the end, doing what Sung-Woon said had only cost the life of a single Elf vagrant and a few Faith points, so it didn¡¯t matter too much to Eldar even if nothing came out of it. However, Eldar couldn¡¯t really understand why Sung-Woon was so confident.


    Eldar said, ¡°I think we¡¯ve confirmed that Tamaridu, the tribal chief of the Centaur, has a lot of pride, and we have stoked his anger¡­but I don¡¯t think this will be enough to cause bad blood between the Centaur and Ogres.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Even if Tamaridu bears enmity towards the Ogre tribe, it will be the god who controls Tamaridu in the end.¡±


    Sung-Woon easily agreed.


    ¡°That''s why it¡¯s even better.¡±


    ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good if a yer and the tribe that the yer controls thinks the same way. That would make it easier to lead the yer and their species and tribes to defeat. But what if the yer and the tribes they control think differently?¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    Eldar finally nodded in understanding.


    In The Lost World, controlling and moving each individual wasn¡¯t intuitive. When The Lost World first came out, the game got criticized by the yers as some kind of observing game because the method of moving tribes through Small Areas hadn¡¯t been developed. The only way to force each individual to act as the yer wished was Divine Control, which consumed a lot of Faith points. And Faith points were a limited resource.


    Sung-Woon added, ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know what Solongos, the god of the Centaur, is nning. But I can assure you that Solongos won¡¯t be able to grow just by relying on their loose alliance.¡±


    ¡°May I ask why that is?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Sedentary tribes can continuously grow withnd as their base, but Centaurs are a tribe that loots. Even though the Ogre¡¯s environment is rather barren, they will still advance through agriculture. Since the Centaurs are an ally of arge sedentary tribe, they would have to grow by looting only small and medium sized NPC settlements, but that would be rather limited. And this is probably the strategy that Lim Chun-Sik, the god of the Ogres, had decided on in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Aha!¡±


    Eldar summarized what they had understood.


    ¡°So Lim Chun-Sik is nning to make the Centaurs, who can be quite powerful in the beginning, friendly in this stage of the game. And then he would take over them once he gets a great edgeter on?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Sung-Woon said. ¡°I¡¯m not putting a new machination into y on the northern coast. I¡¯m just reminding them of what they have forgotten, or telling them what they¡¯ll eventually find out sooner. Hegemonia realized it quickly and ran away, but not Solongos.¡±


    Tamaridu, chief of the Centaur tribe, had already begun to develop enmity towards the Ogres.


    <i>¡®Then how would their god, Solongos, feel?¡¯</i>


    To Sung-Woon, it didn¡¯t matter if Solongos continued to believe Lim Chun-Sik. If they did, Solongos would be in conflict with their own priest, Tamaridu, and if the trust between the two yers broke, they would sh.


    Eldar then worriedly said, ¡°But isn¡¯t it possible that Tamaridu won¡¯t believe what the Elf prophet said? Even though the Elf imed to be a prophet, that wasn¡¯t actually a case. The prophecy is nothing but wild spection. It does seem like Tamaridu is angry right now, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we can make it real.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sung-Woon held back hisughter and replied, ¡°You¡¯re going to keep helping me, right?¡±


    ***


    Even after the Elf prophet had died, the prophecy wouldn¡¯t leave Tamaridu¡¯s mind. This was due to the power of Inspiration from Small Area: Art, but there was no way for Tamaridu to know that. The chief of the Centaur Iron Hoof Tribe obsessed over the word <i>king</i> and talked to his subordinates about if he had the qualities to be a king, and about how much the other tribal chiefscked the qualifications of being a king. Tamaridu was aware he was being obsessive.


    <i>¡®The only way to escape this obsession is to be a king myself.¡¯</i>


    However, ording to the prophecy, one couldn¡¯t be a king just because they wanted to.


    <i>¡®I need to be a person who is served by others. But would others know of the name Tamaridu in this wilderness?¡¯</i>


    As if fate had heard Tamaridu¡¯smentations, three guests came to him. The first was an Elf of the Green Eye Tribe. Elves had been an ally for a long time, so Tamaridu didn¡¯t consider the visit sudden. However, the Elf mentioned the prophecy as soon as they sat down.


    ¡°Have you heard about the king?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Even about the fact that the king in the prophecy refers to the Ogre tribal chief?¡±


    Tamaridu clenched his fists and hit the tent¡¯s frame. The tent, as big as a stable, shook greatly.


    ¡°Are you also saying Kajin will be king?¡±


    ¡°No, Chief Tamaridu. I was rather about to say the opposite.¡±


    ¡°The opposite?¡±


    ¡°If someone is to be king, it should be you, Chief Tamaridu. Kajin seems gentle, mild-mannered, and powerful, but he is just a coward who doesn¡¯t want to wield that power. We need to free ourselves from this prophecy.¡±


    Tamaridu was swayed by the prospect of bing free of the prophecy.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve only been worrying that the prophecy woulde true until now. But what if there is a prophecy? Can¡¯t I just ovee it?¡¯</i>


    The second guest was a Human from Automation. Automation was a ce Tamaridu had only heard rumors about, but he was well aware of Automation¡¯s fame. The Human didn¡¯t talk about the prophecy, but said something even more surprising.


    ¡°Are you Tamaridu, the king?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tamaridu felt tempted to say yes, but instead shook his head.


    ¡°No, I am not a king.¡±


    ¡°Oh, There is word in Automation that a Centaur king has appeared, so I thought you would be king.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­a rumor like that?¡±


    ¡°Not just a rumor. Our lord of Automation heard a king has appeared and has sent a present to build a good rtionship with the king.¡±


    Tamaridu saw the rare and precious gift and couldn¡¯t hide his surprise, but he was also disappointed at the same time.


    ¡°But I am not a king, so you should take this gift back.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    The Human guest from Automation shook their head.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the rumor mean you are the one to be king? You at least have the qualities to be one.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Just keep it. It would be a waste to have to walk back here again, right?¡±


    Tamaridu epted the treasures as if he had no choice.


    The third guest left Tamaridu wary. It was a Lizardman from the ck-Scaled Tribe. Unlike the other two guests, Lizadrmen herded buffaloes just like the Centaurs. Both tribes enjoyed battles and fought the Ears Cut Gnoll tribe. Being allies because the other was an enemy of their enemy was onlymon among the sedentary tribes. To Nomadic tribes, having a mutual enemy meant that they were destined to fight each other as well. Tamaridu considered whether he should turn the guest away or not.


    <i>¡®But all the guests that came today talked about a king. And they said I was the king. If this isn¡¯t a coincidence¡­¡¯</i>


    After much consideration, he asked for the third guest toe in, and a ck-scaled Lizardman in silk entered the tent.


    The Lizardman said, ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Owen.¡±

 Chapter 49: Kajin, the Ogre

    <h4>Chapter 49: Kajin, the Ogre</h4>


    Tamaridu could not help but look forward to what the unfamiliar Lizardman who introduced himself as Owen had to say. After all, the other two guests had told him to be king and asked if he was the king respectively.


    Tamaridu asked Owen, ¡°Were you going to tell me to be king too?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Owen looked up when the word ¡®king¡¯ was uttered.


    Tamaridu nodded like he had expected the reaction. However, Owen¡¯s response ended up surprising Tamaridu.


    ¡°You would be king? Honestly, I¡¯m not too sure about that. The future is unknown, right? But if you are thinking of bing king, I¡¯m here to tell you not to.¡±


    A day ago Tamaridu would have been enraged at being told that he would not be king, but now, after conversing with the earlier two guests, he was more flustered than angry.


    ¡°Why? Why do you say I can¡¯t be king? Am I not qualified?¡±


    ¡°Qualified? What qualifications are needed to be king?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Tamaridu frowned in bemusement.


    Tamaridu¡¯s Intelligence was 15, which was a little low for a tribal chief¡­


    ¡°The recognition of the other tribal chiefs?¡±


    ¡­But enough to find his own answer.


    ¡°Have you met that qualification?¡±


    ¡°I will soon. While they were no tribal chiefs, an Elf and a Human visited me today and said that I was good enough to be king. What do the Lizardmen think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I would try to stop you, but our chief may think differently.¡±


    Tamaridu was puzzled.


    <i>¡®Can a tribe and its chief disagree with each other? It would be hard to lead a tribe if what the tribe wants doesn¡¯t align with the tribal chief¡¯s wishes. Rumors about the ck-Scaled Lizardmen make them out to be so grand, but I guess their chief isn¡¯t that good.¡¯</i>


    Tamaridu¡¯s Sociability was 22, and it could be seen as a bit insufficient for a tribal chief. Still, he was cultured enough to not voice his thoughts out loud.


    Then Tamaridu said, ¡°So, do you think your tribal chief won¡¯t approve of me?¡±


    ¡°No, the opposite.¡±


    ¡°The opposite?¡±


    ¡°My tribal chief will likely approve of your being king.¡±


    Owen then muttered quietly so Tamaridu wouldn¡¯t hear, ¡°He would say that you can have all the fake glory. And he would also say that he would show you what real power is.¡±


    ¡°...Did you say something?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Tamaridu¡¯s thoughts became conflicted again.


    ¡°Anyways, the Elves, Humans, and even your tribal chief approve of me being king, but why do you think I shouldn¡¯t? If I¡¯m qualified, are you doubting my abilities?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of qualification and abilities.¡± Owen shook his head and continued to say, ¡°It¡¯s better if you do not be king. I¡¯m saying this for your own sake.¡±


    ¡°For my own sake? Are you saying it¡¯s bad to be someone who would be served by everyone?¡±


    ¡°It might be.¡±


    Owen nodded.


    If what he said after that had not been so convincing, Tamaridu would have picked up his favorite ax.


    ¡°If your God does not approve.¡±


    <i>God</i>. Tamaridu seemed dazed when he heard the word.


    ¡°The Boldly Rushing God¡­doesn¡¯t want me to be king?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve simply been ying ignorant. Do you not know the truth?¡±


    Tamaridu remembered the messages from God he had forgotten, or to be exact, the messages he <i>wanted?</i>to forget.


    For the past few days, Tamaridu had been continuously getting nightmares. In the dreams, Tamaridu would climb up the northern mountain and look down on the northern coast. It was an arduous journey¡ªwild sweeping wind, Goblins that attacked him on sight, and arge boulder that rolled downhill toward him. In the dreams, Tamaridu overcame all of those hardships, but he always fell while struggling to scale the narrow one-way path to the top of the mountain.


    Then Tamaridu would wake up from his dream with a startling realization. In reality, there was no mountain that high on the northern coast. And bad events didn¡¯t only hit him in his dreams.


    Bad things happened whenever Tamaridu heard the words north, Ogre, or king. A rock would hit his ankle, or he would step into a pit that surely wasn¡¯t there when he looked. They were events that Tamaridu had tried hard to ignore. And that was also the reason he hadn¡¯t run out of the tent and told his tribe to advance to the north after the Elf and Human guests came by.


    ¡°...Why doesn¡¯t God want me to be king?¡±


    ¡°I would not know. I have my Blue Insect God, and you have your Boldly Rushing God. How would we know the will of the other¡¯s god when we cannot even know the will of our own? I mean, I suppose I could take a guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess?¡±


    Tamaridu, the tribal chief of the Centaurs, listened carefully to what Owen the storyteller had to say. Owen lit a cigarette that cleared his mind, which weren¡¯t the herbs he usually smoked after using his Lightning Power. Owen¡¯s rxed and slower movements made Tamaridu anxious, but he kept silent because he was afraid Owen would end up not telling him his guess if Tamaridu urged him.


    Owen took a deep breath with his cigarette and let out the smoke through his nose.


    ¡°There is a hierarchy among the tribes on thisnd. Am I right or wrong?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Us Centaurs can call on and gather the Orc tribe and Dwarf tribe whenever we want. And the Ogres in the north enve the Goblins.¡±


    ¡°Then would there be a hierarchy among the gods?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, I think your Boldly Rushing God is below the Endlessly Looking Down God.¡±


    At those words, Tamaridu raised his front legs and stomped on the floor hard.


    ¡°You! Are you insulting the Boldly Rushing God?¡±


    Owen shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m only talking about the hierarchy between gods rather than the tribes. Why are you getting angry?¡±


    ¡°But¡­!¡±


    ¡°And if you are to get mad, it should not be at me, but at the other god who conquered yours.¡±


    Tamaridu, who seemed ready to strike Owen at any moment and was huffing and puffing, calmed his breaths.


    ¡°Do you really think the Ogre¡¯s God has conquered mine?¡±


    ¡°If that isn¡¯t so, how else would you exin it?¡±


    Then Owen murmured, ¡°There must have been some kind of trap. The Endlessly Looking Down God probably screwed the Boldly Rushing God over. And that¡¯s why your god has no choice but to do what the Ogres¡¯ god wants. Your god couldn¡¯t encourage you to be king because of the Ogres¡¯ god. Instead, they ended up having to prevent you from being king. What a shame.¡±


    Tamaridu now understood all the dreams and hints he¡¯d been getting.


    ¡°If what you said is true, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s true¡­ Shouldn¡¯t you do what the Ogres¡¯ God least wishes for?¡±


    ¡°Least wishes for?¡±


    ¡°Be king, I mean.¡±


    Tamaridu felt a hot fire burning inside his chest. The first two guests had just stoked the desire in Tamaridu¡¯s heart. But Owen¡¯s words were different. Now, being a king was not only a manifestation of Tamaridu¡¯s personal desire, but also his duty and tribute to the Boldly Rushing God. It was the most sacred mission Tamaridu could fulfill. Now, Tamaridu didn¡¯t <i>want</i> to be king, he <i>had</i> <i>to?</i>be one.


    Then Owen said, ¡°The Centaur tribe and the Ogre tribe would have to fight each other if you want to be king, though, and that would break the alliance¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not wish to hear what you have to say anymore. Go back.¡±


    ¡°...Well, okay.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t let the precious wise man who awakened me leave empty handed.¡±


    Tamaridu gave the pouch full of treasures that he¡¯d received from the Human to Owen.


    After Owen¡¯s departure, Tamaridu began to prepare for battle. The Boldly Rushing God interfered with Tamaridu¡¯s work throughout the process, but even the god could not stop Tamaridu, who had a sacred task to fulfill.


    ***


    The northern coast.


    At a ce where mortal beings couldn¡¯t peep into, a conversation that mortal beings couldn¡¯t hear was taking ce.


    Solongos wore iron armor resembling that of a cataphract from Goguryeo, their face covered by a mask. Snow was heavily falling, but there was nothing Solongos could do.


    Solonogos then said to Lim Chun-Sik, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lim Chun-Sik.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Solongos.¡±


    Lim Chun-Sik was wearing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts. The wrinkles on his face made him seem like a middle-aged man in his early to mid fifties, and he wore a pair of three-striped slippers. Solonogs couldn¡¯t be certain whether Lim Chun-Sik¡¯s character reflected his true self, or if it was just an appearance to match the yer ID. But that wasn¡¯t the important part. What really mattered here was that Lim Chun-Sik was a reliable leader worth following despite his appearance.


    Then Lim Chun-Sik said, ¡°It¡¯s my mistake. I¡¯ve been ignoring the weird Concept Bug Elf. I didn¡¯t know they would get greedy and bring another yer into this.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either.¡±


    ¡°You had to deal with Hegemonia.¡±


    Snow piled up on Lim Chun-Sik¡¯s forehead and protruding belly.


    ¡°I should be the one to apologize.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Tamaridu and Kajin will have to fight soon, and if Tamaridu dies, you will lose an important priest.¡±


    Solongosughed.


    ¡°Haha. Lim Chun-Sik, I was apologizing for what happened, but I mainly apologized because my Tamaridu would kill Kajin.¡±


    Lim Chun-Sik grinned at thement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ***


    Tamaridu gathered the NPC tribes under hismand for battle, and upon hearing the news, Kajin began building barricades around a small Goblin vige on the outskirts of his territory. Tamaridu didn¡¯t mind.


    <i>¡®Goblins are only ves to Ogres anyways.¡¯</i>


    Tamaridu nned to decapitate the Ogres¡¯ leader, Kajin. It would be beneficial to attack the Goblins for looting purposes, but the goal of this battle was to destroy the Ogre tribe. Therefore, there was no need to attack a barricaded vige. In addition, the Centaurs were pretty much all cavalry, and if the cavalry of the other tribes under theirmand were ordered to advance too, it seemed like they could easily get to Kajin¡¯s vige.


    <i>¡®Kajin is putting his trust in the Goblins and only building an outer barricade. But if we follow the waterway, we can avoid the Goblin vige and get to Kajin¡¯s vige.¡¯</i>


    Tamaridu was confident his strategy was wless. He did decapitate a warrior who said there was a problem, but the warrior was the only one who questioned his words. Tamaridu¡¯s Strength was 58. A Strength that high was enough to make up for hisckluster Intelligence and Sociability as a tribal chief. It was also enough for him to unify the tribe¡¯s will into one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, warriors! This is the way to be king!¡±


    Tamaridu took seventy Centaurs with him, along with thirty and sixty cavalries from the subordinate tribes under hismand, which made a total of one hundred and sixty cavalries. They rode into the territory under Kajin¡¯s rule. Tamaridu marched along the river, avoiding the Goblin vige. However, he did not get very far.


    ¡°Chief Tamaridu! There are Goblins in front of us!¡±


    Tamaridu hadn¡¯t expected Kajin to think far enough ahead to ount for his strategy. Kajin had predicted that Tamaridu would avoid the Goblin viges, and thus stationed Goblin troops on the pathway Tamaridu would take. But Tamaridu wasn¡¯t worried.


    ¡°They¡¯re Goblins! There are quite a lot of them, but just stomp on them with your hooves and it¡¯ll be enough! Charge!¡±


    And things went just as he said. There were around three hundred Goblins, but they didn¡¯t have proper bows, and there were even some who weren¡¯t armed. Their numbers were only made impressive with the inclusion of Goblin ves rather than soldiers. The Goblins tried to run away, but it was a narrow hillside. Driven by bloodlust, Tamaridu and his warriors charged in between the Goblins, and a handful of Goblins tried to fight back to no avail.


    Tamaridu believed he could defeat Kajin by riding the momentum of victory, not realizing that he had already fallen into Kajin¡¯s trap the moment the Goblins showed up to block their advance. From the bushes, where it didn¡¯t seem possible for someone to hide, the Ogres came rushing, breaking through the shrubs and trees as they went. They were each three and a half meters tall and weighed one ton. They were giants with short necks and protruding bellies.


    Taken aback, the Centaurs and cavalries tried to avoid the charging Ogres. However, their feet were tangled among the dead Goblins as well as the few survivors, and shing through the Goblins had left them drained. Some cavalries got off their disobedient horses and tried to run away, but the Centaurs couldn¡¯t do that. Centaur were stronger than the Ogres when they could charge forward, but those who were trapped were weaker. Armed with hammers and clubs, the Ogres began to strike the Centaurs in the head.


    Tamaridu was able to cut the heads of two Ogre warriors from where he was, but the third Ogre warrior was particrly burly. It was the tribal chief, Kajin. The two had never met before, but the moment their eyes met, they recognized each other. There was no need for conversation. The two charged towards each other. Their weapons collided and fell onto the ground. Then their fight proceeded with them fighting with bare hands.


    Kajin eventually grabbed Tamaridu¡¯s neck, and Tamaridu struggled to break free of Kajin¡¯s grasp. Tamaridu¡¯s Strength was 58, and had never lost in a battle of strength against anyone. Kajin dodged Tamaridu¡¯s hand and got onto Tamaridu¡¯s back. Tamaridu fell to his knees with Kajin¡¯s weight pinning him down. Kajin didn¡¯t use his hands, but instead used his wrists and forearms to strangle Tamaridu, and the moment Kajin believed he had gotten a good grip, he twisted his arms.


    <i>Crunch.</i>


    With his neck broken, Tamaridu copsed to the ground.


    Kajin shook his hands clean and got up. Then he marched further to break the neck of the next Centaur.


    1. One of the Three Kingdoms of Korea from which modern Korea is derived.

 Chapter 50: The Lucky Owner

    <h4>Chapter 50: The Lucky Owner</h4>


    In the wilderness.


    The rainy season was over, and grass began to dry up again. The dry, chilling north wind swept across the wilderness.


    Two gods stood on the roughnd.


    Eldar asked, ¡°How¡­are you nning to defeat that?¡±


    Sung-Woon did not reply and just stared at his system window.


    News of the sh between Kajin the Ogre and Tamaridu the Centaur had spread widely. Kajin the Ogre had ended up victorious, and hadn¡¯t even been a close battle.


    ¡°I thought the Centaurs would have done some more damage to the Ogres. While Ogres are known to be strong, Centaurs are a rare species with greatbat power. But in the end, the Centaurs only killed some Goblins enved by the Ogres, and less than ten Ogres died¡­¡±


    Eldar mumbled to himself as he walked in circles.


    ¡°I did think the Ogres would be a difficult opponent from the start. In addition to their superior Strength, their Intelligence had also been raised through a Blessing. They were abination of coincidence after coincidence, so how could they not be strong?¡±


    Sung-Woon scrolled up and down the system message, still not replying.


    Eldar continued the one-sided conversation, ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but aren¡¯t the Lizardmen the main force of Neb? The Lizardmen are rtively vulnerable to the cold though, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to give their all if they were to fight in the north. And I¡¯m aware the Human troops have gotten a Blessing to improve their physical abilities, but there aren¡¯t that many of them. If I at least still had my main troops¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon then raised his head and interrupted Eldar.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t need them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t need the main Elf troops. It would have been more work if they were here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Sung-Woon got up and lowered the system messages in front of him.


    ¡°What have you been talking about all this time?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you called me to have a meeting about what measures to take against the Ogres?¡±


    ¡°Why would we need to have a meeting for that kind of thing?¡±


    Eldar looked up at Sung-Woon with surprise.


    ¡°Neither Solongos nor Lim Chun-Sik had even used Divine Control to minimize the damage to their troops. Don¡¯t we thus have to deal with the Ogres now, who have preserved theirbat powers and are supported by Lim Chun-Sik? No matter how strong the Lizardmen are¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head and continued to say, ¡°I¡¯m the one in this battle with Lim Chun-Sik, and I¡¯ve already decided how the Ogres should be dealt with. There¡¯s no need for a meeting toe up with a strategy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, tell me again what you said earlier. What was your rank?¡±


    Eldar suddenly cleared their throat as if they felt a bit troubled to talk about something that didn¡¯t fit the role they were ying.


    ¡°Hmm. With all due respect, I ranked around 3400th.¡±


    ¡°When youst checked, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Considering the number of yers in The Lost World, being the 3400th best yer was pretty good. But that wasn¡¯t the point.


    <i>¡®Did I misunderstand something?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought that the thirty two yers were selected ording to their ranks. Especially because the second yer he had met was Hegemonia, who ranked 2nd, and he never expected when he first met Eldar that Eldar would not even be among the top 32 yers. On the other hand, the issue didn¡¯t have much bearing on Eldar.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it just be random selection?¡±


    That was a possibility. To Sung-Woon, however, things seemed quite intentional for both the top and second best yer to have been selected. In addition, it was strange that Eldar was ranked at a pretty high ce of 3400th, rather than 23,400th or even 43,400th.


    <i>¡®There must have been another criterion for the selection outside of our ranks. What would it be? Why would there be a need for an additional criterion?¡¯?</i>


    Sung-Woon had to push aside his thoughts for a moment; Eldar was asking how he would deal with the Ogres and Lim Chun-Sik with a tone that made Sung-Woon ufortable.


    As if he had just remembered it, Sung-Woon asked Eldar, ¡°By the way, you¡¯re gonna keep cooperating with me, right?¡±


    ¡°...For?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your cooperation.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ***


    The Small Area Lim Chun-Sik had obtained when he started the game was Small Area: Birds. Lim Chun-Sik checked his Small Area and judged that he was in an advantageous position in the game. Small Area: Birds was rated well in many aspects. Due to the characteristic of a bird, it was convenient for him to scoutrge areas, and he was also able to give useful Blessings to his species such as Wisdom of an Owl or Intelligence of a Crow. And when Lim Chun-Sik found Ogres in his first area, he judged that he was closer than other yers to victory.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t this pretty much victory on a tter?¡¯</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik¡¯stest rank in The Lost World was 153rd, but he had gotten up to 20th when he was at his peak. He had also ranked 4th out of 128 yers at apetition hosted by domestic streamers. And due to his entric avatar, he gained traction and got to join other streamers¡¯ streams a few times.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m pretty good at the game, and I¡¯m lucky. There¡¯s no way I will lose this.¡¯</i>


    Just as expected, Lim Chun-Sik had been able to y the game without running into major obstacles along the way. At least, that was until Eldar and Solongos lost their main forces.


    <i>¡®Neb. He was for sure the top yer. The crazy guy didn¡¯t stream or participate in anypetitions, and apparently just ate and gamed.¡¯</i>


    It was a mistake on his part to only find out recently that the Lizardmen wandering down south were under Neb¡¯s control, however, Lim Chun-Sik believed they would not have much of an impact on the flow of his game.


    <i>¡®This is a game of luck anyways. The Small Areas you get are random, and your species are pretty much random as well. Provided a yer has a certain degree of skills in ying the game, the next important thing is luck. Besides, Insects and Lizardmen? They¡¯re both weak against the cold. Isn¡¯t itmon sense tobine things that would make up for each others¡¯ weaknesses?¡¯</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik gave a hint to Kajin, the tribal chief of the Ogres, that he should umte supplies in preparation for an attack by the Lizardmen. In addition to that, Lim Chun-Sik focused his scouting near the border to look for enemy¡¯s movements. He figured that the Lizardmen wouldunch an all-out battle before winter came. But Strangely enough, the Lizardmen never attacked even when fall drew to an end. And when winter came, the Elf viges began to burn.


    ***


    News of the ck-Scaled Tribe setting fire to the Elf viges had also reached Automation. The merchants who gathered in the market would talk about the news day after day, and it was said that they could no longer trade north of the wilderness.


    ¡°Apparently, after Tamaridu challenged Kajin the Ogre and died, the ck-Scaled Tribe took over the emptynd. And it¡¯s also said that the ck-Scaled Tribe loot all the peddlers that pass through the region.¡±


    ¡°Is that all? Apparently Lakrak is burning all the Elf viges to retaliate against their earlier attack.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been difficult to cross the wilderness and the territory of the Green Eye Elf¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be hard to do business with the Ogres for a while?¡±


    Trades with the Ogres were possible through the route that started from the center of the continent, went through the wilderness, and then finally extended across the territory once ruled by Tamaridu the Centaur. However, the path was now cut off.


    It was difficult to grow crops where the Ogres were located, but they did have metal mines. Many merchants were disappointed that the lucrative trades were no longer possible, but there was nothing they could do.


    ¡°What do we do now that the trade route to the northern coast has been blocked?¡±


    ¡°What is it you¡¯re looking to trade? Speaking of the ck-Scaled Tribe, I heard that if you go there through the road southeast of Automation, they trade silk for a good price.¡±


    ¡°Really? I would be able to sell silk at a high price back in my hometown. What I¡¯m trying to trade is¡­¡±


    The Green Eye Tribe Elves didn¡¯t undergo much damage as people feared. Eldar, the god of the Elves, had warned the Elves in advance that there would be an attack by the Lizardmen, and the Lizardmen had calmly waited for the Elves to run away. They didn¡¯t attack the Elves when they settled down south of the wilderness, either. It was as if it had been thend the Elves once lived on that had been their target, not the Elves themselves.


    Lim Chun-Sik didn¡¯t realize what these changes meant at first. The Elves had lost their main force, so they couldn¡¯t cause any damage for the time being. And he didn¡¯t have such a strange hobby that he would needlessly bother the Elves. The same went for upying Solongos¡¯ territory. The Centaurs had also lost their main force. There were NPC¡¯s, but thend was pretty much empty. There was no need to waste troops on upying thend. What little profit could be made from looting would soon be obsolete when merchants with keen insights gave up the particr trading route.


    <i>¡®It wouldn¡¯t take a lot of resources, but it¡¯s not something worth using any resources on. Especially with a battleing up. No, it¡¯s toote for a battle. Winter ising soon. It¡¯s toote for the Lizardmen toe up north¡­¡¯</i>


    That meant Neb had no intention to go to war for the time being. And Lim Chun-Sik btedly realized Neb¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°...The Clear Night Tactic!¡±


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s also called Scorched Earth Tactic.¡±


    Sung-Woon exined to Eldar, ¡°You burn down all the areas that the opponent might upy and cause istion. In The Lost World, supplies are important in the same way they are in real wars, so the same strategy applies. You probably have used it a few times too.¡±


    Eldar nodded.


    ¡°But I¡¯ve never seen it used so early in the game¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Usually it doesn¡¯t work in the beginning stages of the game. But this time the conditions were all met. Maybe I got lucky?¡±


    ¡°You¡­got lucky?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°First of all, my opponent upies the northern coast.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bad thing? The Lizardmen won¡¯t be able to use their powers properly, will they?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there is that, but being that up north also makes it difficult to get food. The environment isn¡¯t conducive to farming, but due to the Ogres¡¯ high Intelligence, they are able to quickly develop civilization, allowing them to establish trades, import food from the south, and increase their poption. The tribe grewrge, but now that their trade routes are cut off and there are no Elves to loot, how would they get supplies? They could go back to hunting and gathering, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough to feed everyone. And the Ogres are even enving the Goblin NPCs.¡±


    Eldar nodded. Enving NPCs was a strategy which could be easily used in the beginning of the game. However, if the owner tribe experienced a decline, there was a possibility for the enved species to revolt against the owner tribe.


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re facing Ogres.¡±


    Eldar gnawed on their bottom lip; it seemed like they didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t the Ogres ovee their weakness?¡±


    ¡°Weakness?¡±


    ¡°Their high Intelligence, I mean.¡±


    ¡°That is the interesting part. Intelligence isn¡¯t the Ogres'' real weakness.¡±


    ¡°...What then?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it? Their weakness is theirrge build. Being strong and powerful is their weakness.¡±


    ¡°How¡­is that a weakness?¡±


    Sung-Woon let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°The Lost World was a realistic game through and through. Species withrge build also had a high basal metabolic rate, which means they eat a lot. They have to survive this winter, but they have lots of muscles, and their bodies require a lot of energy. In The Lost World, other yers aren¡¯t the only enemies. Environment can also be an enemy. Unnecessary energy consumption is eventually a weakness. Species with smaller build willst longer even if they are hit by the Scorched Earth Tactic.¡±


    Eldar nodded in admiration. However, it seemed like he thought Eldar¡¯s stare meant they still hadn¡¯t understood because he pulled up a few system messages.


    ¡°You might think I¡¯m just making assumptions, but there actually is a way to make the calction. Someone very invested in the Strategy and Tactics Board created a form for the Scorched Earth Tactic. You just have to input the species, climate, degree of civilization development, size of the region, and other variables to get the result. It¡¯s not exact, but from my personal experience¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be lost if you go into that much detail.¡±


    ¡°Really? But you <i>are</i> getting it, right?¡±


    Eldar nodded.


    Sung-Woon closed the system messages and casually said, ¡°And you are also part of my luck.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about me?¡±


    Eldar was briefly excited at the thought that they were some lucky charm to Sung-Woon, but that wasn¡¯t what Sung-Woon meant.


    ¡°Usually this kind of tactic requires me to burn down my ownnd as well, but thend of the Elves presented me with an alternative. And since the Elves were a sedentary tribe, they had been providing the Ogres with a constant supply of food, so burning their vige was extra effective.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, watch and see if my strategy works.¡±


    The Ogres survived through the first winter with the supplies they had saved up for battle. However, as spring came, they had to scour the bushes for food, and the Elf viges were all empty. Then summer came along, and the hungry Ogres began to eat the Goblins alive. When fall came, the Goblins refused to be enved by the Ogres anymore and attacked the Ogres. In early winter, the Ogres fought the Goblins and won, but they were left with nothing to eat as all the Goblins survivors ran away. Eventually, the starving Ogres began to move south to the wilderness.


    It was exactly as Sung-Woon wanted.

 Chapter 51: Vassal

    <h4>Chapter 51: Vassal</h4>


    The tribal chief of the Ogres, Kajin, was wise. His Intelligence was 43. Not only was this high for an Ogre, but it was also highpared to other tribal chiefs. Therefore, he immediately understood what his Endlessly Looking Down God meant when the god told him to wait rather than going south to their enemies.


    The Lizardmen were waiting for the opportunity to take over the northern coast. They had already attacked the Elves, and had created bad blood between the Centaurs and Ogres, which led them to fight each other. However, the Lizardmen were weak against the cold, limiting the time frame in which they could keep an eye on and take over the northern coast. Once it got cold again, the Ogres would be able to loot the Elf viges and deal with the weak Lizardmen. However, things didn¡¯t work out so great.


    Since Kajin was wise, he knew how to let out his anger even when he found out he was tricked by the Lizardmen. Instead of beating up his elite Ogre warriors, he beat up the Goblins, whose numbers quickly increased even after some were killed.


    Kajin knew the empty wilderness and the burnt Elf viges were the work of his enemy, but that was the end of it. He believed this kind of wasteful battle of attrition would also be damaging to the Lizardmen, so he just waited it out. And the Endlessly Looking Down God had also told them to wait. Even when that drove them to death slowly, Kajin was wise enough to understand that God didn¡¯t have much of an alternative either.


    This was but a hardship to ovee. Kajin knew that once they overcame this hardship, glory would be his to reim, so he didn¡¯t betray his faith in God. However, the other Ogres were less wise and didn¡¯t do the same. Quite a few Ogres believed that their God had let them down. They were starving and even lost control over the Goblin ves.


    At first, Kajin persuaded those who had lost faith with words. But as time passed, the numbers of individuals who had lost faith increased, and he had to use his club. Eventually, he had no choice but to watch groups of Ogre run away to the south. Kajin asionally heard from the few scouts they had left that the deserters had been found dead; some were even killed by Goblins. And sometimes, there was no news at all.


    By the time spring came, Kajin had to make a choice. Continue to hold out, or go south before the group weakened further. This was also a decision Lim Chun-Sik had to make. Lim Chun-Sik requested a Whisper Conversation with Solongos, who he hadn¡¯t been in contact with.


    ¡°Solongos.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, brother?¡±


    The two haven¡¯t spoken ever since the fight between their two priests, Tamaridu and Kajin. There really wasn¡¯t much to say either. Solongos was busy making the Centaurs run away from the Lizardmen traveling to and fro their area. And Solongos didn¡¯t have any power to spare for Lim Chun-Sik.


    ¡°How many troops do you have?¡±


    ¡°I lost all my warriors to you, so I don¡¯t have any more.¡±


    ¡°Even after a year has passed?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There must be some useful Centaurs left.¡±


    ¡°Most of them were chased down and killed.¡±


    ¡°...Well.¡±


    At the current stage of civilization, warriors were essentially the powerful and energetic youths. The death of warriors didn¡¯t mean the disappearance of the entire warrior ss. However, it did mean that the untrained, younger children or the elderly who had lost the talent they had possessed in youth would have to step up in ce of the dead warriors. They would be vulnerable to external threats, and eventually, as the warriors died, the tribe would soon fall.


    ¡°...Moreover, aren¡¯t the Centaur a strong species?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    If they were weak, the tribe¡¯s solidarity would have persisted longer because it would be hard for an individual to survive on their own. However, tribes of stronger individuals, specifically those with strength and abilities beyond a certain level, would be able to survive as family units or even as individuals, thus making their individualistic tendency stronger. The species would live on as vagrants who would eventually meet their mates, and if they formed groups, they would be a tribe again.


    But this wasn¡¯t the case when Faith was involved.


    Solongos said, ¡°I was going to contact you first.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°I got an offer.¡±


    ¡°What? From Neb?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Or not exactly. It was from Eldar.¡±


    ¡°What did they offer you?¡±


    ¡°Eldar said if I followed Neb and helped keep you in check, they would spare my life.¡±


    Lim Chun-Sik swallowed.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Look at Eldar. What¡¯s the point of keeping my life? And even though things went wrong and I had to fight you, we still trusted and relied on each other, didn¡¯t we? I immediately turned the offer down.¡±


    That was a lie. Solongos had given the offer some thought for quite a while. If it weren¡¯t for Eldar¡¯s sarcastic remarks, Solongos might have defected to Neb¡¯s, namely Sung-Woon¡¯s side. However, now that he had made his choice, Solongos had no reason to be more honest than necessary with Lim Chun-Sik.


    Lim Chun-Sik was touched by the lie.


    ¡°You rascal¡­¡±


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t have any more troops, but if I dig further, I¡¯ll probably find around ten Centaurs who can shoot arrows and use spears.¡±


    ¡°What about Faith points?


    ¡°I might have enough for a war.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you contacted me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is.¡±


    Lim Chun-Sik was relieved.


    <i>¡®Ever since Neb approached the Centaurs¡­no. Ever since I learned that Eldar had fallen in Neb¡¯s trap¡­no. Ever since I learned of the Lizardmen wandering around down there in the wilderness, I should have done this.¡¯</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik thought he should go into a final battle. Solongos and Lim Chun-Sik had already lost many of their tribal members, the basis for producing Faith points, so their Divinity levels were low.


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s not toote.¡¯</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik believed that in The Lost World, a battle depended on the degree of a god¡¯s intervention.


    <i>¡®If it¡¯s not like the battle with Solongos, which was a battle of defense, and we fight in an open field, it¡¯ll eventually be a fight between the gods. I don¡¯t know exactly what level Neb¡¯s at, but I¡¯ll definitely be above him.¡¯</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik looked at the wilderness that would be the battlefield with the eyes of a bird and judged that he wouldn¡¯t need to include Eldar in his calctions.


    <i>¡®If we can destroy their main force, we can restore the rest of the areas. Everything can be rebuilt. We can enve Goblins again and reestablish our trade routes¡­¡¯</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik told Kajin to take the rest of the tribe down south. And what that meant was clear.


    <i>¡®War!¡¯</i>


    Kajin happily followed God''s will instead of his own decision. He took all the Ogres who could fight down south. There were a total of twenty. Also in the group were Centaurs who were either too young or too old for battle. Both the Ogres and Centaurs knew this was the will of their gods.


    Kajin thought those who didn¡¯t seem good enough to fight were brought as food, but before he ate the youngest Centaur alive, they suddenly encountered the ck-Scled Lizardmen in the middle of the wilderness.


    The Lizardmen didn¡¯t seem like a scouting party. There were fifty in total, and they were all cavalries who rode on Cockatoos, which were crossbreeds of a Cockatrice and a chicken. Out of all the Cockatoos, the one the leader was riding on was particrly big and unique in appearance. It was a Cockatrice, and the leader was Lakrak.


    God soon entered Kajin¡¯s body. Thirty warriors seemed rather a small number, but they weren¡¯t just any species, but abination of Centaurs and Ogres. Lim Chun-Sik=Kajin believed he could win the fight. No, even killing Lakrak would be enough.


    <i>¡®And if I¡¯m lucky enough to kill Lakrak when Neb is in his body¡­¡¯</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik=Kajin said to Solongos, who had entered the body of an old Centaur, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Solongos.¡±


    ¡°Yes, brother!¡±


    The Ogres and Centaurs charged while letting out battle cries.


    ***


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, the battle wasn¡¯t very intense.


    <i>¡®Do you think you¡¯ll win by charging at me with Divine Control?¡¯</i>


    The Divinity levels of Lim Chun-Sik and Solongos were 6 and 5 respectively. Added together they were at 11, which was equivalent to Sung-Woon¡¯s Divinity level. It would make sense for Sung-Woon to use Divine Control as well with the other two gods using the skill to attack, but he didn¡¯t summon a creation or use any other kind of Miracle. Something unexpected had actually happened due to his opponents attacking with Divine Control.


    Sung-Woon checked the system message.


    [yer Lim Chun-Sik has be a vassal.]


    [The greatest contributor to yer Lim Chun-Sik¡¯s defeat¡­]


    [...yer Neb (94.3%)]


    [yer Solongos has be a vassal.]


    [The greatest contributor to yer Solongos¡¯ defeat¡­]


    [...yer Neb (78.6%)]


    There were many conditions under which yers would lose XP, including getting defeated in battles, losing believers who believed in them, death of a creation, destruction of an altar, failing to fulfill a prophecy, and more.


    <i>¡®And the condition which most often causes the loss of XP is the use of Diving Control.¡¯</i>


    There was a dy between the use and the canction of Divine Control, and there were cases where yers would unexpectedly die because they didn¡¯t cancel the skill in time. In that case, yers would have to be prepared for a level drop. It would happen when a yer lost XP, and if their level fell below 1, they would be vassals.


    In the Lost World, bing vassals pretty much meant being eliminated, and yers referred to it as being dead. In the game, a yer would spawn back into the waiting room once eliminated, and they had a chance to return to the game once they were freed of their condition as a vassal¡­


    <i>¡®But that rarely ever happens. And there probably isn¡¯t a waiting room in this world.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon checked his Possession window. There were two newly-created items.


    [Lim Chun-Sik, who has be a vassal]


    [Solongos, who has be a vassal]


    The contributor who caused the most XP loss would be given Vassal Tokens. As the game was still in its early stages, neither Lim Chun-Sik nor Solongos had met a lot of other yers, so Sung-Woon¡¯s contribution was very high.


    <i>¡®94% and 78%, was it?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was about to take out the Vassal Tokens to check it out, but he felt ufortable touching them since the tokens were stone statues of the two yers. The Lim Chun-Sik one made him especially ufortable.


    <i>¡®There are processes that willpletely destroy the tokens and cement the yers¡¯ eliminations, while other processes can be executed to release the yers from being vassals.¡¯</i>


    In general, releasing vassals and resurrecting a dead god happened when there were alliances. That was why destroying the tokens was a way to ensure that the yers who had be vassals would no longer be a threat or be resurrected by their allies if they had any. Sung-Woon had no intention of releasing the vassals, and he moved the Vassal Tokens to the corner of the Possession window to prevent them from being an eyesore.


    <i>¡®Is the reward next?¡¯</i>


    There was quite a big level difference between Sung-Woon and both Lim Chun-Sik and Solongos, whose levels had gone down further while dealing with Sung-Woon. Despite how easy the battle ended up being, Sung-Woon gained a lot of XP, pushing his Divinity to level 12. And Sung-Woon¡¯s XP wasn¡¯t the only thing that had risen. Lakrak, a multi-ss warrior, tribal chief, and priest, was now over level 21. He would be called Hero with his high level in this stage of civilization.


    <i>¡®The curve for XP gain is steep from this point on, so he¡¯s pretty much at the highest level one can reach.¡¯</i>


    There was a reward other than XP as well.


    <i>¡®In The Lost World, the enemy¡¯s assets can¡¯t directly be obtained from the system like what Dark Archon¡¯s Mind Control would allow a yer to do</i><i>, so I need to maximize my gain from the acquisition of Small Areas.¡¯</i>


    If a god was killed, the Areas that the God had could be obtained by the other yer.


    [You have obtained Small Area: (Unknown) from yer Lim Chun-Sik!]


    [You have obtained Small Area: (Unknown) from yer Solongos!]


    <i>¡®...Of course, the areas are chosen randomly.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought that part was a shame, but once he got Lim Chun-Sik¡¯s Small Area, he knew he would be able to direct the game to his advantage.


    Sung-Woon checked Lim Chun-SIk¡¯s Small Area first.


    [Would you like to check Small Area: (Unknown)?]


    [Yes / No]


    As Sung-Woon clicked Yes, a few cards appeared facing down. Sung-Woon picked one and checked it.


    <i>¡®Jackpot.¡¯</i>


    1. Dark Archon is a support unit fromthe game StarCraft. Their skill Mind Control would allow them full control of a unit, and if they take over worker units, the yer would be granted ess to the units'' buildings, upon which a second army can be built.

 Chapter 52: The Hardship of the Elves

    <h4>Chapter 52: The Hardship of the Elves</h4>


    [You have obtained Small Area: Birds.]


    Birds was a decent Small Area. Not only was it advantageous for yers to explore other regions, which wasmonly known as reconnaissance among the yers, but had two Blessings associated with the Small Area. Those Blessings were Intelligence of a Crow and Wisdom of an Owl; both were well known Blessings for increasing Intelligence.


    <i>¡®But it would be a waste to bless characters who have already been blessed.¡¯</i>


    Therefore, the Blessings would be applied to the next generations.


    <i>¡®I should rece Toxic Resistance with Intelligence of a Crow for the Lizardmen, and rece Vitality with Wisdom of an Owl for the Humans.¡¯</i>


    .


    Sung-Woon then checked Solongos¡¯s Small Area. He knew Solongos had Small Area: Rock, so he had expected to get that, but he was surprised. What he got instead was Small Area: Swamp.


    <i>¡®Swamp? ¡­I won¡¯t say it¡¯s useless, but its utility iscking.¡¯</i>


    It was possible that Solongos had obtained the Minor Small Area from a Fiend. Seeing how Solongos dominated the Centaurs and wandered around the wilderness, it was highly likely that the Small Area: Swamp was of little use to him. However, Small Areas that seemed useless at the moment had the potential to be useful in theter half of the game as yers expanded their range of activity.


    <i>¡®Next is¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon first looked toward the west. Through his locust swarm, he had found out that a great fight had broken out in the central region of the continent. While he was not sure if he had learned all there was to learn, he knew it was a fight where five yers were divided into three factions. They fought on the borders of their territories and upied emptynds in the continent behind each others¡¯ backs.


    <i>¡®Some of them will probablye this way.¡¯</i>


    But until then, Sung-Woon nned to leave them be. It was a good situation for him that they were fighting each other and getting exhausted. Moreover, Sung-Woon was an outsider. If he intervened and got unlucky, it was possible that the other yers would band together to fight against him.


    Sung-Woon then turned to look at the northern coast. While there weren¡¯t any other species in the northern part of the penins where Sung-Woon was in control, Solongos and Lim Chun-Sik¡¯s situation was different.


    Sung-Woon¡¯s ck-Scaled Lizardmen had either destroyed or chased away all the other tribes so the northern part of the penins was the ck-Scaled Lizardmen¡¯s. However, Solongos and Lim Chun-Sik had either subjugated or enved the NPC tribes, so it would take some time for the northern coast to be cleaned up.


    <i>¡®But it doesn¡¯t matter since the majority of them are groups of Goblins anyway.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon turned to the east this time. There was a short mountain range, beyond which was the eastern coast of the continent. There were likely some NPC tribes, but it wasn¡¯t a location where yers could settle down.


    <i>¡®Rather than crossing the mountain range from this side, it would be better to sail into the ocean with ships and upy the coastline. That would be the job for merchants and adventurers. There may be some Ancient Ruins, but they¡¯re not so important at the moment.¡¯</i>


    The important thing in the beginning was the size ofnd. As Earth¡¯s history had shown, when certain countries established themselves in a certain region, they would usually remain there unless a big event urred. The end of the game¡¯s early stages was before things turned into a bigger war, when the borders were roughly defined. After that, dramatic expansion was difficult to achieve unless there was a war.


    Lastly, Sung-Woon turned to look at to the south.


    The northern part of the penins was now Sung-Woon¡¯snd. While he had sent Lakrak to fight in Automation, the wilderness and the northern coast where the remaining ck-Scaled Tribe members had settled continued to be cultivated.


    However, the southern part of the penins wasn¡¯tpletely unexplored. Sung-Woon¡¯s species had not reached the location yet, but insect creations had. He knew that there were a few NPC tribes and that their level of development was low, but Sung-Woon also knew that Lakrak¡¯s presence would be required in order to conquer them without trouble.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no need to pay much attention to the east or the west, and the north and south need to be dealt with at the same time, but Lakrak can¡¯t exist in both ces at once.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought about what to do and found another solution.


    ¡°This is why team y is needed.¡±


    On the other end of the video chat, Eldar nkly asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    ¡°I have a bad feeling¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    ***


    Sung-Woon sent the Elves back north. This decision was met with bacsh since they had just adapted to their new area, but there was not much they could do in front of the Lizardmen¡¯s spears. Despite the initial outcry, many of the Elves had not forgotten their hometown so, in the end, they calmly headed north.


    However, the area where the Elves used to live was currently upied by the Lizardmen. Some of the Lizardmen settlers had migrated here from the northern part of the penins. These Lizardmen hade to find the fertilend that God had promised them. The vige where the Elves had lived was actually a vige at the bottom of the river, where two big mountains blocked the cold air, so the climate was warmerpared to other regions at the sametitude.


    There was an inevitable sh between the Lizardmen and Elves. While the god of the Lizardmen had shown them Miracles and protected them from disasters, however, there was no response from the god of the Elves. The Elves had no choice but to go further north, and they eventually settled down at the edge of the northern coast. The Elves were not weak against the cold, but it was and with long winters.


    Rather than developing agricultural technology, the Ogres had chosen to enve Goblins or develop civilization and gain things from other species. Given the circumstances, though, the Elves had no choice but to im newnd. And there were a lot of disrupters. Goblins, who used to be ves, were unhappy with the newly settled Elf tribes, and though there weren¡¯t many, there were also Ogre vagrants who had lost their groups. These Ogres were especially dangerous. The Blessings they had already received would not disappear with their god, so these Ogres still had high Intelligence.


    The Elves prayed to their God, Eldar, and asked why they should suffer like they were. But unfortunately, Eldar did no have a good answer for them. Eldar had been greedy and made the Elves attack Automation, but there was no telling whether this situation was the result of going against Sung-Woon¡¯s will. And after Sung-Woon counterattacked and defeated Lim Chun-Sik and Solongos, he¡¯d sent the Elves further north; it wasn¡¯t that Sung-Woon held a grudge, but he simply did not want to consume the energy of his own tribes to reim and cultivatend.


    Eldar thought that if their believers found out their own god was being coerced by another god, they would lose all their Faith points and be a stone statue. However, as a god, they could not respond to their believers when they prayed to them. ording to Sung-Woon¡¯s next actions, Eldar gave a divine message to their priest. Leonar, who was chosen as the new chief and priest for the Green Eye Tribe, received the divine message in front of the altar. It said that a precious existence wasing from the south to help the Elves.


    Leonar told the rest of the Elves the news. Soon, the Elf scouting party returned and announced the news.


    ¡°A group of Humans areing?¡±


    Leonar remembered that the formal tribal chief had attacked the Human tribe and made the Elf tribe miserable, but he chose to trust God¡¯s words.


    <i>¡®Hasadian was an arrogant idiot. There¡¯s no way the Dancing Shadow God would have ordered such a reckless attack. He got our warriors killed with his greed. I won¡¯t follow in his footsteps.¡¯</i>


    Even though the Elves did not have much at the moment, Leonar prepared a proper wee for the Humans. And just as they finished preparing, the Humans arrived on horseback.


    Leonar recognized the one who had dismounted right away. They had met before.


    ¡°Lord¡­of Automation?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­who are you again? No. I¡¯ve met you before. I can remember. Just give me a second. Leonar. Leonar, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Leonar awkwardly smiled.


    Hwee-Kyung remembered Leonar, whom she had met a few years ago at Automation¡¯s marketce. It wasn¡¯t too long ago, but they were meeting in a very different ce under very different circumstances.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten thinner since thest time, haven¡¯t you? I would ask if everything is going well, but I¡¯ve heard the news and learned a few things about your people, so let¡¯s skip that part. Ah, just to let you know, I¡¯ve been doing well. There have been many merchants who wanted toe all the way here, but once they found out the trade route was blocked, they ended up trading at Automation and left. They probably would¡¯ve undergone some losses¡­ Sorry. I¡¯ve been talking too much about myself, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s okay. Why don¡¯t youe in first?¡±


    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s cold out here. Hold on. Let me get my friend.¡±


    As Hwee-Kyung turned around, Leonar¡¯s gaze followed. Now that he took a better look, there was a Cockatoo among the group. And of course, the one getting off the Cockatoo was a Lizardman rather than a Human. A small shriek broke out among the Elves at the sight of the Lizardman covered in ck scales, so Leonar hurriedly waved his hand to quiet them.


    The Lizardman said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elf, but I must check to make sure there aren¡¯t any assassins in the hut.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lizardman.¡±


    The Lizardman entered the hut and looked around.


    ¡°My name is Sairan Muel. You can call me Sairan.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Sairan.¡±


    Leonar was worried that the Lizardman named Sairan had looked displeased because he disliked Elves. However, when Sairan¡¯s expression rxed at the warmth of the hut, Leonar realized he had just been cold.


    Leonar looked at Hwee-Kyung, who was drinking tea. Her horns were fully grown now, so they looked heavy from the side. They branched off and curled upwards, like they were propping up the sky.


    Leonar carefully asked, ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°What brings us here, I don¡¯t know. Elves believe in God too, right?¡±


    Leonar felt his heart racing at the mentioning of God.


    ¡°Yes. We believe in the Dancing Shadow God. And you, Hwee-Kyung, and Sairan, believe in the Blue Insect God.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I actually don¡¯t know much about God and faith, but I sometimes get what others call¡­a divine message, I think it is?¡±


    ¡°A divine message?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. God doesn¡¯t say anything exactly, but God gives me a vague message to do something or tells me there¡¯s something over there, and if I go, there would be something that¡¯s worth money and such.¡±


    To Leonar, Hwee-Kyung seemed too secr, but he still felt a bond between them as someone who received divine messages himself.


    ¡°So have youe all the way here because of a divine message?¡±


    ¡°Well, pretty much so.¡±


    ¡°What about the specific details¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think divine messages depend on how one interprets them? There might be a misunderstanding, so let¡¯s move on from the details.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, the important thing is that our Blue Insect God helps those who are weak, alienated, and abandoned.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±


    Leonar looked around wondering if he should talk back saying that their god was the one who had made them live in this hut, but it did not seem like a good idea. And putting aside what her God¡¯s will was, the Human in front of him was saying she would help him.


    ¡°So you mean help as in¡­?¡±


    ¡°I brought weapons, farming tools, and grain seeds that apparently grow well in cold weather.¡±


    The grain seeds of courtesy came from Hwee-Kyung¡¯s pocket. It was what the Elves needed. Things would have been different if the Elves hade straight from their original vige, but all the Elves had right now were seeds from the northern region of the penins which were weak against the cold. If they were lucky, they could expect harvest in the uing fall, but the Elves would likely die with the crops if they were unlucky.


    Pleased, Leonar perked up at the sight of the seeds.


    ¡°Thank you so¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give them to you with a discount.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    At Leonar¡¯s abrupt question, Hwee-Kyung clearly replied, ¡°Since the Elves are in difficult conditions, I¡¯ll sell them to you at a lower price.¡±

 Chapter 53: The Way to Rule Large Land

    <h4>Chapter 53: The Way to Rule Large Land</h4>


    Hwee-Kyung lightly hit her forehead as if she btedly realized something.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s right. Elves don¡¯t have Pyeon, in other words, money. You know what it is right?¡±


    ¡°...Are you talking about those iron pieces that are being printed at Automation?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We usually trade with that now.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am aware of what that is.¡±


    Leonar awkwardly smiled. He had been a merchant himself until he became tribal chief, so of course he knew what Hwee-Kyung was talking about.


    ¡°However¡­we do not have any money.¡±


    ¡°Do you not have anything equivalent to money? Or any craftwork. Humans can wear clothes that Elves wear.¡±


    ¡°...We do not.¡±


    The Elves had been wandering for a while so they had abandoned their heavy belongings a long time ago.


    Hwee-Kyung looked back at Sairan.


    ¡°Sairan, was there¡­anything that could be used in ce of money?¡±


    ¡°There was nothing when I looked around. Unless the Elves themselves be the goods.¡±


    Leonar opened his eyes wide at those words. But before he could even say something, Hwee-Kyung shook her head.


    ¡°No. It seems they don¡¯t even have enough people to work, so they won¡¯t be able to trade people. Isn¡¯t that right, Leonar?¡±


    ¡°Ye¡­yes.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing much we can do.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung put the grain seeds back into her pocket. Leonar looked at her very sadly as he watched her.


    ¡°I dide because God told me to help you, but still, it would be troublesome if we didn¡¯t make any profit. There are people like the Lizardmen who passionately believe in God, but we don¡¯t, or at least I don¡¯t.¡±


    Sairan hit Hwee-Kyung on the shoulder with his tail. When Hwee-Kyung rubbed the area she got hit and red at Sairan, Sairan looked at the ceiling pretending he didn¡¯t do anything. Hwee-Kyung nudged Sairan with her shoulder and looked back at Leonar.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s unfortunate, but we¡¯ll head back now.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    As Hwee-Kyung put her hand on the floor to push herself up, Leonar said, ¡°That¡¯s enough, Hwee-Kyung, lord of Automation. I was a merchant too.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the chief of a tribe woulde all the way here for a trade that they were not sure would be sessful. Especially not with a chosen one from the ck-Scaled Tribe.¡±


    Interested, Hwee-Kyung sat back down.


    ¡°Keep going.¡±


    ¡°At the very least, I know that you came here because there is something you want from us.¡±


    ¡°You said so yourself; you have nothing to give. So what would we take?¡±


    Leonar got up and brought over a piece of white silk from the corner. The Elves did not have much silk and used them to make clothing, but the information Leonar had drawn on the silk was much more important.


    Hwee-Kyung recognized what it was.


    ¡°It¡¯s a map.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve put together information on the Ogres and double checked it. You came up this way, and we are about here.¡± Leonar pointed to a location on the map.


    ¡°This is good. Still, I don¡¯t think the value of the map would afford you enough grains to satisfy you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sell the map.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    Leonar pointed at a few more spots on the map and said, ¡°There is a strip mine here. Irones out of it. The Ogres¡¯ iron had already been traded in Automation, so you should be familiar with the quality. It¡¯s not bad. Not only that, thend downstream of the river is very good. Farmers say that crops would grow well as long as the seeds can endure the weather. And above all, trees here grow straight and upright. They¡¯re very solid on the inside. I¡¯ll trade all these with Automation at a cheaper price. We¡¯ll have to talk more about how much cheaper.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung snorted.


    ¡°Leonar, anyone can brag like that. Drawing a map, showing what¡¯s here and there, and saying great profits woulde from those ces. Falling for this would be the same as falling for all the frauds out there. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°My words are not empty like those of frauds. I am selling you the future and the trust of Elf Leonar.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s forehead wrinkled, and her voice grew louder.


    ¡°What? Are you out of your mind? You''re selling me the future and your trust?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re trading something that¡¯s not even visible to the eyes right now, for something here that can be seen, can be held in the hand, can be smelled, and even tasted?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung put the pouch containing the seeds, which she had been holding and shaking, back into her inner pocket.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would say that.¡±


    Leonar was calm. He had expected this, and his confidence wasn¡¯t unfounded. While Hwee-Kyung was getting angry, the Lizardman sitting next to her had stayed calm.


    Hwee-Kyung said, ¡°Buying the future and trust? I¡¯ve heard of no such deal.¡±


    ¡°Some people might think it¡¯s entric.¡±


    ¡°But we are doing the right thing.¡± Hwee-Kyung responded to Leonar before turning to herpanion. ¡°Sairan. Silk and charcoal, do you have them?¡±


    When Sairan took out the silk and charcoal, Hwee-Kyung began to write something on the spot. People¡¯s names could not be fully represented in Choongmun yet, so the contract was drafted as one between the Humans of Automation and the Elves on the northern coast. Serious negotiation took ce while Hwee-Kyung wrote the contract.


    They talked about how cheaply the iron would be sold for, and how long they would be able to log the trees for. Leonar was generous, but at the same time, he demanded for more. For the deal to proceed, Leonar told them that the paths needed to be widened, a bridge needed to be built to make the travel shorter, and that threats from Goblins and Ogres needed to be addressed. Hwee-Kyung epted a few conditions and refused the others. But this wasn¡¯t all thatpleted their deal.


    Both of them soaked their hands in the blood of the deer that had been caught to wee the guests. Then they left handprints on the contract.


    Leonar pulled back and said, ¡°This contract will certainly be honored. I swear to God.¡±


    ¡°Swear to God? Okay. I¡¯ll also do that. The contract will certainly be honored. I swear to God.¡±


    Leonar let out a sigh of relief.


    <i>¡®Thank goodness. Believing in God is surely a good thing. It¡¯s true that we will have to pay a higher price in the future, but we may not even have a future without this deal. Yes, this is was logical and reasonable. Nothing in the world is given for free. Everything is a deal.¡±</i>


    Reading Leonar¡¯s thoughts, Eldar despaired that Leonar had thought wrong. The deal had onlye to be because he had no power. Leonar had no choice but to lower the price given the tribe¡¯s dire situation, but Eldar, who could see further into the future, couldn¡¯t help but consider their Elves fools.


    Sung-Woon made fun of Eldar for being distressed but Sung-Woon also saw things from a different perspective.


    [Notice: The first credit deal has been established on the northern coast of the third continent!]


    <i>¡®Credit deals have begun. That also means the culture of checking one¡¯s own credit has begun.¡¯</i>


    Discovering and starting credit deals was a good thing. These kinds of deals led to the thinking of consideringnd ownership assets, and in the future, developed into deals of buying and selling value itself. Credit deals had not been possible until now. There were no such things as contracts, and the other party of the deal could have fled to an unknown ce, and there was nothing that could be done about that. But now, there were sedentary tribes, and as nomadic tribes moved along the paths, their deals began to be recorded in writing.


    <i>¡®Until then in The Lost World, each individual¡¯s world was limited to one¡¯s own tribe. And the rest of the tribes were just threats to one¡¯s world. But not anymore. Paths are drawn on maps, word of who fought with whom spreads, and reputation and credit have be more important. The world has berger.¡¯</i>


    This widened world would be a challenge for Sung-Woon leading into the future.


    <i>¡®...How do I rule over thisrge world?¡¯</i>


    ***


    South of the penins, the Dwarves persistently fought back, but Lakrak won again. The main Dwarf force was unable to get proper supplies due to the continuous swarm of ants and ended up suffering an overwhelming defeat by the hundred Cockatoo warriors Lakrak led. Having lost all their warriors, the Dwarves abandoned their vige and ran away in search of a way to live. Lakrak was at his prime with God¡¯s Blessing, as well as Electric Demonic Magic.


    Lakrak walked past the Dwarf vige. The bushes came to an end, and he soon entered thend full of white grains of sand. Lakrak kept walking. In thend full of sand, there were shells, dried up starfish, and bones of unknown fish here and there. Lakrak continued to walk. Small waves alternated between rolling up to Lakrak¡¯s toes and retreating while bringing about white foams. Lakrak stood still for a moment. A stronger wave pushed through the sandy beach and swirled around Lakrak¡¯s ankles before moving back.


    ¡°This is the end.¡±


    Lakrak looked at the endless sea. He was standing at the end of the penins. Now there was no one who did not know of Lakrak on the eastern side of Automation, the wilderness and the northern coast above the wilderness, and the penins south of the wilderness. Lakrak had fulfilled God¡¯s will until now. Lakrak had no doubt that God¡¯s will was his own.


    There were tribes with wicked manners and customs, and tribes who dared to fight back against the ck-Scaled Tribe. Aside from those tribes, there were others who felt hostile towards the ck-Scaled Tribe due to misunderstandings, and Lakrak found that unfortunate. Apart from that, Lakrak had conquered thend all the way to the end of the penins, just as the Blue Insect God wanted. But this time, God had no made any other special requests¡ªit was something Lakrak had always been given when he was about to finish his work. Lakrak thought he could understand why.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s nond to conquer right away.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak knew there were lots of tribes west of Automation, but there was something he had to do before going there. And Lakrak thought that was why the Blue Insect God¡¯s will hadn¡¯te to him yet.


    <i>¡®...How do I conquer thisrgend?¡¯</i>


    Large was thend of the ck-Scaled Tribe where Lakrak had influence over. He had influence over the whole penins, the wilderness, Automation, and the northern coast. The edge of the northern coast was given to the Elves, and Humans lived in Automation, but Lakrak thought of all that as his.


    <i>¡®However¡­¡¯</i>


    Lakrak thought it was all hisnd, the ck-Scaled Tribe thought so, Hwee-Kyung of Automation and Leonar the Elf likely thought that way as well, and even God might be inclined to agree, but sometimes there were those who didn¡¯t think that way. At ces where Lakrak had swept through, those who hadn¡¯t got wind of Lakrak¡¯s stories would im that thend was theirs. Lakrak had already met a few who thought that way, and he was generally able to persuade them with his words and spears. If Lakrak met more people like that, he was confident in persuading them to whom thend they were stepping on belonged. But wondering how long he would have to keep persuading others left him tired.


    <i>¡®Do I have to ride the Cockatrice forever? Hm¡­¡¯</i>


    After giving it some thought, Lakrak did not think that would be so bad after all. He had done so until now, so it did not seem like a bad idea to continue his business as usual. His best warrior, Yur, also said he would follow Lakrak wherever he went. But that was not the case with hispanion, Zaol.


    ¡°That¡¯s not efficient.¡±


    Zaol was right. Lakrak did sometimes forget, but he did not like being wasteful. Even if himself, Yur, and the warriors could keep going, there were young children and older people in his tribe. And without them, there would be no warriors.


    <i>¡®Then what would be the best path forward?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Sung-Woon had sort of an answer to that.


    ¡°Eldar, if you had arge territory, how would you rule over it?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ Well, usually people choose one of two options.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Eldar thought Sung-Woon would already know the two options if he was like most yers, so they could not figure out why Sung-Woon bothered bringing it up. But knowing Sung-Woon¡¯s personality, Eldar did not want to annoy him.


    ¡°Feudalism, or monarchy.¡±

 Chapter 54: The One to Become King

    <h4>Chapter 54: The One to Be King</h4>


    Feudalism meant a king chose a handful of feudal lords and gave themnd. A king could not manage arge piece ofnd by himself. Therefore, the king gave a small number of people the right to collect taxes from thend given to them and make it their duty to provide protection to the tax payers in return. Thus, the lords appointed by the king and the blood rtives that seeded them were in a contractual rtionship with the king; they carried out the king¡¯s orders when necessary.


    ¡°Medieval Europe, China in its early history, and Japan had a feudal system,¡± said Sung-Woon.


    ¡°They¡¯re all too different to lump them together, but sure,¡± replied Eldar.


    ¡°But, Eldar, isn¡¯t it weird for an Elf to know the countries on Earth?¡±


    ¡°I am an Elf who crosses dimensions.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s your concept?¡±


    The advantage of feudalism was that there would be less of a burden on the king. The feudal lords did have the duty to protect thend the king gave them, but the feudalnds belonged to the lords, not the king. Thus, the feudal lords put in lots of effort to protect their territories. Each manor would be thoroughly protected by the ramparts the feudal lords built, which also served as an opportunity for military architecture to develop.


    <i>¡®On the other hand, a disadvantage that stands out is¡­¡¯</i>


    Things would be okay when the feudal system was initially introduced, but as time went on, the king would grow distant from both the meritorious servants and those who took over the fiefdoms by right of blood. In addition, although the feudal lords and the king were bound by contracts, that was not the case with the rtionships between the feudal lords. Unless another feudal lord or the king yed mediators, feudal lords would treat each other as the head of a different country. In fact, even though they belonged to the same country, many feudal lords would fight against each other, which was a waste of power from the king¡¯s perspective.


    <i>¡®Still, it¡¯s an opportunity for siege strategies to develop, and it also ensures thatbat power is maintained. Frequent battles also fuel the development of technology.¡¯</i>


    There were both pros and cons, but overall, Sung-Woon did not like the idea of feudalism in The Lost World.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a mess.¡¯</i>


    It was possible for powerful feudal lords to gain the support of multiple kings, which meant that they could receivend and backing from leaders of different countries if necessary, and those who had reached such heights wielded greater power than even kings, thus greatly influencing international rtions and diplomacy. It required a lot of effort to bnce the power of feudal lords and kings, which was good for the lords¡­


    ¡°...But not for the yer.¡±


    ¡°That is right.¡±


    Eldar opened their eyes halfway like they were remembering a previous game.


    ¡°I once ran arge city-state in the Middle Ages. At first it belonged to the country that my priest was king of, but the city-state eventually received morend from the neighboring countries and lost their faith in me.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    In The Lost World, a theocracy was the easiest to control. On the contrary, if faith and politics began to separate, it was hard for the yer to produce their intended results even for a country with Faith. And it could get out of the yer¡¯s control.


    <i>¡®There is a way to take control in those situations, but there¡¯s no need to suffer for it.¡¯</i>


    Feudalism wasn¡¯t bad. City-states naturally formed, so money and time could be saved forying the foundation of a country. And if the neighboring countries also operated under a feudal system, it was possible for the country to convert the other feudal lords and expand their region of influence.


    <i>¡®But if something goes wrong, the other countries¡¯ religion could influence my country. And since the rtionships between the king and the feudal lords aren¡¯t the best, it would be easier for another religion to be influential.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought about the other option, which was monarchy. Feudalism was also a form of monarchy, but the monarchy the yers of The Lost World talked about was an absolute monarchy, or, in other words, centralized administration.


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°Exin centralized monarchy.¡±


    ¡°The king rules over the entire country from the capital. He handpicks state officials and sends them to the provinces as administrators.¡±


    In feudalism, all the power over thends was given to the feudal lords, but state officials were very different. Work was divided depending on the administrative tasks at hand, and they held each other in check. In addition, jobs were not permanent, and the state officials regrly moved to different posts. A lot of money was required to implement and maintain the administrative foundation, but there were still many pre-modern countries that were an absolute monarchy.


    <i>¡®Due to the stable power structure, the division ofbor makes administrative work more specialized, and because the central government is strong, it¡¯s easier to mobilize a military.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon liked thest part.


    <i>¡®If theocracy is in unity with absolute monarchy, then the whole country will abide by the king¡¯s orders.¡¯</i>


    Of course there were checks and bnces in ce to limit the power of the monarch, but it was nothingpared to feudalism.


    However, centralized monarchy was not something one could establish just because they wanted to. Variousworks of facilities such as well-paved roads and ports had to be established first, along with methods for selecting state officials, establishing the legitimacy of the king, and creating amon identity that various species could rally behind, making them feel like they belonged to one country.


    ¡°Eldar, what should I do in a case like this?¡±


    Eldar shrugged. It was not because they did not know, but because they were not sure why Sung-Woon was asking them when Sung-Woon already had an answer.


    ***


    The day after Lakrak took over the whole penins, he woke up and decided to take his tribe north.


    Hearing that decision, Yur said, ¡°Are we leaving for the wilderness again?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Lakrak called a meeting with the important figures of the tribe. During the meeting, Lakrak made a big drawing on the ground. Not many of them recognized it, but it was a map.


    Lakrak said, ¡°I had a dream yesterday.¡±


    The Lizardmen did not pay particr attention to that. During serious meetings, Lakrak sometimes pretended to have received a revtion from God in his dreams, and once the others listened to the dream, they realized that the dreams were not revtions or precognition, but ridiculous, meaningless fantasies. Still, those ridiculous dreams were useful in making the other Lizardmenugh.


    Lakrak continued to say, ¡°I emerged from my body and floated in the air. At first, I was simply floating, but then I found myself flying fast without willing myself to. Thend beneath my feet was shooting by, and I could sometimes seends that I knew. I saw all the viges that we took from the Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, and Elves. I also saw ck-Scaled Lizardmen simr to us living in viges that we worked together to drive people out of. From across the wilderness, all the way to the northern coast.¡±


    Zaol knew Lakrak was not joking.


    ¡°It¡¯s thend we¡¯ve secured.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak stopped drawing on the ground. He walked to the end of the drawing and drew a dot.


    ¡°We are here.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°What do we call this ce?¡±


    As Lakrak questioned and looked around, a warrior said, ¡°The Dwarves called thisnd Maganen.¡±


    This meant nd of the end.¡¯ Lakrak nodded and wrote Maganen beside the dot he had just made. When Zaol saw Lakrak do so, she ordered an errand boy to copy the drawing onto silk with charcoal.


    Lakrak took another step and drew another dot.


    ¡°This is where we drove out the Red-Skinned Orcs. Anyone remember what this ce was called?¡±


    ¡°Chief, the Orcs called that ce Samon.¡±


    This word meant ¡®deep forest.¡¯


    Then Larak said, ¡°There are lots of ces named Samon. Is there a way we can distinguish this ce from the other Samons?¡±


    Another warrior said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll call it the Southern Samon.¡±


    Lakrak nodded and wrote the name down. Thus, he slowly walked upward, naming thends he had conquered. There were a lot of tribes on the penins, and because the ck-Scaled Tribe had conquered many viges, it took a while for Lakrak to reach the edge of the wilderness.


    Lakrak went past Kamairu, which meant ¡®wideke,¡¯ where the Frogmen used to live. The Lizardmen assumed Lakrak would go through the wilderness, but instead, Lakrak made a few dots where the sea met the top of the penins and the southern part of the wilderness.


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of this ce?¡±


    The Lizardmen stayed silent.


    ¡°Does no one know?¡± asked Lakrak.


    ¡°Chief, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think anyone knows the name.¡±


    Lakrak looked around.


    ¡°Is there anyone who remembers the ce?¡±


    ¡°In my memory, we never drove any species out of there.¡±


    Lakrak used the stick he had been drawing with to hit the ground.


    ¡°And no one knows about it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mountainous area, so no paths have been paved there. And other species stayed away since it¡¯s a habitat for Cockatrices.¡±


    Lakrak nodded. Most of the Lizardmen wondered about Lakrak¡¯s intentions, and a few of them thought it might be a big joke and got ready tough.


    Then, Lakrak said, ¡°I know this ce. Even though it¡¯s a mountainous area, it¡¯s not difficult to make a road because there are only vines and small trees. If we just maintain a few existing paths, everyone will be able to go there. Getting lost may be a concern since there¡¯s a deep forest, but God will guide the way. If we go deep into the mountain, there will be a river flowing down along the deep valley, and going downstream, thendscape grows gentle until the river reaches the bottom of the mountain and opens wide, apanying a vast nd. There, the river meets the sea. The sun rises above the mountain in the east and sets into the sea in the west.¡±


    Then, Zaol asked, ¡°Is that thend you saw in your dream?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± and Lakrak added, ¡°The name of thatnd is Orazen.¡±


    The Lizardmen whispered among each other after hearing the name. It meant ¡®thend where God stands.¡¯


    ¡°I will be the king of Orazen.¡±


    The Lizardmen cheered at those words. Lakrak upied so muchnd that ¡®great chief¡¯ was no longer a fitting title; he was in a different league than the other tribal chiefs. Those with a grand reputation needed a suitable title.


    ¡°We will go to Orazen. Pack up.¡±


    The Lizardmen, full of excitement and anticipation, began to talk with each other. Lakrak passed through the crowd and went into his hut. Zaol followed him.


    ¡°Is that the decision God made?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°It means we don¡¯t have to go along the roads and chase away the fools who im it as theirnd. But do we just leave them be then?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°If we leave those tribes be, some will grow in power. Were those whoe into power be any species but the Lizardmen, it would be rather a relief. However, some Lizardmen may begin to doubt your powers because they have forgotten your power or have never witnessed it.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Lakrak exined that going to Orazen was not the end of his dream.


    ¡°I found a way.¡±


    ***


    Lakrak first sent to Orazen those who would pave the path and develop thend.


    Then he proved his power and authority by going around the viges that he had marked with dots on the map he drew. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t any Lizardmen who dared to fight back. All the Lizardmen believed Lakrak to be their tribal chief.


    Lakrak spread words about Orazen and told those who wanted to follow them toe along. Many simply wanted to keep living as they had been, but those who did not followed Lakrak.


    Lakrak expanded his new tribe and headed to Orazen. He made sure that the new vige in Orazen was being well established and left for the wilderness and northern coast. He also told the Lizardmen there about Orazen.


    Before the end of the year, all the Lizardmen residing east of Automation knew that Lakrak was king and that Orazen was the capital. A little before the three-year mark, most of the tribes to the east of Automation knew of those facts.


    As soon as Orazen was found, it served as a new transportation center, and a wide road was paved.


    Lakrak sent deputy warriors to all the Lizardmen viges to act as tribal chiefs. They had the authority to engage in matters of the viges, judge criminals, and mobilize warriors to respond to external threats.


    These deputies were the elite warriors following Lakrak, and they cherished the code ofws that Lakrak had personally engraved onto a te. The te made of stone was a symbol of power itself, and to prevent replication, it was decorated with the rare, distinctive gold.


    These executives stood out with a steel sword in one hand and the code ofw in the other. They had other warriors under theirmand and took them wherever they went, formed groups with people from different origins, and prevented others from bing the deputy warriors of the tribes they were originally from.


    On the other hand, there werends Lakrak thought of as his but hadn¡¯t sent any deputies to, which were Automation and the Elf vige of the Green Eye Tribe on the end of the northern coast. The lord of Automation and tribal chief remained as the feudal lords in those areas. Lakrak did not care much, so he gave the position of margrave to Hwee-Kyung, the lord of Automation, and the position of maripgan to Leonar, the tribal chief of the Green Eye Tribe.


    Hwee-Kyung epted her position with joy as she thought that meant she could use Lakrak¡¯s power in cases of emergencies. Leonar was rather troubled, but he didn¡¯t really have much of a choice other than to ept it.


    In addition, Lizardmen serving as foreign affair officers at Orazen were sent to Automation and Green Eye Tribe. These foreign affair officers had the ratherplex role of facilitating exchanges between the feudal lords and the king, Lakrak, while also keeping an eye on the margrave and the maripgan.


    The deputies and foreign affair officers were all primitive state officials with too many duties for an individual to take on, but since they did not encounter many issues when carrying out their duties, there wasn¡¯t a need to establish additional roles to share the burden. Their work was slow and sloppy at times, but Lakrak¡¯s words and will were uratelymunicated to the margrave, maripgan, and the executive at Maganen at the end of the penins, and the same was true of the reverse.


    [Notice: One of your countries has entered early monarchy.]


    Although it was abination of two systems, it was more monarchy than feudalism, so the system notice described it as such.


    Sung-Woon closed the notice window.


    Then, Eldar said to Sung-Woon, ¡°...Was your answer eventually both?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. When I weighed the pros and cons and had to decide what¡¯s best for the current situation, I had no choice but to pick both.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask me¡­?¡± asked Eldar.


    ¡°Huh? Because yournd has be mine too.¡±


    Eldar decided not to ask any further questions.


    ***


    Yearster, at the end of the Maganen penins.


    Where Lakrak had mapped out his country stood other beings. They had four legs on the ground and four arms attached to their slouched torso. One pair of the arms wererge pincers, and the other pair seemed to be poor imitations of hands. From what seemed like their faces, a pair of eyes stuck out, above which were a pair of moving antennae.


    The most unusual thing about these beings was the hard, shiny turquoise shell that covered their entire body. Some wore metal as essories and had clubs made of stone hanging from their waistbands. It was clear these beings were intellectual.


    Sung-Woon was scouting the area and discovered them before they came into contact with the Lizardmen.


    ¡°...They¡¯re lobsters,¡± he muttered.


    1. A medieval title originally used for the militarymander assigned to maintain the defense of border provinces.


    2. A term used for ruler/king during the Si period.

 Chapter 55: Encounter with the Astacideas

    <h4>Chapter 55: Encounter with the Astacideas</h4>


    There were several species in the Lost World.


    And out of the species, there were crustaceans, or to be exact, a species that looked like crawfish. Their official name was Astacidea, but the majority of the yers just called them lobsters.


    <i>¡®They are a species that have high physical abilities and can breathe underwater, but¡­¡¯</i>


    Their intelligence was pretty low. Most of the individuals were at least better than the Ogres, whose intelligence wasn¡¯t even shown in the stats most of the time, but they weren¡¯t very controble. And they had an inherent w that wasn¡¯t marked in their stats.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re repulsive.¡¯</i>


    Humanoid species such as Humans, Elves, Dwarves, or Halflings all found lobsters repulsive. It was a w that species resembling insects possessed, which made social interactions difficult for them in the early stage of civilization. As a result, it is harder to y with Astacideas.


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s fun since they can breathe underwater. I did once try having them as my first tribe.¡¯</i>


    What made Sung-Woon wonder, though, wasn¡¯t the Astacidea themselves, but where they came from.


    <i>¡®There is an ind southeast of the penins.¡¯</i>


    It would be an archipgo to be exact, namely a scattering of several inds. Combined, they would be about the size of the penins, and a few of the main inds wererge enough to develop their own individual civilizations.


    <i>¡®Is that where they were from? How did they even get here? In theory, I guess it would be possible for lobsters to walk along in the ocean¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon ignored the lobsters scouting the beach and circled the coastline.


    <i>¡®Of course.¡¯</i>


    There were three ships. They weren¡¯t simply wooden rafts. Rafts were stillmon among tribes living on the coastline or by the rivers. Themon rafts would be used for fishing, harpooning, and collecting fish and shellfish rather than as means of transportation. However, the ships Sung-Woon saw were quite impressive. Although the finishes were rough, the ships had a distinctive feel due to the woven wood from the stem to the stern, and there were also oars and sails. It was a proper ship one could redirect by rowing when simply sailing by wind wouldn¡¯t do.


    <i>¡®I did see shipbuilding and sailing techniques develop quite often on the southeast inds.¡¯</i>


    But Sung-Woon couldn¡¯t simply be d there was such technology nearby. Thepetition might have been another yer. Still, Sung-Woon thought there was a low chance for yers to be on the southeast inds, and even if there were, he thought they would make for the central area of the continent since chances were civilization would be more advanced there, rather than approaching an area like the penins.


    <i>¡®Alright. Let¡¯s send a scouting party first.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon used Small Area: Birds to create a few albatrosses and send them to the inds. In the meantime, the Astacideas began to slowly walk towards the Lizardmen vige at the end of the penins, Maganen.


    ***


    Tatar, the executive who had been sent to Maganen, was a bit of a straight arrow.


    The day Tatar was appointed an executive and found out that he would be sent to Maganen, another executive appointed on the same day said to him, ¡°Things must befortable on your end.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡± replied Tatar.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Maganen at the end of thend?¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be less likely for other species to bug you. And since it¡¯s pretty distant from Orazen, if warriors were called to gather at Orazen, you would be on the bottom of the list.¡±


    Tatar hit the ground with his tail.


    ¡°Are you saying Chief Lakrak sent me to Maganen because I¡¯m useless?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°Hm, in my opinion¡­ Didn¡¯t you always fight beside Chief Lakrak? There¡¯s not a single person who doubts you are one of the best warriors.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Not but! Since you¡¯ve worked hard until now, don¡¯t you think Chief Lakrak is sending you to Maganen so that you could live afortable life now?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tatar then asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you saying that Chief Lakrak is sending me to Maganen because he thinks I¡¯m old and useless now?¡±


    ¡°Why are you twisting my words like that? If you were useless, wouldn¡¯t there be no reason to appoint you as an executive?¡±


    ¡°Then it probably means that I¡¯m the most useless out of the executives.¡± Tatar ended up pointing at his left eye, which he had lost. ¡°How useful would a warrior with one eye be?¡±


    ¡°This fellow¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Tatar let out a puff of air from his nose. Then he went down to Maganen without saying goodbye or acknowledging the other executive. But Tatar now thought that the other executive might have been right.


    <i>¡®This really is a rxing ce.¡¯</i>


    The weather was warm, it rained moderately, and the winter wasn¡¯t too harsh. Perhaps because of the climate, the Lizardmen became more gentle here, so there were fewer crimes; even when a quarrel arose, they would talk and work things out. There was a Dwarf tribe hanging around, but thanks to Tatar having a good conversation with the new Dwarf tribal chief, there were no further fights. Moreover, there weren''t many external issues to worry about other than when merchants or Orazen¡¯s tax collectors came.


    Tatar really didn¡¯t have much to do.


    <i>¡®But even though it¡¯s a rxed ce, it is Chief Lakrak¡¯snd. Someone has to protect it.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak was the reason why Tatar thought that way. Lakrak had said that even if a ce seemed rxing at a nce, they should never rx their guard, and that they should always be prepared for external threats. At the time, Lakrak had used Maganen as an example.


    <i>¡®But Chief Lakrak¡­ What is it you¡¯re saying we need to protect this ce from?¡¯</i>


    It was a real pleasant surprise when a warrior then rushed to Tatar, as if in response to his thought.


    ***


    ¡°Those guys?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Tatar armed himself and looked down from the cliff. He saw the anchored ships and the Astacideas building temporary huts.


    The warrior then said to Tatar, ¡°They scouted around our vige and went back.¡±


    ¡°Have you fought those crawfish?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°And you haven''t talked to them?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Tatar pondered what to do. News that a strange-looking species had appeared at the coastline was sent to Orazen through an errand boy. It was an urgent matter, so Cockatoos would be ridden through every vige to pass on the message, and in a few days, Lakrak would know of their existence.


    <i>¡®Before then, it¡¯s up to me to decide what to do with them.¡¯</i>


    Seeing the bemused look on Tatar¡¯s face, a young warrior prepared for battle. Stories about the Cockatoo warriors who fought with Lakrak were widely spread, and Tatar was one of the famous ones. It was a well-known tale that Tatar had passed through the wilderness on an errand for Lakrak, saw Troll robbers raid a group of weak individuals, defeated the Trolls alone, and lost an eye in the process. The young warrior saw Tatar as a loyal and belligerent warrior, and judged that Tatar would drive away the new species trespassing into Lakrak¡¯snd through force.


    The young warrior thought to himself, <i>¡®So today is the day I die with honor.¡¯?</i>


    And just as he thought that, Tatar said to him, ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± replied the young warrior.


    ¡°I had expected them to be mere crawfish walking around, but seeing them talk amongst themselves makes me think we might be able to hold a conversation. I need to go down and talk to them myself.¡±


    As Tatar trudged down the hill, the Astacideas saw hime down and shook their antennae.


    Tatar walked all the way to the middle of the group and asked, ¡°Who is the leader among you?¡±


    An Astacidea went up to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    This Astacidea was a little bigger than the others and wore a belt made of metal pieces linked together.


    Then Tatar crossed his arms and said, ¡°I am Tatar, the executive of Maganen. Reveal who you are, where you came from, and with what purpose you havee.¡±


    The Astacideas murmured among themselves.


    The young warrior came running to Tatar and whispered, ¡°Mr. Tatar, the warriors of the vige will being soon. Why are you jumping into the group yourself?¡±


    ¡°They are for sure people we can have a conversation with. They would be more wary if we came to talk with an army of warriors. Plus, I¡¯m confident that I can get myself out of here even if they attack altogether.¡±


    The young warrior couldn¡¯t get himself to ask what would then happen to himself. Revealing those kinds of feelings was a bit embarrassing.


    The Astacidea leader then said, ¡°We are the Turquoise Astacidea Tribe. We havee from across the sea. And our purpose foring here is¡­¡±


    ¡°Your purpose is?¡±


    ***


    Sung-Woon was relieved when he saw the information the Albatrosses brought and the system message that just appeared.


    [sh of Civilizations!]


    [Two different tribes havee into contact. Experience points (XP) are rising for both tribes.]


    If the opponent was another yer, there would have been a third line stating a warning, but that wasn¡¯t the case. And in Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, he didn¡¯t think it would really matter even if was another yer.


    The Astacideas¡¯ development was very slow.


    <i>¡®Did they just barely start making bronzeware?¡¯</i>


    If there were no yer interventions, and species were isted and had no way ofmunicating with others, it was inevitable for their development to be slow. Not only did they just start making bronzeware, but they didn¡¯t farm or grow anything. Since the inds were in the south, and there were plenty of living resources, they seemed to be satisfied with hunting and gathering. Their hunting techniques were alsocking though.


    <i>¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like a fiend has appeared there. Are their numbers all that I can get information on?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon examined the whole archipgo. A few other species along with other Astacidea tribes were scattered over the ce. It seemed that the shipbuilding technology was fairly advanced for them to travel between inds of the archipgo for fights. The Astacidea tribes being united had given them an edge, but there didn¡¯t appear to be much to worry about; there were signs of disharmony between the Astacidea tribes.


    <i>¡®Since they don¡¯t believe in the same gods, it would be hard for them to identify as one tribe when they have different colored shells.¡¯</i>


    Then it could be said that they wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat even in the long run.


    <i>¡®They probably won¡¯t be able topletely unify and fight for the long term. That would be better.¡¯</i>


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, there was only one reason for these Astacideas toe all the way from the inds to the penins, which was quite far away.


    <i>¡®Of course¡­¡¯</i>


    ***


    The Astacidea leader squirmed, and Tatar patiently waited for the answer.


    Then the Astacidea leader barely said, ¡°We¡­¡±


    ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°We are shipwrecked.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shipwrecked?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Even though their shipbuilding techniques were pretty impressive, the Astacideas had only ever sailed their ships to ces from where they could still see each other¡¯s inds, and not having traveled long distance by sea meant their sailing techniques were rudimentary at best.


    Tatar asked for permission to check their belongings to see if the Astacidea was being honest. They were really out of food, and Tatar knew the Astacidea leader was embarrassed so they couldn¡¯t bring it up easily.


    The young warrior thought, <i>¡®It¡¯s a golden opportunity.¡¯</i>


    Not long ago, the executive of another vige had led a group of warriors to wipe out a tribe threatening the vige. The news soon reached Lakrak, and Lakrak himself went down to the vige and encouraged the executive and warriors.


    <i>¡®If we defeat these guys, the king will give us a reward.¡¯</i>


    It was obvious that Lakrak would greatly praise Tatar if he kicked out those who dared to set foot in Lakrak¡¯snd.


    The Astacideas looked like they were in good health, but they had starved for days. It was a golden opportunity.


    <i>¡®I heard that all the executives who used to fight with Chief Lakrak missed the heat of battle. I¡¯m sure Mr. Tatar is thinking the same.¡¯</i>


    And as the young warrior turned around, warriors were gathering along the slope of the hill. The Astacideas didn¡¯t draw their weapons, but they looked at the gathering warriors with vignce.


    The young warrior and the Astacidea leader both waited for Tatar¡¯s next words.


    Then Tatar opened his mouth.


    ¡°Alright, then¡­¡±

 Chapter 56: The Price of Kindness

    <h4>Chapter 56: The Price of Kindness</h4>


    The young warrior thought he heard Tatar wrong.


    ¡°...Help them and make them a temporary ce to stay. And we¡¯ll have to bring the remaining food from the vige.¡±


    The authority of the executives came from the king, Lakrak. The warriors followed Tatar¡¯s order withoutining.


    The Astacidea leader thanked Tatar. With the help of the Lizardmen warriors, the Astacidea¡¯s residence was quicklypleted. And as the Lizardmen warriors distributed food, the Astacideas were relieved and showed goodwill.


    The Astacidea leader introduced himself as Lubo and said to Tatar, ¡°You said your name was Tatar, right? Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Of course, no problem.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem? Something like this isn¡¯tmon for us. When shipwrecked victims are spotted, people take away everything they have and kick them out. There are also many who die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case in our country.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Lubo seemed touched. Lubo continued to ask Tatar everything he was curious about, and Tatar provided answers to the non-sensitive questions.


    ¡°How big is this ind?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an ind. If you go north, you need to walk over one hundred days to reach the end of thend, and if you walk west from there, you won¡¯t see the edge even after walking one hundred days.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    Lubo slightly touched Tatar¡¯s sleeve with his small w.


    ¡°The clothing you¡¯re wearing is smooth. I have never seen anything like it. What is it made of?¡±


    ¡°This is called silk.¡±


    ¡°Silk?¡±


    ¡°Silkworms create cocoons before they be moths, and the threads pulled from the cocoon are what make silk. We raise silkworms on thisnd. If you go to the north, there is a vige that raises silkworms and threads them. The vige sells silk for money or goods.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    In addition, Lubo asked what money was, what writing was, what a king was, and also how many other species lived in the Lizardmennd. Tatar sincerely answered the questions to the best of his abilities.


    After a few days, when Lubo was leaving, he received lots of help from Tatar again.


    ¡°We just need to look at the sky when we¡¯re lost?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Tatar had faithfully learned how to look at the stars from the star catcher, so he was talented enough to teach others. Lubobined the skill he learned from Tatar with his skills in sailing along the wind and realized that he could go home.


    The day Lubo left, he said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tatar. We won¡¯t ever forget your kindness.¡±


    However, Tatar, the warriors, and the other Lizardmen in the vige who had helped the Asatcideas took that as nothing but simple pleasantry. Everyone knew that kindness was not always repaid with kindness.


    Therefore, the young warrior who had been by Tatar¡¯s side the first day the Astacideas came to shore asked, ¡°Why did you help them?¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°If it were me, I would have kicked them out and told Lakrak we defeated a group that invaded the coast.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t kick them out and instead helped them, which reduced our vige¡¯s assets. Wouldn¡¯t the king get mad if he hears about this?¡±


    ¡°...Mmm¡±


    Tatar scratched his chin while listening to the young warrior.


    ¡°So are youining?¡±


    ¡°...No. Just curious.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°I knew you as a great warrior. A warrior who isn¡¯t shy to draw blood when it¡¯s necessary. But in this case, it seems you were afraid of a fight. Were you perhaps worried about all of us because of your position as an executive?¡±


    Tatar shook his head.


    ¡°There¡¯s something you misunderstood about me. Let me tell you a story.¡±


    Tatar slowly began to recall the conversation he had with Lakrak a long time ago.


    ***


    Tatar met a group of vagrants while passing through the wilderness following Lakrak¡¯s orders. People who did not know well about this anecdote of Tatar thought that the vagrant group were Lizardmen, but that was not true. They were a group of Halflings running for their lives while avoiding the ck-Scaled Tribe¡¯s territory. They were being chased by Troll thieves, and Tatar had run into them just in time. Tatar could have avoided the fight, but he chose to intervene. Tatar killed all ten Troll thieves and lost his left eye in the process. After that, he went back to Lakrak.


    Tatar said as he entered Lakrak¡¯s tent, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Because of my own will, I hurt the body which I should have cherished as a warrior of God, and also as your warrior.¡±


    To warriors, especially Lizardmen, losing an eye was lethal. Unlike short-headed species, long-headed species with long snouts like the Lizardmen had eyes on the sides of their heads. As a result, they had a poor depth perception, but wide viewing angles. Losing one eye, though, would mean the loss of the particr advantage.


    Lakrak shook his head.


    ¡°No, Tatar. You are still an excellent warrior. I heard you lost your eye in a fight. There aren¡¯t many out of our warriors who would be confident enough to fight ten Trolls with one eye and win.¡±


    ¡°But I have lost an eye and¡­¡±


    ¡°You have me and the other warriors, don¡¯t you? We¡¯ll all be your left eye for you, so what are you so afraid of?¡±


    At Lakrak¡¯s suggestion to put his trust in others, Tatar silently nodded.


    ¡°Tatar, don¡¯t you rather regret it?¡±


    ¡°Regret what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not part of their tribe. You lost your eye protecting those who weren¡¯t even Lizardmen. And because of that, your daily life would be ufortable. You have lost what was supposed to be a part of you and didn¡¯t gain anything.¡±


    Tatar looked at the burning bonfire.


    ¡°I heard about the time you discovered the first Miracle. At that time, your tribe was wandering in the wilderness, starving and wounded. I heard that the Blue Insect God guided you with beetles. And ording to that story, the Blue Insect God hadn¡¯t wanted anything in return.¡±


    Lakrak raised his voice and said, ¡°You dare say that you have done the same as God?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak stayed silent for a moment and replied, ¡°You are right.¡±


    Lakrak threw a piece of wood into the bonfire to heat up the tent.


    ¡°Continue to act like you have now going into the future. Even if someone says you are wrong, remember our conversation today and tell them about it. Tell them that Lakrak also agrees with you.¡±


    Tatar, the warrior with a square personality, did exactly as Lakrak said and never lost his stubbornness.


    ***


    As Tatar finished telling his story, the young warrior lowered his head, embarrassed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were fulfilling God¡¯s will¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Tatar tapped the young warrior on the shoulder and walked past him.


    ¡°You might be right. But it was me who had the authority and responsibility to make decisions. I¡¯m not afraid to fight them like you said, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Even though Tatar said that, he was worried this time. It was the first time Lizardmen had met the species Astacidea, and even though it was a baseless guess, it was possible that the Astacideas were liars. Everything could have been a trick to catch the Lizardmen off guard. For those reasons, Tatar chose someone from the vige to be vignt of the coastline, keeping an eye out for iing ships everyday.


    Not too long after, Astacideas reappeared. Again, it was Lubo, who had gotten here due to a shipwreckst time.


    ¡°Shipwrecked again?¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°I havee this time because I wanted to buy silk and the thing called iron.¡±


    Tatar was relieved. However, there was something he could nott understand.


    ¡°Silk and iron are fairly expensive to us too, so do you really need them? Besides, don¡¯t you guys go underwater? The silk would be wet, and the iron would quickly rust.¡±


    The leader of the Astacideas, Lubo, shook his antennae. It was equivalent to a species with neck shaking their head.


    ¡°We could just change our lifestyle if they be wet and rusty. Isn¡¯t there also a way of drying and oiling them? The silk is beautiful, so if we use that to make clothes and wear them, we would stand out among the other Astacideas. And if we use weapons made of hard material like iron, we could defeat our enemies more easily.¡±


    ¡°Enemies?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are in the middle of a battle.¡±


    Lubo opened and closed hisrge ws.


    Tatar sold all the remaining silk that was in the vige. What he received in exchange were mainly food such as seaweed, fish, and shellfish, bones of rare marine animals, and a jewel called pearl. Tatar did not value the pearl as much because there was no way he could know its value, and Lubo also set the price low because it was somethingmonce to them. Since he was no merchant, Tatar thought there was not much he could do even if the trade was a rather disappointing one.


    As Tatar seemed disappointed with the items he received for the silk, Lubo also seemed anxious.


    After giving it much thought, Tartar said, ¡°Come to think of it, it would be good if we had a ship like yours.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ Ships are very hard to make. It takes a long time, and craftsmen only share their techniques among themselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a merchant, so I don¡¯t know about that stuff. Let''s just make this ourst trade and¡­¡±


    ¡°Ummm¡­no. We won¡¯t have enough time to build a ship before the next trade, but I think we will be able to steal one from our enemies. With a promise that we¡¯ll bring an empty ship next time, would you give us the silk and iron?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    And like that, a few more trades were made.


    ***


    Lakrak was slowly getting used to life at Orazen. But living indoors was still restricting and stuffy for him. The castle, which was at a scale he was somewhat satisfied with, was still in the making, so Lakrak was more often on the hill looking down Orazen than in his house or castle. Therefore, the tent Lakrak used in his nomadic days was set up on the hill as an office.


    Lakrak spent a lot of time personally listening to errand boys from different parts of his country, or read reports written on silk with charcoal and answered them. But Lakrak liked having conversations, so it was not so boring to him. Especially recently, there had been interesting news.


    ¡°So how many ships are there now?¡±


    ¡°Four ships.¡±


    The errand boy standing in front of Lakrak came from a far away ce, Maganen. At Maganen, an unusual species called Astacideas kept appearing, and Tatar, the executive, continued to trade with them.


    At first, Lakrak did not expect much when Tatar received misceneous items, pearls, and ships. This was because the pearls that the errand boy brought him seemed useless to Lakrak. And the only ship Lakrak knew about were rafts, so he could not understand why Tatar epted them in trades when they could just tie wood together and quickly make their own.


    However, the value of these things were different from what Lakrak had expected. Not long ago, Hwee-Kyung, who came from Automation for a meeting, saw the pearl and expressed admiration.


    ¡°Does that thing have any value?¡± Lakrak asked.


    ¡°Whether it does or not, I¡¯ve never seen something so round and shiny. There are lots of people in the middle of the continent who like essories, so things like this will sell at high prices. How many of these do you have?¡±


    ¡°About three pouches full.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    When Hwee-Kyung told him how much they could be sold for, Lakrak judged that Tatar had benefited ten or even twenty times more from a single trade.


    The ship was alsopletely different from what Lakrak had imagined. Lakrak wanted to see the ships himself, so he ordered one to be brought to Orazen. Tatar thus asked an Astacidea sailor and warriors who had learned how to sail to take the boat along the coastline. Even though they were traveling along the coastline, it was the Lizardmen¡¯s first voyage, and there were dangers such as rocks they might run into. Fortunately, the ship safely made its way to Orazen. And after seeing the ship, Lakrak had to adjust his mental calction of how much Tatar had benefited from the trade.


    <i>¡®He benefited one hundred times more.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak had always lived onnd, but ever since he learned of the existence of the sea, he had longed to go out there. At the end of thend was the sea. And allnd came into contact with the sea.


    <i>¡®This ship even seemsfortable to ride up the river.¡¯</i>


    Sailing ships were faster than walking, and they could carry and transport much more luggage than Cockatoos or horses. Lakrak judged that the ships had great value and immediately tried to build the same ship on the coast of Orazen.


    Then, another errand boy of Maganen came to Lakrak. Lakrak was curious about what trade Tatar had made this time, but it turned out not to be a trade, but a strange request.


    ¡°Those crawfish asked us to stamp the silk?¡±

 Chapter 57: Lord of the Thunder Dragon Kingdom

    <h4>Chapter 57: Lord of the Thunder Dragon Kingdom</h4>


    Then the errand boy who came from Maganen replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak had been using a stamp. It was a wooden stamp with his name embossed on it, and he would put it in water mixed with charcoal to stamp things.


    The Lakrak said, ¡°Is the crawfish named Lubo the one who¡¯s asking for the stamp?¡±


    ¡°No, it is not.¡±


    ¡°No? And why are they even asking for this?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    The warrior who came from Maganen told Lakrak what Tatar had gone through.


    ***


    Tatar saw the Astacideas ship from across the sea. He found it suspicious because it had not been long since Lubo left after their fifth trade.


    <i>¡®Is Luboing back?¡¯</i>


    But it was not Lubo. Lubo was part of the Turquoise Astacidea Tribe, but the neers were blue. Fortunately, these Astacideas did not show any hostility towards the Lizardmen either.


    The Astacidea leader approached Tatar, who was standing on the coast, and said, ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯ve heard that you are lord Tatar of the Thunder Dragon Kingdom. I am Marang, an Astacidea of the Blue Tribe.¡±


    ¡°...Thunder Dragon Kingdom? ¡­Lord Tatar?¡±


    Tatar asked about the unfamiliar terms.


    The Astacidea replied, ¡°News about the Thunder Dragon Kingdom is in full swing among us Astacideas. It¡¯s said that across the sea there are descendants of dragons. They possess the Power of Lighting, they make and wear beautiful clothes, and they forge swords with the most solid metal which can¡¯t be broken.¡±


    Tatar got lost in his thoughts for a moment. He had once told Lubo, the Astacidea of the Turquoise Tribe, about Lakrak. It was joyful for Tatar to share with someone who did not know Lakrak¡¯s prestige what Lakrak had aplished and why their country was so great.


    <i>¡®...But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever said he was a descendant of a dragon?¡¯</i>


    It was possible he had exaggerated some of the details to make the story more enjoyable, but Tatar thought that calling them dragon¡¯s descendants was a bit too much.


    There had been asions where they exchanged diplomatic documents with other countries, and the national name Lakrak used was not quite as dignified as Thunder Dragon Kingdom. It was ck Scale.


    But without giving Tatar the chance to point that out, Marang continued to say, ¡°If it would be okay with you, what do you think about also making trades with our Blue Tribe¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm, alright.¡±


    ¡°And I have a favor to ask.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Marang said while handing over a piece of silk, ¡°If possible, I was wondering if the token of the Great Thunder Dragon King could be stamped here¡­¡±


    Tatar got lost in thoughts for a moment after hearing the grand title, Great Thunder Dragon King, and an unusual request. Asking Lakrak to stamp something was not so difficult for Tatar. Lakrak was indeed king, but at the same time, he was also arade to Tatar. Tatar had fought alongside Lakrak in battles and shared food and water with him, so asking for a stamp was not a big deal.


    <i>¡®But asking for a stamp on clean silk is kind of suspicious.¡¯</i>


    The stamp was an indication that the king had seen and confirmed whatever it was being stamped. And if the clean silk was stamped, the silk itself would be guaranteed its value, but¡­


    <i>¡®If they write something else on the silk that is stamped, it would mean that Lakrak has seen and confirmed whatever it says.¡¯</i>


    Therefore, it was necessary for Tatar to ask Marang why.


    ¡°What is the reason?¡±


    ¡°The¡­reason is¡­¡±


    Marang nervously gathered his ws in front of him. Even though Tatar did not know much about Astacideas¡¯ bodynguage, he could still tell that Marang was worried.


    Then Marang said, ¡°It is because we have won.¡±


    ¡°Won what?¡±


    ¡°There has been a longsting battle on our archipgo. Different species, as well as us Astacideas, were divided into several tribes. But our tribe has ended the battle.¡±


    ¡°Good for you. Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Marang bent his feet and lowered his whole body. Tatar assumed it was a gesture of gratitude.


    ¡°But there are a few who oppose our victory. In order to be acknowledged by them, we need to be acknowledged by the king of thergest country that our archipgo recognizes, which is the Great Thunder Dragon King of the Thunder Dragon Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°If the Great Thunder Dragon King acknowledges us by stamping this silk, we will be able to live in peace without any further troubles.¡±


    Tatar was even more bewildered than before.


    <i>¡®What on earth are people there saying about our country?¡¯</i>


    Tatar initially told Marang it would take a while for the silk to be stamped since they would have to send an errand boy to Lakrak with the silk. Marang then replied that he would bring more fish, shellfish, and pearls in exchange for the stamped silk the next time they came before departing.


    Tatar did not believe everything Marang had said.


    <i>¡®I get that Lakrak¡¯s stamp will be useful for them. But there are holes in his story. If they wanted a stamp on a document, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to write the reasons on the silk rather than just handing over clean silk?¡¯</i>


    There was also another issue.


    <i>¡®And it hasn¡¯t been too long since Lubo, who I have traded the most with, left. It must have been Lubo who had been exaggerating the stories about Thunder Dragon Kingdom¡­no, ck Scale. And I¡¯m not really convinced that the other crawfish has won.¡¯</i>


    Tatar sent these concerns along with the silk to Lakrak.


    ***


    Lakrak did not think for long before making his decision.


    Lakrak said to the errand boy, ¡°We should go and see for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Are you going in person?¡±


    .


    ¡°No. I leave this matter to executive Tatar.¡±


    ¡°But the crawfishes¡¯ archipgo is far across the sea.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I asked you about the number of ships we have.¡±


    Lakrak continued to say as if it were not a big deal, ¡°If we¡¯re going to interact with them anyways, shouldn¡¯t we know how the crawfish live, what kind of technology they have, and what we can get from them? So you, errand boy of Maganen, go tell Tatar exactly what I just said.¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s will was conveyed to Tatar a few dayster. It was what Tatar had already expected.


    Tatar and the other warriors had learned how to steer ships from the Astacidea sailors following Lubo. Steering ships was a first time thing for Tatar and the warriors, and it was also a first for them to scout and fight a species they had not met before without Lakrak. As thend the Lizardmen dominated expanded, there were more new creatures andnd, and they had to learn about technology they were not familiar with before. Now, they were even going to explore an unknown archipgo. None of the warriors had any qualms to that. Adventure was a familiar thing for them.


    ***


    Although they encountered a stormy sea on their way, Tatar safely made it to a particr ind of the archipgo. It was the ind where Lubo¡¯s Turquoise Tribe resided. As soon as Tatar arrived, he met Lubo.


    ¡°Lord Tatar of Thunder Dragon Kingdom! What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Tatar hesitated, wondering where he should even begin to correct Lubo, but decided to just get to the main point. He told Lubo about the blue Astacidea, who introduced himself as Marang, and that Marang had requested for clean silk to be stamped. After hearing that, Lubo raised his big ws over his head and opened and closed them. Lubo was mad.


    ¡°Dang it¡­! Marang! How rude of him!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Marang is the chief of my old enemy, the Blue Astacideas!¡±


    ¡°He imed that he had unified all Astacideas.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie!¡±


    Tatar nodded. It was just as he¡¯d expected.


    ¡°He was trying to gain the prestige of the Great Thunder Dragon King through the stamp!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Us Astacideas have not yet been able topletely unify as one big tribe, but if someone appears with the stamp of the Great Thunder Dragon King of the Thunder Dragon Kingdom? And if they have writing saying that they have the support of the Great Thunder Dragon King? Then many tribes will begin to take their side. And that tribe would gain an advantage in this battle, which has dragged on for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Tatar thought carefully. It was interesting to see that his country was so respected by a small ind, but apart from that, it did not seem like a big deal to Tatar or Lakrak if someone used Lakrak¡¯s name. It was a battle between crawfish far across the sea anyways.


    Lubo got mad again after Tatar shared his thoughts.


    ¡°Lord Tatar! Isn¡¯t it true that you don¡¯t know much about trades?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a warrior, not a merchant.¡±


    ¡°Then allow me to share my thoughts, Lord Tatar. Think about it. What did the buyer, Marang, say he would give you in return for the stamp?¡±


    ¡°He said he would put extra care into our next trade.¡±


    ¡°Look, that¡¯s it. He never even promised what exactly he would give you! This buyer named Marang is trying to buy the stamp of the Great Thunder Dragon King for a low price!¡±


    Tatar nodded. There was a problem with Marang as a buyer.


    <i>¡®He showed me such an unreliable attitude because he was nning to deceive me in the first ce.¡¯</i>


    However, Tatar could ask the same question to the other Astacideas. For example, to Lubo in front of him.


    ¡°Then how much would you buy it for?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Tatar took out the silk from his inner pocket. Lakrak¡¯s stamp was on it.


    ¡°Chief Lakrak told me to bring this just in case, since I could always burn it if we didn¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Oh my! What do you mean burn it?¡±


    ¡°And Chief Lakrak has left this matter to me. If necessary, not only is it possible for you to have the Great Thunder Dragon¡¯s support in name, I can give you Lakrak¡¯s real power and authority.¡±


    ¡°R¡­really?¡±


    ¡°So tell me. How much would you pay?¡±


    ¡°G¡­give me a moment, please¡­¡±


    Lubo went to his rtives. They talked among themselves while bumping their antennae, and then Lubo came back. However, Tatar declined before he even properly heard the price. Lubo raised the price twice more, but Tatar declined all of them. Tatar did know Lakrak would be satisfied with the price even though he did not know too much. Still, Tatar was too much of a square.


    <i>¡®I am not a merchant. So I¡¯ll just do as Lakrak taught me.¡¯</i>


    As Lubo seemed hesitant, Tatar said, ¡°If you can¡¯t pay the price, I guess I must go find another Astacidea tribe.¡±


    ¡°That would be a fool¡¯s errand. Didn¡¯t we trade the most with you? None of the other tribes is as wealthy as us.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve only put my trust in you until now. And you¡¯ve probably been selling our things while saying false things such as we¡¯re dragon¡¯s descendants. And you would have profited more from that.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    Tatar was right, so Lubo hesitantly made excuses.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I did say those things to make the silk and iron more valuable. Wouldn¡¯t they sell better if they were said to be made by descendants of dragons, rather than being simply named Lizardmen silk and Lizardmen iron? However, it wasn¡¯t aplete lie! At least to us, it seemed that way.¡±


    When Lubo easily spilled the truth, Tatar was d that what Lakrak had taught him actually worked.


    <i>¡®Initially, just turn everything down¡­ Then what¡¯s next?¡¯</i>


    This method that Tatar had been taught was notpletely Lakrak¡¯s own. Lakrak had learned it from Hwee-Kyung. No, he did no learn it from her per se; Hwee-Kyung had bragged about how much she had profited from her previous trades, so Lakrak thought he ought to use the method someday. But that did not mean it was originally Hwee-Kyung¡¯s knowledge, either. Hwee-Kyung had learned to do so from other merchants at Automation. So it could be considered Human wisdom, so to speak.


    ¡°However, there is a way to restore the trust between us, Lubo.¡±


    ¡°W¡­what is it?¡±


    Tatar recalled the piece of Human wisdom.


    ¡°Lubo, gather all the tribal chiefs who could pay for this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I will give this silk to the one who pays the highest price.¡±

 Chapter 58: Descendants of the Dragon

    <h4>Chapter 58: Descendants of the Dragon</h4>


    Lubo seemed to think for a moment. ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Do you understand my intentions?¡± asked Tatar.


    ¡°Of course. As long as it can restore the trust between us. You will eventually see me paying the highest price for it.¡±


    Tatar did not really care that much even if Lubo did not end up getting the silk, but he did not tell Lubo.


    Lubo took Tatar¡¯s warriors and went around the archipgo to tell the others that the Lizardmen hade, and the next day, the Astacidea tribal chiefs gathered on Lubo¡¯s ind. The tribal chiefs, as well as the errand boys who came as aides, murmured among themselves when they saw Tatar and his warriors.


    ¡°Are they the dragon¡¯s descendants?¡±


    ¡°As expected, they look strong. Look at those shining ck scales.¡±


    ¡°The silk clothing is more eye-catching to me.¡±


    ¡°Look at their sword. It¡¯s apletely different color than our metal.¡±


    ¡°When will they show us their lightning?¡±


    ¡°It would be better if we didn¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Beacuse none has survived after witnessing it¡­¡±


    Tatar wanted to ask who had seen that happen and spread word of it, but that would open up a whole can of worms. In the end, he chose to stay silent.


    Once everyone was gathered, Lubo said, ¡°All tribal chiefs,e forward. Let¡¯s decide who will pay the highest price for Lord Tatar¡¯s silk.¡±


    Other than Lubo, four other Astacideas came forward; among them was Marang, the Astacidea Tatar had met before. Marang seemed to want to say something when he saw Tatar standing on the rock, but he averted his gaze when Tatar looked at him.


    At first, the tribal chiefs offered low prices. And some even brought bundles of misceneous things as if they thought it would be possible to buy the silk with those alone.


    When the four tribal chiefs started making decent offers, though, Lubo said, ¡°That¡¯s it? Our tribe can give Lord Tatar ten ships.¡±


    At those words, the tribal chiefs seemed embarrassed, and their antennae shook.


    When Lubo proudly looked at Tatar, Marang said, ¡°...We can give him ten ships and two additional bundles of pearls.¡±


    The others murmured again. Pearls were used as currency on the archipgo. Even though they had greater value on the continent, that did not mean they held no value in this area.


    As the price suddenly rose due to Lubo, the tribal chiefs began to fiercely argue. And eventually, the tribal chiefs who could not pay the price gave up, and it became apetition between Lubo and Marang.


    ¡°Our tribe will immediately give Lord Tatar five ships, and every year, we will give them ten more. The promise stands until I die!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll match that and additionally offer half the minerals produced from our strip mine to Lord Tatar!¡±


    It was Lubo who made thest offer. Marang raised his ws and shook them, but eventually dropped them back down.


    ¡°...We don¡¯t have a strip mine on our ind.¡±


    Lubo raised his two ws. And the other Astacideas made sounds by tapping each others¡¯ ws. The bodynguage was not too difficult for Tatar to understand.


    Then Lubo said to Tatar, ¡°It is our win.¡±


    ¡°...Congrattions.¡±


    Tatar took out the seal with Lakrak¡¯s stamp on it and wondered if the piece of cloth was really worth that much, but at the end of the day, it was fine as long as Lakrak was satisfied. At least Lakrak¡¯s trading method had proved to be useful.


    Tatar wrote down the contract details on the silk and got confirmation from Lubo. It seemed like a pretty extreme price, but the other tribal chiefs there would be witnesses, and Lubo himself seemed confident that he could pay that much.


    As Tatar was about to give the stamped silk to Lubo, Marang trembled and yelled, ¡°Stop!¡±


    Lubo turned around.


    ¡°What do you want, Marang? You¡¯re not going to offer a higher price now, are you?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! This was an unfair fight to begin with.¡±


    As Marang drew his sword, Lubo and the other tribal chiefs close to him stepped back. And that was not the end of it. Marang¡¯s action seemed to be a signal, and blue Astacideas hiding at the bottom of the coastal bluff began to slowly make their way towards everyone. There were more of them than all the tribal chiefs and their escortsbined.


    Lubo then drew his sword and yelled, ¡°Marang, you swine! Were you nning to go against the results in the first ce if you didn¡¯t win?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. We can¡¯tpete with your tribe on wealth in the first ce. Still, I hoped we might have a chance to win, but things turned out just as expected. I have no choice but to go for my second n. How great of an opportunity this is, as all tribal chiefs are gathered in one ce!¡±


    Lubo panicked.


    ¡°Just as expected, you¡¯re Trickster Marang, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Merchant Lubo. This fight is my victory!¡±


    Tatar thought they seemed to quite enjoy giving nicknames.


    Lubo shook his back.


    ¡°Stupid,¡± Lubo said. ¡°Don¡¯t you see, Marang? The contract between me and this man is alreadypleted.¡±


    ¡°So what? I know that it¡¯s all a bluff that they¡¯re descendants of a dragon and use lightning.¡±


    ¡°Huh, is that what you think?¡±


    Tatar quietly let out a groan on the rock.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t listen to this anymore.¡¯</i>


    Tatar ran straight from the rock and kicked Marang as hard as he could.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    With the sound of his shell breaking, Marang flew about a meter high into the air and fell onto the ground. Marang tried to get up, but fell down again and rolled helplessly.


    Tatar confirmed that Marang¡¯s stomach had caved in with a visible crack. He then turned to his warriors.


    ¡°They are harder than we thought. Target the joints.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The ten warriors, who had been watching everything from behind Tatar, walked towards the Blue Astacidea Tribe. The Blue Astacidea Tribe panicked when they faced the ck-Scaled Lizardmen.


    Marang barely got up with the help of one of his subordinates.


    ¡°What are you doing!? Kill them! Then we will be the owner of the archipgo!¡±


    And then, a fight broke out.


    ***


    Atst, Tatar put Marang¡¯s head between his arm and side and tightened his grip. Having lost bothrge ws, Marang could not even fight back.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    As Marang¡¯s head got crushed, his body lost strength and drooped. Tatar wiped off the sttering bodily fluid and chunks on him.


    ¡°I guess they¡¯re not that incredible.¡±


    Tatar looked back at his warriors. It was not an easy fight. The Astacideas were fairly strong in the physical sense, and even those who were unarmed had ws as their weapons. And Tatar had fewer warriors with him than there were blue Astacideas. However, Tatar hadn¡¯t only observed the Astacideas after meeting them. He had studied how to fight the Astacideas and what their weaknesses were, and he had shared the information with his warriors. Tatar judged that they could target Astacideas¡¯ joints and break or twist them with the strength the Lizardmen obtained through God¡¯s Blessing. As a result, despite having smaller numbers, the warriors won with only minor wounds.


    Watching everything unfold, Lubo shouted, ¡°They are the descendants of a dragon! Did you all see that? Let¡¯s all celebrate this victory!¡±


    At Lubo¡¯s words, the Astacideas raised their ws and cheered. The sound of the ws cking against each other filled the coast.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not all that bad,¡¯</i> Tatar thought when he heard them being called descendants of a dragon again.


    ***


    Sitting on the tree stump in front of his tent overlooking Orazen, Lakrak listened to what happened from the errand boy Tatar had sent.


    ¡°I¡¯m d things went well.¡±


    Even though Tatar was now receiving tributes from the Astacideas, he said that he would continue to trade with merchants who came to Maganen in addition to that. While Lubo¡¯s territory was called an ind, it was sorge that Tatar had not been able to take a proper look around even after traveling on ship for days, and he figured that there could be unexplored mines or Ancient Ruins on the ind.


    Tatar said he would look around the archipgo in his spare time for any treasures for the king, or resources that could contribute to the national treasury.


    Lakrak made Tatar a foreign affairs minister and appointed Lubo as Ind Lord. It was just an honorary position Lakrak had made up off the top of his head, but he judged that being foreign affairs minister would be useful for Tatar, as the title would allow him to call on executives instead of warriors.


    ¡°Alright. Where did the next errand boye from?¡±


    The attendant next to Lakrak said, ¡°They havee from a ce far away, Zarin.¡±


    ¡°The Elves? Hm.¡±


    Zarin was the vige at the edge of the north coast where the Green Eye Elves lived. The errand boy was also a young Elf.


    ¡°It is an honor to meet you like this, Chief Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°What brings you here all the way from Zarin?¡±


    The Elf replied, ¡°Our scouting party has found an intruder on ck Scale¡¯snd.¡±


    ***


    Sung-Woon recently became interested in the Astacideas, so he yed a little prank to prevent them from unifying faster. If a strong tribe moved by ship, he would make them sail into his Small Area: Sea, or he would use Small Area: Swamp to submerge their feet in mud to sabotage them in fights. He had been pulling these tricks to bnce the strengths of the Astacideas until Tatar took the silk with Lakrak¡¯s stamp to the inds. This was because Sung-Woon realized the inds were unimed and thought he should obtain as many resources as he could in any way possible.


    <i>¡®Terrains aren¡¯t random in The Lost World. There are many silver mines on the inds. They aren¡¯t often used as currency right now, but if the global trades continue to be as active as they are, gold and silver will gradually be important currency.¡¯</i>


    And among gold and silver, obtaining a silver mine couldter make ck Scale a leader in the third continent¡¯s economy.


    <i>¡®Of course some tricks will have to be yed, but it won¡¯t be hard to achieve. Was it called foreign exchange scams? No, they¡¯re not scams. There¡¯s now prohibiting it yet.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was able to obtain some of the mines on the inds just as he wished for. It wouldter bring profit in ways that the Astacideas, Tatar, or Lakrak did not know about yet.


    However, Sung-Woon had to admit that getting the silver mines had distracted him from paying attention to the other areas. One day, he looked around the main viges of ck Scale, Orazen, Automation, and Zarin like he usually did and realized there was a problem after checking the system message.


    <i>¡®...The number has decreased.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was looking at the Miracle Window. To be exact, it was the system window where he could control Miracles conjured through Small Area: Insects. He was checking the Locust Swarm in particr.


    One of Sung-Woon¡¯s creations was hurriedly speaking to Sung-Woon. It was Hongo, the creature directing the locust swarm that had decreased in number.


    <i>-My creator¡­ Do you hear me?</i>


    ¡°Talk.¡±


    Hongo was currently active in the center of the continent and had been leading the locust swarm to continuously feed on the sedentary tribes¡¯ grains, as well as bushes that the livestock of the nomadic tribes grazed on. The locust swarm traveled so far away from the penins that the other yers in the center of the continent just assumed it was a malicious event; after all, the yers near the border would not find anyone with Small Area: Insects even if they looked around. And additionally, consuming the other yers¡¯ grains would naturally reduce the poption, which would also slow down the rate of civilization advancement. Sung-Woon thought of this as a valuable strategy.


    The problem with these kinds of locust swarms was that they needed to be taken care of, but ever since Sung-Woon created Hongo, he had not had to directly control the locust swarm himself, which gave him time to support Lakrak.


    <i>¡®I had told Hongo not to talk to me unless there¡¯s something big going on. The fact that he contacted me¡­¡¯</i>


    Hongo then said to Sung-Woon.


    <i>-The true nature of the locust swarm has been revealed due to my negligence¡­</i>

 Chapter 59: Satyrs and Renards

    <h4>Chapter 59: Satyrs and Renards</h4>


    Sung-Woon said to Hongo, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Sung-Woon had be a little ufortable when dealing with his creations ever since this whole thing started. In the game version of The Lost World, Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t really the type to have conversations with the creations. At the end of the day, they were nothing but AIs.


    The Lost World made it possible for the yers to talk with their creations, but they only responded with pre-set phrases. Things were different in this world, and there was another reason why Sung-Woon felt ufortable talking to them.


    <i>-What do you mean?</i>


    Sung-Woon thought for a moment.


    <i>¡®They talk too much in the real world version of the game.¡¯</i>


    It was as if they had souls of their own. Sung-Woon was not upset about it per se, but it did make it difficult for him to deal with them. Sung-Woon used to use his creations as if they were simply another limb, in other words, he used them like a macro, but now the macro was talking to him.


    <i>¡®It probably won¡¯t matter if Ipletely ignore them. Speaking from a system¡¯s perspective, all my creations arepletely obedient and follow mymands unconditionally.¡¯</i>


    But the idea of ignoring them also made Sung-Woon ufortable. And it would not do him any harm to answer their simple questions and show them kindness.


    ¡°I knew this would happen.¡±


    <i>-You knew this would happen?</i>


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Even if the locust swarm ate all the grain, that could notpletely stop the yers from developing. Sung-Woon had also reduced the range, effectiveness, and frequency of the swarm so that it would not seem like a yer¡¯s actions. Moreover, it was difficult for the locusts to stay active in the agriculture areas at high altitudes.


    <i>¡®At first they¡¯ll probably think it¡¯s simply a natural phenomenon or an event, but at this stage, it¡¯s inevitable that they¡¯d have gotten much more in tune with the game. And as the yers of the continent began to check the other yers they¡¯d likely meet in the future, they would eventually discover that there was a yer using Small Area: Insects.¡¯</i>


    Something that was bound to happen someday had just urred.


    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to maintain a locust swarm anyways. So it¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±


    <i>-That¡¯s good to hear.</i>


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything to worry about, it should be you. Are you okay?¡±


    <i>-Yes. I have lost many locusts because of another yer¡¯s Miracle, but I don¡¯t think they have discovered me yet.</i>


    Unlike Sratis, Sung-Woon¡¯s creation, Hongo, was a small individual. There was no reason to spend a lot of resources on making a creature that would never see battles but simply control locusts. Hongo could be described as a brown locust that was bipedal. While its head was that of a locust, however, its body had the silhouette of a Human, only it consisted of an insect¡¯s membrane and shells. If it had a straw hat over its head, it would look like a man with a strong build. And vagrants weremon in the current era, so its chance of getting caught was low.


    ¡°...But I would be at a loss if I lost you too.¡±


    Unlike the locust swarm, creating a creature not only consumed Faith points, but also the Essence of Fiends or Abominations. And because Hongo was a creature that steadily raised its level by controlling the locust swarm, its XP would fall quite a bit even if its level did not go down.


    Sung-Woonmanded Hongo, ¡°The mission is done. Until the next time I assign you another one, use the remaining locust swarm for disturbance and go into hiding while ensuring your survival to the best of your ability. Leave the region if necessary.¡±


    <i>-...Understood.</i>


    After Sung-Woon cut off his contact with Hongo, he began to scout. Numerous windows which showed the views of insects and birds appeared in front of Sung-Woon. On the side, there was a mini map indicating which perspective was looking where, and whenever Sung-Woon touched the screen, the hearing of the corresponding insects or birds would be shared with him. This was an official add-on from The Lost World.


    <i>¡®Of course, it¡¯s Satyr and Renard, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</i>


    Currently, there were five yers at conflict at the center of the continent, and they were divided into three factions. Sung-Woon ssified them ording to the yers¡¯ representative species, and out of them, Satyrs and Renards were the ones right across the border from Sung-Woon.


    Satyrs were a species of half-man and half-beast, and they had the lower body of goats. They had fierce temperaments, but they liked music, singing, dancing, and drinking. To make aparison to another species, they were simr to Humans ability-wise. However, they had the attribute of fanatics, so their faith never wavered once it was decided. Individuals with a strong fanatic attribute had stronger tendencies to make sacrifices for faith. It would seem like an advantage, but it could be a disadvantage in certain situations.


    On the other hand, Renards were a species of bipedal foxes. They were smaller than normal foxes but bigger than children, and even though they had lower strength, their intelligence was high, which was their advantage. There were other characteristics as well. They were inferior in battles at the beginning of the game, but once firearms were developed, they gained an advantage with their small but agile build.


    <i>¡®As of now, only these two species are making moves.¡¯</i>


    The attack of the locust swarm evenly caused damage among the five species. Even though the five yers had split into three hostile factions, the chance that they had been sharing information about Sung-Woon in their chats was high. No, Sung-Woon believed that must have happened because he had experienced that kind of situation before.


    <i>¡®However, in order for the other three tribes to attack me, they would have to pass through either the Satyrs¡¯ or the Renards¡¯nd. And that¡¯s simply not doable in a situation where they¡¯re hostile towards each other.¡¯</i>


    And if the Satyrs and Renards moved their armies to attack Sung-Woon, the others could just attack their emptynd without trouble. There was no way the two yers ruling over the Satyrs and Renars would allow that.


    <i>¡®The three species probably requested the other two species for a temporary ceasefire so that they could attack me, whose territory sits opposite of theirs. And to have the Satyrs¡¯ and Renards¡¯ forcesunch an attack against me, they probably offered various kinds of material support. At the end of the day, I¡¯m theirmon enemy.¡¯</i>


    It was unfortunate that Sung-Woon had to face five yers altogether, be it directly or indirectly. But fortunately, Sung-Woon had anticipated a scenario like this. And in his opinion, it was an advantage that the five yers had not unified under the same banner.


    <i>¡®Okay, so now¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon made his move.


    ***


    The capital of the Satyrs, Deimerit.


    Two kings were having a conversation somewhere in the valley between the mountains.


    .


    Hati, the Renard king whose fur had gone gray because of age, said, ¡°Should we trust them?¡±


    Hati was talking about the leaders of the other three species from the central continent.


    ¡°Even though they¡¯ve never kept their promises until now?¡±


    Pav, the Satyr king with a fully-grown beard despite his young age, replied, ¡°But we can¡¯t just sit back and watch the Lizardmen do as they wish. Aren¡¯t all the gods saying that they¡¯re behind the terrible locust swarm? Those Lizardmen have begged their evil Blue Insect God to make us starve while they have be full.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Since their territories bordered that of ck Scale, both the Satyrs and the Renards agreed that ck Scale was bing too strong for theirfort. While they had printed the Pyeon that was used in their markets, Automation¡¯s casting technology was so excellent that the Pyeon made anywhere else did not have the same value as those made there.


    Merchants were clearly making profit by going beyond Automation, but ck Scale was making much more profit than they were. If things continued like this, thend of the Satyrs and the Renards could also fall into Lakrak¡¯s hands, just like Automation.


    Pav the Satyre king then said, ¡°Even if we might suffer some losses, we don¡¯t have any other choice. We¡¯re closer to ck Scale¡¯s border¡­and we can¡¯t let the armies of the other three species pass through ournd. Don¡¯t you think we have to be the one to make a move?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I have the same concerns as you do, Hati. But I think this is something that all five gods have agreed on. There¡¯s also a prophecy, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    The prophecy said that the Satyrs and Renards would burn ck Scale¡¯s capital, Orazen, before the end of the year. Not only was the prophecy known among the Satyrs and Renards, but word had also spread among the other three species. This was because the yers had used the Prophecy skill toe to an agreement. It was pretty much a contract stating that the yers overseeing the Satyrs and Renards would upy Orazen as soon as possible and defeat the Lizardmen or exhaust them, and that the other three other species would help them do so. It was an agreement between the yers, but as the prophecy spread, the five species knew it as the will of the gods.


    Then the Renard king, Hati, said, ¡°Do you also think that the Blue Insect God the Lizardmen of ck Scale believe in is a different being than our five gods?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Even though it¡¯s a rumor, Lizardmen are said to have no honor and fight sneakily. And it¡¯s also said that Lizardmen put rotten meat on the altar as tribute to the Blue Insect God, and they leave it there for bugs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s dirty and messy.¡±


    Such was the problem of Small Area: Insects. For those who believed in other gods, this act of worship could seem disgusting.


    Hati shook his head and said, ¡°Then what attack route should we take?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Pav looked down at a map. The eastern part of the continent was not properly drawn. And there was only one proper route. The path led to Automation. Beyond Automation, they knew the names of the different ces, but not their exact locations.


    After giving it some thought, Pav said, ¡°It would be good if we could go along the coastline, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That is a cursed area filled with insects¡­ Wait, insects? Maybe that ce¡­¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s no road there.¡±


    ¡°The only path that could be called a road is the path to Automation. But Automation has been attacked several times, and it has never been conquered.¡±


    ¡°Except for the Lizardmen.¡±


    The story of how Automation had been conquered was widely known in the central area of the continent. As the evil Lizardmen could not get over the rampart, they cowardly intervened in the sessor fight, nominated the sessor they wanted, and made her lord.


    Merchants said that the conquest had to do with the big hardship the Gnolls created ten years ago, but people preferred simple stories.


    Then Pav said, ¡°Some have also thought that Automation needed to be saved from Lakrak¡¯s possession. This might be a chance to do so.¡±


    ¡°Saved only by the Satyrs?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®Ha, so you want to get your hands on Automation?¡¯?</i>Hati thought. <i>¡®As expected, Satyrs are greedy. But I won¡¯t stop you if you want to take advantage of them instead of going into a proper fight. After all, Orazen is the capital of ck Scale.¡¯</i>


    Then Hati said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to take my soldiers through the wilderness even if it takes a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay, good. Let¡¯se up with a concrete strategy now.¡±


    ***


    It took less than a month for Pav and Hati to gather an army. There were 800 Satyrs and 1100 Renards, which made thergest expeditionary force in the third continent.


    The two kings led the charge. And from above, two gods were watching over them.


    One of the gods looked exactly like how people envisioned the devil. He wore a ck suit, but his skin was red, and his eyes glowed in yellow and looked like those of a goat. There were six curled horns growing from the top, side, and bottom of his head, and whenever he opened his mouth, red mes came out. The god of the Satyrs, yer Crampus, nervously looked at the army from the air.


    ¡°Come to think of it, what¡¯s your n for supplies?¡±


    ¡°Supplies?¡±


    The one who replied looked like an ordinary Human woman. She had long hair and wore a white short dress which showed the shoulders. If she was not floating in the air, she would not have seemed like a god. She was the god of the Renards, yer Lunda.


    ¡°They¡¯ll receive supplies until they reach the inner parts of the wilderness, and then they¡¯ll go around the northern coast.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to loot while advancing?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Renards are small, so they require less supplies than normal species. And along the path through the northern coast, there are oasis viges here and there.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Crampus nodded in understanding after that.


    The n was for the Renards to depart first, and when they encountered their first enemy force, the Satyr army would attack Automation. If it were a normal battle, dividing the army into two would not have been the best idea because there was the danger of both units being defeated by their enemies.


    However, in The Lost World, dividing the army would be a good choice if they could create two separate battlefields in Sung-Woon¡¯s territory. As long as the battles went as both kings nned, Sung-Woon would have to divide his forces and use his Divinity and Faith points on both fronts, and he would have to fight by frantically going back and forth between two areas.


    Crampus nced at Lunda a few times, and Lunda sensed and met his gaze.


    ¡°What? Is there something you want to say?¡±


    ¡°N¡­no. Oh, right. You can¡¯t reach Neb yet, can you?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. The line is still blocked. What about you?¡±


    Crumpus checked his system window. He tried to request a Whisper Conversation, but the request did not go through to Neb, namely Sung-Woon.


    ¡°Yes, the same for me.¡±


    Crampus would¡¯ve let things slide if he could contact Neb, and Neb agreed topensate him for the losses he had suffered. Thepensation would have to be substantial, of course, but from certain perspectives, it could be considered trivialpared to the act of harassing an unspecified number of yers.


    However, Neb instead focused on military training and increased the number of scouts, as if he was preparing for the yers¡¯ attacks. How could the five yers not be mad?


    ¡°I should now observe the unit internally. Shall we part ways for today?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ There¡¯s something I want to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You made your avatar¡¯s appearance yourself, right? Is it what you really look like?¡± Crumpus asked.


    Crumpus had been feeling strange since the start of the game. And after meeting Lunda, he realized it was loneliness. Regardless of the gods not being aware of the passage of time, Crumpus still felt human emotions. Especially after forming a loose alliance with Lunda out of necessity, he could not help but be interested in her. That was also when he noticed Lunda¡¯s mole. Lunda had a mole under her left eye, and Crumpus thought it was an unnecessary detail to add.


    <i>¡®Unless she wanted to recreate what she really looks like.¡¯</i>


    Lunda smiled and said, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Crampus could not answer right away, and when he tried to, Lunda had already shifted her attention to the system window.


    Lunda¡¯s expression turned surprised.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a request for a Whisper Conversation.¡±


    ¡°From Neb?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Lunda shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Eldar?¡±

 Chapter 60: A Few Days Apart

    <h4>Chapter 60: A Few Days Apart</h4>


    Crampus¡¯s final rank was 1430th, and Lunda¡¯s was 38,702th.


    In reality, Crampus knew more about the game, so he was in charge of the operation. At least Crampus thought he was.


    Crampus said, ¡°Let¡¯s try talking to them.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll be okay to do so?¡± replied Lunda.


    Crampus understood Lunda¡¯s concern because he knew that Eldar had a loose alliance with Neb. Therefore, Eldar would have also noticed Crampus and Lunda¡¯s attack, which was evident in that the request for a Whisper Conversation was made to Lunda, not Crampus. Lunda¡¯s fox species, the Renards, were moving across the wilderness. There was a chance that she would run into Eldar if Eldar led his army down south from the northern coast.


    <i>¡®So this chat might be intended to cause bad blood between us.¡¯</i>


    In The Lost World, it was not possible for yers to freely form and break alliances supported by the game system. This was because if several gods were incorporated into one myth, the tribes under their control would find out about the alliances. So yers relied on their mutual trust with each other and made loose alliances.


    <i>¡®Those kinds of loose alliances always have the danger of breaking.¡¯</i>


    Trying to create bad blood between others was amon tactic among yers, and Crampus and Lunda were both aware of this.


    Crampus said, ¡°Let¡¯s do things this way then. Talk to them by yourself, Lunda. And act like I¡¯m not here.¡±


    Lunda nodded and said, ¡°Okay. So if Eldar thinks I¡¯m alone and tries to appease me with tributes, you¡¯ll know as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think the chances are high.¡±


    ¡°How high?¡±


    ¡°At least fifty percent, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Fifty percent, huh?¡±


    Crampus did not know much about the fight that broke out in the northern coast, but he knew two yers had disappeared. In order for a yer to deal with two or more yers by themselves, it would be a must to sow discord among the enemies.


    ¡°And we¡¯ll turn that on its head.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Crampus exined, ¡°First, ept Eldar¡¯s conditions and rx their guard. Then we¡¯ll wait for the opportune time to raid and defeat them at once.¡±


    Lunda nodded.


    ¡°I felt anxious to have Eldar watching from behind on the northern coast while we went down south, so if only we could do that¡­¡±


    ¡°We could secure our victory.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Lunda epted Eldar¡¯s request for a Whisper Conversation.


    Eldar said, ¡°Nice to meet you, Lunda, God of the Renards.¡±


    ¡°...Hello?¡±


    ¡°I am God of the Elves, Eldar.¡±


    ¡°I already know that because I can see your ID.¡±


    Lunda furrowed her eyebrows, which showed she was thinking about the kind of yer Eldar was.


    Crampus knew the answer right after he heard Eldar¡¯s way of speaking. He opened a memo tab and wrote something down.


    ¡®It seems like he¡¯s a Role yer.¡¯


    After reading Crampus¡¯s memo, Lunda¡¯s eyes widened, and she slightly nodded.


    Then she said, ¡°For what reason did the god of the Elves contact me?¡±


    Eldar briefly looked down and hesitated for a moment.


    He then raised his head back up and said, ¡°I am requesting for your help.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Surprised, Lunda met eyes with Crampus. Crampus had not expected this either, so he was also puzzled.


    Lunda slowly said, ¡°...What do you mean exactly?¡±


    ¡°I, Eldar, am in an alliance with Neb because I couldn¡¯t ovee his coercion.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want to be in an alliance with Neb?¡±


    ¡°That is so. He used an overpowering strategy and defeated Solongos and Lim Chun-Sik, the gods of the Centaurs and Ogres.¡±


    ¡°Without your help?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lunda shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°Usually in a fight of 2 against 1, the side with greater numbers would win. Especially in the beginning of The Lost World since the amount of supplies is very important.¡±


    ¡°The level difference between them was big. And Neb¡¯s overpowering in battle. Have you never heard of the ID?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no way¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. He has gotten to his supreme position as he fought and defeated gods in numerous worlds.¡±


    ¡°...In other words, he is ranked 1st?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s another way to put it.¡±


    Lunda gulped, and Crampus furrowed his eyebrows. They had hoped that wasn¡¯t true. While Neb was the ID of the yer who had remained first in rank for a long time, it was possible for different yers to have the same ID in The Lost World. Crampus and Lunda weren¡¯t top yers in the first ce, so they had assumed this Neb would be someone lower ranking but happened to have the same ID.


    Crampus thought to himself, <i>¡®Hegemonia, who we met not long ago, was ranked second. I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re in the same game, on the same continent.¡¯</i>


    However, he could not justin about his bad luck. Since a problem had arisen, it needed to be solved.


    Eldar said, ¡°Anyways, I threw away my pride and begged him to spare my life. That¡¯s how I¡¯ve survived until now. But that was my only choice. Please allow me to help you.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Lunda made eye contact with Crampus, silently asking what she should do. Then Crampus wrote something on the memo tab again.


    ¡®If that is true, I couldn''t be happier, but there¡¯s a chance it might be a trap. Ask for more information.¡¯


    Lunda nodded.


    ¡°Eldar, I would like to believe your story, but I need some information in order to do that.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I am willing to provide as much as you need in order to gain your trust. That should tell you how much I have suffered due to Neb¡­¡±


    Providing information meant exchanging information within the system; it was not possible to lie since everything would be revealed. Therefore, this kind of information sharing was a sensitive matter, and generally, even among loose alliances, information other than what was strictly necessary usually was not shared.


    Lunda was surprised when Eldar agreed to share their information without reservation. And she was even more surprised when she checked the information on her system window.


    ¡°...Neb took so much from you.¡±


    Even though it was Eldar who had attacked Neb first, in Lunda¡¯s opinion, Neb¡¯s revenge was terrifying. Lunda shared the information she received from Eldar with Crampus, and Crampus checked it.


    Eldar had not revealed all their information, but there was not a need for that.


    <i>¡®After destroying Eldar¡¯s main force, Neb burned down the Elf vige, kicked out the Elves again only a few years after they ran to his territory¡­and he even followed the Elves to where they had just about settled down at and demanded all the resources that they would obtain going forward. Neb did spare their lives, but only barely.¡¯</i>


    It was a rtionship that could not be defined as a loose alliance, let alone proper allies. There was no reason to treat even NPCs this harshly. Anyone who had suffered such treatment would dream of revenge. And there was only one reason for going this far.


    <i>¡®Neb is going to use and abandon Eldar. Neb probably intends to use the Elves to develop the northern coast and then take the vige for himself.¡¯</i>


    Crampus suddenly felt chills run down his spine.


    <i>¡®Is he the devil? Has he lost all his Human emotions after bing a god?¡¯</i>


    Crampus nodded to Lunda, indicating her to continue talking.


    Lunda asked, ¡°Then how would you help us?¡±


    ¡°With all due respect¡­ I don¡¯t really have anything that could be called an army.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was able to confirm that with the information you shared.¡±


    It seemed that the Elves were exhausted by the struggle to survive on the northern coast. And those who could use weapons were already working hard to protect their vige from Goblins and Ogres. Even if they formed an alliance, it was questionable if Eldar would be of much use in this battle.


    ¡°Fortunately, I am not useless. Neb still trusts me because I acted servilely.¡±


    ¡°Which means¡­?¡±


    ¡°I know Neb¡¯s n.¡±


    ***


    The n Eldar told them about was simple.


    A preemptive strike. Instead of fighting on two battlefronts at the same time, Neb would attack one side first. This way, Neb would not run into the trouble of facing two units at the same time.


    After the conversation with Eldar, Lunda asked, ¡°Do you think we can trust him?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve also seen the information Eldar shared. To be honest, there is no reason not to believe Eldar.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s true. There¡¯s no way they would have any goodwill left for Neb after all that.¡±


    ¡°And a preemptive strike is a n that Neb could have definitelye up with. There¡¯s nothing unusual about it.¡±


    Eldar told Lunda that Neb was nning to gather troops at Automation and attack Crampus¡¯ territory, which meant the territory of the Satyrs. It stood out to Crampus that Neb would be giving up on the defensive advantage Automation provided, but he could understand the reasoning somewhat.


    <i>¡®I guess Neb judged that if my territory was attacked, Lunda would retreat as my ally.¡¯</i>


    The main Lizardmen force Eldar mentioned consisted of 1500 soldiers. The number wasn¡¯t too different from what Crampus and Lunda had already checked.


    <i>¡®It is a threatening number. But if I can pick the battlefield, I could defend against the attack with my strength and troops alone in this siege.¡¯</i>


    Deimerit, the capital of the Satyrs¡¯nd, was not a castle, but it could be called a natural fort. Deimerit sat on the basin between surrounding mountains. There were three ess points, one of which was a river, while another was a tunnel that was an Ancient Ruin.


    <i>¡®The bridge and tunnel can copse at any time. With those two blocked, the only ce left to defend would be the path with wooden fences. Though it¡¯s not as imprable as Automation, it would be a kind of fort. I can win this siege.¡¯</i>


    But there was a minor issue. Crampus had originally nned to deploy his troops to the vige near the border to attack Automation while the Renard troops attacked the Lizardmen. However, it would take a few days to get from Deimerit to the border. In order to properly defend his fort, there was a need to have the troop stay at the capital.


    <i>¡®Satyrs have an aggressive side to them. They wouldn¡¯t ever retreat if the Lizardmen attacked the capital. Especially because Pav is king.¡¯</i>


    Crampus had recently been performing Miracles to make the Satyrs more hostile towards the Lizardmen and Neb, and he had to live with the repercussions.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s only a difference of a few days.¡¯</i>


    Lunda agreed with Crampus¡¯s idea.


    ¡°So we¡¯re going with the original n?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no major setback.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Neb notice?¡±


    ¡°The chances are low.¡±


    Even gods were not omniscient.


    The five gods had designated insects and birds as the most hateful organisms for their species. And for the past few months, those with strong religious beliefs had been killing insects and birds whenever they were spotted. In addition, reconnaissance wasn''t solely a god¡¯s effort.


    Satyr merchants traveling to and from Automation would constantly bring intelligence. They said that the Lizardmen troops were gathering at Automation.


    <i>¡®Even when Faith points are consistently used for scouting, the most valuable informationes from the people.¡¯</i>


    This information reassured Crampus and Lunda that Eldar was right.


    ¡°In addition, Eldar said that although he couldn''t support us with an army, he would support us with supplies once we crossed the border. Then we can take the shorter path rather than the longer one like we¡¯ve originally nned. It would take us less time to get to the penins.¡±


    ¡°And that small difference will allow us to win this battle.¡±


    The difference Eldar would make by betraying Neb was very small. The Satyr troop would pull back by the distance of a few days¡¯ travel, and the Renard troop would cross the border a few days earlier.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a small difference.¡¯</i>


    When it came to critical moments, Crampus always found himself ruminating over the small differences rather than the big ones.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re ranked first? But I see you¡¯ve eventually turned a 2 vs 1 fight into a 3 vs 1 fight, Neb.¡¯</i>


    ***


    However, Crampus could not even imagine what was actually happening.


    While he was listening in on Lunda¡¯s chat with Eldar, Sung-Woon had been next to Eldar as well.


    Once the conversation with Lunda ended, Eldar looked up at Sung-Woon, ¡°...Well...will this be enough?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Good acting. Maybe it¡¯s because you act all the time.¡±


    But Eldar did not think that was the reason. They thought it was because the information they shared with Lunda was too convincing.

 Chapter 61: Brown Rat vs. Mantis

    <h4>Chapter 61: Brown Rat vs. Mantis</h4>


    Thinking about it, Eldar couldn¡¯te up with a reason that they¡¯d been maintaining their alliance with Sung-Woon.


    <i>¡®...Maybe because he¡¯s confident that he¡¯ll win in the future?¡¯</i>


    Eldar couldn¡¯t figure out exactly how they felt. However, being with Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t the absolute worst, and they could always ponder about their own reasoningter. There was something else they needed to consider at the moment.


    ¡°But¡­¡± said Eldar.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s the matter?¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    ¡°Um¡­I don¡¯t think the situation will change much just because I told them you were going tounch a preemptive strike like you asked me to.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    Eldar felt timid whenever Sung-Woon snapped back at him, but they were getting used to it. In fact, they didn¡¯t really get upset now.


    Eldar cleared their throat and said, ¡°Hmm. From my narrow perspective¡­our opponents will probably pull back their troops a little in preparation for a preemptive attack. However, isn¡¯t your n to target the Renard tribe rather than the Satyrs?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°But in that case, wouldn¡¯t it be a problem if the Renard troop retreat and the Satyr troop rushes to attack Automation when it has no protection? And then if the Renard troop is to turn around and attack the Lizardmen, eventually there would be two battlefronts¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon sighed, and Eldar was bewildered.


    ¡°Neb, isn¡¯t this theoretically correct?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, but what part?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°The Satyrs would pull back a few days'' worth of travel, and I would attack the Renard troop a few days earlier. So I would win.¡±


    ¡°...Would you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re helping me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Eldar asked in wonder.


    Eldar hadn¡¯t deceived Crampus and Lunda about the Elves not having any army. Rather, he had deceived them when he said he would supply the Renard troop with a portion of what little resources he had left.


    <i>¡®Is that also part of Neb¡¯s strategy?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°Well, even if you don¡¯t help me, I think there¡¯s a higher chance of me winning. Anyways, you¡¯ll know once the battlefront is redrawn.¡±


    Sung-Woon brought up a map and marked where the troops were. Eldar nodded in realization.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ***


    Marching across the wilderness were creatures with fluffy light brown fur and ck tips on the ears and tail. They were the Renards.


    Renard cavalry rode on big Weasels, and behind them were the infantry, followed by wagons pulled by big Weasels at the rear. They had toe to a halt when Hati, the Renard king in the middle of the army, got mad at some bad news.


    Hati got off a big Weasel and asked, ¡°The soldiers have stomach aches?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    The Renard hundred-manmander reporting the news lowered his head.


    ¡°The food must have gone bad. Weren¡¯t you in charge of the supplies?¡±


    ¡°...That is right.¡±


    ¡°Then you also would¡¯ve known that you would be punished when reporting this.¡±


    Hati pulled out his knife, but he was suddenly stopped by the thousand-manmander, Yubei.


    ¡°King Hati, please wait a moment.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Yubei was the mostpetent and courageous warrior among the Renards. Therefore, he became the leader of one hundred soldiers faster than anyone else. Then he followed Hati¡¯s steps to be the leader of one thousand soldiers whomanded the entire army.


    Hati had confidence in Yubei.


    Yubei said, ¡°There was no issue with the food yesterday. Isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is for sure.¡±


    ¡°And this morning, the soldiers ate the food not brought by us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hati realized what the issue was. ¡°Elves! Are you saying there¡¯s a problem with the supplies we got from the Elves?¡±


    Yubei nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s what I think. Isn¡¯t that right, Quartermaster?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is right. All soldiers who reported that they were sick had cooked and eaten food provided by the Elves, at least.¡±


    Hati shook his head in disbelief.


    ¡°But yesterday I checked the supplies myself. There was no problem then, was there? Didn¡¯t you also do the inspection with me? Nothing was spoiled.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That means¡­¡±


    Yubei said, ¡°The Elves have likely given us supplies with problems on purpose. On the outside, they don¡¯t look spoiled but rather fresh, when in fact the Elves have poisoned it.¡±


    Hati checked what the sick soldiers had eaten, and it was just as Yubei had said.


    Sung-Woon had used Small Area: Insects to spread disease. He had discovered a food-borne and water-borne disease that wasn¡¯t readily noticeable to the naked eyes, so there wouldn¡¯t be any warning signs appearance-wise and smell-wise. However, since the disease was a weak bacteria with no noticeable signs, it would only cause stomachaches or diarrhea for a few days once consumed.


    Still, Sung-Woon thought that was good enough. He had been reluctant to use a stronger disease in the first ce since it wouldn¡¯t be controble.


    When Hati found out they had been betrayed, he wiggled his triangr ears and shook his long beard in anger.


    ¡°Damn it. The fact that the Elves deceived us means¡­¡±


    ¡°...There¡¯s a high chance that the information the Elves gave us is also wrong.¡±


    The Elves who delivered the supplies had told them that the Lizardmen were getting ready at Automation to attack the Satyrs¡¯ territory, and that they shouldn¡¯t let the cavalry be too tired by scouting.


    Hati believed them and had reduced the size of the scouting party by half.


    Hati muttered as if he wanted to deny that they had been betrayed, ¡°But the information that the Elves told us is the same as the Fruition God¡¯s revtion.¡±


    Yubei nodded.


    A regr person would¡¯ve panicked by now, and with their clouded judgment, rather than concluding that the Elves had betrayed them, they would¡¯ve thought that the Elves who gave them the supplies hadn¡¯t known there was a problem either.


    However, Yubei had a unique ability¡ªDistrust. It was normally considered a demerit among yers, yet Lunda had raised someone with the ability like Yubei to one of the highest positions among the Renards. There was a reason for this.


    ¡°...What if God was wrong?¡±


    ¡°How disrespectful!¡±


    ¡°King Hati, don¡¯t dismiss my words like that. There is clear evidence. It is true that the Elves have betrayed us, and since they are Elves that normally work with the Lizardmen, they were probably trying to set us up. We should double the scale and frequency of our scouting effort.¡±


    Hati didn¡¯t think for long. Yubei wasn¡¯t faithful, but he was loyal. And even in Hati¡¯s opinion, Yubei¡¯s point seemed reasonable.


    ¡°Alright. Thousand-manmander, let¡¯s do as you said.¡±


    Yubei nodded and walked up to the reconnaissancemander. He had to immediately go back to Hati after hearing the information the scouting party had brought back.


    ¡°We have spotted the Lizardmen army.¡±


    ¡°...How many of them are there?¡±


    ¡°They said there were about one thousand and five hundred Lizardmen.¡±


    The distance between the Lizardmen and the Renards was equivalent to half a day¡¯s march. It was a distance that would take the enemy cavalry no time tounch an attack.


    Hati had been briefed several times about thebat abilities of ck Scale. He judged that there was some exaggeration about the details, but he was certain the Lizardmen were strong.


    <i>¡®If we fight that many of them, we will definitely lose.¡¯</i>


    Renards would have been at a disadvantage even if they had the same number of soldiers due to their physiques. To make things worse, they were also short in numbers.


    The reason why Hati had decided to attack ck Scale was because he was mindful that the Satyrs would be fighting at the same time, and because he believed there was no reason for the Renards to encounter the Lizardmen¡¯s main force after receiving a divine revtion from God.


    <i>¡®Even though God said they were going to help us, we can¡¯t fight the enemy¡¯s main force.¡¯</i>


    In addition, two hundred Renard soldiers were suffering stomach aches.


    <i>¡®That leaves us with nine hundred soldiers who can properly fight then?¡¯</i>


    It was fortunate that none of the big Weasel cavalry had gotten sick, but they would lose even under the current circumstances. And the Satyrs wouldn¡¯t have known yet that they were betrayed.


    Hati eventually said, ¡°Let¡¯s turn back.¡±


    Yubei, the thousand-manmander, nodded.


    ¡°That is the right choice.¡±


    ¡°Send an errand boy to the king of the Satyrs, Pav. Tell them we¡¯ve encountered the Lizardmen¡¯s main force and that we¡¯re retreating.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to go as far back as possible while the Satyrs attack Automation.¡±


    Fortunately enough, it hadn¡¯t been long since the Renard army entered the wilderness. A whole day¡¯s march would take them back to the mountains and forests, allowing them to utilize their small build in gueri warfare.


    Though not as strong as the Lizardmen¡¯s horn bows were rumored to be, the Renards¡¯ bows were well known to be fairly strong with a long range, and they had more archers than any other country.


    <i>¡®From there we would have a chance. If we buy time, Automation will fall due to the Satyrs¡¯ attack, and if Pav continues to advance deeper into Automation and conquer the city proper, the Lizardmen will have to give up since they would be unable to get supplies.¡¯</i>


    That would be their opportunity to fight back. At least, Hati had thought so.


    He would¡¯ve been right if a behemoth of a mantis hadn¡¯t appeared once the Renard army turned around.


    ***


    The god of the Renards, Lunda the Fruition God, screamed.


    ¡°What is <i>that</i>!?¡±


    ***


    A gigantic, twenty meters tall figure rose from behind a low hill.


    It was blue, stood upright with its thick legs, and had huge front feet; behind the front feet were grotesquely attached arms that were holding its shoulders. It was Sung-Woon¡¯s creation, Sratis.


    <i>¡®A three hour difference?¡¯</i> Sung-Woon thought.<i>?¡®It¡¯s not far at all if I buy some time with my creation.¡¯</i>


    Sratis strode towards the Renard army.


    <i>-How dare you set foot in the territory of the faithful one¡­</i>


    Then Hati the Renard king yelled, ¡°All soldiers, run away as fast as you can! Abandon the wagons!¡±


    <i>-Death is the rightful punishment for your sin¡­</i>


    Sratis hit the ground from far away. Stones the size of the Renards¡¯ heads struck them. Ten were either killed or wounded in one fell swoop.


    Yubei then said after deploying his soldiers, ¡°King Hati! The next battle will be unmanageable if we abandon the wagons! We must fight that monster.¡±


    ¡°Yubei, you¡¯repetent, but your problem is that you have weak faith in God.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not just any monster. It¡¯s definitely the guardian of the evil Lizardmen!¡±


    ¡°...Oh.¡±


    ¡°We have a guardian too!¡± Hati said.


    At that moment, a seventeen meter tall brown rat charged towards Sratis.


    <i>-...!</i>


    The Renards cheered when their guardian appeared, but they also began to run away from the fight.


    ***


    Lunda clenched her teeth.


    Lunda¡¯s creation, Neji, resembled a brown rat. It fell far short whenpared to Sratis, which was unfortunate since Lunda couldn¡¯t meet the expectations of the Renards that believed in her.


    <i>¡®What are those abilities? Did Neb use all the Essence of fiends and abominations he killed? And superhuman strength is added on as a characteristic? That¡¯s crazy.¡¯</i>


    Lunda had thought things were going well until now. And fortunately, Crampus, who she had formed an alliance with, was a good yer with decent skills.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯s skilled enough to win the game.¡¯</i>


    But she still thought he would at least be one of the yers to reach the end among those on the third continent. Once they got to that point, Lunda nned to ally herself with a yer with better skills, but until then, she thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to stay with Crampus.


    <i>¡®He has a better personality than the grim duo and that bad-tempered guy named Wisdom.¡¯</i>


    And Lunda judged Crampus¡¯ decision to be pretty by-the-book.


    Everything was falling into ce until she had to face the monster-like Neb.


    <i>¡®Wait, if we run away like this and that creation shows up again after killing Neji, this would be all for nothing.¡¯</i>


    In addition, losing Neji would be very upsetting for Lunda. She hadn¡¯t invested as much into Neji as Sung-Woon had into Sratis, but Neji was still a creation that she invested Essence into. If Neji died, her level would go down.


    <i>¡®Okay. Let¡¯s think the other way around. If I use Divine Control now and Neji kills Sratis, that would do some damage to Neb.¡¯</i>


    It would take three hours for the rest of the Lizardmen to get to the Renards. And thirty minutes if only the enemy¡¯s cavalry came.


    <i>¡®If I use Divine Control on Yubei and fight, I¡¯ll be able to defeat Sratis within thirty minutes.¡¯</i>


    Sratis was at level 11, and its Divinity level was 4.


    Neji was at level 7, and its Divinity level was 3.


    However, Lunda¡¯s Divinity level was at 9.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s 4 against 12, an overpowering difference even if Sratis¡¯s basic ability levels were included in the calction.¡¯</i>


    Everything would be okay if Sratis was killed before the others came.


    Lunda used Divine Control on Yubei.


    ***


    Hati, the king of the Renards, saw Yubei¡¯s eyes turn green.


    ¡°Fruition God!¡±


    ¡°I will fight that monster. Withdraw the army.¡±


    ¡°I will do as you wish!¡±


    Hati bowed and led the army away.


    Lunda=Yubei turned around and leaped, charging towards Sratis.


    Then Neji said.


    <i>-Master! You do not need to help me!</i>


    ¡°Shut up! I can¡¯t lose you!¡±


    <i>-Master!</i>


    Neji looked at Lunda=Yubei for a moment and charged again at Sratis. Sratis was about to stab a de into Neji¡¯s back, but suddenly stepped back after seeing Lunda=Yubei charge towards it.


    <i>-.....</i>


    ¡°I see you¡¯re a rather quiet creation. I guess your god doesn¡¯t value you as much.¡±


    <i>-...That doesn¡¯t matter.</i>


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡±


    <i>-...I just fulfill the missions assigned to me.</i>


    Lunda=Yubei was surprised by Sratis¡¯ rather subdued appearance. Usually, individual preferences would be reflected on the creations they made, but Neb instead incorporated characteristics with strategic advantages.


    <i>¡®I see he¡¯s worth getting to know.¡¯</i>


    It seemed like a good thing.


    It would take thirty minutes for the enemy¡¯s main force, at least their cavalry, toe.


    <i>¡®Everything will be fine if we finish this battle before then.¡¯</i>


    Lunda=Yubei rushed to the bridge as Sratis fought Neji. Sratis stomped on Lunda=Yubei, but even Sratis was helpless when facing a god¡¯s power. Lunda=Yubei grabbed and lifted the foot stepping on her before yanking on it.


    <i>-...Darn it!</i>


    As Sratis¡¯s leg split apart, Lunda=Yubei continued to charge and pull until the leg got torn off with a crunching sound. Despite the pain, Sratisnded an upper-hook on Neji¡¯s chin.


    <i>-You damn insect!</i>


    <i>-Insignificant creature, shouldn¡¯t you think of the pain you go through for God¡­as a blessing?</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡±


    Disgusted by Sratis, Lunda=Yubei drew her knife. She was going to carve out the eyes of that disgusting mantis.


    Lunda had thought this would take less than thirty minutes. But there was something Lunda hadn¡¯t included in her calction.


    What if Lakrak hade alone rather than the entire cavalry? What if he were to run there instead of riding his monstrous Cockatrice? And what if Sung-Woon had used Divine Control to enter Lakrak¡¯s body?


    ¡°I¡¯ll get there first,¡± said Lakrak=Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon, whose Divinity level was 12, had used Divine Control to enter Lakrak¡¯s body, and Lakrak got off the monstrous bird and began to run. He had an overpowering force which allowed him to jump tens of meters forward with a single step. With one step he flew over the low hill, and with the next he soared tens of meters high into the air.


    <i>¡®I see them.¡¯</i>


    In Sung-Woon=Lakrak¡¯s eyes, he could see Sratis being defeated by the huge brown rat and a Renard. Sung-Woon=Lakraknded and immediately jumped with both feet.


    <i>Thump, thump, thump!</i>


    The ground sank as Sung-Woon=Lakrak soared into the sky. It was a triple jump.


    Sratis stepped back from Neji and Yubei¡¯s concerted attack and looked up.


    <i>-Master¡­!</i>


    Sung-Woon=Lakrak stormed towards them with his spear.

 Chapter 62: The Consequence of a Liar

    <h4>Chapter 62: The Consequence of a Liar</h4>


    Sung-Woon=Lakrak aimed at Lunda=Yubei with his spear.


    ¡°...What the!¡±


    Lunda btedly noticed his sudden appearance.


    She quickly tried to avoid the spear, but Sung-Woon=Lakrak was quicker. From the air, he threw the spear with such force that it split the air with a swoosh.


    Lunda=Yubei jumped up to avoid the spear, but it still grazed past her left shoulder. While a body inhabited by god would be stronger than steel, it wasn¡¯t quite as invincible when facing an opponent with equal or even greater strength.


    ¡°Aaak!¡±


    Lunda=Yubei rolled on the ground screaming in pain as blood gushed out of her shoulder.


    <i>-Master!</i>


    The brown rat, Neji, lunged at Sung-Woon=Lakrak just as hended on the ground. However, Sratis grabbed onto a part of Neji¡¯s flesh and lifted it into the air before throwing it down. A roar rang far and booming, loud enough that the retreating Renard and the advancing Lizardmen could hear it. The big Weasels and Cockatoos howled and cawed in reaction to the vibrations rushing through the ground.


    <i>¡®We should kill the creation first,¡¯?</i>Sung-Woon thought. <i>¡®Pzzt, I¡¯ll lend you my power.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Just give me the word.</i>


    Pzzt rose from behind Sung-Woon=Lakrak. Spirits with Demonic Magic transferred to them from gods could give their powers to other beings, but there was something else they could do. If gods lent their Faith points to the spirits, the spirits could use the resources to wield the powers of god.


    Sung-Woon=Lakrak pointed at Neji, who had gotten thrown onto the ground.


    <i>¡®Burn it.¡¯</i>


    <i>-As you wish.</i>


    Immediately, lightning struck through the air.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The electric current brought heat, and a hot wind swept through the wilderness. Neji¡¯s side was burnt ck from the lightning, and it drooled involuntarily, but still managed to raise itself back up. One strike of lightning bolt wasn¡¯t enough to stop a god¡¯s creation.


    <i>-E¡­even though you''re a god, this won¡¯t stop m¡­</i>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    The next moment, another crack of lightning split the sky and branched off, striking the top of Neji¡¯s head.


    ¡°Neji!¡±


    <i>Urrggg!</i>


    The brown rat lit up like a ball of light for a moment before copsing. Once the light died down, all that was left was a lump of charcoal.


    ¡°You damn¡­¡±


    Lunda=Yubei was about to swear, but the words got stuck in her throat. The lightning that had struck Neji struck again. Fortunately, a body inhabited by god was not only quick, but also had the keen senses of said god. Lunda=Yubei ran through the wilderness in a zigzag pattern to avoid the lightning, and the lightning always missed her by a step.


    Lunda thought to herself, <i>¡®...Okay. I should disengage Divine Control.¡¯</i>


    She deactivated Divine Control. However, there was always a dy when engaging and disengaging the skill.


    A system message appeared.


    [Divine Control will be disengaged in 10 seconds.]


    It was a choice that Lunda had to make. She would receive an additional penalty if she died while using Divine Control. And unfortunately, there was no other way to save Yubei.


    <i>¡®Did my level already drop by one because Neji died?...But as long as I don¡¯t die while using Divine Control, my level shouldn¡¯t drop again.¡¯</i>


    [Divine Control will be disengaged in 9 seconds.]


    Lunda was called the Fruition God by her species. The first Small Area she obtained was Small Area: Fruit.


    Lunda=Yubei scanned the bushes and found a fruit that hadn¡¯t been there before. It was red, glossy, and appetizing-looking, and she put it into her mouth. Once she bit into it, Lunda=Yubei¡¯s wound healed.


    <i>¡®Good, just seven more seconds and¡­ Huh?¡¯</i>


    Lunda had been watching as Sratis and Sung-Woon=Lakrak came up to her, but then her view was suddenly blocked by a ck wall, leaving her disoriented. Her vision was still obscured even when she looked in another direction, and soon enough, the wall reached up to cover the entire sky, and it was making noises.


    <i>¡®...Insects!¡¯</i>


    The wall that covered the sky was a swarm of beetles. It had approached and surrounded Lunda=Yubei in an instant. Lunda=Yubei struck them with her fist and sword before stepping backward.


    [Divine Control will be disengaged in 5 seconds.]


    <i>¡®These beetles aren¡¯t meant to attack me. They¡¯re used to block my view. I¡¯ll die if I stay like this!¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, Lunda=Yubei managed to catch Sratis¡¯s shadow through the countless beetles. Sratis moved its gigantic body and was swinging its sickles-like front legs down at Lunda=Yubei.


    [Divine Control will be disengaged in 3 seconds.]


    <i>¡®If only I can avoid that attack¡­!¡¯</i>


    Lunda=Yubei kicked the ground as hard as she could. Yubei¡¯s body flew in the opposite direction of Sratis, but didn¡¯t make it out of the shadow of the beetles as she thought she would.


    ¡°Here you were.¡±


    Sung-Woon=Lakrak grabbed Lunda=Yubei by her throat.


    [Divine Control will be disengaged in 1 second.]


    ¡°...Ah.¡±


    Sung-Woon=Lakrak tightened his grip.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    Yubei¡¯s head rolled onto the ground.


    ***


    Sung-Woon had summoned Sratis, took over Lakrak through Divine Control, used the spirit of Demonic Magic to make lightning strike like rain, and also summoned arge swarm of beetles. It would seem like he had used too many Faith points for one battle, but the benefits he got were unquestionable.


    After Divine Control was disengaged, Lakrak got onto his Cockatice, which had followed him here, and led the Lizardmen cavalry to attack the Renards from the rear.


    Hati, the king of the Renards, made the best choice avable even though he knew his god had been defeated. It was to leave the least amount of his troop members behind to stop the enemy and allow the rest to run away. The ones Hati had chosen to abandon were the infantry soldiers who had lost the ability to fight properly due to stomach ache. And after that, whenever he saw a terrain that would be advantageous for them in battle, he would leave behind more troops and continue to run away.


    In a single day, the Renard army of 1,100 soldiers had been reduced to 200 without putting on a proper resistance. Excluding the cavalry, they had lost the majority of their warriors.


    On the other hand, Lakrak¡¯s army fought only the stragglers and suffered almost no casualties.


    The 200 Renard soldiers barely managed to go into hiding in their hometown for a gueri war.


    ***


    Lunda checked her level. It¡¯d gone down.


    [Divinity Level: 5]


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe it fell from 9 to 5.¡¯</i>


    Lunda had thought it would at most fall to 7, and she was devastated when she saw her current level.


    Then Crampus called out to her through the video chat.


    ¡°Lunda? Are you listening?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, yes.¡±


    ¡°What is your level right now?¡±


    ¡°...Level 7. It didn¡¯t fall as much as I expected¡­¡±


    When Lunda was about toe up with more lies, Crampus said, ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s a big drop.¡±


    ¡°...R..right?¡±


    ¡°Managing internal affairs will be difficult with that amount of Faith points.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s good enough,¡± Lunda replied while hoping that her true feelings weren¡¯t showing.


    Generally, when the Divinity Level was high, Faith points would be continuously consumed in order to maintain Miracles or creations. Lunda knew that as her level went down, all of the Renards¡¯ orchards she had made through Miracles to bear fruit that year would be ruined. Additionally, the Renards would lose the profits that would be made from the harvest, and they would starve and lose faith in their god.


    Yubei, who was the Renard priest, had also died. Young Yubei was supposed to be the next generation leader of the country after the old king, Hati, so it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the internal affairs had already been doomed. In order to turn things around, they had to give up on fighting other countries, and Lunda had toe up with a way to regain Faith points and XP.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t ever let this be known to others.¡¯</i>


    Not only did she have to keep it a secret to Neb, she also had to do so with the other three species she was in conflict with, as well as even Crampus. While Crampus was an ally, their alliance could be broken at any time. Crampus could change his tune if he found out that Lunda¡¯s power had be weaker.


    To change the topic, Lunda said, ¡°By the way, are the Satyrs on their way to attack?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Crampus checked the map and continued to say, ¡°They began to move as soon as they heard the news that the Renards were betrayed, so the day after tomorrow, they should reach the border vige. And four days after that, they will reach Automation.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to get there faster, is there?¡±


    ¡°Hm. Automation would be empty, so we should be able to attack with the cavalry alone. Yes, that would be better actually. I should give Pav a hint. They can switch horses at the border vige and deploy 150 cavalry to attack Automation in another day and a half.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. I only need to distract the Lizardmen for two days and a half then, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lunda decided to bet on the Renards¡¯ gueri warfare. The infantry had been wiped out, but their high-ss cavalry remained. And unlike the other cavalry who had to ride along roads, the Renards¡¯ big Weasel cavalry could swiftly move through any terrains without trouble.


    As long as the Renards were able to hold the Lizardmen back for the promised period of time, they still stood a chance.


    <i>¡®By then, I would have gained a little Faith points. If I use Divine Control again with the Faith points I gain, it¡¯ll be more of a fair fight against the Lizardmen army. And Neb will probably focus more on the fight to protect Automation than the fight against the Renards.¡¯</i>


    If the opposite were true, Neb would have to give up Automation, and Lunda thought the chances of that happening was low.


    Even with their god¡¯s support, it would be difficult for the Lizardmen army to counter the gueri war started by the Renards. On the other hand, Automation¡¯s chance of sessfully defending against the invasion would depend on how much Faith points were invested.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s true that Neb has used a great amount of Faith points. Still, he¡¯ll have no choice but to focus on one out of the two fights.¡¯</i>


    And Lunda hoped for it to be true.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t be the only one to be defeated!¡¯</i>


    Lunda didn¡¯t have any grudges against Crampus, but if there was a dramatic difference in levels, the rtionship between yers wouldn¡¯t be equal. Lunda didn''t like that.


    Therefore, Lunda lied and downyed her loss when she told Crampus about it, and she told him that she had another n because she wasn¡¯t confident in the fight against Neb. However, Lunda¡¯s hope was soon crushed.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lunda asked when Crampus reacted to what he was seeing, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to hold them back?¡±


    ¡°What? Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    Crampus showed his screen to her in wonder. It was the scene of Pav, king of the Satyrs, being briefed. It was stated that the Lizardmen army wasing towards the Satyrs.


    ¡°...Oh.¡±


    Lunda realized the problem. The Lizardmen had fought through the Renards¡¯ battlefront because the Renards had lost too many soldiers. No, the problem started way before that. Due to the false information Eldar had given them, they had run into the Lizardmen army way too soon. As a result, the fight they had thought would take ce in ck Scale took ce in the Renard territory, and now the Lizardmen were approaching Satyrs¡¯nd.


    Crampus said, ¡°...This won¡¯t do. I think they¡¯re heading towards the border vige. There isn¡¯t even a proper fortress there, so we won¡¯t be able to block the Lizardmen. Even if it means giving up the border vige, I should have the Satyrs turn around and set up camp in the capital.¡±


    It seemed Crampus thought it was a battle worth fighting, but Lunda could predict what would happen at Deimerit, the capital of the Satyrs.


    Sratis was a powerful creation. Something like it could serve as a weapon for siege. And once the fort copsed, the battle would turn into a simple sh of strength.


    <i>¡®There are only 800 soldiers in the Satyr troop. They would be at a disadvantage even if they had the same numbers as the Lizardmen, but the Lizardmen army has 1,700 soldiers. More than double their number.¡¯</i>


    Already having fought Neb once, Lunda knew Crampus would certainly be defeated.


    <i>¡®No, this is rather good. This is my chance. I¡¯ll leave him to be defeated.¡¯</i>


    It happened earlier than Lunda expected, but she thought it would be a good opportunity to find a new ally.


    The Renards had been actively engaging in diplomatic activities.


    <i>¡®Of course, Wisdom would be good as the next ally. Even though he¡¯s bad tempered, he¡¯s still rational. He¡¯ll at least provide me with protection if I provide him with goods.¡¯</i>


    Crampus, who had no way of knowing what Lunda was thinking, said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t I get the support of my ally? Lunda, please lead your troops down here. It¡¯ll be more effective if we attack the Lizardmen from both sides when they start their siege.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what do you think about my troop attacking Automation instead?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the timing not right for having two battlefronts?¡±


    ¡°...I guess so.¡±


    Lunda rubbed the middle of her brows to stop herself from frowning. It would be suspicious if she didn¡¯t help Crampus right away, but if she did help, she would lose the few soldiers she had left. It would be good if the Renards pretended to go down south and not attack, but divine revtions given to priests had to be consistent.


    Lunda was already thinking about betraying Crampus, but there was a problem since the Renards and Satyrs still thought of each other as allies.


    <i>¡®Damn it, what should I do?¡¯</i>


    What Crampus said next only made Lunda more worried.


    ¡°But I think the idea isn¡¯t bad. Attacking Automation, I mean. Attacking Automation with smaller numbers is still possible since it would be empty, right? Why don¡¯t you send the cavalry to Automation and support me with your infantry?¡±


    Caught off guard, Lundar made a slip of the tongue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough troops for that¡­¡±


    ¡°What? I thought you said you had 500 soldiers left?¡±


    ¡°...Oh. Right.¡±


    ¡°You said that the enemy has lost 400 and now has around 1,300. Then 300 Renard infantry and 800 of my Satyrsbined would be enough to match the Lizardmen and secure a victory against their siege.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    ¡°And you said that you killed Neb¡¯s creation, so the fortress wall should be safe.¡±


    Without a word, Lunda lowered her head to hide her facial expressions.


    <i>¡®I lied too much!¡¯</i>


    But she still thought this was a relief.


    <i>¡®I won¡¯t be an ally with Crampus by the time my lies are revealed anyways.¡¯</i>


    However, it turned out to be wishful thinking on Lunda¡¯s part again.


    Crampus was surprised when he saw a system message.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What is it now?¡± asked Lunda.


    ¡°It¡¯s a request for a Whisper Conversation.¡±


    ¡°From who?¡±


    ¡°Neb.¡±


    .


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t e¡­¡±


    Lunda tried to stop Crampus from epting the request, but she was toote.


    Sung-Woon, the yer known as Neb to them, said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for you to consider surrendering?¡±

 Chapter 63: Bronze Token

    <h4>Chapter 63: Bronze Token</h4>


    Crampus¡¯s eyes moved side to side, and he asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I asked if you¡¯re going to surrender.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I see you¡¯re getting a big head just because you¡¯ve won once, but we have the advantage in the overall situation.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t say anything for a moment.


    He didn¡¯t say anything because to him, it seemed like Lunda was incapable of fighting anymore. Yes, she did still have her 200 cavalry on big Weasels, but there wasn¡¯t much for Sung-Woon to be afraid of since they would be exhausted from running as far away as they could for days.


    All that was left for Sung-Woon to do was the siege of Deimerit, the capital of the Satyrs. And just as Lunda expected, Sung-Woon knew he could secure his victory without much trouble.


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad choice to wipe out the Satyr army and conquer Deimerit.


    <i>¡®But if these two yers get to the verge of elimination, the other three yers will form an alliance.¡¯</i>


    The other yers would judge that Sung-Woon was too dangerous. And additionally, the frontline would inevitably expand. ck Scale wasn¡¯t even able to properly defend their current border. At the moment, there was no reason for Sung-Woon to expand his territory.


    Even with all the Lizardmen and the other speciesbined, the poption under Sung-Woon¡¯s rule wascking in numbers, and it would be tiring for Sung-Woon to defend against the other three yers. Moreover, Crampus and Lunda could organize a rebellion and retaliate against ck Scale in the meantime.


    <i>¡®And even if I defeat the other yers, Hegemonia is on the other side of the continent. I¡¯ll eventually have to fight them, but I don¡¯t want to encounter them after exhausting my troops to that degree.¡¯</i>


    That was why Sung-Woon had suggested Crampus to surrender. If Crampus¡¯s troops were preserved, his three outposts would keep the other yers in check. While Sung-Woon worked on internal affairs, they would serve as a buffer zone between him and Hegemonia.


    <i>¡®But Crampus was speaking as if he didn¡¯t know the result of the fight between me and Lunda. They¡¯re still allies, though. There¡¯s only one exnation for that.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon saw through Lunda¡¯s intention. She had lied and downyed the extent of damage she had undergone in order to protect herself, keeping the truth from Crampus. Sung-Woon was able to infer what Lunda was thinking.


    <i>¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­it¡¯s going to be more entertaining for me.¡¯</i>


    While Sung-Woon pondered in silence, Crampus asked, ¡°Is that all you have to say? Why did you block our Whisper Conversation requests until now and suddenly decided to make contact?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to offend you.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, if you¡¯re making a formal request for me to surrender, my answer is no.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll think about it and contact you again.¡±


    Crampus grumbled once the conversation ended. And whenever he talked, mes burst out of his mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what he¡¯s thinking.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I tried to stop you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Lunda replied with augh, but she could feel cold sweat drenching her back.


    <i>¡®Has he noticed?¡¯</i>


    Lundar said, ¡°Crampus, I¡¯ll be back after taking a look at my troops. It¡¯ll only be a moment.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I should also check Deimerit¡¯s fortification to prepare for the siege.¡±


    Lunda returned to hernd and then requested for a Whisper Conversation with Neb.


    For a good while, she didn¡¯t get any response.


    <i>¡®Please ept.¡¯</i>


    Once Sung-Woon finally epted the request, Lunda swore, ¡°Hey, you son of a bitch! What is it that you want?!¡±


    ¡°What is there to get angry about? I¡¯m the one who should be upset by the sudden pincer operation youunched.¡±


    ¡°But you weren¡¯t attacked yet, were you?¡±


    ¡°Almost getting attacked is still upsetting, isn¡¯t it? Anyways, if you called me to have a verbal spar, I¡¯m gonna hang up. I¡¯m busy. Bye.¡±


    Sung-Woon ended the call just like that.


    Lunda fumed and requested another Whisper Conversation.


    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your friend. Don¡¯t act like that towards me.¡±


    Sung-Woon was amused by Lunda¡¯s attitude when she was the one at a disadvantage, but he didn¡¯t mention it since he wasn¡¯t offended or upset. It was natural for people to be generous when they were in an advantageous position.


    After barely calming her anger, Lunda asked, ¡°What do you want?!¡±


    ¡°Can you speak slowly without shouting?¡±


    Lunda suppressed her desire to scream.


    ¡°...Okay. You asked Crampus to surrender, and when you saw that he didn¡¯t simply ept your request, you ended the call, right?¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your reason?¡±


    ¡°I realized there wasn¡¯t really a need for him to surrender. I was going to end things by getting all five yers to surrender. We¡¯d have a temporary truce, and I¡¯d receive some material resources. Now, however, I thought it would be better to destroy the two countries and conquer all thend even if it¡¯s gonna be so much work for me.¡±


    Lunda regained herposure after hearing Neb''s n.


    ¡°Then the battle would get toorge for you to handle. You wouldn¡¯t be able to protect your borders because your poption is too small at this level of development.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s true. But there¡¯s another way to negotiate. I can take over Satyrs¡¯nd and give Renards¡¯nd to the other three yers.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be easy. Not everyone wants to see a big country emerging.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The penins, the wilderness, and the northern coast are smallpared to the center of the continent. Just because I take a bit morend doesn¡¯t mean someone willin. And I think the other three yers would be happy since newnd will practically be falling onto theirps.¡±


    ¡°...Ugh.¡±


    The n Sung-Woon was speaking of in a rxed manner wouldn¡¯t be easy to carry out, but it wasn¡¯t impossible.


    ¡°But it¡¯s also true there are lots of ways to infiltrate a biggernd. What if Crampus and I start a rebellion? The other yers might attack you during the chaos.¡±


    ¡°Oh, have I ever made that promise?¡±


    ¡°What promise?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Did I ever say I would keep you and Crampus alive?¡±


    Neb¡¯s image was cemented in Lunda¡¯s head then.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s crazy.¡¯</i>


    yers were often unconsciously generous and kind towards their opponents since an alliance victory was a thing in The Lost World. Some would say those tendencies had to be abandoned to get to the top, but operating under the rule of reciprocity didn¡¯t necessarily put a yer at a disadvantage.


    Lunda swallowed and said, ¡°...That¡¯s a threat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily a threat. I just listed one of the things I could do since you were curious.¡±


    ¡°You just said ¡®one of the things you could do,¡¯ right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Which means you¡¯re also considering other possibilities?¡±


    ¡°I might.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back to my first question. What do you want?¡±


    Sung-Woon immediately replied, ¡°Information.¡±


    ¡°What kind of information?¡±


    ¡°Information on the Renards and Crampus.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that much is¡­¡±


    ¡°And information on the Trolls.¡±


    Lunda furrowed her eyebrows.


    Wisdom was the god of the Trolls. He was the yer with the biggest force out of the other three forces in the center of the continent.


    ¡°Neb, I think you must have misunderstood something. I¡¯m not Wisdom¡¯s ally.¡±


    ¡°But weren¡¯t you thinking of bing his ally soon?¡±


    ¡°...Why would I break off with Crampus and be allies with Wisdom, who is hostile towards us?¡±


    Lunda asked while feigning nonchnce. Sung-Woon replied, ¡°In the long term, your alliance with Crampus would be unstable because of the damage you¡¯ve undergone from the failed attack. And you didn¡¯t tell Crampus the truth or actively offer support. Instead, you hid the extent of losses you¡¯ve suffered.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why Crampus asked what I meant when I asked him to surrender. You clearly had something else in mind. If you were looking for another ally, it would be either me or Wisdom, whose territories border yours. And you would choose Wisdom over me because I am your enemy and wouldn¡¯t be of actual help. Am I wrong?¡±


    Lunda tried to think of another excuse, but she was so embarrassed by her getting exposed that she couldn¡¯t think straight.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ahem, let¡¯s say you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°I am right.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t know if Wisdom will form an alliance with me. I can surely give you information about the Renards and Crampus, but other than that¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you keep misunderstanding what I say.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to form an alliance with Wisdom and get the information. It¡¯s not my business how you go about it.¡±


    It took a while for Lunda to wrap her mind around that. She knew what Neb meant right away, but she needed time to ept the fact that she had to do such a thing.


    ¡°Are you telling me to not only get information from Crampus, but also approach Wisdom and actively get information out of him?¡±


    ¡°Did you just get that?¡±


    Lunda growled. Her teeth were revealed, and wrinkles formed on her forehead as she shook the video chat window.


    ¡°Son of a bitch, don¡¯t be ridiculous. That¡¯s not an alliance or anything close. I would just be a pushover. What makes you think I would agree to such nonsense? You seem to consider yourself superior just because you¡¯ve won once. Do you want me to show you a dirty fight till the end?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. It¡¯s not only because I won.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Sung-Woon pointed at Lunda¡¯s face with his index finger.


    ¡°Lunda, your lies are the problem. I don¡¯t have to do anything else. I can just tell Crampus the truth about our battle, and tell Wisdom to not form an alliance with you because you¡¯re a liar.¡±


    If that happened, Crampus would break his alliance with Lunda and find a way to survive alone, and Wisdom wouldn¡¯t ept an alliance with Lunda because she couldn¡¯t be trusted. Then Lunda would have to survive by herself with only a Divinity level of 5, while the others in the center of the continent had a Divinity level of 8 or 9.


    ¡°Do whatever you want. I¡¯m never going to cooperate with you.¡±


    ¡°Are you really¡­¡±


    Lunda cut Sung-Woon off by ending the video chat. And she thought about her n going forward.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s think. There will be a way. There must be.¡¯</i>


    Below Lunda¡¯s floating figure was the capital of the Renards, Minain. It was far away from the borders, so there were no signs of fear among the Renards about theing war. It seemed that the messenger sent to announce the Renards¡¯ defeat hadn¡¯t made it to Minain yet. Going in and out of houses made of logs, the Renards worked and conversed with each other. And at a small shrine, a Renard prayed. It wasn¡¯t a prayer about the war, but rather a prayer thanking God for allowing the Renard, who was a carpenter, to safely finish their work of the day.


    Lunda¡¯s Faith points went up by one.


    <i>¡®...Damn it.¡¯</i>


    Lunda requested a Whisper Conversation with Neb again.


    Sung-Woon calmly asked, ¡°Are you done thinking?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯ll work with you.¡±


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no other choice. If I let my emotions get the better of me, I won¡¯t have another chance. There¡¯s nothing I can do. I¡¯ll do whatever he wants for now. He likely doesn¡¯t trust me, so he won¡¯t ask for more than he already did, will he?¡¯</i>


    If Eldar knew what Lunda was thinking, they would have told her that was a big mistake.


    Sung-Woon then asked, ¡°First thing first, let¡¯s hear about the information on Renards and Crampus, shall we?¡±


    ***


    Crampusughed at the ridiculous sight of another Whisper Conversation request from Neb.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± asked Crampus.


    ¡°Let¡¯s end the fight.¡±


    ¡°After everything?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°To be honest with you, there are lobsters in one of my areas, and they¡¯re making a fuss again. Things will be troublesome for me if I don¡¯t go back.¡±


    That was a lie.


    At the center ind of the archipgo, Lubo the Astacidea had just be the Ind Lord and was drunk on fruit wine imported from across the sea. He was singing a song praising ck Scale while waving his ws.


    ¡°Ha, you¡¯re backing out now that you¡¯re at a disadvantage, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you would gain much from fighting me either.¡±


    ¡°Even if we wipe out your army?¡±


    ¡°Do you think the Satyrs would be fine then? The other yers won¡¯t leave you be.¡±


    ¡°You seem a little too brazen for someone who¡¯s offering a truce first.¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re on the same level.¡±


    Sung-Woon then smiled, but there was no way for Crampus to see it due to the mask on his face.


    Sung-Woon added, ¡°There are two of you, right? I guess you two would need toe to an agreement. Think carefully,¡±


    After the conversation, Crampus discussed the matter with Lunda. Not only did Crampus oppose the truce, but he also said that they should quickly attack Sung-Woon if what Sung-Woon said was true. Lunda managed to stop Crampus from doing so by telling him that it might be another trap. And she urged him to ept the truce while saying that the other yers were making suspicious moves. Crampus responded that he needed to at least get something from Sung-Woon if they were to have a truce, but Lunda didn¡¯t want to get on Sung-Woon¡¯s nerves, so she tried her best to change Crampus¡¯ mind.


    <i>¡®Asshole, you didn¡¯t have to talk about the lobsters. Pretending that you¡¯re at a disadvantage only made me more angry when I¡¯m the one who has to convince Crampus.¡¯</i>


    Lunda was fuming with rage, but there was nothing she could do. She had put herself in this situation. No matter the cost, she had to stop the truth of the battle from being revealed.


    ***


    In the dining hall in Automation.


    The four waterwheels, the pride of Automation, were operating outside the open window. And those in the dining hall didn¡¯t make a big deal out of them now. Everyone in their seats were familiar with the sight.


    Sitting at the head of the table, Hwee-Kyung asked, ¡°The battle ended?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was a Satyr merchant that replied.


    The Satyr merchant continued to say, ¡°My son just arrived this morning, and he said that the Lizardmen army were on their way to Automation.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think such information would get to me before the ck Scale messenger even arrived.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­merchants are everywhere, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung nodded.


    And that was why she had merchant representatives from all over the country seated in the dining hall. This organization was established recently, but its members had already benefited from the war between ck Scale and other two species. They had spread false information among the merchants that the Lizardmen army was at Automation.


    Hwee-Kyung then said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we pray before starting the actual meeting? Everyone has their token, right?¡±


    All the merchants answered and nodded.


    Hwee-Kyung and the merchants took small bronze metal tokens from their inner pockets and held them in one hand.


    The tokens were the shape of a beetle, symbolizing the Blue Insect God.

 Chapter 64: The Big Plan

    <h4>Chapter 64: The Big n</h4>


    The meeting taking ce at the dining hall of Automation first took ce a few months ago.


    The reason for the first meeting was simple. Everything began with Hwee-Kyung inviting to dinner the merchants who had helped gather resources and engineers from all over the continent to make the four waterwheels at Automation. The dining hall overlooked the four waterwheels, so it was clearly the best ce to celebrate thepletion of the project.


    One of the merchants said, ¡°Since we merchants havee together and achieved this kind of feat, we should be able to do something great again.¡±


    Even though it was just a passing remark, it remained in Hwee-Kyung¡¯s mind for a while. So Hwee-Kyung called and gathered them all again that same evening. They were all great people from various parts of the continent, and she didn¡¯t want to miss out on an opportunity.


    One of the merchants she had summoned without giving a specific reason asked Hwee-Kyung, ¡°Lord of Automation, for what reason have you brought us all together again?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung talked about her idea.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we start an organization?¡±


    ¡°Us? Some of us are traveling merchants, but most of us have settled down in our own areas. I like the idea of promoting friendship, but it would be difficult to see each other often¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to promote friendship, so there would be no reason for us to see each other too often.¡±


    ¡°What then?¡±


    Hwee-Kyung replied, ¡°We have benefited a lot from those waterwheels over there. Isn''t it a shame to just end our good work like that?¡±


    What Hwee-Kyung was talking about was simple. Money was the only way to make more money. Those who were already wealthy could be wealthier, and when these wealthy people came together, they could gain more profit.


    ¡°Even if we don¡¯t go through another big construction like that, we can profit by rying and gathering information sooner and more urately than others. For example, if we knew that treesing from the northern coast were bing difficult to log due to a disease, we could infer that the prices of the trees would rise. Then we could buy more trees in advance.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s idea wasn¡¯t a bad one, so the merchants gave it some thought. It at least didn¡¯t seem like an idea for Hwee-Kyung to benefit by herself.


    ¡°We could also benefit in a different way. For example, we could not pay taxes when we trade with each other.¡±


    ¡°But taxes are taken by the country¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there several ways to go around it? We would at least have to take that kind of risk in order to benefit from each other.¡±


    The first rudimentary ledger book was now being made. The merchants were loyal to money, not their country. And they all began to calcte how much they would benefit from trading goods from their own regions without paying taxes. The merchants began toe up with other ideas.


    ¡°We could also trade banned items.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    They referred to illegal trades.


    ¡°And we could buy and gather valuable goods and resell them when the prices go up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    They referred to stockpiling.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we rather buy all of a certain good and set the price as we wish?¡±


    ¡°That would be possible with all the money we have.¡±


    They referred to monopoly.


    ¡°What do you think? It seems okay, right?¡±


    The merchants who were suspicious of the idea at first became more convinced by Hwee-Kyung¡¯s words.


    This was all before a proper legal system or business ethics were established. Countries that were quick on their feet would legally ban all the ideas mentioned above, but other than ck Scale, the other countries didn¡¯t yet have proper legal provisions, and even thews about trading in ck Scale were simply formted by Lakrak and the deputy warriors.


    Hwee-Kyung got up from her seat and stood by the window, thinking, <i>¡®If this idea is bad, God would strike me with a lightning bolt.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung worriedly looked up at the sky for a moment. It was clear, and there was no lightning.


    Then a merchant said, ¡°Alright, Hwee-Kyung. By the looks of everyone exchanging whispers and nces with each other, it seems that we have all been convinced by your idea.¡±


    ¡°Then is everyone all for it?¡±


    ¡°However, there is a problem.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    This merchant was a Troll from what had been arge Troll tribe called Stone Mask. Now it was a country called Asbestos.


    ¡°What if any of us betrays the others?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Hwee-Kyung understood the Troll¡¯s concern. They were all merchants from different backgrounds gathering to do one thing. If one of them betrayed all the others by leaking information, not only would the false information cause everyone to suffer losses, but the trust among the members of the organization would be shaken. Fortunately, Hwee-Kyung already had an answer to the Troll¡¯s question.


    ¡°That¡¯s a valid concern. We¡¯re all different species and believe in different gods, right? It¡¯s obvious that we wouldn¡¯t be able to fully trust each other.¡±


    The merchants nodded.


    Hwee-Kyung continued to say, ¡°Though our difference in species cannot be helped, faith can be changed.¡±


    The merchants murmured among themselves.


    ¡°Let¡¯s decide on one god to believe in. Everyone will abandon their original faith and be a follower of the new chosen god. After that, a part of the profit we make will be dedicated to the new god and the king that believes in that god.¡±


    In that case, everyone would be protected by the country following the particr faith, and at the same time, they would win the god¡¯s attention. Then there wouldn¡¯t be any traitors since they would all be afraid of the god¡¯s wrath.


    <i>¡®If you abandon your faith once and then get abandoned by another god¡­¡¯</i>


    People in the present era were all aware how those who were abandoned by gods were living. In the yers¡¯ perspectives, they were merely NPC tribes, but in reality, they made up the lowest ss in the third continent without any god¡¯s attention and protection.


    Hwee-Kyung then asked, ¡°What do you all think?¡±


    The merchants didn¡¯t seem to have too manyints with Hwee-Kyung¡¯s suggestion. Abandoning their faith was a scary thing to do, but if all the others changed their faiths, that would be a good thing for the one already following the chosen god. Everyone seemed to think it was a risk worth taking.


    Another merchant then asked, ¡°But have you thought about how we would decide on the god?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­we would have to discuss that.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung left the merchants to discuss the matter. Everyone bragged about their own gods, and they couldn¡¯te to a conclusion.


    Hwee-Kyung waited until all the merchants had lost their ability to judge properly out of exhaustion and said, ¡°I know that all gods are great. In other words, doesn¡¯t it not matter whose god we choose? Why don¡¯t we let the dice decide?¡±


    A few merchants didin at first, but they were soon convinced. And since some of them liked ying dice as a hobby, they were able to readily produce three six-sided dice and ced them on the table.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go with the person who gets the highest number? Who wants to go first?¡±


    With three six-sided dice, the lowest possible number was 3, and the highest possible number was 18. And looking at the probability distribution, the numbers from 8 to 13 would be the mostmon results.


    The merchant with the highest number out of all fifteen merchants so far was the Nix merchant. Then thest turn came around. Hwee-Kyung picked up the dice and talked to herself in her head.


    <i>¡®Horns.¡¯</i>


    <i>-You call?</i>


    <i>¡®Yes.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Finally time to work.</i>


    <i>¡®Please do me the favor.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung threw the dice.


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s horns, which was the spirit that manipted probability, slightly touched the dice rolling on the table. And the rolling dice stopped one by one and revealed their values.


    A 6¡­another 6.


    And then 6 again.


    The total was 18, which had a 0.46 percent chance of happening.


    There had been rumors going around saying that the lord of Automation had a mysterious power, but no one knew exactly what it was. No one in the dining hall noticed the maniption of probability. And therefore, everyone seemed to ept Hwee-Kyung¡¯s victory.


    ¡°I guess I was lucky,¡± Hwee-Kyung calmly said. ¡°I suppose this was also the will of the Blue Insect God¡­ I¡¯m thinking of starting the meeting by burning your previous tokens for prayer. What do you all think?¡±


    The merchants hesitated, but they all took out the tokens that represented their own gods with the expectations of future profits in mind.


    The next step was simple. It was to throw the tokens into the burning bonfire in the corner of the dining hall.


    [Notice: The organization ¡®The Fifth Waterwheel¡¯ has been established under the leadership of the individual, Hwee-Kyung.]


    Sung-Woon was watching Hwee-Kyung from the outside through the window.


    <i>¡®How shameless you are.¡¯</i>


    But he wasn¡¯t upset. It was rather a good judgment.


    Sung-Woon had been observing them ever since Hwee-Kyung gathered the merchants again. If he didn¡¯t like where things were heading, he could have used insects to fill the dining hall at any time, but he nodded in approval after reading Hwee-Kyung¡¯s inner thoughts.


    <i>¡®A merchant organization being created is a natural process.¡¯</i>


    Even in the past when capitalism was not prevalent, capitalists always sought expansion, as seen on a smaller scale with the guilds in medieval viges and, on arger scale, the Hanseatic League. So it would be a good thing for a yer if the ones leading this kind of organization were a part of the species they owned.


    <i>¡®But it is a little early¡­ And it¡¯s unusual that they¡¯re a secretive group.¡¯</i>


    To Sung-Woon, it seemed that Hwee-Kyung was likely to be aiming for all of them to abandon their religions from the beginning. And there would have been nothing for her to worry about since she could surely win by manipting the dice rolling.


    <i>¡®She must think that spreading faith is also a kind of profit for her.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Kyung wasn¡¯t wrong. In The Lost World, feelings of belonging and fellowship didn¡¯te from what kind of species established what country, but rather what faith one followed.


    Eventually, Sung-Woon would have to attack the yers in the middle of the continent, but even if he obtained thosergends right now, it would be difficult to manage them. In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, the current borders would remain unchanged at least until the end of the beginning stage of the game.


    <i>¡®The so-called teau stage is approaching.¡¯</i>


    yers had built their own kingdoms, but that was in names only. Not only was their poption insufficient in size, the domestic administrations were disorganized, there were NPC species they had failed to drive out in their territories, and they had to ovee all the random natural disasters that would ur.


    <i>¡®So attacking others will only make things moreplicated.¡¯</i>


    Drawing swords wasn¡¯t the only means of conquest. For example, sending one¡¯s own priest to another country to secretly do missionary work was a standard tactic.


    Even if this merchant organization hadn¡¯t been formed, Sung-Woon would have used a different method anyways. Hwee-Kyung had simply struck off one of the tasks on Sung-Woon¡¯s to-do list.


    <i>¡®Setting things up like this only makes it easier for me.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon slowly began to specte about the attacks and counter attacks the other countries would make.


    ***


    Lakrak grabbed something white and fluttery from his tent and held it up to the sun. This wide thing that was easy to rip was thin enough for sunlight to pass through it.


    Lakrak then asked Zaol, ¡°What did you say this was again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s paper.¡±


    ¡°Paper.¡±


    Zaol exined, ¡°Not long ago, a group of Renard stragglers got lost and were captured by us. One of them was said to be a paper craftsman. And thanks to him, we were able to learn how to make paper.¡±


    ¡°What if we just continued to use silk?¡±


    ¡°Silk is expensive and heavy.¡±


    ¡°What about paper? I do think it¡¯s fairly light, but is it not expensive?¡±


    ¡°To make paper, you need to finely smash, tear, and grind wood to make it into pulp and then put it into water. It needs to be mush.¡±


    Lakrak imagined the process.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Normally, it would take a lot of time to make paper, but¡­¡±


    Zaol slightly wagged the end of her tail. This would be the equivalent to a Human humming. She was in a good mood.


    ¡°We have waterwheels.¡±


    There was arge river in Orazen, the capital of ck Scale, and even just slightly upstream, the river was narrow but deep, ensuring an abundant water flow. Here, the Lizardmen created waterwheels that they had learned to make from Automation. Waterwheels were used in ce of manpower, so it could also rece thebor required to make paper. And ording to the paper craftsman, the Renards didn¡¯t have technology like waterwheels, making the process expensive even though they could make paper.


    ¡°Other than that, it¡¯s easy. You then take the mush out with a fine mesh and dry it. The Renard craftsman did tell me how to make more durable paper in a shorter time, but that¡¯s the overall process.¡±


    Lakrak nodded.


    If paper was made using wood and waterwheels, it would naturally be cheaper than silk. And if the paper could be more widely distributed, the use of writing would be moremon, and trivial records would be made more often. Lakrak was already living in an era of recorded history.


    <i>¡®Nothing will be forgotten.¡¯</i>


    Still, the records weren¡¯t perfect. If paper wore out, someone could copy the writing down on a different piece of paper, but if the original record became fully damaged, there was no way to restore it.


    But first, there was a need to strengthen their national defense against foreign enemies.


    ¡°Zaol, I also have something to show you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    As Lakrak took the paper into the tent, Zaol followed him.


    ¡°...I thought there was nothing to worry about. I thought that with you as my wisepanion, with my warriors following me, and with God looking over me, I would be able to fight and defeat any enemy we encounter.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡±


    Lakrak nodded in agreement.


    ¡°But¡­you, me, my warriors, and even God¡­can¡¯t be everywhere at the same time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong either.¡±


    ¡°If the enemies attack us in two groups again like the battle we just had¡­ Yes. I might just have to run faster. But if there are three, four enemies? What are we going to do then, Zaol?¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s what I think.¡±


    Lakrak found a piece of charcoal and began to draw on the paper.


    Zaol quickly recognized what it was.


    ¡°It¡¯s a map.¡±


    Lakrak nodded.


    He drew a line in the ce that could be called the border. The line crossed through the wilderness, mountains, and rivers. He drew the line with such confidence, indicating that no one and nothing could stop him, the king of ck Scale.


    Zaol raised her head and asked, ¡°What is that?¡±


    Lakrak replied, ¡°It¡¯s the barricade I¡¯m going to build.¡±


    1. The author used monopoly for the first term and bidding for the second, but based on context, it¡¯s not.

 Chapter 65: Fire and Smoke Barricade

    <h4>Chapter 65: Fire and Smoke Barricade</h4>


    ¡°A barricade¡­¡±


    ¡°If we have a barricade, we can dy enemy invasion.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    If a barricade was built throughout the entire border and guards were ced at certain locations, others wouldn¡¯t be able to easily invade ck Scale. However, Zaol couldn¡¯t help but point out the w in Lakrak¡¯s idea.


    ¡°But it will take a long time to build a barricade this long.¡±


    ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take?¡±


    Zaol was in charge of almost everything rted to the construction of Orazen. There were better individual architects, but when it came to nningrge infrastructure, Zaol was the best.


    ¡°If you want the barricade to be worth building, it might have to be as tall as or even taller than Automation¡¯s rampart.¡±


    There hadn¡¯t been any more invasions once Lakrak obtained Automation. The only reason Automation¡¯s barricades had be famous was that in the previous era, there hadn¡¯t been any well-organized armies. Automation¡¯s barricade was five meters tall, but it wouldn''t be difficult for an army to scale it with adder.


    Lakrak nodded in understanding.


    ¡°And it isn¡¯t possible to build the barricade with y like Automation¡¯s rampart. Not only are there more rocks than y in the valley, but if we did use y in the wilderness to build the barricade, the water in the y would freeze in the winter and melt in the summer, making it soft and mushy.¡±


    y was everywhere, so it was good material for building short walls, but it wasn''t the right material for everything.


    ¡°Stones are asmon as y. If we pile up stones first and then support them with y, we should be able to build a barricade taller than Automation¡¯s. Orazen¡¯s house builders have be skillful in selecting the right stones and stacking them upright, so they should be able to show off their skills building the barricade.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°The problem is that quarries aren¡¯t toomon,¡± said Zaol. ¡°There are lots of stones here since we¡¯re surrounded by mountains, but if we go into the wilderness, it¡¯ll take a lot of manpower and time to move stones from the quarries. Even if we put all our men and money into the project, it¡¯ll take at least 100 years.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lakrak nodded slightly. ¡°I thought it would take 200 years.¡±


    Zaol let out a puff of air from her nose, wordlessly asking why Lakrak had even brought up the idea when he knew the reason it wouldn¡¯t be viable.


    ¡°People cannot live 200 years. And Lizardmen can¡¯t even live 100 years.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep teaching me what I already know.¡±


    ¡°Then what? Are you gonna give up?¡±


    ¡°No. It was my initial idea, and I realized there was a problem as you pointed out. So I¡¯ve improved upon it¡­ Do we have more paper?¡±


    Zaol put down a package of paper she had brought to Lakrak as a gift. Lakrak marked the paper and slowly drew while thinking more carefully this time. It was another map, but it portrayed a much smaller area in more detail.


    ¡°While we were passing through the wilderness to attack the Renards, there was a river here that flowed towards the north. Even though it¡¯s the streambed where the currents should be slower, it¡¯s still quite fast. There was a small group of around twenty Gnomes in the area, so I asked them about it, and they said that in the winter, only the surface of the river freezes over, so people can pass by on top, but wagons can¡¯t.¡±


    Zaol listened to what Lakrak was saying with interest. ording to him, parts of the area the line crossed through could be excluded from the construction project.


    ¡°And here. I didn¡¯t know until we arrived, but it¡¯s a swamp. A warrior volunteered to test it out, and it was so deep that he didn¡¯t reach the bottom even though he¡¯d submerged himself until only his snout was above the surface.¡±


    ¡°It would be difficult for not only wagons to get through, but also someone riding Cockatoos.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Zaol tapped on the canine tooth protruding from her lips and said, ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to say. You¡¯re saying that the wilderness itself has a variety of terrains, and they could act as natural barricades. But even if we assume these terrains are equally spaced out, the gap is still wide.¡±


    ¡°How long would it take to build the stone barricade with that taken into consideration?¡±


    ¡°80, no¡­I think it¡¯ll take around 70 years,¡± Zaol said. ¡°In that case¡­you might just be able to make it if that¡¯s all you do for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t just build a barricade for the rest of my life. And that¡¯ll take too long. In the span of 70 years, enemies will have invaded ournd numerous times.¡±


    ¡°Then we should abandon the idea.¡±


    ¡°I have another idea.¡±


    Zaol didn¡¯tugh at Lakrak even though his ns had failed twice.


    ¡°Show me as much as you want.¡±


    Lakrak nodded and drew again. This time, it wasn¡¯t a map.


    ¡°The barricade acts as a way to dy the enemy¡¯s invasion until I and the other warriors get to it. So what if we think in the opposite way?¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°What if instead of dying the enemy, we gather our troops faster?¡±


    ¡°But Cockatoos are fast enough. They¡¯re faster than horses or big Weasels. We can¡¯t make them run faster. Cockatrices are the only ones faster than Cockatoos, but not everyone can ride a Cockatrice like you do.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something faster than Cockatrices, and it¡¯s something everyone knows how to use.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Fire and smoke.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Zaol, who was about to say they couldn¡¯t ride on fire and smoke, suddenly came to a realization and found the idea admirable. Messengers were usually the ones riding a Cockatoo to report enemy sightings, but fire and smoke didn¡¯t require a messenger. They were the message themselves.


    ¡°If enemies are spotted at the end of the border here, the guards would light a fire and cause smoke. And seeing that from a distance, the guard at the next post would also light a fire. If this is repeated, we will know of an enemy¡¯s appearance more quickly than using a Cockatoo or Cockatrice.¡±


    What Lakrak drew looked like five altars made of stone, each of which had a tform where wood could be put on top and burnt. They were beacons.


    ¡°When I stood in the wilderness, the distance between me and the person standing on the horizon was about 4,000 steps. From a higher ground, one can see farther, and it¡¯ll be easier to spot the enemies when they have a dangerous number of soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Why are there five?¡±


    ¡°One of the beacons would always be lit in order to see if the guards are doing their jobs. This would indicate things are peaceful. Two being lit would mean an enemy has been spotted.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°The third beacon would be lit only when the enemy were spotted approaching the border. The fourth would be lit when the enemies have invaded, and the fifth would be lit soon after to indicate that a fight has broken out.¡±


    Lakrak didn¡¯t want to just check for if an enemy was spotted or not. He also wanted the seriousness of the situation to be included in the message. Zaol agreed with this idea.


    The more fires lit on the beacons, the more urgent the situation was, and through that, the number of troops to be sent to the border could be adjusted.


    ¡°With this alone, we would be able to defend ourselves against enemiesing from the wilderness. And the wilderness isn¡¯t an ideal invasion route that enemies would choose in the first ce.¡±


    Zaol agreed.


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no other choice when trying to get to the northern coast, but to get to Orazen, they would take the other way around, thus making the supply line longer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Wagons need toe and go in order to get supplies, but the route would be three or four times longer than going straight by Automation. Even if the enemies are to give up on getting supplies and depend on looting, there aren¡¯t many viges in the area for that, and it would be more difficult to get water when they go farther in.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. In addition to starvation, thirst would also make it more difficult for them to fight properly.¡±


    Then Lakrak replied, ¡°Therefore, whoeveres through the wilderness would only be attempting to catch us off guard like the Renards had done, or they would be aiming to sneak arge number of troops in without us knowing. A barricade built from stones would provide stronger defense¡­but keeping other armies from sneaking in is also great in itself. How long would it take with this method?¡±


    Zaol pointed at the first and second maps and asked, ¡°How long is the distance from here to here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe less than half a day by walking.¡±


    ¡°Then it would be good to have a beacon ced here.¡±


    Zaol took the charcoal and marked down the different locations.


    ¡°There is a side road in the valley of Automation, and if the enemies know about the beacons, they might focus on attacking Automation instead. Is there no other defense?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll build the barricade as nned. But merchants need toe and go, so we can¡¯t just block the road. We can find natural terrain like the valley and reinforce it with a mountain fortress.¡±


    ¡°And put a beacon on the ridge of the fortress?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Zaol counted the dots marked on the map and added the number of fortresses to be built in the valley leading to Automation.


    She thought about what it would be like to look down from God¡¯s perspective at night. The border of ck Scale would be clearly visible from high up in the sky.


    <i>¡®Because the border wouldn¡¯t shine with a barricade of stone, but with a barricade of fire and smoke.¡¯</i>


    The line Lakrak drew with charcoal would also be like a beam of light.


    However, as Zaol was Lakrak¡¯spanion, she needed to ensure that things didn¡¯t go wrong due to Lakrak¡¯s excessive confidence.


    Zaol said in a serious tone, ¡°It will only take a few wagons of stone to build the beacons. I will have to pay attention to how it¡¯s built, but we can ce a warrior there to protect the fire so that there won¡¯t be much trouble in lighting the fire again if it gets put out by rain or wind. However, the problem lies in the fortress. It¡¯ll likely take two, three, or maybe four times longer than the beacons to build. The Humans at Automation could look for natural terrain for us, but even if there are lots of stones, it¡¯ll take a long time to dig up and stack them.¡±


    ¡°Hm. It¡¯s okay if the fortress takes a little longer since Automation is there. We should make the beacons first. How long do you think it¡¯ll all take?¡±


    Zaol replied calmly, ¡°About 5 years.¡±


    ***


    Orazen. Three yearster.


    The royal pce of ck Scale was built on top of a stone tform with high-quality wood from the northern coast.


    To make it cool in the summer, a maru and pirs were built on top of the stone tform, and to block out the cold in the winter, sliding doors would be installed between the columns to create rooms.


    These sliding doors were initially made with wooden boards, but as Zaol figured out paper could be used instead to let sunlight in, all the sliding doors were reced with changho doors.


    But that wasn¡¯t enough to block out the cold. Under the floors of the royal pce was a twisty path starting from the furnace and ending at the chimney. This was an ondol. If the furnace was lit, the warmth would move along the path made of stone and red y, thus heating up the entire building.


    The ondol was originally made as a trial in the royal pce. Then the warriors spending the winter there learned of it, and even those who had already built their homes retrofit their floors to replicate the heating system at the royal pce. Beating the cold was an important matter for the Lizardmen.


    Lakrak sat alone in the grand hall, arge open space where the throne was ced. It was an early winter morning, so even though Zaol had changed all the doors to changho doors, the grand hall was dark. There was only lighting from the torches that the vassals left lit. Fortunately, the air wasn¡¯t cold even though the grand hall was thergest ce in the royal pce. It was all thanks to the ondol, which was the pride of the royal pce.


    There was still a lot of time until the vassals woulde, but Lakrak woke up early for some reason.


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    As Lakrak cleared his throat, his voice echoed in the grand hall.


    ck Scale had been developing without much trouble.


    The Elves in the northern coast had now settled down, the Humans at Automation were making big profits, and on the archipgo in the south, the Astacideas had learned mining techniques from the Lizardmen and started mining.


    But Lakrak was troubled by something. Even though he had established a country, he thought there was a chance he wasn¡¯t qualified to be king.


    <i>¡®Who knew maintaining a country would be harder than starting one?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak believed that he could somehow solve all the problems in front of him, and that was what he had been doing until now. However, problems always arose in ck Scale. And most of them arose in ces far away where Lakrak couldn¡¯t personally visit.


    <i>¡®We need to strictly supervise internal situations as much as we focus on defending against foreign enemies¡­¡¯</i>


    That was the problem. Unifying the Lizardmen and kicking out any other species to create a homogeneous group was a good strategy when first building a country. Everything would be simpler when allies and enemies were clearly defined. But that wasn¡¯t the case after a country was established.


    <i>¡®Other species, excluding the Humans, are afraid of Lizardmen.¡¯</i>


    Not all species could be kicked out from ck Scale. Many of the tribes living in ck Scale weren¡¯t Lizardmen, and they continued to lead their lives hunting, collecting, and farming. Although the sizes of the other species were small inparison to the Lizardmen, the Lizardmen had been collecting their profits as taxes.


    <i>¡®Fear isn¡¯t always advantageous when ruling a country.¡¯</i>


    Many species obeyed and epted that the Lizardmen were above them, but some didn¡¯t believe that. They would refuse to admit their defeat and try to challenge the Lizardmen. Of course, ck Scale had epted and won all the challenges until now. If signs of rebellion emerged, thepetent deputy warriors would gather warriors and defeat the enemies even when they had double or triple the numberspared to the Lizardmen warriors. And Lakrak believed that they would always win under God¡¯s care.


    But if the number of different species continued to dwindle like this, ck Scale would eventually weaken as a nation.


    Be submissive, or fight. Those were the two options. Fear would prevent other species from fitting in. If ck Scale allowed their poption to drop while the other countries increased their poptions, ck Scale would seem like a joke.


    <i>¡®Hm.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak tried to go over the different possibilities. In particr, he thought that rebellions could be less frequent if he got all of the other species to believe in the same god. However, faith couldn''t be developed by force. And it would be even more unlikely for someone to suddenly revere a god that had threatened them for many years. In order to convert others to follow the Blue Insect God, it was necessary for there to be a way to unite everyone¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°Is living together on onend not enough?¡±


    Then a familiar voice suddenly replied to Lakrak¡¯s question.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lakrak looked up to find the source of the voice. There stood a Lizardman.


    ¡°Just because you live on the samend doesn¡¯t mean you live in the same time.¡±


    There had been no sound of the doors opening, and this Lizardman had just appeared from behind a pir. He was missing an arm and had wrinkles and non-shimmering scales, which were the characteristics of a Lizardmen elder. What was particrly interesting about his appearance was that there was a blue glow around the Lizardman¡¯s silhouette.


    Surprised, Lakrak looked at the figure.


    It was a familiar face.


    ¡°Star catcher!¡±


    1. Maru is a ce built above the ground, covered with t boards, so people can walk or sit on them. Commonly found in Korean traditional houses.


    2. Doors originally used in Korean traditional houses. The doors are made by cing paper onto beautifully designed frames. https://images.app.goo.gl/3rYvgypPDouRZXxP9


    3. An underfloor heating system used in Korean traditional houses. Direct heat is transferred from the wood smoke to heat the underside of a thick masonry floor.

 Chapter 66: A Time

    <h4>Chapter 66: A Time</h4>


    ¡°How is this possible? I¡¯m sure you died!¡±


    The star catcher raised his index finger and put it close to his lips. It did mean to be quiet, but it also seemed to mean not to ask about him.


    ¡°Are you telling me to not ask that?¡±


    The star catcher didn¡¯t reply or even nod.


    Lakrak thought to himself, <i>¡®So thest conversation I had with him turns out to be correct. It seems that the Blue Insect God does gather us after we die. If a dead person could talk the same as a living person, the dead and living wouldn¡¯t be distinguishable. So there must be things he can and can¡¯t say. I at least shouldn¡¯t ask the dead how they came back. Because death is a private thing.¡¯</i>


    The dead star catcher hade back. Lakrak didn¡¯t hold any prejudice against him. He decided to think of it as a simple thing. The star catcher had appeared to answer his question, which meant he should continue to talk about the problem.


    Lakrak asked, ¡°What do you mean by living in the same time?¡±


    Without a word, the star catcher pushed the changho door open, revealing a hallway. As the star catcher pushed open another door, the maru appeared. And from that point, another door was pushed open to reveal the outdoors. There were a few perches ced in the garden. The cold wind made the torch light dance and swept through Lakrak¡¯s sleeves.


    Lakrak followed the star catcher outside. It was a starry night.


    The star catcher then said, ¡°How is the night sky?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if you still remember what I told you.¡±


    Lakrak looked at the star catcher withint, wondering why the star catcher was testing him. ¡°I see two yellow stars close to the blue star. At this time of year, those yellow stars would be in the south and slowly move until springes, and they disappear into the northern horizon. We need to always look back at the North Star, which doesn¡¯t move, and estimate the distance between them.¡±


    ¡°You remember well. Then are the stars seen from Orazen the same shape as what one will see from the end of thend, Maganen? Are they the same at the edge of the northern coast? What about past the wilderness, in the Renads¡¯ or the Satyrs¡¯nd? Are they all the same shape?¡±


    Lakrak stared at the sky until he came to a realization.


    ¡°They¡¯re different.¡±


    ¡°How are they different?¡±


    ¡°The stars are in different ces.¡±


    After Lakrak replied, he understood what the star catcher was trying to tell him.


    ¡°The shape of the sky you taught me is not enough,¡± said Lakrak. ¡°When I first met you, I couldn¡¯t find any other vagrant who went to and from suchrgends as you did. But now that I look back on it, you only wandered across the wilderness and the northern part of the penins throughout your life. The skies you had seen are much narrower than the skies I¡¯ve seen until now, and the skies I¡¯ve seen may just be a small partpared to the sky over the eastern continent, and even across the sea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve only lived my lifetime.¡±


    ¡°...But isn¡¯t that enough? Everyone lives through their own times. And you lived your best life too.¡±


    The star catcher shook his head.


    ¡°I am not ashamed of my life. No one is wrong in leading their own lives. But that¡¯s not enough. Especially for you, a king.¡±


    ¡°...Then what?¡±


    ¡°You need to live everyone¡¯s time.¡±


    Lakrak thought about the meaning behind those words. The star catcher wasn¡¯t wrong.


    In the days before Lakrak learned from the star catcher, buffaloes simply read the wind and moved as they wished. Buffalo herding only came to be after the Lizardmen learned how to read the sky and track the time¡ªafter they learned when rain would fall, when grass would grow, whennd would dry up, and when coldness that the buffaloes couldn¡¯t bear woulde. The same was true of something other than buffalo herding.


    It hadn¡¯t been long since crops had be staple food in other countries as well as ck Scale. Without being able to tell time, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to farm. Farmers needed to know in advance when to plow the ground, when to nt seeds, when to water them, when rain would fall, and when the crops would start to grow. Only then could they gather workers, create farming tools, prepare for what was toe, and know when they had to finish all the work. Again, the same was true of something other than farming.


    It remained true for sericulture, woodcutting, and herb gathering. Everyone who ate, dressed, and slept needed to know the time, and looking at the sky was the only way to do it. Miners who were unlikely to see the sky often and carpenters who worked under roofs also had to avoid the rainy season. The same applied to warfare as well. When winter came, the grounds froze and wagons couldn¡¯t be properly pulled, so they would have to stop fighting.


    Then the star catcher said, ¡°Everyone is living different times, so even those on the samend are divided in heart. The king needs to know this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Lakrak knew this wasn¡¯t all just a metaphor. The Lizardmen of ck Scale and the Humans of Automation where Sairan Muel was at had all been practicing teachings of the star catcher. They were all living the same time, so there was less disorder. They knew that the time was right when the stars were in certain spots, and they knew it was time to keep their promises when the sun was in a particr ce in the sky.


    However, the other species living in ck Scale never learned of these things. Promises would go wrong, and misunderstandings would build up. Even when tax collectors went around the viges, oftentime there wouldn¡¯t be a lot of harvest to be collected as taxes. And if the tax collectors went around trying to meet Larkak¡¯s demands by taking away all the crops that were there, the vige would starve, and resistance against the Lizardmen would build up.


    There was even a time when a deputy warrior requested for young male Dwarves in the neighboring vige to work, but on the day they promised to meet, the Dwarves hadn¡¯t gathered. The deputy warrior had assumed that the Dwarves were plotting a rebellion and looted the vige as punishment. However, the Dwarves had simply misunderstood the date. They read the sky in a different way than the Lizardmen.


    Lakrak sighed.


    ¡°This is a difficult matter.¡±


    Lakrak had now figured out the problem, but it was hard to find an answer. Learning something was hard, and teaching was also difficult. It wasn¡¯tmon, even in ck Scale, to find someone who knew how to read the sky and also had the knowledge to show others the ropes. And those who had that knowledge in ck Scale would already have important duties.


    The star catcher then asked, ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s difficult?¡±


    ¡°Because teaching is a difficult thing. Especially because I would have to teach groups who are hostile towards Lizardmen.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why I came?¡±


    ¡°...Hm?¡±


    The star catcher pointed at the sky and said, ¡°Do you see that shining blue star?¡±


    Lakrak nodded.


    ¡°That is you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Carefully connect those stars. It¡¯s you riding a Cockatrice.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember how those stars move? They appear when springes and disappear when winteres. You are a warrior, so you go to sleep when it¡¯s winter.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­then what about that star?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Owen. It¡¯s a wanderer, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°But he hasn¡¯t forgotten about you. When the timees, he will pass by you. Owen would¡¯ve been thinking you were making new stories while he¡¯s gone, so he ising to hear the stories from you. And then he would leave again. To spread those stories.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Is there more?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The star catcher smiled and continued to say, ¡°You won¡¯t know how much your warriors talk about you. I can name those stars one by one after those tales.¡±


    Lakrak looked forward to seeing if the star catcher would really do that, and he listened to what the star catcher said.


    Name after name came out of the star catcher¡¯s mouth, including Lakrak, Zaol, Yur, Owen, Sairan, Hwee-Seo, Hwee-Kyung, the other four siblings, those who had died such as Beauer the tribal chief of the Blue Skin Tribe, Auloi the tribal chief of the Frogmen tribe, Shunen who was Auloi¡¯s son, warrior Oboi, Salkait the chief of the Ears Cut Tribe, Tamaridu the chief of the Centaurs, Kajin the chief of the Ogres, Lubo the Astacidea, Hati the Renard king, and Pav the Satyr king.


    In the star catchers story, Centaurs, Ogres, Elves, and Renards were mentioned, and even the species Lakrak hadn¡¯t fought yet like the Trolls, Nixes, and Kobolds were brought up. Automation, the water wheels of Automation, and Orazen became constetions. So did the great aplishments and processes of ck Scale¡¯s development.


    In addition to all the constetions, the star catcher divided the sky into twelve parts and corresponded them to thirty days. Lakrak knew that if everyone in ck Scale learned the star catcher¡¯s method, they would all be able to live in the same time. Lakrak became so immersed in what the star catcher was saying that he forgot about the cold weather.


    Finally, as the star catcher named thest constetion, he said, ¡°I should leave now.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here long enough. I was greedy. I can feel God calling me.¡±


    Lakrak wanted to grab onto the star catcher, but he couldn¡¯t touch the glowing silhouette of his old friend.


    ¡°I can introduce you to my royal pce.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it. It¡¯s outstanding.¡±


    The star catcher climbed up stairs that Lakrak couldn¡¯t see one step at a time. Lakrak couldn¡¯t follow.


    Lakrak then said from below, ¡°Are you leaving just like that? Aren¡¯t you going to ask how many children I have? You must have lots of questions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the business of a living man.¡±


    ¡°Then how is that world? Can you tell me more?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the business of a dead man.¡±


    ¡°...Is that all you can say?¡±


    The star catcher silently smiled.


    And Lakrak didn¡¯t push further.


    ¡°...Death is a scary thing.¡±


    The star catcher turned around.


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s correct?¡±


    ¡°I mean the living should be afraid of death.¡±


    If those who believed in God weren¡¯t afraid of death, they would just jump into a pit of fire.


    ¡°A dead man cannot change anything. I can only watch. Even if God gives me permission, this is all the hints I can give you.¡±


    ¡°...Oh.¡±


    ¡°Only a living man can change things.¡±


    The star catcher walked up without a nce back. And Lakrak looked at the star catcher and the sky behind him.


    The position of the star seemed a little strange. As Lakrak chased the stars with his eyes and connected them with an imaginary line, he saw a giant looking down at Orazen. The giant outlined by stars quietly reached out and opened their hand so that the floating star catcher could climb onto their palm. Lakrak daringly looked up at the giant¡¯s head. The silhouette was that of a buffalo skull. Their eyes shone blue, and with a sh of light, the giant¡¯s gaze met Lakrak¡¯s.


    Lakrak knew it was the Blue Insect God. He knelt down and bowed.


    ***


    ¡°...rak. King Lakrak.¡±


    Lakrak opened his eyes at the voice calling his name.


    An attendant said, ¡°It¡¯s time for your meeting. All the noblemen have gathered.¡±


    Lakrak rubbed his eyes and checked where he was. He was sitting on his throne. Through the paper of the changho doors, the morning sunlight streamed through, and he could hear birds chirping.


    ¡°Bring me arge sheet of paper and a piece of charcoal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, King Lakrak, but how big of a sheet would you like me to bring?¡± the vassal asked, puzzled by Lakak¡¯s sudden request.


    Meanwhile, the noblemen stared at Lakrak. It seemed that they were curious as to why Lakrak was asking for paper.


    So Lakrak said, ¡°Big enough to draw the sky.¡±


    ***


    The identical Continent Message being sent throughout the whole continent popped up in front of Sung-Woon.


    [The first calendar ¡®Ephemeris¡¯ has been established on the third continent.]


    [Ephemeris has been established by the country ¡®ck Scale¡¯. This calendar has been made based on the moon and the constetions of the night sky. Ephemeris reflects 99.8% of the¡¯s rotation cycle, which is still used in modern civilization. It is currently being used by 3 countries, and is rated as ¡®the best of all¡¯.]


    After the Star Catcher was found, Sung-Woon thought it would be possible to make a calendar early on in the game, but of course, he knew that it couldn¡¯t be made during the star catcher¡¯s lifetime. Sung-Woon knew that through the star catcher¡¯s research in the Afterlife, Lakrak¡¯s story would spread throughout thends and, with it, the star catcher¡¯s existence as the first ancestor would serve as the beginning of a proper Afterlife.


    <i>¡®Though my heart did tremble every time the star catcher said a word because my Faith points would be consumed in lumps.¡¯</i>


    Knowledge of the Afterlife wasn¡¯t for the world of the living. Although not as much as it would take for God to directly get involved in the science or development of civilization, having an ancestor appear in Lakrak¡¯s dream also consumed a lot of Faith points. Since the Afterlife was very much affected by the principle of causality, Sung-Woon had established a set of restrictions so that the star catcher couldn¡¯t say anything that would vite said principle and use up too many Faith points. As a result, the star catcher had only told Lakrak about the calendar as Sung-Woon had intended, so it was a good investment.


    Sung-Woon then said through the video chat, ¡°And I¡¯m d the Renards are using it well too.¡±


    Scowling, Lunda replied, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a lunar calendar based on observation of the moon, but a sr calendar that includes the leap year. I think you would be happier.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I am so d¡­ Is that what you thought I would say? I am deceiving Crampus and Wisdom fine, but because I keep making up what Ick with things from ck Scale, we might as well be a subordinate country to yours.¡±


    Of course this was what Sung-Woon had intended, but he decided not to annoy Lunda further. Sung-Woon had been regrly receiving information from Lunda one-sidedly, but this time, Lunda had unexpectedly contacted Sung-Woon first. Lunda had been coerced into this deal, so there was no way she would have contacted him first to strengthen their friendship.


    Sung-Woon asked, ¡°So? Why did you contact me?¡±


    Lunda¡¯s irritated expression turned into one ofposed seriousness.


    ¡°I think a new force has appeared in the center of the continent.¡±

 Chapter 67: New Force

    <h4>Chapter 67: New Force</h4>


    Sung-Woon asked in wonder, ¡°What do you mean by a new force?¡±


    ¡°Exactly as I said. A new force,¡± replied Lunda.


    ¡°Are you talking about an Abomination?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°Then a fiend?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then is it an event of a magical gue? But isn¡¯t it too early for a wizard to emerge in our continent? And dragons aren¡¯t even worth mentioning. Is it rted to a mythical creature?¡±


    Lunda shook her head.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s only one thing thates to mind.¡±


    Lunda nodded and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s another yer.¡±


    Sung-Woon furrowed his eyebrows under his mask.


    ¡°...A yer?¡±


    Thinking that couldn¡¯t be the case, Sung-Woon added, ¡°If they¡¯re a yer, they are. What do you mean that you <i>think</i> they are a yer?¡±


    ¡°Just as I said. When you meet a new tribe you get the sh of Civilization message, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And if the opponent is a yer, a warning window also appears saying the opponent species has Faith.¡±


    ¡°So? Are you saying that the message didn¡¯t show up with this yer?¡±


    ¡°No. It did.¡±


    ¡°Then it is a yer.¡±


    ¡°...But you also know that¡¯s not possible, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s impossible for a new yer to suddenly appear in the middle of the continent right now. It¡¯s been about 22 years since the game started. A yer didn¡¯t make any moves until now and suddenly appeared?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°But if there was a warning message along with a notification for a sh of Civilization, there¡¯s also a chance they might be a fiend, right?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re definitely not a fiend since a Whisper Conversation can be requested. And they appear in the local yers tab.¡±


    ¡°Are they not answering a request for Whisper Conversation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s blocked.¡±


    Sung-Woon pondered for a moment and replied, ¡°Where is the information from? Did you hear this from someone reliable? Or are you trying to fool me?¡±


    Lunda signed and sent Sung-Woon the information she had about the new yer.


    ¡°You got the information? It¡¯s from AR¡±


    ¡°By AR, you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The yer¡¯s ID is AR1026. They rule over the Nix country called Golden Eye. They currently have a loose alliance with Jang-Wan.¡±


    ¡°Are you the only one who received this information?¡±


    ¡°No. They didn¡¯t only send it to me, but also to Wisdom and Crampus. And it¡¯s very likely that they had also sent it to their ally, Jang-Wan. As you can see, it¡¯s true a new yer hase out of nowhere. They asked me what I thought about it.¡±


    ¡°This is really¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense, does it?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t expected much when Lunda mentioned that a new force had appeared. If abominations grew very big, they would be actual monsters and attack viges, and fiends would rally together vagrant tribes and act as gods. Additionally, other events such as magical gues or appearances of dragons could ur at more advanced stages of civilization and be considered new forces.


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s a new yer.¡¯</i>


    Staying off the grid for 22 years and suddenly starting to make moves was a y like no other in The Lost World.


    <i>¡®In The Lost World, there could be cases where the inte was cut off so yers would participateter on in the game, but is that kind of situation even possible here?¡¯</i>


    And the yer¡¯s existence wasn¡¯t the only unusual thing. Sung-Woon checked the yer¡¯s name in the information he received.


    [°XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik]


    <i>¡®...Are the letters scrambled?¡¯</i>


    There was no way a yer would intentionally choose that kind of username. Even Sung-Woon, who had spent most of his time ying the game since its release, had never seen an ID like this.


    ¡°How do you pronounce it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± replied Lunda.


    ¡°The yer¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it seems that the first Chinese character is pronounced as ¡®jeol¡¯. ¡®Jeol¡¯ means furuncle, and the two words after that arebined to make the name Jeol Woo-Bi.¡±


    ¡°Jeol Woo-Bi.¡±


    <i>¡®Jeol Woo-Bi. It¡¯s unusual, but whatever.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon just thought it could be a yer who seeks unusual usernames, or there might simply be a system error. But the next part was what was strange.


    <i>¡®There shouldn¡¯t be a species like this.¡¯</i>


    What Sung-Woon saw was a video taken from a distance by the yer named AR. AR¡¯s main species was the Nix, a species that looked simr to Elves due to their pointy ears, but with a smaller build and ck skin. If Elves had a noble side to them, Nixes were a little more jolly.


    In the video, two groups of Nixes were fighting each other, so Sung-Woon initially thought it was a civil war. However, AR1026, the one filming the video, moved their fingers around to show the status windows of each group. The first group was disyed as [Nix], but that wasn¡¯t the case for the second group.


    [Species: Nix(Vampire)]


    ***


    ¡°Vampires?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen the species before either, right?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. It¡¯s my first time seeing them.¡±


    Sung-Woon had no choice but to admit it. There had been no Vampires in The Lost World until now. Zombies would be the most simr to them, but Zombies weren¡¯t necessarily considered species, but simply animated corpses. Apart from them, individuals could be controlled by certain magic or Divinity, but they would be considered having been inflicted with abnormal conditions.


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°So what did you all think of them?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t all gathered to talk about it yet, but Crampus said that he thinks it is an extremely rare event that has a low chance of urring, so that¡¯s why he doesn''t know of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen them before either, so there¡¯s a high probability that it isn¡¯t the case. Rather than assuming that in the first ce¡­¡±


    ¡°...What then?¡±


    Sung-Woon had to make an assumption he didn¡¯t like.


    ¡°...Wouldn¡¯t it be something like a DLC?¡±


    ¡°DLC? You¡¯re saying that we¡¯re ying the extension pack?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that could be the case. Strictly speaking, The Lost World we yed in the past isn¡¯t the exact same as the game we¡¯re ying now, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±


    ¡°No, besides this being a real world. For example¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon opened the system window and went to Options. It was only used for managing add-ons and adjusting the sizes of the windows opened, but there were no options rted to graphics.


    ¡°...The Options window is empty because there¡¯s nothing to configure. Other than that, it¡¯s missing one crucial thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t log out.¡±


    Lunda nodded.


    As Sung-Woon said, in addition to graphic controls, there was no log out button on the Options window.


    Then Sung-Woon continued, ¡°Anyways, the fact that the system window is different means that what was here had disappeared, but at the same time that means things that didn¡¯t exist could appear.¡±


    ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    Sung-Woon continued to say while looking at the information shared by AR1026, ¡°They certainly are dangerous. They should have finished preparing by now, right?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you tell me about them because they are dangerous?¡±


    Lunda shook her head.


    ¡°You told me to give you information that I found, so I told you. And I was curious about your opinion since something that didn¡¯t exist suddenly appeared.¡±


    ¡°No. They do seem very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°AR and Jang-Wan are just going to leave them be for now since they don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°What about the rest?¡±


    Lunda shrugged.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it irrelevant anyways? It¡¯s not happening in ournds. Wisdom is doing nothing about it, and Crampus and I have also decided to just see what happens.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    ¡°Invading them with an excuse would be a low-hanging fruit, no?¡± Lunda crossed her arms. ¡°In my opinion, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re a dangerous force. And Jeol Woo-Bi¡¯s Divinity level would at most be 2 or 3.¡±


    Sung-Woon asked, ¡°Does AR know nothing about Vampires either?¡±


    ¡°You saw the shared information, didn¡¯t you? Vampires can infect others like Zombies and turn them into their own species. However, the transformation would at least take a day on the fast side, and a few days for the slower cases. It may lead to an increase in abilities, but I think it¡¯s a random thing.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Sung-Woon knew that the other yers wereparing the Vampires to Zombie epidemics.


    <i>¡®A Zombie epidemic is definitely scary since you would turn into a Zombie within a few hours at the most, or within a few minutes. Compared to that, Vampires can seem like a much weaker version of a Zombie epidemic.¡¯</i>


    However, in Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, there was a decisive difference between the two.


    <i>¡®Zombies are just stupid dead bodies moving, but Vampires aren¡¯t, are they?¡¯</i>


    Since Vampires maintained their intelligence, they could hide things that other yers hadn¡¯t found out about.


    ¡°Did AR find the priest of the Vampires?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. AR didn¡¯t share that much with me.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    <i>¡®So they didn¡¯t find the priest.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon opened another window without Lunda knowing. It was a Memo that contained equations Sung-Woon frequently checked, and among the equations was one to calcte the speed of outbreak and level of risk of a Zombie epidemic. Sung-Woon put different variables into the equation and came to a conclusion of sorts.


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°So you¡¯re just gonna wait and see what happens for now, right?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Because I think you should tell the yer named AR to at least find the Vampire priest. This might just be a special event, but the priest should be identified in order to immediately deal with a problem that may arise. And if the opponent really is a yer, they wouldn¡¯t be able to make aeback if they lose their priest at a low level.¡±


    Lunda looked at Sung-Woon with eyes full of suspicion.


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re hiding something.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t want to say such things to AR.¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯re an enemy?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You seem to keep forgetting that, but at least to others, Crampus and I are a team, Wisdom is in a team by himself, and AR and Jang-Wan are on the same side. Our three factions are at war with one another.¡± replied Lunda.


    ¡°And one has taken a great hit recently.¡±


    Lunda¡¯s right eyebrow twitched, but she managed to contain her anger.


    ¡°You know¡­well. So for that reason, there¡¯s a need to create a bnce,¡± Lunda said.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t intend to force you to tell them. I simply felt a moral obligation to give you the advice.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had the ability to feel such a thing.¡±


    Sung-Woon chuckled. Hisughter rang inside his mask and sounded dreary.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    Lunda found the response strange. She had shared with Sung-Woon all the information from the Renards¡¯ country, Red Fruit. There was no need for Lunda to see Sung-Woon again for a while.


    ***


    On top of a tall mountain at an unknown location.


    Four additional video chat windows were opened up, and each showed one yer. The five video chat windows were all in a circle so they could see each other.


    The only man who had a lion mask over his head said, ¡°Do we really need to receive his help?¡±


    Then a woman wearing a rococo dress and bridal veil replied, ¡°Well, we can¡¯t receive help from Hegemonia, can we?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Hegemonia would send an army with the excuse of helping.¡±


    The devil next to the woman, Crampus, interrupted the conversation.


    ¡°But I think they¡¯re the same kind of people. What do you think, Lunda?¡±


    Lunda, who wasn¡¯t in a video chat window, sat cross-legged and shook her legs carelessly.


    ¡°Well I do think that as well¡­but I do also think it¡¯s better to reach out to Neb than Hegemonia.¡±


    ¡°As long as Lunda thinks so, I agree with her.¡±


    Crampus scratched his chin.


    In the fourth video chat window, a person with a grotesque star-shaped head said, ¡°He epted the call. It¡¯s Neb.¡±


    A fifth video chat window appeared in front of Lunda. It was Sung-Woon.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you guys were looking for me,¡± said Sung-Woon. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was so popr.¡±


    All the other yers looked annoyed at that. They were the ones who had suffered severe damage due to the swarms of locusts, and in particr, Crampus and Lunda were direct victims of war who had suffered losses at Sung-Woon¡¯s hands.


    Wisdom, the one with no facial expression to begin with due to his star-shaped head, said, ¡°Neb, you should already know why we called you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, there¡¯s no guarantee that my assumptions are correct.¡±


    Lunda clenched her fists. Before this meeting, she had told Neb all the information she had, so he was putting on a shameless act.


    <i>¡®Even apart from that, everyone here knows that your reconnaissance agents are all over the central part of the continent!¡¯</i>


    When Lunda was considering breaking her usual image and cursing at Sung-Woon, Wisdom spoke up first. He was a very patient man.


    ¡°You should know that something unusual is happening in the center of the continent.¡±


    ¡°I know a little.¡±


    ¡°Then do you also know that a yer we call Jeol Woo-Bi has appeared with a Vampire species?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And the Vampires, who were seen in only Golden Eye, have spread to all five of ournds, thus bing a great force¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know of that too.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess you know everything that you need to know.¡±


    Wisdom then added, ¡°Neb, would you help us?¡±


    1. Downloadable content. Additional content that yers of a game could download separately for the game.

 Chapter 68: Shaiven the Vampire

    <h4>Chapter 68: Shaiven the Vampire</h4>


    Shaiven, a Nix, believed she had been abandoned by her god.


    The Nix species had a matrilineal society, and Shaiven¡¯s mother was the chief of the Golden Eye tribe. Shaiven had no doubt she would be the next chief after her mother.


    However, a misfortune urred. In the northeast, the Gnoll tribe called Ears Cut had appeared.


    Golden Eye was the dominant tribe in the region, so in ordance with the will of their Unseen Origins God, they fought the Ears Cut Tribe. But despite their efforts, they suffered a crushing defeat. The many casualties included warriors as well as Shaiven¡¯s mother, the tribal chief. Fortunately enough, the Ears Cut Tribe seemed satisfied with their victory and left after only looting the Golden Eye Tribe, so the other Nixes survived, but Shaiven¡¯s misfortune didn¡¯t end there.


    Shaiven should have taken over as the tribal chief, but she had to pay the price for her family¡¯s decision to fight the Ears Cut Tribe, which ended in a crushing defeat. Shavien was kicked out from her homend, and the position of tribal chief went to the new priest that the Unseen Origins God had chosen. Shaiven shuddered in humiliation, insulted her own mother, and bore a grudge towards the Unseen Origins God.


    <i>¡®I will not forget this anger until I die.¡¯</i>


    Shaiven¡¯s rage continued as the Golden Eye Tribe established their country, Golden Eye. It was ruled by a king rather than a chief, and Golden Eye continued to develop as if to mock Shaiven. She fell into despair.


    <i>¡®My rage will eventually be futile.¡¯</i>


    Shaiven decided to end her vagrant life, and at a night where all the stars were obscured by clouds in the deep woods, she cut her wrist. While her consciousness faded, she realized someone was standing near her. The shadow stood in silence, and even though she tried to take a proper look at the figure, she could only see shadow.


    Shaiven suddenly became thirsty and asked, ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry, but do you have water?¡±


    The shadow took out a water pouch and gave it to Shaiven. As soon as Shaiven put the water pouch to his mouth, she felt his mouth and throat being refreshed, and her head became clear. As her thirst was satisfied, however, she suddenly felt hungry.


    ¡°Do you also have anything to eat by any chance?¡±


    The shadow offered his pouch, and inside was freshly baked bread wrapped in arge leaf. The steaming bread softly ripped apart, and as Shaiven put it into her mouth, she felt his stomach filling up. Once both her thirst and hunger were satisfied, she felt tears welling up in her eyes.


    Shaiven scorned herself and asked, ¡°Why am I crying? My desire to die disappeared as my thirst and hunger were sated. I am a coward who doesn¡¯t even have the courage to take my own life.¡±


    The shadow then threw something long to Shaiven¡¯s feet.


    ¡°.....!¡±


    It was a knife. Shaiven tried to resist, but her hand shook and moved towards the knife against her will.


    ¡°...No! I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    Shaiven then realized that there was something strange about the shadow she couldn¡¯t see properly, as well as the water and bread that the shadow had given her. Shaiven threw away the water pouch that was in her left hand, spilling blood all over the ground. She then grasped her right hand with her left and examined the bread. The thing wrapped inside the leaf was rotten meat.


    ¡°Please!¡±


    Shaiven eventually held the knife in her hand. However, the fear that overtook her suddenly disappeared before she knew it, and her inner self was left with only calmness. She couldn¡¯t understand why she had been so terrified. She realized who the shadow was and why the shadow gave her the knife.


    The shadow was the new god Shaiven would serve, and the knife given to her wasn¡¯t simply to help her kill herself, but to make her reborn as a servant of the god.


    Shaiven smiled and raised the knife high.


    ¡°God of Blood and Rotten Meat, I shall do as you wish.¡±


    And in front of the shadow, she stabbed her own heart.


    Shaiven opened her eyes in the dark forest. The blood on her wrist had already dried, but that wasn¡¯t the important matter. She now knew that such a wound wasn¡¯t enough to kill her. Even in the dark forest, she could see clearly without any lights, and her body was filled with energy that she hadn¡¯t had before.


    But there was a problem. She was thirsty. She immediately went to find a stream and drank from it, but the water didn¡¯t quell her thirst.


    She wandered around the forest. When the sun came up, she felt her body burning, so she hid in a nearby cave. In the cave, there was another vagrant. Shaiven drank water from the water pouch that the kind vagrant gave her, but it still didn¡¯t quench her thirst.


    She eventually decided to follow her instincts. She bit the vagrant¡¯s neck and drank the blood gushing out of the arteries until she was full. Only then did she stop feeling thirsty. The blood was what Shaiven¡¯s body had wanted.


    Shaiven realized she had be something other than a Nix. After that, she followed the divine revtion given to her by the God of Blood and Rotten Meat. What she did most often was biting the necks of other vagrants and injecting them with poison through her fangs. When she did so, the vagrants would transform from their original species into the same species as Shaiven. And those who were bit by Shaiven would be mentally submissive to her. She led such a group and created his own force.


    However, she realized that such a force greatly stood out in countries like Golden Eye and Mangul, so she gave an order to her subordinates.


    ¡°Our God wishes for us to expand our species. So all of you, go in separate ways. Hide in other viges and make others our kins.¡±


    Through this, Shaiven was able to gain a few pieces of information. Unfortunately, the second generation she had bitten and transformed weren¡¯t as strong as her, and the third generation were even weaker. The fourth generation even became weaker than they had been before their transformation.


    Their kind had other weaknesses as well. Their flesh burned not only under sunlight, but also when they touched silver. This particr weakness became less effective over generations, but that was meaningless as the fourth generation was so weak.


    Out of those Shaiven had sent away, some came back and provided Shaiven with new information. There was a story of ancient evil circting in the area, and out of the ancient evil, Shaiven¡¯s kind resembled beings called Vampires.


    <i>¡®Does that mean my new god is an ancient evil?¡¯</i>


    But Shaiven knew that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. She didn¡¯t care if an ancient evil had given her powers. As long as she could fulfill her wishes, her will was God¡¯s will, but the opposite was also true.


    By the time a year had passed since Shaiven served the God of Blood and Rotten Meat, she had nted her confidants in five countries¡ªGolden Eye of the Nixes, Asbestos of the Trolls, Mangul of the Kobolds, Red Fruit of the Renards, and Danyum of the Satyrs.


    ***


    Sung-Woon asked, ¡°Why should I help you?¡±


    His question sucked the air out of the meeting of the five yers.


    Lunda thought to herself, <i>¡®You bastard, here we go again.¡¯</i>


    Wisdom¡¯s star-shaped head slowly spinned.


    Then he said, ¡°...Until recently, our food supplies had been unstable because of locusts going after our fertilends throughout the continent. And we already know that you¡¯re the one behind the locust swarm.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why Crampus and Lunda attacked me. And I defended against the attack. Shouldn¡¯t that be the end of it?¡±


    Jang-Wan opened and closed the big mouth on his lion mask and cut into the conversation.


    ¡°Hey you! You just ended the fight without a proper war. Did you ever consider that we¡¯ve let you off the hook easily?¡±


    ¡°Is that what you think?¡± replied Sung-Woon. ¡°Then there¡¯s only one thing I can say.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Come at me if you¡¯re dissatisfied with the result.¡±


    The lion mask Jang-Wan was wearing shook from side to side.


    .


    ¡°Argh! Are you crazy?¡±


    Wisdom reached out to stop Jang-Wan.


    ¡°Jang-Wan, Neb is being cocky on purpose. Don¡¯t get riled up.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s being like that on purpose?¡±


    ¡°If we follow our emotions and don¡¯t ask him for help, our problem may be bigger. If we get lucky, we might be able to chase out Jeol Woo-Bi¡¯s Vampires on our own, but if we¡¯re unlucky, the Vampires may grow into a greater force. If ites to that, we won¡¯t be able to negotiate for help. We would have to beg for it¡­ Isn¡¯t that right, Neb?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°You have a good head. I can just watch as you guys fumble on your own and get destroyed, so why would I help?¡±


    Lunda thought he was right.


    <i>¡®Did he juste to have fun at our expense?¡¯</i>


    Lunda thought that was possible given Sung-Woon¡¯s personality.


    Wisdom made his disagreement known.


    ¡°But if we fall apart, things would be troublesome for you as well, Neb.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There are five of us, and one of Jeol Woo-Bi. Wouldn¡¯t it be more difficult for them to deal with all five of us together than pick us off one by one?¡±


    Sung-Woon looked at Wisdom without saying anything.


    <i>¡®Wisdom. I don¡¯t remember the other user IDs, but I definitely remember his. We yed a few games together. His ranking was¡­around the top 10 for a few months at his peak, I think.¡¯</i>


    If Wisdom was a top 10 ranker, Sung-Woon believed that their ability differences wouldn¡¯t be that big, just like between him and Hegemonia.


    Wisdom wasn¡¯t wrong. In The Lost World, it was easier to deal with a yer that managed several countries than a yer who ran one country of the same size as the several countriesbined.


    <i>¡®And if there are multiple yers, you can cause discord between them.¡¯</i>


    But Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s your opinion. I think it¡¯s easier to deal with one yer.¡±


    They were negotiating, so there was no need to agree on every single thing the other person said. Wisdom and the other four yers would be the ones at a loss without Sung-Woon¡¯s help, not the other way around.


    Wisdom¡¯s spinning head slowed to a halt.


    ¡°So you see no reason to help us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you won¡¯t help us?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± replied Sung-Woon. ¡°There is no good reason for me to help you, and you are my futurepetitors. If I am to help you, I need sufficient rewards in return.¡±


    Lunda facepalmed like she knew Sung-Woon would say that, and Crampus revealed his teeth while furrowing his eyebrows and spitting me. Jang-Wan red through the eyes of the lion mask. AR covered their mouth with a ck fan. And Wisdom¡¯s head started spinning again.


    ¡°...We¡¯ll hear you out first.¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Three ss craftsmen, candle craftsmen, and brick craftsmen each. And twelve wagons of gold.¡±


    There was another ufortable silence.


    Crampus then said, ¡°You bastard, you wanted things to turn out this way, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re not an ally of Jeol Woo-Bi, are you?


    Sung-Woon understood Crampus¡¯s aggressive attitude.


    ss craftsmanship had been invented by AR and Jang-Wan, candles were produced by Wisdom, and Crampus and Lunda were the sole suppliers of bricks; in a way, the techniques were exclusive to those yers.


    And when considering the amount of gold currently in the market, the fortune Sung-Woon had asked for would cause an intion in ck Scale.


    <i>¡®I would bury all of it anyways.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°Like I said before, if you¡¯re dissatisfied¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Neb. I think we¡¯ll need to discuss this among ourselves first. Could you please leave the chat room? We¡¯ll call you again when we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Sung-Woon could clearly see the oue of their discussion. And he was soon allowed back in the video chat again.


    Wisdom said, ¡°We¡¯ll ept your conditions. We¡¯ll give divine revtions to each of our priests and send the craftsmen this evening. But it¡¯ll be difficult to immediately prepare that much gold. Even one wagon full of gold would be difficult to send to ck Scale, so we¡¯ve decided to send them gradually when we can. I ask for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m magnanimous like that.¡±


    Then Wisdom said, ¡°So tell us how we¡¯re going to conquer Jeol Woo-Bi and the Vampires. If you had thought of such specific rewards, you must have some measures in mind, right?¡±


    ¡°...Did I have something in mind? No,¡± Sung-Woon said. ¡°Things have already started.¡±

 Chapter 69: Battle of Wits

    <h4>Chapter 69: Battle of Wits</h4>


    When the existence of Vampires first became known and the attacks started, Shaiven thought she had rushed things too much.


    <i>¡®I still need to expand my influence.¡¯</i>


    Shaiven was clever enough to conquer the three fortresses that were said to be the most difficult to conquer with the first few subordinates she had turned. She did this before the gods noticed and when they didn¡¯t even know about the existence of the Vampires. Shaiven and the other Vampires snuck into the fortresses as vagrant beggars, insignificant servants, or ves who had lost their owners, and they killed whoever were in charge of the fortresses or made them their subordinates.


    Since then, the Vampires had been hiding in the five countries that upied the continent. But Shaiven was still anxious.


    <i>¡®It¡¯ll be dangerous if we¡¯re under a full-scale attack.¡¯</i>


    For the first three months, the Vampires had been increasing their forces quickly, but not enough for them to endure a joint attack of the five countries. Fortunately for Shaiven, the five countries had postponed their attacks. And they did that because the other species didn¡¯t know where the main base of the Vampires was.


    Things would be troublesome if they gathered troops to attack the Vampires and the Vampirester appeared from totally different ces, or if each country¡¯s important bases ended up conquered by the Vampires because they gathered tounch an attack. Therefore, the five countries had been cing some troops at the known Vampire fortresses to prevent the Vampires from attacking, all the while focusing more on sending the remaining troops to raid the groups of Vampires discovered in their territories.


    That was all Wisdom¡¯s idea. The thing he was most worried about was being stabbed in the back. Because of his tendency to avoid risky strategies, he told the others to surround the known Vampire fortresses with troops to defend themselves and had the remaining troops defend their own countries.


    The idea seemed reasonable because Vampires didn¡¯t consume food like normal species and rather lived off of other species. The yers judged that the Vampires would lose vitality if they were kept in their fortresses. They believed that if they deployed their troops across their countries, they would be able to tten the Vampires¡¯ growing curve. And as the number of Vampires decreased, they would be able to take over the Vampire fortresses and kill the hidden priest to resolve the threat once and for all.


    <i>¡®But that ¡®s too cowardly. All it did was buy us some time.¡¯</i>


    Wisdom¡¯s idea was valid because Shaiven had actually hidden Vampire reinforcements in a ce far from their fortresses. Their kind hid themselves by ying the roles of vagrants,munity leaders, and hidden members of aristocracy, following what was very simr to a ndestine cell system.


    Even if a yer checked each individual one by one, it would be meaningless since they wouldn¡¯t be able to find the Vampires faster than their rate of growth. And if Wisdom hadn''t told his idea to the other yers, the Renard country likely would have fallen first with the weakest army.


    <i>¡®But that¡¯s just a matter of time. I will eventually bring victory to the God of Blood and Rotten Meat.¡¯</i>


    Each yer ordered each of their priests to find the Vampires. They had two known weaknesses: the sun and silver. But these weaknesses only caused simple allergic reactions for the third generation Vampires and barely had any effect on the fourth generation Vampires. Shaiven was the only first generation Vampire, and there weren¡¯t many in the second generation, so not a lot of Vampires could be found using the weaknesses. Therefore, it was difficult to week out the existing Vampires.


    Eventually, in the sixth month, Shaiven was able to gather an army of 6,000 strong, which was the number demanded by the God of Blood and Rotten Meat. The Vampires were all scattered at different locations, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to gather them all.


    The Vampires followed a hierarchical system in which they served the generation right above them as their masters. Conversely, this meant that even if Shaiven gave orders to only one second generation Vampire, that second generation Vampire would give orders to ten third generation Vampires, and each third generation Vampire could mobilize ten fourth generation Vampires. So Shaiven could mobilize about 100 Vampires by giving orders to one second generation Vampire.


    Shaiven selected sixpetent second generation Vampires and made them generals, assigning them each 1,000 Vampire soldiers. Out of the six, three generals waited in the rear for her call, and the other three led their Vampires to attack the main troops of the other countries surrounding their fortresses.


    The fourth generation Vampires, whose abilities had decreased after their transformation, made up the majority of the Vampire army. Therefore, even though there were 3,000 of them, they wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat as long as the other five countries joined forces.


    In addition, this army was only made up of young Vampires with strong bodies, and there were some who had never even held a weapon before. On the other hand, the main troops of the five countries were all veterans who had lots of experience due to the frequent battles they had among themselves.


    But the problem was that the five yers had underestimated the seriousness of the situation. At the time, there were about 500 men circling the Vampire fortresses, and they knew that they would have to stop 1,000 Vampires. If the troops came together by giving up two fortresses or at least one, they would have defeated the whole army of 1,000 Vampires. However, the three fortresses were all located in different countries, so giving up on one fortress meant that one of the yers would suffer losses.


    A fierce battle of wits began between the yers, and each had no intention of voluntarily undergoing losses. It was then Sung-Woon saw their situation from afar and wondered if it was time for him to give them some advice.


    <i>¡®But wouldn¡¯t they ask for my help only after they undergo some damage?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon stayed silent, and Shaiven drove out the troops that surrounded the three fortresses before recing the tired Vampire soldiers.


    At the same time, Shaiven epted the will of the God of Blood and Rotten Meat to raise armies of 1,000 Vampires each inside the country of the Trolls, Asbestos, and the country of the Renards, Red Fruit. Then she ordered her army of 3,000 Vampires and her army of 1,000 Vampires to attack the capital of Golden Eye, the Nix country, which she still held a grudge against. But it wasn¡¯t an easy task.


    There were 4,000 Vampires and only 1,300 soldiers in the Golden Eye army. But Golden Eye¡¯s king had received God¡¯s power, which greatly hindered the Vampires¡¯ attack. And it was difficult to defeat therge guardian monster that guarded Golden Eye.


    Hundreds of Vampire soldiers died by God¡¯s power, which they had only heard rumors about. If Shaiven hadn¡¯t yed any tricks, all 4,000 Vampires would have been defeated. And fortunately, the God of Blood and Rotten Meat did not abandon Shaiven.


    Just like the Invisible Source God dwelled in the king of Golden Eye, the God of Blood and Rotten Meat dwelled in Robain, one of the Vampire generals. Robain killed the king of Golden Eye with God¡¯s power, which took a great toll on Golden Eye¡¯srge guardian. The wounded guardian died to the attacks of the Vampire soldiers, and like that, Golden Eye lost its capital. And as a result, AR1026¡¯s level, the yer controlling the Nix, dropped to 4.


    .


    Shaiven ordered her subordinates to increase their number of soldiers and had the strong Nixes join her army.


    Golden Eye didn¡¯t surrender, but their main force of 1,300 soldiers had been defeated, and only around 200 soldiers were left across the provinces.


    Unfortunately for the Vampires, they weren¡¯t always victorious. The 1,000 Vampire soldiers attacking Asbestos had done some damage, but they were wiped out by the Trolls. The Trolls stalled the enemy with only 400 soldiers and defended their capital with the help of Danyum, the Satyr country. However, Golden Eye had overall suffered severe losses, and Asbestos, Red Fruit, and Danyum lost a substantial amount of troops.


    On the contrary, the Vampires still had 4,000 soldiers. Shaiven then titled herself the Bloodsucking Queen and established her own country, White Tooth. After nine months, White Tooth emerged as a formidable conqueror of the continent under the rule of the Bloodsucking Queen, Shaiven. Shaiven then presented the future to the second, third, and fourth generation Vampires, who were his subordinates.


    ¡°We have suffered and wandered around without a ce to call home. We will take revenge on our fellow species that abandoned us. And at the end, we will take revenge on the gods that abandoned us. We will create a new world on thisnd.¡±


    Shaiven¡¯s generals, the majority of the second generation Vampires, had been vagrants like Shaiven, so they understood where Shaiven wasing from and agreed with her.


    Shaiven clearly defined the borders with the neighboring countries to cement her position, and at the same time, she divided her troops into armies of 1,000 soldiers each and sent them to pressure the neighboring countries. There was a chance that dividing the troops would be a bad idea, but White Tooth was right in the center of the continent and bordered all five other countries, and even if the countries mobilized their troops, most of them didn¡¯t have 1,000 soldiers.


    Just as Shaiven had expected, the other yers didn¡¯t want to face the Vampire soldiers even when they had divided their force into an army of 1,000 soldiers each. With irresistible force, White Tooth expanded their borders.


    Wisdom and the other yers decided to ask Sung-Woon for help. It was a bitte, but they hadn¡¯t beenpletely defeated yet. There was no way for Shavien to know of the discussion between the yers, but somehow, she felt a discrepancy of sorts.


    Ten months had passed since Shaiven became a Vampire. She had been exchanging reports with each general, but soon, the four troops stopped reporting to her at a certain point. Each general had been making their own excuses, but to Shaiven, she doubted their validity.


    <i>¡®...Why aren¡¯t the generals acting on this?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Sung-Woon said to the five yers, ¡°There are three weaknesses to Vampires.¡±


    Crampus expressed his doubt and asked, ¡°...Three? Not two?¡±


    ¡°Well, tell me the two first so that I can confirm you at least know that much.¡±


    ¡°...Everyone knows. It¡¯s sunlight and silver.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    Then Crampus raised his hand and said, ¡°Wait, hold on. I think I know the other weakness.¡±


    ¡°What do you think it is?¡±


    ¡°...The fact that they be weaker over generations?¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s both an advantage and a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s true.¡±


    The yers had been dividing the Vampires into upper, middle, and lower sses. The upper ss Vampires had excellent physical abilities, but were greatly affected by sunlight and silver, while the lower ss Vampires had poor physical abilities, but weren¡¯t affected by sunlight and silver too much. The upper, middle, and lower ss Vampires were divided into those who bit and those who got bit, so it would seem natural that the first generation Vampire would be the strongest.


    A few of the yers had thought that one of the Vampire generals they already discovered was the first Vampire, but in Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, he didn¡¯t think the first Vampire had revealed themselves yet.


    Then Wisdom said, ¡°Neb. If you aren¡¯t making fun of us, I don¡¯t think there''s a need to y games.¡±


    ¡°I apologize if I offended you.¡±


    ¡°...Sure you would. Why apologize now.¡±


    Wisdom ignored Crampus¡¯s mutter and said, ¡°So, what do you mean by things have already started? I mean, I don¡¯t doubt you can hide your activities since it''s you, but¡­I haven¡¯t seen much movement from ck Scale through my reconnaissance resources.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ve started something. I¡¯m talking about White Tooth.¡±


    ¡°Neb, you aren¡¯t the Vampire yer though.¡±


    Sung-Woon shrugged.


    ¡°Vampires themselves have a weakness. And I think I¡¯m the only one who recognized that third weakness.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s first look at the situation of the White Tooth army in recent days.¡±


    Sung-Woon opened up the window he had prepared. On the maps arranged by the date, the location of the White Tooth army was marked down.


    ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    Lunda said, ¡°Unless there¡¯s something wrong with my eyes¡­they all look like the same map.¡±


    ¡°And what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°That they haven¡¯t moved?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s their weakness? But couldn¡¯t they have just stopped for recuperation and resupply?¡±


    ¡°All four troops at once?¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    He yed around with the window he had opened. Sung-Woon¡¯s video chat window became dozens of timesrger, revealing the deste view of an unknown mountain range he was standing on. And after that, he opened up dozens of other windows.


    ¡°As you can see, each window shows the routes the White Tooth army has taken. There weren¡¯t many asions where the army stopped for recuperation because they couldn''t supply food or replenish their troops as they wished. They only stop every once in a while when they loot a vige. And the four troops had made a pit stop to get food supplies recently, but they haven¡¯t moved since.¡±


    Then Crampus said, ¡°Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a reason that we don¡¯t know of? You can¡¯t guarantee that they stopped necessarily because of the reason you specte.¡±


    ¡°That may be true, but to me, I think there¡¯s a corrtion.¡±


    Wisdom asked, ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. You treated the Vampires like Zombies at first, right? Your strategy would have been good enough for a Zombie epidemic, but there¡¯s a decisive difference between Vampires and Zombies.¡±


    Sung-Woon tapped on his mask.


    ¡°They have intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Zombies are beings who follow orders, so there¡¯s no difference between each individual. Vampires are different. They are from different species, and there¡¯s also a difference in their sses. Most of them were even forced to be Vampires. It seems that the lower ss Vampires obey the middle ss ones, and the middle ss Vampires obey the upper ss ones, but less sopared to the lower ss Vampires. What do you think that means?¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°I see¡±


    As Wisdom was the only one who understood, Lunda asked, ¡°What do you mean? What do you see?¡±


    ¡°Theyck the motivation.¡±


    ¡°Motivation?¡±


    ¡°Neb, may I exin?¡±


    ¡°Be my guest.¡±


    Wisdom said to the four other yers, ¡°The Vampires¡¯ solidarity is solely rooted in embedded obedience. And that worked until now. They became Vampires, so they had to hurt others to survive at first. But now, White Tooth has be a big country. Even if they don¡¯t hurt others, their survival is guaranteed. Therefore, they no longer have a reason to fight. All that is left is their instinct to obey. And that means that some of the Vampire generals have¡­¡±


    Wisdom seemed to be choosing the right word to use. Then he nodded.


    ¡°...Suffered a loss. Yes. The Vampire generals wouldn¡¯t want to lose more of their subordinates. Our army has suffered some damage, but we still have Divinity. We can still deal with an army of 1,000 men. And the generals know it. They¡¯re thus waiting for another general to act first.¡±


    Sung-Woon then added, ¡°It never urred to them when they were hungry, but now that they¡¯re full, they start thinking about different things. The battle of wits has begun.¡±

 Chapter 70: The Way to Receive Attention

    <h4>Chapter 70: The Way to Receive Attention</h4>


    Shaiven, the queen of the Vampire country, White Tooth.


    One of Shaiven¡¯s generals, Juenler, used to be a Troll. But now he was a Vampire. Juenler remembered the moment he became a Vampire. At the time, very had been prevalent in Golden Eye, the country of the Nixes. And the ves came from the enemy countries, such as the Renards¡¯ country, Red Fruit, the Satyrs¡¯ country, Danyum, and the Trolls¡¯ country, Asbestos. Juenler had lived a normal life in his vige until they got attacked and captured by the Nixes, and he was taken away as ves.


    At first, he did everything he could to regain his lost freedom. However, he had been sold somewhere far in Golden Eye, where the higher ss Nixes lived, so it was hard to regain his freedom. Those who had been sold with him were killed as they plotted a rebellion, so he gave up on everything and lived as a ve. He certainly thought there would be no more change in his life going forward.


    It had been the inception stage of civilization, and his life was simple. Juenler would have to walk for more than a month to get back to where he used to live, but since he didn¡¯t know the exact location, he believed he wouldn¡¯t be able to ever return.


    Very few people had horses or other animals to ride on, and even fewer could draw maps. Juenler had already gone through a big change in life after bing a ve, so he thought he wouldn¡¯t go through something like that again. But Juenler was wrong.


    Although civilization wasn¡¯t fully developed, it was surely in the process of developing. Juenler had been working as a servant for a noble Nix, who was one of the warriors involved in establishing Golden Eye and thus had high status. The noble Nix was bad-tempered and treated all non-Nix species harshly.


    Juenler forgot about the Intertwined God who hadn¡¯t saved them even when they were being attacked by the Nixes. At one point in time, Juenler came to believe in the Nixes¡¯ god, the Unseen Origins God, and prayed for freedom. But because nothing changed, he stopped believing in any god. However, one day, the existence of the God of Blood and Rotten Meat became known, and a rumor that the god¡¯s proxy was going around attacking and killing the nobles had spread. Upon hearing the rumor, Juenler made up his mind.


    <i>¡®I decided not to believe in gods anymore, so I won¡¯t put my faith in the new god, the God of Blood and Rotten Meat. Because no god answers prayers. But¡­if that god helps me first¡­I will devote my life to them.¡¯</i>


    He didn¡¯t expect much since greater expectations led to greater disappointments. However, when all themotion outside woke Juenler from his sleep in the corner of the stable, the only ce where he could rest for a bit, he saw a Nix woman standing at the open stable door. She was dragging the dead body of the Nix noble with one hand, and the blood gushing out from the neck of the dead body drenched her all over. At the smell of blood, the thought that she was the apostle of the God of Blood and Rotten Meat came to Juenler.


    As Juenler rambled a yer to the God of Blood and Rotten Meat, the Nix approached him.


    ¡°Who are you to seek the God of Blood and Rotten Meat?¡±


    ¡°I am a servant of that Nix nobleman.¡±


    ¡°Then are you praying because you¡¯re sad about this Nix nobleman?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Juenler shook his head.


    ¡°I was happy about the death of that Nix nobleman and praised the God of Blood and Rotten Meat.¡±


    The Nix drenched in blood then said, ¡°...Alright. You deserve to receive the power of the God of Blood and Rotten Meat.¡±


    Then the Nix held Juneler and bit his neck. The Nix¡¯s name was Shaiven, and Juenler then followed Shaiven around the continent and helped expand the Vampires. He was with Shaiven when they attacked the three fortresses at different locations, and he waster chosen as a general and assigned 4,000 soldiers to attack the capital of the Nix¡¯s country.


    When attacking the capital, he was honored to have God enter his body. And so, Juenler became Shaivan¡¯s most trusted general.


    Shaivan had divided the 4,000 soldiers at the moment; 2,000 soldiers headed north and south to conquer the other five countries and make them obey the Vampires, and the other 2,000 soldiers headed east and west beyond the borders of the five countries in order to attack the Lizardman country, ck Scale, and the Gnolls¡¯ country, Joint. Among the troops, Juenler was in charge of leading the group attacking ck Scale, White Tooth¡¯s next target.


    However, in Juenler¡¯s perspective, the other general¡¯s seemed to be acting strange. Whenever the Vampire army looted viges during their regr supply run, a messenger woulde. The information that Juenler received would cover the current status of each troop, and this time, he was informed that the three other troops were barely moving forward.


    Shaiven had certainly urged the troops to move along, and the generals had said that they were trying their best while making excuses, such as the enemy¡¯s movements were unusual, the soldiers were too fatigued, and that they were wondering if they should go around the terrain.


    And so Juenler was also forced to stop his troops. If they didn¡¯t move forward at the same time, the overall pressure they would inflict on their enemies would lessen, and if they pushed too far, the enemies couldunch a joint attack.


    <i>¡®We need to take control of all the other countries on the continent when we have a higher chance of victory. What are the other generals doing?¡¯</i>


    Juenler stayed put at the vige they had finished looting for a while.


    It was the middle of the day. The second generation Vampires, known as the upper ss Vampires by the yers, were greatly affected by sunlight and silver, so they slept where the sun wouldn¡¯t reach them. However, Juenler had been unable to fall asleep due to the concerns he had about advancing forward. So when the door opened, he immediately reacted.


    ¡°...Who is it? Is it Sang-Hwan?¡±


    Juenler called out to his adjutant, who used to be a Human, but there was no answer. Their silence ended up saving Juenler. A ray of sunlight hit Juenler as the door cracked open. Fortunately enough, he only got a slight burn on the back of his hand, and he quickly avoided the sunlight. Then he pulled out the knife under his pillow and threw it at the source of sunlight.


    The ray of sunlight disappeared. The knife had pierced through the heart of a Satyr woman and killed her. Juenler saw what had fallen at the Satyr¡¯s feet and realized where the beam of sunlight hade from.


    ¡°...A mirror?¡±


    It was a bronze mirror that had been thoroughly polished. Then Sang-Hwan, who covered his whole body with a cloth, btedly arrived. Sang-Hwan then prostrated himself before Juenler.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, general. One of the food supplies ran away, and I disturbed your sleep, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I hadn¡¯t fallen asleep anyways.¡±


    ¡°Are you having difficulty sleeping?¡±


    Sang-Hwan ordered the soldiers outside to clean up the dead body and entered the room. The rtionship between the two was that of a general and an adjutant, but they also had deep conversations with each other.


    Juenler then said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the other generals are thinking.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would be concerned about that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What if the other generals are plotting a rebellion with their troops¡­¡±


    Sang-Hwan shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You¡¯re aware, aren¡¯t you? How they feel about the one who bit and infected them.¡±


    ¡°That is right, but¡­is there any other reason you can think of?¡±


    As Juenler asked the question, some fourth generation Vampires came to remove the dead Satyr at the door and left.


    Sang-Hwan watched them go and said, ¡°...Not everyone follows the will of the God of Blood and Rotten Meat.¡±


    ¡°I know that. That Satyr woman probably believed in the Life Proving God.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°What did you mean then?¡±


    Sang-Hwan seemed hesitant to speak his mind. With difficulty, he said, ¡°There are those among the Vampires who don¡¯t believe in the God of Blood and Rotten Meat.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Juenler never imagined that could be possible, so he was bewildered.


    ¡°How¡­do such people exist? We know that the gods live while deceiving us. And there are even some who have been abandoned by their god once. Only the God of Blood and Rotten Meat has cared for us, yet there are people who don¡¯t believe in God even after they became Vampires?¡±


    ¡°...Yes,¡± Sang-Hwan said, ¡°But not every Vampire was turned willingly.¡±


    ¡°...What the¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Bloodsucking Queen carefully chose you, the other generals, and the ones who were first to receive the bite. She probably only chose those who would follow the God of Blood and Rotten Meat. However, the generals and others who were the first to be turned probably weren¡¯t as careful as the Bloodsucking Queen. And the second generation Vampires would have been less careful than them. Not everyone has the same experience as you.¡±


    That, however, didn¡¯t convince Juer.


    Juenler sprang to his feet and said with angry eyes, ¡°Then we should hurry and find those who don¡¯t believe in God. Since they would be the ones preventing the troops from moving forward. We should hurriedly send a messenger to the Bloodsucking Queen as well, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Take it easy, general.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They might not necessarily be the problem.¡±


    ¡°Then are you saying that there are also Vampires like them among the generals?¡±


    Sang-Hwan nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way of knowing if it¡¯s all three of them, or only a couple or one. However, some generals might sympathize with the soldiers and think that there¡¯s no longer a need to advance forward.¡±


    ¡°But you would know since you¡¯re a Vampire too. We love¡­the ones who bit us.¡±


    Sang-Hwan nodded. The one who had left the scar that would forever stay on his neck was Juenler.


    ¡°But general, you can¡¯t just obey everything the one you love says.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Everyone had been abiding by the Bloodsucking Queen¡¯s orders in order to live. After all, they had be Vampires and thus everyone¡¯s enemies. Now that White Tooth has been established, however, they are likely picturing the new world toe.¡±


    ¡°New world?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Have you never imagined a continent ruled by White Tooth? By that time, you would have topete against the other Vampire generals to rule over betternd, and in order to win that battle, it is obvious that you would need more soldiers than the others. And that is why the generals are making excuses to the Bloodsucking Queen to exin why they haven¡¯t been advancing and why their soldiers are dawdling.¡±


    Juenler wanted to argue against that, but he had to admit that Sang-Hwan was right. The problems weren¡¯t the other generals.. He had been too stupid.


    ¡°Is that so? Everything makes sense now after listening to what you said. I won¡¯t punish you for insulting the other generals.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Instead¡­¡± Juenler said, ¡°...let the whole troop know that when the sun sets, we will start advancing forward. I will show the Bloodsucking Queen that they aren¡¯t the only kinds of generals there are.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I get that the Vampires have a weakness,¡± Crampus said to Sung-Woon. ¡°But how would we use that weakness? Despite their weakness, we just found out that they only stopped advancing in a moment of confusion. Wouldn¡¯t they start moving at some point?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. One of the troops will move soon. It seemed that they had stopped marching when they noticed all the other troops halting their march. When I went over the history of the generals, one of them seemed particrly obedient.¡±


    Crampus then asked, ¡°They¡¯re going to move again? Then that weakness is for sure useless¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    This time, Wisdom replied in Sung-Woon¡¯s stead.


    Wisdom then said, ¡°Knowing the behavior of the Vampires allowed us to predict their next move. For example, through a Miracle, we could control the Vampire generals and make them move to a certain location we want, or we can make them stop again. And we can buy some time by providing the generals with excuses. If we dy the supplies of the Vampires that way, that would be enough to destroy their army. They would be each general¡¯s soldiers rather than one united army.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for exining for me, star head.¡±


    At Sung-Woon¡¯s words, Wisdom replied with a slightly angry tone, ¡°This isn¡¯t a star.¡±


    ¡°What is it then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the biggest dodecahedron out of the Kepler-Poinsot polyhedra.¡±


    Sung-Woon was silent for a moment. ¡°...Um. Sorry. I¡¯ll be more careful next time.¡±


    He decided not to ever say anything about Wisdom¡¯s head in the future.


    Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°It¡¯s as Wisdom said. If we continue to drive a wedge between them, each general and their subordinate middle ss Vampires may take the lower ss Vampires following them somewhere else. They would think they are safe as long as they stay inside White Tooth since they wouldn¡¯t run into any enemy armies¡­ But we won¡¯t use that strategy.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°It takes too long. The scattered Vampires would continue to loot the many viges of your species in thend of White Tooth, and the damage will be severe even if you are to recover thendter.¡±


    Wisdom nodded his dodecahedron.


    ¡°Then what method are we going for?¡±


    ¡°I think the opposite will be better.¡±


    ¡°The opposite?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll gather them together again.¡±


    With his lion mask, Jang-Wan tilted his head.


    ¡°Gather them together? I¡¯m curious about the reason, but I¡¯m more curious about how.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. They¡¯re confident that they could face all of us here. They would be looking everywhere without a particr order, so we can make them focus on me.¡±


    ¡°Focus?¡±


    Sung-Woon balled his hand into a fist and raised it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give them a hard flick on the forehead.¡±


    ***


    ¡°General! Wake up!¡±


    ¡°...What is it? It still seems early.¡±


    Juenler, who had fallen asleep after ordering Sang-Hwan to gather the soldiers, woke up rubbing his eyes.


    Then Sang-Hwan replied, ¡°It¡¯s the enemy troops!¡±


    ¡°Enemy troops? Who? No, we¡¯re within Danyum¡¯s borders, so it must be the Satyrs.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not? Then who?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Lizardmen of ck Scale. And they are very close by.¡±


    From far away, the Lizardmen army carefully approached White Tooth¡¯s Vampire army while the sun was still up. Although the Vampires could see during daytime, the guards were somewhat sleepy since their circadian rhythm was that of a night owl. And by the time the Vampires noticed the Lizardmen, ck Scale¡¯s army had gotten quite close.


    As the Vampires made a fuss in the vige, Yur, who had been hiding in the bushes, said to the warrior next to him, ¡°Have you heard of Tatar?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Of course.¡±


    Tatar was the warrior who defeated ten Trolls by himself. Now it was known that he had been doing greater work on the southern archipgo under Larkak¡¯s orders.


    Yur smiled and said, ¡°I always work hard, but there are many warriors who do great things. Much more than a couple of them. And I don¡¯t get as many opportunities. I¡¯m gonna rise above Tatar¡¯s reputation since there are some Trolls among them.¡±


    The warriorughed at Yur¡¯s remark because he thought it was ridiculous.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you the head of the generals and the best warrior already? You don¡¯t need all the titles.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Speaking like a real amateur. Do you know what it takes to be the best warrior?¡±


    ¡°Hm. I don¡¯t.¡±


    Yurughed and said, ¡°You need to be greedy.¡±


    ***


    Unfortunately, Yur failed to fulfill his greed.


    The Lizardmen warriors heard what Yur said, and they all killed as many Trolls as they could, iming that they wanted to build the same reputation as Tatar. Yur was robbed of all the Trolls he had targeted. And in the end, Yur had only killed nine Trolls.


    Yur raised thest Troll he killed, general Juener, and grumbled to the warriors, ¡°This is the leader. Doesn¡¯t this count as two heads?¡±


    The warriors passing byughed.


    ¡°How could it be counted as two when there¡¯s only one head?¡±


    ¡°Captain! It¡¯s still one Vampire. Give up.¡±


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    News of the great victory of the Lizardmen army spread throughout the continent. And of course, it also reached Shaiven.

 Chapter 71: Using Salvation as Bait

    <h4>Chapter 71: Using Salvation as Bait</h4>


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Shaiven couldn¡¯t believe her ears as she was being briefed.


    The messenger then said, ¡°General Juenler has died, and around 400 Vampires were killed in war.¡±


    The fact that 400 out of 1,000 Vampires had died meant that they had fought hard until the end, so Shaiven couldn¡¯t get too angry at them. The enemy had simply been too strong.


    ¡°The enemy was ck Scale?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How many soldiers did they bring¡­¡±


    ¡°There were 300 of them.¡±


    ¡°300!¡±


    ¡°They were all Cockatoo warriors. General Juenler¡¯s troops were ambushed where they were stationed, and the vige wasn¡¯t the best foothold for defense¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Shaiven mmed her fist onto the desk.


    Cockatoos were as big as horses, but they had the ability to freely swivel to both sides. It was easy for them to fight even in the narrow streets of the vige. Additionally, 300 soldiers could easily be divided and quickly invade the vige.


    It was Juenler¡¯s fault that he had failed to defend against the ambush, but he could no longer bear the brunt of the me since he was dead. That meant that Shaiven would have to take the me. She should have kept the possibility of an ambush in mind.


    <i>¡®In order to quickly attack Juenler¡¯s troops with cavalry, the Lizardmen would have had to reduce their provisions. So they would have procured supplies locally. ck Scale and Danyum¡­ No, did all the other countries form an alliance?¡¯</i>


    Shavien had of course been thinking of attacking ck Scale and Joint, the Gnolls¡¯ country. But only she and a few generals knew about it, so she didn¡¯t think her n had been leaked. ck Scale and the other five countries were enemies in the first ce. Shaiven didn¡¯t think there was any reason for ck Scale to help the others.


    <i>¡®Was the king of ck Scale afraid of a big country forming?¡¯</i>


    Shaiven informed the other three generals about the appearance of the ck Scale¡¯s cavalry. Then she told them to be thoroughly prepared to defend themselves. Since the troops were far apart, though, she didn¡¯t think they would encounter ck Scale¡¯s cavalry.


    However, there was another problem. Overtime, about 100 soldiers that had been a part of Juenler¡¯s troop had broken away from the rest of the troop, and around 500 of them had returned to where Shaiven was alive.


    The reports from these soldiers were absurd. Rather than chasing away the enemy troops, the Cockatoo warriors of ck Scale had been iming thends that White Tooth had taken control of. At a nce, it was a move that Shaiven couldn¡¯t understand.


    Mobilizingrge troops would be a burden on the country, so they had to move with a clear goal in mind. And even if they reimed thend, it would be returned to the Satyr country, Danyum, rather than be ck Scale¡¯s territory.


    Only after Shaiven sent a scouting party did she realize what was going on.


    <i>¡®Those Lizardmen are receiving almost an unlimited amount of supplies. I knew that the Lizardmen of ck Scale enjoyed fighting, but I didn¡¯t know they would fight like that for another country as well.¡¯</i>


    Even though there were only 300 of them, the speed at which they reimednds was nothing to sneeze at.


    The Vampire soldiers were chosen out of the young people from the other countries, so their numbers were limited. The viges with only a small number of soldiers thus couldn¡¯t help but surrender to ck Scale. There was nothing to be done about that.


    In the meantime, it would have been good if the other three generals had continued to advance forward, but even they were being sluggish.


    Now Shaiven had to make a choice.


    <i>¡®Should I reorganize the 400 survivors of the defeated troop and have them face the 300 Lizardmen, or should I call on the rest of the 3,000 soldiers and attack ck Scale with 3,400 men?¡¯</i>


    The first option didn¡¯t seem advantageous to them.


    <i>¡®The God of Blood and Rotten Meat will surely help me. And even if they were all elite soldiers, we would still win. But the enemy is all cavalry. It¡¯s up to the enemy if they want to fight or not.¡¯</i>


    Thetter choice wasn¡¯t such an attractive option either.


    <i>¡®Of course 3,400 is enough to attack ck Scale. And if we attack ck Scale, we would be able to replenish our army with new soldiers. But if we don¡¯t properly finish things right now when the other five countries are discouraged, another problem may arise.¡¯</i>


    As expected, the God of Blood and Rotten Meat ended up making the decision for Shaiven. Shaiven received a divine revtion to head east in her dream. And Shaiven, who woke up when the sun began to set, called her adjutant in.


    ¡°Summon all the generals and soldiers. We willunch an attack against ck Scale now.¡±


    .


    ***


    Wisdom said, ¡°If we bring the enemy together, are we gonna do a joint attack?¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°...That would be good, but would we have enough soldiers?¡±


    Everyone was taken aback by Sung-Woon¡¯s question. And AR, the god of the Nixes, was most surprised. It could be said that not only the main force, but also the capital of the Nixes had suffered a crushing defeat. And although she had still been hiding the fact, the god of the Renards, Lunda, wasn¡¯t in the greatest situation either due to the loss she had suffered at the hand of Sung-Woon and the Vampires. The Satyr god, Crampus, and the Troll god, Wisdom, could produce enough soldiers to assemble an army, but they could only contribute 500 and 300 soldiers respectively.


    The only one who had barely been affected was the Kobold god, Jang-Wan.


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°My troops can participate in the battle.¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re too far away.¡±


    Rtive to ck Scale, Joint, the Gnoll country, was on the opposite end of the continent, while Mangul, the Kobold capital, was the second farthest.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t make it in time anyways¡­ Wisdom and Crampus would be the only ones who could actually help in a joint attack.¡±


    At those words, Wisdom calmly voiced his assent, and Crampus nodded with his eyebrows furrowed to show his reluctance.


    ¡°The Vampires will likely go after the fortresses near Automation rather than marching across the wilderness.¡±


    If the Vampires went through the wilderness, it would be difficult for them to avoid the sunlight in the middle of the day, and most importantly, there would be no people to feed blood off of. And so, it could be assumed that the Vampires would go through the mountain range where viges scattered along, where there would be shadows to shield them from the sunlight.


    ¡°It would be best to chase away the Vampire army with my cavalry of 300 Lizardmen, along with Wisdom and Crampus, all the while keeping our distances from each other. If they notice we¡¯reunching a joint attack, they¡¯ll take out the ones closest to them provided they¡¯re smart enough.¡±


    Wisdom then asked, ¡°But if we¡¯re too far away from each other, how are we going to capitalize on a joint attack? White Tooth¡¯s rear scouting party sometimes falls as far back as two days¡¯ travel away. With that distance, ck Scale would have to defend against the first attack alone.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we won¡¯t be able to defend ourselves?¡±


    Sung-Woon was confident because he had reliable backup.


    Wisdom shrugged and said, ¡°As long as you think you can do it.¡±


    ¡°And it doesn¡¯t matter if the joint attack takes ce on nd since some of their troops would be exhausted by that time,¡± Sung-Woon said. ¡°The rest of you will have to focus on chasing away the Vampires with your own troops. And Jang-Wan, you¡¯ll have to use your troops to reim areas that belonged to AR.¡±


    Reducing the number of Vampires wasn¡¯t just a matter of iming territory. The majority of the Vampires believed in the God of Blood and Rotten Meat, so Faith points would continue to be produced. Reducing the numbers of Vampires outside of the battlefront would thus be beneficial to them.


    When their discussion wrapped up, Sung-Woon alone pondered on the concern he hadn¡¯t told the other yers about. Jeol Woo-Bi, °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik, was definitely another yer. And if they really were a yer, they would have used fewer Faith Points than the other yers until now.


    <i>¡®There is a reason though.¡¯</i>


    Jeol Woo-Bi yed the long consistent game to their advantage. It wasn¡¯t strange that they hadn¡¯t used as many Faith points. They had been winning until now, so there was no reason for them to waste the resource. There was one time they used a good amount though.


    It was when they took over Juenler¡¯s body with Divine Control when attacking the capital of the Nixes, but they hadn¡¯t used the skill for too long. Sung-Woon assumed that they wouldn¡¯t have used a lot of Faith points.


    <i>¡®But¡­the territory of White Tooth is thergest in the third continent as of now. Additionally, while the growth of their troops are attracting the most attention, the overall poption of Vampires have grown significantly as well. These Vampires believe in the God of Blood and Rotten Meat, which means there¡¯s a chance that Jeol Woo-Bi has a high Divinity level.¡¯</i>


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, while Jeol Woo-Bi had introduced Vampires, an unprecedented with pretty formidable power, Jeol Woo-Bi themselves were a force to be reckoned with as a yer. It would be unwise to jump to the conclusion that they had gotten to this point only because the Vampires were a cheat species.


    <i>¡®If I did my calction correctly, the highest level they could be at is 17?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon frowned at the thought of the Divinity skill a yer would receive at level 16. If Jeol Woo-Bi really was at a level above 16 and remained levelheaded to the end, things could get troublesome.


    <i>¡®Well¡­in that case, there¡¯s still a way.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Shaiven had already heard about the fortress that Lakrak built, but the fortress was even more formidable in person. All the trees within hundreds of meters of radius around the fortress had been cut down, so it was impossible to sneak up to it, and the path leading to the fortress was in a zigzag pattern, making it difficult for wagons to traverse.


    Furthermore, the fortress walls presented an even greater challenge. There was a hill with a sixty degree slope next to the fortress gates, and beside the hill was a cliff rising at close to ny degrees. Even if they could somehow scale the hill, there was another 7 meter tall rampart standing in wait.


    Shaiven said to her adjutant, ¡°...What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Out of all possible mounts, I think only the big weasels can make it up there.¡±


    ¡°Let those who were originally Renards and Trolls attack the walls.¡±


    ¡°What about the fortress gate?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring a hammer big enough to break the gate.¡±


    ¡°That will cause a lot of exhaustion for the troops.¡±


    ¡°If we step on the dead bodies on the path to the gate, the slope will be more gradual. No, wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you think of a better idea?¡±


    Shaiven smiled.


    ¡°Is there a need to use Vampires to make a staircase?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Shaiven¡¯s gaze turned towards the rear end of the army. Vampires needed living people to feed on, as it made it possible for the Vampire army to operate efficiently. Moreover, an army going into battle would need just as many people to follow the army and carry their things. Should the amount of supplies decrease, the workers with nothing to do would be food, which was also true for Shaiven¡¯s troops.


    Shaiven then said, ¡°Our troops did a supply run the day before yesterday at the Satyr vige, so ves are unnecessary unless the battlests too long.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get what you mean. You''re saying that the ves should be used as meat shields for arrows, which would then decrease the enemy¡¯sbat supplies.¡±


    Shaiven nodded.


    ¡°And apparently a rumor is going around among the ves.¡±


    ¡°What kind of rumor?¡±


    ¡°That all five gods have given up on them, but there is one god who hasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you talking about the God of Blood and Rotten Meat?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Shaiven shook her head.


    ¡°The Blue Insect God.¡±


    ¡°What? By the Blue Insect God, you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The god of those Lizardmen. And they also think that the Lizardmen of ck Scale are going to save them. Make them line up and run to the fortress. There will probably be some who resist. Just suck their blood dry and kill them. Then we¡¯ll trick all of them by saying that if the Lizardmen are going to save them, they will open the gates.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After bidding Shaiven farewell and taking his leave, the general suddenly turned around as if he just remembered something.


    ¡°But queen Shaiven.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What if¡­they really open the gates for the ves?¡±


    Shaiven let out a puff of air from her nose.


    ¡°They would open the gates and act as saviors? Even better. That¡¯s when we would carry out our full atack.¡±


    Shaiven thought that the only savior of thend was the God of Blood and Rotten Meat.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s the third time already.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Aizan, the Halfling the Vampire army brought along as a ve, nodded. The Kobold ve he had recently befriended seemed wrought with fear. The two of them became close due to their simrity in height, but it seemed that their friendship wasing to an end.


    ¡°And we¡¯re next.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Aizan nodded.


    The Kobold was referring to the third time that the Vampires took the ves away. Aizan and his Kobold friend were part of the fourth group along with many other ves of different species. With their hands tied up, they could guess what was happening. And the Vampire soldiers had exined to them a few times. There was a fortress up on the mountain, and the fortress belonged to the Lizardmen.


    The Vampires were making excuses and using them to reduce the enemy¡¯sbat supplies, thus making the path uphill easier while tiring out the enemies. And the ves had nothing else to believe in but salvation, which made them the obvious choice for baits.


    The Kobold tightly closed their eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s here. It¡¯s our turn.¡±


    Aizan didn¡¯t reply.


    And a Vampire said, ¡°Let¡¯s skip the story. Your goal is simple. Run towards the gates of the Lizardmen¡¯s fortress. If the Lizardmen really are saviors like you believe they are, they would open the gates. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    No one protested; the dead ves lying by their feet had gotten killed for doing so.


    Aizan thought to himself, <i>¡®I wonder which option would give me a higher chance of surviving. Escaping the group and running somewhere else, or running towards the fortress.¡¯</i>


    Aizan struggled to choose between the two, but there was nothing he could do about it. And standing before the fortress, he thought the first option would give him a better chance. Even though it was the middle of the night, there were dead ves at the bottom of the fortress, who had been shot by the Lizardmen with great aim.


    <i>¡®The road turns three times until it reaches the fortress gates. But no one even made it beyond the second turn¡­¡¯</i>


    Aizanughed on the inside and wondered if the Lizardmen of ck Scale really were saviors. One thing was for certain: they were sharpshooters as they were rumored to be.


    Then a Vampire soldier said, ¡°We¡¯re aiming at you with arrows from behind. I¡¯ll count to five. Run towards the fortress. One, two, three¡­¡±


    Everyone hesitated when the Vampire had counted to three. Aizan looked at the dead body next to him.


    <i>¡®They¡¯ve already killed someone as an example. We need to run now!¡¯</i>


    Aizan began to run. And as he did, the Vampire soldier standing behind him struck his Kobold friend for hesitating.


    ¡°...Five! Run!¡±


    Aizan prayed that the nickname he had back at his vige, Fast Feet, still applied. There was no knowing who his prayer was directed to.


    <i>¡®Please!¡¯</i>


    Just as Shaiven had thought, the dead bodies piling up on the ground made it a little easier for the troops to go up the slope. But no matter how many died, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to take them to the fortress.


    As Aizan tripped himself and staggered, an arrow brushed past his ear. If he hadn¡¯t idently stumbled, he would have died.


    <i>¡®If only I can survive!¡¯</i>


    When Aizan reached the second turn on the way up, he heard a noiseing from the fortress.


    <i>¡®What is that sound?¡¯</i>


    Aizan looked up. Something flew towards him from the fortress. It was a butterfly that glowed blue.


    <i>¡®...A butterfly?¡¯</i>


    But something stranger than the sudden appearance of a butterfly was happening. The fortress gates were opening.

 Chapter 72: Like the Lizardmen

    <h4>Chapter 72: Like the Lizardmen</h4>


    Looking out from a battlement, a warrior shouted towards the inside of the fortress walls, ¡°They are lining up unarmed people again!¡±


    Lakrak said to his adjutant Quezle, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe they¡¯re trying to make it easier to climb the hill. ording to what we have observed so far, Vampires can simply bite anyone of any species to increase their number, but not infinitely. I think those people might be their ves.¡±


    Quezle was the chief of the Lizardmen tribe on the penins who had resisted against Lakrak until the end. However, after their defeat, Quezle fell under the influence of Lakrak¡¯s will, and Quezle¡¯s tribe became part of ck Scale without much trouble. And now, Quezle¡¯s scales had also turned ck.


    Lakrak then said, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be good to treat them that way just because they¡¯re ves.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but perhaps the Vampires think of them as lesser than ves.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°As food.¡±


    ¡°Food.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We also throw away our excess supplies, don¡¯t we? They would have filled their stomachs in the Satyr vige before, and it¡¯s likely that they¡¯re ready to go to Orazen after a short showdown here at Automation. Excess food is useless, so¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason, Quezle.¡±


    Quezle turned to look at Lakrak.


    Lakrak then said, ¡°Do you know that the other countries of this continent didn¡¯t like Lizardmen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They thought of us as monsters until not long ago.¡±


    ¡°I heard that our great general had done a good job. It was said that he faced lots of Vampires while going to and from Danyum and Red Fruit. And apparently word spread that the Lizardmen will defeat the Vampires in not only Danyum and Red Fruit, but also in Asbestos, Golden Eye, and Magul. And that ck Scale will beat White Tooth.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The ves ran towards the fortress walls. Shooting at unarmed people could demoralize warriors. But Lakrak didn¡¯t make any other orders, and the defense captain ordered his men to shoot. The archers hiding behind the battlements quickly made their shots before taking cover again.


    One of the ves didn¡¯t die, and they screamed. As the scream continued to ring, the defense captain took a bow himself and killed the ve.


    Quezle then said to Lakrak, ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying. They¡¯re making us shoot the ves that put their hope in us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We cannot open the gates and ept the ves, so the expectations that the ves had wouldn¡¯t be met. Then it would be easier to control the remaining ves. Vampires use the ves as food, which could lead to the ves starting a resistance, but the ves would despair if they recognize there¡¯s no hope. That¡¯s clever.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lakrak smiled and said, ¡°That is why you lost to me.¡±


    Quezle didn¡¯t understand what Lakrak meant by that, so he looked at Lakrak in confusion.


    The defense captain on top of the fortress said to Lakrak, ¡°King Lakrak, they have prepared the third group of unarmed soldiers¡­ Should we continue to shoot at them?¡±


    ¡°Stand by.¡±


    ¡°...What? Ah¡­alright.¡±


    Quezle realized what Lakrak meant and urgently said, ¡°Wait, King Lakrak. We cannot. What if they aren¡¯t ves, but Vampires? It looks like their hands are tied, but it might only be for show. They might be hiding weapons.¡±


    ¡°That was why we shot and killed the first two groups to see if that¡¯s true. And besides, there¡¯s a way to tell if they¡¯re Vampires or not, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about silver? But there are lower ss Vampires who don¡¯t feel much pain when they touch silver.¡±


    ¡°Quezle, are you afraid of such low-level Vampires?¡±


    Quezle clenched his fists.


    ¡°Do not insult me. I¡¯m not speaking of my personal courage. Even if we take the risk and open the gates, we would only save about 15 people!¡±


    ¡°Look at the bigger picture, Quezle. You are quick at calctions and think very logically, but you don¡¯t see far enough because youck imagination.¡±


    When Quezle tried to refute, he saw something that made his eyes widen. A flutter of blue butterflies appeared inside the fortress and gently rose in a spiral. The eyes of the warriors were all fixed on the butterflies. A blue butterfly was interpreted as a sign of good luck for the Lizardmen, so the morale of the warriors was lifted. However, Lakrak and Quezle knew that the butterfly wasn¡¯t just here to encourage them before the battle.


    ¡°God has given his approval, so I don¡¯t suppose you have any disagreements¡­ Gatekeeper, open the fortress gates.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°ept all those who aren¡¯t armed. And close the gates once thest one gets in.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    While the gatekeeper answered, a halfling rushed through the open gates.


    Lakrak drew the silver sword from Quezle¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Check the ves yourself, Quezle. If they get wounded at the touch of the silver, they might be Vampires we need to be careful of, but if that¡¯s not the case, they¡¯re likely Vampires who don¡¯t pose much of a threat, or they¡¯re regr people who ran here because they had hope in us.¡±


    ¡°...Alright.¡±


    The defense captain on top of the fortress wall shouted, ¡°King Lakrak! They¡¯reing!¡±


    ¡°Begin the battle!¡±


    The archers quickly got up and began shooting arrows.


    Then the defense captain yelled, ¡°A Renard riding a big weasel is charging towards the gates!¡±


    ¡°Have all the unarmed people gotten in?¡±


    ¡°Can you see through the cracks of the gates? That Nix woman is thest.¡±


    Lakrak said to the gatekeeper, ¡°Close the gates when Ie back inside.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Before hearing the gatekeeper¡¯s reply, Lakrak walked out of the gates. Then he grabbed the Nix woman by hand and threw her into the fortress, all the while turning by 90 degrees and holding his other hand up towards the Renard charging at him. The big ferocious weasel noticed the enemy and lunged at Lakrak.


    Then lightning shot out of Lakrak¡¯s hand.


    ***


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Shavien saw the Vampire who used to be a Renard get struck by lightning while riding the big weasel. She muttered, ¡°Ha! What a shame.¡±


    Lakrak immediately disappeared into the gates, and at the same time, the gates closed. All the cavalry riding towards the gates against all adversaries ended up killed by arrows.


    One of the generals got on their knees in front of Shaiven.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t think they would really open the gates, so we missed our chance.¡±


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t think the gates would open either. It¡¯s just a shame we weren¡¯t lucky enough. There¡¯s nothing we can do. We¡¯ll stick to our original n.¡±


    The Lizardmen of ck Scale had horn bows, and they were shooting from a higher ground. It was inevitable that the Vampires would suffer some casualties. However, ording to what was known, the enemy¡¯s fortress only had 2,000 soldiers, so the Vampires still held the numerical advantage.


    <i>¡®I have lots of experience dealing with fortresses until now. And there was a time where I won even though we had the same number of troops as the enemy.¡¯</i>


    Saiven trusted her past experiences.


    ¡°Keep advancing!¡±


    Shaiven believed that the Vampire army had a distinct advantage over the other armies: they consisted of a variety of species.


    Renard cavalry rode the aggressive big Weasels, which had less endurance and speed than horses and less practicalbat abilities than Cockatoos, but were ferocious beasts in their own right. The Renard cavalry archers were the most versatile among all units.


    Kobolds usually raised big moles to ride on. While they weren¡¯t particrly useful inbat, their small build made them difficult targets for the enemy¡¯s archers. In a regr battle on an open field, the numbers of troops would be the only reliable advantage, but a siege was a different story. The moles would be able to get through the enemy¡¯s pouring arrows and put adder to the fortress wall, and they could also carry tools to assemble arge hammer to break the gates.


    Trolls couldn¡¯t ride on any animals because of their big physiques. However, that was exactly what made them strong. As they became Vampires, they lost their unique regenerative abilities, but their skin was still tough, and their bones were strong. If Renards had fast speeds, and it was easier for Kobolds to avoid enemy¡¯s attacks due to their small bodies, then Trolls had the toughness to advance forward even while being attacked.


    And Nixes and Satyrs were the main forces of offense. In a siege, the role of cavalry was limited, but Nixes and Satyrs were able to properly shoot arrows and throw spears. Even though the fourth generation Vampires suffered a partial drop in physical abilities, the characteristics of each of their original species remained, allowing them to be utilized differently and divided into different divisions of specialization. That was the key to Shaiven¡¯s victory so far.


    <i>¡®Added to that the power of Vampires¡­¡¯</i>


    The third generation Vampires, namely captains in charge of ten soldiers each, would gain greater strength than what their bodies originally possessed. A Kobold would be as strong as regr Renards, a Renard would be as strong as regr Nixes and Satyrs, and a Nix or a Satyr would be as strong as regr Trolls. Those Vampires would rival those with better equipment and weapons.


    <i>¡®...I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll win.¡¯</i>


    But of course, Shaiven was mistaken.


    ***


    Sung-Woon looked down at the battlefield and thought to himself, <i>¡®As expected, Shaiven doesn¡¯t know how to take over the fortress since barely any of themanders of that generation had fought a battle involving a fortress.¡¯?</i>At most, Shaiven was as experienced in dealing with a fortress as Lakrak and his warriors.


    Lakrak had made deliberate orders along with Zaol when building the fortress that the battle was currently taking ce at. This was because the first fortress was to be the model for the fortresses built after. Zaol tried to solve the physical and environmental issues that came with the fortress, and Lakrak asked himself how difficult it would be to take over the fortress if he were amander of the enemy. After the fortress waspleted, Lakrak even brought actual warriors here to hold a mock battle.


    The result was simple, and Lakrak was very satisfied.


    <i>¡®A short term showdown against a fortress isn¡¯t a good idea.¡¯</i>


    The battle developed as Sung-Woon had expected. Cavalry who used to be Trolls and Renards were leading the charge toward the fortress, followed by soldiers that used to be different species. And in between them were Vampires who used to be Kobolds. Theposition of the army itself was fine. The problemy in the next stage of the battle.


    As the arrows rained down from the fortress, the Nixes and Satyrs began to fight back, but the Lizardmens¡¯ horn bows shot further, and the difference in height provided by the fortress was absolute.


    Before the Vampires could even reach the bottom of the fortress, they were already shot dead because of the slope. And a few powerful arrows did reach the fortress walls, but it was only after the Lizardmen archers had taken cover in the battlements. The Troll and Renard cavalry who barely made it through the raining arrows tried to climb the fortress walls, but the height served another purpose other than making it difficult for the enemy to enter.


    The Lizardmen warriors lifted rocks the size of a person¡¯s head from on top of the walls and threw them to the bottom of the fortress. The Trolls weren¡¯t the only ones getting hit by the rocks and having their heads smashed, but also the big weasels the Renards were riding on. Then the rocks rolled down the hill and hit the Kobolds.


    There was no chance for the Lizardmen to run out of arrows or rocks. The ck Scale warriors knew in advance that the enemies wereing, and they knew how many of them there were.


    All that was left of the Vampires were the upper ss ones.


    <i>¡®Even though Vampires have that characteristic¡­¡¯</i>


    The Vampire captains leading ten soldiers and the Vampire generals leading 100 soldiers might be physically impressive, and they might survive the arrows and reach the front of the fortress, but none of them could touch the gates.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s a Thunder Lizard on that side.¡¯</i>


    <i>Boom!</i>


    As Lakrak reached out his hand, the Vampires lucky enough to reach the front of the gates copsed while emitting white steam from their eyes, noses, and mouths. Lakrak looked down at the Vampires while smoking tobo like he found them funny. It seemed that he had enough leisure to use only the amount of power needed to finish things off.


    Out of the 3,400 troops, 600 were taken out in an instant. There were severalyers of dead bodies piling up at the bottom of the fortress, so the slope was getting easier to climb as Shaiven had expected. Unfortunately, however, that didn¡¯t guarantee that they would be able to bring down the fortress should they send the rest of the 2,800 soldiers. And soon afterwards, hesitation began to spread among those being pushed to keep attacking, and some turned around to flee.


    ¡°Never break away! I will slice the necks of those who run away!¡±


    Shaiven¡¯s generals could be heard shouting all across the battlefield. And deserters did get their heads cut off by their fellow soldiers. In Shaiven¡¯s perspective, there was no giving up the offense that had alreadyunched.


    <i>¡®I understand. Retreating and rearranging the formations before making another advance would only lead to the same losses. She¡¯s thinking that she can¡¯t suffer the same losses again when they have barely reached the bottom of the fortress. Were Shaiven a more clevermander, though, she would have epted that they couldn¡¯t keep attacking the fortress like this and retreated.¡¯</i>


    What Sung-Woon was most wary of at the moment was the yer Jeol Woo-Bi joining the battle, but it seemed that they intended to watch until thest minute before doing that.


    <i>¡®Do they intend to use their powers when Shaiven moves as part of thest troop? Then it seems that they haven¡¯t noticed what¡¯s going on at the back of the army.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked behind the Vampire corps. Shaiven¡¯s ordeal wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ***


    Seeing that the battle wasn¡¯t going as she thought it would, Shaiven became infuriated.


    <i>¡®Damn it. What should I do? If we spend the night like this, I¡¯ll lose all my soldiers.¡¯</i>


    Then a messenger ran up to Shaiven and said, ¡°Queen Shaiven! It¡¯s an urgent message.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It is said that the Trolls, Satyrs, and Cockatoo warriors of ck Scale have united and are pursuing us from the distance of a day and a half¡¯s travel!¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    They were far away, so she hadn¡¯t noticed. However, they might as well be right on their tail when they were already near defeat.


    <i>¡®Should we pull back? No, we can¡¯t. We¡¯ve already lost so many soldiers. Even if we retreat, it¡¯ll be hard for us to defend ourselves should enemiesing from our rear join forces with those in the fortress. We can¡¯t give up on the fortress now. We must somehow take over the fortress and stand firm.¡¯</i>


    Shaiven sent the messenger away and got lost in her thoughts. Then she suddenly felt something warm running down her lips and chin. Shaiven got startled and wiped it off her face with the back of her hand.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a nosebleed.¡¯</i>


    Shaiven had never had a nosebleed after she became a Vampire because a Vampire¡¯s heart beat slowly and lightly.


    <i>¡®No way¡­ Is this a divine revtion? This is ominous.¡¯</i>


    Shaiven tried to guess God¡¯s will.


    ¡°Queen Shaiven! We¡¯re in big trouble!¡±


    Shaiven yelled at the soldier who had interrupted her thoughts, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard that the enemy troops areing from the rear a day and a half¡¯s travel from us. Go back.¡±


    ¡°N-No.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a different problem.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The ves started attacking our soldiers.¡±


    ***


    The ves were sitting in each of their designated ces with their hands tied. There were Vampire soldiers guarding them, but there weren¡¯t many since the rest of them had been called for battle.


    The ves quietly talked among themselves without the soldiers knowing. It wasn¡¯t possible to tell who was who as the conversation took ce in the dark, but it was a topic that grabbed everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°It seems that the battle has begun.¡±


    ¡°What happened to the ones who were dragged out?¡±


    ¡°They probably all died.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°Do you know something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think that guy got dragged away as part of the fourth group. They were taken and brought back soon after. Isn''t that right?¡±


    The shadow moved a little in the darkness.


    ¡°Yes. I saw everything.¡±


    ¡°What did you see?¡±


    ¡°The fortress gates.¡±


    ¡°The fortress gates?¡±


    ¡°I saw what the Vampires were doing. The Vampires were making people line up and run towards the fortress of ck Scale.¡±


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious they would die. The Lizardmen from ck Scale wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the ves from the Vampires.¡±


    The shadow nodded again.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s why the first and second group all died. But the third¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the third?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°They entered the fortress. The Lizardmen opened the gates for them. Blue butterflies flew above the fortress, and the gates opened.¡±


    The ves didn¡¯t say anything for a moment. Something they had never imagined had happened.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying, right?¡±


    ¡°Why would the Lizardmen do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason. But the third group all survived. And the battle started. I came back. Then I¡­¡±


    The ve who was talking suddenly got up.


    ¡°Hey, sit down. What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a guard over there. Can¡¯t you see them?¡±


    ¡°...I am going to fight back. The Lizardmen opened the gates right in front of their enemy to save us. All the stories are true.¡±


    At those words, the stories they had pushed to the deepest corner of their minds because they didn¡¯t want to be disappointed again started to resurface.


    The ve who had stood up then said, ¡°Get up.¡±


    ¡°I¡­isn¡¯t there no need for us to do so? The Lizardmen are fighting for us.¡±


    ¡°But if the Vampires win, we will surely die. Miserably, as ves,¡±


    ¡°But the Lizardmen might win.¡±


    ¡°Then we would be saved as ves. Miserably.¡±


    ¡°...Is there a way to not be miserable?


    ¡°We can fight like the Lizardmen of ck Scale. If we die fighting, we would be warriors since we fight for those who stay seated because they cannot muster the courage to resist.¡±


    Someone murmured, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Two ves got up.


    The Vampire guard looked back at the sound of rustling.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    The Vampire guard took a step closer to them.


    As the guard shone the torch light on the ves, the ves charged at the Vampire guard.

 Chapter 73: Overpowering

    <h4>Chapter 73: Overpowering</h4>


    ¡°How many ves are making a fuss?¡±


    ¡°Queen Shaiven, it¡¯s not just a fuss. All the ves have taken a stand.¡±


    Shaiven¡¯s rage grew so intense that it reverted back into a strange sense of calmness.


    ¡°By all, do you mean all 1,200 of them?¡±


    Shaiven¡¯s adjutant replied, ¡°Yes. All the soldiers guarding the ves were attacked. But the majority of them aren''t even armed, so we¡¯re trying to stop them from escaping the camp, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re short on soldiers.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t stop unarmed ves even with knives and spears?¡±


    At Shaiven¡¯s question, the adjutant hesitantly said, ¡°There are far more ves than soldiers guarding the camp. And the strange thing about these ves is¡­they¡¯re belligerent.¡±


    ¡°Belligerent?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know what happened. Even though our soldiers are armed, the ves are ganging up on them, throwing the camp into disarray. And even though our soldiers kill many of the ves amid the chaos, the ves never get scared. They instead attack the soldiers and take their weapons.¡±


    Shaiven shook her head.


    The adjutant had misjudged the ves. That was courage, not belligerence.


    <i>¡®Lakrak¡­ Did you think this far when you opened the gates?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak hadn¡¯t acted recklessly, nor relied on luck. And Shaiven realized that the cavalry who managed to get near the gates had actually been a part of Lakrak¡¯s calctions.


    <i>¡®...Can it be that he didn¡¯t simply grow by conquering powerless tribes in the corner of the penins?¡¯?</i>


    Shaiven regretted using the ves as arrow blockers, but there was no point inmenting her past mistakes now.


    ¡°Queen Shaiven?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s blooding from your nose¡­¡±


    Shaiven sighed. A soldier brought a linen towel to wipe Shaiven¡¯s blood. The adjutant and the soldiers listening to Shaiven looked at her anxiously as she bled from her nose.


    Compared to other species, bleeding was a much greater matter to Vampires. Vampires survived by sucking on blood that no other species wanted to ever shed. Perhaps because of that, the Vampires had strong vitality, and those of earlier generations, namely those who got bitten by Shaiven and received her venom earlier, also had excellent physical abilities. Therefore, Vampires were less likely to bleed than other species.


    Apart from Shaiven being the one bleeding, the fact that blood was being shed without any wounds could mean it had something to do with faith.


    <i>¡®No. There¡¯s no way this is a sign from God. God is ming me? No way.¡¯</i>


    Shaiven threw the towel onto the ground. Her face was stained with blood.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°No¡­nothing. My apologies.¡±


    ¡°...We need to at least take over the fortress before tomorrow morning. Although very slowly, the numbers of soldiers reaching the fortress walls are increasing. And some even managed to climb the walls. All soldiers need to focus on attacking the fortress.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean¡­you can¡¯t give me any more soldiers? Are you saying we should just let the ves run away?¡±


    The adjutant protested against Shaiven¡¯s orders.


    ¡°But even if we take over the fortress, we will need ves to carry our things and do other chores. Otherwise, our soldiers won¡¯t be able to fight properly. And above all, those ves are our food. That over there isn¡¯t just a fortress, but a mountain fortress. With our soldiers alone in the fortress and the enemies shutting us inside, we wouldn''t be able to hold out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Then what did you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡±


    Shaiven held the adjutant as if they were lovers. And the adjutant btedly realized what it meant.


    ¡°Queen Shaiven, you can¡¯t¡­argh!¡±


    Shaiven¡¯s fangs pierced through the adjutant¡¯s neck. Blood sprayed out from the big holes through the main artery and hit the roof of her mouth and her uv. Shaiven sucked the adjutant¡¯s blood and drank it. The adjutant¡¯s beating heart slowly died. Once it stoppedpletely, Shaiven pushed him away.


    ¡°Finally¡­my head is a little clearer. It seems I needed blood because of the nosebleed.¡±


    With her mouth smeared with blood, Shaiven looked around. No one made eye contact with her. Even though Vampires treated other species as food, sucking the blood of other Vampires was taboo. Shaiven revealed her blood-stained teeth and smiled.


    ¡°All of you seem to have something to say, am I wrong? But you all agree with me, don¡¯t you? That the one who asked me for more soldiers to subdue the unarmed ves was¡­¡±


    Shaiven kicked the head of the copsed adjutant, and the holes in his neck left by Shaiven¡¯s fangs ripped and widened. Blood poured out from the torn blood vessels and soaked the soil.


    ¡°He was no longer my soldier. Is there a general who can stop the ves? ¡­There¡¯s no one?¡±


    One of the generals finally stood up.


    ¡°I¡­I will do it.¡±


    ¡°What about the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°I¡­it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll block the ves with the soldiers already at the camp.¡±


    ¡°Good. As you should. Go.¡±


    After the general hurried off, Shaiven pointed to another Vampire carelessly.


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°You will be my adjutant from now on.¡±


    ¡°Th¡­thank you.¡±


    ¡°Bring my armor.¡±


    Shaiven looked through the trees to watch the fortress in the distance.


    ¡°I will open the fortress gates myself.¡±


    ***


    Lakrak had been encouraging the warriors on the fortress walls. The lookout at the very top of the fortress brought news that he had been expecting.


    ¡°There seems to be some kind ofmotion at the enemy¡¯s camp.¡±


    ¡°Tell me in more detail.¡±


    ¡°From what I saw, crowds were moving through the tents, weapons were glinting under the moonlight, and there were more torches lit. They were inside of the forest, and it was dark at night, so I couldn''t make out the exact situation. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s more than enough.¡±


    Quezle then said, ¡°...Did we perhaps count the enemy¡¯s troops incorrectly? Were they not their reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case,¡± Lakrak said. ¡°The fact that weapons glinted under the moonlight means that there was a fight.¡±


    ¡°A fight? There¡¯s still lots of time until Danyum, Asbestos, and Yur¡¯s armies would get here. I don¡¯t think there would have been a fight.¡±


    ¡°No, it is a fight.¡±


    ¡°Between whom¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Vampires and the ves. Why do you think more torches have been lit? Vampires can see in the dimmest of light.¡±


    Quezle wasn¡¯t easily convinced, but he found nothing wrong in Lakrak¡¯s deduction.


    ¡°But that¡¯s still weird. If that were true, our situation would be more favorable. Why did we get so lucky that the ves began to resist the Vampires?¡±


    Lakrakughed wryly. Quezle was smart, but still needed to study more.


    Ignoring his question, Lakrak said, ¡°It might be good to get the Cockatoo warriors ready.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Quezle, if what I said was true, what do you think would happen?¡±


    Quezle furrowed his eyebrows and got lost in thoughts.


    ¡°There are 1,200 ves. Even though they are unarmed, at least 300 soldiers will be needed to keep them at bay if everyone gets up to fight. Then we will let thoseing up the hill know what is happening. Their morale will drop, and they will be anxious knowing that their enemy has learned of the situation. But they have no other choice. They have to send soldiers to stop the ves. Otherwise they would need to put a pause on their attacks to boost their morale. Oh, but King Lakrak, look. They aren¡¯t stopping their attacks.¡±


    Lakrak then threw another question at Quezle.


    ¡°What if they don¡¯t send soldiers to stop the ves?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Answer me.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s a ridiculous assumption. But if that really is the case, they will try to resolve things once and for all as soon as possible. If it¡¯s certain that all the ves have turned against them, the enemy will have to fight enemies from both the front and the rear. Their only way to break through the gates will likely be to rely on their god¡­¡±


    Lakrak slowly nodded. And his gaze was directed past the fortress walls.


    ¡°Look..¡±


    Lakak pointed at the bottom of the fortress with his chin. The Bloodsucking Queen, Shaiven, was making her way up to the fortress. Arrows were shot at Shaiven, but every time she swung her sword, the arrows broke into two and dropped. Then, Shaiven and Lakrak met eyes.


    Shaiven pointed at Lakrak with the end of her sword and shouted, ¡°Lakrak! If you¡¯re not scared,e out here and fight me!¡±


    It was a ridiculous provocation, but it wasn¡¯t a bluff as God¡¯s power was within her. Lakrak then told his aide-de-camp to prepare hisrge monstrous Cockatrice.


    ¡°Are you going to ept the challenge?¡±


    .


    ¡°If I don¡¯t, that Vampire will break down the gates with the power of God.¡±


    Quezle couldn¡¯t deny that.


    ¡°Soon, the ves will appear from behind the enemy. When that happens, send out the Cockatoo warriors. We will join forces with the ves and annihte the Vampires.¡±


    ¡°I will do as you wish.¡±


    ***


    Meanwhile, Shaiven was thinking about something else.


    <i>¡®As soon as the gates open and Lakrakes out, the big Weasels will charge through the gates.¡¯</i>


    As the battle continued, more dead bodies piled up at the bottom of the hill. Behind the pile of bodies were Vampires that used to be Renards, and they were riding on Big Weasels. Shaiven had ordered them to hide amid the chaos and wait for the fortress gates to open.


    <i>¡®If they somehow leave their gates open, they will lose the advantage provided by the fortress and the terrain.¡¯</i>


    If a skirmish broke out, Shaiven believed that the Vampires would be at an advantage. She thought that the best weapons Vampires had were their fangs. What gave her pause wasn¡¯t the fact that their fangs could only be used a couple of times per day, or that those who got bitten wouldn¡¯t immediately be submissive, but the fact that the victims wouldn¡¯t be as obedient as the generals if they were determined to kill the Vampires even at the price of their lives. That wouldn¡¯t change even if Shaiven, who had the strongest venom, was the one giving the bite.


    <i>¡®But poison causes strong pain and paralyzes the body. No matter how strong the Lizardmen are¡­¡¯</i>


    A Vampire¡¯s bite was probably meant to turn hostile opponents into friendly ones, but it was still valuable on the battlefield.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way he would jump directly to the bottom of the fortress. I did hear that Lakrak had a mount though.¡¯</i>


    As Shaiven got halfway up the slope, Lakrak appeared riding hisrge monstrous Cockatrice. However, he did not join the battle by opening the gates as Shaiven had anticipated. The Cockatrice that carried Lakrak slightly pped its wings and stepped onto the fortress wall. Shaiven took a step back, looking up at Lakrak and the first quarter moon behind him.


    ¡°H¡­how?¡±


    ¡°Do you not know?¡±


    Lakrak tapped the Cockatrice¡¯s wings with his spear.


    ¡°Things with wings fly in the sky.¡±


    Shaiven wanted to say that wasn¡¯t what she meant, but it was so absurd that she couldn¡¯t respond quickly enough to counter the statement.


    <i>Kaaooo!</i>


    The Cockatrice let out a horrible shriek and flew into the air. Then it reached out with its ws and struck Shaiven.


    ***


    Sung-Woon looked down at the fight between the two.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s overpowering.¡¯</i>


    The ves had not appeared from behind yet, so Quezle had yet to send out the Cockatoo warriors. Even though Lakrak was supported by the archers at the top of the fortress walls, he was right in the middle of the enemy line. Regardless, no one could stop Lakrak as he charged ahead on the Cockatrice¡¯s back.


    The moment Shaiven¡¯s sword and Lakrak¡¯s spear met, Shaiven was the one who staggered back. Shaiven¡¯s physical ability was surely sufficient enough to fight a cavalry on a horse, but Lakrak was in no way a normal cavalry. Lakrak¡¯srge monstrous bird was a Cockatrice that even ten hunters would struggle to hunt, and Lakrak, the one riding the Cockatrice, was a heroic individual with a level of 21.


    Shaiven didn¡¯t have a chance to use the venomous fangs she was so confident of, while the other Vampires couldn¡¯t even get into the range of Lakrak¡¯s spear. Shaiven had somehow stood her ground and not retreat, but she needed the help of the big Weasel cavalry that were prepared for the gates¡¯ opening. Even so, Lakrak didn¡¯t seem surrounded. Rather, it seemed more like Lakrak had surrounded the enemy.


    <i>¡®I see the ves have eventually defeated the Vampire general. Now they¡¯ll arm themselves and attack the enemy from behind. But the problem is¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon, who had been thinking to himself, had to question his eyes when he read the next message that popped up.


    [yer ¡®°XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯ has requested a Whisper Conversation.]

 Chapter 74: Hierophany

    <h4>Chapter 74: Hierophany</h4>


    <i>¡®You¡¯re requesting a Whisper Conversation now?¡¯</i>


    If they were an ordinary yer, Sung-Woon would have had no intention of epting the request. It was a battle that Sung-Woon was close to winning, so the opponent requesting to have a conversation could only be understood as some kind of trick. And if Sung-Woon wanted to have a conversation, he would have at least waited until Shaiven was killed.


    <i>¡®But this is a yer whose existence itself is suspicious. They have a weird username, appeared a long time after the game began, and control Vampires, a species that never existed in the game before.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon epted the request and switched to video chat like usual.


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik, known as Jeol Woo-bi, appeared on the screen.


    <i>¡®Well, someone has bad taste.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon initially thought their face was made using a model that wasn¡¯t created properly because of how awkward it looked. But actually, the face was covered with the skin of a Human¡¯s face. Inside the hollow mask, white murky eyes stared at Sung-Woon. And below the face, Jeol Woo-Bi was dressed in a rag made of several peoples¡¯ skin with skulls and corbones as essories.


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik didn¡¯t say anything.


    So Sung-Woon asked, ¡°What should I call you? I¡¯ve been referring to you as Jeol Woo-Bi until now. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who requested a talk first, so if you have nothing to say, I¡¯m going to hang up.¡±


    Only then did the ckish lips seen through the open mouth of the skin mask start to move.


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik awkwardly said in a low, dreary voice, ¡°Do you think¡­you are winning?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what of it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong¡­ You will¡­lose.¡±


    Sung-Woon shrugged.


    ¡°No. I will win. I would¡¯ve won the siege even if the revolt hadn¡¯t happened. I decided to fight at the mountain fortress in order to lessen the losses. Even if I had half your number of troops, the Lizardmen of ck Scale have maintained their elite forces with little loss for more than a decade. On the other hand, an army of multiple species would be great only if they had a skilledmander, and Shaiven isn¡¯t one.¡±


    ¡°I¡­wasn¡¯t talking about the¡­unintelligent, lowly¡­things that have two feet.¡±


    <i>¡®Unintelligent and lowly?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon assumed that the opponent was at the very least a role yer.


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Then are you talking about the current fight happening between Lakrak and Shaiven? Even now, Lakrak is fighting hard by himself. One of the things I was worried about was you using Divine Control, so I was taking caution. But everything would be over if I use Divine Control too to counter you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­what I was talking about either.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik replied while stammering, ¡°You cannot change¡­a single thing¡­in this world.¡±


    Sung-Woon tried to figure out what that was supposed to mean. If the opponent was a yer, a yer like Sung-Woon who hade from Earth to be exact, they would have said that they were going to win the game.


    <i>¡®But instead, they said I wouldn¡¯t be able to change anything?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon decided to provoke his opponent a little more.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m going to win. As of now, only the Lizardmen and Humans believe and follow me, but that won¡¯t be the case after a little while. I will develop civilization, connect all the continents with paths on the ocean and in the sky, and I¡¯ll build underwater tunnels in the ocean if I feel like it. I¡¯ll also build temples in each city and discover all the Ancient Ruins and¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik was furious.


    ¡°That power¡­doesn¡¯t belong to you people!¡±


    That was another strange choice of word. If the opponent was referring to yers as ¡®you people,¡¯ they definitely weren¡¯t a yer themself.


    ¡°Then whose was it originally?¡±


    ¡°It belonged to¡­us!¡±


    ¡°Us? Who is us?¡±


    As if they were put into an awkward position by Sung-Woon¡¯s question, °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik stayed silent.


    So Sung-Woon said, ¡°You¡¯re not human, are you?¡±


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik hesitated for a moment and looked down. Sung-Woon was pretty sure he¡¯d hit the nail on the head, but the resulting silence was ufortable.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s as good as a confirmation. So what are they if they aren¡¯t human?¡¯</i>


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik raised their head.


    ¡°We¡­were the masters of the world.¡±


    ¡°Masters of the world?¡±


    ¡°Now¡­we will¡­get it back from you people.¡±


    Then the video chat window disappeared.


    <i>¡®So much for manners.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon grumbled. And suddenly, he saw the air split from top to bottom.


    <i>¡®...This is?¡¯</i>


    ***


    The de of Lakrka¡¯s silver spear cut through Shaiven¡¯s right arm.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Therge monstrous Cockatrice caught the flying arm with its beak, tipping its head back and swallowing it at once.


    <i>¡®Is this it?¡¯</i>


    All the big Weasels guarding Shaiveny dead on the ground, and Shaiven was barely standing with her arm cut off. Her eyes were full of maliciousness, but the battle hade to an end. To finish things off, Lakrak kicked both sides of therge monstrous Cockatrice with his feet to send it charging at Shaiven.


    <i>¡®¡­!¡¯</i>


    Lakrak suddenly felt goosebumps rising and quickly pulled at the reins. Therge monstrous bird looked up at the sky before Lakrak did and let out a shriek.


    <i>-Kaaooo!</i>


    A huge silver wall appeared between Shaiven and Lakrak before disappearing. Lakrak rode therge monstrous Cockatrice up the slope, and only then did he realize that what he had seen wasn¡¯t a silver wall, but a huge de. A sword that was tens of meters long had ripped through the air and fell towards Lakrak. If he hadn¡¯t sensed it, he and therge monstrous bird would have been split in half. Lakrak looked up.


    ¡°That must be¡­¡±


    There was a hand holding the sword. And behind the huge hand was its owner. The head was so far away that the torch light didn¡¯t reach the face, and it was shrouded in shadow. Yet through that darkness, the dark red eyes were clearly visible.


    ¡°...It¡¯s their God.¡±


    ***


    Sung-Woon looked at the giant. Overall, they looked simr to the °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik he had just seen during the video chat. The skin mask of a face was especially simr, but what was below the neck was a little different. The giant had three pairs of arms, each holding a sword and spear, ax and hammer, and bow and arrow respectively.


    <i>¡®Hierophany.¡¯</i>


    It was a skill obtained once a yer¡¯s Divinity level reached 16. Rather than taking over the body of their priest or summoning their creation, the god would descend upon the world themself. The yer could customize the appearance of the manifested god, but theirbat ability would be based on the areas the god had.


    <i>¡®While they have quite the tactical mind, I had hoped they wouldn¡¯t know how to use the skill since they seemed inexperienced with the game system. I guess that would be too good to be true.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon had considered that °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s Divinity level could be 16 or 17, and he knew they would be able to use the skill since they hadn¡¯t used much Faith points until now.


    <i>¡®The manifestation is huge. Even if I summon Sratis, Sratis would barely be able to scratch their thighs. However, using that skill consumes an enormous amount of Faith points. So as expected, they¡¯re not too familiar with the game system.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked to see how the Lizardmen of ck Scale were reacting. Lakrak, who had already gotten to the top of the fortress wall by riding therge monstrous Cockatrice, had beenmanding his troops. And hismand was to run away.


    If they opened the fortress gates and went down the road on the eastern side of the hill, they could make it through the enemy¡¯s troops and go to Automation. Originally, there were Vampires guarding the road as well, but it was now empty because the Vampires had used too many troops for the siege.


    <i>¡®Good. That¡¯s sensible.¡¯</i>


    Even at a nce, the opponent was not something that could be faced. Courageous people would think they could face a monster about ten meters tall, but with a giant close to a hundred meters tall, it would be meaningless for even thousands of people to shoot arrows at them.


    <i>¡®Yes. All you need to do is get away.¡¯</i>


    If Hierophany was used right away at level 16, it would use more Faith points than Divine Control. It consumed so much that in order to maintain the skill, sacrifices had to be offered at the same time.


    <i>¡®But there¡¯s no ritual going on right now, which means no sacrifices are being offered. So they need to obtain sacrifices from where they are.¡¯</i>


    And °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik acted just as Sung-Woon had predicted.


    Shaiven thought her god would run towards the fortress right away and swing down the sword, but °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik hadn¡¯t done so. Instead, they ran out of Faith points after walking a few steps, and they bent down and reached out an empty hand to grab a ve, along with the Vampires fighting the ve. Then they opened their mouth and dropped the ve and soldiers into it. Their piercing screams rang through the night.


    Shaiven broke out into cold sweat at the sight of the hand sweeping people off indiscriminately. And then she realized that it was the god she had chosen, and that she wasn¡¯t much different from her god.


    The ves and other Vampire soldiers began to run away at the sight of the god. However, no matter how fast they ran, it was hard to get out of the god¡¯s reach. The god sped their hands together slightly, grabbing those who had gotten the farthest away. Scared witless, the victims copsed and lost consciousness or screamed while looking at the sky.


    Shaiven knelt on the ground and prayed that her turn would best.


    <i>¡®Now all I need to do is wait,¡±?</i>thought Sung-Woon. <i>¡°I will lose some Lizardmen. But by the time they have somewhat restored their Faith points by filling themself with ves and the Vampire soldiers, there won¡¯t be many troops left at the fortress.¡¯</i>


    It seemed that the current battle was going toe to an end just like that. Shaiven was likely to survive, and °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik would recapture the fortress along with the leftover troops. However, as a result, the Vampire army would be destroyed, and °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik would have used up a great deal of Faith points, which wasn¡¯t a bad oue. Besides, the Vampires wouldn¡¯t even be able to utilize the mountain fortress properly.


    <i>¡®Jeol Woo-Bi is not a fool. They know that too and will leave some troops behind while giving up the fortress. Those small numbers of soldiers left here would buy them time. Meanwhile, they¡¯ll probably make Shaiven go around the continent and somehow increase their troops again.¡¯</i>


    However, the other five yers had continued to take back their viges in the process.


    <i>¡®The other yers would undergo some more losses, but that¡¯s not my responsibility.¡¯</i>


    And someone else hade to a simr conclusion as Sung-Woon. That person was Lakrak. But Lakrak acted differently than Sung-Woon.


    ***


    ¡°Hurry! We don¡¯t know when that evil god will attack us again!¡±


    At Lakrak¡¯s shout, the Lizardmen moved in perfect order. The Lizardmen warriors took the minimum amount of weapons with them, escaped through the gates, and ran towards the east side of the hill.


    Quezle then said, ¡°King Lakrak, I will take charge of this ce now. Go down the hill first.¡±


    ¡°Fool. What kind of leader runs away first while leaving all his warriors behind?¡±


    ¡°You need to listen to me this time. You¡¯re not just our leader. You¡¯re our <i>king</i>.¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m the king. But what do you think of the king? Do you think of me as a coward?¡±


    Quezle shook his head.


    ¡°No. You¡¯re the most precious being.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I am the most precious?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­because you set an example for us and guide us where we need to go.¡±


    ¡°Then do you think my life is more important than all of yours?¡±


    ¡°How is that even a question?¡±


    Quezleughed because he thought Lakrak¡¯s question was ridiculous, and Lakrakughed with him. This time, Quezle seemed to be right. If the king died, there would be disorder.


    Lakrak knew that those who kneeled in front of him wanted to be like him, but they had made up their minds to not pursue what they wanted as long as Lakrak was alive.


    <i>¡®But what if I die?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 75: Ascension

    <h4>Chapter 75: Ascension</h4>


    If Lakrak died, others would reveal their hidden desires.


    Lakrak and Zaol currently had two sons and one daughter, and though all three of them were still children, they were clever and courageous for their age. Therefore, no one could guarantee who would be the heir yet.


    ¡°But Quezle.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I surely think Ick the qualities to be king.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? There has been no one like you on this continent, and there never will be.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things. Our descendents will be born on thisnd.¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep saying such things?¡±


    Lakrak pointed at the bottom of the hill with his spear. The evil god was putting ves and Vampires into its mouth regardless of who they were.


    ¡°Now there are less than half of them left. On the other hand, less than half of our warriors have escaped the fortress.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Quezle instinctively grabbed Lakrak¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°King Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve witnessed such a scene several times. The power of the god won¡¯tst long. You¡¯ll survive if you go down the hill.¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But that Bloodsuching Queen will survive as well. She¡¯ll use the fortress to stop us and run away to the continent in the meantime. Many viges are still under the rule of the Vampires. And given how strong the evil god is, the continent will be ravaged by wars after wars for years toe or even longer.¡±


    Lakrak¡¯s gaze was directed towards the bottom of the hill.


    Quezle walked up to Lakrak to block his view and said, ¡°ording to what you¡¯re saying, it¡¯ll be our victory anyways.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a victory at the price of many sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still a victory.¡±


    Only then did Lakrak look at Quezle.


    ¡°Quezle.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You should learn more arithmetics.¡±


    Lakrak then grabbed Quezle by the cor and threw him aside. The world seemed to rotate for Quezle, and things went dark. He hurriedly picked himself back up once he came to.


    ¡°King Lakrak!¡±


    But Lakrak was not next to him anymore. Quezle looked down at the fortress wall. Riding Anakse, his monstrous mount, Lakrak sped down the hill. Right at the giant evil god slowly looking up at him.


    ***


    ¡°No!¡±


    Sung-Woon unconsciously shouted. But there was no way his voice would reach Lakrak.


    <i>¡®Why would he do such a stupid thing! I should take over Lakrka¡¯s body with Divine Control.¡¯</i>


    However, things didn¡¯t go as Sung-Woon wished.


    [Your priest is resisting your use of Divine Control.]


    <i>¡®...What?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak was the priest. He was the individual that had the most faith in the Blue Insect God, Sung-Woon, so there was no way he would go against Sung-Woon¡¯s will. Then a message popped up.


    [Would you like to force the skill anyways?]


    [Yes / No]


    Sung-Woon clicked No.


    <i>¡®Damn it. If I forcibly use Divine Control when he¡¯s resisting it, I won¡¯t be able to do anything for a moment.¡¯</i>


    That wouldn¡¯t be a major penalty in a less dire situation, but when facing a literal god, there was no bigger penalty than that.


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik turned theirrge figure around and threw a long spear at Lakrak. Actually, it might as well be a giant tree rather than a spear. The Cockatrice elerated and avoided the spear. Then a cloud of dust erupted as the spear got pulled out of the ground.


    <i>¡®What are you doing? Run away!¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon used a Miracle. A flutter of red butterflies flew around Lakrak. A blue butterfly indicated positivity, so red, blue¡¯splementary color, would be interpreted as negativity.


    However, Lakrak escaped the flutter of butterflies as if they were getting in his way and shot an arrow at °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s face. The arrow hit °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s eye squarely, but there wasn¡¯t enough power behind it since it¡¯d been shot so high into the air. With one hand, °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik removed the arrow from their eye and swung a de down.


    <i>¡®Shit! Did he die?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak hadn¡¯t died. The Cockatrice leaped over the de hitting the ground and ran.


    A sh of lightning shot out from Lakrkak¡¯s hand and hit °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s arm. The skin was charred ck, but it didn¡¯t seem to have caused much damage to °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik.


    <i>¡®What do you think you¡¯re doing? You know you¡¯ll win if you just stay still. All you need to do is go back to the pce, talk to the warriors, converse with Zaol, and watch your childrens¡¯ cute tricks. You¡¯re still young. No warrior would dare challenge the throne for the next several decades.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak advanced and borrowed Pzzt¡¯s powers to strike °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik with lightning.


    <i>¡®Why on earth¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon finally decided to support Lakrak through Mricales. If Lakrak thought Sung-Woon had had a change of heart, he might allow Sung-Woon to use Divine Control. With a considerable amount of Faith points used, the sky split into several pieces with the first lightning. It seemed as if °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik had be a lightning rod. However, whenever lightning struck, °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik only flinched a bit, and it didn¡¯t seem effective enough.


    The lightning itself was powerful, but in order to inflict substantial damage to °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik, a Divine rank was needed.


    And Lakrak rejected the use of Divine Control.


    <i>¡®Is that what it is?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon btedly realized Lakrak¡¯s intentions.


    As if annoyed with Lakrak constantly hovering around them, °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik finally lifted their bow. A huge arrow shot towards Lakrak.


    <i>¡®Some of the ck Scale Tribe¡¯s warriors went against the tribal chief¡¯s orders when they thought it necessary, didn¡¯t they? So are you, the tribal chief, going against the will of God?¡¯</i>


    Once again, Lakrak survived. The arrow that was several meters long shot straight into the hill perpendicrly. And it seemed Lakrak hade up with a new idea.


    <i>¡®To save two lives with one? Did you use damn arithmetics again?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak didn¡¯t reply to Sung-Woon''s inaudible question. Instead, he rode the Cockatrice to the arrow stuck in the hill. As if it understood Lakrak, the Cockatrice ran towards the arrow and used it as a springboard to take flight.


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik didn¡¯t expect that a mortal being would jump directly at them. None of their hands were defending their head. Lakrak held his spear over his head and drew his arm back.


    <i>¡®Pzzt, do me the favor.¡¯</i>


    <i>-...Alright.</i>


    As soon as the spear left Lakrak¡¯s hand, it struck °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s head with a violent burst of electricity. However, °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik was a god. Their hammer struck Lakrak and Anakse at the same time.


    ***


    [The great hunter and thunder lizard.


    The first chosen one and chief of the ck-Scale Tribe. ck Scale¡¯s founding king, also known as the Thunder Dragon King.


    The Lizardmens¡¯ model and one who guides the way.


    The greatest king of all.


    And the one who was known to be good at arithmetics¡­]


    ***


    [Your priest, Lakrak, has died.]


    [You have lost XP.]


    Sung-Woon clenched his teeth to the point that one could hear it.


    And for a moment, he didn¡¯t say anything. No, there wasn¡¯t even any thought in his mind. Then he quickly came back to his senses.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s okay¡­ The death of a priest is manageable. I assumed something like this would happen, which was why I quickly made the Human Hwee-Kyung a priest. I did lose quite a bit of XP, but my level only dropped by one.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon really had thought it would be okay, but his heart ached for the loss. He might not be fine with it after all.


    [Notice: A great sacrifice! Lakrak, who was respected by all, has died. Many mourn Lakrak¡¯s death.]


    Sung-Woon let out a puff of air from his nose. It was a notice that was sent out when a yer¡¯s highest level character died, and most yers considered it a sarcastic insult to injury.


    <i>¡®...Is it mocking me or something?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon managed to get over it. It wasn¡¯t something to be so sad about. He had created an Afterlife. It would take some time, but once the Afterlife was expanded, Lakrak, who was a hero, would certainly be useful there. Sung-Woon waited for Lakrak¡¯s soul to appear.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak¡¯s soul didn¡¯t appear in front of Sung-Woon. Instead, a system message that Sung-Woon had never expected popped up.


    [The individual, Lakrak, has be an apostle.]


    [Apostle Lakrak has acquired a Divinity level.]


    Sung-Woon read the system message and doubted his eyes.


    <i>¡®No way. Lakrak became¡­an apostle?¡¯</i>


    Apostle, namely those who assisted a god. When a god¡¯s creations grew, or special beings such as dragons became the god¡¯s followers, they could be apostles. There were cases where ordinary beings became apostles after showing growth, which was a process called Ascension. Apostles would gain their own Divinity levels and not only ept orders from their god, but also take the lead in spreading faith.


    Sung-Woon rubbed his eyes and read the system message again. It remained the same.


    <i>¡®This is impossible. Not all of the conditions for Ascension have been met.¡¯</i>


    There were four conditions to Ascension. The individual must be a hero, which meant reaching a level of 21 or higher. Word about the individual had to be widely spread among others. And the individual must have internalized their faith in God.


    <i>¡®Out of these three conditions, Lakrak has certainly hit the required level, but I¡¯m not so sure about the rest. Word about Lakrak did spread among lots of people, but the extent of how much one¡¯s name has to be spread is unknown. And the third condition can only be inferred. Just because I can look into the individual¡¯s heart doesn¡¯t mean I know exactly how much faith they have in me. A character can¡¯t be Ascended just because a yer wants them to be. And above all, the fourth condition definitely wasn¡¯t met.¡¯</i>


    The fourth condition was having over a million Faith points.


    <i>¡®The maximum amount of Faith points I can have with my level 11 Divinity level is 100,000. In order to have a maximum of a million Faith points for an apostle to emerge, the yer has to reach at least a Divinity level of 21¡­¡¯</i>


    Thinking about his Divinity level, Sung-Woon checked his Faith points.


    [999998/100K]


    [999997/100K]


    [999996/100K]


    The Faith points that had been quickly consumed reached the maximum all of a sudden.


    [100K/100K]


    Sung-Woon realized what was happening.


    The rate of Faith points being supplied was faster than the rate of Faith points being used to create an apostle.


    <i>¡®How is this possible? ¡­Where are these Faith pointsing from?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked down at the battlefield. Everyone was praying.


    The giant evil god was still standing. And as if its anger towards Lakrak had umted, it brought their hammer down on his dead body again. However, none of those facing the evil god ran away. They stood firm, and they prayed. The Lizardmen of ck Scale, the ves of the Vampires. Even the Vampires of White Tooth were praying.


    Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t been the only witness to Lakrak¡¯s fight against the evil god. Everyone here had been watching Lakrak. And they all understood why and for whom Lakrak had fought the evil god. They had all survived thanks to him, and Lakrak¡¯s name would be remembered by generations toe.


    Just as Lakrak had intended, he had be the example of what choice people should make when they were in a state of disorder. Lakrak was right.


    <i>¡®No, no. There¡¯s no way. This isn¡¯t enough number of people to produce such a great amount of Faith points. This game¡­¡¯</i>


    ¡­wasn¡¯t a game.


    Sung-Woon came to the realization. He had known for a long time. The Lost World was a game, but this world wasn¡¯t. The system was the only thing maintaining the appearance of a game.


    When quantifying things that couldn¡¯t be measured by numbers, such as one¡¯s heart, belief, and faith, the result could appear as an error. And the non-reducing Faith points was proof of that.


    A system message popped up.


    [Your priest, Lakrak, is requesting to Descend. Do you approve of this?]


    [Yes / No]

 Chapter 76: The First Apostle

    <h4>Chapter 76: The First Apostle</h4>


    Descension.


    A yer¡¯s apostle could help in many ways, and Descension was the most direct one among them.


    Sung-Woon stopped himself before pressing Yes and thought things through once more.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s good that Lakrak became an apostle, but I can¡¯t send him down there just for revenge.¡¯</i>


    Thinking there was no other choice, Sung-Woon checked Lakrak¡¯s abilities as an apostle.


    <i>¡®¡­What?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon blinked a couple of times.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯</i>


    Once ascended, an apostle¡¯s abilities and skills would reflect the reputation and various titles they had earned throughout their life.


    <i>¡®Bing an apostle means bing a character in the story.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon approved of Lakrak¡¯s Descension.


    ***


    Quezle sent all the Lizardmen to the bottom of the hill, and he went downst.


    Thanks to Lakrak¡¯s sacrifice, everyone was able to evacuate.


    <i>¡®However¡­¡¯</i>


    Quezle¡¯s heart was torn by the fact that he had to tell Zaol of Lakrak¡¯s death. Zaol was known to be an easy going person, but that wasn¡¯t entirely true. She was just good at ignoring her feelings.


    Regardless, Quezle thought that Lakrak¡¯s death would be the foundation for not only the future Lizardmen, but also for all citizens of ck Scale, and perhaps everyone on this continent. The foundation for a moral code to help those in need.


    <i>¡®Many of the continent have fought to fill their stomachs and get their hands on precious things until now. And those kinds of people probably won¡¯t ever disappear. However, the significant imprint that Lakrak has left on this continent won¡¯t ever disappear, either.¡¯</i>


    But there was something that Quezle thought was unfortunate.


    <i>¡®You didn¡¯t get to defeat that evil god.¡¯</i>


    Right then, as if the heavens were answering Quezle¡¯sment, a rumble shook the ground. Quezle looked up, so did the Lizardmen, Vampires, the Vampires¡¯ ves, and even °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik. They all looked up at the sky. It was clear and empty with only shining stars filling the void. There was no way there would be thunder.


    Meanwhile, it seemed that °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik had noticed the origin of the rumble. They hesitated and suddenly stepped back before raising the weapons in their hands and getting ready to charge. Their reaction left the mortals, including Quezle, wondering about the same thing.


    <i>¡®...What are they looking out for?¡¯</i>


    The evil god wasn¡¯t looking at the fortress, the Lizardmen, the Vampires, or the Vampires¡¯ ves. Then what had caught their attention suddenly appeared.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Arge beam of light struck down on the ground. And before the beam of light dimmed, °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik struck where the light shone on with their hammer. But strangely enough, the hammer wasn¡¯t able to touch the ground. It bounced off of something instead, and °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s huge body swayed from side to side.


    <i>-You¡­you damn¡­!</i>


    Finally, the thing that °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik had tried to attack was revealed to everyone. It was a Lizardmen with ck scales. The strongly built figure was dded in armor, and anyone could see that he was far from ordinary. Blue lightning crackled non-stop along his body, and whenever his power hit the ground, sputtering sparks left behind burn marks. His sharp golden eyes glowed even though he should be too far for anyone to make out his features, and there was a radiant golden halo around his head like a crown. Everyone there knew his name.


    ¡°Lakrak!¡±


    Quezle, and all those Lakrak had saved through his sacrifice, shouted his name.


    In Lakrak¡¯s hand, there was a beautifully shaped spear made of gold.


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik seemed unable to ept that Lakrak had returned.


    <i>-How dare you¡­you mortal!</i>


    Lakrak ignored °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s rage. Twisting his body, he lowered himself and bent his knees.


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik brought down their de, but Lakrak was faster. He kicked off the ground and soared up towards °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s shoulders.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Lakrak¡¯s trajectory itself became a bolt of lightning and pierced through °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s shoulder.


    <i>-...!</i>


    It more than pierced through the god¡¯s flesh, but left a hole about a meter deep.


    <i>-How can this be¡­!?</i>


    It seemed that °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik was very bewildered because before Lakrak died, he had been unable to even leave a mark on °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s body. Knowing Lakrak¡¯s abilities, however, Sung-Woon thought the results were only obvious.


    [Lakrak (Warrior Lv.6 / King Lv.6 / Apostle Lv.13)


    Strength 167(+d13)


    Intelligence 155(+d13)


    Sociability 132(+d13)


    Willingness 287


    Leadership 115


    Trickery 82


    Perseverance 74


    (...)]


    Lakrak¡¯s priest level had been converted into his apostle level, and his abilities increased by a ridiculous amount.


    He was still inferior to °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik in terms of pure stats while they were using Hierophany. °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s Divinity level was 16. Even excluding the strength their erged physique would provide, their Divine Power modifier, ¡®d¡¯, was still three levels over that of Lakrak. So even though Lakrak was able to leave wounds on °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s body, it should¡¯ve been difficult for him to defeat them.


    <i>¡®Yes. But that is only a part of the powers the apostle has obtained.¡¯</i>


    An apostle¡¯s true powers came from their skills.


    [(...)


    Armor Creation: Creates their own armor. The level of the armory would be the same as the apostle¡¯s level.


    Great Hunter: Strength+d4 when dealing with enemies bigger than themself.


    Thunder Lizard: They can use Faith points to use Electric Attack (Read more).


    First Chosen One: Ability levels additionally rise in proportion to current Faith points.


    Tribal Chief of ck-Scale Tribe: Additional Sociability+d4 for every ck-Scaled Lizardman.


    King of ck Scale: Additional Sociability+d4 for every citizen of ck Scale.


    The One Who Guides the Way: Additional Sociability+d4 for every individual who knows of Lakrak.]


    The unique skills were based on the titles Lakrak had had before he died.


    <i>¡®Great Hunter is what deflected the hammer.¡¯</i>


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik raised their bow and put an arrow to the bowstring. Then they aimed at Lakrak, who had flown past their shoulder and was still in the air.


    But Lakrak wasn¡¯t simply falling back to the ground. As he extended his hands, a golden bow was conjured in the air.


    <i>¡®Armor Creation.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak pulled the intangible bowstring.


    <i>¡®...I¡¯m guessing Thunder Lizard is also being used.¡¯</i>


    The electric currents in the air gathered and formed into the shape of an arrow.


    <i>-...Die!</i>


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s arrow shot out from the bowstring. It was big enough topletely crush Lakrak.


    Lakrak didn¡¯t blink as he pulled his bowstring as far back as possible and let go, aiming at the arrow flying towards him.


    <i>Boom! Boom! Boom!</i>


    The high voltage of electricity rumbled and roared like it would make the atmosphere burst. The beam of light Lakrak had shot evaporated °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s arrow before hitting them in the side.


    <i>-...Kugh!</i>


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik grabbed the side of their body with one hand and staggered.


    <i>-To an apostle¡­that just acquired their Divinity¡­I¡­</i>


    At that moment, Lakrak¡¯s body produced lightning again and shot at °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik. Its power couldn¡¯t be ignored even with °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s Divine Powers. Then °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik stabbed at Lakrak with their spear as he ran toward them.


    <i>-...Did you think I would be defeated by that!?</i>


    Lakrak vanished before reappearing on top of the spear °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s had swung at him. With agile steps, he ran along the spear.


    <i>-You fool!</i>


    The moment °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik pulled back their spear, Lakrak leaped into the sky. At a rough estimate, he had soared 200 meters into the air with one leap. °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik raised their head and looked up at Lakrak.


    <i>¡®Chief of ck-Scale Tribe, King of ck Scale, and The One Who Guides the Way are all skills that elevate Lakrka¡¯s Sociability based on a particr group.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak held his spear with both his hands, flickered, and turned into a blue light again.


    <i>¡®And on top of that, the skill, First Chosen One, would buff his abilities in proportion to his total Faith points.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak fell towards the middle of °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s forehead. At the same time, °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s weapons shot towards Lakrak, who had turned into light again.


    <i>¡®The Faith points Lakrak has obtained is based on his Sociability, that is, his charisma. The more prayers about Lakrak umte, the stronger he gets.¡¯</i>


    Everyone watching the legendary battle wished for Lakrak¡¯s victory.


    And someone shouted, ¡°Larkak! Destroy the evil!¡±


    As they so wished, the blue light prated through the evil god.


    ***


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik¡¯s manifestation through Hierophany split in half. The dead body of the evil god soon turned into ash as it got exposed to the rising sunlight, and it scattered in the wind sweeping up the hill before disappearing into the sky.


    With the red dawn casting from the horizon, one by one, people started to look at Lakrak. Standing in the middle of the hill, Lakrak looked around with one leg on a small boulder. He looked towards the Vampires, the Vampires¡¯ ves, and then his warriors.


    Quezle nkly stood before running up to Lakrak.


    ¡°King Lakrak! Oh, my king!¡±


    Lakrak smiled. Quezle repeatedly bowed down at Lakrak¡¯s feet.


    Lakrak then said.


    <i>-Quezle.</i>


    ¡°Yes, go ahead, my lord.¡±


    <i>-I need to leave now.</i>


    Quezle raised his head.


    ¡°No, you mustn¡¯t. You just came back. What do you mean you need to go again?¡±


    <i>-This is thew of the heavens.?</i>


    ¡°But you must go back to the pce and say yourst goodbyes¡­¡±


    <i>-Stop!</i>


    Lakrak roared.


    <i>-Are the heavens a joke to you?</i>


    Quezle shut his mouth. Lakrak¡¯s eyes were full of mischief, but Quezle didn¡¯t notice because of the tears in his eyes.


    Lakrak used the rest of the Faith points left on the spear in his hand, which he had used to kill °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik. There was no change to the outer appearance, but on the system side, the spear had turned into a weapon that mortal beings could also wield in addition to apostles.


    <i>-ept this spear.</i>


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    As Lakrak held out his spear, Quezle epted it with both hands.


    <i>-I will leave the spear that killed the evil god with ck Scale. This is an object of God, so treat it with great care.</i>


    ¡°Of course. We will make it the treasure of our country and only use it in times of crisis.¡±


    Lakrak nodded.


    <i>-Do not worry. Even after I leave, I will protect ck Scale as God¡¯s apostle.?</i>


    ¡°I will make sure that the name of Lakrak is never forgotten on thisnd.¡±


    <i>-That is not the important thing, Quezle.</i>


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lakrak patted Quezle on the shoulder.


    <i>-You would have already understood.</i>


    At those words, Quezle¡¯s eyes widened. Of course he knew what Lakrak meant.


    The faith Lakrak had demonstrated would forever be the talk of all Lizardmen and citizens of ck Scale. And if Owen was to spread Lakrak¡¯s tales in faraway ces, Quezle thought he should be making records of what Lakrak¡¯s doctrine was.


    Lakrak tapped Quezle on the shoulder.


    <i>-And pleaseplete the remaining work.</i>


    Quezle couldn¡¯t answer when he was choking on his tears. He simply nodded.


    ¡°Yes, of course I will do so.¡±


    As Quezle sniffed and struggled to wipe away all his tears, Lakrak vanished on the spot.


    ***


    137 years passed.


    ***


    The 23rd year of King of Serenity ruling Orazen of ck Scale.


    On one side of the pce, a conversation took ce in the second library that the royalties and nobles used.


    There was one Human and one Lizardman. The Human looked down at the courtyard before looking at the Lizardman.


    ¡°So¡­you¡¯re saying that the third prince should be the crown prince?¡±

 Chapter 77: The Third Prince

    <h4>Chapter 77: The Third Prince</h4>


    ¡°Keep your voice down.¡±


    Deyanin, the Lizardman, was looking around in between the bookshelves in the second library. The only other person in the library was Hwee-Mun.


    Then Hwee-Mun, the old woman with her white hair neatly tied back, said, ¡°It¡¯s all because you¡¯ve said something so ridiculous. For the past hundred years, it¡¯s been a rule for the first child to be the crown prince.¡±


    ¡°But there were exceptions.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense again. There were specific reasons for those special cases.¡±


    ¡°So why not this time?¡±


    Hwee-Mun sighed and contemted what Deyanin had said.


    Everyone in the pce was hush hush about the fact that the first prince, Vasen, had a problem. Even though he was quite old now, he neglected studying in favor of ying. There was a rumor that he had recently learned how to hunt and had been riding around the mountains with the good-for-nothing people of Orazen.


    ¡°But Deyanin, not a lot of ministers will think that way.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course.¡±


    Deyanin was a young Lizardman with white scales and red eyes, and was born in a nameless small vige in a valley of the penins.


    Deyanin snorted and said, ¡°How much do you think the ministers would like a king who is ignorant when ites to national affairs and only likes to y?¡±


    ¡°Watch what you say.¡±


    Hwee-Mun cleared her throat. However, Deyanin wasn¡¯t wrong.


    More than a hundred years had passed since Lakrak died. Lakrak¡¯s descendents continued to be the royal family of ck Scale, and although there had been remarkable kings, one would be hard-pressed to say they were as sessful as Lakrak had been. And out of the kings of ck Scale, there was a king who had not received such favorable evaluations.


    Hwee-Mun thought to herself.


    <i>¡®Though this is a presumptuous thought, objectively speaking, King of Serenity is also like that. He received an epithet of only keeping the country peaceful because he hadn''t made any administrative achievements for the past decade after bing king.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Mun greatly sympathized with the white Lizardman¡¯s words. However, Hwee-Mun was the head of the left ministers¡ªa position created after Lakrak¡¯s death.


    Lakrak and Zaol only had three children, but those three children went on to have more children. As the royal family expanded, there was a need for people to assist the king and the royal family and do misceneous chores, but things could get troublesome if they were Lizardmen as well. Since they would be residing in the pce, there was a possibility that they would have a child with one of the royal family members, and political problems would arise if that happened frequently. Therefore, the royal family of ck Scale found a simple solution.


    <i>¡®The royal family needs workers, but if the workers are also Lizardmen, it would be difficult to prevent disorder in the royal family. Therefore, no Lizardmen could get the job.¡¯</i>


    Of course there was the option of castration, but that wouldn¡¯t be viable since no one would send their children to the pce if that was what awaited them. Since then, the position was given the name left minister because they would be in charge of managing the inner pce of the throne.


    And so, as Hwee-Mun was in charge of left ministers, she was responsible for preventing disorder in the pce and keeping peace.


    Hwee-Mun then said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that King of Serenity is suffering from a disease, right? He¡¯s a particrly sensitive person, so he will get greatly upset if he hears such a strong opinion.¡±


    Deyanin nodded.


    ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t think of that. Then of course, you, the head of the left ministers, should make hints about my opinion in advance.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t things turn into chaos if I appeal for the first prince to give up bing the crown prince and say that the third prince should be appointed instead? So you must do your best to manage things, especially for His Majesty¡¯s disease. Well, I¡¯m gonna get going now.¡±


    ¡°W¡­wait. Deyanin?¡±


    Hwee-Mun couldn¡¯t help but grab Deyanin¡¯s forearm when he turned around. This young Lizardman was greatly stubborn, so Hwee-Mun had no choice but to say that she would give the king hints as soon as possible, which was the next day. Deyanin seemed dissatisfied, but he promised not to raise an appeal tomorrow.


    Hwee-Mun sighed as he watched Deyanin leave.


    <i>¡®How many lives do you think we have?¡¯</i>


    The majority of the current ministers of the government, also known as the right ministers, were the descendants of Lakrak¡¯s warriors in the past. The warriors of that time, or to be exact, the deputy warriors, had been recognized for their achievements and gained the status of aristocracy. However, there was a problem with them.


    Just as the royal family who continued Lakrak¡¯s bloodline weren¡¯t all the best, not all descendents of the warriors acted as warriors should.


    <i>¡®Some joke around saying that it would be difficult for them to oversee national affairs since they are descendants of warriors¡­ but warriors of that time were wise men who didn¡¯t just fight because they had powers.¡¯</i>


    Nevertheless, the current ministers abused their status as aristocrats and had been passing on their positions without actually achieving anything.


    It was very difficult for Deyanin, a Lizardman, to be a right minister since he hadn¡¯t inherited any noble blood, and he was even prejudiced by others and considered to have an ancient curse because of his white scales.


    <i>¡®Though the hunting minister is the lowest of all positions, he got very lucky.¡¯</i>


    Regardless, Hwee-Mun regarded Deyanin highly because he had earned his position with his own effort. What would happen if such a person brought up the idea of the third prince being crown prince? If he was lucky, he would save himself through some political machinations and return home, but if he was unlucky, he would be buried without anyone even knowing.


    Hwee-Mun thought about Deyanin¡¯s words, which had caused ripples in her calm mind. No, it would be more urate to say that they had caused big waves.


    <i>¡®The third prince¡­¡¯</i>


    ***


    At the same time, the third prince Kyle Lak Orazen was with his teacher, Ravwin Quez.


    They were having a short break and enjoying some refreshments after studying. The refreshments seemed simple: rice cakes made by using water mills to pound rice from the southern ins of ck Scale. But they tasted particrly good when dipped into honey collected from the beehives in the western valley of Orazen. And what they had to drink was green tea made from the leaves picked by the Elves in the northern coast.


    ¡°Allow me to ask you a question, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Kyle quietly looked at the inside of his tea cup. In Ravwin¡¯s perspective, Kyle was a bright and intelligent person, also known as a genius, but he couldn¡¯t be properly evaluated because of the part of him that was nk and dull.


    Then Ravwin said, ¡°You have already read all the books in the first library, so I must ask you for the future directions of your studies. What is your favorite book?¡±


    Kyle slightly furrowed his eyebrows and looked up at Ravwin.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to answer because there are so many books I like. Can I only pick one?¡±


    ¡°No. You can answer from your heart. However, I also wish for you to briefly tell me why you like the book.¡±


    Kyle nodded as if that wasn¡¯t a hard thing to do


    ¡°Firstly, Mr. Owen¡¯s <i>Travel Journal</i> is very interesting since it talks about many species andnds I haven¡¯t been able to visit.¡±


    Ravwin put on a wry smile. It was a book no children would dislike. ¡®Storyteller Owen¡¯ lived in the period of time when Lakrak lived and left many anecdotes about Lakrak. There were always tales singing praises about Owen all around ck Scale, and Owen himself had engraved stories onto monuments with a chisel and hammer. Among the stories, the most famous one was his <i>Travel Journal.</i>


    Owen saw them as nothing but his own personal journal, but his writing was very detailed. He had traveled to many ces and many countries, and he was such a skillful writer that his journal read like he was speaking to the readers, so it ended up circting in many other countries other than ck Scale as well.


    One famous anecdote rted to the <i>Travel Journal</i> was that it was iplete. After Owen had written up to nine volumes, he traveled to the west in hister years, and there were no more records left. Owen had likely died, but many people thought he would still be writing a journal for thest time somewhere out there. And due to those assumptions, people looked for the elusive tenth volume of his journal, but it was still nowhere to be found.


    <i>¡®As expected, he does act his age sometimes.¡¯</i>


    However, Kyle¡¯s following words broke Ravwin¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°And I also like Mrs. Zaol¡¯s <i>Algebra Theories</i> and <i>Orazen¡¯s Architectural Design</i>.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Keep going.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Zaol¡¯s books give the pleasure of making sense of the principles, but I could also feel the warmth of her consideration of others.¡±


    ¡°Consideration?¡±


    ¡°Yes...did I judge wrong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Zaol was Lakrak¡¯spanion, so she was also well known as the queen, but to schrs, she left a strong impression as a mathematician and an architect. Her mathematician side could be seen in one of her books, <i>Algebra Theories</i>.


    What Ravwin found more interesting was <i>Orazen¡¯s Architectural Design</i>, written by Zaol as an architect.


    Zaol had overseen the construction of the four waterwheels at Automation. Then she overcame the great challenge of building the capital of ck Scale. In her designs, the pce and the size of rivers weren¡¯t the only things taken into consideration, but also the convenience of the people living in Orazen.


    <i>¡®However, in the book Orazen¡¯s Architectural Design, only the numerical values and blueprints were shown. It would be very difficult to figure out the heart of the architect just by looking at numbers and straight lines.¡¯</i>


    Kyle continued to say, ¡°Oh, I also like <i>Morale</i>, which was written by your ancestor, Mr. Quezle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor. How did youe to like that one?¡±


    ¡°Hm, it¡¯s difficult to exin.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, feel free to take your time.¡±


    Quezle¡¯s <i>Morale</i> wasn''t necessarily a book that detailed lots of Quezle¡¯s thoughts. Rather, it was a book that contained his observations about Lakrak and the conversations the two had.


    Kyle nodded and began to say while looking at the courtyard, ¡°You get punished if you take someone else¡¯s belongings, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That is why there arews. However, there are bad things that aren¡¯t punished by thew as well.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me an example?¡±


    ¡°Like saying something mean.¡±


    Ravwin nodded.


    Kyle continued to say, ¡°Just because you say something mean doesn¡¯t mean someone would punish you while saying that you broke thew. However, people do not simply say hateful things. While letting all their emotions out that way can feel good, not everyone is like that.¡±


    ¡°Why is that so?¡±


    ¡°Because hearing something mean feels bad. People who don¡¯t say hateful things are people who know how it feels to hear it. So in the book <i>Morale</i>, it says that people shouldn¡¯t say hateful things. Though it also always says, ¡®King Lakrak was like this too.¡¯ But anyways, that¡¯s what I like about the book. If I hadn¡¯t read that book, I probably would have also frequently said hateful things to others and thought that it didn''t matter.¡±


    ¡°Haha, no way.¡±


    Ravwin found it interesting that young Kyle understood ethics. Ethics were overlooked in the education kings received, but it could be considered the most important lesson. Without any ethical and moral standards, kings would act ording to their moods, and that could be the shortcut to the country¡¯s doom.


    <i>¡®Lakrak, the one my ancestor Quezle served, followed the guidance of the marvelous Night Sky, so of course he would be the manifestation of ethics.¡¯</i>


    In fact, Lakrak was also known as the apostle of Night Sky. Perhaps Night Sky had simply sent their own apostle to the world in the appearance of a Lizardman.


    Some time afterwards, Kyle listed the reasons he liked the other books such as Yur¡¯s <i>Battle in the in</i>, as well as Sairan Muel¡¯s <i>Night Sky,</i> which could be seen as a theology book. And out of the few books that Lakrak wrote, Kyle mentioned <i>The Way to Read the Sky</i>, which was an astronomy book.


    Ravwin was pleased with Kyle¡¯s reading history, but at the same time felt sorry for him. It was a good thing that Kyle, the prince, liked studying. But Kyle was the third prince, not the first.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s unfortunate. Of course all this knowledge woulde in good useter on, but¡­¡¯</i>


    Ravwin shook his head to get rid of the trivial thoughts. Instead, he thought about how he could teach Kyle new knowledge.


    <i>¡®At this rate, I won¡¯t even be able to be his teacher since the prince already knows more than I do about some fields.¡¯</i>


    Concerns about the royal family weren''t his business anyway. As a teacher, he simply needed to teach Kyle.


    Kyle, who had been chattering, suddenly became quiet. Ravwin thought there was no way Kyle was already finished, so he looked at Kyle.


    Kyle then said, ¡°Teacher Ravwin.¡±


    ¡°Yes. What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve given you a lot of answers today, so I should be allowed to ask you something I¡¯m curious about as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I told you that you could freely ask questions when ites to studying, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Kyle shyly smiled.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not rted to studying. Perhaps it may be rted somehow, but I¡¯m not confident that it is since I have little knowledge.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s funny that you¡¯re not sure about something for once. Tell me, what is it?¡±


    Kyle looked Ravwin in the eyes and asked, ¡°Do you think I could be king?¡±


    Ravwin spat out the tea he was drinking. Fortunately, he spat it towards the courtyard, not at Kyle¡¯s face.


    1. A term used in Joseon history which is used differently than in the story. In the story, this term refers to people who manage the pce affairs.


    2. In the same context as the term ¡®left minister,¡¯ this term refers to people who manage national affairs in the story.

 Chapter 78: Sign of Change

    <h4>Chapter 78: Sign of Change</h4>


    ¡°Excuse me, Prince Kyle, but you haven¡¯t mentioned what you just said to anyone else, have you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I haven''t told anyone else.¡±


    ¡°...Good. You should be very careful about that.¡±


    ¡°I know, teacher Ravwin.¡±


    Kyle looked at Ravwin with a displeased expression.


    ¡°So what is your answer to my question?¡±


    Ravwin awkwardly smiled. He was respected by others as the third prince¡¯s teacher, and he was a schr who basically lived in the third library. However, just because he was respected didn¡¯t mean he had a high status.


    The first prince, Vasen Lak Orazen, had already been chosen as the crown prince, so Kyle would have to take the title from Vasen. And depending on the interpretation, simply mentioning it could be considered an act of treason.


    <i>¡®If I say something even slightly wrong, I¡¯ll be smelling incense from my afterlife.¡¯</i>


    But strangely enough, Ravwin realized he wasn¡¯t upset about the idea despite it making him fearful.


    So Ravwin said, ¡°Well, you know that¡¯s a difficult question, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I know. So I wondered many times if I should ask the question or not.¡±


    ¡°...Do you want to be king?¡±


    Kyle¡¯s gaze shifted back to the courtyard.


    ¡°Do I want to? I¡¯m not too sure about that.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you asking such a thing?¡±


    ¡°I thought that perhaps it would be better for me to be king.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ravwin asked.


    Not being sure if he wanted to be king didn¡¯t exactly line up with believing it would be better for him to be king. However, Ravwin realized that Kyle hadn¡¯t specified the subject of his statement.


    Ravwin asked, ¡°Who are you saying it would be good for?¡±


    Kyle didn¡¯t blink once when he replied, ¡°For the people.¡±


    ***


    On top of a mountain covered with white snow seemingly untouched for a long time.


    A woman wearing an off the shoulder dress looked down at thend below. It was the god of the Renards, Lunda.


    Lunda said through the video chat, ¡°...This is the overall report. You can see the details in the shared information.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°But Neb.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°May I ask you a favor?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. What is it?¡±


    ¡°...Can you move back one step?¡±


    Sung-Woon dramatically removed a white stone from the go board like it was no problem at all.


    For the past hundred years, Sung-Woon had discovered many Ancient Ruins, killed abominations and fiends, and obtained several Small Areas. And among the Small Areas he obtained was Small Area: Trees and Small Area: Gravel.


    It was easy to make a go board with a Miracle. And because Lunda had done the same over the years, she had obtained Small Area: Gems, and though her board shone with rubies and blue sapphires, it was still a go board.


    They were ying a long-distance game of go while looking at each other''s board through video chat.


    Sung-Woon was sitting on drynd where the sun was shining in the middle of the wilderness. There was nothing that could be considered still life behind him, and all that could be seen was the bony skull of a buffalo that had died a long time ago. It was facing up towards the sky.


    Lunda said while moving a ck stone, ¡°Is there nothing interesting going on these days?¡±


    ¡°Wow, are you now trying to dig up information from my end too?¡±


    ¡°Will you stop connecting everything to the game? I¡¯m just making small talk. It¡¯s like an extension of a greeting.¡±


    Whenever Sung-Woon realized that not everyone was as serious about the game as he was, he felt a little sad, but once again he moved on as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    ¡°It is something you¡¯ll end up finding out about anyways.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There might be a change.¡±


    ¡°Finally?¡±


    Lunda¡¯s eyes narrowed. She couldn¡¯t help but look forward to the ¡®change.¡¯


    Thest hundred years had been a period of stagnation. As they entered what yers called the middle ages, the borders between the countries changed little from there on out. Even when minor battles broke out, they didn¡¯t turn into big wars.


    Stagnations like this were inevitable in The Lost World. Depending on the builds, there was a way to continue the momentum of expansion from the early stages and somehow end the game, but with a typical build, the focus would be on strengthening internal management once the borders were all set to some extent. For example, in addition to the main species used in the early stage of expansion, various appeasement policies were needed so that a yer could turn the other species in their country into their followers.


    A multi-species nation would constantly face problems. Even in Sung-Woon¡¯s case, he had already prevented six revolts despite the events not being clearly recorded in history. The threat hade from the inside rather than the outside. If necessary, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to rece the dynasty with morepetent characters, but Sung-Woon believed in Lakrak and Zaol¡¯s DNA.


    <i>¡®Not always does apetent childe from apetent father and mother. Heredity isn¡¯t that simple.¡¯</i>


    The fight between the yers continued, but it was a war without armies being involved.


    <i>¡®Four of the six rebellion attempts in ck Scale seemed to be caused by other yers,¡¯</i>


    Of course Sung-Woon had also induced various internal conflicts in other countries, and the results could somewhat be called a sess. The kings of Danyum, the country of the Satyrs, Golden Eye, the country of the Nixes, and half their nobles were on ck Scale¡¯s side. It was because the two countries had received direct help from Lakrak in the past.


    The God of Blood and Rotten Meat was known to the whole third continent as ¡®the evil god.¡¯ And Shaiven, the puppet of the evil god, remained known as ¡®the demon queen.¡¯ It was all because the influence of Lakrak, who had killed the evil god, still existed. In addition, everyone who had personally witnessed Lakrak killing the evil god ended up naturalized as ck Scale¡¯s citizens, and that gave strength to his influence.


    It was obvious for the Vampires¡¯ ves that Lakrak had saved to do so, but even the Vampires themselves caught and killed Shaiven when she tried to run away and offered her to the Lizardmen. The Lizardmen thus epted the Vampires¡¯ surrender.


    However, living together with Vampires was impossible for all other species because Vampires needed to drink other people¡¯s blood to survive. The lowest ss Vampires, known as the fourth generation Vampires, could survive on animal blood, but that wasn¡¯t the case for second and third generation Vampires.


    The Vampires made a surprising choice. They chose to starve to death in ordance with the will of Lakrak and Night Sky, saying that they couldn¡¯t survive off the suffering of others. As a result, as many as 1,000 Vampires dug and went into their own stone caves near the mountain fortress of the Lizardmen.


    The Lizardmen and other species watched to make sure if they really meant what they said. Some Vampires resisted and ran away, and some couldn¡¯t suppress their urges. However, around 600 Vampires endured their pain of thirst and died in their spots in the end. And the Lziardmen btedly confirmed their sincerity.


    Zaol¡¯s prayer to Night Sky in the valley was passed down to the future generations.


    ¡°Dear Blue Insect God, they understand their sins and know they will be punished. Please show them mercy and forgive them.¡±


    And as Zaol prayed, a blue butterfly fluttered around her.


    Zaol then bowed and said, ¡°God has already forgiven them.¡±


    .


    Since then, it became known to lots of people, even non-Lizardmen, that if they repented and epted their punishments after sinning, Night Sky would embrace them.


    The area where the Vampires died was called ¡®Sage Valley,¡¯ and it became one of the sacred ces of Night Sky.


    And due to all that, the Satyrs, whose territory sat right next to the sacred ce, and Nixes, who had barely seeded in recovering theirnd after being totally defeated by the Vampires, couldn¡¯t help but regard the Lizardmen highly.


    However, the influence the Vampires had left wasn¡¯t so great in Mangul, the country of the Kobolds, and Asbestos, the country of the Trolls. They believed that they could protect themselves with their own strength, so ck Scale couldn''t gain influence over them.


    <i>¡®And the country of the Renards, Red Fruit¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon broke out of his reverie and looked up when Lunda called out to him.


    ¡°Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°What did you say again?¡±


    ¡°I told you to tell me in detail what kind of changes will be made.¡±


    Sung-Woon met her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do that.¡±


    ¡°...Oh, okay. Then tell me if I win this round.¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m not telling you. And what would you put on the table in return?¡±


    ¡°That means you have some intentions to tell me. Hm, what would be good¡­¡±


    ¡°Do me a favor.¡±


    Lunda hesitated at those words, but she soon nodded confidently.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ***


    30 minutester, Lunda flipped the go board.


    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s quit this. Let¡¯s y Alkkagi instead. Youe here. No, should I go to you?¡±


    ¡°Lunda, you need to ept the results.¡±


    The one who said this wasn¡¯t Sung-Woon, but Eldar. Eldar had been sitting in a ce where they wouldn¡¯t be seen in the video chat, but they poked their head in from the side to get a good look when Lunda flipped her board over.


    For the past hundred years, the three had pretty much be loose allies, and in Lunda¡¯s case, she became a spy against Crampus.


    ¡°What? Why are you there?¡±


    ¡°Just because. You¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s feeling bored.¡±


    And as Eldar said so, they lifted the chessboard in front of them and Sung-Woon. Lunda had noticed Sung-Woon¡¯s other hand moving, but she never would have guessed that he was ying another game simultaneously.


    ¡°What? Neb, were you ying me and Eldar at the same time?¡±


    Both Sung-Woon and Eldar nodded.


    ¡°Ugh, that hurts my pride. I¡¯m not gonna y anymore.¡±


    ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Lunda slightly stuck out her tongue and raised her middle finger before ending the call.


    Then Eldar said, ¡°But Neb, I¡¯m also a bit curious.¡±


    ¡°About the sign of a change?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sung-Woon¡¯s eyes naturally shifted to the chessboard. Eldar sighed and toppled over their king.


    ¡°I think I won the chess game too, didn¡¯t I?¡± asked Sung-Woon.


    Eldar nced at the sky with their big eyes.


    ¡°But we didn¡¯t make a bet.¡±


    Sung-Woon slowly nodded.


    Eldar and Lunda were in different circumstances. In Sung-Woon¡¯s view, Lunda was more of a double agent, so he focused on only receiving information from her. On the other hand, Eldar¡¯s Elves were now pretty much a part of ck Scale.


    The Elves in the northern coast now had enough territory, but because they were tied down by the various contracts they had made with Hwee-Kyung over the past hundred years or so, it was hard for them to grow without ck Scale¡¯s help. For this reason, the Elves epted that the hardships they suffered because of the Lizardmen were all hardships intended by their God. And Eldar had already given up on changing that part.


    But above all, some of Eldar¡¯s Elves were already working as servants and left ministers at the pce of ck Scale, and in the doctrines that Eldar¡¯s high priest had formted, the priest came to the conclusion that it wouldn¡¯t be wrong for them to also believe in Night Sky,


    Sung-Woon had finally begun to consider making a real alliance with Eldar, but Eldar had already been thinking of Sung-Woon as their ally and nned to stick with him to the end.


    After Sung-Woon became confident it would be okay to share his n with Eldar, he said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    Sung-Woon opened a window that showed the pce of Orazen.


    Eldar looked at the window.


    ¡°This is the sign of change.¡±


    Where Sung-Woon was pointing at was a young Lizardman sitting somewhere in the pce. He was 15 years old, and he was a character Eldar had seen before¡ªthe third son of King of Serenity, the current ruler of ck Scale. Eldar wondered what was so special about him; they hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the young prince since he was the third son.


    ¡°What¡¯s so special about this individual¡­?¡±


    Sung-Woon smirked at those words.


    ¡°Have you ever checked his abilities?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing really special about his skills. It¡¯s just that¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon opened up Kyle¡¯s status window. And Eldar¡¯s eyes grew big.


    [Kyle Lak Orazen(Lv.0)


    Strength 14


    Intelligence 107


    Sociability 32]


    It was a number that should be impossible for someone at level 0.


    ¡°He just has <i>really?</i>high Intelligence.¡±


    1. A game yed on a go board. Each yer lines up a few go stones on their side and moves their stones by flicking them, trying to push the opponent¡¯s stones off the go board.

 Chapter 79: Guardian Dragon of Orazen

    <h4>Chapter 79: Guardian Dragon of Orazen</h4>


    Eldar blinked a few times and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s my first time seeing such a high number¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that high,¡± replied Sung-Woon.


    ¡°Well¡­isn''t this still a rare case?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    It all depended on the species, the character¡¯s age, and level of civilization. Currently, Kyle was an adolescent who was still growing, so by the standards of an average Human his age, his Intelligence ability should be around 15. His Strength of 14 was in the normal range, while his Sociability of 32 was enough for him to be a politician or an entertainer in modern civilization, and a king who would do great things in older civilization.


    Then Eldar said, ¡°Even if his Intelligence were 60, he would be called a great genius in the current time period, but his stat exceeds not only 80, but 100?¡±


    ¡°It would probably be hard to find anyone like him on the whole continent for the next few decades.¡±


    In fact, the reason the world had stagnated for over the past hundred years was not simply because of internal issues in each country.


    <i>¡®In order for civilization to develop, the right technology and inventions must emerge. Gods can¡¯t hand down inventions themselves since that''s a vition of the principle of causality.¡¯</i>


    And there was another problem.


    <i>¡®Even if there is new technology and inventions, they can¡¯t be a one-time event. The invention needs to lead to another invention.¡¯</i>


    However, there had been few innovations over the past hundred years. Technology had spread and been optimized for each country¡¯s environment, but there wasn¡¯t anything new. And this was something that Sung-Woon couldn''t do anything about. New things, new technology, new inventions were not easily made. Even when they were made, they were generally minor things. Until the world developed modern civilization with globalization taking ce, many factors would rely on luck.


    <i>¡®When ying The Lost World, this kind of stagnation would only take a few minutes or at most ten¡­¡¯</i>


    Kyle seemed like a sign of change to Sung-Woon.


    ¡°This level of intelligence is adequate for discovering new things, and he even has enough influence to deliver the technology and inventions to various parts of ck Scale.¡±


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s perspective, ck Scale had enough capacity to develop to the next stage. Resources were umted, merchants traveled all over the continent, and there were schrs with basic mathematics and scientific knowledge all over the country.


    Then Eldar said, ¡°Yes, however¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There seems to be a critical issue.¡±


    Sung-Woon knew what issue Eldar was talking about.


    ¡°He¡¯s the third child, not the first.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The first prince, Vasen, likes to y, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything that will disqualify him from seeding the throne. And since Vasen has already been crowned as the crown prince, it would be difficult for Kyle to be king without doing anything.¡±


    Sung-Woon thought for a moment. It would be easy for him to intervene. If a certain sign was given to King Anpyeong at the pce meeting, the ministers would make a fuss and think that Kyle should be king since Night Sky had chosen him.


    <i>¡®However¡­it¡¯s not good to make such a decision so easily.¡¯</i>


    And Orazen¡¯s current situation was the result of hasty decisions. The left ministers yed the role of secretaries. To make an analogy, they were like the eunuchs on Earth. While the left ministers were made up of many species, the administrative officers that really had an influence on ck Scale were made up of Lizardmen. They supported the authority of the crown unconditionally, and there was no room for treason since the head administrative officers were all Lizardmen.


    <i>¡®Stagnant water is bound to rot.</i><i>¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t to the point that the Lizardmen were bad, and although there was a thick headed king from the royal family of ck Scale, there hadn¡¯t been an unreasonable fool among them. However, even though the proportion of Lizardmen in ck Scale was rather low inparison to other species, the proportion of Lizardmen that were administrative officers was overwhelmingly higher. Since Sung-Woon had granted them good Blessings, they had good abilities. But they still made up too big a part of those in power since there were also great talents among species other than Lizardmen.


    No longer did Sung-Woon have only Humans and Lizardmen; he had now obtained more species. As much as he aggressively tried to expand his territory for efficiency in the earlier days, it was now time to think about harmony.


    <i>¡®Having conflict between the species even until modern times? That would surely create a problem that would be a pain in the neck.¡¯</i>


    Until now, Sung-Woon had directly intervened in the politics of ck Scale to prevent external attacks and strengthen the royal authority, but he judged that it was now time to reduce his influence and only intervene indirectly.


    ¡°So I¡¯m going to use a different method this time.¡±


    ¡°For example¡­?¡±


    As Sung-Woon exined how, Eldar worried.


    ¡°Well, would things really go the way you think? I think you''re overconfident in Kyle¡¯s intelligence¡­¡±


    ¡°I think things will go well. I¡¯ve used simr methods in other games.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to do as you wish even if I try to stop you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°I¡¯m telling you in advance so that you won¡¯t get in the way because you think something is wrong.¡±


    Eldar sighed and said, ¡°Alright.¡±


    ***


    There were many gardens at Orazen¡¯s pce.


    They were generally based off of the afterlife that the Lizardmen pictured, so there were beautiful natural sceneries with short meadows that came up to their ankles, a few trees, and rocks ced in ces to sit or y on.


    Orazen¡¯s garden culture was also very popr among the aristocrats of ck Scale, so having arge yard and gardening was made a virtue of the aristocracy. However, there was something that was only at Orazen and nowhere else.


    The Elf left minister who had entered the pce only recently looked over the wooden fence with their ears raised.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s the rumored¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh. Lower your voice. He¡¯s gonna see us.¡±


    The Elf firmly closed their mouth and nodded.


    ¡°...Anyways, so that¡¯s the guardian dragon of Orazen, Manun.¡±


    Manun was a Drake running 25 meters long, and it was about 150 years old. It used to be raised by Beauer, the chief of the Lizardmen tribe called Blue Skin, but the huge Drake then became Lakrak¡¯s after Lakrak knocked him out. It was said that Drakes never died of old age, and Manun seemed to be a living proof of that.


    Manun was kept in a special yard in the inner pce, and he had kept growing until a couple decades ago. In the pce¡¯s records, there was an entry stating that the pce was rebuilt several times in order to make a yard big enough to raise Manun. In fact, many of the gardens in Orazen had been created because of Manun.


    But now the ministers in the pce thought of Manun as a pain in the neck because although his growth period was over, the cost of feeding him was great given his big size, and in proportion to that, the amount of waste he produced was also enormous. In other words, he cost a lot of money and required lots of people to take care of.


    Still, Manun couldn¡¯t be easily removed. He was the drake that not any other king, but the founder of the country and the Thunder Dragon King, Lakrak, had ridden. Manun thus became a symbol of royal authority, and the pce had no choice but to raise Manun even when he cost a fortune and required lots of care. Even after more than a hundred years, though, there were still some ministers who said that he should be released into the mountains where there were few people, while some said that he should be offered as a sacrifice to Night Sky since releasing him would be too dangerous, which meant he would be killed.


    While he was a symbol of royal authority, a symbol was just a symbol. As long as there was a real king, a symbol wouldn¡¯t be more important than that. And their concern wasn''tpletely unfounded. Although Manun had been ridden by many people over his lifetime, he was still a Drake, one of the most feared creatures on the. And Manun was even a 150 year old Drake. If he wanted, he could make the pce into a huge mess overnight.


    It didn¡¯t make sense for the symbol of royal authority to threaten the king¡¯s life. Regardless of all that, Manun ate well, slept well, and defecated well in the ce the Lizardmen made for him.


    However, there was something that the people didn¡¯t know about Manun. Unlike a Drake in its childhood, a Drake like Manun, who was quite old, would be sentient. Of course, no one could have known because no one had lived as long as Manun. He wasn¡¯t intelligent enough to understand what people said or use tools, but he had enough intelligence to recognize that the person who would bring water buffaloes for him to eat everyday, the person who would clean up his feces, and the person who would climb on top of him to clean his scales when he was asleep weren¡¯t food.


    And he could even vaguely feel emotions that arose from his heart. Recently, he had been hit with a particr emotion quite often. He felt it in the deepest part of his heart, and it was somewhat frustrating and difficult to deal with. Nevertheless, there was no way Manun would know to relieve it. So he simply spent time as he always did and continued to eat what was given to him, excrete feces, and sleep without being able to relieve the emotion. There was nothing for him to be unsatisfied about since all his desires were satisfied while staying still, but the idea of emotions was unfamiliar to Drakes, so it made him ufortable.


    Then one day, Manun opened his eyes in the middle of the night because of a shining blue light. It was a blue butterfly. Manun didn¡¯t care if there was a light in front of him or not and stomped on it with his front foot, but the blue butterfly only increased in numbers.


    He knew that most things would be smashed if he hit them with his front feet, so he found this interesting. Manun opened his eyes. When he struck the flutter of butterflies, they doubled in number again, and after he used his other foot to strike them once more, there were now enough butterflies to cover his body. The flutter of blue butterflies wrapped around Manun and flew over Manun¡¯s garden. He strolled around while chasing after the butterflies and began to run as the butterflies sped up.


    Then the flutter of blue butterflies circled the garden a few times before passing through the wooden wall without any resistance. The wall made of dense wooden bars was ten meters tall, and Manun was not allowed to go over it.


    Manun lifted and dropped his front feet in hesitation. Breaking through the wooden bars was nothing for Manun, but the one time he broke through it, many people had crowded around him and poked at him with long sticks while talking loudly. He could have squashed them with his front feet, but he didn¡¯t want to do that. Because they looked simr to the people Manun liked.


    Manun remembered his owners from when he was younger. He didn¡¯t like his first owner because hemanded him to do many things. But he liked his next owner. The second owner did grab Manun¡¯s snout and throw him onto the ground the first time they met, but due to the nature of Drakes determining dominance through strength, it was an event that imprinted his owner as a leader that Manun could follow and rely on. And in addition to that, the second owner didn¡¯t reallymand Manun to do anything and always fed him on time, so he felt happy with his second owner. He was sad when his second owner hadn¡¯t shown up from some point on, but he just forgot about his second owner and continued to live as he still got food put into his mouth everyday.


    <i>¡®...!¡¯</i>


    Only then did he suddenly realize what the emotion lingering in his heart was. Manun was able to shake off those feelings by chasing the butterflies, and he recalled the fact that the second Lizardman had not only fed him, but also yed with him like these butterflies. The emotion that had settled in Manun¡¯s heart was boredom.


    ¡°Come here, Manun.¡±


    Manun heard a familiar voice. He narrowed his eyes and looked over the wooden bars. His second owner was waving at him.


    ¡°I thought God was going to make me do something strange again, but this will be fun since it¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    Manun couldn¡¯t understand those words, but he remembered that when his owner waved his hand like that, it meant it was time to y tag. Manun lowered his shoulders and raised his butt in the air while wagging his tail.


    ¡°Manun, let¡¯s see if you¡¯ve improved.¡±


    The 25-meter-long giant jumped over the wooden bars.


    ***


    The Hunting Minister, Deyanin, received a surprising report from his subordinate in the morning, when he was going to work.


    ¡°Did you know there was a loud explosive sound in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°I heard it wasn¡¯t anything troubling.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°What was it then?¡±


    ¡°When the pce guards were dispatched to check where the sound came from, it turned out Manun had run away to the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a major concern.¡±


    Although Manun was said to be the guardian dragon of Orazen and a symbol of royal authority, he was still a monster. He wasn¡¯t a simple beast, so it would take the pce guards or even the army to get him under control. And since he was a creature that couldn¡¯t be killed, it would be a nightmare for the person in charge to bring him back alive. And to Deyanin, it was something he didn¡¯t even want to imagine.


    ¡°Mr. Deyanin, why do you keep answering like it¡¯s someone else¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the Hunting Minister, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Deyanin felt his minde to a halt.


    As its name would suggest, the hunting ministry Deyanin was the head of was a department in charge of hunting, but only a form of hunting that was entertainment to the aristocrats. Lizardmen had enjoyed hunting since a long time ago as they were good at archery, but it was obvious that they couldn¡¯t have dangerous animals near the pce where the king was. Therefore, prey was released into the mountains when they wanted to hunt, and the hunting department was the dedicated authority for this entertainment.


    The job required a lot of physicalbor, but it was difficult for members of the ministry to gain political power since they would also be assigned misceneous work that the other departments chose not to do. Being the head of the ministry didn¡¯t mean Deyanin wouldn¡¯t be treated contemptuously. And the trouble that fell onto hisp was an extension of that contempt.


    ¡°You must quickly get prepared. His Majesty has ordered that a solution to bring Manun back should be prepared before the morning meeting begins.¡±


    Like the other troublesome matters in the past, the task of catching Manun had been passed to him by the other departments.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    1. A Korean proverb meaning that people or organizations would be stagnant if there is no stimtion or change.

 Chapter 80: Finding Manun

    <h4>Chapter 80: Finding Manun</h4>


    Deyanin walked out of the grand hall with his hand on his head.


    The meeting itself went smoothly.


    In Orazen¡¯s mountains, there were rangers who belonged to the hunting department, but there were also civilian hunters who went around hunting wild boars, pheasants, or carbuncles. In other words, the forest wasn¡¯t some obscure ce no one visited.


    Deyanin had decided to find Manun by questioning those people if they had seen Manun, or gotten attacked or suffered damage because of Manun. And once Manun¡¯s location was identified that way, Deyanin said that he would gather the pce guards and bring Manun back to the royal pce by luring Manun with cows, his favorite food.


    Themander of the pce guards did express discontent since he would have to lend Deyanin some of his troops, but it wasn¡¯t possible to gather new troops just to catch Manun. Due to the story of the huge Drake protecting the royal family, the citizens favored Manun quite a bit, but public sentiment would certainly make a turn should Manun cause a big problem.


    King of Serenity and the other ministers also acknowledged that realistically, they wouldn¡¯t be able to bring back Manun with a small number of troops. Thus, he gave full authority to Deyanin to capture Manun and asked the other ministers to actively cooperate. That marked the end of the particr matter on the agenda.


    Due to the order to hurriedly catch Manun, Deyanin was allowed to leave the grand hall earlier than the other ministers, before the meeting ended. However, nothing about that seemed good to Deyanin.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re going to lend me your pce guards? Huh, even if you gather all the pce guards inside the pce, they would all die if Manun did a forward roll.¡¯</i>


    Themander of the pce guards would shout in anger if he could hear Deyanin¡¯s thoughts, but Deyanin was a realist.


    Deyanin did believe in the existence of Night Sky, but he thought the legends of Lakrak defeating the demon queen or killing the evil god were all exaggerated. Furthermore, the Miracles of Night Sky had been limited over the past hundred years.


    <i>¡®...Well, a beast is a beast. Even though he¡¯s gigantic, he¡¯ll probably follow us back if he sees something to eat.¡¯</i>


    Deyanin thought that with enough time and effort put into it, catching Manun wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. He had been taking measures so that there wouldn¡¯t be any dangerous animals around the mountains, and thus there wouldn¡¯t be many prey to fill Manun¡¯s stomach. And for whatever reason Manun went up the mountain, he woulde down sooner orter.


    The real problem was how many people would be hurt in the process of bringing him back. Until now, Manun¡¯s temperament had been gentle, but it would be impossible to know for sure when an unpredictable creature like Manun would make a sudden move. In Deyanin¡¯s frank opinion, it would be Night Sky¡¯s blessing if no one ended up getting hurt.


    <i>¡®...But that¡¯s impossible.¡¯</i>


    Manun was a giant that was 25 meters long. Even though he had only ever been seen dozing off and sleeping in the garden inside the pce, he was still a Drake in nature. Merchants that traveled along the north coast and penins were sometimes killed or injured due to a Drake¡¯s attack. There was a reason the Drakes of the wilderness were considered the most ferocious creatures in the present era.


    <i>¡®I might really resign this time.¡¯</i>


    Deyanin began to think that he should resign, go back to his hometown to open a school, and live a worry-free life, but he realized that could only be the case if he got lucky. If he was unlucky, he would be exiled, and in the worst case, he could lose his life as a punishment for all the problems that Manun might have caused.


    <i>¡®...Mother, it seems that your son¡¯s time hase.¡¯</i>


    Even though he had ovee the contempt stemming from the assumption that he was cursed due to his white scales and red eyes, and he had studied hard, entered the pce, and even rose to the position of a minister, it seemed that this was his limit.


    Just in case, Deyanin went to the garden where Manun had been kept. He examined the wooden fence to see if it was tampered with for someone to easily break it, or if someone had induced Manun to break it down. If it was all a part of someone¡¯s plot, the me could be shifted to them. However, Deyanin knew that wasn¡¯t the case after only a quick look.


    <i>¡®...There¡¯s no way that would be the case.¡¯</i>


    It would¡¯ve been too dangerous a scheme. It was possible for a group toe together to y a trick on Deyanin since he was a person of low-status, but going so far as to do something like this just to get Deyanin kicked out of the pce? Deyanin looked at the mountain path that Manun had disappeared into and quickly turned around to go back to the pce, thinking he should pressure his subordinates to quickly catch Manun. Or it would be more urate to say that he was going to go back to the pce. Just then, however, he saw a flock of Cockatoos rushing past him. Deyanin noticed a familiar face among the riders and hurriedly waved his hands.


    ¡°W¡­wait! Stop!¡±


    It seemed that the Cockatoo group would ignore Deyanin and go past him, but they suddenly stopped and turned around.


    One of the riders then said, ¡°Why have you stopped us, Deyanin?¡±


    ¡°Prince Vasen! Where are you heading right now?¡±


    The person Deyanin had stopped was Vasen Lak Orazen, King of Serenity¡¯s first prince.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? I¡¯m on my way to find Manun.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. You¡¯re the Hunting Minister. I had forgotten. From what I know, permission from the Hunting Minister is needed to enter and hunt in the mountain. Do I also need permission?¡±


    Deyanin sighed. Vasen was making fun of Deyanin. Vasen and his hunting friends had never acquired Deyanin¡¯s permission until now. And for that reason, Deyanin had sent several official letters to their houses for a fine. Vasen¡¯s hunting friends were all children of families who were well-off, so they could pay the fine and get it over with. Still, it seemed that Vasen didn¡¯t like the fact. But that was a different matter than this.


    ¡°Normally you wouldn¡¯t need my permission since I can¡¯t give a fine to His Majesty. But in this matter, I¡¯m not just the Hunting Minister. I¡¯m the Hunting Minister who has been given full authority to catch Manun by His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, I didn''t know about that part.¡±


    ¡°It was decided at the previous meeting.¡±


    ¡°I thought that meeting wasn¡¯t done yet.¡±


    ¡°His majesty had given orders to bring back Manun as soon as possible, so I left the meeting early.¡±


    Vasen put his hand to his chin and said, ¡°That¡¯s good, Deyanin.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s good?¡±


    ¡°My friends and I were gonna go watch Manun. We heard that the sleepyhead went out for a walk and thought it was a chance to finally see Manun move.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve be greedy after hearing that. I will catch Manun.¡±


    Deyanin furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    ¡°No. I mean it. What do you think, friends?¡±


    At Vasen¡¯s words, his hunting friendsughed and agreed with him. Deyanin btedly realized that they smelled of alcohol. Fortunately, even though Vasen was drunk, he was at least sober enough to ride on top of the Cocaktrice stably.


    <i>¡®The first prince, Vasen. His hunting skills aren¡¯t too bad.¡¯</i>


    Deyanin realized that Vasen wouldn¡¯t listen to him even if he voiced his opposition.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know how fast Manun is, but if you think about his size, Cockatoos won¡¯t be able to catch up to him. And even in the worst case scenario, those friends of his would be Manun¡¯s food instead.¡¯</i>


    Besides, Deynain could guess why Vasen was so eager to catch Manun. Even though he was the crown prince, he would be aware that lots of people were secretly saying he wasn¡¯tpetent to be king, Deyanin being one of them. Therefore, Vasen was trying to earn merit while using the boldness of a hunter as an excuse.


    Deyanin said, ¡°Alright, Prince Vasen. I was about to call the hunters to find Manun anyways.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to find Manun. I¡¯m going to bring him back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to show courage, but if you find Manun, please at least give word to the rangers nearby before you bring him back.¡±


    Vasen looked at Deyanin with a serious expression. And then his face rxed again.


    ¡°Well, alright then. I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°I wish you a safe return.¡±


    Vasen smirked and rode off to the path that Manun had disappeared into with his hunting friends.


    <i>¡®Good, now I¡¯ll just go back and¡­¡¯</i>


    Deyanin¡¯s thoughts came to a halt when he realized that there was someone behind him. He was surprised because he didn¡¯t hear any footsteps. Meanwhile, the person behind him was squatting and looking at the wooden bars that Manun had broken through, as if they weren¡¯t interested in Deyanin.


    Deyanin smiled at the sight of a familiar face, but then he hid his expression and cleared his throat.


    ¡°Prince Kyle, what brings you here?¡±


    King of Serenity¡¯s third prince, Kyle Lak Orazen, raised his head.


    ¡°Oh, Deyanin. I heard Manun had disappeared and came to look for him.¡±


    At those words, it was hard for Deyanin to regain his smile. Even though Kyle was a prince, he was just a 13 year old child. And in addition to that, he wasn¡¯t very good at using his body, so he couldn¡¯t ride Cockatoos like his first brother. However, his brilliance was extraordinary, even to the point that Deyanin asked himself if there was really no way for Kyle to be king.


    ¡°So you¡¯vee to find Manun. However, Manun has already run deep into the mountains, so the mountain rangers and hunters have gone to look for him.¡±


    ¡°Even my brother?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I saw my brother riding a Cockatoo in the distance earlier.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well¡­I don¡¯t expect much.¡±


    Kyle nodded.


    ¡°Even though my first brother is good at hunting, it would be hard for him to bring Manun back.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Even if all the pce guards are ordered to bring Manun back, there would be nothing they could do if Manun doesn¡¯t want to go with them.¡±


    Deyanin thought the same, but it made his heart burn to hear it said out loud since he was the one responsible for the task.


    To forget the painful reality, Deyanin asked Kyle, ¡°By the way, what are you looking so hard at?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something strange about the wooden bar.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange for it to break this neatly?¡±


    He was right. That was why Deyanin had thought there might be a conspiracy at y at first nce. However, he changed his mind once he took a closer look.


    ¡°I also thought that someone had made shallow cuts on the wooden bars, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Bugs have eaten it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the bugs did?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you look right there¡­ Yes. That part. It¡¯s eaten very neatly. And even if it weren¡¯t for these parts where the bugs had fed on, Manun would have easily broken the fence down. So it doesn¡¯t mean much.¡±


    Kyle shook his head.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It is true that the bugs ate it, but that is not meaningless.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    Kyle pointed at one of the pirs connected to wooden bars.


    ¡°These wooden bars were attached to the stone pirs. If it weren¡¯t for the spots the bugs had eaten, the pirs would have broken along with the wooden bars when Manun broke it. Then the pce guards would havee in time to poke Manun with spears and push him back into his garden. However, because of the bugs, the wooden bars broke as soon as Manun pushed into them, so there wasn¡¯t a loud noise. And that¡¯s why it was discoveredte.¡±


    It was a valid deduction, so Deyanin almost agreed to it. But Deyanin was a realist.


    ¡°Ah, but Your Highness, it isn¡¯t possible for bugs to only eat in such a neat line. Even if honey was put on the wooden bar, it would take more than one or two days for the bugs to eat away the wood to that extent. And if someone made such a thing happen for more than a few days, they would have been caught.¡±


    Kyle stood up after listening to Deyanin. He hit his thighs like his legs had gone numb.


    ¡°Deyanin, do you know what Night Sky used to be called in the past?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Deyanin became puzzled at the sudden mention of God¡¯s name. Compared to others, Deyanin wasn¡¯t very devoted, so he didn¡¯t know what Night Sky had been called in the past.


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t have much interest in old stories. It was the Blue Insect God.¡±


    ¡°Insect¡­God?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you look at old literature, it is filled with many Miracles rted to insects. So there was a reason God used to be called that, Oh, and one more thing. Lakrak used to call Night Sky the Beetle God.¡±


    Deyanin was bewildered and said, ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that Night Sky has done this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But it might just be a coincidence that the bugs have eaten the wood.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course it¡¯s just a hypothesis. But there is a way to check.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    As if he wasn¡¯t sure why Deyanin would ask such a thing, Kyle bluntly said, ¡°Well, we¡¯ll check and see if there are other parts of the wooden bars that the bugs have eaten. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s just a coincidence. But in my perspective, that seems unlikely. It seems that the wood was even painted with herbs to repel bugs¡­¡±


    It was something that could be checked right away. Without going back to the hunting department and ordering his subordinates to do so, Deyanin quickly ran around Manun¡¯s garden and checked the wooden bars. After ap around the garden, Deyanin stood next to Kyle with heat rising from his body and his heart pounding¡ªnot merely because he hadn¡¯t run in a long time.


    <i>¡®...There aren¡¯t any other spots!¡¯</i>


    Deyanin bent over while trying to catch his breath and said, ¡°Oh..oh my¡­ Your Highness, let¡¯s say that Night Sky had really¡­whoo¡­done this. Then what do you think the reason was?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Kyle looked at Manun¡¯s garden, the wooden bars that Manun broke, and the path leading to the mountain that he had made by wagging his tail.


    ¡°Fortunately, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything special in the mountain Manun went into. Even though there are rangers and hunters, they would be able to avoid him before it gets too dangerous since something as big as Manun would go around breaking trees. There wouldn¡¯t be anything for Manun to target. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Someone might be excited enough to follow Manun. And wouldn¡¯t that person be Manun¡¯s target?¡±


    At those words, Deyanin felt chills run down his back.


    <i>¡®...Oh?¡¯</i>


    Normally, no one would go after a Drake just because they were excited. But as Kyle had said, Deyanin had just met someone who was eagerly chasing after Manun.


    <i>¡®What a fool!¡¯</i>


    If Night Sky really existed and wished the country well, they would wish for the third prince to be crown prince rather than the first prince. And that was also what Deyanin had wanted. However, if Manun were to cause a problem, it was Deyanin himself who would be held responsible. Deyanin sighed, thinking that even though he knew it was what Night Sky wanted, he should protect himself. He had to hurry and bring Vasen back.


    After taking a few steps toward the hunting department, Deyanin stopped and said, ¡°Prince, you must not tell anyone else about this. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Sure. But please do me a favor.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something that would also help you out.¡±


    The favor Kyle asked for was an absurd one.

 Chapter 81: Acknowledgement

    <h4>Chapter 81: Acknowledgement</h4>


    ¡°Take me to where my oldest brother is.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to ride a Cockatoo, so I¡¯m asking you to take me with you.¡±


    Deyanin shook his head at Kyle¡¯s request.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll do that. I can¡¯t take care of you when we have no time to lose.¡±


    ¡°Think about it, Deyanin. I¡¯m not just speaking nonsense.¡±


    Kyle looked up at Deyanin with pleading eyes.


    <i>¡®Is he saying that he can threaten me since I was the one who let Prince Vasen go while Night Sky is targeting Prince Vasen? And so I should just listen to him?¡¯</i>


    Deyanin furrowed his eyebrows.


    <i>¡®No, that¡¯s not it.¡¯</i>


    Deyanin eventually took a deep breath and said, ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°So what do you think the reason is?¡± asked Kyle.


    ¡°If Night Sky really is targeting the first prince, it¡¯ll be to make someone else crown prince.¡±


    Miracles from Night Sky had been rare recently. However, it was clear that the power of Night Sky was involved in matters of ck Scale¡¯s royal family.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, perhaps Night Sky thinks that you should be the crown prince instead of the first prince.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it seems that you also think so.¡±


    Deyanin was caught off guard, but Kyle quickly continued.


    ¡°Anyways, no matter how well Night Sky lures Manun, it would be difficult to hurt my brother if I stick close. Manun isn¡¯t urate with his front feet and snout. Night Sky may lose both my brother and me if he isn¡¯t careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree.¡±


    Deyanin wondered if it was okay to go against Night Sky¡¯s will, but decided that it wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on it.


    <i>¡®No, Night Sky may be pleased since there¡¯s a prince that reads God¡¯s will so well. Besides, this wouldn¡¯t be the only chance to make someone else crown prince, would it? God wouldn¡¯t me people for trying to survive.¡¯</i>


    Deyanin then said, ¡°I¡¯ll quickly go to the hunting department and bring a Cockatoo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait here. We should be able to catch up with Vasen, he left not long ago.¡±


    Deyanin hoped that was true.


    ***


    ¡°Your Highness, it is likely this way.¡±


    ¡°Likely? Then I might as well chase after him with my eyes closed.¡±


    The first prince, Vasen, smirked.


    Manun was 25 meters long, but the trees in the mountains were much taller than the height of Manun¡¯s shoulders. Although it was a family¡¯s burial site, the mountain ranges were connected and reached all the way to the center of the continent, beyond Automation.


    If Manun stayed still deep in the mountains, it would be difficult to find him. However, Manun went around making a mess everywhere and left behind obvious traces, which made one wonder where he had been hiding all this energy until now. One would have to be blind to not know he had been to a ce with all the broken trees and the marks that his tail left in the ground.


    Vasen could understand Manun.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s obvious why he would have so much energy, he¡¯s lived in a garden for more than a hundred years. Your body must have been so stiff, buddy.¡¯</i>


    The garden Manun lived in was veryrge, but it was pretty clear that it was too cramped for Manun since he could get from one side to another with only a few steps.


    <i>¡®It¡¯smendable that he held it in until now.¡¯</i>


    <i>Crack¡­!</i>


    Birds flew up at the sound of something breaking, which was followed by a thundering thud of something hitting the ground.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    As Vasen looked up at the sky, a cloud of dust rose in the air.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re almost there. It seems he hasn¡¯t gotten as far as I thought.¡±


    Just as Vasen predicted, he soon spotted Manun, and he went up the hill to get a good look at the Drake. Manun seemed to be sleeping curled up. He nced at the tree that he had broken with his tail while sleeping, made a big yawn, and fell back asleep.


    ¡°Ha, I underestimated his beastly nature. It does seem like he has the spirit of the Thunder Dragon King.¡±


    Other than Vasen, however, the people in his hunting party gulped and became nervous just from looking at Manun from afar. They had followed Vasen out of curiosity, as they were tipsy, but they soon understood the reality when they saw Manun¡¯s gigantic form.


    ¡°So¡­what do we do now, prince?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wake him up and drive him back to the pce?¡±


    His hunting friends¡¯ faces stiffened. Since they were children of prestigious families, there was a quick-witted one among them.


    ¡°I have another idea.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It seems that he fell asleep because he was exhausted from excitedly running around, but I don¡¯t think he noticed the animals he could hunt on the way. So what do you say we catch a deer or a wild boar to lure him?¡±


    ¡°Hm, that seems like a good idea.¡±


    Vasen turned to his hunting friends and said, ¡°I should keep watch in case Manun wakes up and goes somewhere else. You guys go catch something that would be appetizing for Manun.¡±


    Even those who usually wouldn¡¯t have liked doing errands were pleased with Vasen¡¯s words, and they went down the hill riding their Cockatoos. Looking at their backs, Vasen snorted.


    <i>¡®Talk about faces full of fear. I¡¯ll consider it fortunate if they don¡¯t run away making excuses. They¡¯ll probably just wait around until the hunting department or pce guards get here.¡±</i>


    Vasen didn¡¯t expect much from his hunting friends anyway.


    <i>¡®It would be more difficult for me to get properly acknowledged if I bring back Manun with the help of others.¡¯</i>


    Vasen briefly thought about acknowledgement. When Vasen was younger, he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to being acknowledged. His mother and father, left ministers, and the ministers who studied a lot all used topliment him whenever he achieved something. However, he wasn¡¯t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and after his younger brothers were born, he realized that he got praised only because of the bloodline he was born into. In particr, the existence of his third brother showed Vasen what real acknowledgement looked like inparison to meaninglesspliments.


    <i>¡®When people really acknowledge something, they don¡¯t make a fuss, openly admire it, or let out an exmation. And they don¡¯t say nice things. That¡¯s not what real acknowledgement is like.¡¯</i>


    Vasen hade to this realization as he was taking lessons from Ravwin with his brothers.


    After they all read Sairan Muel¡¯s theology book <i>Night Sky</i> together, Ravwin asked the princes questions and expected answers.


    At the time, his third brother Kyle said after silently staring down at the book, ¡°Teacher Ravwin, is Night Sky good-natured?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°And is Night Sky also almighty?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is so. Your Highness, is there a problem¡­¡±


    ¡°I just have a simple question,¡± Kyle said. ¡°If Night Sky truly is almighty and good-natured at the same time, why do they let war, suffering, sadness, and unhappiness be?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Ravwin hesitated. And even Vasen understood what that hesitation meant: Ravwin didn¡¯t know the answer either.


    Ravwin then honestly replied, ¡°Prince Kyle, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not a priest of Night Sky and thus do not know much about theology. I will bring you the answer next time.¡±


    That day, Ravwin had the princes read on their own while he looked out of the window with a troubled expression. The lesson ended early that day. That was what real acknowledgement looked like. But the more painful fact was that, in that case, Vasen had never received real acknowledgement so far. Therefore, Vasen lost interest in studying and began to take part in dangerous and reckless acts.


    When Vasen did something crazy despite his status as the crown prince, people did show their real emotions from time to time instead of giving him emptypliments. It wasn¡¯t acknowledgement, but it was at least real.


    <i>¡®I know it¡¯s not right. But¡­¡¯</i>


    People of the pce said that Vasen was not clever, but that was not entirely true. Vasen had the quality of a hunter, which was a keen sense. So he was able to catch the eyes of those who gave him subtle looks of criticism better than anyone else. Criticism that he wasn¡¯t worthy of being crown prince, and that he wouldn¡¯t be the kind of king who did great things.


    <i>¡®What am I supposed to do when I was born this way?¡¯</i>


    Vasen did act mean toward those who looked at him with such gazes, but he didn¡¯t hate them. The ones he truly hated were the others. The ones who said he deserved to be crown prince since he was the first child and gave him false acknowledgement for their own benefit.


    If he became king, he was going to distinguish them from those who truly meant well and give official recognition to thetter for their distinguished service. Whenever he looked in the mirror, however, he was reminded that he wasn¡¯t worthy of being crown prince, and that he wouldn¡¯t be the kind of king who did great things. He looked at himself with the same kind of gaze as well.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not confident. But that¡¯s fine.¡¯</i>


    Vasen intended to bring back Manun by himself. Since anyone would throw a fit when they were woken up, he nned to wake Manun up and lure him back to the pce. Although Manun was big, Vasen¡¯s Cockatoo was especially fast, and Vasen was confident in handling Cockatoos. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, he believed in Night Sky.


    <i>Let¡¯s see if I¡¯m the one to really be king.¡¯</i>


    Vasen pulled at the reins to urge his Cockatoo to approach Manun. Vasen¡¯s Cockatoo looked back at Vasen as if it were asking if that was really the way he intended for it to go, but as Vasen slightly kicked its side, it went down the hill in resignation.


    ¡°Vasen!¡±


    Until he heard Kyle¡¯s voice.


    ***


    ¡°Vasen, stop!¡±


    Kyle immediately jumped off Deynin¡¯s Cockatoo when it stopped. However, it seemed that he hadnded wrong, and he crouched down, grabbing his ankle immediately.


    ¡°Oh, darn.¡±


    ¡°Prince Kyle! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Kyle!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I must have sprained my ankle.¡±


    Vasen looked back and forth between Manun and Kyle. With a sigh, he got off his Cockatoo and ran to Kyle.


    Vasen said to Deyanin, ¡°Hunting Minister, why have you brought him here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Do you know there¡¯s a mountain rangers¡¯ hut over there on the mountain ridge?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know about it. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    The hut was always filled with supplies needed for people traveling to and from the mountain, and among the supplies was medicine to reduce swelling, as well as clean fabric to put on or wrap around injury. Vasen frequented the mountains because he liked to hunt, and Deyanin was the Hunting Minister; there was no way he wouldn¡¯t know about the hut.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, little man. You should have been more careful.¡±


    Kyle held his ankle andughed when he saw Deyanin riding up to the hut with his Cockatoo.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Vasen.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sprain my ankle. I acted like I did because I didn''t want Deyanin to hear our conversation.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Vasen squinted at Kyle, and Kyle lightly jumped on both of his feet to show that he was okay.


    ¡°Our conversation? Before that, why have youe up here? It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t know it was dangerous with Manun close by.¡±


    ¡°I came because of that.¡±


    ¡°Exin.¡±


    Kyle exined the signs of sabotage he had told Deyanin about. He exined that parts of the wooden bars had been chewed through by bugs, and that if not for the bugs, the copse of the wooden fence would have made a lot of noise when Manun escaped. Someone had done it on purpose, but it would take a miracle for the deed to be done unnoticed. Thus, it was the will of Night Sky to lure Manun to the mountains.


    After Vasen heard all that, he hesitated.


    ¡°...So are you saying that Night Sky is trying to kill me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that things could be interpreted that way. At least Deyanin seems to think I¡¯m right.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you think you should stay next to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That way you would be safe.¡±


    Vasen felt bitter but also proud of his brother at the same time. Kyle was a brother that one could not help but acknowledge.


    ¡°...However, if that¡¯s what you think, why did you do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If what you said is true, you would have be king if you didn¡¯t do anything. The first prince would have died, the second prince has be a priest of the Night Sky, so you would naturally be the crown prince in that case. Little man, do you not want to be king?¡±


    Kyle shyly smiled and said, ¡°I do want to be king.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Others won¡¯t me you even if you have that desire. It¡¯s a valid wish. So why have youe here?¡±


    Kyle turned to Manun, who was sleeping below.


    ¡°Do you know?¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°If you look at the old books, Night Sky does not fail. They seed in anything they wish for.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because they are a god. Look at the gods of the other countries. They are busy deceiving others with clever words and covering up their defeat. And that¡¯s especially clear with Shaiven the Demon Queen.¡±


    ¡°What is it you¡¯re trying to say?¡±


    ¡°Seeing that there are gods who fail in their ns, I think Night Sky could also do the same. However, Night Sky would be more prepared. Using Manun to target you is just one of the methods out of many.¡±


    Vasen¡¯s eyes widened.


    Kyle continued. ¡°Other than that, they could also arrange a situation for only us two to be present, like now. When I grabbed my ankle and acted, you hurriedly ran over to me. Even though I¡¯m young, if I had prepared a sword coated with poison, you would have been defeated right on the spot.


    ¡°And would Night Sky only have two scenarios nned? There is no sess in catching Manun. It¡¯s already gotten to the point that the pce guards who should be guarding the pce have been mobilized to catch Manun, and the price needs to be paid. Those who are sacrificed in the process of catching Manun could be your price to pay, which would be another way for your position as crown prince to be abolished.


    ¡°This is as far as I¡¯ve gotten, and more chances would likelye. However, I n to tell you every time I identify a chance.¡±


    Vasen then said with a trembling voice, ¡°...You¡¯re going to go against all three of the chances that Night Sky will give you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will do so.¡±


    ¡°Why? Even if you leave aside your desire to be king, are you not afraid of Night Sky?¡±


    Kyle looked at Vasen with his ck eyes.


    ¡°Yes. I know of Night Sky¡¯s will, so I am not afraid. The paths that Night Sky hasid for me to be king all go against my will and will hurt you. Therefore, I¡¯m abandoning those paths to find a better way to protect you, while also pleasing Night Sky.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°Go against all of Night Sky¡¯s ns and dare to ask this of you.¡±


    ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°Vasen, give me the seat of crown prince.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Vasen began tough. He grabbed his stomach and sat on the groundughing.


    As if he found Vasen¡¯s reaction unexpected, Kyle reluctantly asked, ¡°Vasen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. It¡¯s just so funny.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    Vasen shook his head and didn¡¯t answer. It wasn¡¯t that he had nothing to say.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m just d that you¡¯re wiser than anyone else and never give up on finding the right way. That¡¯s why Iughed.¡¯</i>


    However, in order to keep his reputation as an older brother, Vasen didn¡¯t tell Kyle that. Vasen wiped away the tears he had shed fromughing.


    ¡°Little ma¡­no, Kyle.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I will do as you said.¡±


    Vasen thought that the brother he acknowledged would be a worthy crown prince.

 Chapter 82: A Bigger Meaning

    <h4>Chapter 82: A Bigger Meaning</h4>


    ¡°But Kyle, you know that I can¡¯t give up the seat of crown prince just because I want to, right? Now that I¡¯ve decided to do it, of course I¡¯ll help you, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll get ready.¡±


    Silently, Vasen admired the fact that he was able to put weight on the words of a 12 year old child.


    ¡°But what do we do about that?¡±


    Kyle¡¯s gaze trailed to where Vasen was pointing at.


    ¡°Oh, Manun?¡±


    Kyle had solved the problem that had been on his mind for a while, but not the problem in front of him. Bringing Manun back to the pce wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do. Kyle was looking down at Manun when he saw Deyanin riding his Cockatoo toward them.


    ¡°Usually, the person in charge would have to take care of it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Leaving him there might be a solution itself.¡±


    Vasen stroked his chin.


    Manun was a giant monster. The range of a Drake¡¯s activity was not small, so it would be a big problem if they just left him there and allowed him to go to roads or private houses where there were people. At first nce, the idea was absurd, but it seemed somewhat reasonable when Kyle was the one proposing it.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin when the Hunting Minister gets here.¡±


    Kyle got on the Cockatoo with Vasen, and they went down the mountain together with Deyanin. As they were going down, Kyle talked about what to do with Manun. Deyanin was reluctant at first, but then his expression turned thoughtful, and he eventually nodded.


    As they got to the wooden bars where Manun had escaped through, Deyanin said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do as Prince Kyle said. It¡¯s also an offer that I have no reason to refuse.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to your cooperation, Hunting Minister.¡±


    After saying so, Kyle and Vasen disappeared into the pce.


    Deyanin looked at Kyle in wonder. The hunting department was loosely connected to the royal family since the department prepared banquets and hunting, but there was no need for Kyle, who liked to read books and talk with other schrs, to care for the Hunting Minister.


    <i>¡®Perhaps¡­ Maybe¡­¡¯</i>


    ***


    At Orazen, Eldar said to Sung-Woon from on top of the pce¡¯s roof, ¡°Neb, would this be okay?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that the third prince is smart and doesn¡¯t go against God¡¯s will. And he also seems to have an innocent side to him. But¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°He can interpret the revtions I give as he pleases, right?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±


    Sung-Woon answered, ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°When ying The Lost World, I thought the game characters were the problem since they didn¡¯t move as I intended for them to. But I still yed well.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Just as Kyle had deduced, Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t put all his hopes on his first n, which he wasn¡¯t sure would work or not. He had a second n and a third. Sung-Woon¡¯s goal was to make Kyle king by whatever means necessary, and in addition to Kyle¡¯s ability to deduce Sung-Woon¡¯s wishes one by one, Kyle¡¯s honesty in revealing his own wishes to Vasen turned into a catalyst for Vasen to give up his seat as the crown prince.


    ¡°But now I know they are people. Even if their will does not align with mine, it doesn¡¯t matter as long as they end up giving me the result I want. There¡¯s no need to dwell on it. And overall¡­¡±


    ¡°Overall?¡±


    ¡°The situation is better, isn''t it?¡±


    Kyle would, of course, be a better king, but Vasen was a valuable asset that would be a waste to give up. Without Kyle, Sung-Woon wouldn¡¯t have thought that there was any problem in Vasen bing king.


    <i>¡®However, there can¡¯t be two kings.¡¯</i>


    Eldar nodded.


    ¡°But are you not worried? It was fortunate that your will has aligned somewhat with Kyle¡¯s until now, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Eldar.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sung-Woon leaned over. Looking to the side, Eldar flinched when Sung-Woon flicked their forehead.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    Eldar knew that Neb hadn¡¯t simply done that to inflict pain, but rather intended it to be a wake-up call.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Sung-Woon raised himself back up and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t simply decide on Kyle for no reason.¡±


    Intelligence was only one factor. Sung-Woon was there when Kyle Lak Orazen was born, he listened to the conversations that Kyle had with the schrs, and he also knew what Kyle had written down. Kyle respected and valued the heroes of the previous generations, and at the same time constantly explored whether there were better ways to do things. Even if one day Kyle ruined Sung-Woon¡¯s n, that in itself could be more meaningful.


    <i>¡®Just like Lakrak did.¡¯</i>


    ***


    King of Serenity was absent from the evening meeting.


    There was word going around among the ministers that his disease had returned, but the King of Serenity¡¯s symptoms had started when he was younger, so it wasn¡¯t anything new to the ministers.


    The Administration Minister, Salusin Oh, presided over the meeting. The first topic was, of course, Manun. The ministers attending the meeting had all been at the pce since the morning, so it was obvious that Manun¡¯s escape would be the topic of the day.


    ¡°However, I haven¡¯t heard anything about Manun being caught yet, Hunting Minister.¡±


    At those words, themander of the pce guards replied faster than Deyanin, ¡°Yes, our pce guards are still waiting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you weren¡¯t able to catch him before the sun set, and you can¡¯t go find him until it¡¯s daytime again. What are you going to do if Manun hurts people before you find him, Hunting Minister?¡±


    Deyanin slightly nodded and said, ¡°Fortunately, I have found where Manun is.¡±


    The Finance Minister, who was always strict toward Deyanin, spoke up.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Not being able to find a big thing like Manun¡­¡±


    Deyanin interjected, ¡°Prince Vasen helped me.¡±


    ¡°...is possible, but it¡¯s good that the prince helped.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve been watching him since then, but perhaps because he had been moving around all morning, he is now quietly sleeping. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Then the Administration Minister said, ¡°That is a relief, but¡­His Majesty is very worried, and we can¡¯t mobilize our pce guards until tomorrow morning. You should¡¯vee to get the pce guards when you found Manun and brought him back to the pce at once.¡±


    Deyanin nodded.


    ¡°I was going to do that at first, but then I discovered something suspicious when I investigated the process of Manun¡¯s escape. I decided not to bring Manun back for now.¡±


    The ministers at the meeting were all surprised.


    Then Hwee-Mun, the white haired leader of the left ministers asked, ¡°Does that mean you not only had no intentions of bringing Manun back today, but also n not to bring him back in the future either?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What excuse do you have to shirk the duty that His Majesty has given you?¡±


    Deyanin walked forward, as if talking while standing still wasn¡¯t enough to make his point.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are all surprised that I¡¯m saying something different from what I proposed in the morning meeting. However, there is a reason, so I hope you''ll hear me out.¡±


    The Finance Minister was about to say something, but the Administration Minister shook their hand.


    ¡°Alright, Hunting Minister. Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    Deyanin said, ¡°This morning, I went to Manun¡¯s garden in order to chase after him, but when I looked at the broken wooden bars, I discovered that bugs had eaten it.¡±


    The Finance Minister rebuked, ¡°You¡¯re not trying to say that someone deliberately had bugs chew through the wood to y a trick on you, right? And even without the bugs, Manun still would have been able to break through the wooden bars without any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. I had the same thought as you.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Deyanin smiled.


    ¡°But Prince Kyle seemed to think differently. He said that due to the parts the bugs had chewed on, the wooden bars easily broke, and the stone pirs connected to the wooden bars didn¡¯t fall, which was why there wasn¡¯t any noisest night, and the pce guards¡¯ discovery was dyed. However, like you said, it isn¡¯t possible for <i>someone?</i>to have done it on purpose, and even if they did, they would have quickly been caught by the pce guards and gotten punished.¡±


    ¡°So isn¡¯t it a coincidence then?¡±


    ¡°No. If it¡¯s done on purpose, but not by a person, who would be able to do such a thing?¡±


    Some looked at Deyanin with curiosity, while others looked at him with eyes widened in wonder.


    The Administration Minister then said, ¡°Are you suggesting it¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was done by Night Sky.¡±


    ¡°But you''re not the one to decide whether it¡¯s a miracle or not.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. So I went to the religious order this afternoon and exchanged opinions with the priests. I¡¯m not sure if you all know, but Night Sky used to be called Blue Insect God in the past, and even before that, they were called Nameless Beetle God. That means many of their miracles are carried out by insects. And the priests visited the scene to check the wooden bars the bugs had chewed on. Then¡­¡±


    Deyanin¡¯s speech was interrupted when the door to the great hall opened and someone came in. It was a priest of the Night Sky religion dressed in a robe, and as soon as everyone saw the priest, they all quickly bowed.


    ¡°Yes, I have checked it myself. It is a miracle from Night Sky.¡±


    At the priest¡¯s words, the Administration Minister asked, ¡°What brings you here, Prince Shune?¡±


    Shune Lak Orazen, the King of Serenity¡¯s second son, said, ¡°The Hunting Minister said it would be better for a priest toe share the finding, so I did.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do this yourself, Your Highness¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that I am a priest of Night Sky, you don¡¯t need to address me as a prince. And I heard that both my brothers helped find Manun, so I couldn¡¯t just stay out of it.¡±


    Shune had joined the Night Sky religious order and became a priest. Deyanin bowed to Shune in gratitude before turning around.


    ¡°Therefore, it is all the will of Night Sky that Manun went out. I couldn¡¯t possibly go against the will of Night Sky and bring back Manun.¡±


    No one could express discontent. It was the will of the King of Serenity to bring Manun back. However, sending Manun out was the will of Night Sky, and the god¡¯s will had been the main source of the royal family¡¯s authority.


    The Administration Minister then said, ¡°Alright, Deyanin. If this is the will of Night Sky, it should not be disobeyed. However, I do wonder if it¡¯s okay to leave Manun as is. The priests of Night Sky should be the ones to decipher Night Sky¡¯s will, but until then, shouldn¡¯t we look out for the safety of our people?¡±


    The other ministers nodded in agreement.


    Then Deyanin said, ¡°So I wish to expand and restructure the hunting department.¡±


    The other ministers murmured among themselves.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If Manun stays there as is, he can be a threat to the safety of many hunters, snake hunters, and peddlers. Therefore, we need to supervise the area so that no one would get near Manun, and in order to do that, we need a lot more people assigned to the hunting department.¡±


    It was a very valid statement. However, the pce was a ce where everyone kept each other¡¯s authority in check. Expanding the number of people in a group meant that a new force would be created.


    With those concerns in mind, the Administration Minister said, ¡°Well, Hunting Minister¡­¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s an urgent issue. Just as many ministers have pointed out, Manun is a beast, and we can¡¯t predict where he¡¯ll go. Furthermore, if you think about his size, this matter really shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly. I would like to borrow the pce guards to do the job, but I cannot have the pce guards keep watch on Manun when they should be protecting the pce and His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Let¡¯s think realistically. Manun is a beast, so from where would you make up for that manpower?¡±


    ¡°There are many hunters in the private district that are good at navigating the mountains. We should hire them to track Manun, and also hire others to stop people from approaching Manun¡­¡±


    ¡°Would more manpower be enough?¡±


    ¡°What? Of course not. If we don¡¯t want Manun wandering somewhere else, we need to feed him as we have done until now. We will need a wagon to move cows into the mountain. And since wagons break easily on mountainous paths, extra funds will be needed. And¡­¡±


    As Deyanin listed everything that would be needed, the faces of the ministers, especially the Finance Minister, crumpled in dissatisfaction. They all wanted to deny and counter Deyanin''s arguments, but it was going to be troublesome if they did that and Manunter caused an issue. If that happened, Deyanin, the Hunting Minister, would bring up those who opposed the expansion and restructure of the hunting department.


    ¡°Hm, I understand the general idea. Then how about you organize everything into a document by tomorrow morning, and we and His Majesty will go over it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­I do have a little headache. Let¡¯s move on to the next item on the agenda.¡±


    Deyanin returned to his seat. Normally, Deyanin wouldn¡¯t have been so greedy even if he had such an opportunity. And while he wanted the third prince to be king, that opportunity wouldn¡¯t easilye. So instead, he would have looked out for himself and invested a long time making those in the pce turn to his side one by one. However, Deyanin hade to see Kyle¡¯s will through this matter.


    <i>¡®Prince Kyle intends to be king.¡¯</i>


    If that was the case, things would be easier for him. Even though he would be seated in the very back in their meeting with the king, Deyanin thought it all depended on who was in that seat, and how he used the opportunity. If he was able to increase manpower and expand their finances, that would create power in itself, and he would be able to use the power to further his cause. And Deyanin thought to use that personal power openly.


    <i>¡®With that power, I will help Prince Kyle be king.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Six monthster, the King of Serenity had Vasen Lak Orazen relinquish his title and made Kyle crown prince.


    And three years after that, the king died of his longtime chronic disease, and Kyle Lak Orazen became the 11th king of Orazen. This happened when Kyle was at the tender age of 15.

 Chapter 83: The First Meeting with the King

    <h4>Chapter 83: The First Meeting with the King</h4>


    ¡°Once again, I congratte you, Your Majesty.¡±


    It was the first prince, Vasen, who was speaking to Kyle. The two brothers were sitting alone inside the detached study.


    Embarrassed, Kyle said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak so formally when it¡¯s just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that? You¡¯re now the king of the country. No. You¡¯re the king of the best country on the continent. You¡¯re in a position to oversee the people, so you should be treated ordingly.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but¡­¡±


    Kyle knew there was no use protesting, so he didn¡¯t insist any further. And Vasen smiled as if he was satisfied.


    ¡°So, tomorrow is your first official meeting.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a little worried.¡±


    ¡°There are things you worry about too?¡±


    Kyle scratched his nose.


    ¡°Of course there are things that worry me. I actually think I have more worries than everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Hm, even though I¡¯ve known you for many years, there were times where I couldn¡¯t figure out what you were thinking, but I think I know what one of your concerns is this time. And I think I might be able to help address that concern.¡±


    Kyle replied, ¡°What do you think my concern is?¡±


    Vasen calmly said, ¡°Tomorrow, one of the ministers will likely suggest you kick Vasen Lak Orazen out of the pce. Isn¡¯t that one of your concerns?¡±


    Kyle slowly nodded.


    Vasen was right. If another prince was inside the pce, the royal authority could be shaken since those who were plotting a rebellion would want a prince for legitimacy. The second prince, Shune Lak Orazen, was already a priest of Night Sky, so he posed no threat, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the first prince, Vasen Lak Orazen. The ministers would ask for Vasen to be driven out of the pce.


    Kyle lightly tapped the tform with his finger.


    <i>¡®But that¡¯s only an excuse.¡¯</i>


    All the ministers knew that Vasen had no intentions of plotting a rebellion, but the excuse that Vasen could be tricked by others¡¯ schemes was enough to justify having him kicked out. Whether Vasen really nned for rebellion or not was not the important part. The ministers would insist on doing so to prove that the king could not do everything as he wished.


    <i>¡®Currently, ck Scale is a country where the ministers hold great authority.¡¯</i>


    Kyle didn¡¯t think that was bad in itself. Because no matter howpetent a king may be, he was but one Lizardman. Even Lakrak, the progenitor, used to listen to the opinions of his tribesmen to make the best decisions when he was a tribal chief.


    And if a king got conceited about his position, it was inevitable that the country would fall.


    <i>¡®However, the ministers are all too biased. Because most of them are Lizardmen.¡¯</i>


    Since they were Lizardmen, it was obvious they would implement policies friendly to the Lizardmen, and because many Lizardmen were aristocrats, it was also obvious that they would implement policies friendly to the aristocrats. Those with vested interests had the tendency to hold onto their power. Thete King of Serenity thought it was a matter that couldn¡¯t be easily solved, so he simply moved on. However, Kyle believed differently.


    <i>¡®Still, if I raise the issue in the first meeting, the noblemen will be wary when they should be able to freely approach me.¡¯</i>


    Kyle was confident that he could solve many problems, but he couldn¡¯t not be worried about this matter because his brother, Vasen, was involved.


    Then Kyle said, ¡°You have correctly guessed my concern, but you haven¡¯t mentioned what to do about it. What do you think needs to be done?¡±


    Vasen replied, ¡°Tell them to send me out of the pce.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do it if the ministers wish for it.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Vasen looked at the view outside Kyle¡¯s study room.


    ¡°I¡¯m rather afraid that my presence will hold Your Majesty back from achieving great work. I¡¯m okay. I came here today to tell you this. It¡¯s rather a good thing. Even if I am to hunt, the biggest thing in the mountains is the wild boar, isn¡¯t it? Oh, excluding Manun that is.¡±


    Kyle pensively looked down at the table as if he was thinking about something.


    ¡°Hunting, hunting you say¡­¡±


    ¡°...Hm?¡±


    ¡°Vasen, could you help me a bit more since you already have been?¡±


    Vasen realized Kyle hade up with a good idea.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll dislike it too much either.¡±


    After listening to Kyle¡¯s idea, Vasen realized Kyle was right.


    ***


    The next day, at the official meeting.


    With Kyle sitting on the throne, all the ministers attended the early morning meeting. It was the first meeting since Kyle became king, so everyone stood with a nervous expression. Kyle was a 15 year old boy. However, before he became king, he had already shown affinities in politics unbefitting of his age several times. So the ministers had no idea of how to treat this young king.


    Kyle spoke up first. ¡°We¡¯re all familiar with each other, but it¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve gathered here like this. I¡¯m aware there isn¡¯t any urgent matter at the moment, so I want you all to tell me anything I may need to know right now.¡±


    The young Lizardman¡¯s high-pitched voice rang throughout the grand hall. And perhaps because of that, Salusin Oh, who had been the Administration Minister since the rule of thete King of Serenity, boldly spoke up.


    ¡°Your Majesty. Prince Vasen can not be left in the pce.¡±


    The highest ranking official in ck Scale was the Administration Minister. And Salusin Oh had been Administration Minister for decades. Kyle was aware that he represented all the other ministers.


    Salusin continued to say, ¡°Prince Vasen used to be crown prince. I know Your Majesty is close to him, but if Prince Vasen remains in the pce, those who seek to plot a rebellion may try to sway him¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°...and shake your royal authority¡ªWhat?¡±


    ¡°I just agreed to what you said, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Salusin and all the other ministers exchanged looks with each other as if they hadn¡¯t expected Kyle to concede so easily.


    Thinking that Kyle acknowledged the authority that the ministers had just like the king before him, Salusin continued to say, ¡°Understood. Then I think Prince Vasen should be sent out of the capital city, Orazen, and¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°...but if Prince Vasen remains in Orazen¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    Kyle lightly struck the armrest of the throne.


    ¡°How dare you assume what I¡¯m thinking? I have pondered over the matter of my brother as much as you have.¡±


    The ministers knew that Kyle¡¯s agreement to send Vasen out of the pce was a big concession. And in return, the ministers would have to give up something.


    Salusin nodded.


    ¡°What are your thoughts, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Before I tell you, there¡¯s something I want you all to know. Do you know there is an unexplored part of our country that no one has ventured into yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Salusin bowed.


    ¡°You''re talking about the eastern mountains, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Many kings have sent people to explore it, but they quit because the terrains are too rough and steep.¡±


    ¡°But why do you suddenly mention it?¡±


    The mountain range stood east of ck Scale¡¯s wilderness. Attempts to explore thend stopped when a few ships got lucky enough to travel between the northern coast and Maganen, the end of the penins, and discovered that thend beyond the mountain wasn¡¯t veryrge. Although it was located within ck Scale¡¯s territory, it was difficult to cross the mountain range. Since there wasn¡¯t much beyond it, the kings of the past believed the trouble far outweighed what little benefits it would bring and easily gave up on oveing the terrains.


    Kyle got to his point and said, ¡°Until now, the eastern mountain range had not been considered very important, but the five countries to our west, Danyum, Red Fruit, Golden Eye, Mangul, and Asbestos, are all threatening ck Scale. We cannot miss the opportunity to strengthen our country. Therefore, shouldn¡¯t we develop the eastern mountain range?¡±


    Salusin slightly raised his head.


    ¡°Are you saying that we should send Prince Vasen to the eastern mountain range?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The big brother I know is a very talented hunter and a great warrior. He¡¯s also someone who even had the courage to look for Manun by himself.¡±


    Salusin secretly made eye contact with the other ministers. To the ministers, the eastern mountain range didn¡¯t have much value. Sending someone there would be the same as making them suffer.


    <i>¡®But His Majesty is young. Apparently he still likes Owen¡¯s Travel Journal. Does he think he¡¯s doing his brother good because of Vasen¡¯s willingness to always go on an adventure?¡¯</i>


    They would only know once they heard Vasen out, but in Salusin¡¯s perspective, the only type of hunting that Vasen enjoyed was catching the prey in forest well-maintained by the hunting department. And since Vasen grew up in the royal family, rough work didn¡¯t suit him.


    Given the other ministers didn¡¯t seem to oppose the idea of sending Vasen to and of rough terrains, Salusin nodded.


    ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s proposal seems like a good idea.¡±


    ¡°So can we proceed with that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then we should set up a convoy.¡±


    ¡°...Pardon?¡±


    A convoy, meaning a group of ships. All those who had attempted to explore the eastern mountain range until now had been moving onnd, so Salusin did not expect a convoy to be brought up. Besides, one ship did not make a convoy.


    Kyle meant that he would give Vasen several ships, which would take a great number of people to man. Given the ships were the country¡¯s properties, they would have to be guarded by soldiers as well.


    The idea was far from what Salusin and the other ministers had in mind. In response to Salusin¡¯s question, Kyle reprimanded, ¡°Why are you so surprised? Isn¡¯t the failure of exploring the eastern mountain range until now attributed to people trying to go over the mountain onnd? Then it¡¯s obvious that we should go to the other side of the mountain on ships, is it not?¡±


    ¡°B¡­but Your Majesty. I¡¯m aware that there¡¯s no sea route beyond the eastern mountain. It would be better to go onnd¡­¡±


    ¡°Then my brother is going to find a route, isn¡¯t he? For how long is ck Scale going to keep a plot ofnd untouched?¡±


    ¡°With so many troops deployed, the danger of a rebellion will also¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop. We can just have someone keep my brother in check. You¡¯re acting like it¡¯s such a difficult matter.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you going against what we agreed on after only the time for a cup of tea to be finished? Let¡¯s see¡­ When exploring thend, they¡¯ll run into all sorts of animals, beasts, and monsters. Right, the Hunting Minister will be in charge.¡±


    Deyanin replied as if he had been waiting for the order, ¡°Understood.¡±


    Salusin red at Deyanin and thought that he couldn¡¯t just back off like this, but Kyle was no easy opponent.


    ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to say, Finance Minister, so let¡¯s have this conversationter. There is someone waiting in front of the grand hall.¡±


    Salusin already felt exhausted.


    Salusin and the other ministers had thought that Kyle had nothing prepared, and that they could just pressure him somewhat. Kyle had been mild-mannered until now, so they assumed that he would react gently. But that was not the case.


    Kyle had made up his mind from day one.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The doors of the grand hall opened, and in walked someone shorter but burlier than the average Lizardmen. In addition to hair, the neer also had a beard, which the Lizardmen called decorational hair. Underneath his smooth skin were muscles that couldn¡¯t be hidden by thick fat.


    Someone yelled, ¡°It¡¯s a Dwarf!¡±


    The ministers murmured among themselves.


    ¡°What can a thing like that do?¡±


    ¡°What is the guard doing? Why aren¡¯t you driving that shorty away?¡±


    Regardless of the words being thrown at him, the Dwarf walked up to Kyle, bowed, and got on one knee.


    ¡°I havee as you ordered.¡±


    Salusin held in his sigh and looked back at Kyle.


    ¡°Your Majesty, what is this?¡±


    ¡°He is Rumf from the technology department. It¡¯s only natural that none of you recognize him, since he was a ve until recently.¡±


    ¡°What? This Dwarf was a ve? No, Your Majesty. I wasn¡¯t asking about his name or status. I was asking why he¡¯s here.¡±


    Kyle shrugged.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the seat of Technology Minister empty right now? So I n to have him assume the role.¡±


    Outside of a few ministers, everyone else opened their mouths to talk to Kyle while sttering spit.


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re going to bring a Dwarf into this sacred grand hall? Never.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, I beg your kindness!¡±


    ¡°Why a Dwarf of all species? Dwarves are the fools that resisted until the end against the Thunder Dragon King when he was expanding ck Scale!¡±


    Each of them talked over the other so much that Kyle¡¯s ears were starting to hurt, but a smile appeared on his face.


    <i>¡®As expected, none of them says another word about Vasen.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 84: Solar Eclipse Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 84: Sr Eclipse Ceremony</h4>


    However, Kyle also had no intentions on giving up making the Dwarf the Technology Minister.


    The Finance Minister, Salusin Oh, said, ¡°Until now, the position of Technology Minister had been first served by Zaol, and then by numerous Lizardmen after her. Why is it that you¡¯re giving it to a Dwarf, who used to be a ve?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying strange things, Finance Minister. Since when did one¡¯s species matter when ites to the position of Technology Minister? To me, it sounds like you''re saying that the former Technology Ministers until now had received the honor because they were Lizardmen regardless of their talent. Was Zaol that kind of person?¡±


    Salusin bowed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was trying to say.¡±


    ¡°Then do you agree that Zaol and everyone else who served as Technology Minister were talented and knowledgeable in technology, regardless of their species?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they were also all¡­¡±


    Saluisn was about to talk about the tradition that Lizardmen had been the ones making up the government until now, but Kyle was quicker.


    ¡°...Lizardmen. I can¡¯t meet all the Technology Ministers there were until now, but the fact that they were all Lizardmen was because the Lizardmen were the most talented of their time, right? That simply isn¡¯t the case this time.¡±


    Kyle had paid respect to all the kings of the previous generations, so it was difficult for Salusin to push for his point.


    ¡°Hispetence is in question, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked hispetence myself.¡±


    ¡°...With all due respect, it is my understanding that a king needs to listen to all the other ministers¡¯ opinions when choosing the right minister.¡±


    Kyle nodded and said, ¡°Finance Minister, do you know about the altitude of Pris?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Exin it to me.¡±


    ¡°I am aware that it is the angle at which one looks up at the North Star of the celestial sphere in rtion to the horizon.¡±


    ¡°And do you know what the altitude of Pris in Orazen is?¡±


    At those words, Salusin Oh¡¯s expression turned embarrassed.


    The altitude of Pris was determined bytitude, through which one could figure out the time of sunset and sunrise. Astronomy and arithmetics were basic knowledge for the aristocrats, so Salusin also knew about the altitude of Pris, but didn¡¯t remember the figure that Kyle had asked about.


    Among the other ministers, the Astronomy Minister spoke up.


    ¡°I know it.¡±


    ¡°Answer.¡±


    ¡°Orazen¡¯s altitude of Pris is 32 degrees and a half.¡±


    The other ministers were relieved. If the Astronomy Minister hadn¡¯t responded, the Dwarf would have given an answer he had prepared beforehand. They thought that was all part of Kyle¡¯s n, but it was only the start.


    ¡°Then do you know the altitude of Pris in Maganen and Zarin?¡±


    ¡°...Pardon?¡±


    ¡°I asked if you know the altitude of Pris in Zarin, the Elf city at the edge of the northern coast, and Maganen, the vige in the far south.¡±


    ¡°I¡­do not know.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone who knows?¡±


    Even the Astronomy Minister, who was confident in arithmetics, couldn¡¯t answer this time. He didn¡¯t know how far away Zarin and Maganen were, and even if he did, he had only memorized the value of Orazen¡¯s altitude of Pris rather than having calcted the answer, so it would be no use.


    Rumf, who had been silent and had his head lowered until now, then said, ¡°I would like to answer.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Zarin¡¯s altitude of Pris is 37 degrees and a half, and Maganen¡¯s altitude of Pris is 30 degrees.¡±


    ¡°How is that so?¡±


    ¡°The altitude of Pris varies 1 degree every 250 li. So since you have to go north by 1250 li to Zarin from here, Zarin¡¯s altitude of Pris would be 5 degrees higher, and Maganen is 625 li south from here, so 2.5 degrees would be subtracted..¡±


    Kyle nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You have answered what the ministers here couldn¡¯t.¡±


    At those words, the Astronomy Minister stepped forward.


    ¡°How are you satisfied with one question and answer when choosing a minister?¡±


    It meant that he couldn¡¯t ept this.


    Kyle held back his smile and asked again, ¡°Alright. There is a circr paddy. If the diameter of this paddy is twelve steps, what is the area of this paddy?¡±


    The Astoronmoy Minister thought for a moment and answered, ¡°You get the area of a circle by multiplying the radius by itself and then by 3, so the size of the paddy is 108.¡±


    ¡°Rumf, how much do you think it is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be approximately 113.¡±


    Two different figures. At Rumf¡¯s answer, the Astronomy Ministerughed at him.


    ¡°That Dwarf has miscalcted the ratio of circumference to diameter of the circle.¡±


    ¡°No. Didn¡¯t you get 108 because the ratio was assumed to be 3?¡± asked Rumf.


    Then Kyle asked Rumf, ¡°What do you think the ratio is?¡±


    ¡°It is bigger than 3, but smaller than 4.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    At Kyle¡¯s words, the Astronomy Minister asked, ¡°But Your Majesty, ording to Zaol¡¯s <i>Algebra Theories¡­</i>¡±


    ¡°It says 3. However, the recent arithmetic books that were imported from abroad show that the value is greater than 3 and less than 4, just as Rumf said, and the reasoning is supported by a form. It seems that you have been neglecting your arithmetic studies.¡±


    Several questions followed, but because of the Astronomy Minister¡¯s outdated arithmetic knowledge, he either gave a slightly wrong answer or answeredter than Rumf. The Astronomy Minister thus had no choice but to back down.


    ¡°...I have underestimated the studies of a small country, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Then put in the effort and study more. You don¡¯t need to be embarrassed.¡±


    As the mood in the grand hall grew heavy, Kyle cleared his throat.


    ¡°Ahem! So has this matter been settled?¡±


    ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡±


    The one who voiced his opposition was again Salusin, the Administration Minister.


    ¡°I will admit that the Dwarf is unusually knowledgeable, but didn¡¯t you say he used to be a ve?¡±


    Kyle nodded.


    ¡°I found out that Rumf¡¯s father was from Danyum, but his mother was a ve of Orazen¡¯s former Technology Minister. After his father passed away, Ramf¡¯s mother raised him alone, and due to his talents, the former Technology Minister sent him on small errands, thus giving him the chance to go in and out of the pce. And because of that, while he hasn¡¯t received formal education, the knowledge he has gained through observation isparable to the technology department officials. How could I dismiss him just because he used to be a ve?¡±


    Salusin shook his head. It was a line he could never concede. The technology department was only slightly above the hunting department in terms of importance. They made misceneous tools or machines that the pce needed, so they were mostly craftsmen who weren¡¯t regarded highly. It was a seat that Salusin and the other Lizardmen aristocrats had no reason to not give up, but today was the first meeting for the young king, and Salusin felt that this small concession would be pivotal in directing public opinion going forward.


    ¡°No, you must not.¡±


    ¡°Because he has a low status?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Salusin said. ¡°It is not a simple argument that this Dwarf has a low status. The reason Your Majesty is king is because Your Majesty has inherited the blood of the great Thunder Dragon King, and the reason why the ministers here today are in this ce is because they are the descendents of the warriors who had fought alongside the great Thunder Dragon King. The same is true of the Dwarf. Dwarves were ck Scale¡¯s enemies until the very end. And even after this country was built, they tried to plot a rebellion. This Dwarf is the descendent of that kind of species.¡±


    At Salusin¡¯s words, the other ministers threw him nces of admiration. The logic was that everyone attending this meeting was here because of the blood they inherited, so if Kyle wanted to make the Dwarf a minister, he would be going against the traditions of the royal family.


    Kyle thought differently about the matter, but as of now, rhetoric was important.


    ¡°Do you not know what love for the people means? In the past, the warrior Tatar fought ten Trolls to save a Halfling, and the Thunder Dragon King opened the gates to ves. Since the Dwarf has an unusual talent, why can¡¯t any exceptions be made?¡±


    ¡°Things will spiral out of control with one exception. If more are allowed to be ministers even if they aren¡¯t Lizardmen, who will be by Your Majesty¡¯s side?¡±


    Kyle thought to himself.


    <i>¡®Those who aren¡¯t Lizardmen.¡¯</i>


    Kyle questioned whether Lizardmen were really good at their jobs and thought they should only be appointed if they werepetent. Moreover, Salusin¡¯s opinion could be quite rude to the left ministers who took care of the pce.


    However, it seemed that the matter had hit a nerve in all the aristocratic Lizardmen. They all bowed and shouted, ¡°Your Majesty, I beg your kindness!¡±


    ¡°We beg your kindness!¡±


    Kyle then said with a disapproving face, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll have to think about this matter for a while. Well, I¡¯m thinking of having Rumf as a technology official first. Do you oppose that as well?¡±


    As Kyle showed concession, the ministers exchanged their opinions by ncing at each other with their heads down. The technology department was an unimportant post in the first ce, and it was filled with craftsmen, so promotion was rare. In the ministers¡¯ perspectives, the fact that Kyle had given up so easily made them think that Kyle hadn¡¯t actually intended to make the Dwarf a minister, but to give him a good enough position. In the end, Salusin made the final judgment.


    ¡°We do not oppose that, Your Majesty. The technology department is originally a ce for craftsmen, so if he¡¯s as talented as the officials, you may appoint him as you wish.¡±


    ¡°Then Rumf, this is it for now. You may leave for today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Then Kyle moved straight to the next agenda.


    ¡°The next topic is about the uing sr eclipse¡­¡±


    During the meeting that day, the ministers did not take any of the topics lightly.


    ***


    Shune Lak Orazen, the second son of thete King of Serenity, sat alone on the wide maru of the temple of Night Sky.


    At times of worship, the ce was filled with priests and believers of Night Skying from various ces to pray, but in the middle of the night, it was normal for there to be no one. Usually, it was also time for Shune to be asleep, but Shune was currently gued with a concern.


    <i>¡®How did something like this happen?¡¯</i>


    The sr eclipse was approaching. That in itself wasn¡¯t surprising to those who knew it wasing. Shune also understood sr eclipse to be a phenomenon where the moon briefly covered the sun. And since they were major astronomical phenomena, they were recorded without fail, and based on those records, it was possible to calcte when and where a sr eclipse would take ce. However, a sr eclipse was not something everyone understood since not everyone was equipped with such knowledge.


    Without any knowledge, a sr eclipse would be seen as a strange and terrifying urrence that suddenly made everything go dark even in the middle of the day. It would be fortunate if it was simply taken as a strange phenomenon that way, but it was inevitable for some to overthink it. Either as an omen or revtion rted to God, or as an ominous sign about the future.


    <i>¡®Especially for those who believe in Night Sky, it would seem like the established order is broken.¡±</i>


    Some could even use a sr eclipse to incite chaos in the country. And in order to prevent something like that from happening, the Night Sky religious order observed the astronomical phenomena and warned the people in advance. When the priests informed the people of what would happen and told them that it had nothing to do with Night Sky¡¯s will, it allowed everyone to maintain their peace of mind.


    <i>¡®Therefore, astronomical observations and forecasts from the order need to be urate.¡¯</i>


    If the astronomical observations made by the order were wrong, peoples¡¯ faith in Night Sky would weaken. So until now, members of the religious order had been holding the sr eclipse ceremony alongside the pce rather than making judgment solely based on their own knowledge.


    And due to the fact that Shune, who was young for a priest, had been a member of the royal family, he was tasked with hosting the sr eclipse ceremony, which was a type of ritual for predicting the sr eclipse. Given it was a joint effort between the pce and the Night Sky religious order, the order had decided that his background would be helpful. And it wasn¡¯t a difficult task either.


    The priest in charge of the sr eclipse ceremony would be presented with three predictions made by the calendar priests of the Night Sky order, the astronomical officials of the pce, and the king. And the priest had to choose the one they thought to be most correct and hold the sr eclipse ceremony then. In the past, the three predictions had always been the same.


    <i>¡®But why are they¡­different this time?¡¯</i>


    The times put forward by the calendar priests of Night Sky and the astronomical officials were the same.


    However, the time that the king, Kyle Lak Orazen, had presented was four hourster than the other two predictions.


    1. Li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance and is standardized to be half a kilometer


    2. The number in the raws was 675, but the math doesn¡¯t match

 Chapter 85: The Humiliation of Pirates

    <h4>Chapter 85: The Humiliation of Pirates</h4>


    Shune Lak Orazen was facing a dilemma.


    <i>¡®Is Kyle wrong?¡¯</i>


    That could be the case. Usually it was custom for the king to follow either the prediction made by the calendar priests or the astronomy department. And it was so because the kings until now hadn¡¯t had much time to pay much attention to astronomy. However, brilliant Kyle did the calctions himself, and because of that, he might have gotten an incorrect result.


    <i>¡®But even if he is wrong, there¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t have known it.¡¯</i>


    Shune knew his younger brother well. It would be fair to say that he recognized Kyle¡¯spetency sooner than his older brother, Vasen. And therefore, he joined the Night Sky religion as a priest at a younger age than others.


    <i>¡®And perhaps¡­¡¯</i>


    Though Shune thought it was unlikely, he had another possibility in mind.


    The calctions presented by the calendar priests and the astronomy department were the results agreed upon by numerous schrs. On the other hand, no matter how smart Kyle was, it would be unlikely for him to havee to the correct answer alone.


    <i>¡®But what if Kyle is the only one with the right answer?¡¯</i>


    If the sr eclipse ceremony was held at an incorrect time, Shune would be punished, but he had already made up his mind. Since he was part of the royal family, he knew he could avoid punishment.


    <i>¡®Would that be an abuse of power? But what¡¯s wrong with that? Wouldn¡¯t I be getting punished for someone else¡¯s wrongdoing if the answers are incorrect?¡¯</i>


    Shune decided to hold the sr eclipse ceremony at the time that Kyle had predicted. And that decision brought chaos to the pce.


    ***


    The day of the sr eclipse ceremony.


    It was two hours before the predicted time for sr eclipse made by the calendar priests and astronomy department, and six hours before Kyle¡¯s prediction.


    On one side of the pce, the ministers were having an urgent meeting.


    ¡°Astronomy Minister, say it. Are you sure your calction is correct?¡±


    When the Administration Minister, Salusin Oh, urged him for confirmation, the Astronomy Minister nodded.


    ¡°I checked several times with our officials. I am certain.¡±


    When the rest of the ministers still looked dissatisfied, the Astronomy Minister added, ¡°I evenpared them to the calctions made by the calendar priests. There¡¯s no way it¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Salusin red at the Astronomy Minister, but his eyes seemed to be focused on someone far behind him instead.


    ¡°At the first meeting the other day, the Dwarf turned out to be more knowledgeable than you. And His Majesty was shrewd enough to tell the right and wrong answers. Yet you¡¯re still sure?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Answer properly. Our bloodline may be at stake here.¡±


    The Astronomy Minister hesitated several times and finally spoke as if he had made up his mind.


    ¡°I am correct.¡±


    Salusin read from his eyes the confidence of a schr rather than a judgment made for political reasons.


    ¡°Alright. Then we should hurry.¡±


    Shune Lak Orazen did not quite understand Kyle¡¯s intention, but Salusin was different. Salusin hade up with two possible exnations for Kyle presenting a different prediction from the calendar priests and astronomy department officials. And the chances of one of the theories being true was low.


    <i>¡®No matter how smart His Majesty is, he can¡¯t be the only one correct when all the schrs of this country are wrong.¡¯</i>


    That left only one exnation that Salusin could think of.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s¡­a kind of war of nerves.¡¯</i>


    Political conflict between the king and his noblemen had been nonstop since Lakrak¡¯s death. And Salusin thought that might have been the case with Lakrak as well.


    <i>¡®If someone like the Thunder Dragon King made the wrong prediction about the sr eclipse, his noblemen would think they were the ones making a mistake and prepare the sr eclipse ceremony at the time of the Thunder Dragon King¡¯s choice.¡¯</i>


    Then it wouldn¡¯t simply be the king¡¯s fault if it turned out the ceremony was held at the wrong time. The sr eclipse ceremony was held at the Night Sky temple, but in addition to the Astronomy Minister, several other ministers were involved as well. A king wouldn¡¯t be med for their errors, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the ministers. The ministers could be punished for not properly preparing the sr eclipse ritual.


    <i>¡®However, His Majesty is not the Thunder Dragon King.¡¯</i>


    Kyle was not as strong as Lakrak, nor had he made enough achievements to garner the same kind of respect. It was worth noting that he had be king over the eldest son, Vasen Lak Orazen, but it happened not because Kyle was unusually outstanding, but because Vasen wasn¡¯t worthy of being the crown prince. At least that was what Salusin believed.


    <i>¡®You won¡¯t be able to punish us, Your Majesty.¡¯</i>


    Salusin, the Astronomy Minister, and several other ministers went to Kyle. They insisted that the sr eclipse ceremony be held four hours before the time that Kyle had calcted.


    Then Kyle said, ¡°...I get what you are trying to say. I guess I have no choice if that¡¯s what you insist. Is it not toote?¡±


    Salusin believed that Kyle had simply given up.


    ¡°Yes. The sr eclipse ceremony had been in preparation since the early morning after the official meeting, so we should be able to hold it on time.¡±


    ¡°Whew, alright. Administration Minister, prepare the ceremony with the Astronomy Minister.¡±


    Salusin hid his smile and left.


    ***


    ¡°Four hours earlier? At the time the calendar priests and astronomy officials had decided on?¡±


    When Shune asked, Salusin nodded.


    Shune assumed Kyle had his reasons and prepared the sr eclipse ceremony to be held four hours earlier than originally nned.


    In front of Orazen¡¯s pce, one hour before the sr eclipse ceremony.


    Instruments were being yed, and Shune and the Night Sky priests began to pray by reciting the usual prayers.


    Salusin stood with the other ministers. As soon as the sr eclipse urred, the king would step up to the podium, and Salusin was facing the podium straight ahead.


    <i>¡®You have used your head quite a bit, but I have won.¡¯</i>


    It was a boring event, but Salusin had to hold in his smile. Kyle was a prince known for his intelligence and shrewdness, but he was still only 15 years old. It was difficult for him to break through the limitations of being a child.


    <i>¡®As with the former king, things will move on quite smoothly.¡¯</i>


    And when the predicted time of the sr eclipse came, Kyle went up to the podium. He scanned the ministers and everyone else in attendance from the podium. And finally, he looked at Salusin. Salusin met eyes with Kyle.


    <i>¡®You''re quite good at controlling your expression, but what are you going to do about the anger that is toe?¡¯</i>


    Salusin turned away several times in order to hide the smiles in his eyes. Then suddenly, a strange thought came to mind.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    People looked at the sky and murmured. Salusin also raised his head. There were clouds in the sky, but the sun was still clearly seen. The sr eclipse was not taking ce.


    From the podium, Kyle walked back and forth with his hands behind him as if he was bored and eventually sighed.


    .


    ¡°The sr eclipse is not happening. Is the priest in charge present?¡±


    Shune approached the podium.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the prediction about the sr eclipse is incorrect, so find out what¡¯s gone wrong. We should stop this current ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    At those words, the Astronomy Minister stepped forward and put his head to the floor.


    ¡°Your Majesty! Punish me!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It seems that our astronomy department has miscalcted the time.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    The Astronomy Minister slightly raised his head at Kyle¡¯s question.


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then I will tell you,¡± Kyle said from the podium. ¡°Both the calendar priests and astronomy department officials were basing their calctions off of old arithmetics and astronomy books. I hadn''t noticed it either, but a Dwarf named Rumf did and told me about it. I was embarrassed by this fact and did not inform the other ministers, but I didn¡¯t realize you¡¯d all made the same mistake.¡±


    The Astronomy Minister stammered, ¡°B¡­but Your Majesty! In the Thunder Dragon King¡¯s book, it is written that the sky does not change.¡±


    The Thunder Dragon King, Lakrak. It was a name that inspired awe in people of ck Scale just by hearing it. But that wasn¡¯t the case for Kyle.


    ¡°You fool. Isn¡¯t that an old book? Why can¡¯t you admit that they could be wrong? It can¡¯t be helped that they had no books to read before. But <i>we?</i>can read numerous books in addition to the legacies they have left. Have you read the calendar book written in the faraway Mangul? As time passes, the sky¡¯s movement also changes. Didn¡¯t I already give you a clue?¡±


    At Kyle¡¯s words, the Astronomy Minister trembled, and Salusin felt like he had been struck on the head.


    <i>¡®That damn Dwarf! He had read foreign books¡­¡¯</i>


    Then the Astronomy Minister said, ¡°But Your Majesty¡­ Our ck Scale is arge country, and Mangul is so small¡­ Is it necessary to have that knowledge¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter howrge of a country ck Scale is, can you say that we have as much power as the whole continent? Do we have all the knowledge there is on the continent?¡±


    Kyle turned around and continued to say, ¡°Punish those who were involved in the miscalction ording to the nationalw. And the priest in charge of the sr eclipse ceremony, reorganize things so we can hold the ceremony by the time the uing sr eclipse happens.¡±


    The sr eclipse took ce four hourster.


    ***


    As Vasen Lak Orazen climbed onto the ship, he saw Orazen¡¯s harbor from the deck.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll be back, Kyle.¡¯</i>


    Kyle knew well that Vasen was someone who enjoyed adventures. And it was also true that they had to explore thend beyond the eastern mountain range.


    <i>¡®Besides, it¡¯s necessary that I leave the pce.¡¯</i>


    Three years ago, after he decided to give the title of crown prince to Kyle, Vasen had in mind the worst case scenario. Inparison to that, this kind of adventure was very peaceful.


    <i>¡®To the point where I can leave Orazen behind with joy.¡¯</i>


    It would be a lie if he said he didn¡¯t have feelings of sadness, but as soon as he got on deck of the merchant ship named The Humiliation of Pirates, he was filled with enthusiasm for an adventure.


    As the leader of the Eastern Mountain Range Expedition Team, Vasen should have the authority to lead 150 soldiers, who were split into three military ships.


    <i>¡®But I¡¯m not boarding those military ships.¡¯</i>


    Vasen was riding on the merchant ship, The Humiliation of Pirates. It was a ship in service to ck Scale and belonged to the Itimo family, which had a long history trading with the pce. Vasen was on the merchant ship since the military ship was too crowded for a royal like him to be properly treated.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s what they told me at least, but I know my personal supervisor simply wants to make sure I don¡¯t use the troops as I wish.¡¯</i>


    As of now, he didn¡¯t know who his supervisor was. However, Vasen was able to obtain a list of everyone on board The Humiliation of Pirates in advance, and he could guess a few of the candidates.


    <i>¡®The first candidate is definitely¡­¡¯</i>


    A woman with her red hair tied up walked towards Vasen.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am the captain of the ship, Theone Itimo.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Vasen Lak Orazen. So you are an Elf.¡±


    Theone¡¯s ears twitched.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time someone recognized that immediately. I¡¯ve only met Lizardmen who can¡¯t tell the difference between Elves, Nixes, and Halflings.¡±


    ¡°Halflings? Even the tall ones onlye up to my waist.¡±


    ¡°Oh well. Some people even confuse Dwarves with Elves.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I hope you understand. There are even Humans who look like Dwarves and Halflings.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be hard to mistake me for them?¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    Theone Itimo had long arms and legs even for an Elf.


    ¡°Anyways, we¡¯ll keep seeing each other from now on, so I hope we get along,¡± said Vasen.


    ¡°Sounds good. But there¡¯s something I would like to tell you in advance.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Theone cleared her throat and said, ¡°No matter how high your status is, you must obey me on my ship. If you¡¯re not going to follow this rule, you¡¯ll need to get off and look for another ship.¡±


    Vasen seemed to think for a moment and then nodded.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t give unreasonable orders, I should be able to ept such conditions.¡±


    When Vasen epted the condition without anyints, Theone¡¯s expression turned surprised for a moment. But she soon recovered and nodded with a calm look on her face.


    ¡°Alright. Other than that, since you¡¯re the leader of this expedition and a guest on my ship, I¡¯ll be as considerate as I can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. But just one thing, has my luggage not arrived yet?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Hwae-Sa will be bringing your luggage, so do not worry.¡±


    ¡°Hwae-Sa? What a pretty name.¡±


    Theone shrugged.


    ¡°Name? I never said it was a name. But that¡¯s how I call them, so I guess you can think of it as a name.¡±


    Vasen looked puzzled.


    Then Theone turned around.


    ¡°They¡¯re actually justing from over there¡­¡±


    Vasen followed Theone¡¯s line of sight and saw a 3-meter-tall Ogre with a magnificent physique walking towards them.


    ¡°Did someone mention Hwang Hwae-Sa?¡±

 Chapter 86: Black Scale鈥檚 Secret Trade

    <h4>Chapter 86: ck Scale¡¯s Secret Trade</h4>


    Vasen unconsciously reached for his sheath, but he decided against drawing his sword when he noticed that everyone else was casually bringing their luggage on deck.


    Theone Itimo said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like your first time seeing an Ogre.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Normally, when someone sees an Ogre for the first time, they be so frightened that they can¡¯t even think about pulling out a sword.¡±


    ¡°I grew up more roughly than one would assume.¡±


    ¡°This is our ship¡¯s first officer.¡±


    Vasen stood up straight and said to Hwae-Sa, ¡°Nice to meet you, Ogre. I am Vasen Lak Orazen.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Lizard.¡±


    Vasen didn¡¯t expect the Ogre to notice he was royal. Rather, he found it refreshing that the Ogre ssified him by his species. The Ogres that Vasen knew rarely did so.


    Hwae-Sa said, ¡°I, I am the first officer.¡±


    ¡°Do you not have a name?¡±


    ¡°I did, have a name. But I, the first officer, didn¡¯t like it, so I abandoned it.¡±


    Vasen was about to ask if First Officer would be their name then, but Theone gave him a look, so he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing an Ogre riding a ship. I don¡¯t think it¡¯smon.¡±


    ¡°Why, do you think so, Lizard? You, you are riding a ship for the first time, aren¡¯t you? And, the first time seeing an Ogre work onboard a ship, right?¡±


    Vasen was thrown off by the unexpected logic, but he hadn¡¯t made thement without thinking it through.


    ¡°The ship has a limited amount of food supplies. So wouldn¡¯t it be advantageous to have species that eat little?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Small friend. There are several. But they all eat, as much as, first officer.¡±


    ¡°Ships are made of wood. Wouldn¡¯t the ship be ruined?¡±


    ¡°Ship, is strong. And first officer, walk carefully.¡±


    Theone stepped in and said, ¡°It may not seem that way, but Hwae-Sa is from Zarin of the northern coast.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    Zarin was one of the major metropolises of ck Scale and also the primate city where the Elves lived. However, Zarin was also known for something else: all Ogres from Zarin had high intelligence. And of course, there had been records passed down about them. About 150 years ago, the Ogres of the northern coast had a god, and the god had made the Ogres smart.


    <i>¡®It would have been nice if they lived happily.¡¯</i>


    Out of them all, the smartest Ogre and also their king ruled over the Goblins, Elves, and Centaurs in the area, thus posing a threat to ck Scale, but great Lakrak defeated them and made them citizens of ck Scale. After that, the Elves conquered the northern coast and defeated the remaining Ogres, and as time passed, the descendants of the Ogre vagrants became part of ck Scale. That was where the Ogres of Zarin originated.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s said that the Ogres on the northern coast of the past were smarter, but their intelligence gradually dropped as their blood mixed with wild Ogres from other parts of the continent.¡¯</i>


    In other countries, Ogres were seen as no different than monsters, and the armies would even hunt them down in areas where the Ogres resided, iming they were eliminating vermin. That wasn¡¯t the case in ck Scale.


    In ck Scale, Ogres would be treated as people as long as they were dressed, and if they were from Zarin, they would be the preferable hires for employers. They did eat a lot of food, but they worked just as hard.


    However, Vasen was surprised that this Ogre was given a station as high as a first officer.


    <i>¡®Would we be able to use Ogres as left ministers in ck Scale? Probably not.¡¯</i>


    Hwae-Sa then said, ¡°And first officer, abandonednd.¡±


    ¡°You abandoned yournd? Why?¡±


    ¡°Land, no longer makes first officer scared. Living things onnd, aren¡¯t stronger than me. So first officer, ride ship to defeat sea.¡±


    Vasen thought it was a relief that this Ogre had never met Manun.


    ¡°I hope you defeat the sea one day.¡±


    Hwae-Sa nodded with a serious expression and left the luggage they had been carrying with one hand before taking their leave. Vasen hoped Hwae-Sa wasn¡¯t his supervisor.


    <i>¡®Kyle said he wanted to send me on my way without a supervisor, but he couldn¡¯t because of the ministers¡¯ opposition. They secretly put a supervisor among the passengers on board.¡¯</i>


    A secret supervisor. Perhaps supervisor was nothing but a title. Even though Vasen had the authority to mobilize soldiers as the leader of the expedition team, he had to get through Alika Yul, who was the general on one of the military ships.


    Alika Yul was the descendant of the famous head general, Yur. But Alika wasn¡¯t like Yur. She was upright but indecisive, and she seemed to have gotten on board for a particr reason.


    <i>¡®Since no one can plot a rebellion alone.¡¯</i>


    Above all, Vasen had never thought about plotting treason. If he had even entertained the idea, he wouldn''t have given up his seat as crown prince in the first ce. He held no selfish desire for the throne since he trusted his younger brother, Kyle, and judged that Kyle would be a better king.


    <i>¡®The problem is that even if I insist so, they don¡¯t believe me.¡¯</i>


    In the end, only someone of Lakrak¡¯s bloodline could be king. So there could still be people who doubted Vasen or wanted to use him.


    <i>¡®Of course Kyle would have thought that it would be safer to put me in a closed off space rather than a rigorous rural area.¡¯?</i>


    However, the supervisor would be specting Vasen¡¯s intention on their own, so a minor act could be interpreted as an act of rebellion.


    <i>¡®And if that¡¯s not it, they can make an excuse to kill me for whatever reason.¡¯</i>


    Vasen couldn¡¯t think of a reason for them to do so, but he thought it was a possibility. The sr eclipse ceremony was a good example. Even though the Astronomy Minister had really done wrong, who would have thought that Salusin Oh, who had been the Administration Minister for a long time, would be discharged and exiled to a hamlet? That incident left a strong impression on many ministers, as well as the noblemen working under them.


    The ministers had mistaken Kyle as soft-hearted even after he became king because he treated Vasen, the former crown prince, with kindness, but they must be seeing Kyle in a different light now.


    <i>¡®Veiled enmity within the pce is not so simple. They might think killing me is a way to weaken Kyle¡¯s power.¡¯</i>


    When he thought about it, it sounded quite usible. Kyle trusted Vasen, but nothing could be done if the supervisor killed Vasen and told Kyle that Vasen had tried to plot a rebellion. The dead had no chance to justify themselves.


    <i>¡®That might be the reason there weren''t many issues in putting together the convoy in the first ce.¡¯</i>


    Vasen wondered if he should get off the ship right now and tell Kyle his theory, but he thought that Kyle was likely to have thought about all that since he was the one proposing the idea.


    Theone then said, ¡°By the way, Prince Vasen.¡±


    ¡°...Just call me Vasen.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit odd to call someone so noble that way¡­¡±


    ¡°Or call me Team Leader.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good. Team Leader, do you know what our next destination is?¡±


    Vasen looked back at Theone.


    As far as Vasen knew, there were a few hamlets that were used as harbors when going south from Orazen. There was a Lizardmen vige as well, and even a n vige. They weren¡¯t as big as a primate city where certain species lived though. Vasen didn''t know their names. He barely knew anything about sailing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. Don¡¯t we just need to sail south past Maganen at the southern end. And then we¡¯ll move east from Maganen and go straight up along the coastline?¡±


    ¡°That would be our overall route, but our next destination is Bavrin.¡±


    ¡°Bavrin?¡±


    Vasen knew of Bavrin. Outside of Orazen, it was the biggest harbor city in the area, but that wasn¡¯t the reason why Vasen knew the name of the city.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that abroad?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s Danyum¡¯s harbor city.¡±


    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we be going west rather than south or east then?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a city too far away. However, given Danyum was close to the center of the continent, its coastline was west of Orazen.


    ¡°But we¡¯re a merchant ship, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know the specifics once we leave the harbor. First, I¡¯ll tell you where you will be staying, so follow me. Oh, should I help you carry your luggage? No, Hwae-Sa should have taken them inside¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    Vasen lifted his luggage with both arms. The Ogre had carried it with only one hand, but the luggage was heavy enough that a regr serviceman wouldn¡¯t be able to carry it alone. Theone looked at Vasen, impressed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way.¡±


    ***


    The voyage was smooth.


    When there wasn¡¯t much for Vasen to do, he would go out onto the deck and watch the sailors work or look at the distant horizon.


    Theone was a seafarer, while Vasen had never been on a ship in the sea. She was worried that he would be seasick. Contrary to her concern, though, Vasen experienced no seasickness at all.


    ¡°By the way, Theone. Why is the ship named The Humiliation of Pirates?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite boring. You¡¯d think it would have been better not to know once you hear the reason.¡±


    ¡°Better boring than not being able to sleep out of curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s not anything special. It¡¯s only because we took the ship from a pirate.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    Theone said, ¡°I think the pirate had also taken the ship from someone else, but the other merchants said that the shape of the ship was quite unfamiliar, and thus they thought it must be made somewhere far away. The technology itself isn¡¯t different from ours though.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, the ship was in good condition, but it was cheap because of the story, and I was able to buy it.¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    ¡°Oh, and you said you were a merchant?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How did you end up doing this kind of work?¡±


    Theone looked at Vasen with a puzzled look on her face, as if she was wondering why he would ask such a thing.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It makes money. ck Scale is always generous. Especially when ites to dealing with the pce. And the trade can be trusted. When working with ck Scale, most merchants ask for only small deposits in advance so that they will get greater payment after the work is done. They aren¡¯t worried about not getting paid.¡±


    Vasen took pride in the trust the merchants had in them.


    Theone continued to say, ¡°I received a good deposit this time.¡±


    ¡°What did you receive?¡±


    ¡°A sswork from ck Scale.¡±


    ¡°Does that make money?¡±


    Vasen asked because he was curious. The pce was full of objects made of ss, so he didn¡¯t think much of it. And when he was younger, he often broke them. The dismayed look on the left ministers¡¯ faces didn¡¯t exactly leave him with many good memories.


    ¡°Are you kidding? ck Scale¡¯s ssworks are valued higher than those of Golden Eye or Stone Cave. Bavrin is just the middle distributor. The Satyrs sell the ones from Asbestos or Danly at such a high price.¡±


    ¡°Merchant work seems hard.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s simple. Buy cheap and sell expensive. ck Scale¡¯s ssworkse from ck Scale, so they¡¯re cheaper than those in other countries. And because there aren¡¯t any ss craftsmen in Dayum, Asbestos, or Danly, and the ssworks are prettier than the decorations made in Stone Cave or Golden Eye, they sell more expensively. Plus, ss breaks easily, and more are bought when they are used and broken.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, we don¡¯t have many opportunities to trade for ss since we can only make such trades with ck Scale. Wealthy merchants take turns making deals, so we were able to take this opportunity and fill the ship with wares.¡±


    After seeing Theone¡¯s passion for ss, Vasen decided not to tell her that he often broke them.


    Then Theone said, ¡°Anyway, some of the leftover money from the trades will be used to feed the oarsmen and the soldiers of the three military ships you see over there. They¡¯re military ships, so there isn¡¯t much space avable, and we have to fill our ship with their food supplies and water. Of course, we¡¯re going to continue to trade until we get to Maganen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so are we going after buying something from Bavrin?¡±


    ¡°Of course! How could we leave the ship empty?¡±


    Vasen wondered why that wouldn¡¯t be possible, but he decided to go with it since Theone, who was the captain of the ship, said so.


    ¡°That makes me wonder. Once you sell the ss craftwork, what will you fill the ship with?¡±


    ¡°Oh, usually we buy expensive things of that area since the prices of goods vary from time to time. And depending on where you go, you could get more.¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°But we have made an agreement with the pce, so what the ship will be filled with has already been decided.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°Uh, they told me to keep it a secret¡­but it should be fine if I¡¯m telling the expedition team leader, not the prince. We¡¯re trading for Niter. We are going to buy it from Bavrin and sell them at Sashian.¡±


    Vasen didn¡¯t know what that was, so he asked, ¡°Niter?¡±


    ¡°Apparently there¡¯s a lot in Mangul, but I don¡¯t know too much about it either. I heard they¡¯re good for farming? That it increases the fertility of soil.¡±


    ¡°Really? Sashian is a Lizardmen vige, and they do have arge in. Are they nning to make a big farm? Is it simr to the way chosen ones struck the ground with lightning at the beginning of the year?¡±


    ¡°Thunder power? Wow, I saw it when I was young. It was amazing.¡±


    However, Vasen couldn¡¯t quite understand why they were secretly purchasing such a thing.

 Chapter 87: Two Ministers and One Tea Cup

    <h4>Chapter 87: Two Ministers and One Tea Cup</h4>


    After Salusin Oh was exiled, many of the noblemen inside Orazen¡¯s pce started watching what they said.


    And the Finance Minister, Nirgak, was one of them. In his opinion, Salusin had been demonstrating great worldly wisdom.


    Salusin had been confident andpetent. He hadn¡¯t been defeated simply because hecked astronomical knowledge.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s true that not only the noblemen, but also that the ministers are getting dull because they underestimated foreign studies.¡¯</i>


    Kyle Lak Orazen had known since long ago that the schrs who went in and out of the pce had been neglecting foreign studies. And perhaps he even knew that before he became king. However, he kept the fact to himself until the day the sr eclipse took ce.


    <i>¡®That was likely done to defeat Salusin. His Majesty knew how Salusin would act, so he had stayed silent until then.¡¯</i>


    Kyle was a wise king who knew how to be patient until the right time came. And that was why the noblemen were afraid. Especially Nargak. He had been staying quiet after Kyle demonstrated his abilities, but the problemy in what he had said before that.


    <i>¡®Shit.¡¯</i>


    Before Kyle became king, or to be more exact, when Vasen was still crown prince, the ministers had been divided in two groups. Those on Vasen¡¯s side, and those on Kyle¡¯s side. There had been a fight over which of the two princes would be king. Of course the fight fizzled out when Vasen showed that he had no will to be crown prince, and the King of Serenity had alsoe to lean towards Kyle, but putting himself in the shoes of someone who had waited several years to defeat Salusin, he would definitely remember what had happened years ago.


    At that time, Nargak was stubbornly on Vasen¡¯s side. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t like Kyle personally. Nargak tended to be very conservative, so unless there were particr ws, he believed it would be reasonable for the first prince to be crown prince. If that wasn¡¯t the case, he thought that the second or third prince, or another royal family member would stir up trouble in the pce, saying they could also be king. It was Nargak¡¯s belief that rules should be adhered to. However, rules sometimes applied differently, and Kyle eventually became king.


    <i>¡®How would I have known this was going to happen at that time?¡¯</i>


    Salusin was just the beginning. Recently, several ministers had been punished after facing Kyle and revealing their dirty linen. And Salusin¡¯s case could have been considered rather tame. Those who used their status as ministers to get their hands on the national treasury or to bully the people were sometimes executed. But it never got to a point where it would be called a purge.


    Kyle not only knew about the crimes of the government officials, but he also had collected undeniable evidence. In many cases, punishments were given before the other ministers could even say something. And the quiet wind was nowing Nargak¡¯s way.


    ¡°Elder Nargak.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Yoo-Chung. What is it?¡±


    It was Yoo-Chung, the Halfling who worked as a left minister. He was Kyle¡¯s age and had been Kyle¡¯s ymate within the pce. Therefore, while he didn¡¯t have a high status, he was one of the left ministers that Kyle favored, and thus one of the left ministers that the other ministers feared.


    Yoo-Chung said, ¡°His Majesty wishes to see you.¡±


    Nargak gulped.


    <i>¡®The time hase.¡¯</i>


    Nargak visited Kyle in the early evening.


    ¡°Nargak, the Finance Minister, has arrived, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Even though the floor was warm due to ondol, it felt cold to Nargak.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Oh, no. I haven¡¯t gotten to yet.¡±


    ¡°Then have some refreshments.¡±


    As soon as Kyle finished speaking, Yoo-Chung came in and served refreshments.


    Kyle pointed to the sugar snack and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t the shape pretty?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It looks like it was carved by a craftsman.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a present sent from Automation. I heard it¡¯s a snack made of sugar all the way from Golden Eye. It is actually treated as a craftsman¡¯s work, but when the weather is hot, it melts and bes a lump of sugar. That¡¯s not bad either. Still, it would be better if the shape is pretty too, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Hurry and eat.¡±


    Reminded of his grandchild because of Kyle¡¯s childlike attitude, Nargak smiled, but he soon came to his senses.


    <i>¡®No. The person in front of me is not a child, but the king.¡¯</i>


    Then Nargak said, ¡°Your Majesty, for what reason do you want to see me?¡±


    Kyle put his lips to the cup of tea and said, ¡°Oh,e to think of it, Finance Minister.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I happened toe across your past activities¡­¡±


    Nargak¡¯s heart sank. He couldn¡¯t think of anything he had done wrong. Nargak was a sincere and responsible official. And in particr, since the Finance Minister managed the national treasury, thete King of Serenity had put him on that seat for his sense of duty.


    <i>¡®However, it¡¯s that much easier to find ws.¡¯</i>


    Finance Minister was a dangerous position. Even if Kyle didn¡¯t do much, the other ministers could set up a trap for him. And even if it wasn¡¯t something rted to his work, the fact that he used to stubbornly support Vasen coulde back to haunt him.


    Nargak put all his attention on Kyle¡¯s following words.


    Kyle said, ¡°I heard you¡¯re from Yanpai, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. How does Your Majesty know such a rural vige¡­¡±


    ¡°I looked into it because there were ministers who didn¡¯t have any surnames.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, my family was poor, so we have no well-known ancestors.¡±


    Nargak bowed slightly as he spoke. A name without a surname meant that they were a person of low status.


    ¡°Hmph, are you embarrassed because you don¡¯t have a surname?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but be embarrassed since my ancestors did not contribute anything when ck Scale was established.¡±


    Kyle waved his hand.


    ¡°But while the aristocrats are borrowing the reputations of their mothers and fathers, you have risen to your position on your own, haven¡¯t you? Doesn¡¯t that prove yourpetency?¡±


    Nargak became emotional. Despite the nagging sense of inferiority stemming from his lowly background, he took pride in the fact that he hadpeted with other aristocratic officials on his own merits and be a qualified official in his own right. However, he couldn¡¯t reveal that pride in the pce. Almost all the other right ministers in the pce were aristocrats. In order to enter their world, he had no choice but to act and think like them, so Nargak always had to keep up with them. But today, the king had acknowledged hispetency.


    Nargak said in a choked up voice, ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then I can only shed tears of gratitude, Your Majesty.¡±


    Kyle nodded.


    ¡°So I was hoping that you would get along with the Hunting Minister.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Hunting Minister not from aristocracy either? There are times when you two have productive debates, but I would sometimes be worried because you would both let your emotions get the best of you.¡±


    Nargak being on edge with the Hunting Minster, Deyanin, also stemmed from his inferiorityplex. Deyanin had the tendency to look down on those who were aristocrats, so Nargak would join the aristocrats to attack Deyanin. But that was only until now.


    Nargak said with all his heart, ¡°Yes, of course. I will do as you wish, Your Majesty.¡±


    Kyle smiled.


    ¡°That is all I wanted to say.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Nargak was surprised.


    ¡°Oh, actually, that wasn¡¯t it. Now that I think of it, I heard you saw your grandchild again¡­¡±


    The conversation moved to Nargak¡¯s family. By this time, Nargak had lost all the tension he had been holding, so he was able to make jokes here and there, and when he was leaving Kyle¡¯s detached study, he even carried with him a bundle of sugar snacks that Kyle had ordered Yoo-Chung to give him.


    <i>¡®Is His Majesty embracing the minister who had tried to prevent him from bing king? ck Scale has reallye to serve a precious king. This is all by the grace of Night Sky.¡¯</i>


    Nargak returned home with anticipation.


    On the other hand, as soon as Nargak left, the sliding door to the left of Kyle¡¯s detached study opened.


    Kyle didn¡¯t even look at the opening door when he said, ¡°Do you think the Finance Minister is a dangerous person?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°Then the conversation is done. You can alsoe and have a taste of this.¡±


    The Lizardman hesitated before getting up and taking a seat in front of Kyle. He had white scales and red eyes. It was Deyanin.


    ¡°The Finance Minister is a sincere person. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to push him off the ledge just because he¡¯s not on good terms with you¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really think that way, do you, Your Majesty?¡±


    In Deyanin¡¯s opinion, Nargak <i>could?</i>be a dangerous minister. Having the potential to be dangerous also meant that he wasn¡¯t dangerous at the moment, of course. In fact, the dangerous ministers had already been dealt with one way or another, so it could be said that Kyle¡¯s position had be somewhat solidified. However, Deyanin believed that since the dangerous ministers had been dealt with, those who could be dangerous should also be dealt with. But it seemed that Kyle thought differently.


    ¡°I said this to the Finance Minister as well, but I hope you will get along with the Finance Minister.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Kyle looked at Deyanin with half-lidded eyes. ¡°Do you not realize that you¡¯vee to enjoy this sword dance?¡±


    Deyanin froze.


    After he made up his mind to help Kyle be king, Deyanin had worked very hard. And his hard work continued after Kyle took the throne to stabilize Kyle¡¯s royal authority. Hunting Minister was still seated at the end of the great hall, but no one could dismiss him as such. The number of people and resources he had received under the excuse of managing Manun were continuously used to discover the ministers¡¯ dirty linen and weaknesses. And Deyanin believed it was all for the king, Kyle.


    <i>¡®But was it not all for myself?¡±</i>


    The things Kyle had said to Nargak were meant for Deyanin as well. Nargak¡¯s inferiorityplex served as his stepping stone to join the aristocratic officials. On the other hand, Deyanin¡¯s inferiorityplex was used as a basis to triumph over the aristocratic officials. Deyanin btedly realized this.


    <i>¡®This talk was not only meant for Nargak, but also for me.¡¯</i>


    Kyle was not simply a smart king. He had the wisdom of an old wise man, which was different from being precocious.


    <i>¡®Perhaps my loyalty has also been part of His Majesty¡¯s n. Then I should use this sword as His Majesty wishes.¡¯</i>


    Deyanin poured tea into the teacup used by Nargak and drank it.


    ¡°Your Majesty is right. I will get along with the Finance Minister.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You will be busier going forward, so you can¡¯t just keep focusing on the fight inside the pce.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, Your Majesty.¡±


    Kyle nodded and touched the teapot.


    ¡°The tea has cooled.¡±


    ¡°Yes, since a long time has passed.¡±


    ¡°You should have told me¡­ Yoo-Chung, the tea is cold.¡±


    Then Yoo-Chung immediately brought another teapot. The ttering sounds filled the moment of silence.


    And as Yoo-Chung left, Kyle filled Deyanin¡¯s tea cup and said, ¡°Anyhow, what happened to that alchemist with horns?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Hwee Ravina Muel?¡±


    Kyle nodded.


    Deyanin warmed his lips with the tea and said, ¡°They would have arrived at the pce already.¡±

 Chapter 88: Black Scale鈥檚 Alchemist

    <h4>Chapter 88: ck Scale¡¯s Alchemist</h4>


    Hwee-Mun, the head of the left ministers, was 65 years old, and she was also a living record of the royal family who had assisted the kings of the past three generations.


    Her hair had already turnedpletely white, and her influence made it so that the left ministers, the right ministers, and even the king couldn¡¯t treat her however they wished. She could be seen as the celebrity of the pce as all the left ministers of different species under hermand, including the Humans, Elves, Halflings, Nixes, Dwarves, Kobolds, and Frogmen would follow her in a heartbeat.


    Unlike what the rumors would suggest, however, Hwee-Mun was looking somewhat anxious.


    The Hwee family was one of the most well-known in ck Scale. What set the Hwee family apart was the fact that all the other famous influential families in ck Scale were Lizardmen.


    A member of the Hwee family would always assume the role of the lord and margrave of Automation, and the family also had the reputation of always being given the position of left ministers. They were noble and high-ranking officials, but above all, the Hwee family was a great merchant family. This was because the merchants entering ck Scale had to go through Automation, and that was also true for the merchants leaving ck Scale for other countries.


    There was no aspect where the Hwee family wascking in, but their great fame didn¡¯te without darkness.


    <i>¡®The cursed antlers.¡¯</i>


    Automation had gotten big in Hwee-Kyung¡¯s time, which was about 150 years ago. Hwee-Kyung had a pair of deer antlers that grew on her head, which was now considered a historical myth much like the story of Lakrak killing the evil god. And there was also word that Hwee-Kyung and Sairan Muel, the Lizardman, had a child between them, and that the mixed blood had be part of the Hwee family. But of course, a Human and a Lizardman could not have a child, and thus people interpreted the branching antler crest of the Hwee family as a wide range of powers. However, the adults ying important roles in the Hwee family knew that a part of the legend was true.


    In the Hwee family, there had been children born with antlers just like Hwee-Kyung in the legend. Only the antlers were dealt with in ordance with the family rules because all children born with antlers would be crazy. There wasn¡¯t a single exception. Children born with antlers would talk to the air, or show talents that defiedmon sense. They would go through a battlefield of pouring arrowspletely unscathed, or they would be perfectly fine after falling from tens of meters high. Those were surely powers that arose from Ancient Evil.


    The Hwee family had decided to contain that power before the congregation of Night Sky becamerger. And luckily, the method was simple. Within the Hwee family, parents with children born with antlers had to periodically cut and grind the antlers. That way, the child would be able to grow into an adult normally. However, that method could not prevent others from being born with antlers. There had been debates within the family that perhaps those people should refrain from continuing their bloodline, but that idea was dismissed because it was too harsh.


    ording to the legend, Hwee-Kyung was able to be a wealthy merchant with the mysterious power, but considering that her end was miserable, people were more inclined to think of it as a curse. There was also word that the wealth and glory Hwee-Kyung had umted all derived from Ancient Evil. And it was believed that the power led to the birth of a child between Hwee-Kyung and Sairan Muel, the Lizardman; that it made an impossible love possible. Due to the shameful matter leading to the existence of children with antlers, the elders of the Hwee family considered it a sin they had to carry forever.


    The children born with antlers would have Muel added to their name. And the Muel coteral line was treated the same as the Hwee family, but they had to live somewhere deep in Automation and not show themselves.


    <i>¡®It would have been good if the story ended like that, but¡­¡¯</i>


    An outlier was always destined to be born. And Hwee Ravina Muel was one such child.


    Ravina, who had run away from the castle when she was only nine years old, had gotten onto a merchant¡¯s freight wagon setting out for the continent and left. And her parting words were, ¡®I can¡¯t live in a ce like this forever.¡¯


    Ravina abandoned both her surnames of ¡®Hwee¡¯ and ¡®Muel¡¯ and aimlessly wandered the continent. She had followed a Satyr merchant as their errand girl, had been captured by a band of bandits and sold as a ve, and had also studied under a Gnoll aristocrat in Danly.


    The Hwee family made the judgment that they couldn¡¯t just let her be and hired people to chase after her. When the hired mercenaries caught up with Ravina, she was working at an Alchemist Tower located in Asbestos as an assistant. The mercenaries informed the Hwee family of her whereabouts, and the elders could not be more shocked.


    The Alchemist Tower. Past the fortress walls that had been built crudely on the top of a mountain was a storage with all the rare medicines and treasures, a library with all the knowledge in the world, and a school where alchemists taught forbidden knowledge that outsiders were not even allowed to observe.


    If these alchemists were simple schrs, people wouldn¡¯t avoid them. However, they were all non-believers on top of that. Although gods didn¡¯t manifest before everyone, their miracles were undoubtedly real. And in particr, priests who borrowed the powers of gods were living proof of their existence. Moreover, there had been stories passing down from generation to generation about the guardians of gods appearing at critical points of battles when the fate of the countries depended on it; while it was a debate whether the stories were true, many believed them.


    However, alchemists denied the obvious existence of gods and prioritized their knowledge. In the eyes of those who believed in gods, they were irreverent individuals who likely had something to do with the Ancient Evil.


    The current lord of Automation, Hwee Do-Young, said that Hwee-Kyung going to the Alchemist Tower was perhaps a natural end. There had been many cursed individuals like Hwee Ravina Muel at the Alchemist Tower. And the elders of the Hwee family, including Hwee Do-Young, decided not to chase after Ravina anymore. The Alchemist Tower was one of the few ces where the cursed antlers of the Hwee family could be forgotten, and there was another realistic issue involved.


    The Alchemist Tower was able to remain there even when it was full of non-believers because they had enough power to not be conquered. Even the nearest Trolls of Asbestos had made a few attempts, but the alchemists defeated the soldiers by shooting mes with their mysterious power or using a horrible poison that would melt people. Asbestos did have the strength to defeat them, but considering the amount of soldiers that would be lost in the process, they judged that it would be better to leave them be and collect tributes instead.


    All stories about the Alchemist Tower and Hwee Ravina Muel seemed to be getting forgotten as a part of history.


    <i>¡®Until His Majesty asked for Ravina.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Mun looked at the woman with antlers in front of her.


    ***


    Hwee Ravina Muel seemed like an ordinary woman in her mid twenties. She had ck hair, deep maroon eyes, and skin darker than those of Elves, which showed that she was originally from Automation. She also bore a resemnce to Hwee-Mun when she was younger as they were from the same family.


    <i>¡®Except for those antlers.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Mun was born and raised in Automation, and she had seen Ravina¡¯s mother, the one with cursed antlers, but because she had always cut them, it was the first time Hwee-Mun saw fully grown antlers.


    Ravina asked, ¡°Are they amusing?¡±


    Hwee-Mun sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There are so many mysterious things in Orazen. I wasn¡¯t looking at them because I found them amusing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Elder. It¡¯smon for people to stare at my antlers when they meet me for the first time. I mean, you can¡¯t help but look at them when they¡¯re this big. They catch attention.¡±


    The pair of huge deer antlers were divided into several branches.


    Hwee-Mun tried her best to ignore Ravina¡¯s antlers and said, ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t know you woulde as soon as I contacted you. I¡¯m asking just in case there¡¯s a misunderstanding, but you know why I called you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ravina replied.


    It was a months-long journey from the Alchemist Tower, located at the edge of Asbestos, to Orazen, so one wouldn¡¯t make the journey unless there was a special asion.


    Ravina then said, ¡°I heard that His Majesty is looking for an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Hwee-Mun nodded.


    Kyle Lak Orazen, the king of ck Scale, wanted to find an alchemist. But unlike Asbestos, ck Scale was harsher to non-believers like alchemists. All knowledge rted to alchemy or Ancient Evil would be confiscated by the pce, and those with the knowledge would be punished. Therefore, the king had to turn to foreign countries to find an alchemist. However, alchemists also lived in hiding in foreign countries, and the most well-known homebase of alchemists, namely the Alchemist Tower, banned outsiders froming and going as they pleased.


    Hwee-Mun was puzzled by the fact that Kyle was looking for an alchemist, but fortunately, the only alchemist she knew was hiding in the Alchemist Tower, where normal people could not enter or leave from. She had thus thought that Kyle, the king, wouldn¡¯t learn of Ravina¡¯s existence, but someone from the Hwee family must have leaked information to him. And soon, Kyle learned of the cursed antlers and of Ravina¡¯s existence, and an order was given to the head of the Hwee family and lord of Automation, Hwee Do-Young, to call Ravina to the pce.


    Hwee Do-Young, Hwee-Mun, and the rest of the Hwee family hoped for Ravina to ignore the order, but surprisingly, Ravina traveled the long distance and arrived at Orazen¡¯s pce today. While Ravina was part of the Hwee family, she and Hwee-Mun were no different than strangers who just met today. Ravina was rather a person that Hwee-Mun should be wary of since Hwee-Mun was responsible for pce affairs and assisting the king. And above all, Ravina¡¯s intentions were not yet known.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t let her face His Majesty this way.¡¯</i>


    Ravina coveted forbidden knowledge and was a non-believer, and she could be punished by nationalw. If Ravina showed any signs of irreverence, Hwee-Mun nned to summon the pce guards right away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop beating around the bush and cut to the chase. Why have youe?¡±


    ¡°Because of His Majesty¡¯s order.¡±


    ¡°You abandoned your family, wandered around for more than a decade, and are associated with the Alchemist Tower that no one could go into or out of unless they belong there. And you¡¯re an alchemist who doesn¡¯t serve any god. What are you afraid of that you would obey His Majesty¡¯s will?¡±


    Ravina met Hwee-Mun¡¯s eyes with a look of surprise.


    ¡°Pardon? His Majesty is a fearsome person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But how would you, who lives far away in thend of Asbestos, know that? You didn¡¯t think His Majesty would lead an army to find you if you hadn¡¯te, did you?¡±


    Ravina blinked with embarrassment.


    ¡°His Majesty probably would have done that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Even if the method is different, he would have tried to enter the Alchemist Tower in any way possible. I came because I was afraid of that happening.¡±


    ¡°What do you know about His Majesty that you would say such a thing?¡±


    In response to that question, Ravina said something irrelevant, ¡°I see you aren¡¯t familiar with the forbidden knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Huh, of course. How can anyone covet such knowledge when they know the glory of their family and know to fulfill their duties to ck Scale? And what does that have to do with His Majesty?¡±


    ¡°His Majesty might be disappointed to hear that.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Ravina reached into the bag next to her. Hwee-Mun flinched and kept a wary eye on Ravina, wondering if she was going to take out an alchemist tool, but what Ravina pulled out was a letter.


    ¡°The same letter has been sent to the Alchemist Tower since a few years ago. It is filled with questions about ancient forbidden knowledge. The letters always came from different locations, so the alchemists of the tower had thought that it was another alchemist outside of the tower who wanted to hide their identity.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°However, this letter then came, and only then did the alchemists find out where they were from. Orazen. There is only one person capable of doing such a thing while knowing the most about the forbidden knowledge of Orazen.¡±


    Hwee-Mun immediately got up and said, ¡°You dare not¡­ Don¡¯t say anything you can¡¯t be responsible for.¡±


    ¡°No. I must say it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    ¡°His Majesty is already the best alchemist with no rival in ck Scale.¡±


    Hwee-Mun yelled, ¡°Is anyone out there? Call the pce guards!¡±


    At that moment, the door opened, and a Lizardman came in.


    Even from a Human¡¯s perspective, the Lizardman was short and thin, which made it clear that he wasn¡¯t an adult yet.


    ¡°Hwee-Mun, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    It was Kyle.

 Chapter 89: Falling Tower

    <h4>Chapter 89: Falling Tower</h4>


    ¡°...Your Majesty?¡±


    Hwee-Mun froze and couldn¡¯t move.


    Following Kyle, Deyanin came in and closed the door.


    Deyanin said, ¡°His Majesty had been anticipating Hwee Ravina Muel¡¯s arrival but couldn¡¯t wait to see her, so he came himself.¡±


    Kyle nodded and sat next to Ravina.


    Then he said to Hwee-Mun, ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything, so why don¡¯t you sit back down first.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, is everything the alchemist said true?¡±


    ¡°True or not, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something a left minister like you should concern yourself with.¡±


    ¡°Keeping Your Majesty safe is a left minister¡¯s duty.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think reading a few more books would cause any problems for my safety.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°Just sit down for now. Deyanin, you don¡¯t need to stand around either. Take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Hwee-Mun couldn¡¯t not be worried about Kyle.


    Every country grew through Blessings and Miracles from the gods they believed in, and the priests were still offering their help. That was why non-believers were not weed. In ck Scale, they were merely banned and punished by nationalw, but in ces like Danyum, it wasmon for non-believers to be beaten to death by a whole group of people.


    <i>¡®His Majesty cannot be punished no matter how strict thew is. However, it will inevitably be the ministers¡¯ weapon to attack him. Many of the ministers havee to support His Majesty, but a few have not.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Mun realized early on that Kyle was not only exceptionally intelligent, but also wise. Therefore, she agreed when the Hunting Minister, Deyanin, said that Kyle needed to be made king. To that end, she shared her opinion with thete King of Serenity.


    <i>¡®But I can¡¯t believe His Majesty is interested in wicked studies like alchemy. It must be the doing of that white lizard.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Mun red at Deyanin, but Deyanin avoided eye contact.


    Kyle then said to Ravina, ¡°You must be the alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Kyle nodded and looked at Hwee-Mun.


    ¡°Hwee-Mun, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve kept it a secret from you. However, I assumed you would be too worried to fall asleep at night even if I exined my situation because you¡¯re somewhat a straight arrow. That was why I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°...Your Majesty, thank you for your concern, but alchemy? What would the ancestors think?¡±


    Kyle shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? There was no such study as alchemy in the past, so that¡¯s something we can never be certain of.¡±


    ¡°Alchemists im that they are going to make gold out of nothing and pills of immortality. Do you not get the absurdity of that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about the part about making gold and pills of immortality, but a lot of their knowledge is quite useful.¡±


    ¡°However, studying alchemy in itself goes against nationalw. There would be no one to punish Your Majesty, but the ministers would be ufortable. Is that knowledge worth the risks?


    Kyle, who had been graciously replying to Hwee-Mun, shut her down with a short answer.


    ¡°Yes, it is worth it.¡±


    Then Ravina added, ¡°Elder, I think I may be able to exin.¡±


    Hwee-Mun silently looked at Ravina.


    So Ravina exined, ¡°Forbidden knowledge doesn¡¯t onlye from studies done at the tower. If an alchemist on the outsidees up with something, items would be sent from the tower to gain their favor so that the tower can acquire the knowledge. Among them, there was an alchemist who lived alone in the northern part of Red Fruit, deep in the mountains.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°But one day, updates stoppeding from the alchemist in Red Fruit. The tower thought that the alchemist perhaps needed help and sent someone to check if there was something wrong. When the errand boy got to the alchemist¡¯s house, they found no apparent problem from the outside. The house itself was hidden, so no one had visited them.¡±


    ¡°Then what was the trouble?¡±


    ¡°The errand boy was able to break through the locked door and enter the house. Only then did the errand boy smell a stench. The alchemist was dead.¡±


    Hwee-Mun frowned and said, ¡°Are you saying that since no one had visited them, they died on their own?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Because of forbidden knowledge?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I¡¯ve heard something like that too. It¡¯s said that there was an Ancient Evil who granted power in exchange for souls. Is that not the case for the alchemist?¡±


    Before Hwee-Mun could cast me on the alchemist again, Ravina said, ¡°No, that¡¯s not what went down. The alchemist was discovered in theirb, but they hadn¡¯t sold their soul or anything like that. It was an ident. The alchemist had been mixing various substances to make gold, but heat was produced when certain substances were mixed, and an explosion urred. In fact, those kinds of idents asionally happen at the tower too, so it wasn¡¯t particrly strange.¡±


    Hwee-Mun was relieved that they hadn¡¯t sold their soul, but she found it troubling that such an urrence had been happening every now and then.


    ¡°The alchemist of Red Fruit died. Is there anything to this story?¡±


    ¡°If it were an ordinary story, no, there wouldn¡¯t be. However, it¡¯s different when an alchemist is involved.¡±


    Kyle nodded in understanding, while Hwee-Mun was confused.


    Then Ravina said, ¡°The alchemist died, but before their death, they had precisely recorded how much of each substance they had added in that experiment. In fact, they had made the record extra precise since other alchemists had died in idents while experimenting.¡±


    ¡°What use would the record of a failure have?¡±


    ¡°Elder, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as failure for alchemists. Alchemists were able to discover how to shoot fire or make water that melts skin through the failures you mentioned. And gunpowder, the discovery the alchemist of Red Fruit had made, was greater than any other discovery made by other alchemists to this day.¡±


    ¡°The danger of killing people is a great discovery?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hwee-Mun btedly realized what Ravina meant. If they were an alchemist who was meticulous enough to write everything they were going to do, they would have been careful no matter what kind of experiment they were conducting.


    <i>¡®That means¡­¡¯</i>


    Ravina grabbed her pinky and said, ¡°The gunpowder tested by the alchemist of Red Fruit was only this much. However, when a me touched the gunpowder and triggered an explosion, the small soldered case containing the gunpowder was torn, and the shards shot out and stabbed the alchemist in the neck.¡±


    Hwee-Mun looked at Kyle.


    ¡°Is it a weapon?¡±


    Kyle nodded and said, ¡°It is a weapon.¡±


    Hwee-Mun pictured it in her mind. She didn¡¯t know much about alchemy, but Ravina had said that the powder could be made easily, and that a small amount would be enough to kill someone. She wasn¡¯t sure what kind of weapon that would be, but it seemed self-evident that it was dangerous since Ravina and Kyle were both paying attention to it.


    <i>¡®As expected, alchemy is forbidden knowledge.¡¯</i>


    Hwee-Mun was worried that Kyle would be fascinated by that danger.


    ¡°Your Majesty, even though ck Scale¡¯snd is small, it holds the highest status among all countries. No one can deny our superiority, so why must you take such a risk?¡±


    ¡°Hwee-Mun.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Kyle lowered his eyes and said, ¡°Unfortunately, this knowledge is not much of a secret. I wasn¡¯t the first to notice it, and ck Scale wasn¡¯t the first to bring an alchemist to the pce. The alchemists at the Alchemist Tower are cursed people who had fled from various ces. Some of them still hold their home countries dear in their hearts. What do you think would happen when those countries asked them to return with that knowledge?¡±


    Ravina added, ¡°And the other countries were trying to stop that from happening. I almost died around ten times on my journey here.¡±


    Deyanin then said, ¡°They are mercenaries hired by other countries, or local soldiers disguised as bandits.¡±


    Hwee-Mun asked Deyanin, ¡°...Then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Soldiers who got secret orders from His Majesty had to escort Ravina from the Alchemist Tower to Orazen. The Alchemist Tower suffered unprecedented damage because of this knowledge, and they will have beenpletely conquered by the Trolls of Asbestos by now.¡±


    Kyle raised his head.


    ¡°Hwee-Mun, you believed this period to be peaceful, but it¡¯s not anymore. ck Scale¡¯s spies hidden in each country are delivering urgent news. The substances used in making gunpowder are experiencing dramatic price increases, and countries are all setting up secret bases to make gunpowder.¡±


    Ravina said, ¡°Gunpowder is certainly alchemy, but it is a piece of ancient knowledge at the same time. Something simr to gunpowder has been found in an ancient ruin, and it¡¯s said that an ancient weapon like it has been discovered.¡±


    Hwee-Mun asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Your Majesty, are you saying that a war will break out? Just because we have weapons¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible there might be a war.¡± Then Kyle added, ¡°But what if our weapon is exceptionally outstanding? What if a dunce who had never even held a bow before does their part in the battlefield, sinks ships, and breaks down the fortress walls? What if we have the weapon while the other country doesn¡¯t? You would think we would win the war.¡±


    Hwee-Mun contemted and eventually nodded.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really acknowledge it from the bottom of my heart, but in my head, I can see that Your Majesty¡¯s will is in the right ce. I have no reason to oppose it, so please let me know whenever you need any help.¡±


    Kyle smiled.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I do need your help, Hwee-Mun.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There is the matter that you are worried about, and we need to proceed with this n secretly considering the spies other countries have nted in ck Scale. We had been using funds from the hunting department until now, but now that we have your permission¡­¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re going to use the privy purse.¡±


    The country''s taxes were managed by the finance department, but the king¡¯s personal assets were managed by the left ministers. As the conversation returned to the topic of work, Hwee-Mun''s eyes became full of life again.


    ¡°It is certainly Your Majesty¡¯s assets. As I understand, there must be reasonable grounds for its use. Do you have in mind how much you¡¯re going to use, and where and how to use it?¡±


    For the first time since Kyle came into the room, he said in a trembling voice, ¡°Hm, well, that is¡­¡±


    ***


    A system window popped up in front of Sung-Woon.


    [Notice: The production conditions for ¡®ck Powder¡¯ have been fulfilled.]


    [Carbon: Charcoal production is possible.


    Sulfuric Acid: Sulfuric acid production is possible.


    Potassium Nitrate: Production is possible (Borrowing Method), foreign country (Stone Cave) knows of a niter mine.


    ck Powder Knowledge: Exists within country (ck Scale), more than ¡®1¡¯ person is in the know (read more).]


    Sung-Woon let out a sigh.


    <i>¡®Done.¡¯</i>


    Inventions and discoveries tended to be proportional to the size of poption.


    In that sense, ck Scale, which pursued political stability and was superior to other countries in food production, was able toplete their innovations and fix the ws because their poption was sufficiently big.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the case for some discoveries. For example, mixing all kinds of substances to make something else was only done by those who were devoted to such work.


    <i>¡®The art of making elixirs, also known as alchemy.¡¯</i>


    It couldn¡¯t be helped that the process of discovering these kinds of mysterious technology was very tricky in the Lost World. The more faithful the citizens of a country were, the more they hated developing that kind of knowledge. First of all, the Ancient Evil that existed in the setting of the world made it so that this kind of research tended to be hated, and additionally, those who had power and knowledge desired to stand above the general citizens. Simply put, the more a society believed in their god, the more difficult it was to make discoveries in mysterious technology.


    On the contrary, if non-believers were allowed to grow in order to discover more mysterious technology, the yer¡¯s control would weaken.


    No matter what build the yer was going for, there were pros and cons. However, the yers of The Lost World tended to create a society of pious followers. Scientific knowledge was fair in that if one yer developed a ce for alchemists to gather, everyone would eventually benefit from all the knowledge that came from it.


    <i>¡®So the Alchemist tower of Asbestos is the result of NIMBY syndrome.¡¯</i>


    Though of course, Asbestos was able to discover gunpowder the quickest and make the most out of it since the tower was within its border. And it was inevitable for ck Scale, which was far away, to obtain it rtivelyter. If they were unlucky, the ones with the knowledge could die, which would make it impossible for ck Scale to obtain it. That was if Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t sent Hwee Ravina Muel to the Alchemist Tower; the child with antlers, who had a high survival rate due to her Demonic Magic of Probability Maniption.


    As Sung-Woon looked at the system message with satisfaction, Eldar said from next to him, ¡°By the way, did Kyle and Ravina talk about the gunpowder, but not <i>that</i>?¡±

 Chapter 90: Yaboon鈥檚 Pirates

    <h4>Chapter 90: Yaboon¡¯s Pirates</h4>


    Sung-Woon immediately realized what Eldar meant by ¡®that knowledge.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about magic, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The knowledge alchemists held was known to outsiders as mysterious technology, namely the art of making elixir, also known as alchemy. The mysterious technology was science, and ordingly, alchemists were scientists, and alchemy experiments were scientific experiments. There was a w in the equation in that the alchemy experiments weren¡¯t strictly consistent as science was, and there was some mysticism involved, but the alchemists¡¯ willingness to embrace failure as development was simr to scientists. However, there were secrets that alchemists thoroughly hid.


    <i>¡®Demonic Magic.¡¯</i>


    On thisnd, cursed individuals continued to be born just like Hwee Ravina Muel, a Human with antlers on her head. ording to the setting of The Lost World, the cursed ones were remnants of ancient evil power found in ancient ruins like Pzzt, or they came fromsting bloodlines like Hwee-Kyung and Ravina. Demonic Magic could manifest as different powers with different properties, including Electricity, me, and Gravity, and those who were empowered by spirits of Demonic Magic could use those kinds of abilities.


    However, such forms of Demonic Magic were merely supernatural powers that were a facet of something greater. ording to the knowledge discovered in ces like ancient ruins, these superpowers stemmed from something at a higher level, and that was Magic.


    ¡°Magic itself can be used by only a few people. And it''s separate from the changes in society driven by the development of technology like gunpowder. It made sense that Kyle believed bringing up magic would only make Hwee-Mun more puzzled.¡±


    And there was another reason.


    ¡°Above all, a wizard hasn¡¯t appeared yet.¡±


    In order to be a wizard, at least half of the ancient ruins on the continent had to be explored, and the resulting knowledge had to be gathered. In The Lost World, the birth of a Wizard was equivalent to what the industrial revolution was to scientific technology, and it would define the start of a different era. But this time, the birth of a wizard was dyed.


    <i>¡®Usually they would appear within the first hundred years since the game starts. But it¡¯s probably because all the yers value conservative tactics that they¡¯re distancing themselves from Demonic magic and Magic¡­ A Wizard might have appeared already in another continent.¡¯</i>


    It could be said that Sung-Woon was in an advantageous position because he had incorporated one of the Demonic Magics into his religious system. And in order to learn Magic, a yer needed at least one kind of Demonic Magic.


    Then Eldar said, ¡°Would Wisdom have an advantage?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Asbestos has the Alchemist Tower.¡±


    ¡°Hm, it is most likely for a wizard to appear there.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that something to worry about?¡±


    Sung-Woon yed innocent.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Wisdom is probably hoping that a wizard doesn''t emerge from hisnd.¡±


    ***


    The Humiliation of Pirates smoothly cruised and arrived at Bavrin. Onboard were the leader of the Eastern Mountain Expedition Team, Vasen Lak Orazen, and the ship captain in charge of transportation, Theone Itimo.


    Although Satyrs were the main upants of Danyum, the harbor city, Bavrin, saw various speciesing and going. Sizewise, Bavrin was smaller than Orazen, but it wasparable to Orazen since it was a harbor with lots of merchant ships.


    On the deck, Vasen said to Theone, ¡°There are so many ships.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s the closest harbor to Orazen. Ships setting out from this harbor continue west to Stone Cave or Danly. And there are also ships that go beyond that.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    Theone looked back at Vasen as if she didn¡¯t understand why he would ask that.


    ¡°To the western continent. Where else would it be?¡±


    Rumors had it that the legendary storyteller Owen had eventually gone to the western continent.


    ¡°Does it really exist?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any waterways for ships to regrly travel along, and many ships did fail to return after setting out for the journey, but it definitely does exist.¡±


    ¡°No, what I mean is that it may just be a big ind, right?¡±


    Vasen¡¯s question stemmed from the self-centered worldview of someone who could have be the supreme ruler of the country at one point.


    And Theone believed the confidence wasn¡¯t unfounded.


    ¡°Perhaps that might be true. But those in the western continent seemed to call us the eastern continent.¡±


    ¡°Then what do they call themselves?¡±


    ¡°The central continent.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They said there is another continent to their west. But I can¡¯t be certain about that part.¡±


    Vasen stroked his chin and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t merchants travel to other continents and trade? Even if it¡¯s dangerous, merchants would go if they can expect to profit from the trip.¡±


    ¡°We only do that when the risk is somewhat eptable.¡±


    ¡°Is it that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know because you haven¡¯t been on ships a lot. There are pirates, reefs, areas where the wind doesn¡¯t blow, high waves, sea monsters, storms¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. I get the idea.¡±


    Theone smiled and said, ¡°I need to go make the trade. I¡¯ll be back. You can rx on the ship, or go have some fun at the harbor as long as youe back by the time we agreed on.¡±


    ¡°I feel under the weather because the ship is small. I¡¯ll go on a walk.¡±


    Vasen took a tour around the harbor with his entourage and browsed the unique wares. Half of them were interesting, but the other half were from ck Scale, which he found no amusement out of. When Vasen thought about it, he realized that it was only natural since the really interesting objects would be transported across the sea to Orazen rather than being kept in Bavrin.


    <i>¡®Anyways, I haven¡¯t noticed any sign.¡¯</i>


    There were other people who assisted the expedition team on The Humiliation of Pirates. Vasen thought there was the possibility that his supervisor could be among them, but no one was shadowing him during this little impromptu tour.


    <i>¡®I guess they wouldn¡¯t make it so obvious. Or maybe they simply took orders from their superior and don¡¯t care as much.¡¯</i>


    When Vasen was about to return to the ship, he found a fruit store and stopped there. There were fruits that didn¡¯t grow in ck Scale, so he struck up a conversation with the fruit vendor.


    ¡°Are you going back to ck Scale?¡± the fruit vendor asked.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Then you should pray to God that you won¡¯t run into pirates.¡±


    ¡°Pirates?¡±


    The Gnome fruit vendor looked around as if it would be troublesome if anyone else overheard before whispering into Vasen¡¯s ear, ¡°You don¡¯t know about Yaboon¡¯s Pirates?¡±


    ¡°...No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Right, you said you were from Orazen. There¡¯s a group of pirates who dominate the whole area around Bavrin. And they mostly target ships setting out from Bavrin.¡±


    ¡°Danyum just lets them be?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. However, the problem is that they are arge group of pirates from the south with more than one or two ships. It¡¯s said that they are continuing north from Bavrin, so wouldn¡¯t it soon be dangerous for the sea near ck Scale as well?¡±


    Vasen thought that this would be a serious problem if true.


    <i>¡®The soldiers of Danyum aren¡¯t that weak, so there must be a problem preventing them from stopping the pirates from approaching the city. And this is arge port rather than a small, nameless vige.¡¯</i>


    Vasen was considering sending a letter to Kyle when Theone returned with the niter she had bought toter resell at Sashian. Kyle was likely to be aware of the matter already, but even Vasen knew that something was worth noting when it happened repeatedly. He made sure to inform Theone, the captain of the ship he was riding.


    ¡°Yaboon¡¯s Pirates?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard of them?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Theoneughed. ¡°All the harbor merchants do that. They make up stories or exaggerate them. That keeps up the appearance of some customers staying at their shop for a long time. It¡¯s a business strategy.¡±


    ¡°I know that since Orazen, where I grew up, was also a harbor city.¡±


    ¡°But you never left the pce, did you?¡±


    Vasen contemted whether he should tell her that he spent more time hanging out with hooligans outside the pce, or if he should just stay quiet to protect his reputation. And it seemed that Theone took Vasen¡¯s silence as admission.


    ¡°Oh, now that I think of it, the pce asked us to bring as great a load as possible, but apparently the goods I wanted won¡¯t arrive until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°So are you going to wait until then?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll leave first and have the military ship carry the rest of the goods.¡±


    ¡°But then we won¡¯t be escorted by the military ship.¡±


    ¡°We have more goods to unload, and we¡¯ll buy food at Sashian. If we leave one day earlier, we¡¯ll save time.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°Any time spent on the ship costs money, which includes drinking water, food, and the crew¡¯s wages.¡±


    Vasen couldn¡¯t say anything to that since Theone Itimo was the one in charge of all matters rted to the ship.


    ¡°Then we must pray that we don¡¯t run into any pirates.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I did talk about pirates too, but I¡¯ve never run into them in my entire career.¡±


    ***


    The next day, while looking at the horizon off the coast of Bavrin, Theone screamed, ¡°P¡­pirates!¡±


    Standing by her side, Vasen crossed his arms and sighed.


    It was clear that Theone was bewildered, but she quickly gave orders to throw offboard the sandbags as well as drinking water and food supplies that weren¡¯t immediately needed to lighten the ship. And herst order was for the crew members to arm themselves with the shabby armory that each sailor had prepared on their own.


    There were three ships that appeared to be pirate ships. Vasen couldn¡¯t be certain if they were pirates or not, but Theone came to the conclusion based on the ships¡¯ size and shape and the fact that they were obviously chasing the Humiliation of Pirates. And it seemed that the other sailors agreed too.


    ¡°Can we run away?¡±


    ¡°The Humiliation of Pirates used to be a pirate ship. It is made of rtively light wood andes with arge sail. It rides the wind well¡­but that isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    All other conditions being equal, what would make the difference was the fact that the pirate ships would be loaded with only the necessary food supplies.


    ¡°What about the niter?¡±


    ¡°The purpose of this journey is to transport niter, isn¡¯t it? It would be better to jump off the ship than casting it away.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    Theone said with a straight face, ¡°Pirate ships undergo modifications to remove all unnecessary structures as long as they can float in the water. They¡¯ll catch up to us anyway. We¡¯re throwing things away to buy us some time until the military ships arrive. They said they would load the wares once morninges, so we should be only half a day apart if we¡¯re lucky. If only the wind would blow a little stronger¡­¡±


    Theone put her hands together and prayed with her eyes closed while Vasen stared at her. Then she cracked open an eye to re at him.


    ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and pray.¡±


    Vasen sighed and sloppily copied Theone¡¯s posture.


    Unfortunately, Night Sky wasn¡¯t able to fulfill their prayers because Sung-Woon didn¡¯t have Small Area: Sea Breeze. And soon enough, the smallest and quickest pirate ship came up to The Humiliation of Pirates. Vasen could hear the pirates shouting.


    ¡°Brother! Look at that. The ship can¡¯t go forward because it¡¯s loaded!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! You guys! It seems we¡¯ll be drinking until we¡¯re tipsy tonight! It was worth praying to the White Spider God.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we jump onto it before the otherse?¡±


    ¡°Hm, wait. Not yet¡­¡±


    Once the pirates got close enough for Vasen and the others to hear them talk, arrows flew from both ships. However, the deck of The Humiliation of Pirates was too high for the pirates, so they weren¡¯t able to shoot properly. On the other hand, the archers onboard The Humiliation of Pirates were terrible at their jobs despite having the advantage of higher ground.


    <i>¡®White Spider God? I¡¯ve heard a name like that somewhere before.¡±</i>


    Vasen didn¡¯t dwell on it. While he was quite an embarrassment in studying with books, he was confident in studying with his body. He picked up the horn bow that was the pride of ck Scale and leaned over the deck.


    <i>Swoosh!</i>


    The arrow pierced through the wind and hit a pirate in the middle of their forehead. The noisy chatters from the pirates soon died down. However, Vasen was never one to consider other peoples¡¯ circumstances. The next arrow he shot buried into the temple of another pirate when they were still reeling from the shock. Only then did the pirates start to shout in anger. Those with bows fired arrows at Vasen, but Vasen had already taken cover behind the mast.


    Then an Astacidea, who seemed to be the head of those pirates, shouted, ¡°Put the ship right next to theirs! We¡¯re going on board now!¡±


    Ropes were thrown and fastened around the railings of The Humiliation of Pirates. Then the other ends were tied. The ship tilted as the pirates began to climb. However, the sailors on The Humiliation of Pirates remained still. Not because they were afraid. Vasen, who was about to take action, also stopped to watch everything unfold.


    ¡°Who shot brother!¡±


    The pirates quickly climbed the ropes and came onto the deck.


    However, arge ck shadow stood in front of them. It wasn¡¯t Vasen.


    ¡°First officer, don¡¯t like pirates.¡±


    ¡°...Kugh.¡±


    ¡°Pirate, throw off ship.¡±


    The Ogre kick threw three pirates into the sea.

 Chapter 91: The Pirate鈥檚 Native Land

    <h4>Chapter 91: The Pirate¡¯s Native Land</h4>


    ¡°I-It¡¯s an Ogre!¡±


    At the pirates¡¯ scream, the Asticidea who seemed to be their leader yelled, ¡°Afraid not! They¡¯re just sailors! Other than the Ogre, they¡¯re nothing! Shoot them with arrows!¡±


    All at once, arrows flew past the air toward Hwae-Sa. Although the shots were made from a shaking ship, the pirates had decent skills. A few arrows ended up hitting Hwae-Sa, but they weren¡¯t able to pierce through the thick skin and left only shallow cuts.


    Vasen Lak Orazen was amazed.


    <i>¡®At the end of the day, an Ogre is an Ogre.¡¯</i>


    If Hwae-Sa could just take the ropes off of the railing, the pirates wouldn¡¯t be able to get on the ship. However, the shots made by the pirates did end up having an effect.


    ¡°Ouch, ouch¡­!¡±


    Hwae-Sa went up to the railing, but doing so only made them a huge target for the pirates. As arrows poured, Hwae-Sa raised their forearm to cover their face before taking a few steps back.


    ¡°F¡­first officer, hurt¡­¡±


    Seeing Hwae-Sa lose momentum, Vasen asked Theone Itimo in bewilderment, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What? No one would be okay after getting shot by arrows.¡±


    ¡°But Hwae-Sa¡¯s an Ogre.¡±


    ¡°Are Ogres not people?¡± Theone lowered her body to the deck as much as she could and added, ¡°Well, even though Hwae-Sa is stubborn, they are prone to exaggerating their pain. If they had the courage to match that kind of physique and the ability to speak so well, they would have been a general somewhere.¡±


    That did make some sense.


    Vasen then said, ¡°But we can¡¯t just let the pirates get on board, can we?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°If you can buy me some time with Hwae-Sa, I¡¯ll do something about the pirates.¡±


    ¡°Prince¡­no, you, the expedition leader?¡±


    Vasen red like he was wondering what was wrong with that.


    Theone shook her head.


    ¡°You can¡¯t. What do you think will happen to me if you get a scratch on your body?¡±


    ¡°Well, where¡¯s the guarantee that the crew will be fine if the pirates get on?¡±


    ¡°Your life will at least be guaranteed if you say you''re a prince from ck Scale. As long as those pirates aren¡¯t dumb.¡±


    That would be the case if he was lucky. When pirates captured a precious person, they usually held them captive and demanded a high ransom.


    ¡°In my case, sure, but where¡¯s the guarantee that you¡¯ll be fine?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve diligently devoted myself to Night Sky until now for moments like this, so wouldn¡¯t it work out somehow?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a joke, so don¡¯t give me that look. We have Hwae-Sa for now. They won¡¯t be able to approach the crew¡­¡±


    In Vasen¡¯s opinion, that was too naive a hope. An Ogre could be a great fighter, but they weren¡¯t invincible. And if Ogres couldn¡¯t couldn¡¯t carry out Ogre-like missions, their natural advantage would be useless.


    Vasen put his bow on his shoulder and unsheathed his sword.


    ¡°Why are you drawing your sword?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to jump onto the pirate ship.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°The ship is slowing down. If the other two ships catch up, pirates wille on board from the other side as well, and there¡¯s no guarantee that an Ogre will triumph if there are more pirates. We need to defeat them first.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see me be an arrow rack, tell Hwae-Sa to get to work.¡±


    As Vasen ran to the rear end of the ship, Theone hurriedly called out to Hwae-Sa. She knew that Vasen meant what he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Hwae-Sa!¡±


    ¡°Why are you calling me, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get on this ship to defeat the sea?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But arrow hurts¡­ Hwae-Sa, defeated¡­¡±


    Theone hit the now demoralized Hwae-Sa on the back.


    ¡°Then you can just attack from a distance!¡±


    ¡°...From a distance?¡±


    Vasen pressed his abdomen to the railing and looked down from the rear end of the ship. As expected, the pirates were staring at the middle part of the ship where the Ogre had been.


    <i>¡®But the moment I go down there, they¡¯ll hear a noise. Hwae-Sa is¡­?¡¯</i>


    As he anticipated, Hwae-Sa was running towards the railing with both arms raised. Above Hwae-Sa¡¯s head was arge jug for drinking water.


    ¡°Huff!¡±


    The jug flew into the air towards the pirate ship.


    ¡°Avoid it!¡±


    ¡°This way!¡±


    Unfortunately, the damage wasn¡¯t great. The pirates were able to avoid the jug because Hwae-Sa had thrown it with such a dramatic manner. Moreover, while Hwae-Sa had the higher ground, the eleration provided by the gravitational pull wasn¡¯t enough to cause great damage to the pirate ship. What poured out from the broken jug was the familiar water.


    <i>¡®But that is enough.¡¯</i>


    The pirates had been running around in order to avoid the jug, so they were unable to return fire.


    Vasen rolled once as hended on their ship. Only the pirate at the very back sensed someone¡¯s approach and looked back.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    And that became theirst words. Vasen got up and pushed his sword into the pirate¡¯s body, piercing into and through their cervical spine. Vasen took out his sword as the pirate copsed and approached the next pirate that had their back to him.


    ¡°Brother! The Ogre is throwing something again!¡±


    ¡°You fools! Shoot arrows at the Ogre, and they won¡¯t be able to throw things!¡±


    ¡°But the Ogre is covering their body with the water jug, so¡­¡±


    <i>Thump!</i>


    The jugs Hwae-Sa threw in a row damaged the deck repeatedly until there was a dent.


    ¡°Just grab the ropes and climb!¡±


    ¡°B¡­brother!¡±


    ¡°What is it now!?¡±


    ¡°I¡­in the back there is a¡­ Kugh!¡±


    A long sword prated through the chest of the pirate mid-sentence before disappearing as if it got sucked in. The pirate then copsed, and Vasen revealed himself.


    ¡°You must be the captain,¡± said Vasen.


    The Astacidean captain of the pirate ship, Godan, was shocked. Behind Vasen, all the pirates who had been alive only a moment ago were dead. The three pirates behind Godan were the only survivors.


    ¡°Y¡­you fool! ¡­H¡­how?¡±


    ¡°Will you surrender?¡±


    Godan almost epted the offer without thinking. However, from his perspective, he was still the one at an advantage. The two other pirate ships were close by, and he figured that Vasen must be the bestbatant onboard the merchant ship.


    <i>¡®Even if we leave the Ogre to the others to deal with, things will be much easier if this guy is removed. It was smart of him to get behind us, but that doesn''t mean he is good with his sword.¡¯</i>


    Godan took out daggers with his two ws and raised his big w above his head to get intobat position. The unique ws of the Asticideas, who were also known as crawfish, were powerful enough to break a weaker body part in one go. And even when they could only hold off their opponent rather than breaking any body parts, they could always overpower their opponent with their other w. It wasmon for Asticideas to show confidence in closebat.


    <i>¡®Die!¡¯</i>


    A w the size of Godan¡¯s head flew towards Vasen. Vasen easily avoided the attack and moved quite a distance away.


    <i>¡®Are you afraid of my ws? You¡¯re just a coward who can only target others from behind.¡¯</i>


    Confident in his victory, Godan took one step forward.


    ¡°B¡­brother! Watch out!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Godan turned just as the water jug thrown by Hwae-Sa hit his face squarely.


    ***


    ¡°Crawfish is certainly crawfish. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s still alive after being hit by that.¡±


    ¡°Team Leader, I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°If Lizardmen call Astacideas crawfish, what do you call real crawfish?¡±


    ¡°...Edible crawfish?¡±


    ¡°...Wouldn¡¯t Astacideas be offended if they knew Lizardmen distinguished them with real crawfish as edible and non-edible?¡±


    ¡°Would they?¡±


    Godan, who had barely regained consciousness, raised his head and said, ¡°We will!¡±


    And as he said so, he tried to strike with his ws, but they were of course tied up with a rope. Moreover, he was no longer on his pirate ship, but on the deck of the merchant ship while two individuals looked down at him. Meanwhile, the other crewmen were busily cleaning after the battle. Godan¡¯s subordinates were also tied up behind him.


    ¡°Oh no, where is my ship?¡±


    Theone replied, ¡°We sent our crew down to your ship to follow us.¡±


    ¡°What about the other pirate ships?¡±


    ¡°They ran away,¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    Theone gestured to the side of The Humiliation of Pirates with her chin. There was one of the military ships that had eventually caught up to them.


    Godan shook his antennae in shock.


    ¡°After we made quick work of you, the other pirate ships merely sailed in parallel to us because they were afraid. And in the midst of their hesitation, the military ships we had been waiting for arrived.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, I can¡¯t believe my brothers abandoned me. There¡¯s no way¡­¡±


    Despite his words, Vasen thought that Godan seemed to have quickly realized reality. And Gordan¡¯s following words supported that thought.


    ¡°...they would do that, but please spare me this time, sister!¡±


    ¡°You should be thankful that we didn¡¯t throw you into the sea right away. You¡¯re being escorted by military ships, and our next destination is Sashian. You¡¯ll be punished there byw.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the Sashian in ck Scale? If you punish me by thews of ck Scale, I¡¯ll die!¡±


    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s unfortunate¡­ But.¡±


    ¡°But? What is it?¡±


    Vasen took a step closer and said, ¡°If you answer my questions to my satisfaction, I¡¯ll think of another way.¡±


    ¡°Questions?¡±


    ¡°I have a few questions about the Pirate of the Night.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t just sell my brothers out like¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be your freedom to answer or not.¡±


    After a moment of deliberation, Godan shook his antennae. It meant he agreed.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    And that alone was enough for Vasen to confirm that the pirates had no god.


    ¡°Well, here¡¯s the first question.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why do Astacideas ride ships when they can move in the sea?¡±


    Theone¡¯s eyes widened. It looked like she was silently asking Vasen what he was doing. And the crewmen working next to them heard andughed before passing by.


    Embarrassed, Vasen said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you wondered about that? I¡¯ve always been curious.¡±


    ¡°I can at least tell how ignorant you are about other species.¡±


    Godan also seemed to be wondering how he should answer Vasen¡¯s question. Then he said, ¡°Well, that is obviously true, but riding ships is faster than walking or swimming under the sea. It also takes less work. And above all, we can carry many things with ships.¡±


    ¡°I see. That was a personal question. I¡¯ll get to the next one.¡±


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    Vasen said, ¡°What religion is the White Spider God from?¡±


    ¡°It is the religion where I was born.¡±


    ¡°Where were you born?¡±


    ¡°If you take a ship and go down south from ck Scale, there is a ce where Astacideas live together. Each of our inds has its own name, but ck Scale seemed to call the ce Southern Archipgo.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s where you mean.¡±


    Those inds were found shortly after ck Scale was established, and titr ind lords had been assigned there.


    ¡°Tell me more about the White Spider God. What kind of god are they?¡±


    Godan contemted for a moment. In Vasen¡¯s perspective, rather than not wanting to exin it, it seemed more like that Godan was wondering how he should exin it because this was his first time being asked the question.


    ¡°The White Spider God appeared one hundred years ago in the form of a big white spider and saved the chief at the time from a three-tailed snake. Other than that, they created shrimp from the ground when our tribe was starving. However, this kind of miracle happened all across the inds, and I¡¯m aware that each ind calls the god who conjures miracles by a different name.¡±


    ¡°Like?¡±


    ¡°On the northernmost ind, the ind closest to ck Scale, the god is called the Blue Insect God.¡±


    Vasedughed.


    Confused, Theone asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The Blue Insect God is what Night Sky used to be called. He believed in the same god as us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The system hasn¡¯t been unified because they are so far from Orazen, but¡­¡±


    Vasen¡¯s eyes turned rather cold.


    ¡°It is unforgivable that you went aroundmitting piracy while invoking one of Night Sky¡¯s names. Pirate of the Night has been making quite the reputation for themselves around Bavrin, but don¡¯t tell me your whole tribe goes aroundmitting piracy. They don''t, do they?¡±


    Godan hurriedly shook his antennae.


    ¡°N¡­no. Other Astacideas are leading a decent life on the Southern Archipgo. I was caught by pirates when I was young, and the pirates who raised me were absorbed by Yaboon¡¯s Pirates. We simply go around using their name.¡±


    ¡°Then are you saying that their leader isn¡¯t someone from the Southern Archipgo?


    ¡°Yes. Their leader is from another continent.¡±


    Vasen became puzzled. If they came from another continent, it could only be the western continent based on where ck Scale was since no ships hade from the east. Even the merchant ship that had apparently been to the western continent left for the east and returned saying it was only open sea.


    ¡°Another¡­continent?¡±


    However, it was strange that a person from the western continent would pass by Danly and Stone Cave tomit privacy off the coast of Danyum and ck Scale. But Vasen found it hard to believe that there was yet another continent.


    ¡°Then did Yaboon¡¯s Piratese from the western continent?¡±


    Godan said, ¡°No, they came from the southern continent.¡±

 Chapter 92: Emergency Call

    <h4>Chapter 92: Emergency Call</h4>


    At the Southern Archipgo.


    There was a cliffed coast on the side of the southern ind furthest from ck Scale. It was steep and reached tens of meters in height, and as a result, the ebb and flow of the tides carved a deep, horizontal sea cave into the rock. This sea cave was not only connected to the sea, but also to thend, so it had once been home to an Astacidea tribe.


    However, as the Astacidea tribe grew, they found out that the various ironware and craftwork made to develop civilization were vulnerable to sea water, so they all left, leaving the cave unupied. And above all, the main reason they left was because the Astacideas had begun to build houses.


    While the tide receded, a man was sitting deep inside the cave. It was Sung-Woon. After a few clicks on the interface, six video chat windows popped up, showing Crampus, Lunda, Jang-Wan, AR1026, Wisdom, and Eldar respectively.


    The one with the star head, Wisdom, first said, ¡°Neb, I think it¡¯s the first time you requested for a conversation first. And it¡¯s even an emergency call.¡±


    In The Lost World, concepts such as emergency calls were generally meaningless. This was because the system and the supported interface were generally enough for a yer to interact or conspire with their allies, which was how Sung-Woon could maintain first ce while barely talking with other yers. Such conversations were mainly for finding out about the opponent¡¯s strategy, for building friendship, for a moreplicated form of diplomacy to figure out the opponent¡¯s build, or to inquire about the opponent¡¯s parents.


    It was Sung-Woon who had proposed the concept of an emergency call in this world. They could no longer im to be ying a normal game as they were living as gods, and things progressed in real time rather than hours or even centuries beingpressed into much shorter periods.


    However, above everything else, Sung-Woon was most wary of the existence of evil gods. °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik, who the yers of the third continent called Jeol Woo-Bi, had been a great threat in many ways. If it hadn¡¯t been for Lakrak¡¯s performance, they would have caused more damage to the continent, which would in turn greatly dy technological development for the yers.


    <i>¡®ck Scale suffered almost no direct damage, but if technological development is dyed in the other countries on the same continent, that¡¯s the same as ck Scale suffering damage as well.¡¯</i>


    Overall, the appearance and death of Jeol Woo-Bi on the third continent had left an impression on the yers of the third continent that some degree of information sharing was deemed necessary. Sung-Woon had already contacted Hegemonia, who had moved on to a different continent, to ask if something simr happened there as well. He found out that on the first continent, Werewolves, a species that hadn¡¯t existed, had appeared along with a yer with scrambled letters as their ID.


    Simr to the Vampires, Werewolves existed as a disease. Unlike the Vampires, though, this disease could only spread to Humans and species simr to Humans like Elves, Dwarves, and Nixes. But excluding their weakness to silver, they were better than Vampires, who normally had to hide their true nature and could be damaged by sunlight.


    Luckily enough, there was word that the Werewolves had been defeated before the continent suffered major damage since the main species there weren¡¯t Humans and Human-like species. Nevertheless, the yers of the first continent couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious of the yer with a scrambled name, who nevermunicated with others. In addition to that, Werewolves, just like Vampires, were discovered in Ancient Ruins and appeared to be associated with Ancient Evil, which had been part of each species¡¯ history.


    yers from the second continent also showed interest in what had happened on the other continents. And as a result, all yers ended up sharing minimal information while hiding their level of development. The information they shared was the number of yers on each continent.


    <i>¡®Excluding those who had given up before the game started, there were 27 yers for sure.¡¯</i>


    Ten yers on the first continent.


    Eight yers on the second continent.


    And on the third continent, there were:


    Neb


    Hegemonia


    Eldar


    Solongos


    Lim Chun-Sik


    Lunda


    Crampus


    Wisdom


    Jang-Wan


    AR1026


    °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik


    A total of 11 yers.


    That meant there were 29 yers in this world.


    <i>¡®The number of yers doesn¡¯t match.¡¯</i>


    The only possibility was that the two additional yers were the one controlling the Werewolves on the first continent and the yer controlling the Vampires on the third continent. More yers had been added. However, the regr yers couldn¡¯t just join forces and stoppeting in the game because something like that had happened. The yers of the second continent suffered no damage from these incidents, and the yers of the first continent only suffered minor damage.


    There was talk among some yers of the first and second continent that they should find out what had happened even in apetition like this, but the argument didn¡¯t gain momentum. And above all, the yers of the third continent opposed the idea as well.


    Whatever the unknown variable was, it wasn¡¯t impossible to handle. The five yers in the central region of the third continent had a backup n even if Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t helped them. If they epted the help of other yers this time, it would only lead to them getting further away from victory, which the game demanded. And additionally, the level of civilization was still too low for them to help each other across the vast ocean. There was no guarantee that there weren¡¯t any yers with extreme scientific and technological development builds, but none of the yers said they did. Eventually, the idea of all the yersing together to uncover the truth about those incidents fizzled out.


    <i>¡®...But it¡¯s a different story within the same continent.¡±</i>


    In Sung-Woon''s perspective, the first continent had gotten lucky with the Werewolves. The Werewolves had appeared and disappeared before the Vampires, and it seemed that the spread of Werewolves was slower because of the lower level of civilization at the time. In that sense, the third continent had also gotten lucky with the Vampires.


    <i>¡®What if Jeol Woo-Bi had stayed quiet and emerged in the current civilization?¡¯</i>


    In the current civilization, it would seem that the yers could deal with any threat, but they were vulnerable to diseases due to much denser poption and many means of transportation. If something like the Vampires emerged at this point, the disease would spread not only across the third continent, but also across the whole. And Sung-Woon was most wary about the part that the enemy¡¯s identity was unknown.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no guarantee that the next enemy will be at the same level as the Werewolves and the Vampires. What if a stronger enemy appears with no apparent reason?¡¯</i>


    yers of the third continent did differ somewhat in their opinions, but they all agreed that Sung-Woon had the right idea. The emergency call he suggested was a meeting open to all yers of the third continent to discuss any information rted to the evil god. For more than the past hundred years, this emergency call hadn¡¯t been used other than the time Lunda had idently pressed the button.


    Sung-Woon nodded and said, ¡°I want to start when Hegemonia joins as well.¡±


    Jang-Wan, the yer with the lion mask, said, ¡°Hegemonia will probably bete or won¡¯te. It seemed that they¡¯re in a battle with another yer from the second continent.¡±


    ¡°Has gunpowder appeared on the second continent?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re fighting again? Gunpowder would appear if they just waited a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Would Hegemonia care about that?¡±


    Even in Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, he didn¡¯t think Hegemonia would. Hegemonia was confident in battles, so they sometimes started fights with the belief that they would win if they won. It was fortunate that they didn¡¯t also start a fight with Jang-Wan, who was at the border of the third continent, or it would be a battle of two fronts.


    Sung-Woon concisely conveyed the news, ¡°A fourth continent has been discovered.¡±


    The other yers responded differently. Lunda made a sound like she was surprised, and Wisdom leaned back into the chair he was sitting on. AR spread open a fan in front of her bridal veil, and Jang-Wan blinked with the eyes of the lion mask. Crampus was the only one stroking his beard without a hint of surprise.


    ¡°You must have been somewhat aware, Crampus.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. A group of pirates called Yaboon¡¯s Pirates have beening up from the south. Among the group, apparently the pirate leader named Yaboon is known to not be from the east or south, but from the southern continent.¡±


    Sung-Woon would have thought Yaboon¡¯s Pirates came from the first continent if they were said toe from the east. However, Godan, the Astacidea, said that Yaboon¡¯s Pirates came from the south.


    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t certain if it was another continent. Do you have reasonable grounds toe to the conclusion?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not certain either,¡± Sung-Woon said. ¡°I went to the Southern Archipgo when I first heard the news. It¡¯s a ce where crawfish live, but because I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to them, they had recently gotten captured by the group of pirates.¡±


    ¡°What about the damage done?¡±


    ¡°The damage itself wasn¡¯t much because the crawfish didn¡¯t really fight. I think they got scared because there were a lot of pirates. And the pirates said that they would spare the crawfish as long as they regrly delivered tributes.¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°Neb, Astacideas have a tendency to exaggerate what they say. From what I know, there are a few big inds in the southern hemisphere, but they aren¡¯t well-known since they aren¡¯t important. Don¡¯t you think they may have simply mistaken one of those inds as a continent?¡±


    ¡°I do think that¡¯s a possibility. But¡­¡± Sung-Woon reorganized what he wanted to say in his head. ¡°First of all, the Southern Archipgo is by no means small. I only left it unattended because it¡¯s not yet suitable for development, and also because the other yers didn¡¯t really pay attention to it either. The crawfish believed in me. Thus I didn¡¯t feel the need to integrate them into ck Scale¡¯s system by force. However, it would take a big fleet to overpower the Southern Archipgo.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°You get what I mean, right? There are limitations to the poption and technological development for species that naturally arise from the inds. There is a possibility for brilliant individuals to emerge to lead development, but I think the chances are very low.¡±


    AR asked, ¡°Then Neb, do you think the head of Yaboon''s Pirates is like the yer we encountered before?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°But Crampus mentioned Yaboon''s Pirates like he¡¯d met them many times. Why didn¡¯t he say anything until now¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    Crampus then said, ¡°It¡¯s about me, so I¡¯ll talk. I did cross paths with Yaboon''s Pirates, but not the actual group, but pirates associated with them as subordinates. Seeing that most of the leaders were Astacideas, I assumed that they were from the Southern Archipgo. I didn¡¯t really know if Yaboon''s Pirates had anything to do with the evil god since pirate attacks do happen every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t make an emergency call¡­¡±


    After a slow nod, AR folded her fan and said, ¡°Then perhaps Neb has more evidence.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°It is our spection that Yaboon''s Pirates are being controlled by the evil god, and they appear to have obtained the Southern Archipgo. Still, it¡¯s Neb¡¯s territory because Astacideas still live there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And in my opinion, Neb wouldn¡¯t be wasting other peoples¡¯ time if he wasn¡¯t certain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you see me that way.¡±


    Crampus then asked with a questioning look, ¡°So is there any evidence?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sung-Woon nodded. ¡°I met another species, and a sh of Civilizations message popped up. Another yer has already shown up in the local yer list.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Sung-Woon furrowed his eyebrows and said, ¡°This yer¡¯s name is¡­ How do you even read this? I¡¯ll just share the information.¡±


    The name appeared to all six yers.


    [?§ë????]


    Then Wisdom said, ¡°The character after the question mark seems to be cyrillic. If I remember correctly, I think it¡¯s pronounced as <i>sha</i>.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll refer to them as Sha-Cha.¡±


    No one seemed to disagree.


    Then Jang-Wan said, ¡°Sha-Cha. It definitely looks like an evil god¡¯s name. What species did this guy bring?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you right now.¡±


    Sung-Woon slightly turned around and called out a name. And as he did, Lunda pointed at Sung-Woon with her index finger.


    ¡°Oh, Neb! B¡­behind you! Hurry and turn around!¡±


    ¡°Lunda, if what you¡¯re seeing behind me is arge white spider, you can stop freaking out.¡±


    ¡°...Oh, it¡¯s yours?¡±


    Sung-Woon looked at Lunda like she was pathetic before ncing over his shoulder.


    A huge softly glowing white spider the size of a house crawled towards him.


    The white spider was Sung-Woon¡¯s creation. It was made to protect the Southern Archipgo, but the Astacideas hadn¡¯t shown any resistance against the pirates, and Sung-Woon in turn missed the chance to use his creation. The spider was dragging a dead body with a thread of spider web from its mouth.


    ¡°Good work, Hillove.¡±


    <i>-It is my pleasure. I am simply honored that I can help you.</i>


    Sung-Woon leaned toward the dead body, allowing the other yers to get a closer look through the video chat. The dead body definitely had the head of a fish.


    ¡°Not a mermaid, but a fishman¡­?¡±


    In The Lost World, there were species that lived underwater apart from Frogmen and Astacideas. And the most iconic of them were the Sirens. Sirens had a simr image to how people usually picture mermaids¡ªthe upper body of a Human and the lower body of a fish. That was why yers usually called them mermaids.


    However, the individual in front of their eyes was definitely different from a mermaid. The body was roughly simr to a Human with arms and legs, but their head was one of a fish, and there was something like a tentacle attached to the top of their head.


    Lunda asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the name of the species?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°It¡¯s disyed as Deep One.¡±

 Chapter 93: The Three-Cornered Battle at Southern Sea

    <h4>Chapter 93: The Three-Cornered Battle at Southern Sea</h4>


    Eldar asked, ¡°Then is our next opponent Dagon or Cthulhu?¡±


    Puzzled, Lunda asked, ¡°Dagon? Cthulhu? What is that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t know Lovecraft. To exin¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon cut Eldar off and said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s Lovecraft or Warcraft in my opinion. The intellectuals of the continent don¡¯t always use the same terms as we do. Theirnguage is tranted with some level of uracy before being disyed in the system windows.¡±


    Eldar pouted since they had been excited to give Lunda an exnation, but soon nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I guess so. After all, just because there were Vampires doesn¡¯t mean that ancient relics rted to Bram Stoker would appear. However, I do think the species¡¯ name has some bearing on the discussion.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°The Vampires that you all dealt with were different in specific aspects, but they still had the characteristics of typical Vampires that we recognize. The first continent didn¡¯t exactly say so, but that probably was the case for them as well.¡±


    Sung-Woon agreed that much.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the name isn¡¯t arbitrary, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So we should be able to guess the characteristics of this species by using their name as a hint?¡±


    Eldar nodded.


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°It is a valid point. So are you suggesting that this world, like The Lost World as a game, is influenced by Earth?¡±


    Wisdom interjected, ¡°You could also think of it the other way around, Neb.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The Earth might have been influenced by this game.¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°That¡¯s an interesting hypothesis.¡±


    ¡°Have you never thought that while ying The Lost World? Imagine this. There were many species on Earth during ancient times, but the yer with Humans as their main species won the game. And for Maximum Efficiency, they wiped out all species other than Humans.¡±


    Maximum Efficiency was a strategy that was often employed in The Lost World. Variety in species was valuable in itself, but conflicts were liable to arise, which would cost resources. So before the game reached the second half, it would be possible to greatly reduce the possibility of unrest by emphasizing tribalism and eugenics. That way, the game would proceed without much conflict.


    Of course, Sung-Woon didn¡¯t consider it an orthodox strategy. Even though it cost a steady amount of resources to deal with conflicts, it was still less than the cost of bringing about the extinction of all other species for Maximum Efficiency. It was only a strategy employed for fun.


    Then Sung-Woon said, ¡°You don¡¯t think the historians, geologists, and paleoanthropologists of Earth are stupid, do you? If a game like The Lost World happened on Earth, there would certainly be traces of that.¡±


    ¡°...Maximum Efficiency was just a joke. But you should admit that this is a real world just like Earth. And in that sense, this ce is the same as Earth.¡±


    Sung-Woon got back to the point.


    ¡°So Eldar, it seems you know the most about Deep One. Can you exin it?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Eldar replied with a somewhat proud look. ¡°Deep One first appeared in P.H. Lovecraft¡¯s short story <i>Dagon</i>, but the actual characteristics of it were from the same author¡¯s <i>The Shadow Over Innsmouth</i>¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but can you get to the point?¡±


    With a sullen expression, Eldar replied, ¡°They live underwater.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be their only characteristics.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something that isn¡¯t really portrayed in other stories influenced by Deep Ones. If you interact with this species or get cursed, you can turn into them.¡±


    ¡°Interact? Can that happen just by trading with them?¡±


    ¡°...Uh, no. Well, if blood gets mixed?¡±


    Crampus interjected, ¡°Can they spread like Vampires and Werewolves?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say for sure. Eldar, what else?¡±


    ¡°Uh, they might be fanatics? They serve ancient gods such as Dagon or Cthulhu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say that¡¯s useful information. The Vampires we encountered were like that too despite not being portrayed with such characteristics. Anything else?¡±


    Eldar frowned and thought for a moment. ¡°Oh, in one of the live productions, they live by hiding so they don¡¯t get caught.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°The main character visited what they thought to be an ordinary vige, but it turned out to be a vige conquered by Deep Ones, and the vigers cooperated with them.¡±


    Sung-Woon looked at the other yers.


    Crampus said, ¡°That¡¯s important. It means that they might have invaded ournds without us knowing.¡±


    ¡°And there wouldn¡¯t have been a sh of Civilization event if the yer hadn¡¯t recognized the encounter to begin with.¡±


    ¡°We should conduct a full investigation on the entire coast. What kind of Divine Revtion should we give the priests?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be enough to say that new spies of the evil god have appeared underwater.¡±


    Jang-Wan asked, ¡°Would they have reached all the way to my Stone Cave?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to know. But it¡¯s not a bad idea to take preemptive measures.¡±


    A brief exchange of information took ce between the yers along the southern coast.


    Wisdom said, ¡°If you guys don¡¯t mind, could we move on to talk about the fourth continent?¡±


    ¡°Nothing has been revealed yet. Is there anything more to talk about?¡± Sung-Woon replied while waving his hand behind his back. In response, the white spider, Hillove, took the dead Deep One and disappeared into the darkness.


    ¡°For example, the fourth continent might be in the deep sea.¡±


    ¡°That would be difficult to confirm. And wouldn¡¯t the word ¡®continent¡¯ suggest that it¡¯s above water? There¡¯s something else I¡¯d rather point out.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Sung-Woon said with furrowed brows, ¡°It¡¯s just a spection, but this is what I think. The maximum number of participants in the game is 32. A total of 27 yers came from Earth. But two new yers have appeared and gotten eliminated, and a third has just popped up.¡±


    ¡°...So you¡¯re saying that two other evil gods will appear other than Sha-Cha, right?¡±


    ¡°To be exact, they might have already appeared on that new continent¡­ If it really is a continent, there would be lots of emptynd, right?¡±


    The yers murmured among themselves or fell into thought. That wouldn¡¯t be ideal. They didn¡¯t know what Sha-Cha was like, but Jeol Woo-Bi had brought a unique species to the world, and they weren¡¯t bad at ying the game. At least they couldn¡¯t be dismissed as mere NPCs.


    <i>¡®But one to three of them are steadily expanding their forces from the continent?¡¯</i>


    And if there were indeed three yers, there was a high chance that they would be allies with each other, which meant they would get resources from the entire continent without much conflict.


    Then AR carefully said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for all the yers to unite at least from now on?¡±


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m against that.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly where the southern continent is located, but I think it¡¯s close to us. At the current level of civilization development, it would be difficult to get the help of the other continents. They might im to be helping us while making more requests to us. And we would be the ones to actually undergo any damage.¡±


    AR hesitated and said, ¡°What if all of us here are to be allies?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m against that too.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s closest to the potential threat at the moment, aren¡¯t I? I don¡¯t want help that¡¯s only for show.¡±


    Crampusughed at those words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the reason.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the closest to the fourth continent. I think I just saw your ambition to defeat the Deep Ones and Sha-Cha before moving to the next continent yourself.¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to deny that.¡±


    If the fourth continent really did exist, Sung-Woon was likely to suffer the most damage, but on the other hand, he could also be the one to benefit from it the most. With the loose alliance they had formed, they would be dividing the benefits as much as they shared losses.


    Crampus asked the other yers, ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°If he wants to be stubborn, let him be. I won¡¯t oppose it if he''s willing to stop the waves at the forefront.¡±


    AR said, ¡°I agree with Jang-Wan. However, if the situation gets dangerous, I will help whenever.¡±


    Wisdom then said, ¡°Alright. Neb, you may be able to stop them by yourself if it¡¯s you.¡±


    Lunda said, ¡°Do as you wish.¡±


    Then Eldar asked, ¡°M¡­me? Can I also choose to not help you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°...I knew you would say that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not particrly against it either,¡± Crampus said. ¡°But I¡¯m the one who¡¯s second closest to them, and I¡¯m also suffering actual damage because of pirates. Unlike you, I¡¯d like to get a little bit of help from someone else. Neb, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    There was a moment of silence after Sung-Woon¡¯s reply. He looked at the other yers¡¯ faces and said, ¡°It seems that there¡¯s nothing more to discuss right at this moment. I think Jang-Wan would be able to tell Hegemonia given their proximity.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll end things here for today.¡±


    Wisdom immediately exited the chat, AR and Jang-Wan left while saying they would see themter, and Crampus disappeared with a simple goodbye.


    Lunda and Eldar were the ones who remained.


    Lunda said, ¡°Then I¡¯m gonna get going too. Bye.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You have to stay,¡± Eldar said. ¡°May I go?¡±


    ¡°You stay too.¡±


    ¡°...Ugh.¡±


    Lunda then asked with a puzzled look, ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t the conversation over?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the beginning.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m upying the northern coast?¡±


    Sung-Woon sighed and said, ¡°Did you not hear what AR emphasized earlier?¡±


    ¡°Did she say something important? I didn¡¯t doze off, did I? Eldar, do you remember anything?¡±


    ¡°Hm, I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Sung-Woon responded, ¡°AR said she would help <i>whenever</i>.¡±


    ¡°Oh, she does seem nice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. That means she would intervene between the fight of me and Sha-Cha regardless of my will. And more importantly, Crampus said he would seek help from the others, not me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t surprised or upset because he had expected things to go this way. And it was all part of his n.


    ¡°This time, things are unfolding in a different way than the time with Jeol Woo-Bi. The yers are all nervous about the appearance of a new enemy, so they won¡¯t be defeated as easily, and their military force seems to be at a simr level to the pirates for now.¡±


    ¡°You mean it¡¯s an enemy that is manageable, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, there are still lots of unknown aspects, but not all of us have been doing nothing for the past hundred years. Above all, two of the best weapons avable to yers will appear from this point on.¡±


    Wizards, and gunpowder.


    Lunda and Eldar weren¡¯t the kind of yers who would have to ask what that was.


    ¡°So even though we¡¯re facing an enemy about whom we do not know a lot, it could be concluded that we could face them. No, Deep Ones or not, I believe we can crush our opponent as long as they don¡¯t have gunpowder. And that¡¯s why I said I would deal with them alone.¡±


    ¡°Then why should we be careful of the other yers?¡±


    Sung-Woon exined, ¡°The other yers won¡¯t directly attack me when Sha-Cha is still around, but Sha-Cha, Yaboon¡¯s Pirates, and the Southern Archipgo will be the established bridgeheads of the fourth continent. And the other yers wille up with any way possible to fight me so that I don¡¯t take the continent for myself.¡±


    Lunda then asked, ¡°The other yers will attack you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. For example, they might start attacking with the excuse that they¡¯re going to help me reim the Southern Archipgo that was invaded. Then the Astacideas would be influenced by the religion of the yer who upies them. And that yer could fight back saying that at least thend wasn¡¯t given to Sha-Cha.¡±


    Eldar said, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be much different from the scenario where you¡¯ve formed an alliance with them.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why they told me to do as I wish without forcing an alliance. That way, all parties have more freedom to act.¡±


    If they had formed an alliance, the fight would have to be carried out in a more ndestine manner.


    <i>¡®Even if it weren¡¯t for Sha-Cha, a fight would have broken out once gunpowder was invented. The battlefield is simply shifted fromnd to sea, and a variable called Sha-Cha is added into the mix.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°At the end of the day, this evil god conquest will be between us, Crampus and another yer, and Sha-Cha. It¡¯ll be a three-cornered battle involving these three factions.¡±

 Chapter 94: Revelation

    <h4>Chapter 94: Revtion</h4>


    At the temple of Night Sky in Orazen.


    The greatest priest of the religious order was the king of ck Scale, but a king who wasn¡¯t the direct heir couldn¡¯t be the chosen one, so it was simply considered a nominal title. Nevertheless, the monarchy of ck Scale was closely intertwined with the religious order, and there was no notable conflict between the two.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s surely because of the chosen ones.¡¯</i>


    Shune Lak Orazen thought to himself as he walked along the corridors of the temple.


    The chosen ones. Among Night Sky¡¯s followers, those with particrly strong faith and were deemed worthy would receive Night Sky¡¯s power¡ªthe power of Lightning.


    When spring came, Lightning was used on the farnds around Orazen for good harvest, and the demonstration of said power attracted not only the faithful citizens of ck Scale from rural areas, but also travelers and foreign merchants who didn¡¯t even believe in Night Sky. The priests knew it as a simple event to showcase the power and authority of their god, while the citizens of Orazen did not know the mechanism at y.


    When thend was struck with lightning, nitrogen entered the soil and made it more fertile, thus facilitating farming. As a result, there was a joke that when the spring events came along, merchants would be busier than the priests in charge of holding the events.


    Anyway, even though they were chosen ones who had received such great power, there had never been a case where one of them abused the power or used it to threaten others.


    <i>¡®Since they are handpicked by Night Sky.¡¯</i>


    The chosen ones were not limited to a particr ce of origin, or the Lizardmen species for that matter; they were found across different parts of ck Scale, and sometimes even outside the country. They were served with the utmost devotion and were pretty much treated like saints of the religious order. And of course, the fact that they all wanted to use their powers for good strengthened their faith in Night Sky.


    <i>¡®We do gain ess to the powers by bing priests, though. Just not to the extent of the chosen ones¡­¡¯</i>


    In The Lost World, once a particr Small Area reached level 11 or higher, the priests would be able to use the powers granted by the Small Area. Until then, the chief priest or a priest the god paid most attention to could gain ess to the Small Area¡¯s power in ordance with the Small Area¡¯s level. The priests would be borrowing the power of their god, so Faith points would be consumed, but yers usually allowed the priests to use such powers since the resulting Miracles would strengthen faith.


    <i>¡®However, our power pales inparison to that of the chosen ones.¡¯</i>


    Only a few Miracles were avable to the priests of ck Scale, including using Electricity to create small sparks to surprise people, defeating or summoning a swarm of insects, or to calm groups of birds or livestock. But of course, even those Miracles were surprising in the eyes of an ordinary person.


    <i>¡®Still, those powers aren¡¯t the important ones. Oh no, was that an inappropriate thought? I¡¯m sorry, Night Sky. I don¡¯t think I was all that wrong though.¡¯</i>


    While thinking to himself, Shune stopped in front of a door. It was the Chamber of Revtions, located in the deepest part of the temple.


    <i>¡®The supreme power of Night Sky, the revtion priests.¡¯</i>


    Each priest serving Night Sky had different roles. There were trainee priests who had not yet chosen their role, calendar priests who were brilliant when it came to matters of astronomy, and also sermon priests who organized events or spread the word of Night Sky to the people. However, it was the revtion priests who had the most power among them.


    Revtion priests recorded the divine revtions given by Night Sky. They interpreted those revtions and chose how and to whom they would disclose it. It was such an important position that even chosen ones couldn¡¯t just be revtion priests, and most could only be a revtion priest near the end of their lives, when they were respected as seniors.


    Shune wasn¡¯t very interested in the power itself, but was very interested in the fact that they would be the first to receive Night Sky¡¯s message. Since it wasn¡¯t possible to be a chosen one through effort, he had the desire to be a revtion priest one day.


    ¡°I am a trainee priest, Shune Lak Orazen. May I go in?¡±


    After a moment of silence, a voice spoke up from the other side of the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    Once inside, Shune saw a small garden and a number of elders sitting on the maru. They were the revtion priests. They were looking down at something with their backs to Shune, and Shune could easily guess they were looking at a message left by Night Sky.


    Shune walked in while keeping his head as low as possible as per one of the rules of the Chamber of Revtions. Then one of the revtion priests said, ¡°Shune, I thought I¡¯d heard the name before. It turned out to be the second prince.¡±


    ¡°It is a title I have already abandoned.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that when it is still your secr title?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I am still a trainee¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s true that you¡¯re still a prince.¡±


    Embarrassed, Shune said, ¡°I quickly came as I was told there was a revtion from Night Sky to be passed on. Has the interpretation beenplete?¡±


    ¡°Just now. You arrived just in time.¡±


    One of the revtion priests walked out from the maru towards Shune. In the revtion priest¡¯s hand was the revtion, that was the word of Night Sky, as well as their recorded interpretation.


    ¡°Take it to His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°To the pce and not the inner temple?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    ¡°But I came on an errand for the inner temple.¡±


    ¡°Enough, why is a young man like you such a straight arrow? This is an urgent matter, so take the revtion to the pce. If the inner temple doesn¡¯t hear back from us soon, they¡¯ll probably send someone else.¡±


    Shune was puzzled, but decided to do as the revtion priest said. As soon as he bade his farewell and turned to open the door, he checked to make sure if there were any signs of another person around the corridor.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not sealed. Doesn¡¯t matter if anyone sees me.¡¯</i>


    Even though he was a trainee priest, a priest was a priest. Misceneous tasks such as cleaning, restocking, and gardening, were done by those who hadn¡¯t be actual priests yet, but delivering revtions was an errand that they did do because of its importance.


    <i>¡®So it would be okay for me to enjoy reading the word of Night Sky after the revtion priests. Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯</i>


    Shune opened the revtion and was surprised by what he read. He hurriedly ran to the pce to find his younger brother.


    ***


    ¡°A new evil god.¡±


    Kyle Lak Orazen was d to see Shune as he hadn¡¯t seen him in a while, but he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by the revtion that Shune brought.


    ¡°I knew a war would break out, but not like this.¡±


    Kyle summoned the new Administration Minister while Shune was still present. The new Administration Minister was Kyle¡¯s former teacher, Ravwin. Although he was a reputed schr, Ravwin acted awkwardly as if he wasn¡¯t qualified to assume the role, but he was still recognized for his outstanding abilities.


    ¡°For what reason have you summoned me, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Night Sky has given a revtion.¡±


    ¡°Night Sky?¡±


    ¡°We will announce the revtionter, but there is something urgent that needs to be done before that. I will issue a royal decree.¡±


    ¡°Please do, Your Majesty.¡±


    Kyle thought for a moment, and once he had organized his thoughts, he said, ¡°Let all the local officials along the coast know that they should block off or take into custody any vigers or groups who have interacted in any way with pirates or a species that look simr to fish. Local officials may exercise discretion to carry out this order, and if that isn¡¯t enough, they can request for the support of other local officers or the pce.¡±


    Although the past century hadn¡¯t beenpletely uneventful, ck Scale had maintained peace for more than a hundred years, only to be broken by this seemingly sweeping event.


    But Kyle said that it was an urgent matter that had to be done, so Ravwin decided the questions could wait until the order was fulfilled.


    ¡°Leave it to me, Your Majesty.¡±


    Ravwin stepped out of the hall with hurried steps.


    However, that only covered one part of the revtion from Night Sky.


    Shune then said worriedly, ¡°But a war! I¡¯ve only known peaceful times, so I am very worried, Your Majesty.¡±


    The appearance of an evil god was not the only matter Night Sky had revealed. Night Sky had also warned that other countries, including Danyum, could pick a fight with ck Scale under the guise of fighting the evil god.


    Noting Shune¡¯s worry, Kyle said with a more rxed expression, ¡°It is a matter of concern, but nothing to worry ourselves sick over, Brother.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please be careful about how you talk even when it¡¯s just the two of us.¡±


    Kyle awkwardly coughed and said, ¡°...I understand.¡±


    ¡°And this generation of ck Scale¡¯s soldiers aren¡¯t the warriors who used to fight alongside Lakrak a hundred years ago. They are regr people who thought of ck Scale as the greatest and looked down on the other countries. Thesting peace we¡¯ve enjoyed may actually be poison.¡±


    ¡°Just because there¡¯s poison doesn¡¯t mean everyone has drunk it.¡±


    ¡°Which means¡­?


    Kyle calmly said, ¡°There have been signs of war here and there even without the evil god being involved. Rather, because Night Sky has told us about the emergence of the evil god, the other gods would also inform their subjects, which is for the better. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have known where the war would start and what we would need to be wary of.¡±


    To Shune, that was indeed good news.


    Kyle continued to say, ¡°If there is a problem, it would be that we have to prepare for a fight in the south from here on out.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t ck Scale¡¯s ships much better than those of Danyum and Stone Cave?¡±


    ¡°But not as good as Danly¡¯s. I don¡¯t think Danly would pay much attention to this fight, but¡­if that''s not the case, and all five countries jump in to undermine ck Scale, there will be cause for concern.¡±


    Shune nodded.


    Even though ck Scale was a great country, it couldn¡¯t rival the rest of the whole continentbined.


    However, in Shune¡¯s perspective, Kyle didn¡¯t seem as shocked as Shune had been when he first saw the revtion.


    ¡°So is there a way?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Kyle said. ¡°Hwee Ravina Muel would have arrived at Sashian by now.¡±


    ¡°Sashian?¡±


    As far as Shune knew, Sashian was nothing but a small harbor town. But there were rumors that those who got secret orders from Kyle wereing from and going to Sashian. <i>Something?</i>was going on; that was for certain. However, the ministers who opposed Kyle had traveled in secret to Sashian once and discovered nothing. There was thus even word that Sashian was being used to trick the ministers.


    ¡°And by Hwee Ravina Muel, do you mean that alchemist?¡±


    The fact that an alchemist named Ravina had entered the pce was a secret in itself. There were many ears from the temple, however, and it was inevitable for such information to reach priests of high status, as well as Shune, who was a royal. All Shune knew was that the child the Hwee family had abandoned had returned, and that she was rumored to be an alchemist and had not been seen at the pce recently.


    ¡°Ravina is not just an ordinary alchemist.¡±


    ¡°I have never thought of an alchemist as ordinary, but¡­ Do you think that the alchemist¡¯s wicked knowledge will save us?¡±


    ¡°Hm, well, do you disapprove of alchemists as a priest?¡±


    Shune shook his head and said, ¡°No, I do not.¡±


    ¡°Because?¡±


    ¡°All things are done ording to the will of Night Sky. If an alchemist is a part of that, that would also be the will of Night Sky.¡± Shune then added worriedly, ¡°However, did you send Ravina to Sashian by herself? If alchemists are so important, wouldn¡¯t the other countries also have noticed?¡±


    ¡°No. I sent her with the Technology Minister, Rumf, and an escort.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was wondering about that.¡±


    ¡°And even if she was sent alone, that wouldn¡¯t have mattered.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Ravina had traveled alone for months from Asbestos to Orazen.¡±


    Kyle looked to the south.


    ¡°She is the closest to bing a wizard on this continent.¡±

 Chapter 95: Garuda

    <h4>Chapter 95: Garuda</h4>


    Garudas were a rare species that lived in the northwestern end of the third continent.


    Unlike the northern coast that had shorter mountains, the Garudas lived in the tallest mountain range of the third continent, known as the Sky Mountain Range. And even after the yers appeared, they hadn¡¯t remained undiscovered for quite a while.


    The first to discover the Garudas was Wisdom and the Troll tribe called Stone Mask, whose territory covered the Sky Mountain Range. Back then, Wisdom had wondered what he should do about the rare species.


    Garudas were a bird-like species. Their faces looked like those of hawks, and they had sharp beaks. Apart from their arms and legs, they also hadrge wings. Both their physical abilities and intelligence were on the higher side whenpared to other species, which made them valuable.


    And because they were a rare species, it was unlikely for there to be another Garuda tribe on the continent, so Wisdom had the chance to take exclusive control over the Garudas. However, Wisdom did not make the Garudas his second or third tribe.


    ¡°They are a bird-like species, but what is the point of having wings if they can¡¯t fly with them?¡±


    That was what Wisdom had thought.


    A Garuda¡¯s wings were big enough to cover their whole body, but they couldn¡¯t fly, so their nickname in The Lost World was ¡®chicken.¡¯ A bird that couldn¡¯t fly despite having wings.


    But of course, Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion was a little different.


    ¡°Even though they can¡¯t fly, the wings are very useful. They could help keep them warm in the earlier stages of development where the quality of clothes wascking, and they could also be used to attack and defend in battle.¡±


    But even if Sung-Woon had started in the northwest, he still wouldn¡¯t have made many different choices from Wisdom.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there no need to choose a rare species on purpose?¡±


    Although Garudas werepetent, their rareness posed a disadvantage in that they would have less chance to reproduce.


    Looking at the data, Garudas didn¡¯t differ much from Humans in terms of abilities. And because Humans had a higher fertility rate, their poption would grow much faster.


    In the beginning stage of a tribal society, Garudas would seem morepetent than the average species, but as Human poption grew, the number of Humans aspetent or smart in battle as the Garudas would increase. And numbers were important when forming a group. Even if Humans were ipetent, three of them would be able to face off one Garuda with enough training.


    Of course, apart from Wisdom¡¯s belief that the Garudas¡¯ wings were useless, there were enough other reasons for him to not choose them as his species. At the time he discovered them, the Stone Mask Tribe had already developed to a point that they would be able topletely defeat the whole Garuda tribe, and without the use of God¡¯s power at that.


    The Garuda tribe had been divided into two factions. One wished to surrender and gave the Stone Mask Tribe whatever they desired in exchange for protection, while the other believed they should resist and fight back until thest Garuda standing had fallen.


    Wisdom expected the Stone Mask Tribe to undergo some damage if a battle broke out, so he used divine power to coax the Garudas who argued for surrendering in exchange for protection. Later, the traitors amid the Garuda tribe killed their chief, Ahuran, who insisted on fighting back until the end, as well as all his bloodline. Then the Garudas surrendered to the Stone Mask Tribe.


    Before Ahuran, the Garuda tribal chief, died, he had said in remorse, ¡°We have been abandoned by the gods again.¡±


    After that, the Garudas cooperated with the Stone Mask Tribe. The Stone Mask Tribe asked for Garuda warriors, who would take the most dangerous positions in battle, and the Garudas epted it as an honorable position.


    As the Stone Mask Tribe continued to expand their territory, the young Garudas would die or return home disabled. And around the time when most of the young Garudas had been used and discarded, the Stone Mask Tribe established a king and dered their country as Asbestos. However, the Trolls didn¡¯t treat the Garudas with any kindness.


    The Garudas realized that they had been tricked by the Stone Mask Tribe, but it was already toote to have any regrets. Garudas valued honor, but they were already too weak to rebel against Asbestos and too wretched to seek honor from Asbestos. Many Garudas couldn¡¯t help but reflect on the words of their former tribal chief, Ahuran, who said that they had been abandoned again.


    There was a story that had been passed down by many species in The Lost World, a story about the Ancient Evil. The different versions were either fragmented or contained no valuable information, so the yers didn¡¯t really care about it. However, certain species had their own stories about the Ancient Evil.


    The tale told by the Garudas said that they had once been called the ¡®Emperor''s Species¡¯ in the past, and rather than being a burden, their wings had once been strong enough to take them to the sky. When an Ancient Evil appeared, the Garudas fought at the forefront even though they had noble blood. However, as theing defeat became apparent, they lost their ability to fly. Perhaps because the gods had lost their godly power and run away, or because the Ancient Evil had put a curse on them.


    After they faced the so-called end of the world that no one knew the reason for, the Garudas aimlessly wandered about with wings that couldn¡¯t fly on their backs. That was the story of Garudas¡¯ origin. Ahuran¡¯s words thus meant that the Garudas hadn¡¯t been chosen by the new emerging gods and were abandoned again.


    Of course, the Garudas didn¡¯t just vanish like that. Like ck Scale, as Asbestos stabilized as a nation, they tried to integrate the numerous tribes that they had exploited or kicked out in the past. The now weak Garudas thus formed a tribal vige and moved into the mountains northwest of the continent, which was part of Asbestos¡¯ territory.


    Wisdom thought he had dealt with the rare species in his territory well, which could be a problem like the Garudas.


    ***


    ¡°But I don¡¯t believe in gods now.¡±


    The Garuda named Mazdari, who was also called ¡®Rotten Hand¡¯, was walking down the mountain covered with snow. Rotten Hand was a nickname that even someone who didn¡¯t know Mazdari would think of as soon as they saw him.


    Mazdari¡¯s left arm was ck. As a Garuda, his hand should have been covered with feathers, but his left hand and left arm were featherless, thin, and ck. That had been the case since his birth, so his fellow tribesmen feared him and said he was cursed. Even his parents refused to raise him themselves and instead left him to an old Garuda, who lived alone after being banished from the vige. If civilization had been a little less advanced, Mazdari would have been abandoned and died.


    But Mazdari didn¡¯t resent his parents, who did what they did because it was obvious he was cursed.


    <i>-Oh, but is that poor fateing to an end now.</i>


    <i>¡®Shut up, evil spirit.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Mazdari, I¡¯m not an evil spirit. I¡¯m just a normal spirit.</i>


    <i>¡®ording to my studies, it makes no difference whether you¡¯re a spirit or an evil spirit if you serve the Ancient Evil.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Well, you can think whatever you want.?</i>


    Mazdari tried not to pay attention to his inner voice, or the voiceing from his left arm to be more exact. However, the harder he tried, the more noisy the voice became.


    <i>-But it¡¯ll probably be hard to shake off the tracking team. It seems that you have a tendency of overestimating your physical abilities. You can¡¯t move faster than Elks in the snow.</i>


    <i>¡®I know that much.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari was being chased. The average height of a Garuda was two meters and fifty centimeters, while Mazdari was two meters and seventy centimeters tall, a good margin above the average. That meant physically, he could rival an Ogre, a species akin to a natural disaster.


    Even so, the Elk Knights chasing after Mazdari were the most elite fighters that Asbestos took pride in. All those Trolls possessed advanced battle techniques, and the War Elks that the Trolls rode were no different from monsters.


    <i>¡®Past this forest is a river. I¡¯m almost there.¡¯</i>


    <i>-The frozen river? Elk Knights can also cross frozen rivers.?</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯m going to melt the river.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Your strength alone won¡¯t be enough.</i>


    <i>¡®.....¡¯</i>


    Mazradi pushed aside his thoughts and focused on running. However, when the river was just around the corner, a giant beast shoved its head through the trees. It was an Elk with antlers big and thick enough to cover a Garuda¡¯s head, and it also had a long snout and arge nose. Sitting on top of the Elk¡¯s back was a Troll wearing a breastte and helmet. And the knight had a friend.


    One of the Elk Knights shouted, ¡°Hey you, Garuda! Stop.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the right Garuda. His left hand is rotten.¡±


    ¡°Is it? Are you Rotten Hand Mazdari?¡±


    Mazdari¡¯s inner voiceughed.


    <i>-Not only are they chasing you from behind, there are some in the front as well.</i>


    <i>¡®But they aren¡¯t my pursuers. They aren¡¯t certain who I am yet.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Then they wouldn¡¯t know what the ss vials around your waist are.?</i>


    Mazdari showed both his hands and said, ¡°Mazdari? I¡¯ve never been called that. My name is Ahuran, and I was born and raised in the Garuda vige.¡±


    ¡°And your left arm?¡±


    ¡°I got burned when I was young, so it turned ck.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look burnt.¡±


    ¡°Just as Trolls and Garudas look different, we burn differently.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Are you searching for a Garuda named Mazdari?¡±


    The Elk Knight nodded.


    ¡°Yes. You know the Alchemist Tower, right?¡±


    ¡°What? Yes. You¡¯re talking about the tower behind the Sky Mountain Range, aren¡¯t you? Where the entric people called alchemists live.¡±


    ¡°The tower behind the mountain range? It would now be the tower that<i>?used to be?</i>behind the Sky Mountain Range. Anyway, the knights of Asbestos havepletely conquered the tower, but some of the alchemists ran away. We have been ordered by the king to stop them from spreading forbidden knowledge.¡±


    ¡°A Garuda alchemist? Haha. There aren¡¯t many Garudas, so you¡¯ll be able to find them easily. If I find a Garuda with that name¡­¡±


    The Elk Knight cut Mazdari off, ¡°I don¡¯t believe what you say. Come here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an alchemist, but a herbalist. There is a patient with lung disease in the neighboring town, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll send you off if it¡¯s proven that you don¡¯t have anything to do with them.¡±


    ¡°...Alright.¡±


    Mazdari raised both his arms and slowly walked up to the knights.


    ¡°First, give your bag to m¡­¡±


    The moment Mazdari got close enough, he moved. He unfurled hisrge wings just like what his ancestors would do when they were still able to fly. And as he did, the cape he had been wearing rose into the air and blocked the knights¡¯ views.


    ¡°Hey you!¡±


    A sword pierced through the cape, but Mazdari had already stepped back. He took a ss vial from his waist and, as soon as the cape fell, allowing the knights to see, he threw the vial at one of the knights.


    ¡°Aaack!¡±


    The knight grabbed their face as white smoke rose from their skin. Inside the ss vial was sulfuric acid.


    The knight¡¯s face was melting.


    ¡°You damn alchemist!¡±


    The second knight pulled the reins around their Elk and charged. However, the Garuda was born with quite decent speed. Mazdari tumbled on the ground to avoid the attack and unsheathed the sword on his waist. Avoiding the Elk¡¯s antlers and front feet, he crossed swords with the knight several times, but time was not on Mazdari¡¯s side.


    ¡°Over there!¡±


    ¡°Rotten Hand is over there!¡±


    It was his pursuers this time. They were no different than the Elk Knights he just fought, but they were more wary since they had crossed paths with Mazdari already. Things were getting trickier for him. There were a total of six pursuers.


    <i>-What else is left around your waist?</i>


    <i>¡®One sulfuric acid, one smoke screen, and two oils.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Isn''t it about time to borrow my powers?</i>


    <i>¡®...Darn it.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Weren¡¯t you going to borrow my powers to melt the river anyway?</i>


    <i>¡®I guess I have no choice.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari took out two vials from the inside of his chest pocket.


    ¡°He took out a vial! Defend yourselves with your shields!¡±


    With excellent physical ability, Mazdari hit the knights¡¯ shields with his vials precisely. And as the knights checked their shields, they figured out what the vials contained by the smell.


    ¡°...Oil?¡±


    Mazdari lifted his left hand toward the knights. It wasn¡¯t holding anything, so the knights approached him without any concern. The heat concentrated to his palm was not visible to them.


    <i>Fwoosh!</i>


    A cone of fire shot out at the knights with Mazdari¡¯s palm being the vertex.


    All the air in their lungs wheezed out, and the Troll knights shrieked weakly after a squeal.


    <i>¡®Stop!¡¯</i>


    When Mazdari lowered his hand, the Elks and Troll knights were all lying on the burnt ground. Watching everything unfold, the Elk Knight who had fought Mazdari and survived began to run towards the river.


    <i>¡®I need to kill them.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Unfortunately, my me won¡¯t reach that far. If you relied on me more, I would have been able to grow¡­</i>


    However, Mazdari realized his regrets were of no use once he reached the river. Over three hundred soldiers were already waiting at the riverside to catch him.


    The Elk Knight at the very front yelled, ¡°Mazdari! Archers are aiming at you! Take off your belt and put it down!¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±

 Chapter 96: Perspective of the Gods

    <h4>Chapter 96: Perspective of the Gods</h4>


    <i>-Isn¡¯t it still worth it to put up a fight?</i>


    <i>¡®.....¡¯</i>


    <i>-I can burn the flying arrows.</i>


    Mazdari thought what the spirit of Demonic Magic was saying was somewhat reasonable. However, he could neither kill all the soldiers lining up along the riverside nor get rid of them.


    <i>¡®I would only be venting my anger.¡¯</i>


    Additionally, Mazdari couldn¡¯t help but notice the overly decorated Troll knight riding on top of the Elk in the back. The armor itself prioritized practicality, and the Troll wore a helmet that covered their face. However, the droplet-shaped shield hanging down the Elk¡¯s side had a familiar crest drawn on it.


    <i>¡®If that¡¯s the pattern I know, it might be better to surrender.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari raised both his arms, got on his knees, and said, ¡°I surrender.¡±


    He took off his belt and slowly put down the bag on his back. One of the soldiers came up to him and took the belt, the vials and sword attached to the belt, and the bag.


    Mazdari stared at the soldier before looking up.


    ¡°But I¡¯m still a dangerous man without those things. Do you think you¡¯ll be alright?¡±


    At those words, the Elk Knight who had caught Mazdari¡¯s attention slowly rode up to him.


    A low voice came from under the helmet.


    ¡°There¡¯s no smaller threat than those who im to be one.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m bluffing? I could roast you.¡±


    The knight got off their Elk and walked forward without a word.


    A man who seemed to be a vassal shouted to the knight, ¡°I-It¡¯s unwise to get close to him! He is a dangerous man!¡±


    But the knight continued on without any hesitation. He then took off his helmet.


    Trolls were never considered beautiful by any species¡¯ beauty standards, but suffice to say this individual looked particrly horrific.


    Mazdari seeded in not showing any kind of expression when facing the Troll.


    <i>¡®Only a courageous Garuda or a Lizardman warrior of ck Scale could refrain from running away.¡¯</i>


    The Troll said, ¡°I am the king of Asbestos, Delmardin Busa. You are the one that the Binding God had paid attention to. Alchemists always seek topete against gods, so let¡¯s put it to the test. Would you burn me with your power first, or would God punish you before that?¡±


    This time, Mazdari couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.


    <i>¡®I only suspected him of being royal, but not the real Delmardin himself.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Hm. King or not. I¡¯m looking forward to thepetition he mentioned. What do you think, are you going to take the challenge?</i>


    <i>¡®You fool. My body will probably split into several parts before the me even reaches Delmardin.¡¯</i>


    The Binding God was the god of Asbestos, who used to be called the Intertwined God.


    It was said that the god enjoyed giving divine punishments, which left the ones being punished in pieces; the bodies discovered in that state were proof of the belief. And upon further investigation, those bodies were often discovered to be real viins. That greatly influenced the development of the legal system and gave birth to a belief in severe punishment. But of course, the fact that they had God¡¯s attention was one thing, it was a separate issue for the king to boldly go up to a cursed Garuda who had burned and killed many people at the risk of his life.


    Perhaps things would be different if the king¡¯s faith in God was closer to fanaticism, but Mazdari could see Delmardin¡¯s intelligence in his eyes and his attitude.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s worthy of being called the head chief of the Trolls, grand duke of the northern continent, and king of Asbestos.¡¯</i>


    <i>-I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the time for admiration.</i>


    Mazdari reluctantly agreed with Rotten Hand.


    Mazdari then said, ¡°Let¡¯s put off the test for next time.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking, Garuda Alchemist.¡±


    ¡°However, I do not understand why this is happening. Is it necessary to put in so much effort to catch a single alchemist? That the king of a country would take the matter into his own hand? When you have been leaving the Alchemist Tower alone until now?¡±


    Delmardin replied, ¡°I know that the alchemists hope for the outside world to dismiss their knowledge, but don¡¯t you understand better than anyone how useful your discoveries are?¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve left the Alchemist Tower untouched until now not because you are useless, but because I didn¡¯t want to disturb you. Just because people hate non-believers doesn¡¯t mean we also have to hate the useful things you create, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about gunpowder,¡± replied Mazdari.


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°I can tell you as much as you want about how to make gunpowder. And that technology has only just been discovered, so with more resources, it could be improved. No matter where you nned to use it.¡±


    Delmardin shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about gunpowder.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have known this, but an alchemist had been secretlymunicating with us. We already know how to make gunpowder. No, there¡¯s something else we¡¯ve learned of.¡±


    Mazdari had assumed there was a traitor in their ranks.


    The main reason the Alchemist Tower had been invaded by the knights of Asbestos was the drawbridge getting lowered in the middle of the night. The knights had thenunched a secret attack. It would make sense for there to be a traitor, but the alchemists had no time to hunt the traitor down since they were all busy running away from the knights.


    ¡°Then what do you want? Do you simply wish to hunt down non-believers? Because your god demands it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Delmardin replied. ¡°I want magic.¡±


    Mazdari was bewildered.


    Magic was knowledge only avable to the high-ranking alchemists.


    ¡°Magic is not something you can obtain just because you want it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to have it. I don¡¯t even know exactly what it is or care to know.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°I simply need the power. Our informant believes that magic has the power to bring order to the world just like God. And the alchemists we¡¯ve already captured said the same.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a superstition. Nothing but a myth from ancient times.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you alchemists believe in that ancient myth?¡±


    Mazdari opened and closed his beak, making a soft click.


    ¡°So what you seek isn¡¯t magic, but a wizard. A wizard who would do your bidding?¡±


    Delmardin smothered a smile.


    ¡°Is it because you¡¯re a Garuda? You catch on very quickly. All the other alchemists weren¡¯t able to do so.¡±


    ¡°...What happened to the other alchemists?¡±


    ¡°They were all weak, so they died after saying a few words.¡±


    Mazdari felt the urge to stand up and grab Delmardin by the neck.


    The captured alchemists had suffered the notorious torture of the Trolls.


    At the Alchemist Tower, the alchemistspeted with each other in ordance with their own school of thought, and they didn¡¯t share valuable knowledge such as magic with each other. However, there was never a case where their knowledge was taken by force. That was a rule. But now, the rule was broken by an outsider.


    Delmardin then said, ¡°Fortunately, they did give us information about those with the potential to be wizards. They said the best alchemist among them was certainly Mazdari.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me to be a wizard?¡±


    ¡°I will give you all the knowledge we¡¯ve gotten out of the alchemists we caught.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°You would use your power as a wizard to spread the greatness of Asbestos.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Bing a wizard was certainly tempting. Even without Delmardin making the request, Mazdari nned toplete his knowledge by looking for alchemists across the continent if he seeded in running away.


    <i>-Even if we have to demand too much. Haha.</i>


    Because the tower had copsed, the rule of the tower no longer applied.


    In the first ce, Mazdari had thought that he had umted enough knowledge to be merely one step away from bing a wizard. Only a few pieces were missing. And the distress made him more desperate. However, the reason Mazdari found the offer difficult to ept was not the part of him that was an alchemist, but the part of him that was a Garuda.


    Delmardin said, ¡°You will of course receive the right treatment for doing so. Ande to think of it, you Garudas did help us Trolls a lot when we were establishing the country. Don¡¯t you think this would be the chance to recover that honor?¡±


    That should be good news for Mazdari, who had grown up outside the vige because of his curse, but strangely enough, he didn¡¯t find those words all that pleasant.


    ¡°Do I have time to think about it?¡±


    ¡°Do you think this is an offer? That you have another option?¡±


    ¡°Death is an option.¡±


    Angered, Delmardin turned around with an expressionless face.


    ¡°Alright. But I can¡¯t give you long because another wizard candidate like you has just escaped ournd.¡±


    Mazdari was tied up and put in the castle¡¯s underground prison.


    ***


    <i>¡®Would any alchemist be able to escape through this siege? Maybe Yan? Or Ty? If not them, then maybe Hwee Ravina Muel?¡¯</i>


    <i>-If you¡¯re curious, call a guard and tell them you¡¯ll be a wizard. That you will be a loyal servant to King Delmardin.</i>


    Mazdari¡¯s beak sped shut with a sound when he heard his left hand talking.


    A guard passing through the passage nced at Mazdari from the other side of the iron door before walking away.


    <i>-What about finding a way to escape? The window¡­is a bit too narrow, isn¡¯t it?</i>


    Mazdari slightly looked up. The window in the ceiling seemed to be serving only one purpose: allowing one to tell if it was night or day. It would be difficult for even a child to get through.


    <i>-Or you may get through that iron door by melting it.</i>


    <i>¡®the Binding God may be watching.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Anything is fine. Just do something. I¡¯m bored.</i>


    Mazdari mocked himself, saying that he didn¡¯t know why he was born with such a damn hand. It was a thought he had frequently had since he became an adult.


    <i>¡®Sorry, Rotten Hand. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m overthinking either.¡¯</i>


    <i>-What? Have you lost your mind after being trapped in this small space?</i>


    <i>¡®I thought I would be able to do anything if I became a wizard¡­¡¯</i>


    <i>-Oh, well.</i>


    <i>¡®Can you just be quiet for a moment? I¡¯m trying to think hard right now.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Fool, look at the window.</i>


    Mazdari raised his head again to look at the window. There was something there. At first, he couldn¡¯t make out what it was because it was hidden by a shadow, so he simply assumed it was a person¡¯s head. But that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°A¡­locust?¡±


    But if that was the face of a locust, its body should not be so small.


    Noting Mazdari¡¯s surprise, the locust said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit strange to talk like this. I¡¯ll go inside.¡±


    The locust seemed to move away from the window. Then the sound of quick steps preceding a jump could be heard. The next moment, the locust entered the prison where Mazdari was.


    Mazdari instinctively raised his left hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, for I am a messenger of God.¡±


    Mazdari lowered his hand and slowly examined the locust. It was dressed and standing on two feet, but the body covered by the clothes made Mazdari think of an insect¡¯s muscles.


    Mazdari asked, ¡°You¡¯re a messenger of God?¡±


    The locust had teleported. While it had jumped, it was physically impossible for the locust to pass through that small window. It couldn¡¯t be magic either. That left only Miracle.


    ¡°Yes. I am Hongo, one of the creations of Night Sky.¡±


    ¡°Night Sky? Are you talking about the god of ck Scale¡¯s Lizardmen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why would Night Sky¡­¡±


    ¡°His eyes are everywhere.¡±


    Alchemists were non-believers, so they were able to freely learn about the different gods. Not many of the gods cast their gazes outside the regions they had conquered, while Night Sky¡¯s region was known to be quite widespread. Stories about the power of Night Sky was only spread through word of mouth, but a few things were widely known: Lakrak, the first apostle of Night Sky, Sratis, the monster that represents Night Sky¡¯s power, and Hongo, the deste locust who managed the locust swarm.


    ¡°The Binding God used Delmardin to approach me, and Night Sky has sent their guardian. This isn¡¯t Night Sky¡¯s territory. Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±


    ¡°At least for this moment, the Binding God is not watching this ce.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Am I certain? Yes, I am. Because Night Sky said so.¡±


    That was only the case because Sung-Woon had started an emergency call with all the yers of the third continent. He couldn¡¯t not take advantage of the period of time where none of the yers were keeping watch on the continent.


    Mazdari asked, ¡°If you are a messenger, what have youe to tell me?¡±


    ¡°The prophecy of Night Sky.¡±


    Mazdari¡¯s curiosity was piqued.


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°This is the prophecy. ¡®You will be the wizard of Asbestos.¡¯¡±


    Mazdariughed at those words.


    ¡°I would break your god¡¯s prophecy if I escape this underground prison right now.¡±


    ¡°I was only able to sneak in because of the power God has given me. You cannot escape this ce even though the Binding God isn¡¯t watching. Moreover, there is more to the prophecy.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Hongo replied, ¡°¡®You, who bes a wizard, will betray Asbestos.¡¯ ¡­That is the end of the prophecy.¡±

 Chapter 97: At Sashian

    <h4>Chapter 97: At Sashian</h4>


    The Garuda, Mazdari,ughed because he thought the prophecy was ridiculous.


    ¡°After I be a wizard, I¡¯m going to betray Asbestos?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is this¡­an order from Night Sky?¡±


    Hongo shook its head.


    ¡°No, it is not. It is just a prophecy.¡±


    Mazdari thought about Night Sky¡¯s intentions. Only a fool would think it was normal for a god to send their proxy to tell an outsider a prophecy.


    <i>¡®Does Night Sky think I am important?¡¯</i>


    Mazdari thought he could somewhat understand. If he became a wizard with the materials collected and given by the king of Asbestos, Delmardin, Asbestos would gain power that couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    Trolls were a strong-willed species. In the past, it had been difficult for them to properly raise children due to theck of food. Now that they had established a country andid their foundation, however, the poption of Trolls had grown significantly.


    Asbestos had always aimed to be the greatest country of the continent, and it was already the <irgest</i>. On top of that, if they were able to obtain the gunpowder weapons that were soon to be made and the power of a wizard, they could really be a stronger country than ck Scale.


    <i>¡®So Night Sky would be wary of the Binding God.¡¯</i>


    But if that was the case, Night Sky could¡¯ve made a more straightforward demand to Mazdari. For all his alchemy and magical knowledge, he could never know how Night Sky operated. Perhaps without Mazdari even noticing, Night Sky had already made it so that they could leave Mazdari to do as he pleased.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Night Sky force me to do so?¡±


    Hongo tilted its head.


    ¡°Night Sky respects free will.¡±


    ¡°Free will?¡±


    ¡°The heart is allowed to think and act as one pleases without being forced by someone else. Although you cannot escape from this ce, you would be able to go against the prophecy in another way.¡±


    ¡°Night Sky wouldn¡¯t be so happy should that happen.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Night Sky does not let whether their prophecy ends up true dictate their mood,¡± Hongo said. ¡°And I¡¯vepleted my task of delivering the prophecy. Whether or not the prophecy is fulfilled, the choice is yours. However, it would be better to forget about this conversation given that the Binding God might hear your thoughts. If that happens, you won¡¯t be able to betray the king even if you want to.¡±


    With those parting words, Hongo made to bend its legs before vanishing the very next moment. From the other side of the window came the rustling of grass. Then the sound grew distant.


    Mazdari looked out of the window.


    <i>¡®Did it go away?¡¯</i>


    Mazdari wondered if it had been a dream, but it wasn¡¯t.


    <i>-It looks repulsive, don¡¯t you think?</i>


    <i>¡®Not as much as you.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari looked at his left hand. From afar, the hand looked ck, but up close, it looked wicked. The only good thing was that the hand didn¡¯t bring him much pain unlike what its appearance would suggest.


    <i>-I am also you. We don¡¯t just simply share a body.</i>


    <i>¡®Then I¡¯ll say it¡¯s not as repulsive as me.¡¯</i>


    <i>-What? ¡­Alright. It did look monstrous, but it also did leave us a gift.</i>


    <i>¡®A gift?¡¯</i>


    The Rotten Hand criticized Mazdari at his question.


    <i>-Did you forget what it said? If what it said is true, the Binding God isn¡¯t watching us at this moment, which would make this the golden opportunity to escape, wouldn¡¯t it?</i>


    Mazdari was strangely unfazed by Rotten Hand¡¯s argument.


    <i>-Wait, you¡­</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡¯</i>


    The Rotten Hand made his disapproval known.


    <i>-After all the hate you harbor toward gods, you¡¯re going to do as they wish? If you be a wizard, you would be dancing to the Binding God¡¯s tune by not betraying the king, and Night Sky¡¯s by doing so.</i>


    Mazdari nodded.


    In fact, as soon as Mazdari heard Hongo bring up a prophecy, he had considered his only way out to be escaping from under the gods¡¯ gaze.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s a trap.¡¯</i>


    <i>-A trap?</i>


    <i>¡®Is there any guarantee that I would be going against the gods¡¯ will if I escape?¡¯</i>


    The spirit of Demonic Magic knew of the greatness of the gods, so it had no choice but to agree.


    <i>-Well¡­ that¡¯s true.</i>


    <i>¡®Thinking along the line of gods¡¯ will is the wrong way to go about this.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Then what?</i>


    <i>¡®Shouldn¡¯t I screw over the man who locked me up and tortured the other alchemists to death?¡¯</i>


    Rotten Handughed.


    Mazdari went up to the door and yelled, ¡°Guard! Lead me to Delmardin! Tell him I¡¯m done thinking!¡±


    ***


    Sashian was a quiet harbor vige located in between ck Scale¡¯s Orazen and Maganen. While it wasn¡¯t much different from the other harbor viges in the north and the south, the vige wasn¡¯t upied by mainly Lizardmen, but abination of various species. Something that was noteworthy was that the in was wide, and the soil was fertile. However, given the river originating from Sashian did go through other ins, it would be odd to call it a characteristic exclusive to Sashian.


    ¡°...Is how it¡¯s known. But that¡¯s not all.¡±


    The one saying that was the Technology Minister, Rumf.


    Hwee Ravina Muel replied, ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s a secret arsenal, right?¡±


    As if he found the question difficult to respond, Rumf looked into the distance with the muscles around his eyes tightening. His abundant beard swayed in the breeze.


    The road from Orazen to Sahian wasn¡¯t well paved. This was because as much as Sashian had a small poption, they also had little need formerce. Moreover, since there was a well-established waterway between Orazen and Sashian, transportation by ship was very active.


    The two of them were on a ship.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s simply a ce to make weapons.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    ¡°Should I make a guess?¡±


    Before Rumf could reply, Ravina continued to say, ¡°It¡¯s a ce where the knowledge of the non-believers is, right?¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say non-believers.¡±


    ¡°You also have great interest in the knowledge of non-believers and actively seek it out, so what¡¯s with that reaction?¡±


    ¡°Night Sky might hear.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll mind.¡±


    Rumf kept his mouth tightly shut.


    Ravina wondered if this Dwarf man was too much of a straight arrow to discuss technology with, but she didn¡¯t doubt his abilities. Ravina had given him only a brief description of the method to manufacture gunpowder, as well as the weapons that used gunpowder from the ancient times, and the Dwarf sessfully produced prototypes based on that knowledge. However, because of the danger, they couldn¡¯t put gunpowder into it to test it at the pce, but judging by the design alone, Ravina didn''t think there were any particr ws to it.


    Rumf looked at the end of the river and said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    ***


    Meanwhile, The Humiliation of Pirates had also arrived at Sashian.


    Theone Itimo got off the ship to oversee the process of docking at a small harbor as well as the unloading of the wares. Then she came back onto the ship annoyed.


    Noting her change in mood, Vasen Lak Orazen asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re asking us to keep the ship here for a few more days because they have something else to load.¡±


    ¡°Something to load? Does it have to do with the pce?¡±


    Theone nodded.


    ¡°I think so, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s rted to our work. I guess they¡¯re looking for ships that will go south.¡±


    ¡°What do we have to carry?¡±


    ¡°They said they can¡¯t tell us that yet.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just think of it as us taking a few days off?¡±


    Theone furrowed her eyebrows.


    ¡°This will dy our schedule. There is actually another item to be traded in addition to the niter, but given the circumstances, we would have to sell it all here rather than going to a different harbor, where the price would be better.¡±


    Vasen nodded and thought to himself, <i>¡®It was all about money, afterall.¡¯</i>


    But in his view, The Humiliation of Pirates had something else to do. He looked over at the pirates who were tied up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have to hand them over anyway?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But we could just leave that to Hwae-Sa¡­¡±


    At that moment, Hwae-Sa strode towards them and suddenly dered, ¡°First Officer, made decision.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Not to set foot onnd.¡±


    Puzzled, Vasen asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go off board at Bavrin? I¡¯m sure I saw you unloading cargo.¡±


    ¡°I had forgot my determination.¡±


    Theone nodded, expressionless.


    Then she whispered to Vasen, ¡°This happens sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Is that appropriate for a first officer?¡±


    ¡°What? Of course. We have apetent second officer on our ship.¡±


    Vasen recalled thepetent Halfling sailor. It seemed that the Halfling was the de facto first officer of the ship.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, can I leave the pirates to you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see an alternative.¡±


    All pirates, including Godan, had their arms and legs tied closely together, so it would be easy enough for Vasen and his entourage to take them. In fact, Vasen would be able to escort them all on his own if he wanted to. Of course, he could have been apanied by other soldiers, but his pride didn¡¯t allow him to take more soldiers with him when he was only taking four pirates in.


    On his way taking Godan and Godan¡¯s subordinates to the government office, Vasen was assaulted by Godan¡¯s incessant grumbling that it would only be right for Vasen to go easy on him because he had told them everything he knew. And Vasen, who was going to ignore Godan until they arrived at their destination, got annoyed by the end, so he half-heartedly replied that he would do so.


    When they arrived at the government office, a Lizardman prefect had already heard the news and was waiting for them in front of the office.


    ¡°Oh, Your Highness. Did you have a smooth sail on your journey here?¡±


    ¡°Are you the prefect of Sashian? During our journey, pirates¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes! I heard. You thugs. How dare you approach a royal of ck Scale¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve guided them here, so I will go now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯vee all this way, Your Highness. What kind of prefect would I be if I saw you off like this? I set a table after hearing you wereing. Pleasee on in.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Vasen was immediately able to tell what kind of person the prefect was.


    At Orazen, Vasen was a prince who had been thrown out of the pce, but in rural areas, he was still treated like a king. Power was power after all. However, Vasen was aware that Kyle¡¯s influence had reached Sashian. It would seem that the prefect hadn¡¯t gotten the memo.


    <i>¡®No. Would it rather be better to have a prefect like this? That would help deceive the other ministers.¡¯</i>


    In that case, Vasen thought it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to y along with the prefect¡¯s ttery.


    ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll just relieve my fatigue from the journey here.¡±


    ¡°That is a wonderful idea!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but the pirate leader over there is called Godan, and as you can see, he¡¯s an Astacidea. He is a part of Yaboon¡¯s Pirates, a rising pirate group from the southern sea. And he has important information¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes yes. Leave it to me. Let¡¯s go in first. You guys! Hurry up and put those damn pirates into prison!¡±


    Vasen couldn¡¯t trust the prefect¡¯s attitude, but he didn''t even have the chance to look back because the prefect was pushing him inside.


    If Vasen had paid a little more attention, he would have noticed that the Asticidea, Godan, had almostpletely cut the rope with the rough part of his shell.


    ***


    One hourter.


    At the feast hosted by the prefect to wee Vasen, a soldier came up to the prefect and whispered into his ears.


    The prefect¡¯s eyes widened, and the now drunk Vasen asked, ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s uh¡­nothing much. It¡¯s just a matter regarding the vige, so I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°...Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is more delicious wine. Drink some more!¡±


    ¡°Wait. I must have drunk too much. I''m going to the outhouse.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course.¡±


    Vasen stumbled outside and waved his hands around before vaulting the fence. One of Vasen¡¯s entourage came up to him. They were the one left outside to keep watch and inform Vasen of any movements in the area while he was drinking, and he had just signaled Vasen from the other side of the fence.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The pirates have escaped.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that damn ipetent prefect! I will punish him,¡±


    .


    ¡°Fortunately, they haven¡¯t gotten too far away.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re drunk¡­¡±


    They suddenly heard a scream.


    ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡±


    It was from the vige¡¯s town square.


    Vasen ran straight ahead. And there stood the pirate, Godan, and he was holding onto a Human woman with antlers.

 Chapter 98: A Thunderlike Roar

    <h4>Chapter 98: A Thunderlike Roar</h4>


    ¡°D¡­don¡¯t move! Human!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m staying still.¡±


    ¡°D¡­don¡¯t talk back!¡±


    Hwee Ravina Muel noticed that the Astacidea holding her hostage was trembling. She knew because as the Astacidea¡¯srge ws were grabbing onto her neck, his antennae were wildly shaking. And he was also stuttering.


    <i>¡®How did this happen?¡¯</i>


    Ravina, Rumf, and the other officers of the technology department got off the ship once they arrived at Sashian. Rumf, the officers, and other workers were busy unloading wares, so Ravina thought to take a look around the vige in the meantime.


    Despite her young age, Ravina had traveled to many cities and viges on the third continent, but she had never actually visited the ordinary vige in ck Scale that she was born in. It wasn¡¯t all about her curiosity though.


    Settlements often formed ording to the topography, and it was highly likely that ces like viges and cities would emerge where settlements had been in ancient times. In fact, there were cases where the settlement itself was an ancient ruin or an ancient relic, like Automation. As there were schrs in ck Scale, Ravina didn¡¯t expect much left to be discovered, but she thought it would be good if there were at least an ancient monument left.


    But what Ravina encountered was not an ancient monument, but a pirate who had escaped from prison.


    ¡°Godan? Did you say your name was Godan? Anyway, calm down!¡±


    The one shouting this seemed to be a policeman who had lost Godan. Four policemen surrounded Godan so that they could catch him once there was an opening, but the Astacidea was able to see in all directions with the eyes that stuck out from his head.


    ¡°Calm down? I was tricked by Vasen! He said he would consider showing us mercy, but suddenly they were going to cut our throats!¡±


    Godan shook Ravina by her neck.


    ¡°Kugh.¡±


    The policemen took a step back.


    Godan became a little more agitated and shouted, ¡°Bring Vasen to me, now! I won¡¯t let this woman go until I get to talk to him!¡±


    Ravina had a rough idea why the Astacidea was so angry. Someone had promised the pirate that they would take care of them, but the promise was broken.


    However¡­


    ¡°Hey! With what dignity is a pirate going around stealing and terrorizing others justified to care so much about a promise?¡±


    .


    After saying so, she thought that the prefect was the most at fault for imprisoning the Astacidea without taking any other action.


    However, as Godan¡¯s logic didn¡¯t work, he let out his anger.


    ¡°But, a promise¡­is a promise! ¡­Human! Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay still?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    As her voice was hoarse, she cleared her throat.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t move, you grabbed my neck and shook me.¡±


    ¡°...Did I? I¡¯m sorry. Anyway, you people, don¡¯t move unless you want to see this woman¡¯s neck get cut off!¡±


    Ravina thought that the worst situation coulde to be if Godan became more nervous and squeezed his w with a little more force, but she believed the possibility of that was low. Godan was nervous and agitated, yet he wasn¡¯t choking her but simply holding onto her neck. And judging by the way he nced at Ravina time to time, it seemed that he was paying lots of attention to the safety of the hostage. If he really was ready to kill her, he would have ignored the hostage¡¯s feelings. And there was another reason.


    <i>-You look like you¡¯re having fun.</i>


    <i>¡®No way.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Then why don¡¯t you just put a stop to this and get out? The Dwarf named Rumf would be finished with his work by now.</i>


    Ravina had antlers just like her mother, her other ancestors, and Hwee-Kyung. And inside the antler was a spirit of Demonic Magic that could manipte probability.


    <i>¡®Even though you''re a spirit of Demonic Magic, it would be difficult for you to save me from this situation.¡¯</i>


    Ravina¡¯s antlers were able to manipte probability. However, in order for that to happen, there needed to be a number of variables that the spirit of Demonic Magic could manipte. In Ravina¡¯s view, the current situation seemed to involve only two possibilities: Godan tightening his grip, or not tightening his grip.


    <i>-You¡¯re wrong.</i>


    <i>¡®Then how are you going to save me?¡¯</i>


    <i>-You just need to walk out.</i>


    <i>¡®But this crawfish would break my neck.¡¯</i>


    <i>-But he had been putting too much strength into his hands. A muscle cramp could ur at any time. Then he would scream and open his right w and won¡¯t even pay attention to you.</i>


    Ravina always thought the spirit¡¯s power was incredible. Her life had been saved numerous times because of the power.


    <i>¡®That means you can save me at any time. Then I want to stay a bit longer.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Why?</i>


    <i>¡®It''s notmon to be taken hostage, is it?¡¯</i>


    <i>-It¡¯s not something one must go through in the world.</i>


    <i>¡®All experience is practice for the next experience. You never know when it will be useful.¡¯</i>


    <i>-You remind me of Hwee-Kyung.</i>


    That piqued Ravina¡¯s interest. She was going to ask further, but it was getting difficult to keep talking to her inner self. There had been a change to the hostage situation.


    ¡°You were calling for me from afar, Godan.¡±


    It was a Lizardman with ck scales.


    Due to Godan¡¯s reaction, Ravina could immediately recognize that the Lizardman was Vasen Lak Orazen.


    ¡°Vasen! You¡­you broke your promise.¡±


    Vasen furrowed his eyebrows and pondered. He knew what promise Godan was talking about, but he never considered it to be important. Regardless, Vasen hadn¡¯tpletely forgotten about it.


    Vasen had certainly told the prefect that Godan was from the recently rising pirate group, so he should be kept alive so that they could get more information out of him. However, the prefect seemed to have let Vasen¡¯s words go in one ear and spill from the other. Vasen was partly at fault for not fulfilling the promise he made, but it was kind of an ident that they had gotten to the situation where Godan shouted about things being unfair.


    <i>¡®Would he understand if I say this?¡¯</i>


    But Vasen was tired of talking for a long time, so he said concisely, ¡°Godan, you broke thews.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°If you kill that Human, I will kill you on the spot. I¡¯ll make some room for conversation if you surrender easily.¡±


    Vasen meant it. Even though Godan had escaped from prison, it seemed that he hadn¡¯t caused any harm to any other person apart from holding one hostage.


    Godan hesitated and said, ¡°Where¡¯s the guarantee that I will survive after letting this Human go?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. But I swear on Night Sky that I will surely kill you if you kill that Human.¡±


    Even though he had drunk wine, Vasen spoke more solemnly than anyone else there.


    Ravina felt the grip around her neck weakening.


    ¡°C¡­can you help me not die?¡±


    ¡°Like we talked about earlier, Night Sky and the White Spider God are the same God. Night Sky loves those who are useful in his ns. If you want to live, prove that you are useful.¡±


    ¡°...How?¡±


    ¡°Listen to me.¡±


    Ravina didn¡¯t think Godan would be persuaded by what sounded like empty titudes, but to her surprise, Godan did let Ravina go and pushed her in the back.


    ¡°Go, Human. I will surrender.¡±


    As he said so, the policemen rushed to Godan, tightly tied him up again, and escorted him back to prison. They seemed to have btedly recovered their courage.


    Seeing Ravina rubbing her neck, Vasen went up to her.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I thought a Lizardman would trust their strength and charge at him.¡±


    Vasen looked at Ravina with interest. She didn¡¯t have the attitude of a person who was just held hostage.


    ¡°It¡¯s the wisdom of Lakrak, the founder of our nation.¡±


    ¡°To try and deal with things through conversation when possible?¡±


    ¡°When possible? No. To try and talk things out <i>first</i>, and then use your fist if that doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    Ravina realized that Vasen wasn¡¯t simply trying to resolve the situation through negotiation; he meant every word he said. It would be good if Godan let the hostage go, but he really would make Godan suffer the same fate if the hostage died.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t consider the safety of the hostage, did you?¡±


    ¡°Then things would beplicated.¡±


    ¡°Complicated?¡±


    ¡°What else would I have been able to do for you in that situation? I would feel uneasy if I worried about you. So I just disregard the unnecessary things.¡±


    The antlers spoke.


    <i>-in and simple.?</i>


    Then someone holding a ck lump of iron came running from the alley. It was Rumf.


    ***


    ¡°Thank goodness! How lucky you were to have the prince nearby!¡±


    ¡°...Was I lucky?¡±


    ¡°How couldn¡¯t you have been?¡±


    When Rumf came running, he and Vasen had recognized each other.


    They weren¡¯t close by any means, but their rtionship wasn¡¯t simply that of a minister and a royal. This was because they had met each other through Kyle.


    Ravina and Vasen were led by Rumf to a big house on the outskirts of the vige. On the outside, it seemed like a noble¡¯s mansion rather than a government office, but inside there were engineersing and going with their faces and hands stained with ck.


    Vasen then said, ¡°Anyway, what is the ck lump of iron you brought with you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, this is the weapon I brought to save Ravina.¡±


    ¡°A weapon? Can I take a look?¡±


    At Vasen¡¯s request, Rumf dly handed it to him.


    Vasen had to control his expressions because it was much heavier than it seemed. He gave the lump of iron a good look.


    ¡°It¡¯s very heavy. And it¡¯s also too big. Is this hole made to reduce the weight? Hm. Well, this definitely will crush a Astacidea''s head if you drop it on one, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually not supposed to be used that way.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    Ravina replied from their side, ¡°Rumf, wouldn¡¯t it be better to give him a demonstration?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure. Let¡¯s go to the backyard.¡±


    In the backyard, messily broken wooden shards could be seen scattering on the ground.


    Rumf said something to one of the engineers, and the engineer disappeared behind the building before reappearing with a wide wooden board.


    ¡°That will be the target.¡±


    ¡°Target? Are you saying it¡¯s a weapon used from afar?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like that at all.¡±


    A bow was the representative long-range weapon in Vasen¡¯s mind, and other than that, he could think of a stone-throwing tool with a leather strap thatunched and spun a rock, as well as an atl used to throw short spears.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gunpowder weapon.¡±


    ¡°Gunpowder?¡±


    ¡°It was made by the alchemists.¡±


    Seeminglying to a bted realization, Vasen said to Ravina, ¡°Come to think of it, you have antlers on your head. Humans usually don¡¯t have antlers, right?¡±


    ¡°You noticed very quickly.¡±


    Rumf ced the lump of iron on top of a wood table and said, ¡°Gunpowder explodes when set on fire. We first tried to make the weapon with wood or bamboo, but it was too weak and wouldn¡¯t hold out. And even y broke quickly.¡±


    ¡°What if you reduced the amount of gunpowder?¡±


    ¡°Then it would be difficult to use as a weapon. That¡¯s why we havee to use steel, which is tough and tenacious¡­ This is gunpowder.¡±


    After Rumf pulled out ck powder from his inner pocket and showed it to Vasen, he carefully poured the powder into the hole in the lump of iron. Then he picked up a stone that had been carved into a round shape.


    ¡°This is the shell. This bounces forward and shoots out.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Isn¡¯t that too small to hurt someone?¡±


    ¡°If a person were to throw it, yes. And this is the smallest cannon we have made until now.¡±


    ¡°So you call it a cannon. Keep going.¡±


    Rumf did something to the bore before lighting the fuse on the other end of the cannon.


    The bore was aimed at the target.


    ¡°We should stand back now. Once the fuse burns to the end, it¡¯ll fire.¡±


    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°We have made it to be as safe as we can¡­but it will be loud.¡±


    Vasen didn¡¯t seem willing to stand back, but when he saw that Ravina, who knew much more about the cannon than he did, had run away to the back of the backyard, he meekly stepped back.


    The moment the fuse burned all the way, the shell was fired from the cannon.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The noise was loud enough to make the atmosphere shudder, and the shell broke not only the target, but also the fence circling the backyard.


    A thick smoke then rose out from the bore. And through the smoke, Rumf walked back to Vasen.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Standing still in awe, Vasen voiced his admiration.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing! Doesn¡¯t it sound like the thunderbolt of Night Sky?¡±


    Ravina dropped the hands covering her ears and walked up to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s great. It would be a great weapon for war.¡±


    ¡°A weapon for war?¡± asked Vasen.


    Ravina replied, ¡°You came here on The Humiliation of Pirates, right? And you ended up having to anchor here for something onboard your ship, which wasn¡¯t a part of your ns?¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of this.¡±


    Ravina then continued while fanning the smoke away with her hand, ¡°This cannon. It¡¯s a weapon that will be used to deal with pirates.¡±

 Chapter 99: Scenery Change

    <h4>Chapter 99: Scenery Change</h4>


    <i>¡®The destructive power is great. But how much could this change a battle?¡¯</i>


    Vasen Lak Orazen got lost in his thoughts for a while.


    <i>¡®It takes too long to put in the gunpowder and the shell, put in a wooden stick topact the gunpowder, and light the fuse. And it takes even more time to turn the cannon around. It would be enough to kill a few enemies in a chaotic battlefield, but while getting it ready, the enemies would already reach us. Still¡­¡¯</i>


    Vasen evaluated the power of the cannon highly.


    <i>¡®If there isn¡¯t just one cannon, but many of them, that would be enough to defeat an enemy from a distance. No matter how good of a warrior they are, even an Astacidea or an Ogre, it seems that no one would be able to survive getting hit by a cannonball. And what about cavalry? Being able to knock down the cavalry before they reach the infantry would be a great feat by itself.¡¯</i>


    And there was another advantage.


    <i>¡®What about in a siege? A cannon of this size would be enough to break down a weak fortress wall, but its weight would make it difficult to move it. Thus, the key would be whether or not we could get the cannons to the desired location faster than the enemies.¡¯</i>


    But ording to what Hwee Ravina Muel said, the weapon would first get a test run somewhere else.


    <i>¡®At sea? Needless to say, we can¡¯t rival the pirates in shooting arrows, so we¡¯d have to get onto the enemy¡¯s ship. But if we have a cannon, we might be able to sink their ship by firing at it and making a hole.¡¯</i>


    Vasen didn¡¯t know too much about the structure and strengths of a ship, so he was careful with his evaluation, but he was more right than he thought. Onnd, the enemies would be able to charge at the cannon, while that wasn¡¯t possible on the sea.


    Vasen sensed the change that the cannon would bring about.


    <i>¡®The scene of battle will change.¡¯</i>


    ***


    At the secret arsenal in Sashian, someone was sitting on top of the roof, listening in on Vasen¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But there¡¯s still a long way to go.¡±


    It was Sung-Woon.


    Eldar said from next to him, ¡°A muzzleloading cannon using ck gunpowder is impressive, but¡­it¡¯s not that greatpared to the weapons that would appearter on, right?¡±


    ¡°The loading speed is too slow, and the bore needs to be wiped after everyunch. Above all, the cannon is too heavy. Several people would have to be assigned for only one cannon. And they would also need official training.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it also be harder to use if it rains and bes humid?¡±


    ¡°ck gunpowder is highly absorbent and hardens once it absorbs water. Trying to force apart hardened gunpowder could lead to an ident.¡±


    ¡°Hm, but Kyle is a genius, and that Dwarf named Rumf is also very talented. They might create a next-level gunpowder weapon, don¡¯t you think?¡± asked Eldar.


    Bemused, Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯ll be satisfied with what they have for now.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The appearance of the cannon itself granted them a technological advantage over those who didn¡¯t have the invention. Therefore, rather than developing the technology in a new direction, they would think of ideas to use the existing technology more broadly and safely.


    ¡°Just because a particr invention is optimized doesn¡¯t mean the next stage would suddenlye on its own, does it?¡± said Sung-Woon.


    ¡°That is right.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to take too long for new technology to be developed either. All over the continent, there are already footholds for the next stage of development.¡±


    ¡°Footholds?¡±


    Sung-Woon clicked on his system window.


    ¡°Things like this.¡±


    The window Sung-Woon opened showed several prototypes of cannons.


    ¡°I see. If an enemy has the same weapon as us, then¡­¡±


    ¡°They would try to create new weapons beyond the current optimized version.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain they¡¯re going to go to war with us?¡±


    ¡°Almost.¡±


    ck Scale was rtively far away from the Alchemist Tower, so their recent development of cannons only allowed for them to not fall behind too much given the weapon was already emerging in other countries of the third continent.


    <i>¡®But of course, there is lots of sulfur in the area south of the wilderness in ck Scale, and in the north there are high quality trees. They have also purchased niter. If Hwee Ravina Muel is able to adjust the gunpowder form and increase efficiency, they would be better than the other four countries.¡¯</i>


    The other four countries Sung-Woon was talking about were Lunda¡¯s Red Fruit, Crampus¡¯s Danyum, AR¡¯s Golden Eye, and Jang-Wan¡¯s Mangul. Sung-Woon didn¡¯t think of Wisdom¡¯s Asbestos as easypetition.


    <i>¡®It seems that he¡¯s very determined.¡¯</i>


    Wisdom had recently been producing resources by pressuring the minor species within Asbestos. It wasn¡¯t the best strategy sinceints would umte in the long run, but it was very effective in the short run. He did it to quickly increase war supplies.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s now okay to say that the game has entered the middle stage. And while maintaining the current bloc is viable, we could end up falling behind in the intercontinental war.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought Wisdom was trying to make a winning move.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve also taken my measures though.¡¯</i>


    But the most urgent problem at the moment was the Southern Archipgo.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see for now.¡±


    ***


    A few dayster, on the deck of The Humiliiation of Pirates.


    Theone Itimo looked at Ravina from the back as the woman leaned over the railing. SHe muttered, ¡°Team Leader, that Human over there with antlers on her head wouldn¡¯t be dangerous, right?¡±


    ¡°Before that, I have a question. Can I ask that first?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°It seems to me that there isn''t much of a difference between Elves and Humans, so why do you call them Humans?¡±


    ¡°Are you joking?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°It also seems to me that there isn¡¯t much of a difference between Lizardmen and Frogmen.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. We even look different.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean.¡± Theone pointed at her pointy ears. ¡°We¡¯re also very different.¡±


    ¡°...No, not really.¡±


    ¡°And above all¡­¡±


    ¡°Above all?¡±


    ¡°No children can be born between the two species. In that sense, Humans and Elves are as different as Lizardmen and Frogmen are.¡±


    Vasen wanted to argue that Lizardmen and Frogmen were as different as Lizards and Frogs, while Humans would be no different from Elves if they just put on some pointy ears. However, it was too much work to exin, and he didn¡¯t really want topare his species to lizards.


    So he simply said, ¡°...Alright.¡±


    ¡°So what about Ms. Ravina?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a normal person. She is cursed, but she isn¡¯t crazy.¡±


    ¡°No, I like the fact that she has antlers on her head. But there¡¯s a more important fact.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a non-believer, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Vasen bluntly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a non-believer?¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t one of your brothers a priest?¡±


    Vasen nodded and felt that this part needed some exnation.


    On The Humiliation of Pirates and the military ships, there were already cannons and gunpowder, as well as officers from the technology department who could teach the soldiers on board about the technology. Kyle had given Vasen and Theone a secret order to join the soldiers on the southern coast of ck Scale. And the one who had delivered the secret order was Ravina. Therefore, although Vasen could amodate Theone¡¯s discontent about Ravina to some extent, he felt the need to correct her when she was wrong.


    ¡°Captain Theone Itimo.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I believe everyone goes through a moment of doubt.¡±


    ¡°A moment of doubt?¡±


    ¡°Let me share with you a true story. I once paid a cksmith to make me a sword. And after a few days, a nice-looking iron sword was brought to me.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there someone who can make swords at the pce too?¡±


    ¡°I was very young at the time. And I couldn¡¯t hold a real sword because that would be too dangerous. Therefore, I asked a left-minister for a favor and sent him there.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°But the sword he brought back was actually bad. I only struck a tree a few times, but the de quickly chipped, and soon after, it cracked. I couldn¡¯t use it anymore. Anyway, it was an insignificant matter, but the incident made me wonder if there was no God, and I felt such a great regret.¡±


    ¡°How old were you?¡±


    ¡°Around nine years old?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°I regretted asking the left-minister to leave the task to a bad cksmith, so after that, I decided not to ask others to do something for me as long as I could help it. But anyway, this is a moment of doubt. You may find yourself questioning the existence of God for an insignificant matter, but it would only be for a short while.¡±


    Theone, who had been nodding while listening, replied, ¡°But what does that story have to do with Ravina?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that Ravina has quite a lot to question.¡±


    ¡°What kind of nonsense¡­¡±


    Vasen felt somewhat humiliated that Theone didn¡¯t agree with his reasoning, but fortunately, the silence didn¡¯tst long.


    One of the sailors above the mast looked at the horizon and yelled, ¡°Captain! Unidentified ships are approaching!¡±


    ¡°Look carefully at the shape of their sail! Is it not a military ship?¡±


    ¡°No. It is very fast! You should be seeing it from below now.¡±


    As the sailor said, ships were emerging from the distant horizons, and there were more than a couple of them.


    ¡°Six? Seven? No, it looks like more than that.¡±


    One of the passengers grew petrified.


    ¡°I¡­it¡¯s Yaboon¡¯s Pirates!¡±


    Theone and Vasen turned to the person who said that. It was the Astacidea, Godan.


    Frommitting piracy to going as far as holding a hostage, Godan should have been punished by death ording to thews, but as Vasen expected, Godan knew lots of information about Yaboon¡¯s Pirates. Therefore, Vasen persuaded the prefect into letting him take Godan to the Southern Archipgo. The prefect dly agreed to do that in exchange for Vasen staying silent about his mismanagement of the criminal. Unbeknownst to the prefect, however, Vasen had sent a letter to the pceter that night saying that the prefect should be punished by thew.


    Vasen then asked Godan, ¡°What are you seeing that makes you think they¡¯re Yaboon¡¯s Pirates? They might just be ordinary pirates, no?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the shape of their ships. It is very different from the ships we ride on. They aren¡¯t a subordinate pirate group from ck Scale or Danyum, but the actual Yaboon¡¯s Pirates from the other continent!¡±


    Theone carefully examined the ships on the horizon and asked the crewmen if they had even seen the ships before. True to Godan¡¯s words, the answer was negative.


    Thenoe then said, ¡°I think he¡¯s right. We should prepare for battle.¡±


    ¡°Hm, this is good.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just talking to myself. I would like for us to use the cannons during the battle, what do you think?¡±


    Theone looked at the cannons on board with doubt. She had seen it being fired before, but she couldn¡¯t help but have reservations since it was a new weapon.


    ¡°I guess we would have to rely on it as the enemy has ten ships, which is more than twice our number.¡±


    Godan was terribly frightened and sank to his knees in front of the railing.


    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m doomed. I should have stuck to being a pirate.¡±


    Theone roughly smacked the back of Godan¡¯s head.


    ¡°You fool, you would¡¯ve died a long time ago if you stayed a pirate.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Go and help move the cannon over there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sister.¡±


    Vasen was concerned by what Godan had made a fuss about. The pirates came from another continent and looked especially grotesque. It seemed that they were simr to the species called Deep Ones that was talked about in the coastal areas.


    <i>¡®But there¡¯s no need to be afraid before the fight even starts. We need to face them first.¡±</i>


    Rather than running away, The Humiliation of Pirates and the military ships turned around, and the crew arranged for as many cannons to be aiming at the pirate ships as possible. With the first shell loaded, nervousness spread across the ship.


    As the pirate ships came closer, their excited shouts about looting could be heard.


    ¡°What luck! There are four ships!¡±


    ¡°Yaboon willpliment us tonight! Haha!¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t moving. Are you afraid, you grubs?¡±


    The members of the pirate group looked exactly as Godan had described. They had swollen faces as if they lived in deep dark waters, dark-colored scales, and sharp frightening teeth sticking out of their mouths.


    ¡°Take aim!¡±


    As the soldiers were part of the expedition team, Vasen would be themander in this battle as the Team Leader.


    A Deep One who appeared to be the captain of the ship with a red bandana tied on their head shouted from the deck, ¡°Those who surrender will be killed painlessly!¡±


    Vasen thought to himself.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s close enough.¡¯</i>


    He lowered the g he was holding.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    <i>Boom!</i>


    As the first shell fired, the Deep One who seemed to be captain got their head crushed.

 Chapter 100: Recovery of the Southern Archipelago

    <h4>Chapter 100: Recovery of the Southern Archipgo</h4>


    <i>¡®As expected,¡¯?</i>Vasen Lak Orazen thought to himself, <i>¡®Aiming for the deck was the right choice.¡¯</i>


    The pirates had been waiting to jump onto their ship on deck, and thanks to that, they became easy targets for the cannon.


    One of the pirates yelled, ¡°G¡­get away!¡±


    The second and third cannon fired in order. A round, carved rock flew through the air. Even after the rock smashed through the railing, its kic energy barely diminished. Hit in the shoulder, a Deep One fell down the railing at the same time his shoulder got smashed. The rock drew a parab in the air before falling onto the ship, but it still had enough momentum that it rolled across the deck and struck another pirate¡¯s shin. With a crunch, the Deep One fell to the floor, and the rock fell off from between the railing on the other side. A cacophony of screams erupted.


    ¡°Aaack!¡±


    The pirates couldn¡¯t escape the cannonballs. They could only pray that the cannons weren¡¯t aiming at them.


    As agonizing cries broke out from the six ships in the front, the other four ships became abuzz with nervous energy.


    Right then, a giant Deep One who was clearly the second-inmand after the captain ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t panic because of the strange weapons! There¡¯s no way they will be able to use them again immediately. Put our ships next to theirs, now!¡±


    Vasen was impressed.


    <i>¡®Is that a lucky guess?¡¯</i>


    Vasen had no choice but to shout, ¡°Prepare to load again immediately!¡±


    Past the mast of the pirate ship, Vasen could see the giant Deep One grinning.


    <i>¡®No, he didn¡¯t. Rather than a lucky guess, the pirates simply had no choice but to fight us head on, and the Deep One said whatever was necessary to calm the chaos and encourage his crew.¡¯</i>


    The fact that the enemy was no simple fool was important information for Vasen, who was inmand during the battle. Even though they were ugly, their intelligence meant that they should be considered people.


    Vasen looked around the deck and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! And don¡¯t panic! We¡¯re winning, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    At those words, the discouraged sailors and soldiers responded by shouting.


    The four pirate ships passed through the gaps between the six pirate ships in the front and sailed up to them. The ships rubbed against one another; the friction sounded like a whale¡¯s cry.


    The giant Deep One then yelled, ¡°Get the ships closer! We will win if we fight on deck!¡±


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know where that confidence ising from,¡¯ thought Vasen.</i>


    He raised the g.


    ¡°Second row, aim!¡±


    The giant Deep One mumbled, ¡°...Second row?¡±


    At Vasen¡¯smand, the cannoneers on the first row stopped loading and moved back, and the cannoneers on the second row pushed their cannons forward. The first barrage of shots hade from only half of their cannons.


    <i>¡®Cannons do have the disadvantage of taking a long time to load, but we can just fire in intervals.¡¯</i>


    Vasen lowered the g.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    The short fuses sticking out from the rear of the cannons were lit at once. During the brief dy when the fuses were burning, all the Deep Ones cried out at once.


    ¡°...No!¡±


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Another torrent of shots ravaged the deck of the pirate ships. As the shells flew across the pirate ships, fragments of wood and dead bodies scattered, and the bones and flesh of those who were still alive flew all over the ce.


    Vasen did not let the moment of victory get to him.


    ¡°Theone.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s put some distance between us now. I think we would be able to load the second row in the meantime, as well as make other preparations.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll signal the other ships with the gs.¡±


    While the pirates were still reeling from the cannon attacks, The Humiliation of Pirates and the military ships widened the distance between them and the pirates.


    Vasen thought to himself, <i>¡®Our goal is to safely deliver the cannons and gunpowder. Unless the pirates purposefully attack us further, there¡¯s no need to destroy all of them.¡¯</i>


    Firstly, there were more pirates and pirate ships than there were soldiers and ships under Vasen¡¯smand. It would be an unreasonable n to fight the pirates on deck to upy their ships.


    <i>¡®But of course, if we¡¯re not the ones chasing after them, and they instead charge at us¡­¡¯</i>


    As if the giant Deep One had read Vasen¡¯s mind, they pressured the pirates by saying, ¡°The ones who are still alive, fix the direction of the broken sail! Tie it properly and pull! And those who aren¡¯t immediately needed for that task, hide under the deck! Move!¡±


    <i>¡®I see they¡¯re not thoughtless,¡¯?</i>thought Vasen.


    The mast was the sturdiest target on deck. However, the sides of the ships were designed to withstand rough waves and reefs.


    Given the size of the current cannons they had, Vasen doubted they would be able to break the side of the pirate ships even if they got extremely close.


    <i>¡®We have no other choice.¡¯</i>


    Vasen then said, ¡°Prepare the big cannon.¡±


    Vasen was referring to thergest cannons on board. There were only two on each ship, and they were so heavy that it would take six trained sailors to move one. And its destructive power was that much stronger.


    The big cannon fired at the ships chasing after them, and the cannonball broke through the side of one of the pirate ships,ing out of the other side with a smash.


    Screams erupted from the holes in the pirate ship. Without even the need to check it, one could assume how much of a mess the inside of the ship must be.


    The pirates came on deck again.


    <i>¡®Simple.¡¯</i>


    Once again, the cannons were fired at the deck. By the time the second row fired, those on the four pirate ships were already abandoning their ships and jumping into the sea, and then one of the four ships began to sink.


    Vasen said, ¡°Hm, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s been long enough for water to enter through the holes.¡±


    ¡°I think the keel may have broken because of the cannonball.¡±


    Theone tapped on the barrel of the big cannon and said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to aim and shoot with this, but it¡¯s certainly efficient. They would run away now, wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°No. The way I see it, they still have one more trick up their sleeve.¡±


    ¡°A trick?¡±


    Vasen shouted, ¡°All ships, watch out for Deep Ones climbing up the hull! They can breathe underwater as well!¡±


    Vasen made the warning conclusively even though he wasn¡¯t certain about that. Still, it wasmon for even pirates who weren¡¯t Deep Ones to climb up ship hulls. There was no harm in taking extra precaution.


    At those words, the sailors and soldiers who weren¡¯t ying the roles of cannoneers raised their spears and bows, keeping a wary eye on the railings on the deck. Vasen also took a bow and notched an arrow. Then he shot at the bottom of the military ship next to them. The arrow hit a webbed hand and pinned it to the ship.


    ¡°Kaack!¡±


    It was a Deep One pirate. As soon as the Deep One tried to pull the arrow out, Vasen¡¯s second arrow pierced through the Deep One¡¯s temple.


    <i>¡®Of course.¡¯</i>


    From the start, Vasen had in mind the possibility that the pirates could survive even after abandoning their ships. Given how simr to fish they were in appearance, he assumed that they would also have the abilities of one. But that wouldn''t matter as long as they were vignt. A ship on sea was like a fortress onnd. The pirates would have to ambush them, or there would be no point in attacking.


    <i>¡®There would also probably be some who survive by hiding underwater, but there¡¯s nothing to be done about that. They are stragglers who have lost their morale anyway. That¡¯s also amon situation onnd.¡¯</i>


    It seemed that Yaboon¡¯s Pirates had judged that there was nothing else they could do. After all, they hadunched an attack at night, yet they were utterly destroyed.


    ¡°Shit! Retreat!¡±


    Vasen tsked.


    If they were going to end up retreating, it would have been better for them to retreat right after they got hit by cannons, when all ten of their ships were still intact. Now they had six, and the number of pirates had significantly decreased due to the series of cannon shots. It would now be worth trying to fight them on deck.


    ¡°Chase after them! Take aim!¡±


    The Humiliation of Pirates and military ships trailed after the rear of the four pirate ships.


    ¡°...Fire!¡±


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Only two pirate ships survived to the end and escaped.


    ***


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The battle on board The Humiliation of Pirates was quite entertaining for Sung-Woon. It showed what a troop with cannons could do to enemies who didn¡¯t on sea.


    But of course, Sung-Woon didn¡¯t get into this battle just because he was lucky. He had pulled some strings behind the scenes to make the pirates target The Humiliation of Pirates and the three military ships.


    It wasn¡¯t a difficult task for Sung-Woon. He sent the white spider, Hillove, to chase away the pirates stationed at the Southern Archipgo, and he had Sratis appear at the vige that the pirates were targeting. Sea routes were determined by wind that regrly blew in particr areas, so it was only natural for the pirates seeking targets to approach the four ships they encountered. Of course, Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t made all that happen just because he wanted to watch a sea battle.


    <i>¡®They needed a drill.¡¯</i>


    Yaboon¡¯s Pirates was arge group. And since there were a few pirate posts at the Southern Archipgo, a problem could arise if he simply allowed arge-scale battle to break out. Considering that, Sung-Woon guided his characters to victory step by step, starting with smaller battles.


    <i>¡®Ravina was on board anyway, so there was little possibility of them suffering major damage. And I could have interfered if needed. But I didn¡¯t expect Vasen to show greaterpetency than I expected and acquire a skill.¡¯</i>


    The skill Vasen got was Command. It was a skill involving charisma thatpelled his subordinates to understand him and follow his orders in wars and other simr situations. Additionally, his Leadership had also seen notable improvement.


    <i>¡®Strategy and tactics were also needed during Lakrak¡¯s time, but thebat ability of each warrior was more important. With the emergence of firearms, though, the ying field bes more leveled. Therefore, having the ability to make subordinates move as one wishes bes more important. It¡¯s a good skill.¡¯</i>


    And Vasen produced good results just as Sung-Woon had predicted.


    Once he reached Magnen and encountered ck Scale¡¯s naval force, Vasen taught the generals and soldiers the principles of utilizing cannons during battles. And while he was there, he got a secret order from Kyle to wipe out the pirates at the Southern Archipgo. He led his expedition team there as per the order.


    It only took one month for Vasen to reim the Southern Archipgo.


    ***


    ¡°But¡­we can¡¯t just leave like this.¡±


    After ck Scale recaptured the Southern Archipgo, a grand party was held.


    There were still small groups of Deep One pirates on the inds, but the Astacideas were able to defeat them with their own strength. This was because the Deep Ones couldn¡¯t overpower the Astacideas when their numbers were the same¡ªno, even if there were a little more Deep Ones.


    But Vasen decided that he couldn¡¯t just leave even though he had fulfilled Kyle¡¯s order.


    Theone bluntly asked, ¡°Why not?¡±


    Then Ravina replied, ¡°The Southern Archipgo was the biggest territory the pirates had imed, but it isn¡¯t their main base.¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    Though they wouldn¡¯t be able to go all the way to the southern continent where the pirates came from, there were other inds the pirates used as their bases.


    ¡°I heard there are two inds closest to the Southern Archipgo. One of them is called Olmur.¡±


    Then Theone said, ¡°You¡¯re talking about the ind west of the northernmost ind of the Southern Archipgo, right? Considering it¡¯s close to Danyum, the pirates first sighted at the coasts of Bavrin, Danyum would probably be using it as their base.¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    ¡°And the other is Doltan Ind.¡±


    This time, Ravina said, ¡°It is way beyond the southernmost ind of the Southern Archipgo. Seeing that the Astacideas only recently discovered the ind, it¡¯s likely to be very far. And above all, it would be the closest to the southern continent, so there¡¯s a high chance it¡¯s the main base of Yaboon¡¯s Pirates.¡±


    Vasen replied, ¡°We seeded in reiming the Southern Archipgo without suffering much loss, but if there are the same number of pirates on the two inds, it would be difficult to divide our troops in two. We have to take one of the inds first.¡±


    In Vasen¡¯s opinion, attacking either ind first had their respective pros and cons.


    Just then, a ck shadow made its way through the chaos of the party and came up from behind Vasen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have upied Olmur Ind.¡±


    Vasen turned around.


    There stood a tall Garuda, with what seemed to be a ck rotten left hand.

 Chapter 101: An Awkward Alliance

    <h4>Chapter 101: An Awkward Alliance</h4>


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    At Vasen Lark Orazen¡¯s question, the Garuda opened his beak to talk, but Hwee Ravina Muel was faster.


    ¡°Mazdari?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been a while, Ravina.¡±


    Vasen looked back at Ravina.


    ¡°Do you know each other?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This man is¡­¡±


    Ravina didn¡¯t know how Mazdari had gotten there, so she couldn¡¯t immediately think of how to introduce him. A non-believer like herself was only able to walk alongside Vasen since she had devoted her knowledge and wisdom to ck Scale, and also because Kyle approved of it. For a wandering alchemist like Mazdari, it would be better to lie about his identity.


    While Ravina was hesitating, Mazdari sat down in front of Vasen.


    ¡°I am an alchemist, Prince Vasen.¡±


    ¡°An alchemist? Do you know me, Garuda Mazdari?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t until recently.¡±


    ¡°You must be in the same group as those fellows over there.¡±


    Vasen pointed at the line of Trolls walking along the coastline with his chin. They were all armed, but they had neither attacked nor drawn their weapons.


    The noisy Astacideas noticed and didn¡¯t know what to do. Then, the Astacidea ind lord came running from the distance.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness! I have something to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote if you¡¯re talking about Trollsing to shore.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The ind lord bowed and continued to say, ¡°I thought that was a merchant ship from Danyum and didn¡¯t see the need to let you know at first. But then from the ship came armed Trolls, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you inform the General?¡±


    Vasen was talking about General Ian Tata, who had received some of the cannons and gunpowder that Theone Itimo had transported. He had helped Vasen chase out the pirates at the Southern Archipgo.


    After announcing their eventual victory, the general had gone to the ship to rest rather than going to the celebration.


    ¡°No, not yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let General Ian know. Tell him toe here with his troops, and that he should prepare for battle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Leave it to me.¡±


    Mazdari then said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be that wary.¡±


    ¡°Hm, wary. It¡¯s not that.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable preparation to make since you and your Trolls hade at night, disguised as a merchant group. It was only natural to assume that you are our enemy.¡±


    Mazdari scratched his shoulder and said, ¡°Hm, I didn¡¯t mean to surprise you. We arrived at night only to drive away the pirates at the Southern Archipgo as soon as possible, and we borrowed a merchant ship from Danyum because there were no ships going out to the southern sea from our country.¡±


    ¡°You must have met Ravina at the Alchemist Tower as a fellow alchemist. That means you¡¯re from Asbestos.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What brings you to the Southern Archipgo all the way from Asbestos?¡±


    Just when Vasen finished asking, a Troll came up to Mazdari from behind.


    The Troll, who appeared to be a general, said, ¡°Mazdari, here you are.¡±


    Mazdari got to his feet and said with exaggerated gestures, ¡°General, don¡¯te too close. The prince of ck Scale is here, and we are an uninvited guest.¡±


    ¡°Vasen? Are you Prince Vasen? Nice to meet you. I am the General of Asbestos, Oldor Mayen.¡±


    ¡°Oldor, are you the one in charge?¡±


    Oldor Mayen and Mazdari looked at each other. A strange atmosphere lingered between them for a moment, and Vasen didn¡¯t miss it.


    <i>¡®They don¡¯t seem to have the regr rtionship of a superior and his subordinate. Is Mazdari someone simr to Ravina? If he is indeed an alchemist chosen by the king, he would have a high status, but I don¡¯t think he would be leading a battle.¡¯</i>


    It was just as Vasen had thought.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you. I hope you understand that we have no intention of fighting ck Scale. First of all¡­¡±


    ¡°Mazdari has already told me the reason you came on a merchant ship at night.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°But it bears the question why you havee all the way to the Southern Archipgo from Asbestos.¡±


    Oldor replied, ¡°Were you aware that Danyum had been suffering at the hand of arge-scale pirate group called Yaboon¡¯s Pirates?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We recently came to the aid of <i>ck Scale¡¯s?</i>Southern Archipgo.¡±


    Vasen still had a hard time believing that these people really came from Asbestos, but decided to go with it. And if they were who they said they were, this would be a form of diplomacy.


    Vasen decided to start by telling them that the Southern Archipgo was clearly recorded as part of ck Scale¡¯s territory.


    Oldor narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°As far as I know, ck Scale does not interfere with the Southern Archipgo.¡±


    ¡°Because the Astacideas have their native culture. However, we have continued to receive tributes.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Asbestos also collects tributes from vagrant tribes of the wilderness, but we don¡¯t im them as part of Asbestos.¡±


    ¡°Probably because they believe in a different religion. However, these Astacideas also believe in Night Sky.¡±


    Oldor, who was going to make a counterargument, asked, ¡°Is that true? From what I know, each ind of the Southern Archipgo believes in gods with different names.¡±


    ¡°They have different names for the god they worship, but it¡¯s true. The situation is getting cleared up recently. Bondan¡¯s priest ising.¡±


    Whether the Southern Archipgo belonged to ck Scale or not was not the important matter at the moment. However, it would have been a more serious matter if ck Scale had arrivedte and Asbestos had gotten here faster, before ck Scale drove out the pirates at the Southern Archipgo.


    Vasen red at the Troll general in front of him.


    <i>¡®If that was the case, they definitely would have driven out the pirates and imed that the inds they freed were theirs. And they also would have said that the Astacideas were simple barbarians in the first ce.¡¯</i>


    But Vasen¡¯s assertive im left Oldor with no room to argue. Oldor took a step back.


    ¡°...Alright. Well, Asbestos has decided to send our troops to Danyum to help them as they are our ally. Which is why we rode here on Danyum¡¯s ship.¡±


    Originally, Asbestos had had a hostile rtionship with Danyum and Red Fruit. But that was decades ago. After Lakrak defeated the evil god, ck Scale¡¯s influence only continued to grow, and that influence began to affect othernds and other species, as well as the rulers of the other countries. The friendly aristocrats and Lizardmen officials of ck Scale had been allowed some freedom in the past, but when those who secretly followed Night Sky began to emerge, the five countries in the center of the continent had no choice but to be wary. As a result, Asbestos became allies with Danyum and Red Fruit, as well as Golden Eye and Mangul, and those alliances had continued to this day.


    Vasen shook his head and said, ¡°But I¡¯m still not easily convinced. It¡¯s not like Danyum has no army, and aren¡¯t Red Fruit and Mangul closer to Danyum?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    Mazdari opened his beak and said, ¡°What would we get by hiding our intention? You would know, Prince Vasen. We came because of the existence of the southern continent.¡±


    Vasen had assumed that was the case.


    Yaboon¡¯s Pirates were deemed an enemy, but it was still pretty much unknown how they were rted to the southern continent. It was assumed that Yaboon¡¯s Pirates had something to do with the ancient evil within the legends, but there was no telling whether they represented the whole continent, or only a part of it.


    And even in the worst case scenario where the whole continent was their enemy, what the development of gunpowder brought them in terms of military might made each country more confident in battle.


    <i>¡®Because if we win, we can take thend.¡¯</i>


    Vasen didn¡¯t think the kings would think that much differently than Kyle. Trades with the western continent hadn¡¯t been fully established yet, but Danly had already taken over the sea routes. And it was a known fact that Danly was making good profit from that alone. Therefore, if trades with the southern continent became active, there would be great profit to be gained as well.


    <i>¡®No, then I may have made a mistake.¡¯</i>


    Vasen thought it was unusual for Asbestos to cooperate with Danyum since there was no reason for Danyum to request Asbestos for help when Red Fruit and Stone Cave were close by. If he thought about it from a different perspective, however, it could be assumed that all five countries, Danyum, Red Fruit, Stone Cave, Golden Eye, and Asbestos, had entered the fight together.


    <i>¡®It would be efficient for Danyum and Stone Cave to provide the ships and crewmen, as they could have ships docked in the southern sea, and the other countries can provide the troops and resources. Does that mean ck Scale would have to face all five countries?¡¯</i>


    Vasen thought it was a silver lining that the war wasn¡¯t a direct one.


    Oldor then said, ¡°So that¡¯s why we came to the Southern Archipgo as soon as possible, after driving out the pirates on Olmur Ind. We came to help ck Scale.¡±


    Vasen wanted to say that they had just been arguing whether the Southern Archipgo belonged to ck Scale a moment ago, but decided not to. It was a waste of energy.


    ¡°Thank you. Then were you also thinking of going all the way to Doltan Ind as well?¡±


    ¡°If necessary, we intend to go even farther.¡±


    ¡°...Okay. That¡¯s good. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t recognize friendly forces that would drive away the pirates. General Ian will be here soon, but until then, let¡¯s enjoy the meat and wine here. The pirates on Olmur Ind were also a threat to the Southern Archipgo, so you deserve this too.¡±


    The feast continued with an awkward atmosphere.


    ***


    Doltan Ind wasn¡¯t as easy to deal with as the Southern Archipgo.


    The Yaboon¡¯s Pirates had continued to fail at defending themselves because their range of activities was toorge. As a result, their forces were spread thin, and they got destroyed by the fleets of ck Scale and other countries. Once Yaboon¡¯s Pirates were no longer scattered along the third continent but gathered on the small Doltan Ind, they became a threat that wasn¡¯t easy to tackle.


    Sung-Woon mumbled at the southern sea of the Southern Archipgo.


    ¡°How did they produce so many ships?¡±


    The threat of Yaboon¡¯s Pirates came from their number. At the Southern Archipgo alone, there were a total of 25 military ships from ck Scale and 40 military ships from Danyum, which was in no way a small fleet. However, Yaboon¡¯s Pirates had continued to send more ships whenever their number dwindled even after deploying more than a hundred to the Southern Archipgo.


    .


    So even if ten ships were destroyed by cannons in battle, if the remaining ny ships came up to the ships of ck Scale and the other countries, they would be defeated.


    The military ships of the third continent continued to win steadily and frequently, but eventually, it was the military ships that had to retreat back to the Southern Archipgo, and not the pirates. The soldiers¡¯ exhaustion umted, and above all, continuous supply for the cannons was slowing.


    Sung-Woon considered going to the southern continent himself. There were two ways a yer could move. One was to teleport to the desired part of their or their ally¡¯snd, or to where their priests were; the other was to fly, which was pretty quick. Generally, teleportation was preferred, but yers had no other choice but to fly to areas that weren¡¯t their own. And even though the flying speed was objectively quite fast, it felt slow to the yers.


    Sung-Woon also had the option of reconnaissance using his migratory birds, but that was limited to a yer¡¯s Divinity level, and his shared view with the birds got cut off when the continent was barely visible.


    <i>¡®Or it might have been a Divinity Block.¡¯</i>


    A Divinity Block was a skill that blocked another yer¡¯s views, and the skill was only avable to yers who had reached a Divinity level of 19. Sung-Woon was at level 21, and he assumed Wisdom and Hegemonia, who had originated from the same continent as him, to be over level 19 as well. However, the greater the range and the longer the use, the more Faith points would be consumed, and that fact that they were blocking other yers¡¯ view with the skill indicated that they had something to hide. It wasn¡¯t a skill used without a particr purpose.


    <i>¡®Above all, pirates are a looting society,¡¯</i>


    There was a reason why the counties of the third continent were able to take things easy without being rushed when they were losing to the pirates in the first ce: they had taken over all the areas where the pirates had been active.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to farm at sea. Doltan Ind was quite big, but there was no way it would provide enough resources to feed all the pirates on more than a hundred ships. And the ind was too far away from the southern continent to be supplied. As a result, the pirates had literally begun to starve to death.


    ck Scale¡¯s naval force and the allied navies were able to obtain andslide victory in two months at the sea around the Southern Archipgo, and they went straight to Doltan Ind afterwards.


    However, Sung-Woon noticed that the sea route to Doltan Ind was empty. The pirates could have been preparing for theirst stand on the ind, but pirates should¡¯ve been sent to dy the military ships.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a strange move. Something¡¯s up. Perhaps¡­¡¯</i>


    Military priests were stationed on The Humiliation of Pirates and the military ships of ck Scale in order to receive blessings from Night Sky. Sung-Woon found a priest on board The Humiliation of Pirates and gave them a divine revtion. The revtion was simple enough that it could be easily interpreted. The priest rushed to the deck and found Vasen.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Night Sky has given us a revtion.¡±


    ¡°What was said?¡±


    ¡°I dare speak the words of Night Sky from my mouth. Night Sky warned us to ¡®be careful.¡¯¡±


    The navies of the alliance that were advancing with ck Scale¡¯s battleships slowed at themand of the head ship, The Humiliation of Pirates. The other ships followed suit as well, and the troops wondered what was going on. After a brief meeting, though, they continued forward.


    Then, a huge shadow struck one of the ships at the very front. A giant tentacle swung down and mmed into the deck, breaking the railings and sending fragments flying everywhere. As countless suckers stuck onto the ship, the wood began to creak and fall apart.


    Someone realized what the thing grabbing the ship was.


    ¡°K-Kraken! It¡¯s a Kraken!¡±

 Chapter 102: Frozen Time

    <h4>Chapter 102: Frozen Time</h4>


    It could be said that the worst Event that could happen in a game of The Lost World was the appearance of a Dragon, but when it came to the sea, a Kraken wasparable to a Dragon.


    A Kraken was a kind of natural disaster.


    In the beginning of the game, Krakens would asionally appear as Events when characters were sailing, but starting from the middle stage of the game, when sailing became a major method of transportation, Krakens emerged more frequently and became a source of trouble since they would often cause damage to ships.


    Be it fishing boats catching fish in coastal waters, merchant ships carrying lots of cargo, or the grand sailing ship which hadn¡¯t been developed yet, they were nothing when it came to a Kraken¡¯s tentacles. Once iron vessels were invented, it would be possible to face a Kraken without a god¡¯s help, but luck was still often required.


    The fundamental factor that made a Kraken a big threat was that it was not possible to attack its main body. With their many long tentacles, Krakens enjoyed shaking ships above water and picking out people to eat. While they did so, their main bodies remained deep in the sea.


    <i>¡®The approximate size of their main body would be¡­around five hundred meters.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was not in the sky, but under the sea. Deep sea observation was something that many yers ignored because generally, most things could be observed from a bird¡¯s eye view. When facing a marine creature, however, yers would have to go under sea to see it.


    A yer could move under water without any resistance. And even where there was absolutely no light, their sight was adjusted so that they could clearly make out the outlines of living and nonliving things. But regardless, many yers disregarded deep sea reconnaissance out of habit, and that was asionally the case for Sung-Woon too. As most gamey was done onnd, there was a tendency for the yers to dismiss asional losses at sea as nothing but bad luck.


    <i>¡®Fortunately, I looked into it at the right time this time.¡¯</i>


    The Kraken¡¯s giant tentacles moved toward the ship above water, passing through Sung-Woon. This happened because a yer¡¯s body was detached from the world. But still, the fact that something passed through him was unpleasant, so Sung-Woon went backward and looked at the direction the tentacles were shooting towards.


    Fortunately enough, Sung-Woon¡¯s warning was delivered on time, so ck Scale¡¯s ships had not entered the Kraken¡¯s range of attack.


    <i>¡®But¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon felt that there was something more toe.


    A video chat window popped up next to Sung-Woon. It was Crampus, the yer with the eyes of a goat.


    ¡°Neb! Did you know already?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just found out. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you in advance. I thought everyone would have discovered it as well.¡±


    Crampus red at Sung-Woon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is something you orchestrated¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would I do such a thing? There was no way to control a Kraken in The Lost World.¡±


    ¡°...Then?¡±


    ¡°It was probably lured.¡±


    Sung-Woon saw other beings approaching the ships from the ocean floor deep underwater, where the Kraken was stuck to. They were in a group, so at a nce, they seemed like a school of fish. However, closer inspection revealed that they were a line of individuals swimming underwater.


    Crampus followed Sung-Woon¡¯s gaze and noticed the swimming figures.


    ¡°Are they Deep Ones?!¡±


    Sung-Woon could tell that the Deep Ones weren¡¯t afraid of the Kraken at all.


    The reason Krakens was a threat was not simply because they were huge. It was because they ate people. They would shake ships and flip them over to make the passengers drop into water, then they would pull the victims deep into the sea and put them into their mouths, and if there were people hidden in the ships, they would reach in with their tentacles and grab them.


    <i>¡®Come to think of it, do Krakens have something to do with ancient evil or something?¡¯</i>


    Through Sung-Woon¡¯s observations, he was able to see that the Kraken did not extend its tentacles to the Deep Ones. It seemed that either the Kraken knew how to distinguish between the Deep Ones and other species, or that the Deep Ones knew a way to avoid being attacked by the Kraken.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s interesting.¡¯</i>


    Then Sung-Woon said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to warn you about the first attack, but I can warn you about the second. Deep Ones will attack in between the Kraken¡¯s tentacles.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then I guess we can tell you about the third attack, as we¡¯re above the sea.¡±


    Sung-Woon looked at where Crampus was pointing through the video chat window.


    The ships of Yaboon¡¯s Pirates were appearing from the horizon.


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to keep us within the Kraken¡¯s range of attacks.¡±


    Crampus sighed and replied, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    Sung-Woon became uncooperative at those words.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask for my help for such an insignificant problem, are you? On your people¡¯s ships, you even have¡­¡±


    Crampus tsked as if he didn¡¯t expect anything anyway, and the video chat ended before Sung-Woon could finish talking.


    ***


    ¡°Cut the tentacles! Hit the tips with an ax!¡±


    ¡°Aaack!¡±


    ¡°You fools! Give up on the ones who have already been captured!¡±


    ¡°Captain! The mast is¡­!¡±


    The first military ship to be captured by the tentacles was Danyum¡¯s Whalebone. Its mast became entwined with the giant, a-meter-wide tentacle, and when it pulled, the ship tilted. At some point, the mast began to bend with the tentacle pulling at it on one end, and the buoyancy of the whole ship pushing upward on the other.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The dense, sturdy mast broke, scattering fragments of wood everywhere like an explosion, and the mast fell over the right side railing of the ship, following the tentacle.


    Mazdari was still on board.


    ¡°What a mess.¡±


    <i>-Aren¡¯t you scared?</i>


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m scared. But fear doesn¡¯t help when doing things.¡±


    Mazdari was drawing something on the floor with a brush. The awkwardly big brush suitable for a Garuda was eye-catching, but what Mazdari was drawing was even more impressive. There was a circle inside another circle with ancient writing along the border. It wasn¡¯t difficult for someone who didn¡¯t even know how to read ancient writing to tell that Mazdari had good penmanship because of the beauty the different shapes portrayed.


    Mazdari had dug the ws of his feet into the floor in order to keep drawing while the ship was shaking, and he also had his other hand on the ceiling as if he were supporting it to keep himself in ce.


    It was certain he was drawing with a ck ink, but whenever hepleted a circle, it emitted a dim light.


    ¡°Mazdari! Where is Mazdari! Maz¡­¡±


    Themotion outside stopped when the door to Mazdari¡¯s room opened. Mazdari looked up at the uninvited visitoring through the door.


    ¡°Oldor Mayen. Just in time.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°The reason why Delmardin, king of Asbestos, hired me, sent me to this distant southern sea, and the reason you were looking for me.¡±


    Oldor was more unsettled by Mazdari than the threatening chorus of shouts, screams, and sounds of the ship breaking.


    ¡°Is it magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We need your help right away. We, as well as Stone Cave¡¯s ships, are all under the attack of a Kraken¡¯s tentacles¡­¡±


    Mazdari suddenly pulled out a dagger. Bewildered, Oldor instinctively raised his sword when Mazdari threw the dagger at him, only for the dagger to fly past him so quickly that he didn¡¯t have time to defend or avoid it. When Oldor turned around, he saw that the dagger had pinned a tentacle to the ship. The tentacle pulled out the dagger by itself and hurriedly returned to the deck.


    ¡°Th¡­thank you.¡±


    Mazdari just shrugged.


    Then at that moment, Oldor saw a sh from both of Mazdari¡¯s eyes.


    <i>¡®...What was that?¡¯</i>


    But there was no time to pay attention to such trivial things.


    Even though Mazdari hadn¡¯t demonstrated any magic in front of Oldor yet, Mazdari was a wizard acknowledged by Delmardin.


    ¡°What help do you need?¡± Oldor asked.


    ¡°Are you well aware of the situation outside?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°How many ships are within a radius of three hundred steps from our ship?¡±


    ¡°Three hundred steps? We were in the lead, so around a quarter of the ships we borrowed from Danyum. That would be about ten ships.


    ¡°About ten, you say¡­¡±


    Mazdari murmured while writing ancient characters on top of the drawing.


    ¡°What species are there?¡±


    ¡°The majority are Trolls, but there are also Elves, Renards, and Hobgoblins. Oh, and arge portion of the crewmen are Satyrs.¡±


    ¡°There aren''t any more? I think I¡¯ve also seen Humans.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there are Humans as well. I don¡¯t know too much about the species of the ves as they¡¯re not important.¡±


    Mazdari silently pointed at himself.


    ¡°Oh, Garuda. There¡¯s also a Garuda.¡±


    Mazdari quickly wrote more things down.


    Then he said, ¡°You¡¯re the one in charge, so you take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Now get out. It¡¯s time to concentrate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but will it take long?¡±


    ¡°No. It will be done when you get back to the deck.¡±


    Oldor decided to trust Mazdari. Right now, there was no alternative other than praying to God.


    As Oldor went up, the Rotten Hand spoke.


    <i>-Shall we start?</i>


    <i>¡®Yes.¡¯</i>


    The Rotten Hand murmured unknown ancientnguage from inside Mazdari. And at the same time, Mazdari also began to recite an incantation. It was a magic spell. When the internal spell being recited by the Rotten Hand coincided with the voiced incantation being recited by Mazdari, the concentric magic circle drawn by Mazdari began to react, turning a ckish red while crackling like something burning.


    This was the reason it was difficult to discover the secret of magic, as well as the reason only those who were cursed could use magic. Magic could only be operated by a spell if internal thoughts and external actions contradict one another. Since the discovery of ancient ruins, it took 150 years for enough data to umte to get to this discovery.


    In addition to the knowledge Mazdari had learned from his teacher, he collected lost knowledge from other alchemists and was able toplete a few magic spells. ording to the ancient history that Mazdari unearthed, a wizard with fewer than ten magic spells was nothing more than an apprentice. However, Mazdari knew that even an apprentice wizard would have a great power that no one else couldpare.


    <i>¡®I will show you¡­¡¯</i>


    As Mazdari put his hand above the magic circle, the circle split, separated, and vibrated. Distortion and light repeatedly spread out and narrowed back in. Then another magic circle rose above Mazdari¡¯s eyes.


    <i>¡®...Magic.¡¯</i>


    It was a Wizard Tattoo used to trigger magic. It could be engraved anywhere, so Mazdari drew it onto his eyes. And soon afterward, Mazdari¡¯s palm touched the magic circle.


    ***


    As Oldor was running up to the deck, he felt something that was neither wind nor anything tactile pass through his body from behind his back before extending far into the distance. Then the ship fraught with screams suddenly quieted, and confused, rambling murmurs reced the noises of things crashing and breaking in battle.


    Oldor quickly walked up and hit a dazed soldier in the shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, what is it?¡±


    ¡°General! L¡­look at that!¡±


    A tentacle rose into the sky in preparation for another strike at the crewmen and soldiers on board, but it had stopped moving. Not only did it stay still, but it even sparkled under the zing sunlight of the southern sea.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    As the tilted ship swayed back and forth to find bnce, the tentacle copsed and broke into sharp fragments. Fortunately, no one got crushed, but one of the fragments did brush past Oldor¡¯s cheek. Nevertheless, Oldor didn¡¯t even feel the pain.


    ¡°It is¡­frozen?¡±


    Oldor understood why the soldiers on deck were nkly staring.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only our ship. Look over there.¡±


    Oldor looked at where the soldier was pointing at. The tentacles weren¡¯t the only things frozen, but also the surface of the sea and about ten ships. The range of effect was about three hundred steps.


    ¡°...Amazing. I see why His Majesty relied so much on him.¡±


    But again, those weren¡¯t the only things hit by the spell.


    Oldor turned around and saw a man holding an ax high in the air, frozen. It was an Orc ve.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Mazdari approached him from behind.


    ¡°Fortunately, the magic has been carried out properly. It would have been better if you told me there was an Orc among the ves as well.¡±


    Leaving Oldor bewildered and at a loss for words, Mazdari looked at the sky as if he was looking for someone.


    ***


    ¡°Is it ¡®Frozen Time?¡¯¡±


    It was a magic spell that controlled temperature. The effect and range of the spell was great, but it remained an elementary level magic spell because it took too long to prepare. Additionally, it was necessary to specify the targets, so it was also one of the magical spells that often caused idents.


    <i>¡®There would have been a better magical spell to use in this situation. Is he going for showmanship?¡¯</i>


    That could be the case as the barrage of attacksing for the military ships had been stopped all at once. All with Frozen Time.


    The frozen sea then began to crack and break due to the warmer air.


    Sung-Woon looked down at Mazdari and smiled.


    <i>¡®There must be something you¡¯re aiming for.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 103: No Different From Land

    <h4>Chapter 103: No Different From Land</h4>


    Iron rusts, but gold does not.


    The tips of the tentacles on top of Deep Ones¡¯ heads shone deep underwater, and gold also shone in the dark. Therefore, the Deep Ones greatly valued gold craftwork once they¡¯d established a civilization. Pirates who took whatever they wanted by force decorated themselves with gold, and the stronger they were, the more gold they used. The same was true for the captain of Yaboon¡¯s Pirates, Yaboon.


    Yaboon wore several nes and had rings on each finger, all of different thicknesses, and he also wore bracelets, anklets, and lip piercings.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    The jewelry on Yaboon¡¯s body shook.


    The Deep One subordinate cowered.


    ¡°They are getting out of the Kraken¡¯s range.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re <i>getting?</i>out of range?¡± Yaboon sharply emphasized the subordinate¡¯s particr choice of words. ¡°Not <i>running</i>?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. They are moving out of it. They didn¡¯t suffer much damage by the Kraken.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way! They don¡¯t even have the grace of God!¡±


    The subordinate hesitantly said, ¡°There is someone who used strange powers.¡±


    ¡°...Exin in detail.¡±


    The subordinate then exined, ¡°The Kraken attacked them at the perfect timing. But just before the first ship was about to be destroyed, the sea around the ship froze in an instant.¡±


    ¡°It froze?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Not only the sea, but the tentacles also froze. Then powerful waves came, and even our men that were waiting to attack were swept away. The frozen part of the sea broke under the impact. It was like¡­the power that Manda used.¡±


    ¡°Manda?¡±


    Yaboon mmed down on the table,


    ¡°The power is unlikely to belong to a god. It¡¯s not easy for gods to interfere in the mortal world with power like that. And they wouldn¡¯t use such power to save a fleet from a Kraken¡­ So there must be a wizard like Manda.¡±


    As the subordinate knew, Manda was Yaboon¡¯s rival. Both of them were high priests that had the authority to attend the highest council. Due to their ovepping territories, they couldn¡¯t help but butt heads at every possible chance, which resulted in Yaboon¡¯s defeat.


    In terms of manpower, Yaboon had many more blood rtives, but Manda was a Wizard. There was no telling what a Wizard could do, and no priests wanted to be defeated by a wizard.


    Yaboon wouldn¡¯t call it a constion prize for his loss, but he did gain authority over the pirates after that. And through that authority, he was able to go to the other continent, which had been a taboo for them. Yaboon initially nned to conquer a part of the other continent, build a new force, and go back to his original continent to attack Manda, but¡­ording to the subordinate, it seemed like it would be difficult to follow that n.


    <i>¡®I got on the wrong side, but it seems toote to cut ties now. How should I go about this?¡¯</i>


    Hoping that Yaboon would be intimidated into returning to the maind, the subordinate said, ¡°Captain, what should we do now? At this rate, we would have to fight them here at the coast of Doltan Ind. They have a strange weapon and a wizard like Manda.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t be such a coward,¡± Yaboon reprimanded his subordinate. ¡°What are you so afraid of when God is with us? They are grubs that can¡¯t even breathe underwater.¡±


    ¡°But still¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to face Manda one day anyway. I could use a grub wizard as practice.¡±


    ¡°How will we face them?¡±


    Yaboon said with a smile, ¡°The knights of King Gyo I called upon in secret have arrived.¡±


    ¡°By the knights of King Gyo, you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s them. The fact that King Gyo lent us his knights means that Deep Light is also watching over us. I will lead my ships with them to victory.¡±


    The subordinate then judged that it might be too early to cut ties with Yaboon.


    ***


    ¡°The interrogation is done,¡± said General Ian Tata as he walked up to the deck.


    The big Lizardman had blood all over his hands, but nothing on his face.


    Vasen Lak Orazen thought it was a relief that this Lizardman was an ally. ¡°Did you gain nothing new?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s pretty much the same as the information we already knew.¡±


    The process of getting away from the Kraken was by no means easy. In particr, since the Deep Ones judged that the leading military ships of Danyum and Mangul would be wiped out by the Kraken, most of their attacks were directed at the ships in the back, which happened to be the military ships of ck Scale. ck Scale¡¯s ships quickly lined up and fired with two rows of cannons, but they were only able to hit a small portion of the seventy ships in the enemy fleet.


    Fortunately enough, before an actual battle could break out between them and the pirates, the military ships of Danyum and Mangul were able to escape the Kraken¡¯s range, and they made it back to support ck Scale¡¯s ships, prompting the pirate ships to flee.


    <i>¡®If that Garuda hadn¡¯t used magic, it would have been a really tough battle.¡¯</i>


    ck Scale and the allied navies sent reconnaissance ships to arge area of the sea and gathered the captains of each ship for a meeting. It was important to share the information on Doltan Ind they had gotten out of the Deep Ones captives through interrogation, of course, but the main subject they were going to discuss was the wizard that had been hidden in Asbestos until now. In this case, there was also a diplomatic issue.


    As the Garuda¡¯s magic didn¡¯t distinguish between friends and foe, some of the Mangul sailors who had fallen into the sea had been hit by the magic as well. That was another thing Oldor hadn¡¯t properly informed Mazdari about. However, Mangul was unable to actively protest about it because the demonstration had made it clear how powerful the wizard was. With that power, if the wizard was escorted by Troll knights, he would be able to deal with all the ships there. And Asbestos¡¯s general, Oldor, didn¡¯t even try to hide the fact. Since they had been forced to reveal their hidden trump card, it seemed that he was trying to leverage it to gain authority.


    ¡°From now on, I will be inmand of all the allied navies.¡±


    But ck Scale was an exception. To be exact, with Mazdari¡¯s power revealed, the two groups maintained an uneasy peace where a conflict could be triggered at any time.


    After Vasen returned to his ship, he said to Theone Itimo and Ian Tata, ¡°After the fight with the pirates is over, they might try to start a fight with us by picking a quarrel or a fault. So firmly supervise the sailors and soldiers.¡±


    But fortunately or unfortunately, Yaboon¡¯s Pirates wasn¡¯t an easy group to deal with.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s Doltan Ind!¡±


    At the watchkeeper¡¯s shout, Vasen looked toward the front of the ship. The shape of the ind was already clearly visible.


    Then General Ian said to Vasen, ¡°I¡¯ll go check the soldiers and cannons onest time.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Make sure nothing goes wrong during battle.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°No, wait.¡±


    Ian followed Vasen¡¯s gaze to what his narrowed eyes were looking at.


    Then the watchkeeper yelled, ¡°Something is approaching at a rapid speed! It¡¯s half submerged in the water!¡±


    Vasen could have ignored it. If it was half submerged, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be a ship, nor would it be a Deep Oneing from underwater. However, they had already faced an unpredictable enemy, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be extra cautious.


    ¡°Theone! Stop the ship! Ian, assume it''s an enemy and aim at it with the cannons!¡±


    Starting with The Humiliation of Pirates, ck Scale¡¯s fleet came to a halt. Then the allied navy fleet ahead of them took notice and followed suit. General Oldor Mayen, who was on board Whalebone, also turned the ship around and slowed down.


    ¡°...What is that?¡±


    Watching from above, Sung-Woon sighed. He already knew what wasing, but it was too tricky to give them a warning.


    <i>¡®ck Scale is in the back anyway, so I can only hope that they observe the situation and find a way to deal with it.¡¯</i>


    The things repeatedly diving into and emerging from water came to the surface, but the bubbles concealed their form.


    Oldor readied his sword and shield and took precaution.


    Something shiny rose up through the bubbles.


    <i>¡®...A fish?¡¯</i>


    It was arge fish around three meters in length. Its scales shone while reflecting sunlight, and the Troll knights were unable to properly open their eyes. That was why not many had noticed the pair of wing fins spread out from both sides of the fish, or the Deep One riding behind the fins while lowering their body. The Deep One also had a trident in their hand.


    ¡°Aack!¡±


    As the giant flying fish jumped up and gilded above one of the military ships, the Deep One pierced a Troll knight with their trident and disappeared over the railing on the other side.


    Only then did Oldor figure out that the things under the bubbles were knights, just like they were.


    Oldor then yelled, ¡°There are Deep Ones riding on giant flying fish! Get away from the railings! Bend down!¡±


    However, Oldor¡¯s shout was lost in the noises of giant flying fish jumping through the currents and hitting the surface of the water.


    Some of the Troll knights were blinded by the shing light and got dragged into the sea.


    <i>¡®Damn it! ¡­No. They should be able to swim and get back onto the ship if they take off their armor.¡¯</i>


    Oldor leaned over and looked below the railing, but something unexpected was happening on the sea. The knights who had fallen off board were being killed in perfect order by groups of Deep Ones. Oldor quickly shot an arrow, but it wasn¡¯t enough to pierce through the water and hit the Deep Ones.


    <i>¡®Shit!¡¯</i>


    Oldor ran into the ship to look for Mazdari, keeping his body so low that it almost looked like he was crawling.


    Meanwhile, Vasen was observing what was happening to the ships ahead. It seemed ridiculous, but it was a threatening tactic, and the attack continued to ravage the next ship that wasn¡¯t properly prepared to defend itself.


    ¡°Are the knights on the giant flying fish quickly snatching those on deck into the sea? And the infantry kill them once they fall into the water? It¡¯s an unusual tactic that makes good use of their traits as a species.¡±


    General Ian replied, ¡°Then what if all the soldiers hide beneath the deck?¡±


    ¡°That is an option¡­but look at that.¡±


    Vasen pointed at the ship ahead of them. Those on board seemed to have gotten the same idea as General Ian. As all the soldiers ran under the deck, the Deep Ones climbed up the sides of the ship. Unable to use their new weapons, the cannons, the soldiers got into a close range battle.


    ¡°We might be able to win in a battle of closebat, but if the number of the enemies increases, the battle willst longer. Then we wouldn¡¯t be able to move the ship when the enemy¡¯s main units arrive.¡±


    ¡°...Then what?¡±


    ¡°Ian, don¡¯t oveplicate things. While this isn¡¯tnd, and they aren¡¯t riding Cockatoos or horses, they are still clearly calvary. There¡¯s no need for a temporary change in strategy. We just need to face them as we have done until now.¡±


    At Vasen¡¯s words, Ian¡¯s facial expressions brightened.


    ¡°Alright. I will get all the soldiers ready.¡±


    ***


    The giant flying fish knights were the gship of the Deep Ones. Especially when dealing with ships, the giant flying fish could jump and glide ten meters in height, and up to forty meters horizontally at its best, even with a Deep One on its back. There weren¡¯t many species who could take the weight of hundreds of kilograms of the fish¡¯s huge body, so an untrained soldier would lose consciousness and die easily once they were pierced by a trident and pushed into the sea.


    Therefore, usually, King Gyo¡¯s knights consisted of only Deep Ones riding on giant fish, but priests might also be deployed as support if God willed it so.


    ¡°That ship is the next.¡±


    The giant flying fish knights had dealt with several ships already. They saw that their enemies weren¡¯t prepared for anything, so they were full of confidence.


    There was nothing on the deck of their next target, but the giant flying fish knights didn¡¯t stop.


    <i>¡®Everyone seems to be hiding under the deck. There are always cowards like that. I can just signal the infantry to take over the ship.¡¯</i>


    A giant flying fish knight rose into the air.


    ¡°Attack!¡±


    However, the Deep One realized soon that he had made a mistake. As the giant flying fish went above the deck, the soldiers crouching low raised their spears at a 45 degree angle.


    <i>¡®...Shit!¡¯</i>


    The knight pulled at the reins and changed directions.


    <i>¡®That was close, but I avoided it!¡¯</i>


    That was false hope.


    A circr shadow blocked the knight¡¯s view.


    ¡°First officer!¡±


    The Ogre, Hwae-Sa, stood up and raised their arm before charging at the knight, doing a clothesline move.


    ¡°I will not lose against the sea!¡±


    1. Amon wrestling move.

 Chapter 104: Sea Serpent

    <h4>Chapter 104: Sea Serpent</h4>


    The Deep One¡¯s head exploded when hit by Hwae-Sa¡¯s arm, which was thicker than it.


    The giant flying fish separated from its owner and glided above the railing before diving into the sea, and the knight was thrown and left on the deck.


    Hwae-Sa stepped on the Deep One¡¯s head and crushed it.


    ¡°I destroy everything!¡±


    At those words, more giant flying fish knights flew over The Humiliation of Pirates. But this time, Hwae-Sa didn¡¯t get a chance to attack.


    ¡°They¡¯reing.¡±


    Vasen Lak Orazen was also holding a spear. Even when a giant flying fish charged toward him with its mouth open, he remained steadfast.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s only meant to scare me. While the teeth of the fish is a threat, the real dangeres from the trident that follows.¡¯</i>


    Vasen did not move, and the giant flying fish was directly pierced by Vasen¡¯s spear at a 45 degree angle.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The moment the wooden spear broke under the giant flying fish¡¯s weight, Vasen took a step back and saw the fish fall onto the deck. Then the Deep One knight on top also fell. The knight had a surprised look on their face.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    With a snort, Vasen unsheathed his sword and charged at the knight. It didn¡¯t even take more than one sh for him to cut off the Deep One¡¯s head.


    Vasen then shouted to the soldiers, ¡°Don¡¯t be greedy! There¡¯s no need to move! If they avoid you, let them rush into the next spearhead!¡±


    Just as Vasenmanded, the soldiers remained still and blocked the attacks of the knights riding on giant flying fish.


    General Ian Tata repeated Vasen¡¯smand and thought to himself, <i>¡®Of course. When you think about it, even what seems like a new form of attack is nothing but a variation of an existing tactic. They¡¯re riding on something stronger than them and using that strength to attack, so they¡¯re actually no different than regr cavalry.¡¯</i>


    Ian thought that they could actually be easier to face than cavalry onnd. Using spears was a basic counter for cavalry, but Cockatoos often avoided spearheads as they were thin and had thick feathers, and the intense pressure from horses shaking the earth often caused infantry squares to break formation.


    <i>¡®But when these knights are gliding low enough in the air, we can pierce and kill the giant flying fish before their tridents reach us. And unlike cavalry onnd, the Deep Ones thrown off aren¡¯t protected by other cavalry, but fall into our square helplessly instead.¡¯</i>


    As ck Scale¡¯s military ships effectively fought back against the giant flying fish knights, the other military ships btedly followed suit.


    Vasen looked around the battlefield.


    <i>¡®But among the ships that were attacked first, the ones that suffered severe damage are busy fighting against the pirates who have climbed onto their ships. And there¡¯s no way the pirates will stop fighting now.¡¯</i>


    It was just as Vasen expected. Pirate ships began to appear from Doltan Ind.


    ¡°It¡¯s pirates! About 120 ships!¡±


    If the situation hadn¡¯t derailed to this point, Vasen would¡¯ve thought it would be worth fighting the pirates even though their number was great and it could lead to a battle on board. But right now, the military ships in the front were already struggling with the giant flying fish knights and the Deep Ones from the sea.


    <i>¡®There are also ships that can¡¯t move. If we leave them be, there¡¯s a danger that the other ships will get tangled up with them.¡¯</i>


    If that happened, pirates would attack from between the ships, and it would be difficult for ck Scale, which had suffered rtively less damage, to target the pirates; the current cannons weren¡¯t the most urate weapon.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no other choice.¡¯</i>


    At the watchkeeper''s shout, Vasen said to Theone Itimo, ¡°Captain, we should go forward.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would say that,¡± replied Theone.


    ¡°We need to go around the military ships of the allied navies and take the lead.¡±


    ¡°Only us?¡±


    ¡°It took a little time, but we seeded in chasing away the giant flying fish knights, and while there is a fight on board their ships, individual Deep One pirates aren¡¯t that threatening. Over time, the allied navies will recover theirbat capabilities.¡±


    ¡°...So you¡¯re saying that it¡¯ll just be us until then.¡±


    Vasen shrugged.


    ¡°What else can I say?¡±


    ck Scale¡¯s military ships began their advance.


    As expected, Vasen saw the allied navies putting their ships against each other to fight the Deep Ones on board and chase them away.


    <i>¡®It might take a little longer than I expected.¡¯</i>


    When The Humiliation of Pirates was passing one of the navy ships, Whalebone, a big shadow jumped down from on top of Whalebone¡¯s mast. The Garuda had his wings spread wide andnded softly, which seemed at odds with his size. It was Mazdari.


    Noting that the soldiers had gotten nervous, Vasen raised his hand to hold them back.


    ¡°What is it, Garuda?¡±


    Mazdari didn¡¯t answer the question right away and instead said something irrelevant.


    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Mazdari smirked.


    ¡°Those one hundred and more pirate ships will sh with the allied navies first. It would be easier for ck Scale to destroy the pirate ships if you fired at them in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting that we attack our allies?¡±


    ¡°Allies? Is that what you really think? ck Scale and the other countries should be enemies, no?¡±


    Vasen couldn¡¯t really deny that.


    Mazadari continued to say, ¡°And above all, you would be able to destroy the pirate ships <i>as well as?</i>the allied navies doing that. You even have the perfect justification.¡±


    Vasen grinned and replied, ¡°It sounds like you were hoping for me to do that.¡±


    ¡°Were you afraid of my power?¡±


    ¡°No, I would have made the same choice even if you had no power. While we are enemies, a fight is breaking out. I¡¯m not dealing with the next fight when we haven¡¯t even won the current one, Garuda.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s no guarantee that the 120 pirate ships over there are all there is to them. It¡¯smon sense to conserve your troops¡ªif the troops aren¡¯t considered expendable, that is.¡±


    Mazdari seemed rather dissatisfied, but it also seemed like he couldn''te up with a counter argument.


    Vasen then continued to say, ¡°Anyway, you should get on the other ship if you wanna go back. You¡¯re quite an important figure, so I¡¯ll give you the chance to return.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for that. Because you¡¯ll need me.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need you? Why is that?¡±


    The Garuda pointed at the pirate ship at the very front.


    ¡°Because a dangerous man ising.¡±


    Vasen turned to where Mazdari was pointing at. That something was now visible to Vasen as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ***


    Leading the pirate fleet was the biggest pirate ship. A ship that big would usually be slower, but the particr ship was actually way faster than the other ones.


    Yaboon, who was standing at the front of the ship, yelled, ¡°Charge! Destroy their ships!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t another pirate that Yaboon was yelling at. He was yelling at arge Sea Serpent tied to the front of the ship and pulling it. There was a saying that while Drakes were the most superior onnd, Sea Serpents were the equivalent in water due to their sheer size. The Sea Serpent was about forty meters long, and its head was big enough for it to swallow a few people at once. With no limbs, it looked like a giant water snake, but in addition to its enormous size, the spikes along its spine and the rough scales covering its body made it clear that it was an existence on a different level. And the Sea Serpent chained to the pirate ship didn¡¯t even seem like an ordinary one.


    <i>-Once I kill them¡­ I¡¯ll kill you too!</i>


    At the Sea Serpent''s threat, Yaboon growled with his teeth showing.


    ¡°Try it if you will! Do you think something like you can go against Deep Light?¡±


    The Sea Serpent rolled its eyes back and red at Yaboon, but that was all it did.


    Meanwhile, a number of gods were standing above the sea where the battle was taking ce. However, they were now keeping their distance from each other so that they wouldn¡¯t be able to hear each other talk, and Eldar was the only one next to Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon looked at the Sea Serpent.


    [Ancient Shining Tail Sea Serpent]


    Sung-Woon then mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s a Fiend.¡±


    ¡°A Fiend?¡± Eldar mumbled back. ¡°So did the Deep Ones tame¡­a Fiend?¡±


    Sung-Woon was also surprised.


    ¡°I guess so. How did they do that?¡±


    Abominations and Fiends were generally enemies to defeat. Particrly intelligent individuals were able to talk, and if civilization had progressed to a greater level, a Fiend could decide to y things safe, and there would thus be the possibility for negotiation. In that case, a Fiend could end up bing the guardian of a particr vige or a city, thus benefiting a yer.


    <i>¡®But after listening to the conversation just now, it doesn''t seem to be a voluntary deal.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought to himself.


    <i>¡®Does it perhaps have to do with Domains?¡¯</i>


    As he thought so, he checked the Domain he had obtained after killing another evil god, Jeol Woo-Bi.


    ~


    [Domain: Corpse]


    ~


    It wasn¡¯t a Small Area, but a Domain.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not a Species Domain or a Large Domain, but Domain. So that means it must be a Unique Domain¡­¡¯</i>


    There were 32 Major Small Areas that yers could obtain at the beginning, and 32 Minor Small Areas that yers could obtain through things like Fiends or ancient ruins, so altogether there were 64 Small Areas. The characteristic of these Small Areas was that they included technology or knowledge that could naturally be discovered in the process of developing nature and civilization. As a result, there were a set of Small Areas yers would often acquire over time.


    <i>¡®There wouldn¡¯t be a yer who doesn¡¯t have Small Area: Livestock or Small Area: Crops by now. Of course, there would be differences in levels depending on when each yer acquired the particr Small Area.¡¯</i>


    And Species Domains were alsomonly shared among yers. After obtaining the first and second species, a yer could continue to obtain other species.


    <i>¡®Humans and Elves are popr species, so there¡¯s probably a lot of yers with Domain: Humans, and Domain: Elves.¡¯</i>


    Excluding the Large Domains that weren¡¯t possible to obtain yet, there was a category called Unique Domains. These Unique Domains were generated randomly throughout the game, and even the numbers of them varied. Most importantly, it wasn¡¯t possible for multiple yers to obtain the same Unique Domain. Only one per game.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s known that there are certain conditions to be fulfilled before one can obtain a Unique Domain, but it¡¯s not something you can get just because you want to.¡¯</i>


    In addition to the levels of the Small Areas and Species Domains a yer possessed, their Unique Domain was what determined their identity. Therefore, Sung-Woon was happy when he obtained a Unique Domain after killing the evil god. In particr, Domain: Corpse was a Unique Domain that he had never seen before. There was a high chance that it was something newly introduced to this game, just like the Vampires, Werewolves, and Deep Ones.


    <i>¡®But it was trash.¡¯</i>


    On second thought, it only made sense for the particr Unique Domain to be useless. Corpses were corpses. Dead bodies weren¡¯t able to move, and they would only rot.


    In fact, Jeol Woo-Bi never had the chance to use the power of the Domain, and the mystery was only solved now. Sung-Woon had checked what Domain: Corpse would be capable of, but judged that there wasn¡¯t anything immediately useful to him. That had been one hundred years ago.


    <i>¡®All living things die, so the level of the Domain continues to rise. Even so, it¡¯s still useless.¡¯</i>


    However, things could be different now.


    <i>¡®Jeol Woo-Bi had a Unique Domain. Then there¡¯s a high chance that Sha-Cha also has a Unique Domain.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked down at Yaboon and the Sea Serpent with interest.


    <i>¡®And what if that Unique Domain has the power to control Fiends?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 105: Order Proceed

    <h4>Chapter 105: Order Proceed</h4>


    Many Fiends had already been defeated by Sung-Woon and other yers.


    But still, Sung-Woon assumed there would be many more Fiends hidden somewhere.


    <i>¡®Civilization development is now in its beginning stage. More roads are built to connect riversides, cities, and viges, and various species see poption growth as the years go by, but the world is still young, not yet past its two hundred years. And there are far more ancient ruins that haven¡¯t been discovered than those that have been.¡¯</i>


    But it was still difficult to confirm that a Unique Domain that could control Fiends did exist. There could be a special power that both Jeol Woo-Bi and Sha-Cha had.


    <i>¡®And above all, Sha-Cha isn¡¯t even on Doltan Ind.¡¯</i>


    The number of Deep One pirates was by no means small. Although the species had a small poption to begin with, most of them werebatants, and while it was noteworthy that most of their resources and manpower came from looting and shipbuilding, they were stillparable to the Elves that lived on the northern coast.


    ¡°To make aparison, dealing with them would be like dealing with Eldar.¡±


    Eldar, who was beside Sung-Woon, was surprised.


    ¡°What? Me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was just talking to myself.¡±


    Sung-Woon ignored Eldar, who was staring at him with a puzzled face because they couldn¡¯t understand the context, and looked down at the sea instead.


    The Sea Serpent was getting close to the front of ck Scale¡¯s ship.


    Eldar then asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help?¡±


    ¡°If necessary. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to.¡±


    ¡°Even though it''s a Sea Serpent? It wouldn¡¯t budge even if it¡¯s hit by a cannon¡­¡±


    As if to prove Eldar¡¯s point, the cannons ced at the head of the ship were fired. Two shots missed, and one of the cannonballs bounced off the side of a Deep Ones¡¯ ship, while another hit the Sea Serpent right in the middle of its head. However, the Sea Serpent simply shook its head and continued to advance like it was nothing. It had only slowed down for a moment.


    Eldar looked at the deck of ck Scale¡¯s ship again.


    ¡°Is it that you trust Mazdari?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sung-Woon replied. ¡°Because even an apprentice-level Wizard could deal with something like a Fiend.¡±


    Eldar carefully asked, ¡°But isn¡¯t that not the only problem?¡±


    Sung-Woon knew what Eldar was getting at¡ªthat Mazdari belonged to the allied navies. It would be naive to believe that Mazdari had boarded ck Scale¡¯s ship simply because the Sea Serpent was dangerous. And above all, it was clear that Mazdari wasn¡¯t a character who only acted in good faith.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already dealt with that part.¡±


    Eldar frowned, struggling to understand what Sung-Woon really meant.


    ***


    Rumf, whomanded the cannoneers, shouted at Vasen, ¡°Your Highness! The cannons aren¡¯t having an effect at all!¡±


    Vasen Lak Orazen was not agitated in the slightest. He did feel a little bewildered, but it wasn¡¯t amander¡¯s job to show such feelings.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we shoot from the maximum distance? Prepare therge cannon! And aim it lower. Make sure the next shot hits it squarely!¡±


    The anxious cannoneers sprang into action, shaking away the unimportant thoughts.


    Then Mazdari asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the chance of sess is low?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that the monster will just calmly take the cannonballs, and even if it''s hit with a bigger one, it''s not a guarantee that it will get wounded.¡±


    Vasen smirked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t speak loud enough for others to hear. Under ck Scale¡¯s militaryw, those who say demoralizing words have to give up their life.¡±


    Mazdari didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to use magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because that¡¯s why I got on this ship.¡±


    Vasen judged that there wasn¡¯t any other alternative than to trust Mazdari for now. There was a chance that Night Sky would be able to help, but ording to the doctrines of the religious order of Night Sky, God¡¯s help shouldn¡¯t be sought unless effort had been put in first.


    <i>¡®If God were going to do everything for us, why would he allow us to move by ourselves? If he were going to do everything, Night Sky would just give us the ability to breathe and move our arms and legs for us.¡¯</i>


    Vasen then asked, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°First, I need to be touching that monster¡¯s body. And we would need to tie it up so that it remains unmoving for the time for a cup of tea to be drunk.¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mazdari shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to go around the monster and draw a magic circle on each deck. But this magic circle can¡¯t be damaged, so someone has to protect it. If the enemies don¡¯t know magic, they wouldn¡¯t pay attention to it, but if they do know magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. What else?¡±


    ¡°Magic requires a period of concentration at the end. I would be defenseless then, so someone needs to protect me as well.¡±


    Vasen nced at Mazdari and asked, ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Is that it? In my opinion, I don¡¯t think the conditions I said are easy to meet.¡±


    ¡°I need a definite answer as to whether or not you can kill that monster.¡±


    Mazdari looked at the monster that was getting close by now.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. If all the conditions are met, that monster will die.¡±


    At those words, Vasen took the g that his subordinate was holding and sent a signal to the ships on both sides.


    Mazdari didn¡¯t know what the signal indicated, but Theone Itimo immediately understood and shouted, ¡°Team Leader! Are you crazy?¡±


    .


    Vasen turned to Theone and said, ¡°Not in the least.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡­? No, we need to slow down first. We¡¯ll crash into it if we keep going at this pace.¡±


    As Theone turned around to order the crew to fold the sails, Vasen grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Captain Theone, there¡¯s no need for that¡­¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Riding the violent waves, two military ships had been sticking close to The Humiliation of Pirates. And both sent signals to Vasen with gs.


    -Order: Naval Ram. Proceed?


    Vasen replied with the g.


    -Proceed.


    Theone nkly stared at Vasen.


    ¡°W¡­what?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re also going to crash into them.¡±


    While listening, Mazdari wrapped a rope around his wrist once before saying with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡±


    Vasen then called out, ¡°Hwae-Sa!¡±


    ¡°First officer, listening!¡± replied Hwae-Sa.


    ¡°Tell everyone to brace for impact!¡±


    Hwae-Sa nodded and shouted as loud as possible to the whole ship, ¡°Brace! For! Impact!¡±


    Vasen grabbed Theone and crouched down as much as possible.


    He then called out to Rumf, who was at the front of the ship.


    ¡°Rumf!¡±


    ¡°I get it! ¡­All of you, fire!¡±


    Right before the crash, Vasen could clearly see the Sea Serpent charging at the ship with its maw open, as well as the surprised look on the Deep Ones¡¯ faces.


    The three ships rammed into the Sea Serpent.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    There was a loud boom. There was no telling whether it came from the ship bows crashing into the Sea Serpent or therge cannons being fired.


    White smoke rose from therge cannons and obscured the sun. Vasen saw something wriggling beyond the smoke.


    ¡°Cannoneers, everyone run away!¡±


    Vasen¡¯smand didn¡¯tete, but the Sea Serpent was too fast. It was dyed for only a moment despite having emerged from the smoke coughing out blood.


    The Sea Serpent lowered its head and ate the cannoneer closest to it.


    ¡°Oh no¡­ Everyone grab your bow! Avoid the monster and target the pirates first! The monster is stuck between the ships and can¡¯t move properly!¡±


    The Lizardmen soldiers and sailors all moved in a hurry.


    ¡°Prince Vasen.¡±


    Vasen turned to see Mazdari standing there with a somewhat haggard look.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I finished drawing on this ship.¡±


    Vasen looked at the deck and saw the magic circle that was already drawn.


    ¡°That was fast.¡±


    Despite Vasen¡¯spliment, Mazdari replied bluntly as if he was unsatisfied.


    ¡°I need to draw three more in different ces. Fortunately, I should be able to draw two of them on your other ships.¡±


    ¡°Seek protection by mentioning my name. Until then, I¡¯ll get on the enemy¡¯s main ship and make a path.¡±


    Mazdari nodded and ran to one of the military ships beside The Humiliation of Pirates.


    Vasen ordered soldiers to protect the magic circle and then said to Theone, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    While massaging the shoulder that had hit the ship earlier due to the impact of the crash, Theone replied, ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°I agreed to obey your orders on board.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t even care. The ship isn¡¯t ying the role of a ship, but rather a stone on a Go board.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for understanding.¡±


    ¡°Go do what you need to do, before that Garudains.¡±


    Vasen stood up.


    The rest of ck Scale¡¯s ships kept their distance and opened fire. But that was only to stop the other pirate ships from approaching. Due to the blockage, the other pirate ships weren¡¯t able to get close yet, but the ship that the Sea Serpent had been pulling was so big that the Deep Ones on board were able to jump over the railings to get to their ship.


    Vasen killed two Deep Ones with his sword on the way and pointed at the soldiers, ordering them to follow him.


    <i>¡®Hwae-Sa should be enough to protect this ce.¡¯</i>


    Vasen passed by the Sea Serpent stuck and rendered immobile between the four ships and climbed onto the next ship.


    ¡°Team Leader.¡±


    Hwee Ravina Muel called out to him.


    Judging from the blood dripping from her sword, she seemed to have killed a Deep One or two like Vasen had.


    ¡°Alchemist? Aren¡¯t you the one that His Majesty values? It¡¯s dangerous here. Return to The Humiliation of Pirates.¡±


    Ravinaughed and replied, ¡°His Majesty would value you more than me. And above all, I came all this way to the far south for this exact moment.¡±


    ¡°...Didn¡¯t His Majesty send you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ravina replied.


    ¡°Then¡­?¡±


    The conversation was cut short by a sharp ax spinning through the air toward them. However, it was slightly off and ended upnding between Ravina¡¯s and Vasen¡¯s feet.


    Vasen looked at the one who threw the ax.


    ¡°Ha! You got lucky, Lizard.¡±


    It was the head of Yaboon¡¯s Pirates and the greatest priest of the Deep Light religious order, Yaboon.


    Vasen didn¡¯t reply. From what Vasen knew, Yaboon was a mere pirate. There existed a difference in status between them that a conversation was not warranted.


    Vasen jumped over the railing and got onto the enemy¡¯s ship. Deep Ones came rushing toward him, but the Lizardmen soldiers and Ravina followed behind him and dealt with them.


    After Vasen swung his sword a few times, he thought to himself, <i>¡®He¡¯s not easy.¡¯</i>


    Yaboon stepped back, all rxed.


    As a smile appeared on Yaboon¡¯s face, his sharp teeth were revealed.


    ¡°Are you trying to buy time?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯ll want to use magic.¡±


    Vasen tsked internally.


    <i>¡®Does he know about magic?¡¯</i>


    Then Yaboon replied, ¡°Wizards are always like that. They make others buy them time with swords and bows, while they take their time drawing circles. Isn¡¯t it unfair?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not that close emotionally, so it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, it''s unfortunate. Do tell the wizard that it¡¯s already toote.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Yaboon raised his hand, and there was a clink. Vasen turned to see that the chain tying the Sea Serpent had fallen off.


    Vasen¡¯s expression turned troubled.


    <i>¡®Shit, the Sea Serpent will get out of there!¡¯</i>


    Then Yaboon suddenly looked over Vasen¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°W¡­when did he get on board?¡±


    Vasen turned around. Mazdari was walking up to them from behind the mast.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Prince Vasen. It isn¡¯t toote.¡±


    A magic circle emerged on one of Mazdari¡¯s eyes. The spell had begun.

 Chapter 106: Talajin鈥檚 Hand

    <h4>Chapter 106: Tjin¡¯s Hand</h4>


    <i>Wooong¡­</i>


    A vibration shook the atmosphere. Rather than the air actually vibrating, it was more of an auditory hallucination. All those fighting on the sea heard it. It sounded as if a veryrge being was twisting its body and groaning in difort.


    The soldiers who had been wielding swords and spears at each other all stopped for a moment, and they turned to look at the front part of each ship, where magic was activating. And for a moment, nothing happened.


    Yaboon eximed, ¡°Ha! Of course! You failed!¡±


    While confronting Yaboon, Vasen Lak Orazen slowly widened his distance from the front of the ship, where the Sea Serpent was.


    Yaboon then looked at Vasen and said, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to know much about magic, do you? Magic easily fails. It fails even if the magic circle is drawn a little differently, or if the spell is recited with a stutter. So there¡¯s no way it would seed on this battlefield¡­¡±


    <i>Krawawawawa¡­!</i>


    Vasen covered his ears at the loud shriek. However, the sound wasn¡¯t hitting his ears, buting from within him. Vasen leaned against the railing to prevent himself from falling. Meanwhile, many soldiers fell off the deck screaming in pain.


    Fortunately, Vasen wasn¡¯t the only one caught off guard. Yaboon also hurriedly stepped back, and Mazdari, who was exercising the magic, stumbled and didn¡¯t look so good. However, the monster that was supposed to be knocked out by the magic seemed fine. The silver lining was that it remained stuck between the ships and was looking around warily.


    Vasen looked at Mazdari like he was pathetic.


    ¡°What have you done, Garuda? This way, not only are the enemies unable to fight, neither can we.¡±


    Mazdaro awkwardly smiled.


    ¡°Just wait. I haven¡¯t even gotten started yet.¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    On the opposite side of where Vasen was, an explosion urred in front of the magic circle drawn on The Humiliation of Pirates. And a pir of ck shadow rose.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not a shadow.¡¯</i>


    It was an arm. It was hard to tell what species the arm belonged to. It was big enough to grab three or four people, and at the very end was a hand. The hand was tapping and groping around the front part of the ship like it was looking for something.


    ¡°What¡­is that? It looks like the hand of a giant.¡±


    Mazdari then replied, ¡°You have keen eyes. That¡¯s summoning magic.¡±


    ¡°Summoning magic?¡±


    ¡°Magic circles are used as signals of change, but they¡¯re also used as doors between worlds. I opened a door for a creature from another world, which was known as Tjin in ancient times.¡±


    The Tjin¡¯s hand roughly rummaged around the front of the ship and soon caught a Deep One.


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    The Deep One¡¯s resistance was short-lived. With a crunch, the Deep One¡¯s whole body waspletely crushed by the Tjin¡¯s hand. The hand then threw the dead Deep One onto the deck and began to grope for the next target.


    Soon after, a second and third Tjin¡¯s hand appeared on the front-most parts of other ships.


    The soldiers¡¯ screams continued.


    Vasen looked at the hands and said, ¡°It seems like they are looking for something¡­ What are they looking for?¡±


    Mazdariughed.


    ¡°They¡¯re looking for me.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°This magic spell is called Tjin¡¯s Hand. It makes the Tjins angry. Imagine, Vasen.¡±


    Vasen looked at Mazdari¡¯s eyes, which were glowing with his magic circle.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking a nap on a sunny hill on an autumn day. The sun is warm, and when it seems to be getting hot, a light breeze blows and cools the hotness down. But then an ant crawls past your ear, the rustling noises waking you up. You find it most distasteful. Why did the small ant have to pass by your ear on this wide hill?¡±


    Mazdari pointed at the fourth magic circle he drew on the Deep Ones¡¯ ship.


    ¡°So you find an anthill that was right next to you and put your finger in.¡±


    From the magic circle, a fourth Tjin¡¯s hand rose up. Immediately, it broke the end of the mast, grabbing and crushing the watchkeeper who was shooting arrows at it. Blood and organs poured out of the Deep One¡¯s mouth.


    Vasen replied, ¡°Then¡­isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°All magic is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    ¡°However, there are measures put in ce. Magic sets rules. Rule one, those Tjin¡¯s hands only recognize Deep Ones as people.¡±


    Vasen could confirm that when he looked at the top of the ship. A number of unfortunate souls did get knocked off bnce, but everyone the Tjin¡¯s hands were grabbing or crushing out of rage were Deep Ones.


    ¡°Rule two, they see that monster as me.¡±


    One of the hands groping around the front of the ship reached through the railing. The Sea Serpent was greatly wary of the hand.


    ¡°What are you doing!? Bite the hand!¡±


    Vasen turned to see the source of the voice and found Yaboon having run far away, to a safe distance where the hand wouldn¡¯t reach him.


    Just as the Tjin¡¯s hand was about to touch the Sea Serpent, the Sea Serpent turned and bit its wrist.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it!¡±


    However, Yaboon¡¯s satisfaction onlysted a moment. As soon as the first wrist got bit, the other hands zeroed in on the Sea Serpent. One of them grabbed the Sea Serpent¡¯s head, making it shriek.


    <i>Kuuoooo!</i>


    While the Tjin¡¯s hand wasrge, it was barely big enough to grab onto the Sea Serpent¡¯s head. Even so, that seemed to have no bearing on the damage it could inflict with its power.


    The Tjin¡¯s hand ripped off the flesh of the Sea Serpent¡¯s head.


    <i>Kuuoo¡­!</i>


    Scales, flesh, and blood sttered everywhere like rain.


    The other hands joined, and they forced the Sea Serpent''s mouth open. Amid the Sea Serpent¡¯s shriek of pain, there was the sound of its jaw bone breaking, followed by the tear of its ligaments.


    The Sea Serpent¡¯s torn-off jaw was then thrown toward the Deep Ones.


    <i>Kooo¡­</i>


    Then the fourth hand began to dig into the Sea Serpent¡¯s throat and grab it. And at the same time, the other hands ripped off the Sea Serpent¡¯s flesh while it was still alive.


    Watching from behind a shelter, Vasen said, ¡°Magic is indeed dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why magic circles shouldn¡¯t be drawn too big.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Mazdari tapped on his shoulder.


    ¡°Then more than the arm and shoulder wille out. Things will get out of hand in that case.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ Things will get out of hand, huh.¡±


    Vasen was curious about what the Tjins looked like beyond the magic circle, but thought that something was better left unknown.


    Vasen then turned to look at the stern of the ship, where Yaboon was.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to capture him while we¡¯re on board.¡±


    ¡°Right. We can¡¯t go back now. I need to supervise those hands at the moment. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be entertained by this for too long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    Vasen nced at the Sea Serpent that was already being torn into blood clots before running forward. With the Sea Serpent being otherwise upied, the odds were tilting in favor of ck Scale and the allied navies.


    The pirate ships had approached despite the shotsing from ck Scale¡¯s ships, but with the Sea Serpent under assault, their courage dwindled. Meanwhile, the allied navies had dealt with the Deep Ones on board and were now trailing behind ck Scale¡¯s ships.


    ¡°Damn it¡­!¡±


    The knights Yaboon had borrowed from King Gyo hadn¡¯t been able to demonstrate their full power, and the Sea Serpent he was given as proof of him bing the greatest priest of Deep Light got defeated by magic.


    As the situation deteriorated, Yaboon wondered from what point had things gone wrong.


    <i>¡®Are our strategy and tacticscking? Is it because of the new weapons they brought? ¡­No. It¡¯s all because I got pushed out into the open sea.¡¯</i>


    Yaboon sensed his fate as the weaker party. And the warrior who would end Yaboon¡¯s fate appeared before him.


    ¡°Pirate Yaboon. I will punish you ording to the will of the King of ck Scale, Kyle Lak Orazen.¡±


    Yaboon shook his head and raised an ax.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Even if I die, it¡¯s ording to Deep Light¡¯s will. Your nobody of a king has nothing to do with this.¡±


    ¡°Deep Light?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare utter the name of our God in vain!¡±


    Yaboon then charged at Vasen. Vasen wondered what he should do, but Yaboon¡¯s sharp and fierce attacks were not to be dismissed.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s no coincidence that he¡¯s the head of a pirate group. He¡¯s a warrior who has fought countless battles. He¡¯s stronger than me, and more experienced than I am. He¡¯s a strong enemy.¡¯</i>


    Vasen asked himself whether it was a mistake for him toe to kill Yaboon alone.


    <i>¡®...No. This is our only chance to deal with the head of this pirate group. If I hadn¡¯t seized the opportunity, he would have run far away to the southern continent, and that could end up giving him countless chances to attack the Southern Archipgo. Even though it¡¯s dangerous, it was necessary to jump into this situation.¡¯</i>


    With that question and answer, Vasen also knew he was ahead of Yaboon.


    Vasen crossed des with Yaboon and made a big move. And as he did so, Yaboon didn¡¯t miss the chance to trip Vasen. Vasen then quickly rolled back, but he dropped his sword and became empty handed.


    ¡°Is this all that you can do after making such a fuss!?¡±


    However, Yaboon couldn¡¯t charge at Vasen right away. Lizardmen were rushing toward Vasen from the back while killing Deep Ones.


    <i>¡®Damn it, my next swing would be enough to kill him, but then I would have to face the other Lizardmen too.¡¯</i>


    He could do that, of course, but the battle was growing unfavorable to him. He couldn¡¯t tell for how long the battle would tie him down to the ship.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t do that.¡¯</i>


    He thought the best option was to move to another ship right away and n for the future.


    Vasen saw Yaboon running away from the back.


    <i>¡®Yaboon, you¡¯re strong, but¡­¡¯</i>


    And then he took out the dagger he had inside his inner pocket. This was the advantage that Vasen thought he had over Yaboon. Yaboon had no secondary weapons.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re a coward.¡¯</i>


    Vasen threw his dagger. It flew through the air and stabbed the back of Yaboon¡¯s thigh.


    Yaboon screamed in pain and turned around.


    ¡°...You punk! How cowardly¡­!¡±


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have shown me your back.¡±


    Vasen picked up his long sword and charged at Yaboon.


    Yaboon¡¯s neck flew into the air.


    ***


    As Vasen raised the spear piercing through Yaboon¡¯s head, the other pirate ships began to flee.


    ck Scale¡¯s military ships escorted The Humiliation of Pirates and the other ships, while the other allied navies began to quickly chase after the pirates.


    ¡°Did we win?¡±


    It couldn¡¯t yet be called a perfect victory. The fight against pirates on deck was still ongoing.


    In particr, the Deep Ones had been pressing their backs to the railings before diving into the sea for fear of getting pierced by the spears. And of course, Vasen knew that the Lizardmen soldiers wouldn¡¯t allow the Deep Ones to get away.


    ¡°...What happened to the magic?¡±


    Vasen left the spear with Yaboon¡¯s head on it to another soldier and returned to the front of the ship, killing Deep Ones on the way. There, he saw something strange. The dead Sea Serpent was nowhere to be found. Its organs had been taken out of the corpse and arranged in a row on the deck.


    <i>¡®Do these hands also have intelligence?¡¯</i>


    It was inevitable that he would think so. At first, Vasen had thought that the hands were only ripping apart the Sea Serpent with pure strength, but it seemed that the hands had arranged the various pieces of flesh, internal organs, and organs ording to some rules so that they wouldn¡¯t ovep.


    The strange arrangement implied organized madness.


    ¡°...Garuda?¡±


    Vasen carefully called out to Mazdari, but Mazdari was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    As if their work wasn¡¯t done yet, the hands bent down and started writing something.


    <i>¡®These things with intelligence¡­are writing something down?¡¯</i>


    Vasen made his way through the soldiers and pirates, carefully approaching the front of the ship.


    ¡°Mazdari, where are you?¡±


    Before going around searching for Mazdari, Vasen looked down at what the Tjin¡¯s hands were drawing and was left shocked.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The hands dripping with the blood and bodily fluids of the Sea Serpent were drawing something at the front of the ship. It was a circleposed of unknown writing, and above all, it was giving off a dim light. It was a magic circle.


    Then one of the Tjin¡¯s hands raised its index finger and pressed into the center of the magic circle.


    <i>¡®...Is it toote?¡¯</i>


    Vasen ran towards the hand and was about to cut off the finger when someone grabbed his arm.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡±


    It was Hwee Ravina Muel.


    ¡°I discovered it first.¡±


    ¡°But they were trying to use magic and¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Look.¡±


    Vasen looked at the magic circle as Ravina told him to do. Nothing happened.


    <i>Woooo¡­</i>


    The Tjins let out a disappointed cry and then hit the magic circle as if they were upset. The bow of the ship broke along with the magic circle.


    Vasen then asked, ¡°Did they fail?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Ravina. ¡°Magic makes rules. And those rules are very specific. Just as that pirate said, it requires very sophisticated techniques and an attention to details. Even the smallest mistake will prevent the magic from activating and make it copse.¡±


    Ravina tapped on her antlers.


    ¡°And I can cause such a slight mistake.¡±

 Chapter 107: End of the Act

    <h4>Chapter 107: End of the Act</h4>


    Vasen Lak Orazen didn¡¯t properly understand what Hwee Ravina Muel had said. All he got was that the Tjin¡¯s hand had tried to use magic, and that Ravina had the power to stop that from happening. But it was actually a moreplicated matter than that.


    <i>-Causing magic to fail and have no effect isn¡¯t easy either. A magic circle usually doesn¡¯t contain any unnecessary information.</i>


    Every part of a magic circle was drawn to conjure the spell that a Wizard wanted to cast. Therefore, the magic could be partially activated as long as not every element was a mistake.


    <i>-In that case, idents beyond or opposite of the Wizard¡¯s intentions could happen.</i>


    Ravina replied to her antler¡¯s murmur.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s information that Prince Vasen doesn¡¯t need to know about. He¡¯ll probably get bored if I exin it in detail.¡¯</i>


    The reason the Tjin¡¯s hands had failed the magic and triggered nothing was because Ravina also had an extensive understanding of magic. Her being cursed with a spirit of Demonic Magic alone wasn¡¯t enough to stop the magic; she seeded because she was the closest to bing a Wizard after Mazdari. Ravina was unable to understand the whole ritual needed to conjure magic due to her iplete knowledge, so she wasn¡¯t even an apprentice Wizard. However, all magic followed a particr set of rules and procedures.


    Ancient writing was used as elements in order to specify particr parameters or targets, and Ravina understood what eachponent of the magic circle meant.


    Her spirit of Demonic Magic that manipted probability interfered with the muscles of the Tjin¡¯s hand drawing the magic circle, the wind of the sea, the fragments of the broken mast, the rocking of the ship on water, and the blood and flesh used to draw the magic circle, all as Ravina intended. As a result, the Tjin¡¯s hand was unable to correctly draw the long lines in ordance with the rules of the magic circle. In the end, the lines jittered here and there, and the circle was smudged with writing that wasn¡¯t recognizable.


    <i>¡®Only, how do we deal with that?¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, the fight died down, and everyone was made aware of the reach of the Tjin¡¯s hands, as indicated by the dead Deep Ones¡¯ blood sttered on the deck.


    <i>¡®And I believe what Mazdari said about setting those hands to only target Deep Ones.¡¯</i>


    However, Mazdari had hidden himself by the time Ravina had the breathing room to look around.


    She said to Vasen, ¡°It would be better to get onto another ship.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± replied Vasen.


    ¡°If we leave the magic be, there¡¯s no way to know when it will disappear. Perhaps it might linger there. So until safety is guaranteed, it would be better to have no one on the ship.¡±


    ¡°Really? It can continue to stay there?¡±


    Ravina nodded as if it wasn¡¯t anything impressive.


    ¡°It would be a nice ship decoration then.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not exactly¡­¡±


    Ravina btedly noticed the smile on the Lizardman¡¯s face and realized it was a joke.


    ¡°As you have seen, those hands are dangerous. Even though Mazdari set a rule for them to only go after Deep Ones, left to their own devices, they might swing around indiscriminately and hurt people.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, that¡¯s not the hand of an ordinary monster. It has its own conscience and desires. They even have knowledge that we don¡¯t know about. Didn¡¯t you see them use magic?¡±


    Ravina couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what kind of magic they used. But ording to Mazdari, the hands were angry, which was evident in the way they moved.


    Vasen didn¡¯t need an exnation to know that the hands were dangerous.


    He said, ¡°Then it¡¯s more troublesome to go to another ship. If we leave those hands there, it will be more dangerous than Yaboon¡¯s Pirates.¡±


    ¡°I will stay and watch them.¡±


    ¡°By yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Vasen looked around.


    ¡°What about Mazdari?¡±


    ¡°Mazdari¡­is not here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s usually hard to find someone during a battle.¡±


    Ravina decided to tell the truth.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Mazdari will note.¡±


    ¡°...Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t simply be a Wizard,¡± Ravina exined. ¡°When the knights of Asbestos attacked the Alchemist Tower, the alchemists all went their separate ways. And many alchemists died. I was lucky to have escaped to ck Scale, but most of the alchemists didn¡¯t manage to get out of Asbestos. And that was probably¡­the case for Mazdari.¡±


    Vasen looked at the Tjin¡¯s hands groping around the deck as if they were walking with their fingers. They seemed to be fidgeting, but he could sense the nervousness and annoyance the owner of the hands would be feeling.


    ¡°Essentially, you¡¯re saying that Mazdari is a Wizard <i>of?</i>Asbestos.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And above all, we should be more wary of him as he was the only Wizard we¡¯ve seen emerging. He probably sold out the other alchemists to be a Wizard.¡±


    Vasen shook his head; there was no telling whether the gesture meant that he understood or something else.


    Ravina continued to say, ¡°His Majesty called upon me to fight the Wizards from other countries that woulde down to the Southern Archipgo. And that¡¯s because my knowledge and abilities are one of the few ways there is to counter magic. But I didn¡¯t feel the need to stop the Tjin¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because I can read the magic circle, I knew that Mazdari drew it just as he had exined. However, there was a trap.¡±


    Ravina pointed at the magic circle that the Tjin¡¯s hands had tried to draw. Traces of destruction were the only things remaining of the circle, but the destruction only served to make the particr spot on deck stand out more.


    ¡°It¡¯s the fact that the Tjin¡¯s hands can use magic on their own. I don¡¯t know exactly what the spell was, but it would certainly put ck Scale in danger, and Mazdari would have known. Mazdari is probably on another ship, waiting for chaos to befall our ship from a safe distance.¡±


    With that exnation, Ravina hoped that Vasen would hurry and give orders to confront the allied navies. Now that the pirates had fled back to Doltan Ind, ck Scale and the other allied navies were left to confront each other. In the next fight, it would be important to first take the advantageous point for cannon shooting.


    But contrary to what she wanted, Vasen said somethingpletely unrted.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to do so.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Vasen looked over Ravina¡¯s shoulders and lifted his chin.


    Ravina turned around.


    ¡°How rude, Ravina.¡±


    The Garuda, Mazdari, was limping toward them.


    ***


    ¡°I didn''t think our friendship was that shallow.¡±


    Ravina was flustered by Mazdari¡¯s words.


    Ravina pointed at her antlers, and then at Mazdari¡¯s head.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we only as close as how a cow sees a chicken?¡±


    ¡°Oh, what a marvelous analogy¡­ Are top students built differently? Was I the only one who has been sincere the whole time?¡±


    ¡°What sincerity are you talking about?¡±


    Vasen interrupted them, ¡°Pleasantries are all well and good, but now that you¡¯ve heard what happened, why don¡¯t you exin yourself, Mazdari?¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°I was ready to buy into Ravina¡¯s story. I would have if you didn¡¯t show up in front of me.¡±


    Mazdari slightly touched his head. There was an actual bleeding wound, but at a nce, it would seem like he was putting on an act to buy some time.


    ¡°Prince Vasen. I know how to do magic, whichnds me the title of a Wizard. However, I haven¡¯t mastered all the spells in my repertoire yet.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I guess it¡¯s pretty far-fetched to think that things summoned by magic would be able to use magic themselves?¡±


    ¡°Except for that part.¡±


    ¡°...Hm?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Ravina or any other alchemists would have read it because it was a book I received directly from my teacher, but in ancient documents, there are numerous warnings about Tjin¡¯s Hand. They emphasize in particr that the hands shouldn¡¯t be left for too long. While they are powerful, they are also the hands of high-ranking Wizards. With enough materials around, even one arm would be capable of expanding the magic circle and allowing the owners of the hands to trespass into thisnd.¡±


    Ravina grew wary.


    ¡°Then, Mazdari, you did¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Mazdari firmly denied. ¡°I knew you would stop the magic that the Tjin¡¯s hands would try to use.¡±


    ¡°I could have failed.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that would happen¡­but there was a need for such a gamble.¡±


    Vasen then asked, ¡°Gamble?¡±


    ¡°Yes, gamble.¡±


    ¡°Exin in more detail.¡±


    Mazadai nodded, and said, ¡°Prince Vasen, how many spies thatmunicate with other countries do you think are on ck Scale¡¯s ship?¡±


    Ravina thought it was an absurd question. And she thought Vasen would confidently reply that there weren¡¯t any, but his answer was not that.


    ¡°There are many that I can''t identify exactly, so I would say about ten.¡±


    ¡°Then how many would have seen the naval ram tactic you¡¯ve employed to crash into the monster, witnessed me use my magic to defeat the monster, but also noticed my magic getting out of hand and trying to use magic themselves?¡±


    ¡°One to two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    Ravina asked, ¡°Why are you calling it a relief when there¡¯s a spy?¡±


    ¡°Because that spy would prove that I, a Wizard of Asbestos, tried to trick ck Scale and cause great damage to the soldiers of ck Scale.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Vasen seemed to have gotten what Mazdari meant before he spelled it out exactly.


    ¡°Ravina, the spy that Mazdari is talking about isn¡¯t the ones spying on our soldiers, but ones spying on Mazdari. Just as you said, Mazdari got on this ship with the order to attack ck Scale.¡±


    ¡°...Oh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s changed his mind, or if he had no intention to do so in the first ce, but he gave you the chance to stop the magic that the Tjin¡¯s hands tried to use. And thanks to that, Mazdari was able to sessfully trick the spies while minimizing the casualties ck Scale suffered¡­ Am I right, Mazdari?¡±


    Mazdari nodded.


    Vasen drew out his sword.


    ¡°Then the two of us must fight.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Seeing Mazdari also pull out his sword, Ravina was bewildered.


    ¡°W¡­wait? How do things lead to this point? You¡¯re saying that Mazdari had no intention of attacking us, right? You just said that he was only pretending to attack us to trick Asbestos.¡±


    Mazdari raised his sword. It was a sword that fit a Garuda¡¯s height. A soldier of an ordinary build would have to hold it with two hands, but Mazdari managed with one.


    ¡°The Wizard hiding among the enemy cast a spell to kill the enemies. But that magic failed due to the enemy¡¯s interference, and the Wizard got caught red-handed. Thus, the enemy put up their final resistance.¡±


    Vasen grinned and said, ¡°It means that the act is not over yet.¡±


    Ravina thought she needed to stop them, but then she realized that it would be difficult through either logic or physical strength.


    Mazdari then said, ¡°Although it¡¯s an act, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have the story go that I overpowered you in the end, right? I¡¯ll be gentle, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying, Wizard?¡± Vasen beckoned him over with a finger. ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going easy on you. I¡¯ll yield one move.¡±


    Mazdari never turned down a free offer.


    The giant Garuda charged at the Lizardman.


    ***


    At the sandy beach of Doltan Ind.


    The ships of ck Scale and the allied navies were facing each other in coastal waters, and soldiers were lined up in two groups at the beach. Leading the groups were, respectively, ck Scales¡¯ Team Leader, Vasen, and Asbestos¡¯s General, Oldor.


    Vasen bluntly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that too low a price for a Wizard held captive?¡±


    ¡°You should keep in mind that the allied navies are twice as big as ck Scale¡¯s force. Don¡¯t you also know that our artillery capabilities are about the same level?¡±


    ¡°What about the threat to my life?¡±


    ¡°...You can¡¯t say that the price for handing him over is insignificant.¡±


    Vasen let out a puff of air from his nose and sent Mazdari, who was tied up with rope, over to General Oldor.


    Vasen had won the battle with Mazdari, and Asbestos made an offer to retrieve the Wizard. There was no precedent for how much a Wizard should be worth, so the settlement dragged on somewhat, but ultimately didn¡¯t take too long. The good to be traded was right in front of them¡ªor under their feet, so to speak.


    ¡°Are you going to leave right away? Even though Doltan Ind is ours now, we aren¡¯t so heartless that we¡¯ll drive you out immediately.¡±


    ¡°...Hm, I¡¯ll take a rain check. We aren¡¯t allies now, so what good would pleasantries do?¡±


    In exchange for handing Mazdari over, ck Scale received a truce of dozens of days as well as Doltan Ind.


    Doltan Ind was the passageway to the southern continent, so it was painful for the allied navies to give it up when they had defeated the pirates together. Furthermore, the Wizard only belonged to Asbestos, so Asbestos had topensate the other countries.


    But of course, Oldor and the other allied navies believed that they would be able to take Doltan Ind back once the truce was over, so they didn¡¯t think of it as their loss. And above all, the fight with Yaboon¡¯s Pirates was a stage that showcased the power of a Wizard. Oldor thought that he had won the Wizard back at a cheap price before the value of their kind was established.


    <i>¡®Yes, this is enough. As long as we have this Wizard, we can win the fight at any time.¡¯</i>


    A few dayster, the allied navies went to Bavrin for resupply. A bigger fight was going to break out once the brief truce was over.


    <i>¡®Will it happen soon? I¡¯m not too sure about that. But ck Scale won¡¯t be able to easily ovee the next Wizard attack.¡¯</i>


    Oldor sought out Mazdari to warn him that ck Scale might break the truce and deploy their military ships. However, strange magic circles were drawn all over Mazdari¡¯s room, which had been left unchecked for a few days.


    ¡°...What are these magic circles?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, it¡¯s you, Oldor.¡±


    Engrossed in drawing small magic circles, Mazdari let out a sigh of relief.


    Oldor kept a wary eye on the magic circles and said, ¡°What are you so surprised about?¡±


    ¡°Well, in case a priest of Binding God came.¡±


    ¡°A priest?¡±


    Oldor continued to ask questions because he didn¡¯t know what Mazdari was getting at.


    Mazdari sat down on a chair and replied with anguid attitude, ¡°I was testing a few magic circles.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing something so dangerous on a ship?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s necessary.¡±


    Oldor showed interest then.


    ¡°What kind of magic is it?¡±


    Mazdari replied, ¡°It¡¯s magic that deceives a god¡¯s eyes. It¡¯s simply called Deception. It¡¯s nothing significant. Only enough to evade a god¡¯s active attention. And it seems to work properly as long as I¡¯m alive. If not for this, Binding God would have intervened in my act with Vasen, but I still wasn¡¯t certain if it had worked properly since Night Sky might have helped. Seeing that I¡¯m still alive, however, this magic circle definitely works. The ancient Wizards apparently weren¡¯t controlled by the gods, and there certainly was an exnation for that.¡±


    ¡°What in the world¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Mazdari pointed at Oldor¡¯s feet.


    ¡°That¡¯s the magic of Spontaneous Combustion.¡±


    mes sprang up from beneath Oldor¡¯s skin and devoured him whole.


    1. ¡¯Like a cow sees a chicken¡¯ is a Korean proverb which means the manner in which one looks at something with indifference.

 Chapter 108: Night of Betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 108: Night of Betrayal</h4>


    Oldor burned in the radiant mes and tried to scream.


    ¡°...!¡±


    However, the mes that burned within Oldor were also burning inside his lungs, and the rising air lost the momentum to make his vocal cords vibrate. Therefore, Oldor reached out to attack Mazdari in any way possible, but a simple step back was all it took for Mazdari to render hisst resistance futile.


    Oldor copsed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Oldor. That fire is magic, so it won¡¯t spread to the ship.¡±


    Mazdari¡¯s Rotten Hand spoke up.


    <i>-It¡¯s a bit early, but we should get started.</i>


    <i>¡®It would have been over if I hadpleted drawing this anyway.¡¯</i>


    The magic circle that Oldor had stepped on was made in case a priest of Binding God came.


    The magic circle of Deception. It was known to deceive the eyes of a god, but that didn¡¯t apply to their priests.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t think Oldor¡¯s death has been discovered yet.¡¯</i>


    In order to take over the ship, Mazdari had drawn magic circles in several ces for the past few days. He had to keep the Binding God and the priests in the dark with Deception, so it had taken him a long time.


    <i>-Should we activate the spell?</i>


    <i>¡®Yes.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari recited the spell with his Rotten Hand. It was time to carry out the n that he had been preparing for since they came back from Doltan Ind.


    The magic circles inside Mazdari¡¯s room activated the other magic circles using the rules he created. Thest magic circle activated was drawn on the floor of a storage below deck, where no light could reach and only saw visitors every now and then when the quartermaster entered to get food and water. In a hidden corner of the storage, the magic circle shone red, and the dead mouseid on top of it began to wiggle and move.


    The dead mouse¡¯s stomach was exposed, and whenever it moved, fluid would ooze from the hole, but still it sniffed around in curiosity as if it were alive; it even seemed hungry. The dead mouse gnawed at the wood to eat the food supplies kept in the storage. Usually it would have to gnaw for a few hours, but somehow, the mouse was several times stronger than when it was alive, so it didn¡¯t take too long for it to gain ess and feast on the grains.


    However, the dead mouse knew that grains wouldn¡¯t be enough to satisfy its hunger. With a boldness it hadn¡¯t possessed before its death, it thus went above deck where sunlight shone during daytime¡ªa space that belonged to the sailors. The dead mouse wandered around the sleeping sailors and found the feet of a Troll sailor sticking out of the thin cloth used as a nket. Excited, the dead mouse scurried up to the Troll¡¯s feet and bit on one of their little toes.


    The Troll sailor woke up screaming in pain, and the other sailors lit a light. By then, the dead mouse had already run away, and blood dripped from where the Troll¡¯s little toe used to be. A senior sailor tried to stop the bleeding, but it wasn¡¯t easy to do so, and after bandaging the wound with a piece of cloth, they told the Troll sailor who had lost a toe that they would check the injury when it was bright outside and made the Troll drink strong alcohol.


    However, while the other sailors closed their eyes and fell back asleep, the Troll sailor woke up again. It wasn¡¯t that the Troll couldn¡¯t fall back asleep. Their heart had actually stopped. Now dead, the Troll couldn¡¯t think rationally. Their brain had already stopped functioning without sufficient blood flow, and bacteria and viruses were getting excessively active and began to eat the cells in the body. The sailor was unable to remember the pain they had felt as their toe was chewed off, nor the strong alcohol they were fed so that they would fall back asleep. They couldn¡¯t identify themself either. And their feeling of emptiness was reced with an unsated appetite.


    The Troll sailor noticed the senior sailor, who had just tried to stop the bleeding to take care of them. The senior sailor was sleeping next to the Troll with their neck revealed. And anothermotion urred in their part of the ship again. The senior sailor screamed in pain and bled, and the knights came rushing.


    Several sailors and knights were bitten in the process of tying the Troll sailor up. The Troll sailor howled like a beast, but no punishment could be given until the situation was sorted out.


    When the knights were listening to the other sailors exin what had happened, the senior sailor died due to excessive bleeding, and it was said that the Troll sailor should be executed.


    A knight went up to find Older, but Oldor did not wake up. Therefore, the news was delivered to Mazdari.


    ¡°There¡¯s militaryw, so why is the matter being dealt with arbitrarily? Don¡¯t do that. Lock the Troll up and watch them so that General Oldor can deal with them the next day.¡±


    And things were done as he said.


    The crewmen were bitten again as they tried to lock up the Troll sailor. And when the situation seemed to be settling down, those who had gotten bitten copsed with a fever. Soon after, another person died.


    Terrified that a sudden epidemic had broken out, the knights quarantined the deck. Then screams broke out from the crew quarters. Those who had died came back to life and bit and killed the living. The crewmen who had barely survived came up to the deck through the holes that had been made on the sides of the ship to fire cannons. However, some of them had already been infected.


    A few hourster.


    Before the sun even rose, Whalebone was already filled with nothing but walking corpses while the ship continued its voyage.


    Shrouding himself with magic that concealed him from the walking corpses, Mazdari went up to the deck. The magic he had used was Zombie gue. A spell that could get out of control like Tjin¡¯s Hand, but Mazdari had followed the rules.


    <i>¡®If this spell is to be used, it must be used in an enclosed space, did it say?¡¯</i>


    A ship on sea met the condition perfectly.


    Mazdari went to each Zombie and drew magic circles on them so that they would keep the ship running. He had been carefully observing what orders the captain gave and what work the crewmen did during the journey, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to replicate the operation.


    Mazdari looked at the navigator chart and checked the region where sea fog was. The leader ship, Whalebone, ordered the following military ships to change their course.


    And after sessfully sailing the ghost ship for a few days, they disappeared on sea.


    ***


    [¡®Prophecy: The Wizard, Mazdari, will betray Asbestos¡¯ has been fulfilled.]


    Sung-Woon pointed at the system message and said, ¡°See? I told you things would work out.¡±


    Lunda pouted.


    ¡°How is that a prophecy? If I say, ¡®I will eat an apple today,¡¯ and eat an apple after saying that, would that be fulfilling a prophecy?¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t that example a bit too extreme?¡±


    Then Eldar said, ¡°That is called a self-fulfilling prophecy. The prophecy itself is used as an element to fulfill it.¡±


    ¡°Well, what he said.¡±


    Lunda nodded.


    If one became a Wizard, even a god wouldn¡¯t be able to read all their thoughts. Knowledge on magic wasn¡¯t all it took to be a Wizard; one would have to gather arcane knowledge as well as a systematic understanding of the art. There was aplex procedure involved in the acquisition and understanding of the knowledge, and the learnings would then have to be internalized through meditation.


    But still, yers could see the actions of a Wizard and notice when they did something insolent. As much as it was foolish to let a Wizard get out of control and betray them, a yer with a Wizard under their influence had the responsibility to pay attention to the Wizard in the long term.


    <i>¡®But The Lost World is a game that requires multitasking. There are many more elements to keep track of, which makes it impossible to pay constant attention to a Wizard.¡¯</i>


    Another problem with Wizards was that they increased a yer¡¯s loading. Another yer could make a Wizard betray their original god and escape said god¡¯s influence by ying the right cards.


    <i>¡®Because Wizards are predisposed to be rebellious toward yers in the first ce.¡¯</i>


    Once escaping the influence of a particr god, a Wizard would establish their own workshop, recruit disciples, and develop their own power, one step at a time. One Wizard alone could bepared to hundreds or perhaps thousands of soldiers. And once they got out of control, they could be a monster that consumed all of a yer¡¯s Faith points.


    So Sung-Woon did so. He approached Mazddari, the Wizard, when he called for the first yer meeting. Then he checked the Wizard¡¯s history and made a prophecy to facilitate the Wizard¡¯s betrayal. With the groundwork done, he gave the Wizard a chance to carry out his betrayal. It wouldn''t really matter if the Wizard simply disappeared one day without warning, but it would be better if he caused damage to the other country in the process. Only then would those who served and followed the Wizard grew fearful of the Wizard¡¯s power. The yers would then be keeping an eye out for Wizards, so there was a need to shield Mazdari from the scrutiny of the other gods.


    Sung-Woon¡¯s level was fortunately high enough to have ess to Divinity Block, but he didn¡¯t only rely on that.


    He had called Wisdom the night Mazdari was spreading the Zombie gue.


    ¡°Why did you call me, Neb?¡±


    ¡°Well, we have a truce for now, and there isn¡¯t really anything else to do. I was wondering if we could y something like Go, Janggi, or chess together. I¡¯m not someone who really feels boredom, but there¡¯s no need to waste time either.


    ¡°...Don¡¯t you have Eldar?¡±


    ¡°Eldar? Are you kidding? Eldar¡¯s no match for me.¡±


    Sung-Woon thought Wisdom was looking at him suspiciously, but that didn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°And for your information, I¡¯ve yed everyone else in addition to Eldar, and it was always boring. Don¡¯t bother if you¡¯re not confident, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I never said I wasn¡¯t confident.¡±


    ¡°Then are you willing to take on the challenge?¡±


    Wisdomughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s taking on the challenge. What should we y?¡±


    ¡°Should we y Go?¡±


    ¡°Wait for a second. I¡¯ll have to create a Go board.¡±


    And in fact, Wisdom¡¯s skills were excellent. He was almost as good as Sung-Woon and won in the end due to Sung-Woon¡¯s mistake.


    ¡°Is it my victory this time?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes. You¡¯re the King of Go on the third continent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honored to be acknowledged by the number one yer of The Lost World.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t actually feel upset. Mazdari hadpletely taken over the ship in the meantime.


    Wisdom didn''t realize the fact until the ship that Mazdari was on disappeared.


    <i>¡®But he would have noticed by now.¡¯</i>


    Lunda then said, ¡°Neb, I know you¡¯ve fulfilled your prophecy, but there¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Mazdari isn''t the only Wizard anymore.¡±


    That was true. Asbestos was the fastest in umting the most magical knowledge. And due to that, Mazdari became the first Wizard. But Wisdom and Asbestos weren¡¯t the only ones paying attention to magic. Golden Eye and Danyum had also captured the cursed individuals running away from the Alchemist Tower and gathered knowledge. And they thus gained the cooperation of two more Wizards.


    But Sung-Woon said dubiously, ¡°When did I ever say that I would make only Mazdari betray his country?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I know how to go about it and have the chance to do so. Why would I miss it?¡±


    Sung-Woon reopened the system messages that had popped up a few moments ago and showed them to Lunda.


    [¡®Prophecy: The Wizard, Yan, will betray Golden Eye¡¯ has been fulfilled.]


    [¡®Prophecy: The Wizard, Ty, will betray Danyum¡¯ has been fulfilled.]


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°All Wizards of the third continent have be independent.¡±

 Chapter 109: Two Meetings

    <h4>Chapter 109: Two Meetings</h4>


    The Anapacshio volcanic arc.


    Anapacshio was the tallest mountain in the center of the continent and a dormant volcano with a hollow peak resulting from an eruption that urred a long time ago. The basin was several kilometers in diameter, and if one looked up from the center of the volcanic arc, it would seem like they were in arge bowl that contained the sky.


    However, despite the superb view, all five yers gathered there looked upset.


    ¡°He got me,¡± Wisdom calmly said. ¡°I forgot I shouldn¡¯t trust Neb for even a moment. I must have thought we got a bit close since we saw each other quite frequently. I was purely having fun while ying Go, and I didn¡¯t realize Neb had any other intentions.¡±


    Jang-Wan replied, ¡°I don¡¯t care about your emotional wounds. You two having fun while ying Go is none of my business.¡±


    Jang-Wan then raised the eyebrows of his lion mask and shook his head as he continued, ¡°So what are you gonna do? Aren¡¯t the Wizards our secret weapon? Now that we¡¯ve lost them, we don¡¯t have any other hidden cards to pull if we go to war with ck Scale. They also have gunpowder.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lunda hesitantly interjected, ¡°I know it¡¯s kind of out of ce to say this in such a situation, but though we¡¯ve lost our Wizards, it¡¯s not like Neb has one either, right?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have Ravina? The one with antlers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a Wizard yet.¡±


    Crampus nodded. ¡°She¡¯s not a Wizard. And she doesn¡¯t seem interested in bing one either.¡±


    Jang-Wan tilted his head. ¡°She won¡¯t be a Wizard? Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°Well, firstly, she seems to have no desire to be one based on what I saw in her History.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, that¡¯s unexpected.¡±


    ¡°And above all, Neb seems to be going for the Anti-Magic strategy.¡±


    ¡°...Is that Anti-Magic?¡±


    Anti-Magic was another strategy in the game.


    If a yer could control a Wizard, it would be a great advantage to include them in a battle. But the problem was Wizards couldn¡¯t be easily controlled. Apart from the risk of losing control over a Wizard, there were also the possibilities that the Wizard would turn around to attack the yer¡¯s species.


    In fact, the three Wizards that had belonged to the alliance of the five countries, Yan, Ty, and Mazdari, all caused damage to their respective countries before running away. In order to avoid such risks, there was a need to strictly ban magic and Wizards and cultivate a distrust and fear about them. Rather than losing the advantage magic would bring, this kind of strategy would allow the yer to fulfill demand magic couldn¡¯t fulfill with scientific development, all the while preventing the loss in Faith points supporting magic could bring about.


    Jang-Wan then carefully said, ¡°But ck Scale is too open-minded about Wizards and magic to be Anti-Magic. They are punishable by nationalw, but the king has been tolerant to uses of magic.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but ck Scale had the chance to obtain extra magical knowledge. With so many alchemists running away from the Alchemist Tower, they could have caught any one of them, but they didn¡¯t seek any other alchemists¡¯ knowledge. It was as if all they needed was Hwee Ravina Muel. And the same goes for Ravina.¡±


    Jang-Wan nodded.


    They had to admit Sung-Woon was going for Anti-Magic when he could have made a Wizard but didn¡¯t.


    Then AR, who had been listening to the conversation behind a ck bridal veil, said, ¡°By the way, Crampus and Wisdom, have you guys found out where the Wizards have disappeared to?¡±


    AR1026, Crampus, and Wisdom each had a Wizard that they had lured to their sides and helped create¡ªYan of Golden Eye, Ty of Danyum, and Mazdari of Asbestos.


    Crampus shook his head and replied, ¡°In my experience, it¡¯s difficult to find a lost Wizard. Isn¡¯t that right, Wisdom?¡±


    Wisdom agreed. ¡°Because Wizards have the Deception spell. If there is a priest near the Wizard, they could be located, but we can¡¯t just go around looking for the Wizard on this huge game board.¡±


    There was no such thing as a search function in The Lost World. Even with someone who wasn¡¯t a Wizard, it would take lots of effort to give their followers the relevant information and tell them to look for a random person. Therefore, it was even more difficult to look for someone deliberately hiding themselves, and someone with the means to elude a god¡¯s scrutiny at that.


    ¡°...That only applies to when we look for them ourselves,¡± AR said.


    Wisdom and Crampus turned to her.


    Then Wisdom said, ¡°Oh, do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    AR1026 called up a system window and said, ¡°I made a creature.¡±


    In the window was a beast that looked like a pig.


    Crampus asked, ¡°Why a pig?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pigs have a good sense of smell?¡±


    ¡°...Wouldn¡¯t a dog make more sense then?¡±


    ¡°Apparently pigs have a better sense of smell than dogs. Pigs are used to find truffles.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Its name is Dasamu.¡±


    ¡°...I like the name.¡±


    AR1026 continued to say, ¡°Anyway, I put in lots of tracking-rted functions, and luckily, it ended up getting the skill Excellent Sense of Smell.¡±


    Only then did Wisdom voice his approval and say, ¡°That¡¯s good. With that, the Wizards will be found sooner orter.¡±


    It would take a long time for a yer to find an individual on their own, so using a creation would be the better method. And even after a Wizard disappeared, the objects they had touched remained. Therefore, a creature with the skill Excellent Sense of Smell would have a high chance of finding the Wizard.


    Finding and dealing with a lost Wizard was an important task for the yer that lost them.


    Then Wisdom said, ¡°We¡¯ll be removing the uncertain variables by dealing with the Wizards¡­ Even if that¡¯s not the case, just like Lunda said, isn¡¯t there not much to worry about?¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    Wisdom continued, ¡°We can tentatively assume that Neb is going for Anti-Magic, and to put it simply, his strategy isn¡¯t that different from ours, while we¡¯re five times bigger than he is.¡±


    In terms of territory, AR1026¡¯s Golden Eye was the smallest country among the five, but it was still bigger than ck Scale.


    ck Scale was able to gain an edge in economic development and be a powerful nation because Sung-Woon had achieved strategic sess. However, war would be a different story. Unlike culture, politics, and diplomacy, war was strictly a matter of mathematics. Havingrger territory meant more crops could be harvested, who would in turn support a bigger poption and allow for more room for growth.


    ¡°Even with a simpleparison, the number of troops we can mobilize for battle is up to eight timespared to his. And we could probably gather some more.¡±


    Jang-Wan shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t getcent after making a simple calction. I think we should remain somewhat vignt. I know it¡¯s kind of annoying to praise the opponent as the top yer¡­but it¡¯s still true that he¡¯s better than us, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°But between us and Neb, we have the same technology and neither side has magic, while we have more troops¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a high chance that ck Scale will enter an arms race with us. If we don¡¯t seize this chance now, their artillery technology will be more advanced, and it will be more difficult for us to take advantage of the asymmetry of military strength that exists right now. This is our best opening. There¡¯s no way Neb doesn¡¯t know that. If we go into a siege battle with cannons right now, we stand a higher chance at winning when looking at the death rates of the troops on each side. What part do you find risky?¡±


    Jang-Wan went over his concern and shook his head.


    ¡°I simply meant that we should be more cautious.¡±


    ¡°And I agree with that, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to raise concerns about something that doesn¡¯t exist yet. If we have any weaknesses, that would be the weakness to exploit.¡±


    ¡°borate on that.¡±


    Wisdom exined, ¡°We need to face Neb. Fortunately, Neb isn¡¯t an unfamiliar enemy to us, as we have been observing his y until now. Neb has a consistent y style when facing enemies bigger than him.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I know what it is. Divide and conquer, right?¡± said Jang-Wan.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Wisdom said. ¡°And it¡¯s the same this time around. For Neb to win, he probably hopes for us to split up and fight each other, but he wouldn''t expect that to naturally ur. So he would actively intervene to make that happen.¡±


    ¡°So as long as our alliance stays strong¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll win without any issues.¡±


    At those words, Lunda felt a pang of guilt, but she didn¡¯t let it show at all.


    ***


    Sage Valley was one of the sacred ces of the religious order of Night Sky, as it was the canyon where the Vampires became Night Sky¡¯s followers and willingly starved themselves to death.


    It had been a drynd where no food could be grown, and even now, it remained deserted because the dead Vampires were still in the caves. The ce rarely saw any visitors.


    However, deep within the Sage Valley was a long path that had yet to be named. And at the end of the path, three people sat on dimly glowing seats. They had something inmon: they were all Wizards.


    The Garuda, Mazdari, said, ¡°We¡¯ve finally gathered together.¡±


    The Gnome, Yan, replied, ¡°It¡¯s a shame that only three of us from the Alchemist Tower could make it here.¡±


    The Ent, Ty, then said, ¡°What about Hwee Ravina Muel?¡±


    Both Yan and Ty turned to Mazdari, who knew Ravina.


    ¡°Ravina didn¡¯t seem very interested in bing a Wizard.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a possibility. She doesn¡¯t need to suffer further when she was already born with a curse.¡±


    Mazdari nodded in agreement.


    Cursed ones were constantly tested to maintain their sanity as they talked to the spirits of Demonic Magic. Of course, some spirits had no other ulterior motives, but others were ill-natured. And those ill-tempered spirits went beyond bullying the cursed ones and actively inflicted pain on them or tried to kill them. If the consciousness of the spirit of Demonic Magic and the cursed one became assimted, that person would be corrupted. They would be a viin or go crazy.


    After a long investigation, alchemists learned that those were the reasons cursed ones were shunned. Therefore, alchemists endlessly talked with the spirits of Demonic Magic within them and trained their minds to cate and contain the desires of the ill-natured spirits.


    However, bing a Wizard was another matter. Bing a Wizard meant assimting oneself with such a spirit of Demonic Magic.


    The three Wizards hoped Ravina would thrive in the path that she chose and started their meeting. Each Wizard could have created a family on their own, but a long time ago, they had agreed upon a meeting ce for them toe together if something like their current situation happened.


    They intended to restore the Tower that had fallen because of the gods, but this time, they were going to name it the Wizard Tower rather than the Alchemist Tower. And they were nning on spreading their powers and knowledge.


    Ty, who was immersed in the nning, then said, ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s just rain¡­¡±


    As Yan looked around, Mazdari shook his head.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s something else amid the rain.¡±


    Then came a high-pitched sound, and all the Wizards took out their weapons. The magic circle they had drawn at the entrance of the cave to repel intruders had activated.


    Following the sound of something being dragged across the ground, a Lizardman appeared.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The Lizardman didn¡¯t reply to Yan¡¯s question. He had in his grasp a pig-like animal that was bigger than him.


    Then the Lizardman asked, ¡°Are you the Wizards? Hm. It does seem like it. Gnome, Ent, and Chicken.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Garuda.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Garuda. My apologies. I¡¯ve never seen your kind during my lifetime.¡±


    Mazdari reacted at the word ¡®lifetime¡¯.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask again, who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name isn¡¯t important. Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m a messenger of Night Sky, for now.¡±


    Mazdari frowned after hearing the god¡¯s name yet again.


    Yan then said, ¡°How did you find us?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t follow you. I followed this pig here.¡±


    The Wizards looked at the pig in his grasp.


    ¡°As soon as I saw it, I knew it wasn¡¯t a normal pig, but a creation another god had made to find you. You be careless when you¡¯re too immersed in something.¡±


    The Lizardman seemed to be saying that the Wizards were to me. The Wizards themselves had been full of confidence because they had deceived the gods.


    Then Mazdari said, ¡°I know who you are. You¡¯re an apostle of Night Sky, who has enough power to easily kill a god¡¯s creation.¡±


    The Lizardman raised his head as if suggesting Mazdari to call him by his actual name.


    ¡°Lakrak, have you appeared in front of us to kill us?¡±

 Chapter 110: Three Wizards

    <h4>Chapter 110: Three Wizards</h4>


    Lakrakughed.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Lakrak threw AR1026¡¯s pig creation at the three Wizards. The now dead Dasamu flew into the air andnded at their feet.


    ¡°You people would have died if I stayed still, so why would I have bothered?¡±


    Mazdari took a closer look at Dasamu.


    <i>¡®...Is it really a god¡¯s creation?¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t a known monster or something of good fortune. There was a chance it was an unknown Fiend or Abomination, but given it was unknown, they had to consider that it could be a creation made by another god.


    <i>¡®The flesh is soft and still warm. It hasn¡¯t been long since it died. It¡¯s unlikely that he was lying about the sudden appearance of a Fiend or an Abomination.¡¯</i>


    Although they were in the same ce, the Wizards didn¡¯t share the same thoughts.


    The Gnome, Yan, said, ¡°Hmph, we can handle this kind of pig.¡±


    Yan was an old Gnome, so he was wearing ss handiwork to aid his nearsightedness. Yan had never specifically said how old he was, but because Gnomes generally lived a long time, Mazdari assumed Yan was around one hundred years old. Were he a Human or Halfling, that would be the equivalent of sixty years old. Yan¡¯s cursed body part was his right ear. It was ck and protruded out, so it didn¡¯t look like an ear of any other species and was called the Devil Ear.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about the pig, Gnome,¡± Lakrak continued. ¡°I was talking about the ones that wille after this pig. This cave doesn¡¯t look very pleasant, considering you guys look down on the gods.¡±


    Yan kept silent.


    And this time, the Ent, Ty, said, ¡°Thank you for your help. But even though this pig never ended up reaching us, wasn¡¯t our location revealed through this pig¡¯s death?¡±


    Only looking at the silhouette of an Ent, they weren¡¯t that different from other bipedal species, but they were different in nature in the most fundamental way¡ªall parts that made up their body was wood. They did socially interact with other species, but what set them apart was the fact that they could live on sunlight and the moisture in nature alone.


    From a yer¡¯s perspective, they were also a rare species like the Garudas, but they were an even less popr choice. Not consuming food was both an advantage and a disadvantage. There was no need for food, so they didn¡¯t require arger territory or more resources. Given a yer¡¯s goal was to develop technology and loot resources bypeting with other species, Ents were rarely chosen unless the yer was going for a particr concept.


    The Ent, Ty''s cursed body part was not apparent on the outside. He simply had a horrific tinnitus.


    Lakrak shook his hand at the words of the carnivorous Ent, Ty.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    Lakrak furrowed his eyebrows.


    This legendary Lizardman was overwhelming the Wizards with his existence, and even a slight change in his face made the Wizards break into cold sweat. However, Lakrak was only wondering for a moment how he should proceed with theplicated exnation.


    ¡°The Insect God has intervened.¡±


    Mazdari was briefly puzzled by Night Sky¡¯s old name, but quickly remembered.


    Lakrak continued to exin, ¡°Firstly, he cut off the connection between the creation and its god. He had done that only asionally until now, so the god connected to the creation wouldn¡¯t feel that anything was off. After that, I killed it, and the Insect God created another creation that looks just like it. The god connected to the dead creation would be looking down on some random pig now.¡±


    Ty nodded like he was now wholly convinced that they had nothing to worry about.


    Then Mazdari asked, ¡°Then Lakrak, I¡¯ll ask you again. Why have youe to us?¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    Lakrak crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one leg. ¡°Have you all eaten yet?¡±


    ***


    Lakrak was in charge of the cooking.


    The three Wizards used to be alchemists, so they knew how to cook to some degree. After all, alchemy was just cooking things that weren¡¯t edible. But the kind of cooking Lakrak knew to do waspletely different.


    What Lakrak did was take off the flesh of the animal, prepare it to be cooked, light a fire, and roast the meat, which was a nomadic way to go about it.


    <i>¡®The skill of cutting and cooking a piece of meat the size of a house is something else.¡¯</i>


    The other two Wizards anxiously whispered to each other while watching the cooking process.


    Yan said, ¡°Mazdari, what should we do? Can we just eat that? Shouldn¡¯t we run away?¡±


    Mazdari shrugged.


    <i>¡®Can a Wizard fight an apostle of God?¡¯</i>


    Mazdari thought it wasn¡¯t impossible. It would be hard right now, but if his magic was restored, and hebined every trick he could think of, he would be able to put up a fight. But right now, it simply wasn¡¯t an option.


    Wizards needed lots of advance preparation for a battle. They had to prepare the necessary materials for magic, prepare the magic circles, and also consider the time and ce the magic should be activated to achieve the best result.


    On the other hand, if all the legends about the apostle of God before them were true, it would take less than three swings of his sword for Lakrak to cut off all three Wizards¡¯ heads.


    Mazdari then said, ¡°Think positively. If Lakrak was going to do something, he would have already done it, but he¡¯s friendly, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Ty replied, ¡°I¡¯m worried about something else.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°About whether we¡¯re allowed to eat something like the meat of a god¡¯s creation. Wouldn¡¯t we get cursed or something?¡±


    ¡°...Uh, that¡¯s an interesting point. I¡¯m not sure, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve read anything like that in ancient literature¡­¡±


    Lakrak then replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Meat is just meat.¡±


    Lakrak cutrge pieces off the roasted pork and swallowed it without even chewing a few times.


    ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s well cooked. You should eat.¡±


    Despite their uncertainty, the three Wizards went up to Lakrak. A part of them simply couldn¡¯t resist. The three Wizards had utilized all the knowledge at their disposal to avoid getting tracked by the gods, and they acted as carefully as possible even when it seemed unnecessary. This naturally included reducing their meals and eating things raw.


    The smell of cooking, especially cooking meat, was especially alluring.


    When Lakrak cut up the pig and gave each of them a piece, the three Wizards forgot about their pride and chewed on the meat by ripping it off the bones.


    From what Mazdari knew, Lakrak was sacred and didn¡¯t have to eat, but he did, just like the three hungry Wizards.


    And ncing at them while they ate, Lakrak said, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s hard to satisfy this kind of desire beyond death.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°When all lives after death are eternal, who would be the meat to be consumed?¡±


    Mazdari considered that remark with interest. It wasn¡¯t a great question or an answer, but it still addressed a fundamental matter.


    Even if one believed in a god and went to an afterlife, that ce wasn¡¯t perfect either.


    When the Wizards got somewhat full and began to eat at a slower pace, Lakrak said to them, ¡°So, how long do you think it willst?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Your lives.¡±


    Yan choked and coughed.


    While the Ent, Ty, gave Yan some water, Lakrak said, ¡°You three were lucky to run into me this time. But will that be the case the next time? Being careful and vignt would buy you some grace period. And because there¡¯s three of you, if you run separate ways, you would be able to buy that much more time. Also, if you make time to take in disciples and turn them into Wizards, that would keep you safe longer.¡±


    Mazdari replied, ¡°We know it¡¯s more of a gamble. We are nothingpared to the gods.¡±


    ¡°And yet you still rebelled?¡±


    At this moment, the three Wizards, Mazdari, Yan, and Ty, did not bring up Night Sky. They hadn¡¯t betrayed the other gods because Night Sky had instigated them to, and mentioning Night Sky now would disprove their point.


    The three Wizards each told their opinions.


    ¡°We were alive in the days when the gods weren¡¯t present.¡±


    ¡°That means gods are only helping us in order to control us.¡±


    ¡°Magic is proof that we can stand on our own without the help of a god.¡±


    Mazdari added, ¡°And nothing ends with our death. If we die at the hands of the gods, that would rather remain as proof that the gods are afraid of us. And magic will continue on.¡±


    Lakrak smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°...You, the apostle of God, agree with what we¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Only fools would decide whether to act or not depending on God¡¯s existence, and it¡¯s also true that God uses us.¡±


    ¡°If you know that, then why¡­¡±


    ¡°In order to know that.¡±


    Mazadri scrunched his face wondering if Lakrak was making some kind of word y.


    Lakrak said, ¡°If you know that we can stand on our own feet without God, shouldn¡¯t you also know that we aren¡¯t a Janggi piece even if we¡¯re on a god¡¯s Janggi board?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sophistry. One can only prove that by denying God¡¯s will.¡±


    ¡°But what if God¡¯s will and mine are always the same?¡± asked Lakrak. ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of denying God¡¯s will to prove that?¡±


    ¡°You are deceiving yourself.¡±


    At those words, Lakrak agreed again.


    ¡°Maybe so.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then this is a happy trick.¡±


    Mazdari couldn¡¯t understand all that Lakrak had said, but he was reminded again that Lakrak was for sure an apostle of God.


    <i>¡®...What¡¯s the point in talking about faith with someone who¡¯s not just a priest, but an apostle of God?¡¯</i>


    Then Mazdari said, ¡°So are you saying that we should believe in Night Sky because we won¡¯t live for too long? That you¡¯re going to protect us for our favor? Did Night Sky make the prophecy that we will betray our own countries and gods for this moment? If that¡¯s what you thought would happen, you¡¯re mistaken. We have no intention of letting any godmand us.¡±


    Lakrak shook his head.


    ¡°If you do not believe in Night Sky, I cannot do you any goodwill or protect you.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°However, things would be different with a contractual rtionship.¡±


    ¡°...Like I said, we have no intention in acting ording to God¡¯s will.¡±


    Larkrak nodded as if it was the answer he had expected.


    ¡°But Night Sky only asks for one thing from you three, and I don¡¯t think you will refuse.¡±


    ¡°...What is it?¡±


    ¡°Stay alive.¡±


    Mazdari cked his beak together and said, ¡°What does that mean¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it. Just stay alive. Of course, there¡¯s a limit to how much Night Sky can help you, and ck Scale is soon going to war, so it won¡¯t be easy. But it would be better to ept this deal than leave your lives in danger.¡±


    Mazdari seemed to have realized something and said, ¡°I get it. It''s valuable for us to stay alive because us staying alive threatens the other gods, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess you can think that way.¡±


    ¡°If not, what else?¡±


    Lakrak replied, ¡°If not? You were abandoned for the reason of being cursed. You wandered around the world while enduring hostility and then met people you could rely on, but even that is gone. And after barely surviving, you are now gathering in a cave to shield yourselves from rain, talking about your future while starving.¡±


    Lakrak then added, ¡°What reason is there to not show any sympathy?¡±


    Mazdari stayed silent and looked at the other two Wizards. They were his long-time colleagues, so he could see how they were feeling from their eyes.


    <i>¡®They¡¯ve fallen for it already.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari thought he was the only one left to object to the deal. However, he suddenly looked down and saw the meat he had been eating in his hand.


    <i>¡®Well, making us eat is part of the negotiation, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</i>


    It was inevitable for the party receiving benefit first to be at a disadvantage in a negotiation.


    Mazdari became despondent.


    Lakrak¡¯s appearance was not part of a clever n. It was a universal and basic negotiation trick.


    ¡°Alright, Lakrak, the first apostle of Night Sky. We¡¯ll ept that agreement.¡±

 Chapter 111: Even if Preparation is Done

    <h4>Chapter 111: Even if Preparation is Done</h4>


    ¡°Eldar, do you think he can win this war?¡±


    The one who asked the question was Lunda, who had contacted Eldar out of the blue.


    Lunda was dressed in her usual clothing that exposed her shoulders and legs. Against the backdrop of a snowy mountain in the north, she looked very cold.


    Eldar noticed something unusual.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing sses.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, yes. I wanted to look more intellectual. What do you think? Do they do the trick?¡±


    ¡°What you just exined, can you tell that to Neb as well?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°...And you should know well why that is.¡±


    Lunda took off the sses and threw them behind her.


    ¡°Anyway, what do you think about the first question I asked?¡±


    Eldar fell into a dilemma. It was hard for them to answer the question until they could confirm the situation in person, and it did sound like Lunda had been presenting things with her own opinions coloring her perspective. The same was true of Eldar, but there weren¡¯t many cases where Lunda would talk to Eldar alone. Both of them were tied to Neb, otherwise known as Sung-Woon.


    <i>¡®Broadly speaking, we do both have a loose alliance with Neb, but¡­¡¯</i>


    Fundamentally speaking, there was a difference between them.


    The reason Eldar got into a loose alliance with Sung-Woon in the first ce was because Eldar had received help from Sung-Woon. Although Eldar did get looted and overpowered by Sung-Woon, Eldar had gotten to look at those past events in a positive light and considered Sung-Woon¡¯s action a purely tactical move.


    Lunda, on the other hand, had her weakness taken advantage of by Sung-Woon from the start.


    <i>¡®But she does seem to cooperate quite well and is friendly toward Neb¡­¡¯</i>


    What Lunda had shown them since then seemed to be her true self rather than an act.


    <i>¡®But now she wants to have a separate conversation with me. Does that mean she changed her mind?¡¯</i>


    Eldar was not good at lying, so they decided to answer honestly.


    ¡°The situation is difficult indeed.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lunda said. ¡°The alliance hasn¡¯t even gathered all the troops yet, and we already have over one hundred thousand soldiers. On the other hand, ck Scale only has twenty thousand. Of course, that¡¯s not a small number either. It might actually be enough if ck Scale ys the defense. Given ck Scale is faster and more efficient in gathering troops, though, it¡¯s questionable whether they can gather any more.¡±


    Eldar agreed. ¡°But like you said, numbers aren¡¯t the only thing that matters. There¡¯s a high chance this will be a battle of defense. And when you look at the individual military strength, two fifths of the allied troops are built small.¡±


    Eldar was referring to the Renards and the Kobolds. Among the two, Renards were considered small, and Kobolds were even smaller. The average height of a Renard was 140 centimeters, and 110 centimeters for Kobolds; they also had the disadvantage of being that much weaker.


    Lunda shook her head.


    ¡°But one fifth is considered big, right?¡±


    Lunda was referring to the Trolls. Their average height was 230 centimeters, and they were the representatives among the stronger species.


    When looking at only physical size, Ogres were of course bigger. They were physically overwhelmingly stronger as they were close to three meters in average height and weighed hundreds of kilograms. However, they didn¡¯t have a high enough intelligence to carry out a war, so it wasmon to exclude them even when they were one of the major species.


    Lunda continued to say, ¡°Though overall, I do admit that the Lizardmen of ck Scale are outstanding due to the excellent physical blessings they got. And they also asionally get chosen ones.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°But that was only an advantage until recently.¡±


    Eldar was puzzled for a moment before realizing what she meant and reacting to it.


    ¡°With the emergence of firearms, the chosen ones are no longer at much of an advantage.¡±


    The chosen ones. They were able to attack with Lightning through the magical power of electricity, but they couldn¡¯t use it without limit. The power consumed mental power, and in order to restore their mental power, they had to take medicinal herbs. Therefore, Sung-Woon never overstated their value.


    Eldar recalled Sung-Woon¡¯s evaluation.


    <i>¡®¡¯They pretty much act as a running cannon, also known as a tank, so it is worth using them to temporarily break up the enemy¡¯s cavalry or scatter the phnx of the enemy¡¯s infantry. However, there are only around ten tanks, and if there are tens of thousands of enemies, their operational and tactical value would be very limited. They may be useful in a few battles, but the enemies can put up with that much.¡¯</i>


    Bemused, Eldar said, ¡°Ah, there¡¯s another advantage.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°His Divinity level.¡±


    Thest time Eldar checked Sung-Woon¡¯s Divinity level, he was at level 21. On the other hand, the yer with the highest level among the alliance was Wisdom, who was at level 19.


    Eldat continued to say, ¡°Because he has a high Divinity level, he could use that many more creations. And creations specialized inbat can pretty much act as siege weapons, offering greater military strength than hundreds of soldiers.¡±


    ¡°But there are five gods on this side.¡±


    ¡°No, but Lakrak the apostle¡­¡±


    Mid-sentence, Eldar finally realized the source of disharmony they had been feeling since earlier.


    ¡°Oh¡­five gods?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The five gods of the alliance include Wisdom, AR, Jang-Wan, Crampus, and me.¡±


    It was hard to tell what Lunda was thinking based on her facial expression.


    Eldar cleared their throat and replied, ¡°Well, so you¡¯re just thinking of yourself as a part of the alliance <i>for now</i>, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not only for now. I was an ally to them in the first ce. I had an alliance with Crampus from the very start, and AR, Jang-Wan, and Wisdom have been added after the fact.¡±


    ¡°Then your cooperation with Neb until now was¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not asking because you really don¡¯t know, right? He had my weakness!¡±


    Lunda yelled suddenly with a teary expression before turning away. When she turned back to Eldar, she had already schooled her expression into one of calmness.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not too sure. But you, Eldar, are mostly absorbed by ck Scale now.¡± Lunda said.


    ¡°...Absorbed. That sounds a little off, but basically, yes.¡±


    The city on the northern coast, Zarin, had been somewhat maintaining their independence. But when asked whether or not it belonged to ck Scale, the majority would say yes.


    Lunda then replied, ¡°But I¡¯m not. To be honest, I had thought this was better until now. I had thought it didn¡¯t matter if I benefited from either the alliance or Neb. But if a war breaks out?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Eldar realized Lunda¡¯s concern.


    ¡°You have to choose a side, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Eldar looked at their palm as if they hoped for an answer to be written there.


    ¡°What if I stick with Neb, but Neb loses? Would Crampus and the others forgive me, who continued to give Neb information behind their backs?¡±


    Eldar replied, ¡°But if you stay with the alliance, uh¡­wouldn¡¯t your weakness be exposed? I don¡¯t think Neb would sit still and watch.¡±


    ¡°No. I was nning to pin the me on Crampus and stick to Wisdom in that case, but the n is now obsolete. Of course, I might have to pay a price. Still, he¡¯ll probably forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°Even though Neb has my weakness, I¡¯ve been in constant contact with him until now, so I might know some information that could be of help to the alliance. Neb did tell me his ns without hesitation, so that should be enough leverage for me to survive.¡±


    Eldar awkwardly smiled and realized Lunda looked at her interpersonal rtionships in a very calcted way. Beyond calcting which side would be a benefit or a loss to her, she had also taken into consideration the other person¡¯s feelings for her.


    <i>¡®...Isn¡¯t that also a talent?¡¯</i>


    But unlike interpersonal rtionships, it seemed Lunda had a hard time calcting the oue of the war.


    Lunda said, ¡°To be honest, as of now, it seems like me sticking with the alliance to make it a 5:1 fight has a higher chance of victory than if I side with Neb and make it 4:2. I want to stick to the side that will win.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Dirty? I know. The way to victory is normally dirty.¡±


    Eldar wondered if that was something to say with such determination, but didn¡¯tment on it.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me all this, but why?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we in the same shoes?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It sounded like she was questioning how Eldar would not know.


    ¡°The Elves have dominated the northern coast, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange to demand independence.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re under the control of ck Scale.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you really think? If a war breaks out, they¡¯re bound to lose control. It¡¯s a golden opportunity. And even if you¡¯ve cooperated with Neb until now, you aren¡¯t real allies. As long as you can cause even a little bit of harm to Neb, the alliance will regard you positively and ept you as an ally.¡±


    Eldar thought it was a valid point. It was a time where the power bnce among the gods could be reversed on the third continent.


    <i>¡®But I¡¯m not going to betray Neb.¡¯</i>


    Eldar thought Sung-Woon was a bit of a weird person. When Eldar tried to make small talk, Sung-Woon would always change the subject to game y. And the only other conversations they had had up to this point was aout Go, Janggi, Chess, or other simr games. Sung-Woon never talked about himself, so Eldar never got the chance to do so either. Sung-Woon acted like he had no life outside of the Lost World until he suddenly fell into this world.


    <i>¡®But I don¡¯t think that is true.¡¯</i>


    Regardless, Sung-Woon had a charming side to him. One wouldn¡¯t be able to tell just by looking at him. And Eldar only got to know this side of Sung-Woon through his gamey. Everything Sung-Woon did could be interpreted as an act to achieve victory, but Eldar sensed that there was something more, something that they couldn¡¯t exin.


    <i>¡®Though I don¡¯t know what that is yet¡­¡¯</i>


    Eldar wanted to find out what it was.


    <i>¡®Then this is how I should answer.¡¯</i>


    Eldar said, ¡°I need time to think about it.¡±


    ¡°...Really?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t take too long, so could you give me some time?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Eldar ended the video chat with Lunda and immediately requested another whisper conversation.


    And soon, a familiar face appeared in the video chat window.


    ¡°Eldar, what is it?¡±


    It was Sung-Woon.


    Eldar cleared his throat and said, ¡°Lunda seems to have a concern.¡±


    ***


    ¡°A concern? That¡¯s not a concern. She was just telling you to join her side. To y a 6:1 game.¡±


    As Sung-Woon concluded Eldar¡¯s summary of what Lunda told him, Eldar said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t there still be room to persuade her?¡±


    ¡°There probably is. But I have no intention to do that.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not?¡±


    Sung-Woon waved his hand instead of answering right away.


    ¡°Lunda is misjudging the current game in the first ce. You said she believed a game of defense would be more advantageous for me, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What about that?¡±


    ¡°Why would I only defend? I don¡¯t wanna lose.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sung-Woon exined, ¡°I will need to defend because the enemies will attack through all possible means. But if we do nothing and let them do so, they would take over all those points of attack. We need to advance as well in order to prevent that from happening.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s an all-out war. We can¡¯t just defend and wait for the enemy to lose all their supplies because they would be growing crops in biggernds as well as doing trades in the meantime. Things would only get harder for the side being isted.¡±


    Eldar understood what Sung-Woon meant.


    ¡°So what about Lunda?¡±


    ¡°Persuading her is useless. Lunda thinks simply.¡±


    ¡°Notplicatedly?¡±


    ¡°No, her thought process is simple. She doesn¡¯t know the answer, so things areplicated for her because she¡¯s trying to calcte everything to get the answer. I don¡¯t care if we just leave her be. It¡¯s actually better that she¡¯s simple-minded as I don¡¯t need to put in so much effort to persuade her.¡±


    ¡°What if she joins the alliance then?¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°She won¡¯t be able to decide until the veryst minute.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I say to her?¡±


    ¡°Um, let¡¯s do this,¡± Sung-Woon said. ¡°Tell her you¡¯ll decide after seeing the result of the first battle. That way, she won¡¯t do anything until then. That¡¯s more than enough.¡±


    ¡°What? Then what if you lose¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head again.


    ¡°Eldar, war is a simple thing. Calcting things may seem important, but that¡¯s not enough. No matter how much one side is at an advantage and has prepared a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Prepared a lot¡­?¡±


    Sung-Woon smiled.


    ¡°The side that fights better will win.¡±


    ***


    One monthter.


    ck Scale¡¯s ten thousand troops went to battle in the wilderness and crushed Danyum¡¯s thirty thousand troops.

 Chapter 112: Exploitation

    <h4>Chapter 112: Exploitation</h4>


    ¡°How was it ck Scale¡¯s doing that Asbestos¡¯s Wizard betrayed them?¡±


    One month earlier, at Orazen, ck Scale.


    In the grand hall of the pce, the ministers were having a heated conversation before Kyle arrived.


    ¡°There¡¯s word that Prince Vasen might have coaxed the Wizard when he overpowered him.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to know.¡±


    All news about ck Scale ended up reaching those at Orazen, but it was up to them to judge whether the news were truthful.


    ¡°How did Prince Vasen even end up there? Wasn¡¯t he only going to explore the eastern mountains in the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Did you see the demonstration of the new weapon called cannon not long ago? Apparently the expedition team was tasked with transporting them to the Southern Archipgo as well because there weren''t enough military ships.¡±


    ¡°Then does His Majesty know about all of this?¡±


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t there a lot of opposition at the time? That was why a supervisor was included in the expedition team, right?¡±


    The ministers had thought they were in charge of every matter in ck Scale; they became confused when an unprecedented event arose on the continent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about Prince Vasen now. The more important thing is that the five allied nations disapprove of us.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®disapprove¡¯? That¡¯s too mild a word. They are bluntly requesting an apology andpensation. And Prince Vasen is pretty much at the center of all this. Of course we can¡¯t stop talking about him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that¡¯s an excuse. They have simply been seeking an excuse until now. Have you forgotten that they always tried to pick a fight with ck Scale?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, so I¡¯m saying that if the reason is dealt with, they won¡¯t be able to pick a fight, and¡­¡±


    Just then, the doors to the grand hall opened.


    ¡°Herees His Majesty, Kyle Lak Orazen!¡±


    The left ministers hurriedly came in and lined up on both sides of the door, and Kyle walked along the path they had made.


    Kyle then sat on his throne and said, ¡°I¡¯m busy, so let¡¯s skip the extraneous procedures. I¡¯m sure you have all heard the news.¡±


    The Administration Minister, Ravwin, said, ¡°Are you referring to the news of Asbestos ming ck Scale for their Wizard setting fire to their ship and running away?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The ministers had actually been here since early morning to have a meeting about that.¡±


    ¡°Is there any progress?¡±


    Ravwin summarized the main points and said, ¡°Firstly, there¡¯s a need for us to check whether Asbestos is right, and if it is, we would then need to find out if the responsibility of the pirate conquest lies with Prince Vasen and General Ian Tata, and even if the usation is true, if we shouldply with Asbestos¡¯s request considering our national interest.¡±


    All the ministers were sensitive as they had been having a meeting about the matter since dawn, but they all nodded in response to Ravwin¡¯s summary.


    However, Kyle shook his head.


    ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t discussed the important topic.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? By important topic you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we prepare for war?¡±


    The ministers exchanged worried nces.


    The requests that Asbestos had made were somewhat ridiculous. And it was also true that ck Scale and the other five nations weren¡¯t on the best terms as they continued to pick fights with ck Scale for the past one hundred years. However, the nations had maintained peace for a long time, so there was the assumption that a war wouldn¡¯t really break out.


    But Kyle didn¡¯t think so.


    ¡°We will fight the five allies. And as Lakrak, the first king, once said, ¡®if we fight, we need to win.¡¯¡±


    The Finance Minister took a step forward.


    ¡°But Your Majesty, isn¡¯t the matter not set in stone yet? You may bring that up as a possibility, but ck Scale should avoid war at all costs even if we would suffer some losses.¡±


    It was a statement thatpletely opposed the king¡¯s will, but the majority of the ministers seemed to agree.


    Kyle found it regretful.


    ¡°I also wish that could be the case.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡±


    Kyle turned around.


    Summer was approaching. One of the three hinged doors in the grand hall was open. The sun was still low, but its light was brimming with heat.


    ¡°If that is what the gods wish for, how could those who walk onnd stop it?¡±


    ***


    The noble ss of ck Scale had the duty of going to war as soldiers. Additionally, a high percentage of ck Scale¡¯s poption were Lizardmen, and both male and female Lizardmen could participate in war due to their characteristics as a species. As a result, there was a high ratio of Lizardmen soldiers in the army as well.


    The same tended to be true in other countries. The nobility branch of the army with good equipment and training inbat techniques were usually the main species when a country was first established. These noble-born soldiers were considered a separate branch of the army, so they would do things such as guarding Orazen, the capital city, preventing pirates from invading, and protecting the borders. And in ck Scale, the noble-born soldiers amounted to a little over ten thousand.


    <i>¡®But I can¡¯t mobilize the entire army.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon heard about what Lunda had said to Eldar, but he didn¡¯t really care because in the end, the big picture wouldn¡¯t change even if Lunda sided with the alliance. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t think Lunda was going to betray him.


    <i>¡®Lunda is simple. She sticks to the stronger side.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon found it good that he was able to easily calcte what Lunda would do. In fact, Eldar was actually the one he was confused about. He noticed that Eldar showed no signs of betraying him, but he didn¡¯t know the why, which made him ufortable.


    <i>¡®Eldar¡¯s not going to betray me even when presented with this opportunity?¡¯</i>


    But of course, Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t someone who let his feelings dictate his gamey.


    <i>¡®The problem isn¡¯t the standing army, but the draftees.¡¯</i>


    It wasn''t possible to face the entire five nation alliance with only ten thousand soldiers. And it also wasn¡¯t possible for him to send the whole standing army to war.


    <i>¡®A certain percentage needs to stay behind to protect the region, and a certain percentage needs to be sent out. The standing army are the elite soldiers, so if either division bes exhausted, the quality of the entire military will decrease.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t too worried about this matter.


    In The Lost World, there were factors that could be controlled, but many more that couldn¡¯t. Especially in matters rted to state affairs, it was difficult for yers to interfere with the system themselves. However, indirect interference was necessary to identify the noblemen¡¯s abilities and dispositions and manipte them into joining the royal court or assuming the outside posts.


    Because of these problems, it wasmon for the number, quality, or formation of the troops to not meet the yer¡¯s expectation. Things would go well if the yers seeded in shaping the royal pce as they intended, but if that wasn¡¯t the case, there was a chance that they would have to fight with ackluster army.


    However, Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t very worried.


    <i>¡®As expected, being smart is the best.¡¯</i>


    Kyle Lak Orazen came up with a reasonable military n in one sitting. Firstly, he divided the standing army into two: the central army and the regional army. The regional army would be deployed for regional defense, and the central army was a reorganized unit that would quell unrest and maintain security in Orazen. ording to Kyle, the central army would be acting as guards so that they could actively attack the external enemies.


    But apart from the central army, Kyle decided to gather additional troops, which would also be divided into a central unit and a regional unit for the same reason the standing army was divided.


    <i>¡®Even when a war breaks out, the central army is assigned to regions that aren¡¯t critical to the war effort. On the other hand, the regional army would have to gather additional troops if they are to fight in a defense match. However, basic training and military duties will be left forter. Until they are needed, they will fulfill daily routines such as farming in order to umte as many resources as possible for wartime.¡¯</i>


    And as a result, four thousand central army troops and eight thousand primary draftees were gathered. The gradual recruitment of troops was to minimize the immediate bacsh from the citizens and open up the possibility of recruiting more troops in the future.


    <i>¡®If we deploy all troops to fight in the war, we would be at an advantage at the beginning, but in the long run, it would be harmful. The poption stagnating due to a mismatch in gender ratio ismon when war goes on for a long time. And this war¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon tried to make a concrete estimation, but ended up shaking his head.


    <i>¡®...willst a very long time.¡¯</i>


    Even in the history of Earth, it wasn¡¯tmon to see a war break out for the im over a single continent. There were conquerors who won many times due to differences in the civilizations¡¯ level of development, but the majority would still be risking their lives. And there were descendents that followed in their footsteps. Additionally, Sung-Woon didn¡¯t think Kyle or himself were as good as those great conquerors.


    <i>¡®Above all, we¡¯re all on the same continent, so civilizations are at a simr stage.¡¯</i>


    Aside from that, the quickly gathered eight thousand primary central draftees received military training as soon as possible. And in the meantime, the diplomatic situation deteriorated quickly.


    As a few ministers of ck Scale were the amicable kind, they sent an envoy not to fulfill Asbestos¡¯s request, but in the hopes that they coulde to an agreement, but Asbestos sent the envoy back dead to warn ck Scale not to ridicule them.


    It was a war that was going to break out even if they did nothing, and soon, the citizens learned of the looming conflict, and the shadow of war quickly spread across the two countries as well as the whole continent.


    Kyle named the ten thousand troops the First Army, consisting of two thousand central soldiers and eight thousand primary central recruits.


    The First Army headed to the northern region of Orazen.


    ***


    At and that no one knew about.


    ¡°Do we have to do it this way?¡±


    ¡°You know that the strategy we can see isn¡¯t everything¡­don¡¯t you?¡±


    Wisdom slowly rotated his star-shaped head.


    In front of him was a person with arge lion mask on. It was Jang-Wan.


    Wisdom said, ¡°Will you really be okay?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°...Then why?¡±


    Jang-Wan replied, ¡°I don¡¯t like Neb, so I don¡¯t want to allow him to dominate this continent.¡±


    Wisdom then said, ¡°But still, it¡¯s just a game. I don¡¯t want to lose to Neb either, but nothing can be done if I get defeated after trying my best.¡±


    ¡°Exactly as you said, Wisdom.¡±


    Jang-Wan blinked with the eyes of the lion mask and then shook his head as if he was annoyed by something. Then, he took off and threw aside therge lion costume he had over his upper body. There stood a woman with ck hair, who came up to Wisdom¡¯s chest.


    ¡°This is just a game,¡± said Jang-Wan. ¡°And I¡¯m just carrying out the strategy that I think is best.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would never do so, but betrayal can happen anywhere. Therefore, you need insurance.¡±


    ¡°But if you go on with this, your power will weaken. So you can¡¯t say it¡¯s only a benefit for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    Wisdom knew Jang-Wan was right. There was a gap between Neb and the other yers that was hard to narrow.


    ¡°Apostle.¡±


    Jang-Wan nodded. ¡°Even if all preparations are done perfectly, having an apostle can make the difference between victory and defeat. To be honest, I¡¯m not the most well-versed in this game, but at least that¡¯s what the statistics say.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Then I assume the conversation is done. Don¡¯t feel burdened. This isn¡¯t something like Exploitation. It¡¯s a strategy¡­for everyone¡¯s sake.¡±


    As Wisdom looked down, he saw many Kobold priests praying. And the leading priest at the very front raised their head. Their eyes sparkled with giddiness.


    Jang-Wan had used Divide Control.


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    Wisdom called the strongest being from his species. It was Redin, one of the hidden sons of Delmardin, the king of Asbestos.


    .


    Wisdom used Divine Control to take over Redin and pull out a dagger.


    The massacre that would beter called ¡®the Day of Blood¡¯ began.


    ***


    After everything was over, Wisdom looked at the system window in front of him.


    [Your Divinity level has increased!]


    [20¡ú21]


    [You can now pick an apostle.]


    1. Korean has a tendency to not specify genders so unless it¡¯s obvious with a name, it¡¯s rather difficult to tell whether a character is male or female. Until now, Jang-Wan was written with the pronoun ¡®he¡¯ as we didn¡¯t know whether the character was male or female, but we will now be switching to ¡®she.¡¯

 Chapter 113: How to Entwine Fate

    <h4>Chapter 113: How to Entwine Fate</h4>


    A few years before the Day of Blood.


    Wisdom did not like the king of Asbestos, Delmardin.


    <i>¡®He ispetent and cruel, but he quickly falls into conceit. What I need is a war machine, not a narcissist.¡¯</i>


    However, Delmardin BR Oser was wielding powerful royal authority. Delmardin had been a bit strange ever since he became king 24 years ago.


    He was the first prince, so he was most likely to be king anyway, but to keep his other brothers in check, he continuously sought out opportunities to assassinate and poison them to death, and he seeded most of the time. Those who criticized his brutality were either kicked out of the pce, or made to vanish without a trace.


    Once he became king, Delmdardin wasn¡¯t necessarily a dark lord to the citizens, but he was feared by other aristocrats. The aristocrats, who had lost their power to keep Delmardin in check, were then serving Delmardin, and the lords of the bordends where the central aristocrats couldn¡¯t easily reach were weak in power.


    In order to strengthen his power, Delmardin made his cousin the queen, and recently, he had burned his first and third sons alive with charges of treason. The longer he ruled, the more he saw his sons aspetitors.


    Even with that, Wisdom didn¡¯t see it as a big problem. The Troll country that Wisdom made became violent for efficient choices. A dictator could make a wrong choice at any time, but at least they could make a choice. In some cases, it was better to quickly choose anything than not making a choice and hesitating. But of course, Wisdom did not like such dictatorship.


    When Wisdom was on Earth, he had never thought that dictatorship should be tolerated. But this was a game. Although it was a real world that the game The Lost World was based on, Wisdom was increasingly aware that he wasn¡¯t a regr yer ying a regr game, but a god. Gods had unlimited power and no responsibilities. Therefore, he acted cruel toward the Trolls in order to make them act efficiently.


    The Trolls surrendered to the Binding God, whose name symbolized the tangled threads when ying the game Cat¡¯s Cradle, and they learned of his brutality. They also applied that brutality toward the other species on thend they dominated. Thus, numerous species knelt before the Trolls out of fear. And due to that, the Trolls were able to rule thergestnd of the third continent.


    <i>¡®...However.¡¯</i>


    Despite it being argend, brutality didn¡¯t guarantee a powerful nation. The strongest country in the third continent wasn''t Asbestos, but ck Scale, and the difference between them wasn¡¯t insignificant. ck Scale had the ability to go against all the other countriesbined. And in order to understand how that came to be, every step had to be examined, and every aspect taken apart. But after spending more than 150 years observing ck Scale, Wisdom still struggled toe to a conclusion.


    Wisdom knew that Neb made a record that no one could easily break, and that his strategy was outstanding, but he found it hard to understand how Neb created such a big difference between them. And that was because Wisdom himself had also made exemry y.


    Wisdom thought to himself, <i>¡®What¡¯s the problem?¡¯</i>


    With the war against ck Scale on the horizon, Wisdom showed optimism and believed that his y was still exemry.


    It was true that the five allies were at an advantage and would still be even if someone was to betray the alliance.


    Wisdom then found the answer in his methodology.


    <i>¡®Was it not efficient enough?¡¯</i>


    Wisdom¡¯s rotating dodecahedron, which was the biggest out of the Kepler-Poinsot Polyhedrons, came to a stop.


    <i>¡®No, was it brutality?¡¯</i>


    His gamey was okay. When he examined himself objectively, he couldn¡¯t say his performance was excellent, but it was still prominent. Compared to yers like AR1026, who was crushed by Jeol Woo-Bi, and Lunda, whose growth had stagnated for some reason in the middle stage of the game, Wisdom was actually quite apetent yer, and thus it wasn¡¯t for ack ofpetence that he fell behind Neb.


    The reason Wisdom had missed the opportunity to do better was because the Trolls didn¡¯t exactly carry out Wisdom¡¯s will. They were doing good, but it wasn¡¯t enough. There was a big difference between him and Neb when he thought about how Neb had been controlling ck Scale like his hands and feet.


    <i>¡®I cannot know Neb¡¯s ways. I have no other choice but to act ording to the method I do know.¡¯</i>


    Wisdom knew war was approaching. So even if it would take a little while, he decided the king should be reced. And he found someone who qualified. It was Delmardin¡¯s son, Redin.


    ***


    Trolls¡¯ skin was generally green, but looked closer to gray. Every now and then, however, there were Trolls born with red skin due to mutations, and they were typically born with a recessive trait, so they were physically weak and didn¡¯t live long. In contrast to the healthy Trolls with green skin, the Trolls born with red skin were called Withered Ones.


    Delmardin¡¯s twenty-first child, Redin BR Oser, was a Withered One. Although he was a royal, he was the child of a mistress and had red skin, so he was raised outside the pce. In fact, since there was no chance Redin would be king, he only had by his side a servant looking after him and an errand boy sticking close to inform the king whether he was alive or dead, as well as any other news. Redin¡¯s mother was also an ordinary Troll, so she had no grounds to help Redin.


    Wisdom had been paying attention to Redin. Redin¡¯s abilities were considered to be in the top 1%, so he waspetent, but he wasn¡¯t special. Top 1% could seem superb, but still too numerous for him to automatically be the right choice. However, it was worth noting that his Strength, Intelligence, and Sociability were all within the top 1%.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s the most noteworthy out of all the children of Delmardin. And I like the fact that he was kicked out of the pce.¡¯</i>


    The lower the status a character started with, the more room there was for a god to intervene and ce them in a higher spot. And the more dramatic the rise in power was, the greater the individual¡¯s faith would grow.


    But the problem was that Redin was satisfied with his current situation. He epted it as a natural progression of things and went along with it. Even though he was born to a king, he had 15 older brothers, and no one had ever encouraged him to be king up to this point. Even a non-royal baron would have a greater chance of bing king by starting a rebellion.


    <i>¡®If he were a dunce, he might have dreamt of bing king, but Redin isn¡¯t.¡¯</i>


    So Wisdom decided to give Redin the chance to be king with his creation, Schtreihner.


    <i>-Your order?</i>


    <i>¡®Kill Redin¡¯s mother. But you need to leave a trace.¡¯</i>


    <i>-What do you mean by that? Do I leave a sign saying that it was me?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®No. Say that someone from the royal family did it.¡¯</i>


    Schtreihner did as Wisdom ordered. And this consumed Wisdom¡¯s Faith points because killing a certain yer was considered an active intervention. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough to be worrisome.


    As Wisdom had perceived, the principle of causality didn¡¯t demand much faith points unless a yer was to totally go against it.


    <i>¡®The mother of an abandoned royal with no chance to be king. The principle of causality is barely shaken.¡¯</i>


    But there was something that was greatly shaken, or rather <i>someone</i>. It was Redin. Redin learned business from a vige merchant during the day and returned home when it was evening. Upon his return today, he discovered that his mother had been murdered and found a dagger that belonged to the royal family next to her. Redin, who had lived with no expectations about the royal family until then, gained a new purpose in life¡ªrevenge.


    <i>¡®Schtreihner.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Did you call?</i>


    <i>¡®We need a scapegoat now. Search for a good fit among the royals.¡¯</i>


    <i>-What do I do after that?</i>


    <i>¡®Kill the scapegoat so that Redin can¡¯t get revenge.¡¯</i>


    <i>-...With all due respect, may I ask the reason why?</i>


    Wisdom found it novel whenever his creation talked to him.


    He then dly exined his reasoning.


    <i>¡®If Redin seeds in his revenge, his story ends there. His desire for revenge must not be satisfied.¡¯</i>


    <i>-But what happens with the desire for vengeance that has no ce to go?</i>


    <i>¡®It needs to be sublimated into a different emotion¡­ Now do as I say.¡¯</i>


    Redin set out to go to the capital of Asbestos. And the night before he met his father, a murder hit the royal pce. The person killed was Delmardin¡¯s sixth child, the owner of the dagger Redin was looking for. Missing the chance to take revenge left Redin empty, but he found another piece of evidence. It was evidence that Redin¡¯s dead brother might have been killed by another brother. And at the same time, Redin became the suspect for killing the sixth child, and he pleaded for a chance to prove his innocence. In the process, Redin¡¯s prominent ability got revealed, and he was acquitted.


    And he caught the attention of Delmardin.


    <i>-What should I do now?</i>


    <i>¡®Go rest.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Isn¡¯t my work here not done yet?</i>


    <i>¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯</i>


    Wisdom added.


    <i>¡®The leftover work is mine.¡¯</i>


    Redin eventually ended up living in the pce and received the attention and favor of the king, which he had never experienced before.


    Amid his luxurious lifestyle, he continued his investigation, and he soon realized that enmity had been secretly brewing among his brothers since a long time ago. Redin judged that it was all very unreasonable and wrong.


    <i>¡®Is there a reason to continue this brutal fight when father is still alive?¡¯</i>


    He then grabbed onto an idea that came to mind. He realized who would benefit the greatest from all those shes.


    <i>¡®...Father. Were you the culprit?¡¯</i>


    Wisdom manifested before him as a metaphysical andplex dream. Then Redin epted everything until now as fate, not coincidence.


    Wisdom¡¯s revtion was clear and simple.


    <i>¡®That weak-kneed man does not befit the throne. But regardless, that man is afraid and swings his sword at those who don¡¯t even care about the power. Now someone is needed to allow him to rest in peace.¡¯</i>


    Redin¡¯s desire for revenge then got reced by another emotion. And he decided to ept God¡¯s will. Redin first went to serve Delmardin and did all the misceneous and dirty work. And as he did so, he slowly gained confidence and began to do dangerous and important work that Delmardin wanted his son to do in his stead.


    Soon after, Redin, the son of a mistress, the twenty-first child that the attendants couldn¡¯t even remember the name of, and the Withered One looked down on by the other Trolls, became the faithful servant of the king.


    As Redin looked for an opportunity to overtake the throne, gunpowder was invented, Wizards appeared, and the war was just about to begin.


    Wisdom intended to give him a signal at the right time through a divine revtion. But Jang-Wan suddenly contacted him.


    ***


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t have gotten involved with you.¡¯</i>


    As Wisdom checked his status windows, Jang-Wan approached him again. Jang-Wan still had the lion costume off.


    With an anxious expression, Jang-Wan asked, ¡°Was the calction¡­correct?¡±


    Even though all the Kobold priests had died, their god remained with only her Divinity level lowered. And because Jang-Wan started out with a high Divinity level, she didn¡¯t be a vassal.


    ¡°Yes, I was able to make Redin an apostle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. We now have a card to y too.¡±


    At those words, Wisdom replied, ¡°Now that things are done, is it okay to ask you the question?¡±


    Jang-Wan had told Wisdom not to pry until they carried out their n, and Wisdompiled. Now that things were done, Wisdom thought he had the right to ask.


    Jang-Wan nodded.


    Wisdom asked, ¡°Why do you hate Neb so much? It¡¯s unlikely that you¡¯ve interacted much during the game, so it would be difficult for any kind of rtionship to form, let alone a bad one. Your feelings¡­are hard to understand.¡±


    For a moment, Jang-Wan was silent. Then she clearly said, ¡°Because I know Neb.¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°I know exactly who Neb is. His real name is Choi Sung-Woon, and he¡¯s a jerk that always stays at home and ys games.¡±


    Jang-Wan clenched her teeth.


    ¡°Neb is my older cousin.¡±

 Chapter 114: Forget-Me-Bloom

    <h4>Chapter 114: Forget-Me-Bloom</h4>


    Wisdom said an unfamiliar word that he hadn¡¯t said out loud for a long time.


    ¡°Cousin?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s the son of my dad¡¯s older brother.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking because I don¡¯t know what the word means. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the yer Jang-Wan, Choi Seo-Yoon, said. ¡°It¡¯s quite ironic for a coincidence.¡±


    Wisdom nodded.


    ¡°Then there might be something to that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s something?¡±


    ¡°At first I thought all the yers were picked randomly. But then I thought it was strange because Neb and Hegemonia were both here. Even though they¡¯re the first and second ranking yers, that doesn¡¯t mean they have a higher chance of being picked out of all the yers. And apparently, Neb happened to think the other way around.¡±


    ¡°The other way around?¡±


    Wisdom moved his finger in a clockwise direction, but only half way around the circle.


    ¡°Before he met us, he thought the yers summoned here were those who ranked from 1st to 27th.¡±


    Jang-Wan bluntly said, ¡°I knew it. He only ever thinks about himself.¡±


    ¡°Do you wish for me to agree with that?¡±


    ¡°...No, whatever.¡±


    Wisdom¡¯s head began to rotate round and round.


    ¡°Anyway, if it¡¯s notpletely random, but also not ording to a particr rule, there¡¯s a high chance that there¡¯s another reason we are here. And based on what you¡¯ve just revealed, that seems to be the more likely exnation.¡±


    ¡°Another reason?¡±


    Wisdom replied, ¡°Someone <i>selected</i> those who would y this game.¡±


    Jang-Wan looked puzzled.


    Wisdom continued to say, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so surprised now. Don¡¯t we know that an unidentified being named Aldin had made us choose whether or not we were going to y the game at the start?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s something going on behind the scenes?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I think a little differently.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    Wisdom¡¯s head stopped spinning.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking there might be something else going on. But I¡¯m also wondering if there¡¯s another separate reason for it. There were actually 32 yers at the start, and five of them didn¡¯t participate. ording to what Aldin said, they went back to Earth. Do you think they made the wrong choice?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Those people actually made a normal choice. Who would choose to stay inside a game? The moment we chose to stay here, we were no longer normal. And 27 out of 32 could be seen as quite abnormal.¡±


    Jang-Wan nodded in understanding.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that they targeted people who would participate from the start?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the only reason we got picked, but I assume that was at least one of the conditions. Well, at least that applies to me, and likely¡­¡±


    Wisdom pointed at Jang-Wan.


    ¡°The same goes for you.¡±


    Jang-Wan turned away as if to deny the statement.


    Eagles flew over the dead Kobold priests in the rocky desert. And the more courageous eagles had already begun to fill their stomachs.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I thought that if I got picked, that man must havee as well. And that man would surely do well, and he would win unless someone interfered. That was why I chose to y the game.¡±


    After listening to Jan-Wan¡¯s reason, Wisdom said, ¡°Hm. It would be rude to pry further, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my privacy¡­ For now.¡±


    Jang-Wan turned around.


    At that moment, a strong wind blew, carrying the smell of fresh blood that hadn¡¯t hardened yet and messing up Jang-Wan¡¯s hair, making it fly toward the east. Jang-Wan brushed her hair back. And her sharp eyes snapped to Wisdom.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d like to go onto the next topic instead.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Can you not strategically use the fact that I am Neb¡¯s cousin?¡±


    Wisdom crossed his arms as if that was an unexpected question, and then he rested his chin on his hands.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we be able to?¡±


    ***


    Redin BR Oser thought he had fallen into a trap.


    Mangul invited King Delmardin of their own initiative. It was the day of a huge festival celebrated every ten years at Mangul, and ording to custom, the king of Mangul invited the king of each country. However, a custom was just a custom, and there wasn¡¯t a reason for the kings to participate.


    Mangul was close to the edge of the continent. Unlike Golden Eye and Danyum, which shared borders with Mangul, Asbestos was so far away that the king would have to cross throughrge countries to get there, so it almost seemed rude to request such a trip.


    But of course, Delmardin knew that the event was led by the priests rather than the king of Mangul. The sacred nature of the work that the priests did was recognized by all the kings on the continent. Therefore, it was necessary to at least show some sincerity. And so, each king sent a royal to celebrate the Empty Sky Festival in Mangul. Unlike the festival that was held every spring at ck Scale, this was a festival that was irregrly held every ten years or so, so no countries seeking diplomatic cooperation with Mangul could ignore it.


    The reason Redin was heading to the festival was because he was at Golden Eye at the time. If he were at Asbestos, Delmardin wouldn¡¯t have wanted to send his loyal son to the faraway Mangul. However, Redin was once again in the middle of dealing with Delmardin¡¯s dirty work without the aristocrats or citizens knowing.


    One of the aristocrats of Golden Eye was trying to reveal one of Delmardin¡¯s many dirty linens, so the king needed someone who could deal with the matter quietly without causing any diplomatic problems, and it had to be someone he could trust; Redin was thus ordered to take on the task. After getting it done, Redin was told to attend the diplomatic event. He was quite lukewarm about it, but epted it withoutint all the same.


    Redin usually emphasized to his subordinates that the harder they devoted themselves to difficult work, the more they should rest. Unfortunately, Redin didn¡¯t really care much about the cultures of other countries, so he didn¡¯t know beforehand that the Empty Sky Festival at Mangul was a different kind of festival than he had expected.


    The Kobolds believed in the god of Stone Cave, the Overflowing God, and they had a special way of praying. There was the god of ck Scale, who had their believers prove their faith by offering rotten meat before epting their tribute, but recently, those types of events had be lessmon and were reced by simpler rituals.


    However, the Overflowing God followed older traditions. And that was digging a tunnel. It was believed that the tradition started in regions of Mangul where there wasn''t any body of water for drinking water, but now, the meaning wasn¡¯t all that important. The Kobolds of Mangul simply dug tunnels to prove their faith to their god. And among them, there were some who challenged themselves to go through more daring tests. They were the priests of Overflowing God.


    The Kobolds following Overflowing God had to go through a special ceremony that took ce every ten years in order to be official priests. In the beginning, there would only be a few dozen candidates wishing to be Overflowing God¡¯s priests, but over time, the number grew to several hundreds, and the candidates were sent by the priests to go to a remote part of Mangul with their eyes covered. Then they would take off the blindfold in the deep undergrounds that the other priests had dug. Other than drinking water and simple food, there were two things that were given to them. One was a pickaxe to dig the ground with, and the other was a Forget-Me-Bloom.


    Forget-Me-Blooms were one of the rare herbs that grew in Mangul, and it had a unique property: it made a person lose their sense of direction.


    Even though Kobolds were physically suitable for living underground, consuming the herb would make them lose their sense of left and right as well as up and down. Those who hadn¡¯t had Forget-Me-Blooms would question how one could fail to discern up from down when they were standing, but once one consumed the herb and got put underground, any part of the body could be touching the ground that should be stand on, and a great dizziness would overwhelm them. Then the person would not only lose their sense of direction, but also their sense of time, and their consciousness could be weakened as well.


    What the priest candidates had to do with their pickaxe after eating Forget-Me-Bloom was digging the ground in search of the sky. It seemed simple, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to know in which direction the sky was, and they didn¡¯t know how far they would have to dig either. Even if they were certain of the direction at first, it would be impossible to know if they were going straight in the dark tunnel with no light. And like that, if someone seeded in finding the sky by digging themself back up to the ground, the event would end.


    That was what the Empty Sky Festival entailed.


    Even under the thorough supervision of senior priests, eliminations and deaths continued to ur, and it was a big event that would start and take a few years to end. It was crazy for even Kobolds to live in the dark underground while digging with no hope. However, the pleasant feeling of breaking through hard ground and reaching out into the air was enthralling to the priests of Overflowing God, so the tradition continued.


    Of course, the Overflowing God, or the yer Jang-Wan, considered it an efficient way to umte Faith points since it was a method that the other species and yers with other Small Areas couldn''t easily replicate.


    Anyway, the Kobolds of Mangul truly believed the praying ritual was good, and it wasmon for them to believe that others simply didn¡¯t understand since they hadn¡¯t done it and pushed them to give it a try.


    And therefore, Redin should have predicted that the guests of each country would have to experience digging a tunnel at the Empty Sky Festival.


    ***


    Redin realized something was wrong in the cold tunnel.


    ¡°Really, what a joke this is. It¡¯s not even funny.¡±


    Redin thought about how he had suddenly been brought here. Everything had seemed to be going well. The Kobolds had exined the procedure several times, and Redin had refused just as many times. However, he had no choice but to concede when the Kobold priest said it was theirst request.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a performative event anyway.¡±


    ¡°I am a prince. What if the tunnel copses and I die?¡±


    ¡°It is a tunnel that all the priests have checked beforehand. There¡¯s no way it will copse.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we would let guests like you dig in the same tunnel as the priest candidates. It will end in two to three hours. But if you really don¡¯t like it, you may escape. You would just need toe back out the way you go in.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of doing it in the first ce¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you perhaps want to <i>really</i> do it?¡±


    Redin pulled a long face and shook his head, which made the Kobold priestugh.


    ¡°If it¡¯s too much work to dig the tunnel, you may just sit still. Once the event ends, one of our priests wille find you.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°But you are a Troll and are way stronger than we are, so you will surely dig your way back up in no time. You might evene up the quickest among all our guests this time.¡±


    ¡°If I eat that herb, won¡¯t I lose the ability to tell up from down?¡±


    The priest replied, ¡°That is only the case for those whock wisdom.¡±


    Redin didn¡¯t know why the statement sounded so loaded, but without the time to even ask about it, the priest pushed him on the back.


    ¡°Go ahead and quickly follow those priests. Once you get back up, you will think everything is for the better. Please go.¡±


    .


    Like that, Redin got blindfolded and went into the tunnel as an approximation of the ceremony that the priest candidates of Overflowing God would go through. And he received a pickaxe and Forget-Me-Bloom. Not only did the Forget-Me-Blooms make one lose their sense of direction, they also energized the body and contained lots of nutrients, so it could rece a full meal.


    Redin had no intention of even participating in the event, so he nned to simply go to sleep and wake upter.


    <i>¡®I got the permission to do that anyway. If I take a nap, the event will be over when I wake up. Then I can just dust myself off and rx in the famous hot spring in Stone Cave.¡¯</i>


    With that n in mind, Redin woke up to the realization that something was wrong. Although he was underground, he wasn¡¯t too far down, so he had been listening to the noises of the festival. However, when he woke up, he couldn¡¯t hear anything from above.


    <i>¡®...Is the festival over?¡¯</i>


    Redin eventually came to the conclusion that the priest had forgotten about him and stood up.


    <i>¡®I should get out of here.¡¯</i>


    He took the torch and walked to the hole behind him. But he came to a stop once he got there. He couldn¡¯t tell which of the seven paths was the exit leading outside.

 Chapter 115: The Apostle of Ecstasy

    <h4>Chapter 115: The Apostle of Ecstasy</h4>


    ¡°This is ridiculous.¡±


    Redin BR Oser was making his way through the tunnel with a sense of urgency. He had thought things would be okay until then. He had assumed that the priests of Overflowing God and the Kobolds had simply made a mistake. And additionally, Redin always took pride in being a Troll, so he thought there was nothing Kobolds could do that Trolls couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Those stupid Kobolds, how much do they like digging tunnels?¡±


    However, after some time, Redin realized that walking and crawling through the tunnel wasn¡¯t as easy as he had thought. He had bent down to walk, and when the tunnel got narrower, he got on his knees and crawled. He repeated these motions that weren¡¯t familiar to him, using muscles that weren¡¯t usually used. Even though a Troll was born strong, he was getting exhausted.


    But above all, the torch Redin relied on was dying.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to check the whole tunnel yet though¡­¡±


    Redin assumed that the Right-Hand Rule used for exploring ancient ruins would take too long, so he checked the tunnels by walking into each one anding back out, but he was short on time.


    Following the chills running down his spine came cold sweat. And his groin tensed up.


    ¡°...No, no. There¡¯s no need to be afraid.¡±


    Redin became conscious again of his identity, which he had forgotten while he was in the dark tunnel. He was no longer the twenty-first child who could not get any attention. He was now the proxy for the king at diplomatic events, thus making him the most well-known child of Delmardin BR Oser.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not that, they would have to consider Asbestos.¡±


    Redin thought that by now, the priests of Overflowing God would be rushing around looking for him. And as he pictured that, he became rxed and even smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a newborn or something, so I shouldn¡¯t be afraid of the dark.¡±


    Despite the torch burning out and the belief that the priests of Overflowing God would most likelye looking for him, he wasn¡¯t cut out for sitting still and waiting.


    ¡°...Come to think of it, don¡¯t I just need to dig upwards and get to the surface?¡±


    This was only an imitation of the religious ceremony, and like the priest said, he judged that he would only have to dig a little to get out. He thought he was foolish to only think of that now. Then he went to where he thought would be the closest to the surface and began digging up. The soil in between the wooden scaffolding had dried up slightly because of the tunnel, and it fell easily at the touch of the pickaxe.


    ¡°In this case, it would have been better to start moving earlier.¡±


    Redin realized that this work was harder than he thought. Swinging a sword was different from swinging a pickaxe. In addition to the difference in the smaller muscles used, a battle could be won after swinging a sword about 15 times, while swinging a pickaxe hundreds of times might produce no result, let alone fifteen.


    ¡°Is there a long way to go?¡±


    The torchpletely burned out.


    ¡°...Still?¡±


    He took many short breaks to cool down his body and wipe his sweat. And he even went below to the tunnel again to urinate. As his arms became too sore for him to lift them, Redin stopped swinging the pickaxe. Then when his eyelids began to feel heavy and his eyes closed, he furiously shook his head.


    Now Redin really had to admit reality.


    ¡°This is strange.¡±


    There was a chance that he had fallen asleep for a shorter time than he had thought. And the torch could have burned out quickly due to theck of airflow.


    However, Redin thought of himself as a warrior that continued the bloodline of an older warrior, and he also knew fairly well how to use his body.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to know how much time had passed because there was no light, but if he was this tired, he was sure it would have been at least half a day since he started to dig.


    ¡°It all feels like a big joke.¡±


    In fact, Redin doubted whether he was actually digging properly toward the sky. It wasn¡¯t possible to dig in a straight line. Sometimes there wererge rocks that even Redin couldn''t do anything about with his Troll strength, and he also had to avoid the softer soil that presented the risk of triggering a copse. Regardless, he was still certain to some extent that he was going toward the sky.


    ¡°Because everything is falling downward.¡±


    Redin crushed a handful of soil and allowed it to slip from his fingers, feeling itnd on his feet. If he dug above his head now, he should be going upward. But Redin was still underground.


    ¡°...Was this a trap?¡±


    If so, who set it up? It made little sense that it would be his father; Asbestos was too far from Mangul, and the n was too sloppy. What if Redin hadn¡¯t fallen asleep and kept digging with determination? Redin didn¡¯t even have any intentions on getting dirt on him in the first ce. And when the priest of Overflowing God insisted on their suggestion to the very end, half of him was thinking of quitting.


    ¡°...Then why?¡±


    Redin dozed off and eventually fell asleep. When he woke up, he didn¡¯t know if he had slept for a few hours or only a few minutes, but he was hungry. He felt something like grass in his pocket. It was the Forget-Me-Bloom.


    ¡°...Did they say eating this gives you strength?¡±


    Redin hesitated, and then he ate the Forget-Me-Bloom. He was in a situation where he couldn¡¯t be sure if someone was evening to save him, so he had to dig his way out himself. And in order to do that, he had to eat something to keep going. He had too little energy to continue digging.


    As he ate the Forget-Me-Bloom, a surprising amount of energy¡ªmore than he had expected¡ªbegan to spread through his body. And in line with what he had heard about the Forget-Me-Bloom, he did feel a little dizzy, but it was more manageable than he thought.


    Redin persistently dug the tunnel. And when his arms began to feel heavy again, he grabbed another handful of soil.


    ¡°I definitely think I¡¯m going up. The Forget-Me-Bloom might only work on Kobolds and not on a Troll like me. But I should still check.¡±


    Redin crushed the soil and dropped it. The grains of soil fell toward his face.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Gaping, Redin got some soil in his mouth.


    As soon as he realized he was upside down, he rolled forward. He thought he had been standing upright until now, but he actually had his head on the ground and was leaning against the wall upside down. He hadn¡¯t even realized and thought he¡¯d only been leaning against the wall because he was tired.


    ¡°This is nonsense.¡±


    It was a constant truth that everything fell toward the ground. And so the problem was most likely the sense of soil touching his body.


    Redin then became certain that the Forget-Me-Blooms were even worse than the rumors would suggest. They weren¡¯t herbs that only made someone lose their sense of direction. It also caused tactile hallucination.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only guess I can make.¡±


    Apart from the effects of the Forget-Me-Bloom, Redin realized he was now in the same situation as the trainee priests that went through the trial of the Empty Sky. No, his situation was worse. His only food was the Forget-Me-Blooms, and there was no senior priest to help him even if he copsed out of exhaustion.


    The fear that he could just die this way ran through his body.


    ¡°An unfortunate death that no one would know about. Nothing can be worse than this.¡±


    However, even that thought was incorrect.


    Redin kept digging without knowing which way he was heading. And whenever he felt hungry, he had to eat the Forget-Me-Bloom, which would further disorient him. He dug the ground in the hope that he might be able to survive, but as time passed by, the fear that wrapped around Redin grew more and more intense.


    He could be going up, but he could also be going deeper into the ground. Even though he was trying his best, the fact that it could all be leading to his death instilled in him an existential fear.


    At this moment, Redin¡¯s free will was useless.


    He spat out foulnguage, and as he kept digging with the pickaxe, he stopped to scream. He desperately called out the name of the god he only customarily believed in.


    ***


    <i>-Pilgrim.?</i>


    Redin, who had copsed out of exhaustion, opened his eyes at the voiceing from inside him. He then closed his eyes again. In the darkness, opening his eyes made no difference.


    <i>-Pilgrim.?</i>


    Having experienced a few auditory hallucinations until now, he ignored the voice.


    However, the voice inside Redin continuously called out to him. So Redin thought this auditory hallucination was different and replied.


    <i>-Pilgrim.</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not a pilgrim.¡±


    <i>-No. You are going through the test of the Overflowing God, so you are a pilgrim.</i>


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I am. Who are you?¡±


    <i>-I don¡¯t have a name yet. My appearance was made by the Binding God, and my consciousness was given by the Overflowing God. I am a creation of both gods.?</i>


    ¡°...Well, that¡¯s nonsense.¡±


    Redin thought he was going crazy. The creation between two gods. That would essentially make it the child of Binding God and Overflowing God.


    ¡°Why did such a thing happen?¡±


    <i>-The two gods are trying to confront Night Sky. However, even with the power of five gods, Night Sky is a powerful enemy. So lots of measures need to be put into y.?</i>


    That was reasonable.


    ¡°Why have you appeared before me?¡±


    <i>-I havee to help you.</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ve had many hallucinations making the same im. And yet I¡¯m still here.¡±


    <i>-Did they tell you that you were the one getting yourself into this test?</i>


    ¡°What?¡±


    The voice said.


    <i>-I am the one who made you fall into this trap. I inherited the power to connect people from the Binding God, and the power to reveal lies from the Overflowing God. So it was easy for me.</i>


    Strangely enough, Redin didn¡¯t get mad. All this was strange, and he might have just been lost in the workings of the gods. What use was there to get mad at divine intervention?


    All he was full of were questions.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    <i>-You will get to know the answer yourself. Dig in front of you with the pickaxe.?</i>


    ¡°What?¡±


    <i>-Aren¡¯t you going to get out?</i>


    ¡°No, why are you telling me to dig in front of me and not above¡­¡±


    <i>-That is above.</i>


    Redin hesitated, but proceeded to do so. Only after he swung the pickaxe did he realize he had been lying on the ground.


    <i>-Now down.</i>


    Redin then realized that he was standing upside down this time.


    <i>-Behind you.</i>


    Redin¡¯s instincts were shouting at him that this was all an illusion, and that he shouldn¡¯t follow the absurd instructionsing from inside him. But Redin had no more power in him to resist. Listening to and following the voice became Redin¡¯s will.


    ¡°Shit, until when¡­¡±


    <i>-Kneel down, and reach out toward the ground.</i>


    ¡°Um.¡±


    Redin hesitatingly extended his hands. He could no longer feel the hard soil that blocked him whenever he tried to go out.


    And a ring of light shone down from between his wrists.


    ¡°No way.¡±


    Redin threw aside the pickaxe and hurriedly dug the ground with both hands. What he thought was bottom soon became the top.


    He raised his head to look up at the sky. It was empty. All around him was wilderness that Redin had never seen before.


    It seemed to be a littleter in the morning as the sun had been out for some time, and the wind of the morning was strong, cooling down the body he hadn¡¯t even realized until now was drenched in sweat.


    He looked around with the intention of thanking the voice that had helped him.


    And then the voice said coldly.


    <i>-Do you get it now?</i>


    Redin reached a moment of epiphany.


    The power of the voice was evident.


    He could then see his entire life pass by from a third person perspective. Not only in the fearful experience he just went through, God¡¯s touch had been in every moment of his life. All the acts to suppress his yearning to avenge his mother, the hatred he had for his father, and the fear of death¡ªall those were made.


    Redin realized he was looking from the perspective of the gods. His emotions and feelings were all useless.


    Only one thing was certain¡ª


    ¡°...God¡¯s will is all there is.¡±


    ***


    Wisdom murmured, ¡°If it¡¯s a game where it¡¯s difficult to control an individual, you can just make it easier.¡±


    Jang-Wan then responded, ¡°I¡¯m d we y simrly.¡±


    ***


    <i>-Walk forward.</i>


    Redin saw that numerous priests of Overflowing God were bowing down at him all the way to the bottom of a low hill.


    <i>-They have alsoe to the same conclusion as you, so although they believe in a different god, you are all the same.</i>


    ¡°Is that so.¡±


    <i>-Fusion will start now¡­ ept God.</i>


    ***


    Redin BR Oser, who became an apostle, got to his feet amid the dead Kobold priests.


    The effect of the Forget-Me-Bloom had worn off.


    Redin knew where to go now. He headed north, where his father was.


    1. An established strategy for traversing maze along with the Left-Hand Rule, also known as wall follower. As long as one keeps a hand on the wall and follows it, they will eventually get to the exit.

 Chapter 116: Worst of the Worst

    <h4>Chapter 116: Worst of the Worst</h4>


    The five allies, led by Wisdom, gathered at the top of the Anapacshio volcanic arc.


    The scenery was beautiful, and there weren¡¯t many people around as it was a cold hignd where monsters lived, which made it the perfect meeting ce. And additionally, it was located at the center of the third continent, so it was convenient for the five allies to get together here.


    ¡°Wisdom.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    As Wisdom didn¡¯t have a normal head to turn and look, he turned his shoulders to face Crampus.


    Then Crampus hesitantly asked the question, wondering if he had misunderstood something.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°What are you referring to?¡±


    ¡°I heard that the king of Asbestos has changed. That the son killed his father and became king before it was time.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    In Crampus¡¯s perspective¡ªno, even if it weren¡¯t Crampus, anyone would consider it unusual for a king to be reced when a war was on the horizon. In actual history, the preparation for war did sometimes be the cause for treason, but here, it was the yers who made the actual decisions. It was normal for Crampus to be concerned in the context of the Lost World.


    Wisdom lifted his palms and lightly shook them.


    ¡°It was intended. There¡¯s no problem.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Someone with keen eyes would¡¯ve noticed that Jang-Wan was sneaking nces at Wisdom through the lion mask, but no one here was that observant. Unless the yers used a particr skill at the moment, they only existed as characters that controlled a system and status window.


    <i>¡®It isn¡¯t really necessary to say.¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan thought their strategy didn¡¯t have many problems, but there certainly was a shoring. Jang-Wan¡¯s current Divinity level was only at eight. It was the result of her XP being used to raise Wisdom¡¯s Divinity level. On the other hand, the other yers apart from Wisdom were all over level 16.


    Even if there was no problem with the troops, it was possible for Jang-Wan¡¯s existence to be a weakness in a battle where Divinity could y an important role.


    <i>¡®Neb¡­ No, it¡¯ll be fine as long as Choi Sung-Woon doesn¡¯t know.¡¯</i>


    Mangul was thest frontier among the five allies warring with Sung-Woon. If Neb reached Mangul, the five allies were pretty much already defeated, and if Sung-Woon didn¡¯t reach Mangul, no battles would take ce there.


    <i>¡®Other than that, I can just assign and send more troops.¡¯</i>


    After Mangul was Danly, which belonged to Hegemonia, but before the war began, the five allies as well as Sung-Woon hade to the conclusion that Hegemonia had stopped paying attention to the third continent.


    Danly¡¯s territory wasn¡¯t small per se, but there hadn¡¯t been any movement even while the five allies and ck Scale prepared for war, and there was no contact from Hegemonia either.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s rather a good thing.¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan¡¯s concern was that Sung-Woon would ambush them from behind with ships, but there was no telling whether he would do that. Jang-Wan was not Sung-Woon, and she wasn¡¯t as good at the game as Sung-Woon was. She could never figure out what kind of strategy Sung-Woon would employ. However, since there was a coast, there was the possibility that Sung-Woon could attack from behind. Thus, there was a need to be wary.


    <i>¡®Fortunately, Danly¡¯s merchant ships pass by Mangul and Danyum toe and go to ck Scale. So even if Mangul and Danyum get blocked because of the war, it would be difficult for ck Scale to block Danly too. Then we should be able to find out whether any ships areing through our spies.¡¯</i>


    In the beginning stage of the game, the first goal in war was to scout with the Small Areas the yers each had, but that changed starting from the middle of the game. The world that had been filled with only a scattering of tribes would gradually be crowded with people, so it would be more difficult to miss obvious things.


    However, hiding something in the mostmon ce was sometimes the best strategy. Due to the overwhelming amount of information that the yers received, they would miss things that they should actually notice more often, and skills like Divinity Block allowed for deception. That was how they had figured out it was Sung-Woon¡¯s doing that the three yers lost their Wizards; because they didn¡¯t know the specifics of how that came to be.


    Jang-Wan thought her low level wouldn¡¯t cause harm to the alliance as long as she was able to defend the coast. Additionally, she believed that Wisdom obtaining an apostle more than made up for it.


    <i>¡®Since apostles are the trump cards of The Lost World.¡¯</i>


    Like other creations, Faith points were consumed for apostles to manifest in the world. But apostles were able to generate Faith points on their own. Compared to the creations that constantly consumed Faith points, individuals that existed on their own and could raise Faith levels were apletely different asset.


    Of course, in Wisdom¡¯s opinion, Redin BR Oser didn¡¯t have much eminence or any special skills, so he couldn¡¯t confront Lakrak face to face. However, after bing an apostle, Redin would gradually increase his influence as the king ording to his n. That was why Redin was driven tomit the extreme treachery of killing his own father.


    Apart from his own value as an individual, Delmardin BR Oser had legitimacy. Asbestos then had to immediately overpower rebel forces before going against ck Scale.


    <i>¡®But of course, Redin the apostle will overpower all rebel forces. Then, his eminence will grow. And by the time he confronts ck Scale¡¯s army, even if he won¡¯t be able to beat Lakrak, he would have grown enough to at least face him.¡¯</i>


    And that would be enough.


    <i>¡®Sung-Woon will actively use Lakrak. If Lakrak, who has all kinds of skills, stands at the front line¡­¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan furrowed her eyebrows underneath the lion mask.


    It was terrible to even imagine that. Comparing Lakrak to a tramcar walking on two feet would still be selling him short. If low-ranking Wizards were able to y the role of hundreds of soldiers, Lakrak could face an entire country by himself.


    <i>¡®Even a single country isn¡¯t enough to face him. A character like Lakrak would be able to fight creations a god makes in real time. No, that still doesn¡¯t cover it.¡¯</i>


    The moment Lakrak became an apostle, he was able to defeat a yer that used Hierophany.


    So the five yers shared the thoughts that they needed to deal with Lakrak somehow, and that would be the deciding factor for victory or defeat.


    ¡°Then Crampus, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to directly face Neb?¡±


    All of them had had spies in each other¡¯s countries for a long time. And even if that hadn¡¯t been the case, it would be hard not to notice the movement of ten thousand soldiers, as resources and supplies matching or even exceeding the number would be moved as well.


    Neb was for some reason targeting the Satyrs of Danyum instead of the Renards of Red Fruit. Lunda was concerned that Sung-Woon would perhaps abandon her, but the other four yers considered his choice a reasonable one, just as Sung-Woon intended.


    Renards had always been a bad match for Lizardmen. Renards would aim for a gueri war using forests and mountain terrain, and that would be a toil for Lizardmen since they needed to carry heavy machinery such as cannons.


    And as long as they went to war, it was obvious to expect short decisive battles, so everyone thought it made sense that Neb would target Danyum rather than Red Fruit, which was closer to ck Scale.


    Crampus nodded.


    ¡°All is going well. I figured that I would be the first to face ck Scale from the start.¡±


    ¡°<i>Really</i>?¡±


    Lunda thought it was a relief that Crampus believed so. She still hadn¡¯t decided which side to stick with at this point, but even if she ended up choosing Sung-Woon, she would still have to put on an act of fighting ck Scale.


    <i>¡®Even if it¡¯s an act, I don¡¯t want to suffer a loss.¡¯</i>


    It could be argued that acting in order to deceive others was in itself a cost. In Lunda¡¯s opinion, she suspected Sung-Woon could be bullying her for no obvious reason.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure he has a sadistic hobby.¡¯</i>


    Crampus continued to tell them how he was preparing for the war and how much effort he had put into the preparation. At a nce, there didn¡¯t seem to be any apparent problem with his n.


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t necessarily think that this thirty thousand will surely defeat ck Scale¡¯s ten thousand. I won¡¯t underestimate Neb¡¯s abilities.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you also have in mind the possibility of losing?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You need to think about the worst case scenario.¡±


    ¡°And what is the worst case scenario?¡±


    ¡°...Um. My army could be wiped out.¡±


    Wisdom and the other yers fell silent as if they were a little surprised.


    Crampus waved his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not overestimating Neb. I¡¯m just trying to apply the logic I¡¯ve learned from my past experience.¡±


    ¡°Hm, in that case, isn¡¯t your preparation all meaningless?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Because I would have bought time. During that time, you all would be able to prepare more troops, and wouldn¡¯t things be more advantageous for us the more Faith points we make Neb consume?¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    It seemed that Wisdom wanted to say something, but before he could even bring up his next question, Crampus looked at his status window and reacted in shock.


    Lunda, who hadn¡¯t ever seen him so surprised, asked, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, that is¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hold on. I¡¯ve gotta go.¡±


    Crampus disappeared with a pale face. And the rest of the yers soon found out the answer to their question in their own ways.


    ***


    At Danyum¡¯s capital, Deimerit.


    King Obonem was sitting on the throne and trembling in fear.


    The endless sound of cannons firing and screams were enough to instill fear in anyone, even a king.


    Obonem shouted to the captain of the royal guards as the man busilymanded the phnx.


    ¡°The cannons! What happened to the cannons?¡±


    The captain shouted back while sweating profusely, ¡°They have just arrived, Your Majesty!¡±


    A great noise followed. Then an object that seemed out of ce in front of the throne emerged. It was a cannon with wheels.


    The captain of the royal guards then said, ¡°The enemy is near! Load all the cannons at the same time!¡±


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The wall of the inner castle copsed with a roar.


    Obonem looked out of the window at the rising dust as it obscured the sun.


    ¡°...Torch, light the torches!¡±


    Then a sound came from outside the door.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±


    With the sound of a kick, the hinged door made of three-meter-tall wooden boards assembled with metal broke down, and fragments of the door flew all the way to Obonem¡¯s feet.


    There was no need to light a fire, just as the owner of the voice said.


    The ck-scaled Lizardman was wearing golden armor decorated with red silk, and electric sparks were constantly crackling along his body, illuminating the wide grand hall.


    Obonem then screamed, ¡°A-Apostle Lakrak!¡±


    Immediately, the captain of the royal guards yelled, ¡°Now! Fire!¡±


    At once, the line of cannons were all lit. And the royal guards circled Lakrak from both sides with spears so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get away.


    Lakrak sighed.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±


    <i>Boom! Boom boom!</i>


    Almost at the same time, electric currents shed several times through the cannons, and white smoke burst out from the ck gunpowder.


    Lakrak emerged through the smoke without a single scratch on his body.


    .


    The captain of the royal guards then realized that there was no other way to stop Lakrak.


    ¡°Your Majesty! Run away!¡±


    And as he yelled so, the royal guards and the captain all charged at Lakrak.


    Lakrak balled his hand into a fist and greeted the captain of the royal guards. What proceeded to happen could hardly be described as a fight. One punch. That was all it took for each guard to be thrown into the walls or the ceiling of the grand hall.


    And witnessing all that, Obonem said with a dispirited voice, ¡°Oh, you fool. Where are you telling me to run away to?¡±


    Obonem fortunately didn¡¯t have to wait for long.


    Lakrak didn¡¯t dy even one step as he walked toward Obonem. He then stopped in front of the throne. With his tail, he threw the sword belonging to the royal guard who had copsed behind him into the air and grabbed it with one hand.


    King Obonem then said, ¡°As king, I would like to say that things have gotten to this point due to not being able to sit back and watch ck Scale¡¯s impunity, but personally, I have no regrets.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did you know about me?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Lakrak waved his hand. ¡°I meant the part about not having any personal regrets about my work.¡±


    Obonem¡¯s expression turned disappointed, and that became the face he died with.


    The sword in Lakrak¡¯s hand cut into Obonem¡¯s neck.


    ***


    From far away, Sung-Woon murmured, ¡°That¡¯s why you should have kept the meeting short.¡±

 Chapter 117: Poker Player

    <h4>Chapter 117: Poker yer</h4>


    ¡°What are you gonna do if you keep the apostle safe? Is an apostle like some soybean paste to ferment?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon knew that it was mostmon for the yers of The Lost World to have a conservative y style. That wasn¡¯t a problem in itself.


    A match of The Lost World was long, and due to that, the emotional aftereffect of losing was big, and the desire to win great.


    ying safe was the obvious choice. But Sung-Woon believed being moderate was important at all times.


    Eldar asked what he meant.


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is a yer¡¯s style could be divided into two¡ªhigh risk high return, and low risk low return.¡±


    Eldar nodded.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s say there are two poker yers at about the same level of skill, but one chases big benefits even though it may be risky, and the other ys it safe and seeks only small benefits.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°As they continue to y poker, which of the two do you think would win?¡±


    Eldar blinked.


    ¡°Is that a question with an answer?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You said they have the same abilities¡­ So wouldn''t it be a tie?¡±


    Sung-Woon stayed silent for a moment.


    ¡°I did say it has an answer, but it¡¯s just a simple quiz. There¡¯s no need to overthink it.¡±


    ¡°So a tie isn¡¯t an option?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±


    Eldat hesitated and then said, ¡°I do think you¡¯re going to say I¡¯m wrong if I say the conservative yer will win¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter, but there¡¯s no need to give an answer that you don¡¯t understand yourself, is there?¡±


    ¡°...Wouldn¡¯t the person who yed safe win in the end? I¡¯ve barely yed poker, so I don¡¯t really know much about it. Still, I do think I¡¯ve seen quite a few cases where yers lose after making an extreme bluff¡­¡±


    As if he had been waiting for that, Sung-Woon replied, ¡°The yer who takes risks wins.¡±


    Eldar seemed to have expected the response.


    Sung-Woon then shamelessly urged Eldar, ¡°What are you doing? Hurry and ask why.¡±


    ¡°...Why is that?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°ying safe is noticeable.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Cards are continuously rotated in poker, so there¡¯s no way to know what cards I¡¯ll get, what the opponent will get, and whether I have a better hand than them. But if one chooses to y safe, what do you think will happen?¡±


    ¡°They would be read.¡± Eldar nodded. ¡°But Neb, in my opinion, wouldn¡¯t that be the same for a yer who insists on risky y? If someone keeps insisting on raising the bet even though they have a bad hand, wouldn¡¯t they also be read?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they would. But right now, they¡¯re against someone who ys safely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so?¡±


    ¡°Then the person who chooses to y safe wouldn¡¯t respond to the risky y. Because if their opponent really does have a better hand, they would be in trouble.¡±


    Eldar¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°You¡¯re not making a y on words, are you?¡±


    ¡°Did you even hear my exnation with those pointy ears?¡±


    Eldar grabbed the tip of their ears and said, ¡°That¡¯s only how they look.¡±


    Sung-Woon then added, ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s how the game called poker is made. Someone ying safe may keep raising to follow their opponent, but if they get a bad hand and end up making a call instead, they¡¯ll be exposing the cards they have. That¡¯s what ying safe is. Of course, you should also keep in mind the possibility of that being a trick itself, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about right now.¡±


    Eldar thought for a moment.


    Eldar didn¡¯t have much experience ying poker, but applied to other games, Sung-Woon¡¯s exnation didn¡¯t seem inurate. In other words, ying safe meant missing even obvious opportunities, and risky y meant catching an opportunity after several tries.


    ¡°Hm, so what you¡¯re saying is that poker is a game designed to be more advantageous to yers who y risky than safe, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No,¡± Sung-Woon replied. ¡°Most games are like that. At least for games where there are uncertain variables and thus a need to predict and calcte probability.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true¡­why is that?¡±


    Sung-Woon tilted his head as if he was questioning why Eldar would be asking such an obvious question.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s more fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°But I¡¯m not saying that you should y risky.¡±


    ¡°Right, you said moderately. May I ask what¡¯s the standard for that?¡±


    Sung-Woon immediately replied, ¡°That¡¯s a difficult question.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the process of getting to know that be the process of improving your skills in the game?¡±


    Eldar then realized why Sung-Woon had sent Lakrak to the capital of Danyum by himself. As Eldar saw it, it was a dangerous move.


    Of course, Sung-Woon fortunately knew that the five allies had been having frequent meetingstely. Lunda was a part of the meetings, so of course he would know. Due to it being part of a separate system, however, Lunda was unable to contact Sung-Woon in the meantime; Sung-Woon thus didn¡¯t know when the meeting would end, or if all five of them were in attendance.


    <i>¡®If Crampus hadn¡¯t attended today¡¯s meeting?¡¯</i>


    Generally, yers tended to stay at ces where they could observe the important locations of their territory, such as the capitals.


    When Lakrak appeared, Crampus would have released his creations and used lots of Faith points, which could put Lakrak in danger. And in the extreme case of losing Lakrak, that would be too great of a loss for Sung-Woon.


    Therefore, Eldar considered the decision a gamble, andpared to the risk, the return seemed pretty low. A high risk and low return gamble. Eldar thought so because Crampus¡¯s main troops weren¡¯t in Deimerit, the capital of Danyum.


    <i>¡®Of course, breaking down the king¡¯s castle in the capital and killing the king is pretty much the same as the checkmate move that would copse a country.¡¯</i>


    However, in The Lost World, if a war broke out, the real conductor would be the god, not the king. As long as the principle of causality was present, it was true that it would be more efficient for a god to ce an authority like a king to pass down theirmands, but that didn¡¯t mean an existing army would just fall victim to an unexpected catastrophe. The army of thirty thousand Sung-Woon had to face remained where they were.


    Regardless, Sung-Woon exined his strategy and said that although it was dangerous, it was a necessary move for victory.


    And Sung-Woon agreed with Eldar¡¯s thought after the exnation.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Then it is in fact an impractical gamble.¡±


    .


    ¡°Hm, well, the risk is high, but the return isn¡¯t low.¡±


    ¡°Is there another gain I didn¡¯t think of?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°There¡¯s many, but firstly, it¡¯s now revealed that I¡¯m not a user who ys the orthodox way, right? That in itself is a gain.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Think about it.¡±


    Sung-Woon tapped on the temple area of his mask with his index finger.


    ¡°Everyone sits around a table and ys poker. They all check the chips they have and then the cards they receive. They look at their cards and think it¡¯s not bad. They think it would be okay for them to check the next card. So everyone would call. But suddenly, thest person stands up and says they¡¯re all-in. What would you do?¡±


    ¡°What about the cards in my hand?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°...I can¡¯t lose all my money in the first round, so I would probably fold.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Sung-Woon then asked the next question.


    ¡°But what if the guy who suddenly stood up keeps going all-in for all five rounds, even though their hands are just average? What would you do?¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡± Eldar stared into the distance for a moment. ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°What part?¡±


    Eldar said, ¡°Well, didn¡¯t that person go all-in because they had good hands?¡±


    ¡°You don''t know that. There is a possibility that the person had gotten good enough hands that they would be confident in winning for all five rounds, but that¡¯s the wrong way to think about it. They might have bluffed a few times, and they might have even been bluffing the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± After thinking about it, Eldar replied, ¡°I would fold until I get cards with a high chance of winning.¡±


    Sung-Woon shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a very good choice.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°That kind of person would make the other yers conflicted. There could be some who wait until they get a good hand to go against that person, and if that person goes all-in again, some might just go with it regardless of what cards they have. However, having more chips is advantageous in poker. That all-in yer would have received the small bets gained from the others calling and folding in the meantime, thus creating a gap between them and the other yers. And after that, that yer would be able to start at an advantageous point even without going for such an extreme strategy.¡±


    Eldar nodded.


    ¡°So what you did was also¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to the extent of an all-in,¡± Sung-Woon said. ¡°I¡¯m just saying I did it because it seemed worth trying.¡±


    ***


    Wisdom sent Crampus a simple message of constion and told him he should be more cautious about his preparations for war, and about Lakrak moving alone.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Neb would go this far. Using an apostle for assassination was predictable, but ck Scale doesn¡¯t have any other strategy resources like Lakrak. Normally, a yer wouldn¡¯t use an apostle in this way unless they had a backup apostle.¡±


    Crampus got over the mental shock rtively easily.


    ¡°He did overdo it. The royal family wasn¡¯t wiped out, and the castle wasn¡¯tpletely destroyed either. The chain ofmand is still fine, and the army of thirty thousand remains as they were.¡±


    Of course, the damage done was a lot worse than what Crampus had described. Lakrak the apostle had exerted a divine punishment, and even the god of the Satyrs was unable to prevent that. Many people were saying that Lakrak had struck Deimerit like lightning.


    As numerous rumors spread, fear of ck Scale grew. And because of that, the other countries were agitated. Aside from Asbestos, where a civil war had already begun and driven the country into a mess, the yers of Golden Eye, Red Fruit, and even Mangul had to keep giving revtions for the sake of internal control. yers like AR1026 even had to send their creations as guardians.


    The five allies decided to stop having meetings during the war, which they had regrly held to share news with each other in the beginning. And Lunda was bewildered to see this happen.


    <i>¡®Is it okay to do so? It¡¯s true that the meeting itself has be a weakness, but don¡¯t we meet regrly to bring the alliance together? It¡¯s not my ce to say, but it¡¯s likely the meetings were also meant to prevent betrayal. We agreed that our number one concern was the copse of the alliance, didn¡¯t we?¡¯</i>


    Everyone was fretting, trying to settle the situation that Lakrak had created, but in Lunda¡¯s perspective, problems seemed to arise once they all became more attached to their capitals out of worry that Lakrak would attack them.


    <i>¡®Of course, it¡¯s a relief that I personally have less to worry about now.¡¯</i>


    Lunda¡¯s heart was slowly leaning toward Sung-Woon and away from the five allies.

 Chapter 118: Army of People

    <h4>Chapter 118: Army of People</h4>


    A gloomy atmosphere surrounded Danyum¡¯s army at the sad news that came from Deimerit.


    Danyum¡¯smander in chief, Yubaim Dn, urgently gathered the generals of each military unit. They were all aristocrats of Danyum and descendants of the founders of the country. And that was also the case for Yubaim, who was above all of them.


    The lower half of Yubaim¡¯s body was covered in wiry hair like that of a goat and was considered to beposed of strong muscles. Yubaim also wore armor which made his upper body look even bulkier, and he had a beard like a goat. By Satyrs'' standards, Yubaim was a beautiful man.


    Yubaim said with a deep voice, ¡°How is the morale of the army?¡±


    As it wasn¡¯t a question directed at a specific person, all the generals replied.


    ¡°Not good.¡±


    ¡°Many are sad that His Majesty, who was a sage king, has passed away.¡±


    ¡°Deimerit is not simply the capital. It was a city that hadn¡¯t ever been attacked until now.¡±


    ¡°And above all¡­¡±


    Everyone turned to the general who was about to speak. Because the general was bringing up the matter that all the other generals had hesitated to talk about.


    ¡°They are terrified that there is an enemy apostle who can break down the castle and kill the king all by himself.¡±


    Yubaim calmly said, ¡°No one on thisnd doesn¡¯t know of Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an old tale.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Everyone knew of Lakrak¡¯s prestige as an old tale, but they never imagined he would be exactly the same as in the stories. They all thought ck Scale would have exaggerated it. No one believed he would be just like the Thunder Lizard that killed the Evil God in the stories¡­¡±


    Yubaim lightly tapped on the desk.


    ¡°Do you share the sentiments?¡±


    Yubaim¡¯s tone turned serious, and the generals responded like they were walking on eggshells.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°We do not.¡±


    Hearing the answers he wanted to hear, Yubaim rxed a little, but notpletely.


    The existence of Lakrak the apostle didn¡¯t matter when he was only part of a story. It was fine even if he defeated the Bloodsucking Queen and the Evil God. However, him bing a threat in reality was troublesome.


    ¡°The order of priests contacted me.¡±


    ¡°The order of priests?¡±


    ¡°They said there has been a revtion.¡±


    The faces of the generals became stiff. Yubaim thought he could guess what the generals were thinking.


    <i>¡®They think that they might get divine punishment for not being able to protect His Majesty.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°ording to Limitless God, Night Sky¡¯s n is clever, so the gods of the five allies are falling behind. However, Limitless God¡¯s guardians are specially looking after our army, so we are not to fear the apostle of Night Sky and should focus on the war.¡±


    At those words, a look of relief reced the nervousness on the generals¡¯ faces.


    ¡°Does that mean Limitless God is watching over us?¡±


    ¡°It seems that the sess or failure of this war is very important. And we seem to be at the forefront of it.¡±


    A few of the generals seemed to have forgotten that they were in the middle of a meeting and began to pray.


    Themander in chief, Yubaim, waited for the generals to rx and then said, ¡°The apostle of a god can be left to the gods. Therefore, right now, we must focus on winning this war as an army of people.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    ¡°How are the enemy troops moving?¡±


    The general of the unit responsible for reconnaissance and defending the border delivered a brief report.


    ¡°All ten thousand areing up along the river. They will arrive at where we are, the Dilpa Gorge, in two days at the shortest and four days at thetest.¡±


    Dilpa Gorge sat at the border between Red Fruit and ck Scale. Although the path was narrow, the terrain was not rough, so it was a path the merchantsmonly took.


    It was one of the gateways one passed when going from ck Scale to Danyum, so if ck Scale¡¯s army was to go through it, there was a high chance they would be able to advance to the capital, Deimerit, without much resistance. Therefore, Yubaim had to make one of two choices about the Dilpa Gorge.


    One was topletely block the gorge. Since it was a gorge, they would be able to use gunpowder to break the rock and cut off the path, or have soldiers do it by piling up sand, soil, and waste lumber. In this case, the restoration of the gorge after the war would be a problem, but it was worth giving it a try despite the cost of restoration.


    As they were facing an army, their enemies would be able to restore the path and go through it with sheer manpower; <i>because?</i>it was an army, however, the enemies would need continuous supplies.


    If Yubaim did his best to block the path, he thought ck Scale would decide that it would take too long to restore the path and go around it.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s a long way around, and they would have to pass by a few castles.¡¯</i>


    The other option was to leave the path of the Dilpa Gorge open, but confront the army of ck Scale there. Yubaim chose the second option. The cost of blocking and restoring the Dilpa Gorge wasn¡¯t all that important in his calction.


    <i>¡®Even if we block the path, ck Scale will find an alternative path to advance. In that case, we wouldn¡¯t know which path they¡¯d take, so we would have to divide our troops. Even though peace has been kept for a long time until now, we can¡¯t underestimate the army of ck Scale. We need to face the enemy with maximum force.¡¯</i>


    Above all, there was a reason a castle hadn¡¯t been built at the Dilpa Gorge. The gorge was a natural fortress itself. Of course, the Lizardmen of ck Scale still built mountain fortresses on such terrains, but for it to be called a castle, there had to be a lord and their subjects.


    Building walls was only meaningful if people lived there, but the Dilpa Gorge wasn''t very suitable for living. It was considered inefficient and would only cause unnecessary trouble to station soldiers there even at times of peace for an enemy that might or might note.


    <i>¡®Even if it weren¡¯t for that, the Dilpa Gorge is a good ce to face enemies in. And beyond it is a great rampart that is difficult to break down at the capital, Deimerit. You arrogant lizards will regret this.¡¯</i>


    Yubaim said, ¡°...Then the only unknown matter is who the enemymander is. Is there no information about that yet?¡±


    The generals responded with silence.


    For some reason, ck Scale was hiding information about theirmander.


    Yubaim thought for a moment and shook his head.


    <i>¡®No. It doesn¡¯t matter who themander is anyway. The only thing important in war are numbers. More soldiers and more supplies. These are the things that determine victory or defeat.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Four dayster, at the Dilpa Gorge.


    ck Scale arrived at the Di Gorge at the time the army of Danyum had expected them to show up.


    In front of the Dilpa Gorge was arge open field where the Dilpa river flowed through, which provided tactical value by allowing them to easily see enemy movements. ck Scale didn¡¯t push forward, and even though they could see the army of Danyum far away, they set up tents and rested at a safe distance. With that much distance between them, ck Scale would be able to put up a proper defense even if Danyum¡¯s army came charging at them right away.


    Themander of ck Scale¡¯s army asked the generals, ¡°How¡¯s the military power of the enemy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no different than we expected.¡±


    ¡°Is there no other information from what we already know?¡±


    One of the generals replied, ¡°There is none.¡±


    ¡°Good. Get ready after the break is over.¡±


    At those words, the general said, ¡°But we still haven¡¯t heard anything from the revtion priest. If this fight isn¡¯t what Night Sky wanted¡­¡±


    Themander shook their head.


    ¡°Do you expect Night Sky to do everything for us while we sit back? If Night Sky swings a sword for us, do you think he¡¯ll also be the one to take a hit for us?¡±


    ¡°N¡­no.¡±


    A few generals chuckled at that exchange.


    Themander said, ¡°We don¡¯t fight when Night Sky wants us to, but when it is the easiest to win. The enemy has seen that we are taking a break right in front of them, so they would have gotten somewhatcent, while our soldiers aren¡¯t that exhausted since we haven¡¯t overtaxed ourselves during the march. If we¡¯re going to fight, now is the perfect time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Your Highness. Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Commander Vasen.¡±


    Themander, Vasen Lak Orazen, winked and nodded.


    ¡°Now everyone go do your job.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    After Vasen saved Doltan Ind, the achievement was leveraged to bring him back into the pce.


    <i>¡®Technically, it¡¯s not the pce, but¡­ isn¡¯t this better than that? I can¡¯t believe I was given control over the military.¡¯</i>


    Of course Kyle Lak Orazed, who was his younger brother as well as the king, had exerted his influence, but Vasenter heard that a strong rmendation had been made by general Ian Tata, who helped Vasen wipe out the pirates from Doltan Ind, as well as by the supervisor whose identity Vasen never found out about.


    The Eastern Mountain Expedition Team disbanded after only taking their first step, but Theone Itimo received a greater amount of money than expected due to a penalty for breach of contract on the pce¡¯s end, and she ended up buying another ship; that was rather good news.


    <i>¡®Well, maybe we¡¯ll get to continue the journey someday.¡¯</i>


    Of course there were still some people that were concerned about Vasen, but if Vasen did good in this war as well, he expected to prove those people wrong.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s if things go well.¡¯</i>


    Vasen looked across the battlefield where the fight was soon to take ce. Danyum¡¯s army was waiting along the Dilpa Gorge as well, but ck Scale had no choice but to go there. They were at a disadvantage not only because of their numbers, but also because of the terrain.


    <i>¡®However, fighting isn¡¯t only about numbers.¡¯</i>


    Just as Vasenmanded, the soldiers immediately got ready for battle after their break. And they could feel Danyum¡¯s army bing agitated from far away because they were pretty much diving into the fight without identifying the enemy¡¯s movements.


    Then arrived the one the ck Scale¡¯s army was expecting.


    <i>Rumble¡­!</i>


    The air shook, and someonended in front of the ck Scale¡¯s army from above. It was Lakrak. At the appearance of their hero, shouts poured out from the now high-spirited army of ck Scale. However, that didn¡¯t happen only for ck Scale¡¯s army. As if they had been waiting for that moment, monsters several meters tall of different shapes and forms appeared among Danyum¡¯s battle formation.


    They were Danyum¡¯s guardians, namely Crampus¡¯ creations. There were five in total. They charged toward Lakrak at a rapid speed, and Lakrak avoided them and escaped into the forest across the river, away from the ce where the armies would sh. Three of the monsters chased after Lakrak across the river.


    Then trees split into several pieces, lightning struck down, and blood began to fall down like rain.


    The war had begun.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±


    Yubaim, the Satyr general, shouted.


    Yubaim then said with anticipation, ¡°Now we fight only an army of people. It is our victory.¡±


    ***


    Meanwhile, Vasen also let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Whew, what a relief.¡±


    The adjutant next to him was confused.


    ¡°Is it¡­a relief?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no way Lakrak would listen to mymands. I would have to put into consideration something that I can¡¯t even predict. Don¡¯t you think that would mess up my thought process?¡±


    The adjutant nodded, thinking that Vasen¡¯s exnation was reasonable.


    ¡°But Commander, the enemy has a greater number than us, and they¡¯re more advantageous in this terrain.¡±


    ¡°Even so, they¡¯re only an army of people, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Vasen said, ¡°I haven¡¯t ever lost against an army of people until now.¡±

 Chapter 119: Battle at the Dilpa Gorge

    <h4>Chapter 119: Battle at the Dilpa Gorge</h4>


    The five imposing guardians guarding Danyum were a sight to behold.


    Every step they took, their feet dug into the ground as deep as a man¡¯s shin, and when they kicked out their front feet, an armful of trees were uprooted and toppled over. Clouds of dust rose as high as the creatures¡¯ heads, and whenever they moved, they caused a light breeze that swept over the soldiers of ck Scale.


    And Lakrak, who was facing all five of the guardians, was a living legend. The guardians were busy twisting their bodies to avoid every swing of his spear, and it was difficult to track him when every move of his triggered crackling lightning.


    As the smell of the guardians¡¯ blood permeated the air, tension lingered among the army of ck Scale as if they had already joined the war. And with the mythical fight going on in the background, ck Scale began to move.


    When Vasen Lak Orazen said that he had never lost against an army of people, Su-Heon the adjutant covered their mouth and smiled. Su-Heon dide from one of the four major families of Automation, but they were still a Human, making them an umon sight in the army of ck Scale. Compared to Lizardmen, Su-Heon wouldn¡¯t be considered physically strong, but they had proven theirpetence through other abilities until now.


    <i>¡®Prince Vasen is an interesting man.¡¯</i>


    There were lots of concerns when the news that Vasen had been appointed themander of the First Army first broke out, but beside the fact that Vasen was a prince, Vasen had earned the title ofmander with his achievements at the southern sea.


    <i>¡®If he¡¯s confident and has the capability to back it up, then he has nothing to hide.¡¯</i>


    Su-Heon said, ¡°But Commander, judging from the situation, we need to enter the gorge first¡ªtheir snout, so to speak. Not only have they blocked the gorge, but they have also ced archers at the top of the gorge. Even though our soldiers possess bravery like no other, they still bleed when hit with des. Would it be okay to proceed like this?¡±


    Face the enemy with greater numbers. It was one of the fundamentals of military strategy and tactics. And this was true even when the total number of soldiers on both sides were the same. In that case, a narrow path would limit the number of enemies who could pass through and thus granting one an advantage. But at this moment, it was Danyum¡¯s army that benefited from the terrain.


    Vasen replied, ¡°Can the battle formation that I specified be done without much trouble?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±


    The formation Vasen specified was one that surrounded the enemy. At a nce, it seemed advantageous, but ck Scale¡¯s army were the one that had to go through the gorge rather than their enemies. In Su-Heon¡¯s opinion, the formation encircling the gorge wasn¡¯t that useful no matter how threatening it might seem since they would have to fight in the gorge anyway.


    ¡°Are we not going to advance today, unlike what you told the generals?¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t you see Apostle Lakrak fighting the guardians of Danyum over there? Of course I think Lakrak will win, but behind those guardians is the god of Satyrs, the Limitless God. We don¡¯t know what strategy their god will use with a Miracle, so it¡¯s better to hurry.¡±


    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t it be better to go into a wedge-shaped formation?¡±


    The wedge-shaped formation was a typical offensive formation, and it was amon one to employ when fighting in a gorge like this.


    But Vasen clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Three generals came by earlier and said something simr.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my fault for not giving a proper exnation.¡±


    Su-Heon asked, ¡°Then may I ask exactly what is happening?¡±


    Vasen didn¡¯t reply immediately and instead looked at the gorge in the distance. The gorge itself wasn¡¯t very narrow. If all ten thousand soldiers ck Scale had deployed were Lizardmen, Vasen would have said to advance in a wedge-shaped formation, having judged that it was worth going up against the enemies that way.


    With Night Sky¡¯s blessing, the Lizardmen had outstanding strength, and they would be able to quickly climb up the gorge that was several meters high. Lizardmen also possessed great physical attributes, so the wounds arrows inflicted on them would be less severe, and in closebat, they were considered expertspared to other species.


    In fact, that would¡¯ve been a better tactic than any if they were all Lizardmen, but the fact was that out of the ten thousand soldiers, only 2000 were Lizardmen. The rest of the soldiers were mentally and physically strong and had been selected to receive military training, but they were far from an excellent army. Making them go head-to-head with the enemy would be dangerous. A tactic was needed to protect the weak with the strong, while at the same time slowly attacking the enemy¡¯s vulnerabilities.


    ¡°Su-Heon, you said that the gorge was like a snout, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then we just need to make them throw up what they ate.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°What do you think would happen if your nose is tickled by a foxtail?¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Vasen sighed.


    ¡°Just watch.¡±


    Vasen decided to put himself in the shoes of Su-Heon and the other generals. They were veterans. And therefore, they were still tied to old tactics even when they were introduced to a new battlefield.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not a bad choice to reference the past, but it¡¯s a problem to stick to the old tricks even after learning new ways.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately enough, ck Scale¡¯s army wasn¡¯t the only one gued with such a problem; the same was true for Danyum¡¯s army.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s why they picked a formation like that.¡¯</i>


    In Vasen¡¯s view, the formation Danyum¡¯s army had gotten into was aplete failure. Since themander was leading an army of thirty thousand, they couldn¡¯t have been a fool; they were probably a veteran adhering to the old ways just as Vasen expected.


    <i>¡®If that¡¯s the case, you should have set up camp at the end of the gorge, not the entrance of it, or have arge-scale fight with the gorge at our backs. Wouldn¡¯t that have been better? You even have more people.¡¯</i>


    Of course, the opponent being ignorant was good for Vasen.


    Vasen confirmed that ck Scale¡¯s army had surrounded the entrance of the gorge. And each unit was in their ce as Vasen hadmanded. Even though there were still people who doubted Vasen¡¯s orders, the chain ofmand fortunately seemed to be functioning properly.


    ¡°Attention.¡± Vasen made the order through themand system. ¡°Aim the cannons at the entrance of the gorge.¡±


    And soon after, with the sound of loud booms, rocks scattered into the gorge.


    ***


    ¡°What are you all doing! Hurry and fight back with cannons as well!¡±


    As Danyum¡¯smander-in-chief, Yubaim Dn, shouted this, one of the generals replied, ¡°We are already doing our best, but the infantry are too tightly aligned, so it will take some time to bring the cannons forward!¡±


    ¡°ce the cannons on top of the gorge!¡±


    ¡°If we try to raise the cannons to the top of the gorge, either the cannons will be damaged, or our people will get hurt. We would have to take a detour, but that would take a long time.¡±


    Yubaim mmed down on the desk.


    ¡°Then pull back one of the troops on the west side.¡±


    At those words, another general said, ¡°Please reconsider, Commander-in-Chief!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The enemy¡¯s cannons are far away, so the damage isn¡¯t too severe right now. However, the soldiers are very agitated as our troops aren¡¯t able to fight back. If we pull back one of the units, I¡¯m worried that the morale of those who aren¡¯t able to fall back will suffer greatly.¡±


    ¡°...Damn it!¡±


    As Danyum¡¯s army was slowly moving their cannons forward, ck Scale continued their n. They measured their distance from the gorge and confirmed that there was no cannon at the opponent¡¯s front; then they began to advance little by little.


    Su-Heon realized what Vasen had meant by tickling the nose.


    ¡°Was this formation more advantageous even from outside the gorge because we have cannons?¡±


    Vasen silently nodded.


    With soldiers wielding swords and spears alone, a formation that encircled the gorge would be useless against enemies inside the gorge. But things were different if there was a cannon that could take lives from a distance. Since the firepower could be focused on one point, the fundamental principle of facing less enemies with more allies would be maintained.


    ¡°The enemy¡¯smander would have thought of using a cannon too, but it¡¯s hard to shoot a cannon from inside the gorge.¡±


    Because their own men would get hit.


    ¡°But they can¡¯t shoot from on top of the gorge, either.¡±


    The current cannon used was field cannons, where the cannon balls would be loaded through the muzzle. If they tried to shoot downward, the cannon balls would only roll out, and even if they aimed at the front with a parab trajectory in mind, the gorge wasn¡¯t that wide, so their own men would get hit.


    ¡°Then Danyum¡¯s army should¡­¡±


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have settled in the gorge in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°But the cannons Danyum¡¯s army used are nearly identical to ours. If they bring their cannons to the front¡­¡±


    ¡°That would be a good thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Vasen continued to move ck Scale¡¯s cannons forward while shooting. Although each shot didn¡¯t take down many of the enemy infantry, their soldiers were already in a panic state due to the continuous outpour of cannon balls.


    ¡°The cannon has arrived right behind us! Make room!¡±


    At those words, the infantry of Danyum¡¯s army cheered and made way. And just then, Vasenmanded the cavalry to charge. At the same time ck Scale¡¯sst cannonball was shot, ck Scale¡¯s prided Cockatoo cavalryunched their attack.


    Danyum¡¯s spearmen quickly fixed their formation, but half of the infantry had already given up their spots for the cannon. The archers at each side of the gorge shot their arrows, aiming at the Cockatoo cavalry, but ck Scale¡¯s cannoneers were now aiming at the top of the gorge.


    Only a few riders fell from their Cockatoos, and the rest broke through the enemy¡¯s copsed formation.


    ¡°Do not be afraid! If we keep the formation with our spears, we can deal with the cavalry with no problem!¡±


    Danyum¡¯s generals shouted as hard as they could to the point that they seemed pathetic, but that was no use. The spearmen at the very front had already lost everyst bit of their fighting spirit and put up a poor resistance. They ended up getting their heads cut off by the Cockatoo riders, or they tried to run away and got stabbed in the back.


    As the generals of Danyum prepared and calmed the next row of spearmen, nning to create another phnx, the Cockatoo cavalry quickly turned around at themand to retreat.


    The cannon fires started anew. And as this routine repeated once more, Yubaim made hismand.


    ¡°We should advance forward.¡±


    There was immediate opposition.


    ¡°Commander-in-Chief, we cannot do that! We can¡¯t give up the advantage of terrain when little damage has been done on the enemies!¡±


    ¡°Look around you! Look at what¡¯s happening if you have eyes! How is this advantageous? We tried to safely fight along the canyon, but we aren¡¯t even able to take advantage of our superior number.¡±


    Yubaim was right.


    But then another general said, ¡°However, the enemy has already gotten into formation. If we advance like this, it would be the same as running into their arms!¡±


    Yubaim felt like he had been hit on the head.


    <i>¡®We were the ones who were waiting for the enemy toe into our arms. How did this happen?¡¯</i>


    Yubaim asked, ¡°What are you suggesting then? That we retreat?¡±


    The question was met with resounding silence.


    If they were to retreat back to the end of the gorge, there would be no ce for them to make a stand to stop ck Scale from reaching the capital, Derimerit.


    Yubaim said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing else we can do. Putting aside our disadvantage, we must try to take advantage of our superior numbers.¡±


    They had undergone loss in the battle just now because they fought in the gorge, and Yubaim judged that at least a few hundred had died. It could be considered arge number, but they still had more men than the enemy.


    ¡°Advance!¡±


    At Yubaim¡¯smand, Danyum¡¯s infantry got into formations and advanced forward. ck Scale¡¯s cannons fired, but perhaps it was because they were at least able to face the enemy, Danyum¡¯s soldiers were less agitated than before.


    Yubaim was worried, so he asked for a briefing sooner than usual.


    ¡°Is there no problem with the advance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is none. Each infantry squad is maintaining formation next to the cannon. I think they are trying to fight our troops without retreating.¡±


    When Yubaim was going to give the order to keep advancing, another general said, ¡°The enemy¡¯s cavalry aren¡¯t anywhere to be seen.¡±


    Yubaim got lost in thoughts for a moment. Then yet another general said, ¡°The enemy cavalry seems to have returned to the rear as they got exhausted from the preceding battle.¡±


    That seemed reasonable.


    And Danyum¡¯s army continued to advance. They got back into a wedge-shaped formation and marched toward the front of ck Scale¡¯s army, who had arranged themselves into the shape of a fan. Yubaim was thinking of dividing the ck Scale¡¯s rtively smaller troop and destroying half of them first.


    And once the army in wedge-shaped formation faced ck Scale¡¯s infantry, Vasen, who had been waiting for that moment, pulled out his sword.


    ¡°Attack!¡±


    The sudden shout came from the right side of Danyum¡¯s army. From there emerged the cavalry that Danyum hadn¡¯t noticed.


    Vasen had the exhausted Cockatoo cavalry fall back while the horse cavalry made up of several species took vanguards. And Vasen himself was taking point.


    Riding a Cockatoo, Vasen yelled, ¡°Cut off the enemy¡¯s rear!¡±

 Chapter 120: Just Because a Path Opens

    <h4>Chapter 120: Just Because a Path Opens</h4>


    ck Scale¡¯s cavalry attacked and broke through the side of Danyum¡¯s infantry.


    Cockatoos were faster than horses, but horses actually made up the main force of ck Scale¡¯s cavalry. Due to Cockatoos¡¯ aggressive nature, taming them was difficult unless it was a Lizardman blessed by Night Sky, but apart from that, horses had high endurance, and above all, great strength. Unlike Cockatoos, which had trouble carrying heavy weight, horses could be heavily armed. And being able to run with heavier loads meant that the impact when they colliding with something would be that much greater.


    Danyum¡¯s spearmen urgently tried to form a phnx, but they were in the middle of moving, and the formation was not tightly organized. Both wings, the back row, the third row, and sometimes the fourth row stood tightly together with spears raised to block the mounts and the riders of ck Scale¡¯s calvary. However, if there was even a little gap in the formation, the phnx would be broken up from the side, which would render the phnx meaningless.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    Hit by a horse, a Satyr flew a few meters into the air before falling to the ground. And as one of ck Scale¡¯s cavalry units got through the poorly organized phnx, Danyum¡¯s spearmen urgently turned their spears around, resulting in an even bigger gap.


    The generals shouted at the soldiers to keep their spears in ce and not move from each of their positions, but it was hard for the soldiers to ignore their instinctive fear toward the cavalry charging toward them.


    ck Scale¡¯s cavalry pierced through the holes in Danyum¡¯s formation with swords and spears and began a ughter. The inexperienced infantrymen swung their spears recklessly at ck Scale¡¯s cavalry, only to get their spears tangled with each other and fail to attack. There were some who were properly trained and pulled out their swords, but they either fell under the hooves of the horses, got caught between a Cockatoo¡¯s beak, or got killed by the riders¡¯ swords.


    Now cut off from the rear, Danyum¡¯s front units contemted whether they should turn around and attack ck Scale¡¯s cavalry, or continue to charge at ck Scale¡¯s infantry in front of them. In fact, the generals at the scene were unable to see themand unit with the rear of the army cut off, so each of them ended up giving different orders.


    ¡°Now is the time! Attack!¡±


    As things went ording to n, ck Scale¡¯s infantry surrounded the enemy¡¯s front unit to trap them. While attacks were pouring toward Danyum¡¯s infantry from all directions, ck Scale¡¯s cavalry pierced through the enemy¡¯s rear end and got to the other side without much trouble.


    Yubaim Dn yelled from far away. Half of the infantry hadn¡¯t gotten out of the gorge yet.


    ¡°You fools! Make way for the cavalry! We need to save the front units, don¡¯t we?¡±


    A general said, ¡°But Commander-in-Chief, there¡¯s no point if only the cavalry go forward.¡±


    Yubaim didn¡¯t want to admit it, but the general was right. Danyum¡¯s cavalry was moving forward, but it was likely already toote to break through the enemy¡¯s thick infantry unit and save the front troops.


    ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡±


    "Draw the enemy back into the canyon..."


    Another general then spoke up.


    "How foolish! The rear units have already started advancing. It would take a while to retreat, and in the meantime, we would be witnessing the front units being wiped out."


    Yubaim clutched his head before raising it again. It seemed better to make any decision rather than staying still and doing nothing.


    "Once we have decided to advance forward, we cannot stop. And we need to show consistency in ourmands so that the soldiers can focus on the battle. Even if it means being a little slower, we¡¯ll continue to advance while maintaining formation."


    "What about the front troops surrounded by the enemy?"


    With his eyebrows knitted, Yubaim reluctantly replied, "We give up on them."


    "But Commander..."


    "Shut up! We still have the numerical advantage."


    While Danyum¡¯s front troops were practically beingpletely wiped out, ck Scale moved the exhausted and injured troops to the back and sent the troops that hadn''t participated in the previous battle ahead.


    At thatmand, Su-Heon the adjutant said, "Commander, shouldn¡¯t we save the troops who are in good condition so that we can prepare for the next battle? Even if we pull the injured soldiers back now, it would be difficult for them to recover by then."


    Su-Heon¡¯s opinion was the same as the other generals.


    Since this was not a game but reality, unnecessary troop movements could create unnecessary losses. And without a clear exnation, the troops moving forward could find themand unreasonable.


    "I have a different opinion."


    "Can you please exin the reason?"


    Vasen replied, "You¡¯re right when you say that the exhausted soldiers may be able to recover soon, while the injured soldiers wouldn¡¯t be able to. However, by not pushing the soldiers to fight until they can no longer continue, we¡¯ll be giving the soldiers a feeling of relief.¡±


    "It¡¯s good for soldiers to be at peace during normal times, but does that help in times of war?¡±


    "That''s a thoughtless remark, Su-Heon."


    Su-Heon thought for a moment, and when Su-Heon was unable toe up with a response, Vasen spoke again.


    "That way, the soldiers will trust and follow me, won''t they? If the soldiers survive, they will trust and follow me from then on."


    "Oh."


    "By the way, the Commander of Danyum seems not as educated."


    After wiping out the front troops of Danyum, Vasen retreated to the same distance as before. He then reorganized the army¡¯s formation and fired the cannons at the slowly approaching Danyum troops.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The explosion of ck gunpowder rang loud and reached even the back of the army. Only then did Yubaim realize that something was wrong.


    "Damn it!"


    It felt as if they were lost in a huge maze.


    "The same situation is just going to repeat again!"


    The enemy surrounded the gorge in a fan-shaped formation and fired the cannons, hitting Danyum¡¯s infantry. If the infantry pulled back with their cannons, the enemy cavalry would exploit the opening of the broken formation and rush in to attack them. But if they quickly moved the infantry forward, the cavalry would cut off the rear of Danyum¡¯s army, and the front troops would be wiped out by the enemy¡¯s infantry. If the formation was maintained and the infantry continuously advanced forward, they would be under the attack of ck Scale¡¯s cannons again.


    One of the generals then said, "Oh, no. Commander-in-Chief, our infantry may be slow, but they are steadily advancing toward the enemy."


    "You fool! By the time they reach the enemy, there would be so many holes in their formation that they would only get wiped out by the cavalry."


    The general couldn¡¯t deny that, but it wasn¡¯t like there was any other way.


    "...Are you saying that this is the best we can do?"


    In Vasen¡¯s opinion, that wasn¡¯t the best course of action Danyum¡¯s army could take. He believed they had already made the wrong choice when they settled down in the gorge in the first ce, so the best they could do now was to retreat. Unfortunately, it was already toote to even do that.


    "They have lost too many infantry units already. Of course, it would still be better to retreat considering the losses they will continue to suffer...but it seems that theirmander is unnecessarily stubborn."


    Danyum¡¯s army steadily advanced forward and made it out along the cliff on the right side of the gorge, all the while continuing to suffer losses. To adapt to their now smaller number, the wedge formation had morphed into an infantry square. There was no concern of being cut off at the back now, so it didn''t seem like a bad counter to the cavalry.


    "With that formation, it would be difficult for the cavalry to cut them off, but..."


    Vasen''s response was simple. The fact that the enemy had gotten into a square formation meant that they now covered a greater area.


    Vasenmanded ck Scale¡¯s infantry to advance. Along with ck Scale¡¯s Cockatoo cavalry, their Lizardmen infantry were also strong. The warrior culture originated from Lakrak and Yur¡¯s time had given birth to Martial arts, and thus emerged a highlyuded school of martial arts that incorporated the use of weapons. Themander-in-chief of Danyum, Yubaim, also knew of this fact.


    "But barely 20% of the enemy is Lizardmen. And among them, some belong to the cavalry, so they only have enough to block the north. In terms of infantry, we Satyrs are also confident."


    Satyrs were known for their infantry, who could wear heavy armor and wield heavy weapons. Heavy armory would slow down cavalry, while heavily-armed infantry was excellent for braving through pouring arrows and attacking other infantry.


    From behind the spearmen of Danyum¡¯s army, the medium Satyr infantry got into formation and gradually began to push ck Scale¡¯s infantry back. After suffering more casualties than expected, the situation that Yubaim and the generals of Danyum had been waiting for was finallying.


    "Maintain the eastern side while opening the western side with the medium infantry!"


    And just as Yubaim had wanted, the western side began to open up. Once they pushed the enemy back and cleared a path, they could send all the soldiers who had been unable to advance in the gorge out into the in, thus surrounding the entire enemy army with their numerical superiority.


    "The ck Scale army¡¯s west wing has started to pull back!"


    "That¡¯s it!" Yubaim shouted. "We need to maintain our formation like this! Move the medium infantry to the west!"


    As a path began to open on the western side, the medium Satyr infantry moved forward to fill the gaps in the formation.


    Vasen concisely assessed the situation.


    "Theyck caution."


    The medium Satyr infantry charging toward the open path were greeted with cannons that had been steadily moved forward from the back. When they saw the cannons, they momentarily froze in the moment of danger, and the ck Scale¡¯s cannoneers fired at them.


    The expensive armor crafted by skilled artisans with decades of experience in metalwork were dented by the propelled rocks. The infantrymen continued to rush forward, but fell again when the second row of cannons fired.


    As Yubaim was getting briefed on the damage they were undergoing, he also received what he considered good news.


    "...Damn it, just give up on the west side! The east! Now a path is opening up in the east!"


    However, an open path worked both ways.


    As the ck Scale¡¯s army retreated in the east, a well-rested and renewed cavalry unit appeared.


    Yubaim quietly muttered.


    "Oh god.¡±


    ***


    While Sung-Woon supported Lakrak¡¯s battle on one side, he had also been keeping an eye on the battle that Vasen was leading.


    "It¡¯s the hammer and anvil tactic.¡±


    If the tactical guideline for battle was to attack fewer enemy troops with greater numbers, the hammer and anvil tactic could be considered a corresponding tactic. And among the variations, what Vasen used was the mostmon form of the tactic.


    The frontline consisted of infantry, the sturdy anvil-like Lizardmen infantry in particr, and held the enemy in ce. Meanwhile, their cavalry and the powerful hammer-like cannons that could shatter the armor of the medium Satyr infantry wipe out Danyum¡¯s infantry from both sides.


    As Lakrak¡¯s fight was alsoing to an end, the oue of the battle was almost decided.


    "But it''s too early to let my guard down."


    From far away, Sung-Woon saw Crampus urgently controlling the system window high above Danyum¡¯s army,


    ***


    "You think we¡¯re gonna lose?"


    It was Wisdom who asked the question through the video chat window.


    Crampus said anxiously, "Yes, I¡¯m gonna need your help."


    "...How did ite to this? Weren''t you supporting them?"


    "Well...I was focused on capturing Lakrak."


    Instead of him trying to capture Lakrak, it would be more urate to say that Crampus had been focusing on preventing his creations from getting killed.


    If they couldn¡¯t capture Lakrak, they would just be set up to fail. But if they could capture him, they believed they could win the war.


    The Lost World required multitasking, but multitasking wasn¡¯t easy for everyone.


    "It all happened in a short period of time.¡±


    "Have you reached aplete defeat?"


    "...Not yet."


    Around four thousand out of the thirty thousand troops had been destroyed. Considering the continuous losses the army would suffer while retreating back into the narrow gorge, though, not even half of them would survive; and among the surviving half, there would surely be deserters. There was no doubt that would happen despite Satyr¡¯s fanatic nature.


    "Anyway, it¡¯ll be manageable if we have a little backup. What do you think?"


    Wisdom was silent for a moment.


    "...Wisdom?"


    Wisdom replied, "Sorry, Crampus. I can''t help you."

 Chapter 121: Bloodless Victory

    <h4>Chapter 121: Bloodless Victory</h4>


    "Why?"


    Under Crampus¡¯s doubting gaze, Wisdom casually shrugged.


    "We can¡¯t make this the st battlefield.¡¯¡±


    "...Hm."


    The st battlefield¡¯ was a recurring pattern that tended to appear in The Lost World. If one side used faith resources to deploy creations or apostles, the opposing side would invest enough faith resources to defeat those creations and apostles. And the smaller the difference in investment was, the better.


    Even if victory was achieved, it would be a waste to win after investing a significant amount of faith resources. Therefore, usually in battles involving a yer¡¯s faith resources like this one, there wouldn¡¯t be a significant difference no matter the oue.


    The losing side wouldn¡¯t fall that far behind the winning side, and they would be able to make aeback in the next battlefield; therefore, there would be no reason to use up the remaining resources on a losing battle.


    However, if both sides had sufficient amounts of faith resources but were limited by the number of entities they could control, then it would be a time to pour all the remaining faith resources into the battle. That would be the st battlefield.¡¯


    Crampus didn¡¯t use Divine Control on Yubaim Dn to take charge of the battle because he wasn¡¯t confident that he would win if Sung-Woon retaliated in kind. Crampus was also more inclined to ept minor defeats over the possibility of a major fiasco.


    Unless he was fighting alone, It didn''t seem like a good idea to take the risk; he had the other members of the alliance to think about.


    As if noticing Crampus¡¯s resignation, Wisdom said, "Crampus, you still have the capital city, Deimerit, and we still need to prepare."


    "But..."


    "Neb has only used Lakrak so far. There¡¯s no reason for us to use all our avable power when we haven¡¯t even seen his other creations, especially Sratis.¡±


    In particr, Wisdom¡¯s apostle, Redin BR Oser, wasn''t ready yet. Redin was currently preparing for the final battle of his rebellion. He would easily achieve victory with Wisdom¡¯s power, but he needed more time to gain prestige.


    After thinking the matter over, Crampus said, "We¡¯ll retreat."


    "Let''s go with buying some more time in the capital city, Deimerit. After all, ck Scale won¡¯t be able to conquer all of Danyum with only ten thousand soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Alright."


    Crampus gave a revtion to his priests. They needed to retreat while the creations were still alive.


    ***


    "The enemies are running away!¡±


    "Danyum¡¯s army is retreating!¡±


    As the reports came in one by one, Vasen Lak Orazen raised his sword high in the air and shouted, "sh and kill those who run away with their backs to you! That way, the next battle will go smoothly!"


    While Danyum¡¯s army was escaping the gorge, ck Scale¡¯s cavalry tenaciously chased after them. And one by one, Danyum¡¯s soldiers dropped inside and on top of the gorge. Bodies piled up across the terrain, and blood flowed into the water.


    Screams continued to echo in the Dilpa Gorge until Danyum¡¯s army escaped beyond the cavalry¡¯s reach, after the sunset.


    Danyum had suffered a casualties of around one thousand¡ªan overwhelming number inparison to ck Scale¡¯s losses. Still, it wasn''t something ck Scale should celebrate yet considering the battles toe.


    Vasen had Su-Heon bring him the map of Danyum¡¯s capital.


    "This is the Dilpa Gorge where we are at¡­and this is Danyum¡¯s capital, Deimerit."


    At Vasen¡¯s slight nod, Su-Heon continued to exin, "It¡¯ll take about five days to reach Deimerit with our current marching speed. And there are a few viges where the enemy could be hiding, so we need to check them as we go, which will add a few more days to our marching."


    "You said there were no fortresses to be mindful of on our way there?¡±


    "Yes. There were none when west checked, and the merchants said that no fortresses had been built suddenly."


    "Why do you think that is?"


    "You mean why there are no fortresses?"


    "Yes."


    Su-Heon contemted the question. He had answered Vasen¡¯s questions in the previous battle based on the information he had known, and he hadn¡¯t been able to provide proper answers. But after some reconsideration, he came to the conclusion that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to give the wrong answer if Vasen was going to reveal the right one anyway. Thus, Su-Heon answered to the best of his abilities based on what he already knew.


    "It¡¯s because they relied on the Dilpa Gorge too much. Through the years, in fact, Danyum had achieved good results against small tribes by utilizing the gorge. So their defeat to ck Scale will likely be a shameful stain in their history."


    "Hm.¡±


    "Did I make a slip of the tongue again?"


    "I won¡¯t call it a slip of the tongue."


    "Then what is it?"


    "It seems that you assumed Danyum would still remain in the future."


    Su-Heon looked at Vasen with a puzzled expression.


    Currently, one of ck Scale¡¯s justification for the war was to get their ally to retract their demand for apology andpensation. And in addition to that, ck Scale had discovered Danyum¡¯s recruitment of more soldiers and requested them to stop preparing for war, but Danyum didn¡¯tply.


    If Red Fruit and Danyum both invaded, it would be difficult for ck Scale to defend themselves, so they carried out a preemptive attack. Of course, there were also rumors circting among the citizens that the fight of the gods had already begun. This third reason was one that everyone was convinced about.


    <i>¡®But still, could ck Scale possibly conquer Danyum...?¡¯</i>


    Vasen calmly said, "Aren¡¯t we going to attack the enemy''s capital?"


    "However...Danyum is arge country."


    "I know that. Just because we attack the capital doesn''t mean the country will disappear."


    "Then where does your conclusione from?"


    Vasen replied, "They don¡¯t have a king at the moment, do they? By the time we reach Deimerit, they would have made someone qualified enough take the throne, but that¡¯s it. Let''s assume we conquer the capital. What do you think will happen then?"


    "Well..."


    Su-Heon shared his initial thoughts.


    "Even if we conquer the capital, there will still be many Satyr nobles in the provinces. And the royal family will probably run away before we arrive. They will n for the future, gather strength in influential regions, and wait for an opportunity. We currently only have ten thousand...no, 9,000 soldiers, so it would be difficult to face all of them head-on. Therefore, they would focus on defending Deimerit while ck Scale send more reinforcements.¡±


    Vasen scolded Su-Heon.


    "Su-Heon, you think of Danyum like ck Scale.¡±


    "...Pardon?"


    "Well, I used to think not much different from you due to tunnel vision,¡± said Vasen. ¡°Su-Heon, don¡¯t you think the army of 30,000 soldiers from Danyum is quiterge?"


    "I heard they have a slightly bigger poption than ck Scale. If they had been preparing for war for a long time, I think the number is within the realm of possibility."


    "But it''s also true that it¡¯s excessive. The defeat of Danyum''s army was partly due to themander''s wrong judgment, but there was also an issue with their training."


    "Oh, that seems true."


    ck Scale¡¯s soldiers had mastered various weapon skills, but in Danyum¡¯s case, both their spearmen and archers failed to utilize their swords in the right times. Although they carried them, it was clear that they had never properly used them before.


    After all, soldiers only had to follow themander¡¯s orders from their designated position to be considered decent; spearmen only needed to maintain formation, and archers only had to avoid shooting therades in front of them, and they would be doing their part. However, morepetent soldiers would be able to respond better to any given situation.


    "When the cavalry were charging at them, there were many who still held onto their spears even when the weapons were getting tangled. They held onto their spears rather than drawing their swords since they had barely even used them before.¡±


    "Are you saying that they¡¯rest-minute recruits?"


    "That''s right. His Majesty told me that Danyum went too far in gathering more soldiers. He said that it would be troublesome for them if they were to experience defeat even once. But Danyum has suffered a defeat now. And they are expected to suffer another one."


    Su-Heon was bewildered by the fact that Vasen was acting like they had already conquered Deimerit. However, he wasn¡¯t bewildered because he thought Vasen''s confidence was ridiculous, but rather because for some reason, Vasen thought he was persuasive.


    "Is the situation between ck Scale and Danyum really that different?"


    "Yes."


    Vasen ryed what he had heard from Kyle.


    "He said that if we conquer Deimerit, an internal problem will arise."


    "In what way?"


    "Because Danyum isn¡¯t a small country, they were able to arm all their soldiers generously. But there are differences."


    "The Satyrs and other races received different armaments."


    "It revealed how much the species other than the Satyrs are discriminated against. The exact number is unknown, but it is said that there are many races within Danyum that desire independence."


    Su-Heon cleared their throat.


    "With all due respect, that''s not much different for ck Scale. There are rebels that dream of rebellion everywhere."


    "But ck Scale won, and Danyum lost."


    Su-Heon brought up the point that they still couldn''t understand.


    "But the nobles of Danyum are Satyrs. If the Satyrs still hold power and wealth, even if other species take advantage of the chaos of war to seek independence, how much impact would it have on the country of Danyum?"


    "The Satyrs have another problem, don¡¯t they?"


    "Pardon?"


    Vasen smiled dryly.


    "Their king died."


    "Oh right...that is true."


    As everyone expected, the king would be urgently reced. However, with the sudden death of the king, the chaos of war, and the chaos of rebellion arising in various ces, there was no guarantee that the established authority of the royal family would be maintained until the end.


    Su-Heon said, "Then we should devote ourselves to conquering Deimerit."


    Deimerit was well-known as a citadel. It was a known fact that ck Scale had once reached Deimerit and turned back in the past, and even the evil Vampire queen, Shaiven, did not dare to attack Deimerit¡¯s thick ramparts.


    Vasen then said, "We''ll have to wait and see about that."


    Su-Heon looked at Vasen with a puzzled expression since he¡¯d said something loaded rather than a simple ¡®of course we¡¯ll do that¡¯, which Su-Heon had expected.


    A weekter, when they got to the entrance to Danyum¡¯s capital, Deimerit, Su-Heon came to realize what Vasen meant.


    ***


    Two days after ck Scale won the battle at the Dilpa Gorge, they heard from their spy in Deimerit that the regent of Danyum had put the youngest prince of the royal family on the throne. Although the regent was not of royal blood, he was known to have ambition for power.


    On the fourth day, two other pieces of information arrived within half a day. The first was that General Yubaim Dn and his soldiers had entered Deimerit. If the spy¡¯s words were true, the number of soldiers with Yubaim were 15,000, which was a muchrger number than what ck Scale¡¯s generals had expected.


    Vasen concluded that although Yubaim was inexperienced with the modern tactic that involved cannons, he was capable of appealing and motivating his soldiers to reduce the number of renegades.


    Even though ck Scale¡¯s victory at Dilpa Gorge had been easy, the generals of ck Scale judged that unless Yubaim was an ipetent general, it would be difficult for ck Scale to carry out a sessful siege with fewer soldiers.


    The second news was that Yubaim Dn had been executed for treason. Because he had entered Deimerit with 15,000 soldiers, the chance of himmitting treason wasn¡¯t zero. Still, both the nobles of Deimerit and ck Scale found the situation a bit suspicious. Yubaim Dn appeared to be a loyal general, so it was strange that he was used of the crime of treason rather than punished for the sin of defeat.


    On the sixth day, new news arrived. It was said that the inner castle had been closed off, and the soldiers were on the move. There was another spy within the castle, but since ck Scale¡¯smunication with them got cut off, it was impossible to know what was going on.


    And on the seventh day, Vasen''s ck Scale army of 9,000 arrived before Deimerit.


    Looking at Deimerit, Vasen saw the castle gates opening in the distance. From the open gates came what seemed like an envoy. And apanied by only a minimum number of escorts was a female Satyr noble.


    Vasen greeted the envoy inside the camp.


    The Satyr said, ¡°I¡¯m Aranju Dn, the second daughter of Yubaim Dn.¡±


    "...The Commander-in-Chief¡¯s daughter?"


    "...Since yesterday the same time, I have be the ruler of the capital city, Deimerit, as well as the queen of Danyum."


    Vasen looked at her with interest.


    Aranju then said, ¡°Danyum surrenders to ck Scale.¡±

 Chapter 122: Die, Or

    <h4>Chapter 122: Die, Or</h4>


    Surrender.


    It was rather premature to hear that word at this point in time.


    Vasen Lak Orazen seemed surprised by Aranju Dn''s words, but soon agreed. Before entering Deimerit, ck Scale¡¯s army confirmed that Danyum¡¯s army wasn¡¯t armed.


    As they entered the city, Vasen''s adjutant, Su-Heon, said, "There are no soldiers at the top of the ramparts, and no one is armed. It doesn''t seem like a trap."


    "Even if it were a trap, it would be toote at this point," Vasen replied.


    "Did you know this would happen?" Su-Heon asked.


    Vasen shook his head.


    "I had heard about the possibility in advance, but I didn''t think things would go this smoothly."


    "By that, you mean..."


    "Yes, His Majesty did mention it."


    Atst, while ck Scale¡¯s army gathered the entirety of the now disarmed army of Danyum and kept an eye on them, the elite troops were led into the inner fortress.


    Aranju, who had been silent in front of the gate of the inner fortress, turned around and said to Vasen, "Commander Vasen, the inner fortress of Deimerit is not in the best situation. I hope ck Scale can understand.¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    Since Aranju had proimed to be the queen, Vasen had no choice but to show her courtesy.


    <i>¡®But what does it mean that the situation is not the best?¡¯</i>


    Basen wondered as he stepped into the inner fortress. He covered his nose with his hand when the smell of dead bodies suddenly hit him.


    ***


    The Satyr regent, Babica Tollo, believed that with the king killed by Lakrak, an opportunity had fallen onto hisp.


    <i>¡®This is my chance.¡¯</i>


    Babica couldn''t believe that such ambition had been hiding within him until the king''s death. He enjoyed tricking others and felt pleasure from wielding power, but after bing the regent, he had to restrain himself. He thought he wouldn''t be able to be king because he wasn¡¯t a royal.


    Babica Tollo waspetent, and because of thatpetency, he was able to survive, unlike those who gave into their desires and plotted a coup.


    But when the king died, the dormant desires inside his heart stirred. Babica naturally imagined the numerous possibilities of making the fourth prince king and ruling the country himself.


    <i>¡®It''s not impossible. In fact, it''s rather easy. It would be foolish to miss this opportunity.¡¯</i>


    The king was dead, and many troops and generals that guarded Deimerit had gone to the Dilpa Gorge.


    Babica believed he had enough power, and his belief was urate.


    <i>¡®The war won¡¯tst long anyway. Even though Night Sky has killed the king, ck Scale cannot defeat the alliance of five nations. So the next question is simple: how will the new order be established?¡¯</i>


    Babica quickly seized control of the inner fortress, gathered his supporters and made them his henchmen, using them to get rid of those who opposed him.


    After cing the fourth prince on the throne, he had time to take a breather. But that wasn''t the end.


    Themander-in-chief, Yubaim Dn, had suffered a major defeat at the Dilpa Gorge.


    While it was good that the capital, Deimerit, was under his control, he couldn''t simply hand it over to ck Scale¡¯s army. If Deimerit fell into ck Scale¡¯s hands, the king wouldn¡¯t be med as part of the royal family, but things were different for a regent. Even though there were nobles in Deimerit who currently supported Babica, there was still a possibility of them turning on him.


    <i>''That can¡¯t happen.''</i>


    He couldn¡¯t give up now and ruin everything. If he showed weakness, he wouldn¡¯t be able to satisfy his supporters.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s one or the other. Die, or take everything.¡¯</i>


    Babica decided that in order to prevent the possibility of his followers turning their backs to him, he needed to further strengthen his power. He was already in the highest position within Danyum, so there was no higher ce for him to reach. What he needed was greater force, not greater status.


    However, there were limits to how much power he could gain through the nobles following him and the defense troops stationed in Deimerit.


    <i>''Then there''s only one way.''</i>


    That was to take what someone else possessed.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry, Yubaim Dn.¡¯</i>


    Babica was surprised that Yubaim had brought back more soldiers to Deimerit than expected. However, Yubaim obediently followed orders that were made under the name of the new king. He divided the soldiers and arranged them, which slowed down themand system, and he even followed orders to calcte each general¡¯s merits and demerits even though they were still at war, thus stopping himself from thinking anything else.


    If Yubaim had been just a little more familiar with politics, he would have noticed something suspicious about the orders and had his troops surround the inner fortress to capture Babica. In fact, Yubaim had received several warnings from his daughter and subordinate general, Aranju Dn. However, Yubaim got angry and scolded her instead.


    ¡°You...! No, General Aranju! ck Scale is right behind us, and you want to stir up trouble within the royal family? As far as I know, the regent Babica Tollo is a wise and kind-hearted man. He won¡¯t get drunk with power and do anything untowards, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    But that became thest conversation between Yubaim and Aranju.


    Babica summoned Yubaim to the inner fortress, saying that he would give him some words of encouragement in the name of the king. Suspecting nothing, Yubaim entered the inner fortress with only a small number of guards. And it didn''t even take half a day for Babica to use Yubaim of treason and execute him.


    Babica thought that everything was happening at a rapid pace. He believed that it would be a simple task to deal with Yubaim''s subordinate generals. But he was wrong.


    Aranju Dn had repeatedly warned her fellow generals that her father, Yubaim Dn, could be in danger. And when that warning became reality, Aranju and the generals were furious.


    "I am not simply seeking revenge for my father. That damned regent is indulging in political games and causing chaos in our country while we shed blood and risk our lives to protect it. Are you all just going to stand by and watch?"


    No one was willing to do that. Excluding a few conservative and elderly generals, Aranju joined forces with the others and attacked the inner fortress.


    Despite not being able to mobilize arge number of soldiers secretly, the troops in the inner fortress were of lower rank, and they werecent with sentry duty.


    Aranju and the generals took control of the inner fortress and captured Babica and his followers while they were enjoying a banquet inside.


    Filled with rage, Babica swore, ¡°You ignorant bitch! Do you think you can be queen by doing this?"


    And before one of the generals could cut Babica¡¯s neck, Aranju raised her hand to stop them.


    "What do you mean?"


    "What will you do once you kill me and the other nobles?"


    "What do you mean¡­what would I do? If I kill you filthy nobles..."


    .


    "Do you think everything will be normal again? That things will go ording to your n? Don''t be ridiculous. This isn¡¯t the only ce the royal family can reach. Don''t you think I have followers in the provinces?"


    "...Hm."


    "I can easily predict your n. You must think that you can resolve everything with force. But procedure is always important. You may think of me as a traitor, but on paper, I haven¡¯t even started a rebellion. It was you who had led soldiers to shed blood, making you the true rebels. Procedure brings legitimacy. You will never survive for long."


    Aranju realized that Babica was right. Aranju had no n. If she sat in Babica¡¯s ce instead, there was no way she could do what Babica did.


    "Well...what do you expect us to do then?"


    However, Babica¡¯s following words woke Aranju up.


    "First, if you release me and spare my life..."


    Aranju hit his neck with a knifehand strike.


    "Kill him."


    Babica¡¯s head immediately rolled.


    Blood sttered on Aranju¡¯s face, but she didn''t bother to wipe it off.


    Then another general said, "I don''t want to admit it, but it''s hard to argue that Babica was wrong. What do you n to do now?"


    "Now it''s either one of the two."


    "One of the two, you say?"


    Aranju spat out the blood that had gotten into her mouth and said, "Die, or take everything."


    Aranjoo''s thought was simple.


    If procedure brought legitimacy, then she could just destroy both procedure and legitimacy.


    That morning, Aranju Dn killed not only every member of the royal family in the inner fortress, but also those in all of Deimerit.


    A new royal family was established in Danyum.


    Aranju Dn knew that the soldiers were no longer in the right state to fight further. And there was only one way to save her own life.


    Aranju decided to surrender.


    ***


    Crampus thought all of this was unfolding like dominoes.


    <i>¡®How do I¡­stop this?¡¯</i>


    Everything began with the surprise attack by Larkrak. It was an unavoidable event.


    <i>¡®Did it all start with Larkrak''s attack? No, it didn¡¯t.¡¯</i>


    Crampus knew well the history of the regent, Babica Tollo. With his great ambition, or what yers called ¡®desire for power,¡¯ there was a possibility that he would plot a rebellion if the circumstances allowed for it. However, Babica waspetent. His ambition actually allowed him to rise to his position and make use of his abilities.


    In The Lost World, abilities weren¡¯t evaluated as good or bad, but rather as useful or not depending on the situation and the position the individual was in. In that regard, Babica¡¯s ambition was a good ability.


    However, when the king preposterously got killed by Lakrak, his ambition turned into a de. But regardless, there was no reason for Crampus to stop Babica.


    <i>¡®In this situation, it might actually be useful.¡¯</i>


    As long as the king was dead, someone with great charisma was needed to quell the chaos. Having an unwavering and consistent system ofmand would increase the chances of victory in battle. However, the situation changed when Crampus lost to Sung-Woon.


    Babica Tollo felt a sense of crisis and had to kill Yubaim Dn because of it. And Crampus watched it happen without doing anything.


    <i>¡®Babica¡¯s judgment is not wrong. If Yubaim remains, Babica¡¯s followers will sway and cause internal chaos.¡¯</i>


    There was no way for Crampus to know the hidden variables.


    Aranju Dn was a character that Crampus hadn¡¯t paid attention to. Her abilities weren¡¯t particrly impressive, and her rtionship with her father didn¡¯t seem that good. Moreover, it wasmon for nobles to be a military officer or a bureaucrat following in their father¡¯s footsteps, so she wasn¡¯t in an unusual situation.


    However, Aranju took advantage of her father''s death as an opportunity. When Aranju persuaded her fellow generals and invaded the inner fortress, Crampus waste once again.


    With the news of the king''s death at Larkrak¡¯s hand and the defeat at the Dilpa Gorge spreading, Danyum became full of things for Crampus to pay attention to.


    And when Aranju finally killed Babica, Crampus had to try his best.


    <i>¡®It''s doomed.¡¯</i>


    Babica Tollo, Yubaim Dn, and Aranju Dn had done their best in their respective positions. However, the result of that was ck Scale¡¯s bloodless victory and entrance into Deimerit.


    <i>¡®Where did it all go wrong?¡¯</i>


    When he thought about division, he naturally thought that he only had to worry about a division between the yers in their alliance. But he never thought it would be so easy for such a disorder to arise among members of the unified, homogeneous royal family. Moreover, they were all faithful followers of the Limitless God.


    <i>¡®Even without Neb''s intervention¡­¡¯</i>


    Someone then requested a video chat.


    Crampus checked the screen and sighed.


    "What is it?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "Do you have any intention to surrender?"

 Chapter 123: Pruning

    <h4>Chapter 123: Pruning</h4>


    <i>¡®Surrender, huh?¡¯</i>


    Crampus didn¡¯t find Sung-Woon¡¯s words surprising.


    Overall, the battle between Danyum and ck Scale was only one part of the fight against the alliance of five nations. Danyum had formted a strategy to buy time while the other countries prepared their troops.


    <i>¡®Though it doesn¡¯t seem like I was able to achieve that goal.¡¯</i>


    Apart from the failed strategy, Danyum had practically been defeated by ck Scale. The fight was over the moment Aranju Dn allowed the army of Vasen Lak Orzan to enter the capital city, Deimerit, without any bloodshed after bing queen. And in the end, if ck Scale did defeat the five allied nations, it would be better to just go through a loss like this one.


    Crampus had yed The Lost World quite a lot, and a war was actually a losing game for everyone that participated. Not having a war would be the best, and if there had to be one, it was best to undergo the least amount of damage.


    <i>¡®If harm has to be done, winning would be the best, but¡­¡¯</i>


    As soon as Crampus saw Sung-Woon¡¯s mask, a question suddenly came into his mind.


    ¡°Neb.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Crampus asked, ¡°Do you think I suck at this game?¡±


    Sung-Woon tilted his head at Crampus and crossed his arms. He seemed to be wondering what Crampus was asking the question for, but soon replied as if he judged that there were no ill-intentions.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that bad.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then why did I lose?¡±


    Sung-Woon tapped his mask with his finger.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t lost yet. You didn¡¯t say you¡¯d surrender.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I did.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t surrender, but let¡¯s just say you did?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome.¡±


    Crampus replied, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a break from the winner''s perspective sometimes? Talking about something that¡¯s already done won¡¯t give away your know-hows.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Sung-Woon replied. ¡°Then¡­because I¡¯m better?¡±


    Crampus looked at the mountains in the distance for a moment before turning back to Sung-Woon.


    ¡°What else? Was there no chance for me to beat you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna go into detail, but to be honest, there wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That means you still have a card up your sleeve, doesn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Well I still have four opponents to deal with, don¡¯t I?¡±


    Crampus understood that much.


    "Well then, let''s narrow our focus a bit."


    "How so?"


    Crampus said, "Assuming that there are no other variables, was there no way for me to win when Lakrak killed the king of Danyum, during the battle at the Dilpa Gorge, and in the one week before Aranju surrendered to Vasen?¡±


    Sung-Woon seemed to think for a moment. ¡°There was.¡±


    "What was it?"


    "Right after the king''s death, you should have executed Babica and pulled General Yubaim Dn back from the Dilpa Gorge."


    Crampus considered Sung-Woon¡¯s suggestion. If Babica Tollo had been killed, there would have been no other influential person like him, so his death could be seen as a divine message. No matter how influential Babica was, a divine message couldn¡¯t be ignored. There would be some resistance, but there wouldn''t have been much trouble killing him. And if all else failed, Crampus could have just used Divine Punishment.


    Divine Punishment was a skill yers gained ess to once their Small Area rose to a certain level, and it inflicted damage on individuals who believed in the yer as their god. Crampus barely used this skill, while Wisdom openly used it. And Crampus had to admit it was an efficient tactic.


    Anyway, with Babica Tollo dealt with, the inner fortress would have fallen into greater chaos rather than settling down. It may not seem like a good move at first nce, but if General Yubaim Dn retreated and returned to Deimerit, power would have inevitably gone to Yubaim, who possessed great military might. And if it was for the cause of calming the loyal retainers who worried about the royal family, or for quelling the immediate chaos, Yubaim Dn would have used his power to take charge of the inner fortress. All that would have been done before the army of ck Scale reached Deimerit.


    <i>¡®And assuming an ideal siege warfare was used instead of the failed strategy at Dilpa Gorge¡­¡¯</i>


    Although it was unclear what kind of trick Sung-Woon had up his sleeve, it seemed that things would¡¯ve at least been better for Crampus. Sung-Woon¡¯s suggestion seemed pretty reasonable.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I made the best choices I could make at every moment. The king died, so I left things to Babica Tollo to calm things down, and when Yubaim Dn came back, I let Babica kill Yubaim so that the chaos woulde to an end. Aranju did move too fast, though. It was my mistake for not considering that properly¡­ However, things had gone wrong before that.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded like he found none of his points invalid.


    ¡°That means that the best choices you could make at every moment wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    Crampus asked, ¡°Then what else did I need?¡±


    ¡°A n.¡±


    ¡°...Did you have that in mind? What a quick answer.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t win a game by simply responding well to the situation. You need to look at the bigger picture.¡±


    Crampus stroked his goatee with interest.


    ¡°So are you saying that you knew this would happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no.¡±


    "What do you mean?"


    Sung-Woon exined, "First, Babica Tollo getting drunk with power was part of the n. I''m still figuring out who the key figures are in each country, but I know that Babica is a person who wields his abilities for his pursuit of power. I had calcted that he would make a move if the king died."


    Crampus was surprised to find out that Sung-Woon killing the king of Danyum through Lakrak was a calcted move rather than a simple act of distraction or intimidation. The violent nature of it had made him assume that it must have been somewhat impulsive.


    "What about General Yubaim?"


    "I didn¡¯t think he would die in vain. The scenario I pictured was for conflict to arise between Babica and Yubaim in Deimerit."


    "...I see."


    Such a scenario could have actually happened.


    If Babica couldn''t kill Yubaim, he would have constantly sought to validate his power through Yubaim in order to maintain his own authority, which would have led to problems in the chain ofmand.


    Sung-Woon continued to say, "In that case, I believed that ck Scale¡¯s army would have the upper hand until either Babica or Yubaim dealt with the other. And my goal was to invade with lightning warfare.¡±


    "...Hm."


    "But things didn''t go ording to n..."


    "You¡¯re saying you got lucky in the end, right?¡±


    "What else can I say?"


    The two yers looked at each other for a moment.


    Sung-Woon said, "So what about surrendering? If you surrender now, I¡¯m willing to agree to some good conditions.¡±


    Crampus smirked and shook his head.


    "I won''t surrender."


    Unceremoniously, Crampus closed Sung-Woon¡¯s video chat window.


    ***


    "What do you think Crampus is thinking?"


    "The game isn''t over yet, right? He¡¯s going to see through it to the end. I think it''s a good attitude."


    "If it were me, I would have given up."


    Sung-Woon looked at Eldar.


    Eldar''s face became a little flushed.


    "No, it''s not because I would give up on myself. It''s just that I would pity the Elves who trust me."


    "I didn''t say anything."


    ¡°Well.¡±


    "I don''t think that''s a bad attitude either."


    Sung-Woon looked down at Deimerit with Eldar.


    Within Deimerit¡¯s high walls were farnds and a river.


    If Danyum had properly carried out a siege defense, it would¡¯ve been a rough fight for ck Scale.


    <i>¡®We did enter without a fight, but luck isn¡¯t the only factor.¡¯</i>


    Far across from Sung-Woon was Crampus.


    Like Sung-Woon, Crampus was controlling the system window and making his own move.


    <i>¡®I know what you¡¯re trying to do, but I can¡¯t intervene right away¡­¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon first checked to see if the necessary tasks were being carried out. It was the process of documenting Danyum¡¯s surrender. Danyum¡¯s surrender had been quick, but that didn¡¯t mean that Danyum¡¯s new queen, Aranju Dn, was terrified, or that her surrender was a hasty decision. It was rather the opposite.


    .


    "General Vasen, you must acknowledge that there are more troops within Danyum than the troops you have. It¡¯s evident that if I hadn¡¯t surrendered, you would have suffered significant losses."


    "...Um. But doesn¡¯t Danyum not want to shed blood? And currently, all of Danyum¡¯s army has been disarmed. I won¡¯t stop you if you want to revolt with bare hands. You were the one who allowed us to enter the castle first, so I assume you would have no regrets."


    "But if you make excessive demands, there could be bacsh from the general public of Danyum. And our words would eventually reach the other allies. If they hear that ck Scale is cruel, would anyone else want to surrender like us? Does ck Scale want to continue fighting difficult battles?"


    Although they had surrendered, Aranju Dn maintained a confident attitude. It was as if her bing queen was a given, and that she had been born with royal blood.


    Vasen had heard about Aranju Dn through insider information. Since she was a child, she had enjoyed horse riding and sword fighting, formed gangs with local kids and roamed the fields, and when she was old enough, she became a military officer with her father¡¯s rmendation. Apart from the fact that she wasn¡¯t a royal, she wasn¡¯t much different from Vasen.


    <i>¡®She wouldn¡¯t have even dreamt of bing queen only a few days ago, let alone know that she would be one.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon had an exnation for her change.


    <i>¡®Bing queen is significant for anyone, especially for those who aren¡¯t of royal blood. When she became queen, her abilities significantly improved. And the previously unmarked Charm and Leadership stats have seen dramatic increase. The potential was in her all along, but it was something a yer couldn¡¯t find out beforehand.¡¯</i>


    Even considering that, Aranju Dn was doing very well to not lose Danyum¡¯s rights facing the powerful ck Scale and thepetent general Vasen.


    Of course, Sung-Woon wasn''t too concerned. Vasen was never a good negotiator to start with. But behind Vasen was Kyle Lak Orazan.


    <i>¡®They¡¯ll have to wait for the news from Orazen anyway.¡¯</i>


    The simple treaty needed right away had been signed. Aspensation to ck Scale¡¯s army for their victory, Deimerit agreed to reward them and cover their costs of staying at the city, and in return, looting was prohibited. Fortunately, there weren''t manyints about the prohibition since ck Scale''s army hadn''t shed blood during thendslide victory at the Dilpa Gorge and upon entering Deimerit. And it was also fortunate that the majority of the army consisted of individuals with little experience in war.


    As no serious public security issue happened during the stay of ck Scale¡¯s army in Deimerit, the capital city that had been shrouded in anxiety from continuous internal conflicts regained some vitality¡ªbut not without the intervention of two yers.


    At Sung-Woon¡¯s request, Eldar was also helping, but Sung-Woon said that this was an unwinnable fight.


    ¡°...Is it okay if you don¡¯t win?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is different from a battle between armies. Deimerit is under Crampus¡¯s influence. That¡¯s not something I can defeat. It¡¯s good enough to have protected ck Scale¡¯s army.¡±


    At an isted forest outside Deimerit, a crumbling abandoned house stood by a dark alley. Figures with their faces covered secretly gathered in the middle of the night, in the midst of Deimerit¡¯s recovering vitality. Whenever there was a gathering, some nobles of Danyum would be found dead after getting stabbed in the back or getting stabbed in the heart while they were asleep. Quite a lot of people died in Deimerit over the past few days while waiting for the envoy toe from Orazen.


    Sung-Woon would be away to attend other work, but always came back to Deimerit when he had the chance.


    ¡°It seems to being to an end.¡±


    What had been happening for the past few days was what the yers called Pruning. It was the process of individuals with unclear allegiance being removed, of rifying who was on whose side. It was something done by a yer. They would test individuals whose faith was unclear or weak and made them choose one side. And if an individual seemed to be going to the other side, the yer would sometimes get rid of them by giving a revtion to another follower. That would make the line between allies and enemies more clearly defined.


    ¡°Hidden faith would now be revealed.¡±


    It was just as Sung-Woon said.


    Early in the morning, those who followed the Limitless God, the god of Danyum and the Satyrs, gathered at the square of Deimerit to insult ck Scale and Night Sky. A crowd was there to listen to them hurling sphemies and echo their sentiments.


    The agitator who followed Limitless God eximed, ¡°The Limitless God has spoken in the middle of the night! Although we¡¯ve surrendered to ck Scale, we must not surrender to Night Sky!¡±


    The crowd responded with a heated cheer.


    Eldar then said to Sung-Woon, ¡°Wait¡­is that event happening already?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sung-Woon nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the separation of church and state.¡±

 Chapter 124: Power to Replace a God

    <h4>Chapter 124: Power to Rece a God</h4>


    Back on Earth, there was a tendency for political entities to separate from the churches. It was difficult to simply determine whether it was good or bad. As no official state religion was established after the French Revolution or the independence of the United States, the separation of church and state was a series of secrization processes.


    However, in The Lost World where gods truly existed with significant influence, things were slightly different.


    Eldar said, "It may be a little early, but it could getplicated.¡±


    "He definitely doesn¡¯t suck at the game.¡±


    "What?"


    "Nothing, I was just talking to myself."


    Sung-Woon could see the writings on the wall. Due to Pruning, those who were juggling between politics and religion¡ªor between Night Sky and the Limitless God¡ªhad been weeded out. Those who couldn''t clearly decide on one side tended to disappear the soonest since they would be suspected as spies by both sides. And now that the line between the two sides were clear, the followers of the Limitless God had only a simple task: to bring down the current queen Aranju Dn by whatever means necessary, as dictated by the Limitless God, the god of Danyum and Satyrs, known as Crampus to the yers.


    The most bewildered person in this situation was Queen Aranju Dn. Rebellion within Deimerit against Aranju was only expected. After all, shecked legitimacy. And above all, she was the one who severed the bloodline that had established Danyum 150 years ago, which had remained in power until now.


    Aranju knew that there would be many who wanted to kill her, so she sought understanding from Vasen Lak Orazen of ck Scale and gained a small number of armed escorts that could act if there were signs of a rebellion. As expected, when agitators appeared saying Aranju shouldn¡¯t be queen, the escorts captured them at night when not a lot of people were around, tortured them, identified their backgrounds, and executed them immediately.


    Over time, however, things didn''t go so smoothly for Aranju. The number of agitators increased, and it became difficult for the small number of armed escorts to deal with all of them. Aranju considered requesting help from ck Scale¡¯s army, but soon gave up on the idea. If armed rebels emerged, ck Scale would deal with them on their own, but for now, the agitators were only gathering in the square and making noises. Additionally, if Aranju relied on ck Scale for such matters, she knew she would appear weak in their eyes.


    <i>¡®Even if my safety bes threatened, I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯</i>


    She couldn¡¯t rely on anything. Therefore, faith was the only thing Aranju could believe in. From generation to generation, like the royal families of other countries, the royal family of Danyum would hold a ceremony to receive a divine message or to prove that they were favored by God. And Aranju believed that holding the ceremony would be enough to silence the agitators.


    "Hurry and prepare for the ceremony."


    Danyum priests were summoned to hold the ceremony, and Aranju Dn attended as queen. At the end of the ceremony, Aranju raised an auspicious mirror symbolizing the god of Danyum with both hands and reflected it upon the people. Something surprising happened then. As soon as Aranju raised the mirror, it shattered, and a sharp fragment fell and left a cut on her face.


    The ceremony somehow came to an end with the help of Aranju¡¯s escorts and priests, but even the children at the ceremony knew what the incident indicated.


    "The god of Danyum, the Limitless God, has abandoned Aranju Dn."


    The rumors that Aranju had tried so hard to suppress spread throughout Deimerit, and then beyond its walls to all of Danyum. Aranju herself was more shocked than anyone else. The cut the shattered mirror left on her face scarred, but there was something more painful than that. It was the fact that the god she believed in her whole life had abandoned her.


    Aranju couldn''t be considered a faithful follower, but in Danyum, believing in the Limitless God was as natural as breathing air was fornd animals and filtering water through their gills was for fish. It would be akin tond animals being rejected by air, or fish being rejected by water, so it was inevitable for Aranju to suffer great pain.


    Aranju prayed and waited for a response from her god, but there was no answer.


    <i>¡®God, are you saying I am wrong? This was the only way to save the country!¡¯</i>


    She still believed in the Limitless God, but her god did not answer.


    Sung-Woon thought this was obvious. The Limitless God, Crampus, had no choice but to ignore Aranju. If he epted Aranju, Danyum would be surrendering to ck Scale not only in the practical sense, but also in the procedural sense, which would have significant implications.


    Crampus at least had to put up a do-or-die resistance for the other yers, but if Danyum stamped the surrender document without any fight, their resistance against ck Scale would be weaker. An open surrender from the queen of Danyum would undermine the spirit of resistance even if there were still Danyum citizens who resented ck Scale. For Crampus¡¯s n to work, Aranju had to give up on surrendering. In her eyes, however, there was no taking back the deration of surrender while prioritizing national interests.


    In response, Orazen¡¯s support troops and supply units departed from ck Scale, and unless there was a miraculous way to kick all 9000 ck Scale¡¯s soldiers out of Deimerit within a few days, the city would have to face ck Scale¡¯s troops from both the inside and the outside.


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t think Aranju would rescind her surrender, nor die out of her despair of being rejected by God.


    ¡°She has a strong heart. After the mirror shattered at the ceremony, her abilities have actually increased. Her Patience has risen a lot. And that is what put Aranju Dn where she is.¡±


    Eldar replied, ¡°But Crampus must also be aware of that ability. If he wanted her to die, wouldn¡¯t it be better to kill her with a skill or through his creations?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because that¡¯s not what Crampus really wants.¡±


    ¡°What? Then why¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon looked down at Aranju Dn with interest.


    Aranju stared ahead, looking a little dazed as she was lost deep in thoughts.


    ¡°He hopes for me to help Aranju.¡±


    ¡°What? You?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is the perfect time to reach out to Aranju since she needs help. Even if she doesn¡¯t truly believe in me, she could use me if she wanted to.¡±


    ¡°...Are you not going to do it?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    Eldar became more bewildered.


    ¡°What? Why not? Because you don¡¯t think she¡¯ll truly believe in you? But once her faith is established and she develops goodwill for you, Aranju¡¯s would open up her heart too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Crampus wants,¡± Sung-Woon said. ¡°If word spreads that Aranju Dn believes in me, Night Sky, it would be easier to expel her from Danyum.¡±


    ¡°Really? But wouldn¡¯t that be better than doing nothing? If Aranju believes in you, she could have your protection, and if that protection continues, she might be able to push out the forces of the Limitless God, Crampus, from Danyum. Outside of religion, the public opinion may be in favor of ck Scale as well.¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°It seems that Crampus has listened to what I said.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean¡­?


    ¡°I gave him a few pieces of advice.¡±


    Sung-Woon could picture Crampus¡¯s n in his head. Retracting Aranju¡¯s surrender was n A, Aranju¡¯s death was n B, Aranju bing a follower of Night Sky was n C, and Night Sky protecting Aranju to the end would be n D.


    ¡°The process of protecting Aranju would be an issue itself.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    ¡°Because I would have to use more of my resources. I¡¯ve already conquered Danyum, but the problem is that I would have to keep paying attention to it. This is also one of the scenarios that Crampus wishes for. It¡¯s a given that sooner orter I would fight Crampus¡¯s remaining forces, but it would be better for him if the battle took ce elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­what do we do?¡±


    Sung-Woon smiled underneath his mask.


    ¡°We let him know that simply having many ns is not enough.¡±


    ¡°Is it not enough though?¡±


    ¡°Eldar.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Sung-Woon turned to Eldar.


    ¡°There needs to be more ns than enemies.¡±


    ***


    Waking up, Aranju realized that someone was standing in the shadow in the corner of her bedroom. It was still dawn.


    Aranju grabbed the sheathed sword at her bedside and quickly got up.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Yan.¡±


    ¡°...Yan?¡±


    Aranju knew of Yan¡¯s name. Yan was a Gnome from Danyum, but had spent lots of time as a wanderer because he was a cursed one. He had a ck ear that didn¡¯t look like those of any species, and it was called the Devil Ear.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the reason Aranju had heard of Yan. The Gnome was an alchemist. Seeking the knowledge alchemists held, the former royal family of Danyum captured Yan and tried to get it out of him. Aranju had never met Yan herself, but she knew that her father had been a part of the mission to capture him.


    ¡°...The alchemist?¡±


    ¡°Alchemist? Ha, not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Did you quit being an alchemist?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Yan walked out from the shadow. Somehow, the corruption of the Devil Ear had be worse; now it almost covered the entire right half of his face. The mysterious change made it seem like he was always smiling.


    Yan said, ¡°I have be a greater being.¡±


    ¡°Greater being?¡±


    ¡°I am a Wizard.¡±


    Aranju had vaguely heard about magic. Power that could burn forests, cut mountains, drain rivers, and divide seas. A power used to kill Dragons and fight gods.


    ¡°...Didn''t that happen a long time ago?¡±


    ¡°I heard that a young general had be queen. I see that you don¡¯t know about us that well.¡±


    ¡°Are you mocking me?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Aranju didn''t get angry. Instead, she ced her hand on the sword¡¯s hilt.


    Yan walked toward the window while saying, ¡°I got in here, a ce the soldiers of ck Scale and Danyum are guarding, with no one the wiser. I can kill you and walk out with no problem.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just an old Gnome.¡±


    ¡°Do you wish to test me?¡±


    Aranju wasn¡¯t a coward. She was always ready to test someone¡¯s bluff.


    The tip of Aranju¡¯s sword quickly went to Yan¡¯s neck and pierced through it. Taking his words as bluff, Aranju was about to click her tongue, but stopped when she heard Yanughing. Yan took another step closer to Aranju with the sword through his neck. Aranju was shocked. She pulled out her sword and stepped back.


    Yan smiled.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so surprised. This is magic.¡±


    Aranju knew Yan wasn¡¯t a ghost. She knew the feeling of a sword passing through flesh, and she saw blood slowly trickling down from the wound on Yan¡¯s neck. Aranju thought she was in big trouble now, but even with the thought in mind, she wiped the blood off her sword with a handkerchief and threw it to Yan.


    ¡°Clean yourself.¡±


    Yan slightly lifted his left eyebrow at Aranju¡¯s offer of kindness.


    .


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°For what reason have youe here?¡±


    Yan wiped his neck with the handkerchief and replied, ¡°I will help you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to help me?¡± Aranju looked at Yan with suspicion. ¡°...And the price?¡±


    Yan replied, ¡°A country where gods do not intervene.¡±


    Aranju flung her arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Look at the history of species that have disappeared for not believing in any god. And look at the battlefields that the creations of gods have conquered. The king was killed by Lakrak the apostle. Without the protection of a god, no country can survive.¡±


    ¡°What if there is a power that can rece a god?¡±


    Aranju¡¯s mouth slightly opened.


    ¡°...No way.¡±


    ¡°There is a way.¡± Yan walked into the light. ¡°Magic will be at the heart of this country.¡±

 Chapter 125: Technical Transition Period

    <h4>Chapter 125: Technical Transition Period</h4>


    ¡°...That¡¯s some great confidence.¡±


    ¡°If what I saw is right, magic is the power that changed history.¡±


    Aranju Dn didn¡¯t seem interested in what the Wizard was saying. What mattered to her was the current Danyum and what Deimerit is now.


    ¡°If it¡¯s such a great power, can you drive out ck Scale?¡±


    Yan shook his head as if it was a question he had expected.


    ¡°That would be hard to do.¡±


    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t know how strong your power is, and how many soldiers your power can rece, but I have soldiers I can deploy right away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about those whose morale has hit rock bottom and aren¡¯t even armed?¡± Yan borated. ¡°The current ck Scale is hard even for me to handle. And Night Sky is a formidable god. Given Night Sky has great interest in magic and Wizards, I can¡¯t easily make a move against them.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    Aranju looked at Yan with suspicion, but couldn¡¯t find a point to criticize.


    ¡°Are you saying that you could protect Danyum given enough time? And what about driving away ck Scale?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a difficult question.¡±


    ¡°What part?¡±


    ¡°For example, let¡¯s say ck Scale conquers the whole continent. Wouldn¡¯t it be hard for Danyum to be the only exception to the newly established order?¡±


    Aranju replied, ¡°You¡¯re a defeatist.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not a baseless assumption, is it?¡±


    ¡°...It isn¡¯t.¡±


    It seemed obvious that the five allied nations would triumph over ck Scale. However, the writings were now on the wall that ck Scale would be the victor against Danyum. While it was the only nation being put into the difficult situation and made to surrender, there was no guarantee that the five allied nations were going to win.


    <i>¡®Is it simply because Danyum had internal issues? Or is it just ck Scale¡¯s luck?¡¯</i>


    Aranju couldn¡¯t be certain. Lakrak the Apostle was still alive and well, and ck Scale¡¯s army was also powerful. While the rest of the alliance would join forces to attack ck Scale, but that didn¡¯t seem enough.


    Yan said, ¡°But I¡¯m not finished talking.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    Aranju made eye contact with Yan.


    Yan continued to say, ¡°There¡¯s a need to rify what it is you want to protect.¡±


    ¡°What do I want to protect?¡±


    ¡°If it''s the country named Danyum, that would be difficult.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°Do you still serve the god called Limitless God?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, for now.¡±


    ¡°Hm. In any case, I don¡¯t have enough power to stop a fight between the gods.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it that you can protect?¡±


    Yan replied, ¡°The people of this country.¡±


    Aranju gulped as if that was an unexpected answer.


    ¡°...Even if the country disappears, the people aren¡¯t going anywhere. Why do the people need to be saved?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re understanding it wrong. You would know if you¡¯ve learned the history of Danyum and the other countries. Those who do not follow any god were attacked and persecuted in the name of the gods of all the countries in this continent. And the same was true for our species. Do you think you and your descendants would be able to live peacefully with your country taken away, and thend conquered by a god that isn¡¯t your own?¡±


    ¡°Then how would you save the people?¡±


    Yan made a fist.


    ¡°With power.¡±


    ¡°...Power.¡±


    ¡°No one can ignore us if we have power. What needs protection isn¡¯t the country or the god, but the people. And we are the people. People need to have power.¡±


    Aranju slowly asked, ¡°Is that power magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Aranju sat at the edge of her desk.


    Yan urged, ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of time to think about it. I had to use magic to evade the gods¡¯ scrutiny toe see you. You need to make the decision before the sun rises.¡±


    Aranju felt her head throbbing. She knew that the choice she would make tonight would determine many things.


    After a while, Aranju raised her head.


    ¡°...Okay. I¡¯m done thinking.¡±


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, General Vasen.¡±


    Vasen blinked at the messenger who had brought Kyle¡¯s answer from Orazen.


    ¡°...Long time no see, Hunting Minister. I didn¡¯t expect you to be the one toe this far.¡±


    Standing in front of Vasen was someone with red eyes and white scales. It was Deyanin.


    ¡°We¡¯re at war, so there¡¯s nothing keeping me busy. If a minister cares about banquets or hunting in time of war, they would be scolded by His Majesty. Therefore, it¡¯s natural for someone who has nothing to do in the castle to go out instead of those who are busy.¡±


    Vasenughed at Deyanin¡¯s casual way of putting it.


    Vasen knew that Deyanin was Kyle¡¯s hands and feet under the table, so the fact that Deyanin hade this far meant that this was a matter that Kyle was very interested in and considered important.


    ¡°Did you say it was Aranju Dn? You can stop caring about the new queen of Danyum now.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    Vasen had continued to perform well as a general, winning the battle at Dilpa Gorge and more. However, Vasen was still a royal, and he had been the crown prince before. If he also took on diplomatic duties, the ministers would surely get anxious. Therefore, Kyle sending Deyanin as an envoy was a measure to protect Vasen. And it was also true that Deyanin would be better than Vasen at this.


    ¡°We were able to recruit more soldiers while you were in battle. We might be able to somehow move Danyum¡¯s soldiers by negotiating with Danyum¡¯s queen, but there¡¯s no guarantee for that, and you must know¡­the armies of the other countries are already on the move.¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    The armies of the other countries had been on the move after ck Scale entered Deimerit. Red Fruit, which could be considered Danyum¡¯s closest ally country, sent an army of 20,000. Mangul, which was fairly far away, sent 24,000, and Golden Eye sent 18,000. All together, there were a total of 62,000 troops marching toward Deimerit. As each army had departed from different locations, the speed at which each army was marching was also different in order to match their arrival time, but they were all expected to arrive within a month.


    ¡°Is Asbestos still in a civil war?¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ve received recent news sooner. Apparently Asbestos¡¯ internal war will end with the victory of the depraved man who killed his own father.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Vasen knew of Redin BR Oser. Vasen didn¡¯t think Redinmitting a sin against the heavens was a big deal.


    <i>¡®If you wanted to be king that much.¡¯</i>


    And Vasen had also heard the rumors that Redin¡¯s father, Delmardin, wasn¡¯t such a great person. But the unusual part was Redin¡¯s background. Before Redin killed the king, he had very little power. However, he had almost dealt with all the other nobles by himself and was now steadily consolidating his ce.


    Deyanin said, ¡°As if he¡¯s favored by God.¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    ¡°Seriously though, apparently he¡¯s going around saying so himself that he¡¯s the apostle of Binding God.¡±


    ¡°I wonder.¡±


    Deyanin calcted the time it would take Asbestos to prepare their soldiers after their civil war ended. It wouldn¡¯t take long since there were already soldiers with actual experience.


    Deyanin then said, ¡°Anyway¡­the 5000 soldiers I brought isn¡¯t much, but I know you will use them well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°We also brought weapons that might help. Our arsenal makes sure we¡¯ll have a steady supply of weapons, and 500 out of 5000 havepleted their training for their use.¡±


    Vasen wondered at those words and asked, ¡°Did you bring cannons? If so, we could¡¯ve gotten some here at Danyum. They¡¯re simr in quality. And looking at the gunpowder alone, the shooting range is shorter, but less smoke is produced.¡±


    ¡°You can get gunpowder here. But the cannons we brought this time¡­ They are cannons, but there are two types.¡±


    ¡°Two types?¡±


    Deyanin nodded.


    ¡°One of them is an improved version, so the barrel is a little longer. That¡¯s why it also got a bit heavier, but it should shoot a little farther and more urately. Since it requires more gunpowder, we fixed the gunpowder sks so that more could be put into it, and also so that the cannoneers could carry them around more easily than before. You could hear more about that from the experienced soldiers¡­¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°For the other one, we changed the size of a differentponent so it became a bit of a different weapon. The Technology Minister said it would be useful, but a few of the officers said they weren¡¯t so sure about it. If the Technology Minister hadn¡¯t insisted on it, we wouldn¡¯t have even brought it. I think you should see it for yourself and decide.¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    ¡°We can take a look and check. If it¡¯s not so useful, take it when you go back.¡±


    ¡°Haha, what a joke.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make soldiers protect weapons that we won¡¯t use. If we do, the enemies might use them, so we would have to melt them all. Then we would have to gather all of Deimerit¡¯s cksmiths for that.¡±


    ¡°...Then I hope it¡¯s useful.¡±


    With that, Deyanin got to his feet. Meeting Vasen wasn¡¯t very important to him; not because Vasen wasn¡¯t a key figure, but because while Vasen had his responsibility, Deyanin also had his.


    <i>¡®I mustplete the task that His Majesty talked about.¡¯</i>


    So Deyanin went on his way to meet Aranju Dn, as well as another person.


    ***


    While Deyanin went to meet Aranju, Vasen met with the new soldiers that came before checking the new weapons that Deyanin talked about.


    Lizardmen ounted for only 10 percent of all soldiers. Still, the soldiers were pretty good considering their limited training time.


    At the temporary arsenal in Deimerit, which was secured by kicking out the nobles, adjutant Su-Heon had already been checking the weapons.


    ¡°Here you are, General.¡±


    Vasen looked at the cannons that had been taken out of their boxes andid out.


    ¡°Is this¡­the thing the Hunting Minister was talking about?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is the improved cannon. I just did a trial demonstration, and the cannonball flies about fifty steps further than with the original cannon.¡±


    ¡°Fifty steps?¡±


    It was hard for Vasen to hide his smile.


    If it was a fifty step difference, with the cannons being fired in order, they would be able to shoot at least once more before the enemy approaches. That might not mean much when facing infantry or cavalry, but things would be different when facing the opponent¡¯s cannon.


    Su-Heon also smiled and said, ¡°Yes. But what¡¯s even greater is the other weapon.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Vasen followed Su-Heon to the backyard. As soon as they got there, there was a loud boom, apanied by white smoke covering the backyard. Vasen had gotten used to the cannons and the smoke that came from the ck gunpowder, but something else surprised him.


    ¡°The cannon is quiet.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is quiet.¡±


    As the smoke cleared, the soldiers who had just fired the cannons appeared. There was no big cannon beside the soldiers. The soldiers were holding them in their hands. They were the size of a forearm, and a long rod was attached to them, perhaps to prevent the cannon from recoiling.


    ¡°It¡¯s small.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s small, and it can also be fired alone.¡±


    ¡°Alone?¡±


    Su-Heon exined, ¡°A trigger is put on it like the catapults used in Mangul. Gunpowder is prefilled, and the wick slowly burns. When you pull the trigger, the wick touches the gunpowder and fires immediately¡­ Would you like a try?¡±


    Vasen was interested, and he took the new cannon into his hands.


    ¡°What do you call this?¡±


    ¡°The technology officials call it a Hand Cannon.¡±

 Chapter 126: Normal is Suspicious

    <h4>Chapter 126: Normal is Suspicious</h4>


    One monthter.


    Nix soldiers with pointy ears and ck skin were setting up tents with Danyum ahead of them.


    Robey Su, the duke andmanding officer of Golden Eye, was listening to the reports from the knights.


    ¡°When did Red Fruit¡¯s army arrive again?¡±


    ¡°The army of 20,000 soldiers led by Tobe Volco arrived four days ago.¡±


    ¡°Hm, what about Mangul?¡±


    ¡°The 24,000 soldiers of Count Milovo Toon are expected to arrive in about four days, the same as us. If Night Sky doesn¡¯t intervene, that is.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    After ck Scale¡¯s army entered Deimerit, everyone on the continent realized that this war wasn¡¯t a simple war of conquest. The fight between the gods had broken out in earnest.


    Even Robey Su fell victim to Night Sky¡¯s active attack. The wells that they had stopped by for drinking water were contaminated, and when they slept in the fields, the fields would be infested with insects. Wherever they went, a flock of birds followed them and let out eerie cries. Every time they saw an ominous sign, Robey would order the soldiers to kill it no matter how many arrows it took. And the most dangerous situation was when Lakrak the Apostle appeared in front of them.


    <i>¡®Even though I had arge army of 18,000 soldiers behind my back, it was terrifying.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, Lakrak wasn¡¯t able to dominate the army of Golden Eye. The god of Golden Eye and the Nixes, Concealed Text God, had also sent their creations the moment Lakrak appeared. Concealed Text God¡¯s guardians faced Lakrak, and in the meantime, Robey pulled back his army and managed to get away from the fight between mythical beings.


    <i>¡®Even though all that was left when we went back to the battlefield was the dead bodies of the guardians¡­the fact that Lakrak didn¡¯t attack us again probably means that our god is powerful enough to stop Night Sky¡¯s apostle.¡¯</i>


    In addition to blocking Lakrak, Concealed Text God had destroyed the numerous curses that Night Sky was going to use on them or offset them with Miracles.


    Robey believed that Danyum had lost not because it was weak, but because of Night Sky¡¯s clever tricks.


    <i>¡®In the end, Night Sky¡¯s ordeal has made us more faithful. It¡¯ll only make us stronger. We will win.¡¯</i>


    Robeymanded, ¡°We¡¯ll move up to stay alongside Red Fruit¡¯s army. And we¡¯ll wait until Mangul¡¯s army arrives. Our enemy is not simply ck Scale, but also their god, Night Sky. So everyone, keep a good eye out.¡±


    When Robey was about to call the knights back, a soldier ran into themander''s tent.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A group of 2000 soldiers areing toward us.¡±


    ¡°Where do they belong to? Is it ck Scale?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to take a closer look, but it seems like Danyum¡¯s army.¡±


    ¡°Danyum? But I thought they had been disbanded after their defeat.¡±


    The soldier bowed.


    ¡°Yes. It seems to be the 2000 rebels who have risen up against Danyum.¡±


    ***


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    On top of the tent of Golden Eye¡¯s army, four yers that hadn¡¯t gathered for a while were gathered in one ce, namely AR1026, Jang-Wan, Lunda, and Crampus. Wisdom was absent since he had only just begun to move his army with the end of the civil war, but all the other four yers of the alliance hade together.


    Until now, they hadn¡¯t been able to meet up because they thought it would only be giving Sung-Woon an opening to exploit, but in this case, the main forces were all located close to each other, so it wouldn¡¯t make sense for them to not gather.


    ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± AR1026 asked.


    ¡°Night Sky¡¯s movement.¡±


    ¡°Hm, really? I can¡¯t really tell,¡± AR1026 said. ¡°He constantly interfered with the march of my troops to buy ck Scale time. And it also seems that ck Scale is still steadily recruiting more soldiers. Although the difference in number still exists, they are on the defense rather than the offense, while we have to gather expeditionary forces to march for a month.¡±


    That was the case for Red Fruit and Danyum. The supply line was even longer for Golden Eye and Mangul. As they were all allies, there would be no significant disruption in getting supplies, and there was little risk of the supply line getting cut off, but things would be troublesome if the war dragged on for a long period of time.


    Jang-Wan agreed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Neb is doing good.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°I mean, he¡¯s doing good ording to our standards. That means it¡¯s an orthodox tactic.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± AR1026 asked, not understanding what Jang-Wan was getting at. ¡°The orthodox tactic is the tactic most often employed to win the game, and it usually means it¡¯s the best solution. Wouldn¡¯t an abnormal move be risky?¡±


    Jang-Wan shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine for us to use the standard, most obvious methods, but not for Neb.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Because Neb is the first-ranking yer? And that¡¯s why he needs a strategy we don¡¯t understand? Or that¡¯s what he would do? Are you saying there¡¯s something else going on behind what he¡¯s doing?¡±


    Jang-Wan turned toward AR1026. The eyelids of the lion mask were droopy, indicating that she was questioning AR¡¯s logic.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Neb is obviously at a disadvantage. We will win if things go on like this. Danyum made a wrong judgment in our first sh with ck Scale. That¡¯s true. To urately predict that Danyum would be defeated by ck Scale, however, Danyum¡¯s generals alone wouldn¡¯t be enough; Crampus would also have to have known much about battles. It¡¯s a reality that we yers aren¡¯t real warmanders or operation officers, and our gaming experience isn¡¯t enough to inform us about everything.¡±


    Jang-Wan continued to say, ¡°However, the next sh will be a siege or a pitched battle. A siege operates on set rules, and in The Lost World, provided that technology levels, other rted variables, and the number of troops are known, there¡¯s a siege calctor add-on that could be used to determine the win rate.¡±


    ¡°Uh, wait a second. Can I ask what the percentage is?¡±


    Jang-Wan stopped talking for a moment to click on the system window.


    ¡°It¡¯s not urate since many variables are involved, but the win rate is 80 to 95 percent.¡±


    AR1026 and the other two yers nodded as if that was obvious.


    ¡°Well, I see.¡±


    ¡°And in the case of a pitched battle, the calction would be more urate. Did ck Scale recruit around 5000 more soldiers? Then they have 14,000, and we have 62,000 all together. With this great a numerical difference, it would be difficult for us to lose even if we wanted to. The win rate is 95 percent when the enemy fights with the fortress walls, so without it, the win rate would be higher.¡±


    ¡°But Neb¡¯s Divinity level is higher.¡±


    Jang-Wan hesitated at those words, but no one noticed since she had her lion mask on.


    ¡°...That¡¯s true. But our levels are higherbined. It¡¯s not a one-on-one battle like the one between Neb and Crampus. If we pour all our Faith points into this, we should be able to get Lakrak.¡±


    ¡°So in the end¡­¡±


    ¡°We will win. If Neb insists on using orthodox tactics, we will win.¡±


    Hearing that, Crampus cleared his throat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think what I went through was in any way orthodox.¡±


    Jang-Wan raised her index finger as if she was going to reply right away, but the words got stuck for a moment. Even she had to admit that there was something unusual about the scheme used to defeat Crampus.


    After Danyum lost the first battle, nothing could be done to stop ck Scale from entering Deimerit with a bloodless fight. Crampus put all his mind intoing up with all kinds of tricks at that point, and the solution he came to was the separation of state and church. Since religion was the core of ying The Lost World, political power could even be abandoned in an extreme case. It was difficult to simply say it was good or bad, but in this case, religion would incite more rebellion against the royal family, political parties, or dictators, and the resistance would be more violent with the separation of church and state.


    And that was exactly what Crampus had intended. If Danyum became a puppet state controlled by ck Scale, resistance against Night Sky, the god of ck Scale, would only grow more intense. Then Sung-Woon¡¯s control over Danyum would be significantly weaker. To strengthen his control, Sung-Woon would have to invest a considerable amount of Faith points. Thus, it was likely that he would give up on Danyum in the end.


    However, Sung-Woon twisted the situation once more. He had a third party, a Wizard, fill the empty seat next to the queen rather than his religion. And because of this, Danyum was made a neutral party that didn¡¯t belong to Crampus or Neb. The Wizard hadn¡¯t shown great performance yet, but Aranju Dn and the main generals were using that power to win over the nobles. Although magic was greatly rejected, among the Satyr nobles, there was a growing sentiment that it would be better to believe in magic over the Limitless God, who had failed to protect them in the end, or Night Sky, who had pressured them from the outside.


    The current stage of civilization was ultimately centered around nobility. Crampus could only manipte themoners to make them agitators. To seek stability, Aranju actively captured the agitators and priests who refused to listen to her with the Wizard supporting her, and as ck Scale didn¡¯t really intervene, Crampus¡¯s revolution also lost momentum. Eventually, Crampus was left with little option. All he could do was take the fanatics out of Deimerit and build an army of their own.


    Still, Jang-Wan judged that Crampus had achieved a lot under difficult circumstances.


    <i>¡®Considering he underwent a terrible defeat, saw the royal family copse, and lost his capital, it¡¯s fortunate that he managed to build an army of 2000 soldiers and is still maintaining his influence in the provinces. It¡¯s not like all his chances are gone yet.¡¯</i>


    Strictly speaking, as Crampus had said, Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t been only ying by the book.


    <i>¡®Neb, no, Choi Sung-Woon is still human at the end of the day. Facing all five of us, he can¡¯t always y cleverly. After destroying Crampus, it seems¡­reasonable that he can only make universally standard moves.¡¯</i>


    While Jang-Wan was lost in thoughts, Crampus said, ¡°You seem to be withholding something rather than speaking your mind, Jang-Wan.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you implying that he¡¯s using tactics that are obvious to the eyes of the opponents, so he might be doing something in the dark without us noticing?¡±


    Jang-Wan sighed.


    ¡°Okay, to be honest, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Crampus asked back, ¡°So what is it you¡¯re worried about?¡±


    ¡°First, the Wizard.¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    Having been beaten by the Wizard he had cultivated, Crampus showed an angry expression.


    Jang-Wan continued to say, ¡°There are three Wizards that we know of. Yan, the Gnome, Ty, the Ent, and Mazdari, the Garuda. Out of these three, we have confirmed the whereabouts of the Gnome, Yan, but it¡¯s still unknown where Ty and Mazdari are.¡±


    ¡°Because Wizards can use Deception. Why are these damn attributes carried over from the game?¡±


    ¡°Apart from them being hard to find, Wizards are dangerous. Even when they appear outside of battlefields. Neb has already gotten one thing done by using these attributes of Wizards, and there are two more cards left. He can do the same thing twice more.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    Jang-Wan slowly nodded at Crampus¡¯s question.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain. Unlike other entities, Wizards tend to be more proactive, so they require less effort to control. And knowing how Wizards act, it¡¯s possible to strategize ordingly. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll leave them alone.¡±


    ¡°...Then are Wizards the only thing we should be careful of?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Jang-Wan looked around at the other three yers and said, ¡°It¡¯s simple reasoning. Why is Neb ying the orthodox way? It¡¯s because contrary to our calctions, he judged that he could win by ying like that.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Neb did his calctions with the correct information, but we¡¯re doing our calctions incorrectly with false information. It¡¯s actually us who need to y risky.¡±


    ¡°What is it that we missed?¡±


    Jang-Wan looked at Crampus.


    ¡°What if one of us is a traitor?¡±


    Lunda, who had been tense throughout the meeting, tried her best to control her facial expressions. Fortunately, no one saw her turn pale.


    Crampus then said, ¡°Uh¡­so you¡¯re just speaking hypothetically, right? You¡¯re not saying there¡¯s a real traitor, are you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have any concrete evidence, but I do have a strong hunch. And I actually brought this up in order to confirm it.¡±


    ¡°Who are you suspecting is the traitor?¡±


    Lunda gulped.


    <i>¡®The time hase.¡¯</i>


    Lunda tried to think of what excuses she could make. However, the more she agonized over it, the more her mind became nk and couldn¡¯t think of anything.


    <i>¡®W¡­what do I do?¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan opened her mouth.


    ¡°It is¡­¡±


    She pointed at one yer.


    ¡°You. AR1026.¡±


    The resulting silence was broken by Lunda.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±

 Chapter 127: Betrayal and Accusation

    <h4>Chapter 127: Betrayal and usation</h4>


    ¡°Y¡­you want me to betray them?¡±


    A few days before the four yers met, Lunda and Sung-Woon had a private conversation.


    Sung-Woon replied to Lunda¡¯s question.


    ¡°Why are you so surprised? Isn¡¯t that an obvious step to take here?¡±


    ¡°...Umm.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to think.¡±


    Lunda cleared her throat and said, ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t it be disconcerting for you too if someone told you to betray someone? I¡¯m in an alliance with them.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not with me?¡±


    Lunda opened her mouth to say that they certainly weren¡¯t, but when she thought about it, there was a subtle nuance to Sung-Woon¡¯s words. To Lunda, it sounded like Sung-Woon meant, ¡®You may think that I¡¯ve only been using you until now, but honestly, I¡¯ve always thought of you as an ally, and that¡¯s why I was kind to you. Did you really think that about me?¡¯


    Lunda carefully said, ¡°Of course¡­we¡¯re also¡­something simr to allies.¡±


    ¡°You have to choose between me or the other four yers.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°If you have to choose, wouldn¡¯t you want to be on the winning side?¡±


    Lunda stayed silent for a moment. She had thought of herself as a realist until now. She knew that she couldn¡¯t maintain decent rtionships with everyone and continue these somewhat peaceful days forever. She would have to choose one of the two, and when that moment came, she knew she had to choose the side that was winning. She had done her calctions and even had a n.


    ¡°No, but what can I say¡­¡±


    ¡°If you have something to say, say it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t my situation understandable too? I would be marked as a traitor by the others and end up having pretty bad rtionships with them. They¡¯d think I¡¯m horrible once they learn that I¡¯ve been tricking them until now, wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    Sung-Woon looked above Lunda.


    <i>¡®I was wondering why you were hesitating, but I see what the issue is.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°At the beginning of the game, I thought you were going to cold-heartedly abandon Crampus.¡±


    ¡°That was only the beginning. We¡¯d only seen each other a few times then despite being allies.¡±


    ¡°What about now?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I guess he¡¯s kind of grown on me.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t want to lose because of that kind of fondness.¡±


    ¡°...Where does your confidencee from? It¡¯s 5 against 2. In fact, there¡¯s really nothing Eldar can do, and ck Scale is sharing the Elves'' resources, so it¡¯s no different from 5 against 1. If you want to persuade me, shouldn¡¯t you at least tell me how you n on winning?¡±


    Sung-Woon slightly turned his head as if he was annoyed and then looked at Lunda again.


    ¡°I thought you would know well about the bigger n.¡±


    ¡°What n?¡±


    ¡°First, I would show them that you have been sharing information with me until now.¡±


    ¡°Then I would just tell them that I had no choice because I was being threatened.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. If you make the excuse, I guess the other yers would think rationally and wouldn¡¯t just abandon you. But the other yers have no way of knowing where the lie ends and the truth begins, so you¡¯ll be isted.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°During that time, I will destroy you.¡±


    Lunda thought she understood what that meant, but at the same time wasn¡¯t sure if she understood him right.


    So she asked, ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll beat all five of you for sure, but I know I can certainly beat you. I¡¯m not convincing you, but threatening you.¡±


    Lunda yelled, ¡°Hey! What do you think that would make me think of you?¡±


    Sung-Woon immediately replied, ¡°¡®A piece of trash¡¯?¡±


    Expression nk and mouth open, Lunda was stunned into silence for a moment.


    And unintended words of admiration tumbled out of her mouth.


    ¡°Wow¡­really. You¡¯re incredible.¡±


    ¡°Think what you want.¡±


    ¡°Do you not have any feelings?¡±


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he quietly said the rest of what he wanted to say.


    ¡°Lunda. I¡¯m only saying this because I think you¡¯re a rational person. I believe that you wouldn¡¯t make the wrong choice simply because of unnecessary sentiments or emotions. For example, even if you be a traitor in the eyes of Crampus and all the others, and even if the piece of trash in front of you threatens you, I know you will be able to judge and act on where your own interests are.¡±


    Lunda clenched her fists and tried toe up with a counterargument. But after giving it more thought and a thorough consideration, she realized that Sung-Woon was right. However he put it, his impression of her was urate.


    <i>¡®I do wonder for what reason he provokes everyone¡­was he just born with a bad personality?¡¯</i>


    Soon, Lunda calmed herself down and said, ¡°So what do I need to do?¡±


    ***


    Lunda recalled the conversation she had had with Sung-Woon a few days ago and felt her heart racing. What was important wasn¡¯t the conversation itself, but what came after it.


    Sung-Woon bluntly said that he had a few ns, but wasn¡¯t sure which one of them woulde into fruition. He simply told her that when the time came, she would know.


    If she ended up never getting an answer, she had nned to drop it andter get angry at Sung-Woon, telling him that he should¡¯ve told her about it. Now that Jang-Wan had pushed AR1026 into a corner, however, she couldn¡¯t just let things go.


    <i>¡®This is the time.¡¯</i>


    Lunda did as nned.


    ¡°Um, Jang-Wan. You¡¯re saying so with a solid basis, right?¡±


    Jang-Wan pulled back the finger pointing at AR1026 and stood still for a moment.


    Then she said, ¡°I can¡¯t say that I have a solid basis. That¡¯s why I said before that I simply have strong feelings about it.¡±


    AR1026 then said, ¡°That is good enough. That means you have a reason to think so instead of just going off of nothing. Don¡¯t say that¡¯s not true.¡±


    Jang-Wan replied, ¡°I do have a reason.¡±


    Jang-Wan clicked around the system window and shared a couple pieces of information. Lunda took a look. In the window, a male Nix was sneaking into Golden Eye¡¯s capital.


    Crampus said, ¡°What is this supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Did you check the Nix¡¯s face? The next image is a bit older than that one.¡±


    Everyone took a better look. The male Nix was chatting with a Lizardman with ck scales. And the location wasbeled as Orazen.


    Then AR1026 said, ¡°You¡¯re using me with this kind of information¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more than this. This Nix went back and forth between Golden Eye and ck Scale several times. I¡¯ve spotted him doing that myself. After a rough investigation, it seems that he isn¡¯t someone with a special identity. He used to be a merchant, but then he has a history of meeting the influential families of Orazen. The records are unclear after that.¡±


    Crampus asked, ¡°Does that make him special? If not, have you tried to face them?¡±


    ¡°He died.¡±


    ¡°He died?¡±


    ¡°I was going to send my Kobold priests to capture him, but perhaps Neb was also paying attention. The Lizardmen of ck Scale called this Nix first, and then he died. AR, can you exin?¡±


    AR1026 became bewildered at Jang-Wan¡¯s request. ¡°Exin? There is nothing to exin. I don¡¯t even know who that is.¡±


    ¡°Then why did the Lizardmen meet with that Nix? And why did they kill him as soon as I tried to confront him?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t know.¡±


    Crampus said, ¡°It is a bit suspicious. The fact that the Nix died as soon as Jang-Wan tried to face them means that Neb was paying careful attention to him.¡±


    When AR1026 red at Crampus, Crampus shook his head.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not saying that it implicates you as a traitor or whatever.¡±


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°The fact that Neb used some of his Faith points to do such a thing likely means that it was worth it. I need to look into the matter a bit more. This is also a problem of trust. Everyone agrees, right?¡±


    Lunda then interrupted and said, ¡°To be honest, I think it¡¯s a bit excessive.¡±


    ¡°Lunda¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? That itself might have been Neb¡¯s way of driving a wedge between us. Or it might have been a part of a bigger n, and he gave up on it because he got caught in the process.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess so. I do think it doesn¡¯t warrant great suspicion. But isn¡¯t there a need to resolve even minor doubts?¡±


    Crampus said, ¡°Normally, yes. But we have a battle ahead of us. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the best time. Rather, isn¡¯t there no need to resolve such a minor thing at a time like this? And the individual involved is dead, so with what are you going to find an answer?¡±


    ¡°...Hm.¡±


    AR1026 said, ¡°Honestly speaking, I think it¡¯s ame trick. Neb probably put in his efforts to make us doubt each other. You said you would resolve this matter, but how exactly do you n on doing so?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. We can share our information.¡±


    At Jang-Wan¡¯s suggestion, AR1026 scowled so intensely that it could be felt through her bridal veil.


    ¡°That¡¯s rude,¡± said AR1026. ¡°If you¡¯re the traitor instead, aren''t things going too smoothly for you??¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jang-Wan retorted like she was bewildered.


    Seeing that things were going better than expected, Lunda covered her mouth and smiled.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s going as nned.¡¯</i>


    The task that Sung-Woon had entrusted to Lunda was to defend the traitor.


    ***


    ¡°What? You want me to defend the presumed traitor instead of helping push them into a corner?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Sung-Woon thought for a moment and said, ¡°With power being equal, you know that loose alliances are weaker than a single force, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because alliances can be broken, can¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s call breaking up the alliance with a single force Shaking. I¡¯ve been Shaking the alliance a lot until now, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    Lunda nodded.


    ¡°Then whenever I try to do something, the alliance would worry about Shaking, wouldn¡¯t they?¡¯


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the possibility that the alliance will be stronger in response.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I think that¡¯s already happened. We don¡¯t gather to have meetings at the moment, but we used to meet up quite often. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s affection involved. Still, I believe we see each other as partners orpanions.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°So the way of thinking should be changed a little.¡±


    ¡°The way of thinking?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°For example, what do you think would happen if you use someone as a traitor with the others?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We would look more into the person who got used?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. But the only real traitor among the alliance is you.¡±


    Lunda was thrown off by what sounded like a sudden jab.


    ¡°...Y¡­yes, okay.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not criticizing you. Anyway, an investigation would lead to them bing free of suspicion. Because even though I can create suspicion of them being a traitor, I can¡¯t make them into one.¡±


    ¡°Then what happens if I defend the suspected traitor?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°First, it bes difficult to check whether that person really is a traitor or not. It¡¯s important to skip that confirmation process by saying that you should trust your allies or whatnot. In that case, the user will continue to suspect the traitor, and the rest of the alliance would think the user is being excessive. Then at this point, the person used of being a traitor would say that the user is messing up the alliance by doubting others for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°So the real target isn¡¯t the one being used of being a traitor, but rather¡­¡±


    .


    ¡°The user who¡¯s calling another yer traitor, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded and continued his exnation.


    ¡°That alone would shake the alliance. And after that, you can do whatever you want with a good enough exnation.¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°Say that you¡¯ll check whether the used yer really is a traitor instead of the user. Then you¡¯ll be able to keep your army close to the presumed traitor. No one would suspect you then.¡±

 Chapter 128: The Fruit of the Ever Changing Flower

    <h4>Chapter 128: The Fruit of the Ever Changing Flower</h4>


    Two dayster.


    Past the borders of Mangul and Danyum, at a mountain path not far off from Deimerit.


    "Something''s strange," Jang-Wan muttered as she looked down at her Mangul army.


    "Something is definitely wrong.¡±


    Mangul¡¯s army of 24,000 was still marching at night.


    Among them, 8,000 were Kobolds, and being a nocturnal species, they were blessed with good night vision and a low need for sleep. To ovee their disadvantage of having small physiques and only being able to carry a small amount of things, they had to make use of their advantages, so they had no other choice but to march for longer.


    "We''ll arrive by tomorrow, but..."


    Jang-Wan initially suspected only AR1026, but now both Crampus and Lunda seemed suspicious to her as well.


    "Am I really being yed by Choi Sung-Woon? Is it all just my imagination?"


    Although the evidence she found for AR1026 being a traitor wasn¡¯t enough, she believed Sung-Woon had done something, so she thought that was a good enough reason to look into it more.


    "What was the problem?¡±


    She judged that at least one of the two yers would agree with her. Even though AR1026 was suspicious, she had no intention of intimidating her. By conducting a thorough investigation with the information she had, she could check if there were any parts that didn¡¯t line up, and in that process, she could also find out if AR1026 really was suspicious, and if she was, to what extent.


    ¡°Even so, I know I wouldn¡¯t be able to confirm that she¡¯spletely innocent either.¡±


    As long as AR1026 didn''t make any major mistakes during battle, that would be enough to consider her innocent. One example would be AR1026 positioning her army in the rear during the siege surrounding Deimerit. If AR1026 really was a traitor and was in the back, no matter how many more soldiers the allies hadpared to Sung-Woon, they would suffer aplete defeat as they would be attacked from the front and the back.


    ¡°I just wanted to say that if she didn¡¯t make that kind of mistake, she would be good in my book¡­¡±


    Jang-Wan recalled how she had behaved earlier. Because she had lost her cool, she hadn¡¯t shown a very good side of herself to thepanions who had trusted her until now.


    ¡°Perhaps cornering AR1026 like that was a mistake. And maybe that¡¯s why there was opposition.¡±


    Jang-Wan clicked her tongue.


    ¡°But there could be another possibility,¡± said Wisdom. ¡°What if Choi Sung-Woon put so much effort in just to make someone misjudge one of us as a traitor?


    That would make things moreplicated, but it was a possibility. In that case, there would be no real traitor, and Sung-Woon had simply wanted them to believe that there was one among them. It did seem like the kind of thing Sung-Woon would do to gain an advantage while they doubted each other to identify the fake traitor.


    "In a long-term war that might make sense, but what good would it do when a battle is on the horizon?¡±


    Jang-Wan couldn¡¯t easily understand that, and Wisdom agreed.


    Wisdom seemed busy as he was helping his apostle level up while keeping the apostle a secret from the others, excluding Jang-Wan; he was also gathering more soldiers while strengthening the solidarity inside Asbestos. His first expeditionary force btedly departed, but it seemed that he was nning on sending his second force around the same time as the other countries. And for those reasons, Jang-Wan wasn¡¯t really able to resolve her suspicions through her conversation with Wisdom.


    "Maybe it was only meant to create confusion."


    Jang-Wan thought that would be a clumsy scheme that was unlike Sung-Woon.


    "Or is it a distraction?"


    If AR1026 wasn''t really a traitor, Jang-Wan believed that Sung-Woon must be hiding an even bigger scheme.


    "Yeah, maybe there already is a traitor."


    Jang-Wan herself definitely wasn¡¯t one. And out of everyone else, Wisdom was least likely to be a traitor. If Wisdom had been in contact with Sung-Woon, there would be no reason for him to put on an act. The pair could destroy the other nations if they announced their alliance and formted a joint strategy. Wisdom¡¯s power was that significant. And that was why Jang-Wan had sacrificed her priests and created an apostle for Wisdom.


    Crampus also had a low chance of being a traitor. Initially, she had also suspected Crampus because he handed Deimerit over ridiculously easily, but after giving it more thought, she realized that it wasn¡¯t really a point for suspicion. Had Jang-Wan been in his shoes, she believed she was likely to make the same mistake while stating that she was making the best decision she could. But unlike what Crampus thought, she believed that he had simply gotten unlucky rather than losing to Sung-Woon¡¯s strategy.


    However, Lunda didn¡¯t have a high chance of being a traitor either.


    "Don¡¯t they barely have any contact?"


    Although Red Fruit and ck Scale shared a border, the area was a wilderness. Many merchants preferred traversing through Danyum even if it meant they had to pay more taxes. Still, it was rather suspicious that there had been such ack of contact between them.


    "Shall we consider the possibility? Is there absolutely no chance that Lunda is a traitor?"


    There was no reason to make such an assumption. There was a possibility that they had formed a secret alliance for various reasons.


    Even Jang-Wan herself had a direct rtionship with Sung-Woon; more specifically, they knew each other outside the game. The only difference was that Jang-Wan knew Sung-Woon¡¯s ID, Neb, while Sung-Woon didn¡¯t know her ID, Jang-Wan.


    "What problem would arise if Lunda is a traitor?"


    Jang-Wan felt dizzy at the thought.


    "Could it be a big problem?"


    Jang-Wan recalled what had happened after she used AR1026. Lunda said that if Jang-Wan really believed AR1026 was dangerous, she would monitor AR1026 with her army. Since both armies were scheduled to join forces right before the battle, they would just being together earlier, so there wasn¡¯t anything strange about that. And Lunda also said that she would dly leave if AR1026 was able to clear her suspicion. Thus, Red Fruit¡¯s army of 20,000 and Golden Eye¡¯s army of 18,000 were now together. Additionally, Crampus¡¯s smaller rebellion army of 2000 had also joined that group.


    If Lunda was a traitor, she could raid both armies.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Jang-Wan had a hard time picturing that. Aside from Lunda having a low chance of being a traitor, it didn¡¯t seem like her being one would cause that much of a problem. While Lunda was sticking close to AR1026 to monitor her, the opposite was also true.


    ¡°If Lunda acts, AR and Crampus will too.¡±


    Of course, things would get dangerous if ck Scale also made a move, but there was a decisive factor preventing that from happening.


    ¡°A person¡¯s faith doesn¡¯t change overnight.¡±


    If Bountiful Harvest, the god of Red Fruit and the Renards, or Lunda, ordered her priest to kill someone in ck Scale, they would dly do it. However, if Lunda ordered her priest to kill anyone of Golden Eye, they would be somewhat confused because Golden Eye was an ally country. Moreover, if Lunda ordered any one of her followers that wasn¡¯t a priest to kill a soldier of Golden Eye and not ck Scale, that person would be even more confused. Because that would be an act of betraying an ally right before war. There would be chaos among the soldiers. They would agonize over whether they should listen to their god and betray their allies, or go against God¡¯s words to protect their allies.


    That was what controlling an entity entailed in The Lost World. Each of them had their own will. If the gods¡¯ will more or less aligned with the will of the people, they would move as the god desired, but if the god ignored their will, then nothing would go the god¡¯s way. If a god gave a revtion, there would be those who listened, but there would also be those who became confused or actively went against it.


    ¡°Well, there are some exceptions.¡±


    Jang-Wan thought of Wisdom and his apostle.


    Jang-Wan focused on her work to ease his worries. There were still things to be done before the war.


    ***


    <i>¡®The view of the world must always be adaptable.¡¯</i>


    When Lunda first saw this sentence, she had thought it was a bit of a grandiose title for the game strategy forum. But of course, it did intrigue her and made her click on the post. Despite the meaningful title, Lunda couldn¡¯t help butugh after seeing the content. The post discussed how betrayal in The Lost World could bring one closer to victory, as well as the efforts required to execute such betrayal. Thements on the post were prizing, with about half of them insulting the poster¡¯s strategies, while the other half defended and supported the yer. And the post was buried without receiving proper recognition. Lunda, too, quickly forgot about the post and moved on.


    However, she once found herself in a position that was difficult to define as good or bad in a match of The Lost World. She started in the center of the continent without any significant resources, and ended up caught between several powerful countries.


    As she pursued neutral diplomacy, she recalled the strategy post about betrayal she had seen before. She imitated a few builds and ultimately seeded. She even managed to achieve an alliance victory in the end. And thanks to that experience, she was able to raise her win rate in The Lost World.


    In the current game, Lunda followed the same build step by step. Red Fruit started with the Renards. With the appearance of a fox and a curious nature, Renards walked on two legs and had a lean build. They believed in the god called Bountiful Harvest, who had been known as Fruition God in the past.


    Mangyul didn¡¯t seem any different from all the other gods. They protected the main species of the country, gave them Blessings, and asionally performed Miracles. Therefore, no one considered Red Fruit to be significantly different from the other nations; it was rather deemed as the most middle-of-the-road country.


    If Night Sky of ck Scale favored bold and intelligent individuals, and Binding God of Asbestos favored violent and majestic individuals, Red Fruit seemed to prefer regr folks. The priests serving Bountiful Harvest were delicate and even somewhat timid, which was evident in how slow they made their decisions. In particr, the characteristic could be observed in the general public of Red Fruit and their overall national policies. To the other countries, that was just the way Red Fruit was.


    For example, if Red Fruit had to make a path and had to choose between a fast and dangerous one and a slow and long one, they would make both. At a nce, it would seem like they were extraordinarilypetent, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Even when not having an immediate path resulted in wheat and crops rotting and people starving, they would ept the losses to create both paths. And the losses didn¡¯t necessarily lead to gains in the future since there wasn¡¯t always a need for both kinds of paths.


    Such national characteristics, or characteristics of the people, also existed symbolically. In Red Fruit, there was a flower called Ever Changing Flower. It was simply a fragrant purple flower, and its petals could be brewed into a tea with mind-clearing effect. But the important part of it was the nt¡¯s fruit.


    Any citizen of Red Fruit or a believer of Bountiful Harvest would carry around a fruit of the Ever Changing Flower, which was the size of a thumb. It was said that the fruit was more delicious than anything else. However, there weren''t many who had tasted it.


    It took years for the fruit to grow from the flowers, and it took a few more for the fruit to be ripe enough to eat. The problem was that nobody knew how many years it would take, so they couldn¡¯t determine when the fruit should be peeled. The fruit always emitted a fragrant smell, so people usually peeled it too soon and got a half-ripe fruit, or they peeled it toote and had to throw it away.


    Since there was no way to tell its ripeness based on its appearance, people had to rely on luck. Therefore, when facing an important matter, the people of Red Fruit would peel the fruit they carried around to see if the matter would bring them fortune or misfortune, and also to help them make decisions during important times. Such a practice was done at even the national level by the priests.


    <i>¡®If the fruit is ripe, then it will rain this afternoon, and if it¡¯s rotten, it will be clear.¡¯</i>


    This was called Oracle, and the priests of Red Fruit often received revtions and made decisions based on it. In Red Fruit, it was obvious that one should follow the revtions.


    Tobe Volco was an old Renard general of Red Fruit. He awoke from his sleep while gasping for air. It was immediately after he had received a revtion.


    ¡°...Everything we know is wrong?¡±


    Tobe took out the fruit of the Ever Changing Flower from his inner pocket. Having been peeled, it was ripe inside.


    Tobe was about to taste the fruit without thinking when he put it back into his pocket. Then, he woke his adjutant and made an order.


    ¡°Do you have the fruit of Ever Changing Flower?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yes.¡±


    ¡°Take it out.¡±


    As expected, the adjutant¡¯s fruit was also peeled. And it was perfectly ripe.


    Tobe then said to the adjutant as they gulped, ¡°Do you know what the Oracle of the war is today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Go check.¡±


    The adjutant hurriedly went to the priests and confirmed the Oracle.


    <i>If the fruit is not ripe, protect your allies. If it is ripe, betray them.</i>


    Tobe checked all the fruits the soldiers had. All of them were ripe.


    In the middle of the night, Red Fruit¡¯s army moved quietly.

 Chapter 129: The Night of Betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 129: The Night of Betrayal</h4>


    Golden Eye¡¯s duke andmander officer, Robey Su, stayed awake to review tomorrow''s attack against Deimerit.


    Even though Robeymanded arge army of 18,000 soldiers, it was still nerve-wracking to face enemies head-on. Moreover, Robey had never experienced war at such a great scale before.


    .


    <i>¡®The only battles I''ve fought were nothing more than dealing with small groups of rebellious species before they could unite, with arger number of well-trained Nix soldiers backing me up.¡¯</i>


    Such battles didn''t require much strategy. The quality and quantity of the troops were overwhelmingly superior, and they had more information. By deploying troops at the best moment, the rebel forces would surrender. On the other hand, when it came to dealing with rebellions started by provincial lords, the troops would be criticized for being unskillful if the situation escted to the point that actualbat broke out.


    <i>¡®Red Fruit, Danyum, and ck Scale are the ones fighting with tactics.¡¯</i>


    Although not at arge scale, Red Fruit and Danyum had been intermittently fighting the enemy they shared borders with, ck Scale.


    In particr, Tobe Volco, the Renard leading Red Fruit¡¯s army, was known for frequently shing with ck Scale¡¯s army. When the Red Fortress that Red Fruit had built to monitor the wilderness got captured by the Lizardmen of ck Scale, it was Tobe who reimed it.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m d he¡¯s on our side.¡¯</i>


    When Robey heard that Danyum¡¯s army of 30,000 soldiers had suffered a one-sided defeat, he couldn¡¯t help but worry. General Yubaim Dn had gone through many hardships; if he was so easily defeated by ck Scale, Robey worried that he might end up the same. And with ck Scale¡¯s army, who often yed tricks, being closeby, Robey had a hard time believing that ck Scale¡¯s army would obediently wait within the fortress walls. No matter how thoroughly he had his people conduct reconnaissance, he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious.


    <i>¡®But thanks to the revtion, General Tobe and I can rely on each other.¡¯</i>


    There was an issue with the chain ofmand, so the two armies hadn¡¯tpletelybined with each other, but their tents were set up close to reduce the resources needed for reconnaissance, and by saving resources, they were able to conduct a more thorough search in the vulnerable areas. It was also a great benefit that the twomanders could exchange information with each other.


    <i>¡®Is that why? Nothing has happened until today. At this rate, we could begin the siege as soon as Mangul¡¯s army arrives.¡¯</i>


    The walls of Deimerit were famous, but with the rebellion forces from Danyum joining their army, they were able to improve the strategies for attacking Deimerit¡¯s walls. It was said that the waterways were poorly guarded, and that the western wall was very weathered, making it possible to easily break it down with cannon shots.


    <i>¡®If that information is urate, we might win more easily than we thought. Though I¡¯m not sure those tenacious Lizards will easily give up¡­ Still, we should at least be able to get Deimerit back from ck Scale and restore Danyum.¡¯?</i>


    Robey¡¯s heart was filled with anticipation at the thought of victory.


    Then, a soldier came running to Robey¡¯s tent.


    ¡°Commander! Are you there?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    The soldier bowed while saying, ¡°Red Fruit¡¯s army is currently raising a ruckus, so I thought you should know¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Exin in detail.¡±


    ¡°Red Fruit¡¯s army¡­is preparing for battle.¡±


    ¡°Preparing for battle?¡± Robey was so surprised that he asked reflexively. ¡°Is there any movement from Deimerit?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not sure about that. I just came because Baron Pello sent me¡­¡±


    ¡°Then the baron will probably be checking. If not, tell them to confirm the situation first. Report back to me after you have something concrete.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    Robey frowned. If there had been movement from Deimerit, and Red Fruit noticed while Golden Eye didn¡¯t, that would indicate that Golden Eye wascking in reconnaissance.


    Then another soldier ran through the entrance of the tent.


    ¡°Commander, I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Red Fruit¡¯s General, Tobe Volco, ising this way.¡±


    As soon as the soldier finished the sentence, in came an old Renard general whose height only reached the chest of Nixes. It was Tobe Volco.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for themotion. ording to one of our spies, apparently there is movement in Deimerit.¡±


    ¡°A¡­spy?¡±


    Robey was relieved because it fortunately wasn¡¯t an issue with their reconnaissance capability. It was only natural that Golden Eye would fall behind Red Fruit in espionage. Golden Eye was far from this ce, and Red Fruit had spies in Deimerit as well as Orazen. In matters such as this, Golden Eye had no choice but to rely on Red Fruit.


    However, Robey was nervous about a different matter. The fact that Red Fruit¡¯s entire army was on the move meant that ck Scale¡¯s army in Deimerit was also moving.


    ¡°What kind of movement?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, it seems we¡¯ve gotten lucky.¡±


    ¡°Lucky? How so?¡±


    Robey¡¯s ears wiggled in anticipation.


    Tobe Volco answered, ¡°It¡¯s said that there¡¯s an army of Danyum rebels inside Deimerit.¡±


    ¡°Other than the 2000 that came to join us? But they said that there was no longer any rebellion forces inside Deimerit.¡±


    ¡°Of course they would have no way of knowing. They¡¯re a rebel force of aristocrats. While they aren¡¯t a big group, the fact that they¡¯re aristocrats means that they can mobilize soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Tobe Volco continued to say, ¡°Anyway, including the soldiers, the rebellion force amounts to about 500 men, and although that¡¯s not many, there¡¯s still quite a bit a group that size can achieve.¡±


    ¡°Hm, what could they do, for example?¡±


    ¡°Something like upying one of Deimerit¡¯s gates.¡±


    Robey replied, ¡°Is that really possible?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be easy. Especially since Mangul¡¯s army would arrive when the sun rises, and when it gets to that point, ck Scale would strengthen their defenses by the gates in preparation for any attacks.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    Tobe Volco smiled and said, ¡°So we must move before that.¡±


    Only then did Robey understand what Red Fruit being on the move meant.


    ¡°Then should we also¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, no. We¡¯re nning on targeting the east gate. The rebellion army said that there are less soldiers there, and that their defense was weak. Probably because it¡¯s the opposite side of where we are. We¡¯re going to quickly move and cross the ridge before the sun rises and go to Deimerit¡¯s east gate.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then once Mangul¡¯s army arrives, we should attack from the opposite side, which would be the nearby west gates.¡±


    Tobe pped his hands together.


    ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s going to be a two-sided attack.¡±


    Robey nodded.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s best to set out when the sun rises?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Mangul¡¯s army have arrived by then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, very well.¡±


    Tobe said goodbye and was about to leave the tent when he turned around.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot. I actually came here to tell you something else.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°In order to cross the ridge to get to the east gate, I think it would be more efficient for us to go through Golden Eye¡¯s tents. And that would make it easier to trick the enemy too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, feel free to do so.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Tobe Volco exited the tent with a big smile on his face.


    Once he returned to his own tent, he stood in front of the other generals. A few of them seemed to have already made up their minds, while others had not.


    A Renard general carefully raised their arm.


    ¡°General Tobe, do we move as nned?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The conversation has concluded. I¡¯ve also confirmed that the aristocrat¡¯s tent and themander¡¯s tent had not changed locations.¡±


    Another general then said, ¡°Is this¡­really the right thing to do?¡±


    Tobe snorted.


    ¡°Did you just ask that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What did you do with the fruit of the Ever Changing Flower?¡±


    The general took out the fruit from their pocket.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you eaten it?¡±


    ¡°...Because I haven¡¯t made up my mind.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s not that you haven¡¯t made up your mind. Eat it first.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Now!¡±


    At Tobe¡¯s urging, the general put the fruit into their mouth. They blinked as if they were surprised by the taste.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­I¡¯ve ever eaten something this sweet and delicious.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly. Remember that taste,¡± Tobe said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem right? It shouldn¡¯t matter. That¡¯s not your will. It¡¯s the will of our god. Mangyul had already decided. Everything is already nned out, and we will only understand the meaningter¡­ We cannot make a decision because it¡¯s God¡¯s will, and we await his answer; that¡¯s why it seems like we¡¯re struggling to find our way in the darkness at the crossroad of choice.¡±


    As Tobe left themander¡¯s tent, the generals followed.


    ***


    Led by General Tobe Volco, Red Fruit¡¯s army passed through Golden Eye¡¯s tents. The soldiers on guard had already received the order, so they let Red Fruit¡¯s army pass through. Soldiers who woke up in the middle of their sleep to take care of business were either very surprised, or nkly stared at Red Fruit¡¯s army in confusion.


    Tobe walked into Golden Eye¡¯smander tent. Robey and the other generals greeted him with smiling faces.


    ¡°Are you on your way now? I should pray for God¡¯s blessing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Tobe returned the smile. Then he took out a dagger from his inner pocket and stabbed Robey in the heart. As Robey doubled over, the othermanders of Golden Eye gaped at the two, wondering what was going on.


    Tobe then yelled, ¡°Attack!¡±


    Red Fruit¡¯s army began to attack the army of rebels from Danyum that was with Golden Eye.


    ***


    Three gods held an urgent meeting.


    Thest to arrive was Jang-Wan.


    Jang-Wan asked Crampus, ¡°Have you contacted Lunda?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not answering.¡±


    ¡°Do you not know where she is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But she won¡¯t be far away.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    AR1026 kept trying to perform Miracles through her soldiers while they were under attack, but the Miracles kept getting offset.


    Lunda had been hiding somewhere and responding to AR1026¡¯s attempts at conjuring Miracles.


    AR1026 muttered, ¡°Yeah, she got me.¡±


    Crampus and Jang-Wan didn¡¯t say anything. They were very displeased.


    Crampus called Wisdom. Once Crampus exined the situation, Wisdom seemed calm, but Jang-Wan soon realized that was a false assumption. Wisdom didn¡¯t even have a face for them to judge his reaction.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Jang-Wan said. ¡°As a god, I should intervene. I¡¯m going to send my creations and¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Jang-Wan paused at Wisdom¡¯s shout.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say so yourself that Red Fruit¡¯s army seeded in a raid? Also, I just checked, and Deimerit¡¯s gates have opened. ck Scale¡¯s army is flooding out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m making my army charge at full speed. If they face each other¡­¡±


    ¡°You would lose!¡±


    Jang-Wan bit down the retort that was about to escape her mouth. It was hard to argue against Wisdom''s prediction. Golden Eye¡¯s army had already suffered a crushing defeat with the ambushing from the inside. Some soldiers had run away without looking back, and it would be fortunate if even half of them survived. The reality was that they were an expeditionary force in enemy territory that couldn¡¯t get supplies, and they had lost theirmander; those who survived would surely suffer more loss.


    And above all, Jang-Wan¡¯s current Divinity level was the lowest out of everyone present. Therefore, even if she tried to intervene, she didn¡¯t think she could defeat Neb.


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Did we make a mistake? Yes. How could we have known that there really was a traitor? But if you ask me if we¡¯ve lost, I¡¯d say no.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Jang-Wan. This isn¡¯t the end. We still have the second wave of expeditionary forces. We have one more chance. And perhaps we might get another one after that. As time passes, it¡¯s bing clear that Neb wants a short-term showdown. That¡¯s obvious because if all the countries enter an all-out war, it would be difficult for ck Scale to see anymercial gains. ck Scale would only be more disadvantageous as time goes by. So turn your troops around. We¡¯re going to chase after ck Scale¡¯s cavalry. Tell them to run all the way to Golden Eye¡¯s borders.¡±


    From next to him, AR1026 shook her head.


    ¡°Then what about us? Do you want us to give up on our troops?¡±


    ¡°...Yes. Aren¡¯t you retreating anyway? Although I¡¯m not sure if I can even call that a retreat.¡±


    ¡°No. I need to intervene if I want to save as many soldiers as possible.¡±


    AR1026¡¯s eyes shone with determination.


    Jang-Wan understood her. Getting betrayed by someone one trusted was painful. It was impossible for a victim who got toyed with to just ept reality and wait for another chance.


    When Wisdom was about to say something, Crampus interrupted.


    ¡°Sorry, but I must intervene as well.¡±


    ¡°Crampus.¡±


    ¡°All I have right now is 2000 soldiers. I need to do everything I can.¡±


    ¡°But Deimerit isn¡¯t all Danyum is.¡±


    Crampus shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not all Danyum is, but it¡¯s the majority of it. If I just hand Deimerit over, Satyrs would no longer rule, and they are my main species.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible to keep things going.¡±


    ¡°But I would fall behind. And I would also have to give up on all the areas neighboring Red Fruit.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talkter.¡±


    Crampus one-sidedly cut Wisdom off.


    He then said to Jang-Wan, ¡°What are you going to do? You¡¯re gonna help me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Jang-Wan nervously watched the battle¡ªor massacre¡ªand then looked up.


    ¡°I¡­¡±

 Chapter 130: Black Roots

    <h4>Chapter 130: ck Roots</h4>


    Jang-Wan realized that their victory and defeat would be decided by her choice. Either she actively helped Crampus and AR1026 right now, or she retreated and nned for the uing days with Wisdom and their remaining two expeditionary forces.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can help.¡±


    AR1026 was about to argue, but Crampus took a step forward and stopped her.


    ¡°Well then¡­we can¡¯t do anything about that. Because that¡¯s reasonable too.¡±


    Jang-Wan nodded.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no other choice.¡¯</i>


    Even if she wanted to help, there would be nothing she could do now that her Divinity had dropped to the single-digit. Additionally, if that fact was revealed, she would have to exin to the two yers how that came to be.


    <i>¡®Telling them that I helped Wisdom make an apostle is easy. But I would also need to exin why I kept it a secret, and that I was doubting another among us.¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t a big secret, and she¡¯d been thinking about telling themter, but it wasn¡¯t the right time now.


    <i>¡®Their feelings are already hurt. One part of the alliance has broken down because of Lunda¡¯s betrayal. Among the five allied nations, one was defeated, another one betrayed, and yet another is going through defeat. In a situation like this, where the alliance can break at any moment, there¡¯s no need to say unnecessary things.¡¯</i>


    In Jang-Wan¡¯s opinion, it seemed that Crampus was taking the situation pretty well. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said about AR1026, who was suffering a big loss at the moment.


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°I¡¯ll turn my army around. Then ck Scale¡¯s cavalry from Deimerit will likely chase after us.¡±


    That was obvious. In terms of the battle between troops, Golden Eye had already beenpletely defeated by Red Fruit. While the sh itself wasn¡¯t over yet, it would soon get to a point where it couldn¡¯t be considered a battle, but Red Fruit¡¯s one-sided pursuit of Golden Eye¡¯s army. It would be a war of total annihtion.


    Golden Eye¡¯s goal depended on how many soldiers would return alive. There was nothing for ck Scale to really help with, and Mangul¡¯s army also almost reached Deimerit. They were so close that the troops would be revealed as soon as the sun rose; it would be easy to track them from Deimerit.


    Mangul¡¯s army, which was mainlyposed of infantry, would have to continuously sacrifice some of their troops and abandon all their supplies in order to retreat quickly, without the time to even burn said supplies to prevent ck Scale or Red Fruit from taking them.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not like they would benefit a lot from running away right now, but¡­¡±</i>


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°I¡¯ll block ck Scale¡¯s cavalry somehow.¡±


    Crampus nodded.


    ¡°Alright, that should be enough. We¡¯ve done as much as we can.¡±


    ¡°Crampus!¡±


    AR1026 red at Crampus before looking at Jang-Wan. Jang-Wan was ready to be bombarded with insults since she was guilty of suspecting AR1026 and not helping them with their fight now, but AR1026¡¯s attitude was different from what she had expected.


    AR1026 lifted her veil and asked, ¡°Can you consider it one more time?¡±


    The two had beenpanions for a long time now, but it was Jang-Wan¡¯s first time seeing AR1026¡¯s face. Jang-Wan noticed how attractive she had made her avatar.


    <i>¡®Or is that her real face?¡¯</i>


    Unlike the game The Lost World, it was possible for them to use their real face here. In other words, yers could bring their actual appearance on Earth to this world. However, there was no way to know if that was the case for someone.


    Jang-Wan kept her lion mask on and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I actually want to suggest you give up on your troops again. There¡¯s still a chance, isn¡¯t there? There¡¯s no need to waste your Faith points on this. If you use that many Faith points on this battle, the next will be much harder.¡±


    AR1026 sighed.


    ¡°I know. But we each have our own circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Circumstances?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about our game ys.¡±


    AR1026 clicked on her system window to somehow turn the situation around while she kept talking.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you before, but Golden Eye¡¯s internal affairs actually aren¡¯t the best right now. And it¡¯s probably because of the moves that Neb has moved. There are many in our country who believe in Night Sky, and there are even some among the aristocrats. It¡¯s not too serious, but it¡¯se to the point where nothing can be done since dealing with the aristocrats would affect business. The king of Golden Eye is weak in power, so a crushing defeat would make it difficult for the nation to mobilize another expeditionary force at the same scale. And if I make a mistake, the next army would definitely be smaller.¡±


    Jang-Wan replied, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything about that until now?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to cause trouble to others. And it would be humiliating if I got defeated alone when all the others were able to deal with Neb¡¯s ways. I was also afraid that some of you might suspect me if you knew the exact situation of the internal affairs in Golden Eye. There turned out to be a real traitor though. Still, it¡¯s not like anyone could have helped anyway in the grand scheme of things.¡±


    Jang-Wan had nothing to say.


    AR1026 was right that there was nothing others could do to help. It would be strange for a god to step into another god¡¯s territory to help them once they had established themselves in a country. And in order to make such close contact, they would have to form a real alliance supported by the system instead of a loose alliance.


    <i>¡®She had her own issues she couldn¡¯t tell me about. Although we were a part of the same alliance, there was distance between us. And that¡¯s not only true for AR, but also for me and Wisdom. Perhaps it might have also been the case for that damn Lunda too.¡¯</i>


    It urred to Jang-Wan that perhaps there was a point in time when they could have stopped Lunda from betraying them.


    AR1026 then said, ¡°But it¡¯s all in the past. Be careful. Don¡¯t make any stupid decisions like I did.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s hope that things pass without much trouble.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you for everything until now. I hope we see each other again.¡±


    Jang-Wan and Crampus were surprised.


    ¡°AR?¡±


    AR1026 then lightly touched the system window as if it were herst time.


    In Jang-Wan and Crampus¡¯s perspective, it seemed like AR1026 had disappeared.


    The two looked at each other.


    ¡°No way.¡±


    As Crampus uttered in bewilderment, Jang-Wan looked down.


    Someone was floating on top of Golden Eye¡¯s camp.


    Jang-Wan clenched her teeth.


    ¡°Did she just use Hierophany?¡±


    ***


    She didn¡¯t seem that big. Perhaps the size of a female Human or Elf. Her silhouette swayed as her ck dress fluttered in the air, and below the dress, her feet weren¡¯t touching anything. She was floating in the air. On the other hand, her face was concealed as if covered by a shadow. Only the eyes were visible, and they were glowing red.


    She looked like a small, floating doll, but her presence made chills run down peoples¡¯ spines. Even throughout all the chaos, the soldiers raised their heads to look at her. Red Fruit¡¯s army had no way of knowing what the figure was, but the priests of Golden Eye¡¯s army recognized her immediately.


    The priests shouted, ¡°Concealed Text God has descended!¡±


    Cheers bursted out from the camp of the fleeing Golden Eye¡¯s army.


    ***


    ¡°Hey, get it together.¡±


    At Crampus¡¯s words, Jang-Wan raised her head.


    ¡°But if she dies while using Hierophany, her XP would significantly decrease, right?¡±


    Although she had said AR¡¯s XP would significantly decrease, her Divinity level would actually drop to zero if Golden Eye¡¯s current army got wiped out, and AR also died while using Hierophany. That would lead to AR bing a vassal, which was no different from death. In fact, Jeol Woo-Bi had died while using Hierophany and became a vassal.


    Crampus then said, ¡°That means¡­AR has taken a lot of risks. She¡¯s carrying out an armed resistance against Lunda and Neb, telling them that if they cross the line, she will have to throw courtesy out of the window.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Jang-Wan found it difficult to consider AR¡¯s use of Hierophany as a positive. In the first ce, Hierophany was a skill that came with the risk of death, so it was only used strategically with extreme limits, or wasn¡¯t used at all unless the situation was dire.


    Crampus shook his head.


    ¡°Stop. That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to change your mind now, are you?¡±


    Jang-Wan hesitated before nodding. To be honest, she was only hoping for a sessful retreat even if that meant those two would bepletely defeated.


    Crampus said, ¡°So let¡¯s do what each of us have to do. You bring your troops back alive. It would be better if you could also protect Golden Eye¡¯s army.¡±


    ¡°Alright. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to use Hierophany, but¡­¡±


    Crampus looked at the sky for a moment. A sh flickered amid the clouds. It was a sign that the one he was worried about was about to appear.


    ¡°I should help AR as much as I can.¡±


    ***


    At the rear end of Golden Eye¡¯s camp where the battle was taking ce, Lunda screamed from behind a shaded boulder.


    ¡°A¡­AR used Hierophany! What should we do?¡±


    Sung-Woon, who was next to her, scolded her.


    ¡°We¡¯re winning, aren¡¯t we? Don¡¯t overreact.¡±


    ¡°B¡­but, it¡¯s a Hierophany body.¡±


    .


    Sung-Woon could admit it was difficult to deal with a Hierophany body. In The Lost World, that would be the strongest thing on its own no matter what anyone said. The abilities of a Hierophany body were determined by the yer¡¯s Divinity level and Domains. Thus, if their Divinity level was higher and they had lots of Domains, they would be stronger, making it difficult for any being to deal with them.


    ¡°But what level is AR again?¡±


    ¡°I think 18?¡±


    ¡°See, that¡¯s not much different from Jeol Woo-Bi.¡±


    ¡°How are Jeol Woo-Bi and ARparable? Jeol Woo-Bi didn¡¯t even know how to y the game properly.¡±


    Sung-Woon thought about retorting, but he knew what Lunda was trying to say.


    A yer¡¯s abilities when they used Hierophany were determined by their Divinity level and the size and number of Domains they had, but how the abilities would manifest was a different matter.


    Hierophany could manifest in numerous forms in ordance with the yer¡¯s tendency. For example, Jeol Woo-Bi had maximized their physical abilities when using Hierophany, so they had appeared as a giant god.


    However, that wasn¡¯t what the average yers of The Lost World favored. Maximizing physical abilities was rather thought of as a dumb thing to do. Creations or apostles could be used for pure physical force. And maximizing physical abilities would constantly consume Faith points, thus increasing the cost of maintaining Hierophany.


    Although seemingly absurd on paper, it was necessary to reduce physical abilities in order to decrease the cost. Since there was almost no way to physically damage the Hierophany body considering its Divinity level, it would be better to use the remaining Faith points for another ability.


    Lunda then said, ¡°She¡¯s moving!¡±


    As soon as Lunda noticed, AR lifted her hand.


    Getting an ominous feeling from that, General Tobe Volco shouted, ¡°Retreat! Fall back!¡±


    But it was toote. Below the feet of hundreds of Red Fruit soldiers, ck thorns shot out from the ground. And sharp screams could be heard from those who attempted to flee. The thorns had risen straight up and pierced through the soldiers from the bottom, protruding out of their mouths, heads, and spines.


    With one gesture from a god, about 300 soldiers of Red Fruit¡¯s army died in an instant.


    Lunda called out, ¡°Neb!¡±


    Sung-Woon grumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s not toote.¡±


    When AR was about to raise her hand again, lightning struck the ground.


    A ck Lizardman shrouded in electricity appeared.

 Chapter 131: God Killer

    <h4>Chapter 131: God Killer</h4>


    yer AR1026, who used to be known as Unseen Origins God and now as Concealed Text God by those who believe in her, looked down at the Thunder Lizard Lakrak, who was the first apostle of Sung-Woon, also known as Neb and Night Sky.


    ¡°.....¡±


    Concealed Text God didn¡¯t say anything, but only pointed at Lakrak with a finger.


    <i>¡®...There is something underground.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak wasn¡¯t surprised or bewildered. He had already made spections about Concealed Text God¡¯s powers, so he knew something was targeting him from underground. But when a ck thorn rose, Lakrak came to the realization that it wouldn¡¯t be an easy fight even as he quickly avoided it.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s gotten that close already?¡¯</i>


    Although Lakrak had avoided the ck thorn, the ck thorn shooting up from the ground got very close to him, which meant that he had almost gotten hurt despite knowing it wasing.


    As if Concealed Text God knew that Lakrak would avoid the first thorn, they immediately raised the second thorns. Lakrak quickly twisted his body and tumbled a few times to avoid the thorns as they continued to sprout, piercing through Red Fruit¡¯s soldiers, weapons, tents, horses, and big Weasels; even some of Golden Eye¡¯s soldiers were caught.


    Observing everything happening, Lakrak identified the power the ck thorns possessed.


    <i>¡®They aren¡¯t simply hard and sharp thorns.¡¯</i>


    Those who got pierced by the thorns immediately lost strength without putting up a moment of struggle, and they soon withered and turned ck as if the life in them was sucked out. In fact, the victims of the first wave of thorn attacks were already drying up.


    <i>¡®The thorns take things like vitality or life. Is it an absorption ability?¡¯</i>


    ***


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°As expected, first came an absorption ability.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s an AOE skill. It seems like she does know how to do it.¡±


    In other words, AR knew how to make use of skills while Hierophany was active.


    ¡°Of course she would know.¡±


    Sung-Woon looked down at the fight between AR1026 and Lakrak.


    When a game first released, people would explore all kinds of tricks. Although they usually enjoyed ying normally ording to how the game was designed to be yed, they would also look for glitches in the game as if they were doing QA, y with their own concept, or enjoy the game by their own standards of fun. The mostmon thing people found enjoyment in, however, was aiming for higher efficiency. Many yers would work to figure out how they could y the fastest and strongest, and strategies prioritizing efficiency tended to be developed the fastest out of all tactics.


    For example, in TCG, there were several decks with high win rate, and even professional gamers only had a few custom cards.


    In RTS games, in order to unlock the best tech tree possible, factors such as how many workers would be made to produce resources, which worker would build what building, how many fighter units of each kind would be made, and at what time the first attack needed to be carried out was already decided.


    In AOS, how much money a character umtes and what kind of item they buy with it, what kind of skills they should use, and how the objects that appear throughout certain stages of the game should be used were all important knowledge to be utilized at the right time, which would be the measurement of how good a yer one was.


    Therefore, yers of The Lost World also researched how to be efficient; it was natural for yers to expect efficiency from the skill Hierophany, which was one of the stronger winning moves of the game.


    <i>¡®The biggest merit of Hierophany is the use of a Domain¡¯s skills.¡¯</i>


    Just as apostles obtained skills from their own prestige, when yers who already existed as gods used Hierophany, they would have ess to skills granted by the Domains they had. And yers could select the skills themselves.


    <i>¡®With the Domains a yer has, they could pick a collection of skills, expand the range of their skills, and decrease the amount of Faith points that would be needed to upgrade or use their power.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon could guess what kind of Domains AR1026 hadbined to make the ck thorns.


    <i>¡®Is its piercing nature from Domain: Metal? The concept of absorption and the appearance of the thorns are probably from Domain: Roots. Usually root nts would be grown as food, and medicinal herbs would be grown to treat diseases or wounds, but I guess they do also absorb nutrients as well. And she probably used other misceneous Small Areas to increase the range and speed, as well as reduce the cost of Faith points.¡¯</i>


    The more Domains used to make a skill, the stronger the skill would be.


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s perspective, it seemed that AR had invested quite a bit into ck Thorn.


    <i>¡®If she has such a strong skill with a Divinity level of 18, she probably has three, at most four, Hierophany skills.¡¯</i>


    Strictly speaking, it was hard to say that ck Thorn itself was a strong skill from the perspective of the yers. That was because the skill AR1026 was using wasn¡¯t necessarily meant for attacking, but rather for recovering Faith points through massacre. Keeping Hierophany active required a continuous supply of a significant amount of Faith points, so it would be difficult to maintain without starting a genocide or using absorption skills.


    ¡°That¡¯s straight out of a textbook,¡± said Sung-Woon. ¡°I can also guess her other skills.¡±


    Lunda frowned.


    ¡°Then as expected¡­wouldn¡¯t it be a bit difficult for Lakrak to deal with her alone?¡±


    ¡°He will need some support.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded and looked at Lunda. She had been nodding along, and she turned to him like she had felt his gaze.


    ¡°What are you looking at me for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll block Crampus or the other creations that intervene. So you go down.¡±


    ¡°M¡­me?¡±


    Lunda stammered and shook her hand before she even said no.


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to use Hierophany. Just go into any of the priests and draw some attention.¡±


    ¡°Why does it have to be me? Let¡¯s change roles. I¡¯ll block the other creations that try to interfere from here, so can¡¯t you go down instead?¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be more efficient at this though.¡±


    ¡°Why would I be more efficient?¡±


    Sung-Woon refuted, ¡°Who would catch AR¡¯s attention more right now?¡±


    As Sung-Woon mentioned the pain of betrayal that Lunda had been trying to forget, she suppressed a scream.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I don¡¯t want to do it!¡±


    ***


    Lakrak realized the Concealed Text God¡¯s intentions.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re nning on making the whole ground into a thorn field.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak initially thought that he had an advantage in speed, but that was a miscalction. The thorns didn¡¯t have to outpace him at all.


    As the sharp thorns of the Concealed Text God began to take over the ground, there was little space for Lakrak to stand on.


    <i>¡®Then¡­¡¯</i>


    Lakrak raised the gold spear he was holding into the air. Among his many skills were Armor Creation and Ride Together.


    ¡°Come! Anakse!¡±


    The monstrous Cockatrice, Anakse, who had been with Lakrak until hisst moment, appeared with lightning while breaking through the thorn field. Anakse had died, but the Afterlife existed with Night Sky¡¯s powers, just as Lakrak had wished for. Now, Anakse was borrowing Lakrak¡¯s power, allowing it to rival any Divine bird.


    .


    Lakrak got on top of Anakse and shouted, ¡°Charge, Anaske!¡±


    <i>-Shrieeeek!</i>


    A thunderous cry boomed all the way to the fortress walls of Deimerit, and ck Scale¡¯s soldiers cheered at the lightning quick figures of Lakrak and Anakse in the distance.


    Anakse rushed like the wind and charged at Concealed Text God¡¯s Hierophany body.


    <i>¡®The thornse out of the ground. They could rise up into the air, but it would take more time.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak¡¯s calctions were urate.


    However, his spear did not manage to reach Concealed Text God. They disappeared the moment he blinked.


    <i>¡®This is dangerous!¡¯</i>


    Lakrak pushed off of Anakse¡¯s stirrups, and Anakse quickly lowered its head. Thorns rose tens of meters high and shot up between the two.


    As Lakrak did a somersault in the air, he noticed Concealed Text God appearing more than 200 meters away.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s teleportation. Without any warning sign!¡¯</i>


    Anakse quickly dove toward Lakrak, and Lakrak grabbed its reins and got on top of it again.


    Lakrak then realized that the next wave of attacks wouldn¡¯t be as easy to deal with. Between him and Concealed Text God, giant figures were rising.


    ***


    ¡°A teleportation skill. Of course she would have one. But the skill has a long reach, so there might be a longer cool down.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you doing admiring AR¡¯s skills?!¡±


    Sung-Woon responded to Lunda¡¯s reprimand with a criticism of his own.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re still here? Are you not gonna go?¡±


    Lunda replied with a tearful face, ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going. I¡¯m choosing whose body to go into.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up. Crampus and AR have sent their creations.¡±


    Of course, Sung-Woon had no intentions of just leaving them be.


    ***


    Made to protect Concealed Text God, therge, strong guardians charged at Lakrak.


    Anakse was fast as Lakrak¡¯s mount, but these creations were nothing to sneeze at either since they had been molded by their respective god.


    Lakrak avoided the first and second attack, but as a mouth full of sharp teeth came at him to devour him, he thought he would have to clench his teeth and take it. Fortunately, the mouth missed its mark rather than getting a bite into Lakrak.


    <i>-Go, apostle. I will open a path for you.</i>


    Lakrak realized who the voice belonged to.


    ¡°Sratis!¡±


    <i>-Go!</i>


    Lakrak cut off the ws and wrists of the other creations.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    Even though Night Sky¡¯s creations were helping, Lakrak eventually fell to the ground. As an apostle, he could take the impact.


    <i>¡®However, once Ind, the thorns¡­¡¯</i>


    Lakrak tumbled onto the ground and became puzzled.


    <i>¡®...Aren¡¯t here?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak raised his head.


    Concealed Text God shot a fleeting nce at the ground, but not at Lakrak.


    The god¡¯s resentful internal cry was also heard by Lakrak.


    <i>-Lunda¡­!</i>


    A Renard priest whose name was unknown ran from one side of the battlefield to the other while avoiding the thorns and other obstacles.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a chance.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak quickly climbed onto Anakse, who hade to pick him up. They charged at Concealed Text God again. It wasn¡¯t so much running but flying, and rather than flying, soaring would be a more fitting description. Anaske was soaring almost as fast as lightning.


    Riding on top of Anakse, Lakrak raised his spear and moved toward Concealed Text God¡¯s back. However, a god was a god for a reason.


    Concealed Text God quickly turned around even though a moment ago, it had been chasing after the Renard priest Bountiful Harvest had assumed control over.


    <i>-How dare you, an apostle¡­!</i>


    Concealed Text God hurriedly reached out. For a moment, Lakrak felt a ck veil surrounding him and Anakse. Anakse was thrown into the distance, and the same was about to happen to Lakrak.


    ***


    <i>¡®If she has an AOE ability and a teleportation skill, then she probably has a crowd control skill as well.¡¯</i>


    yers¡¯ skills varied ording to their preferences, but these were the three types of skills everyone deemed necessary. Sung-Woon didn¡¯t find fault in that line of thinking, but he believed there was a problem with it.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s predictable.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Lakrak did not get thrown away by the ck veil around him. He tightly grabbed his spear, tore the veil with his lightning power, and charged.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Concealed Text God¡¯s eyes widened as if they hadn¡¯t expected that to happen at all.


    ***


    Gods made skills with the Domains they had. On the other hand, an apostle¡¯s skills were made from their achievements.


    <i>¡®AR, did you forget Lakrak killed an evil god?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought that could be the case. Jeol Woo-Bi was an unusual anomaly. The yers didn¡¯t think of Jeol Woo-Bi as a yer, or to be exact, as a person. But apart from that, Jeol Woo-Bi was still considered a god by the system.


    Lakrak had killed a god.


    Sung-Woon checked the skill that Lakrak had obtained after killing Jeol Woo-Bi¡¯s Hierophany body.


    [God Killer: If the target is a god, resistance against any negative effect inflicted when attacking the target is granted.]


    <i>¡®Now this is what killing a god means.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Lakrak¡¯s spear prated Concealed Text God¡¯s body.


    1. Trading Card Games


    2. Real-time Strategy


    3. A hierarchical visual representation of possible sequences of upgrades that a yer could unlock.


    4. Aeon of Strife, a custom map for the original <i>Starcraft?</i>and the first of what we know now as MOBA

 Chapter 132: No Abandoning

    <h4>Chapter 132: No Abandoning</h4>


    <i>¡®I know that Lakrak is a God Killer.¡¯</i>


    Concealed Text God, namely AR1026, used teleportation. It was skill with a high cost that allowed her to teleport hundreds of meters without leaving any trace, and there was no dy. However, AR1026 had to admit she wasn¡¯t good at this kind of control.


    <i>¡®...The hole is quite big.¡¯</i>


    Hoping that Lakrak wouldn¡¯t find her, AR1026 examined her wound. She did feel pain, but the pain a Hierophany body felt was only an indication of how powerful the opponent¡¯s attack was, and it didn¡¯t cause any other problems.


    Where she had been pierced was a hole, and it was already closing. It pretty much happened on its own due to her skill, ck Thorn.


    Absorption skills were usually used to collect Faith points, but they were also used for recovery.


    <i>¡®Still¡­I can¡¯t say that things are looking good.¡¯</i>


    She had expected it to be a difficult fight. And because Lunda had betrayed them, and Jang-Wan had left, they no longer even had the numerical advantage.


    However, she believed that she could make Lunda use Hierophany as well even if she couldn¡¯t make Neb do the same.


    <i>¡®Lakrak was stronger than I thought.¡¯</i>


    The fact that the yer had to personally control a Hierophany body was both an advantage and a disadvantage.


    <i>¡®Or I was weaker than I thought.¡¯</i>


    Many aspects of The Lost World were automated. If a yer wasn¡¯t overly concerned with victory, they could start the game and choose their species, and the game would progress on its own without the yer doing anything. AR1026 had heard about streamers letting the game y out like this, and sometimes people would bet on who the victor would be with real money.


    AR1026 wasn¡¯t a particrly dexterous yer, so she favored the more automated approach in The Lost World. Of course having dexterous hands would allow for more multi-tasking, so theoretically it was better for a yer to be able to perform actions faster. As evidenced by AR1026¡¯s ranking, though, it was still possible to maintain a decent win rate through good decision making even when one wasn¡¯t gifted in manual controls.


    <i>¡®That would only be the ceiling of a yer¡¯s abilities.¡¯</i>


    The problem was when Hierophany was activated. A yer would have to directly control the Hierophany body, moving it like it was their own. Someone with slow hands was unlikely to be agile elsewhere, and the result was the wound Lakrak left on her.


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t be so discouraged. Negative thoughts lead to negative oues.¡¯</i>


    However, the situation was in no way good even when she tried to look at the bright side.


    Although it had seemed like Golden Eye¡¯s soldiers had run away, some of them came back after their god appeared. AR1026 hadn¡¯t made a mistake in that regard since she needed sacrifices in order to maintain her Faith points, and Red Fruit¡¯s soldiers alone weren¡¯t enough. However, she did miss quite a bit of Red Fruit¡¯s soldiers because she was focused on her battle against Lakrak.


    Currently, in Golden Eye¡¯s camp, there were soldiers from each side hiding after avoiding the ck thorns. Creations of AR1026 and Crampus as well as Neb and Lunda were fighting each other with no regards for the soldiers.


    <i>¡®It would be better to change ns.¡¯</i>


    AR decided to give up on Lakrak. It would be worth it to fight further if she was better at controlling the Hierophany body, but it was difficult at the moment. Even if she got the help of her creations, Neb and Lunda also had creations. And in the long-term, Crampus, who had already deployed a considerable number of creations, and AR1026, who could only summon creations with low maintenance costs, wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the creations of Neb and Lunda in terms of either quality or quantity.


    <i>¡®I know this is shameless of me, but I¡¯ll try to go back alive. However, I can¡¯t do that without any harvest when I¡¯ve almost used up my Faith points¡­¡¯</i>


    AR1026 rose into the air and looked at Lunda from a distance. To be exact, she was looking at the Renard priest that Lunda had used Divine Control on.


    Even though it would be difficult to defeat an apostle with her Hierophany body, she thought she could at least kill the Renard priest Lunda had taken over with Divine Control. When a yer died when using Divine Control, their level would drop even though it wouldn¡¯t be as serious as what dying in a Hierophany body would result in. If she killed Lunda, she would at least make up for quite a bit of the loss she had suffered today.


    <i>¡®The fact that you appeared through Divine Control means that you thought you wouldn¡¯t need to use Hierophany to face me, right? I¡¯ll make you regret that.¡¯</i>


    And killing Lunda would somewhat soothe her wounded heart.


    ***


    Lakrak noticed the moment Concealed Text God disappeared.


    <i>¡®Not good enough.¡¯</i>


    After stabbing her in the waist, Lakrak was going to immediately strike her chest, but was stopped short when Concealed Text God disappeared.


    Anakse, who had been thrown away, came running back to Lakrak while pping its wings, which weren¡¯t all that useful when running through the air. As Lakrak climbed onto Anakse, he looked around.


    <i>¡®She isn¡¯t attacking right away. Is she healing her wound?¡¯</i>


    That was a good sign. Back when he faced the evil god, Lakrak had alreadye to the realization that gods were indeed different from mortal creatures or people. It wasn¡¯t clear where they needed to be stabbed to die. But rather than Lakrak not knowing the vital parts of a divine manifestation, it would be more urate to say that he didn¡¯t think a god would have such a weakness.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s what a god is.¡¯</i>


    However, Lakrak did know quite a bit about gods, so he felt like he could read Concealed Text God¡¯s behavior.


    <i>¡®Concealed Text God is angry with Bountiful Harvest¡¯s betrayal. So as long as she isn¡¯t attacking me, of course she would be going after the Renard priest that Bountiful Harvest has assumed control over.¡¯</i>


    The Renard priest in question was on top of a tall tree looking around, as if they were also looking for Concealed Text God. Whether it was intended or not, it was a good idea.


    <i>¡®The ck thorns rise in a certain direction, starting from where Concealed Text God is and gradually reaching farther.¡¯</i>


    This meant that when Concealed Text God targeted Bountiful Harvest, Concealed Text God would inevitably reveal where the attack wasing from; in other words, Bountiful Harvest was at a good location to be attacked.


    <i>¡®Where would she be?¡¯</i>


    Riding on Anakse, Lakrak tried to guess where he would attack from if he were Concealed Text God.


    At that moment, Sung-Woon said from afar.


    <i>-Lakrak.</i>


    Lakrak replied.


    <i>-Night Sky, you called??</i>


    Sung-Woon replied in puzzlement.


    <i>-What? Why are you speaking like that?</i>


    <i>-There¡¯s nothing to be surprised about, is there?</i>


    <i>-Did you learn that from Eldar¡­Dancing Shadow God?</i>


    Lakrak smirked in lieu of a response.


    Eldar was an interesting god and a good conversation partner.


    In Night Sky¡¯s Afterlife, following the Prairie of Beginnings was the Forest of Origin. The Forest of Origin was where Elves who believed in Eldar as well as other species would go after their death, and Eldar could often be seen there. On the other hand, Sung-Woon rarely appeared. Lakrak thus talked to Eldar more frequently.


    Lakrak asked.


    <i>-What is it?</i>


    <i>-There¡¯s no need to target Concealed Text God now.</i>


    <i>-Then Bountiful Harvest would be in danger.</i>


    <i>-Yeah, it doesn¡¯t really matter what happens to Bountiful Harvest.</i>


    Lakrak squinted and looked at his god. Then Sung-Woon added even though it wasn¡¯t necessary.


    <i>-I mean, it doesn¡¯t matter in the overall situation.?</i>


    <i>-So you¡¯re going to abandon them??</i>


    <i>-Not exactly. For Bountiful Harvest¡¯s sake, there¡¯s another target you have to go after.</i>


    Lakrka knew that his god hade up with a good idea, which he considered a good thing since his god had never let him down before.


    <i>-What should I do?</i>


    ***


    <i>-Why are you only chasing after me!?</i>


    Lunda controlled her priest to jump over a tree. While using Divine Control, the priest wasn¡¯t weak at all. In fact, her strength was phenomenal. She was able to cross a river with one leap and throw a rock the size of a house over her head. However, Hierophany¡¯s powerful skills weren¡¯t the only problems she faced.


    A sharp thorn pierced through her shoulder. Lunda immediately broke it and yanked it out while tumbling onto the ground. She jumped to her feet without pause, moving so fast that it was hard to track her with one¡¯s eyes, but she had a bad premonition.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s toote.¡¯</i>


    AR1026 appeared in front of her.


    <i>¡®Teleportation!¡¯</i>


    AR1026 grabbed Lunda by the neck. Lunda then grabbed onto AR1026¡¯s wrist with enough power to bend steel, but AR1026 didn¡¯t budge. Even though Lunda was using Divine Control, AR1026¡¯s Hierophany body was much stronger as she had more Domains.


    Lunda struggled to speak.


    <i>-A¡­AR¡­</i>


    <i>-What is it?</i>


    <i>-Shall we¡­reconcile??</i>


    <i>-You¡¯re kidding, right?</i>


    Enraged, AR1026 threw Lunda onto the ground.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    The impact was so loud that it sounded like Lunda would explode then and there, but strengthened by Divine Control, the body managed to endure the impact¡ªnot without breaking a few bones, however, and her left wrist was left dangling.


    AR1026 stomped on Lunda¡¯s chest.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    Lunda screamed in pain. With her right eye cracked open, she asked AR1026.


    <i>-Isn¡¯t it better to target Larkrak than me??</i>


    <i>-I think he¡¯s too much for me to handle.</i>


    AR1026 stepped even harder on Lunda¡¯s chest. She didn¡¯t find joy in tormenting others, but she did find catharsis in exerting revenge.


    <i>-AR¡­</i>


    <i>-Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve taken into consideration the time it¡¯d take for you to disengage Divine Control. I¡¯ll finish things before then.</i>


    <i>-I think you¡¯ve made a mistake¡­</i>


    AR1026 picked Lunda up, dangling the Renard she had taken over with Divine Control so that their eyes could meet.


    <i>-What do you mean?</i>


    <i>-Why do you think Lakrak isn¡¯t intervening? Because I¡¯m useless??</i>


    AR1026 replied.


    <i>-Because Crampus¡¯s creations and mine are keeping the apostle busy¡­</i>


    <i>-I don¡¯t think so.</i>


    AR1026 turned around.


    Light seemed to spread through the entire sky, and a pir of light great enough to envelope the entire mountain peak devoured the creations.


    ***


    The pocket of heat triggered a powerful gust. It was so violent that it broke AR1026¡¯s thorns, hurled Golden Eye¡¯s soldiers into the air, and even toppled trees.


    .


    In the midst of all that, Lakrak was panting like he had overtaxed himself. Beneath his feet were the creations of AR1026 and Crampus he had attacked. They had copsed to the ground while radiating white steam. Blood gushed out of their eyes and breathing orifices, and therge wounds left by the lightning strikes were bursting and tearing apart, causing blood to gush out of their arteries.


    Sung-Woon thought to himself.


    <i>¡®A good teleportation skill doesn¡¯t do much when you have so many beings with you.¡¯</i>


    Divinity level was a necessity when using a skill. In order to maintain their Divinity level, a yer must not lose what was theirs. Therefore, if too many cards were yed, they wouldn¡¯t so much be assets but weaknesses.


    <i>¡®The creations you brought with you to help are such weaknesses.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon estimated the abilities and levels of the creations and checked how much XP AR1026 would lose if those creatures died.


    <i>¡®Her level would drop down to 6.¡¯</i>


    AR1026 was currently level 18. Falling to level 6 would be a 13-level drop.


    <i>¡®Then she wouldn¡¯t be able to use Hierophany.¡¯</i>


    Just because a yer¡¯s level went down didn¡¯t mean their skills would automatically deactivate. However, the maximum amount of their Faith points would be reduced, and eventually, the skills the Hierophany body boasted of would be obsolete. They would retain the appearance of a god, but not the abilities.


    Sung-Woon called out to his apostle.


    <i>-Lakrak!</i>


    Lakrak was already running.

 Chapter 133: Taste of Betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 133: Taste of Betrayal</h4>


    Jang-Wan looked down at the quickly advancing Mangul troops below her.


    It seemed that the Kobolds tended to fall behind with their smaller stature, and they were assigned to the back due to their speed even though they were the main force.


    <i>¡®This is too slow. They need to move faster.¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan sent a revtion to the priests that were among the units. The priests then conveyed the will of their god to each unitmander, and themanders began to pick up their pace.


    However, there was a limit to how fast people could walk on two feet. They were advancing at a pace that was hardly different from a jog, but they couldn¡¯t maintain the speed forever. A few soldiers couldn¡¯t keep up and fell behind.


    <i>¡®No. They can¡¯t fall behind already.¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan was anxious, but there was nothing she could do.


    At the rear end of each unit were knights, and they urged the soldiers who had fallen behind to catch up to their units. These knights would slow down and match the pace of those who moved slowly or were hindered by bad physical conditions, and the reason was self-evident.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    In an instant, the sky shed and burst with light.


    Jang-Wan turned around. It was too far for her to see clearly, but a number of creatures that had never been seen on the third continent before were grappling with one another. There was no way to tell who they belonged to.


    And the apostle who had filled the sky with light was too distant to make out.


    <i>¡®What kind of fight is happening?¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan could have used a Small Area with reconnaissance abilities if she wanted to, but she didn¡¯t.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re here.¡¯</i>


    And that was because ck Scale¡¯s cavalry had almost caught up to them. Lightly-armed Cockatoo cavalry took vanguards; following them was a horse-riding rear unit consisting of several species.


    <i>¡®If no measures are taken, they would literally get torn apart.¡¯</i>


    With cavalry behind their backs, the infantry couldn¡¯t just run away. Each attack would bring down the troops at the rear. Then the fallen troops would be found and annihted by the enemy¡¯s infantry that followed. And even if some soldiers survived, there was a high chance that they would be deserters rather than return to their units due to the fear of war and military discipline.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s why they shouldn¡¯t keep running away with their backs to the enemies.¡¯</i>


    As the Cockatoo cavalry became visible, the rear unit of Mangul¡¯s army stopped. The soldiers who couldn¡¯t keep up seemed pleased with the brief rest, but they turned pale at themander¡¯s orders.


    ¡°About-face!.¡±


    Soldiers who couldn¡¯t keep up with their units were likely to die, be deserters, or suffer injury that made it impossible for them to restore theirbat capabilities in any way, so it was natural for them to be used as cannon fodder to preserve even a littlebat power of the rest of the army.


    As ck Scale¡¯s cavalry charged, increasing their speed instead of slowing down, Mangul¡¯s soldiers trembled violently in a poor excuse of a thin square formation. Some soldiers even tried to run away, but a knight went after them and cut them down with a sword.


    The knight then shouted in fury, ¡°Raise your spears high! Aim for the arms and chests of the riders!¡±


    However, no cavalry of ck Scale would be struck by soldiers who were frozen in fear. Instead, the scared soldiers got their heads or arms ripped off by the spears of the cavalry, as well as the ws and beaks of the charging Cockatoos. Some soldiers did survive by crouching down, but their relief when seeing the Cackatoo cavalry passing by without turning back was short-lived; they eventually got trampled to death by the horses of the rear cavalry that followed.


    <i>¡®...I knew this would happen.¡¯</i>


    Still, those were soldiers who had fallen behind due to theirck of physical strength. And because there weren¡¯t many of them, it would¡¯ve been impossible for them to form a proper square and face the cavalry by raising their spears.


    ck Scale¡¯s cavalry remained hot on the tail of Mangul¡¯s army. And again, the soldiers at the rear end stopped. Unlike the previous group of only about fifty soldiers, this time, there were over one hundred. However, that wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference to ck Scale¡¯s cavalry.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s how it¡¯s meant to be though. They¡¯re just bait.¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan was targeting something else.


    <i>¡®Neb is probably doing the best he can in the battle against Crampus and AR. And of course, the same goes for Lunda. I¡¯m not sure about Eldar, but it doesn¡¯t seem like the other yers are paying attention to those troops.¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan would surely attract Sung-Woon¡¯s attention if she put up a strong resistance here, so she nned to use a simple tactic.


    <i>¡®They probably thought they were just chasing after an enemy that they have already defeated. I¡¯ll make them regret that.¡¯</i>


    In front of the square formed by the second rear unit was a shaded forest. To ck Scale¡¯s cavalry, it was just a dead space. Jang-Wan had hid Mangul¡¯s cavalry there.


    <i>¡®The spearmen will be used as an anvil, and the cavalry as hammers. I¡¯ll make this count.¡¯</i>


    Even if it weren¡¯t for that, it was necessary for her to somehownd a blow on the enemy¡¯s cavalry considering the losses Mangul¡¯s infantry had suffered.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re here.¡¯</i>


    Right before ck Scale¡¯s cavalry reached Mangul¡¯s infantry, Mangul¡¯s cavalry charged out of the forest and sharply cut through their side. There was no way for ck Scale¡¯s advancing cavalry to avoid the attack.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    But Jang-Wan¡¯s celebration was premature. She heard a strangemand from the leader of ck Scale¡¯s cavalry.


    ¡°Aim!¡±


    <i>¡®Aim¡­?¡¯</i>


    Only then did Jang-Wan notice the cavalry¡¯s armament. All of ck Scale¡¯s cavalry were holding a mass of iron with a long rod attached.


    They aimed at the Mangul¡¯s cavalry charging toward them. Jang-Wan btedly realized what those objects were.


    <i>¡®Hand cannons!¡¯</i>


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    <i>Click!</i> mes shot out from the end of the hand cannons. Fragments of stones fired from the barrel and pierced through the white smoke before raining down on Mangul¡¯s cavalry. Then everything derailed into chaos¡ªhorses got hit and copsed, and riders fell onto the ground. Some of them tripped over the horses that had fallen in front of them, and others rushed to turn their horses upright or stayed in ce to calm their startled mounts. And then ck Scale¡¯s cavalry rode through the white smoke covering them and killed the frightened infantry.


    <i>¡®Damn it!¡¯</i>


    ***


    This time, Lakrak¡¯s golden spear de cut through the yer AR1026, who was also known as Concealed Text God.


    Concealed Text God was about to shout something, but Lakrak was faster.


    With their body split in half, Concealed Text God¡¯s head dangled from the left half of the body, and Lakrak stabbed through it. A significant amount of electric current poured down, sputtering sparks above the ground. The god had stopped moving.


    Lakrak then examined the stab wounds Concealed Text God had left on him. Rotating his shoulders, he clenched and unclenched his fists to check if his body was okay. It wasn¡¯t really necessary for him to do so, but it was a habit he had held onto from when he was alive.


    Lakrak looked up at the sky and nodded before walking toward the Renard lying prone on the ground. He held out his hand.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡±


    Lunda, who was still inside her priest¡¯s body with Divine Control, grabbed Lakrak¡¯s hand and stood up.


    Lakrak then said, ¡°Night Sky said that Concealed Text God is dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I checked that too.¡±


    There was a reason Lunda had been lying down and nkly staring at the sky for a moment. She was checking the status window in front of her.


    [yer AR1026 has be a vassal.]


    [The greatest contributor to yer AR1026¡¯s defeat¡­]


    [...yer Neb (64.3%)]


    Lunda thought that was expected. Although she was the one who actually destroyed the main troops with her betrayal, Sung-Woon¡¯s apostle, Lakrak, was the one who killed AR1026 after she manifested with Hierophany.


    <i>¡®At least it¡¯s not over 70%. That means I was somewhat useful.¡¯</i>


    Lunda decided to takefort in that for now.


    For a moment, she got caught up in the lingering feelings of betrayal and the subsequent victory, but a voice suddenly interrupted those feelings.


    ¡°What are you doing? Move.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I said, move. Are you going to keep using Divine Control when your Faith points are flying away? You already checked that AR is dead. The war isn¡¯t over.¡±


    Danyum¡¯s rebels and Golden Eye¡¯s army had suffered a crushing defeat, Mangul¡¯s army was retreating, and AR1026 had be a vassal, which was no different than her being dead.


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t it over?¡±


    ¡°Over? It¡¯s only over when the count is over.¡±


    To Lunda¡¯s knowledge, at the end of a game of Go, yers would count the territory the other yer had made with ck or white stones.


    <i>¡®He doesn¡¯t even ask how the betrayal went.¡¯</i>


    It was dry and clean.


    Lunda then said through the Renard, ¡°I should go.¡±


    Lakrak silently nodded. For some reason, it seemed as if Lakrak was giving her amiserating look as a kindred spirit, and Lunda was bewildered that it somewhatforted her.


    Lunda began to move.


    ***


    A month and a half passed. It became clear that the war had taken apletely new turn after Lunda¡¯s betrayal and AR1026¡¯s death.


    Jang-Wan tried to make up for her mistakes and achieved the results she had hoped for. During retreat, although her attacks against ck Scale werecking, she had gained the important benefit of saving two thirds of her Mangul soldiers, and additionally, she had protected some of Golden Eye¡¯s soldiers. A total of 3000 soldiers, to be more precise. Of course, some Faith points were used to achieve this oue, but it was worthwhile. Not all of that was thanks to Jang-Wan¡¯s own abilities though.


    After AR1026¡¯s death, the main battlefield was moved to Red Fruit instead of Danyum because Wisdom¡¯s first expeditionary force had carried out a revenge match. Wisdom never went overboard by attacking the central part of Red Fruit¡¯s territory, but he took over or destroyedrge farmnds, lode viges, and major trading routes instead. And despite the support from Sung-Woon and Lakrak, it was difficult to inflict significant damage on Wisdom¡¯s first expeditionary force.


    Wisdom¡¯s first expeditionary force did eventually retreat, but the damage that Red Fruit suffered was not to be dismissed. Although Lunda was relieved that she didn¡¯t lose many soldiers, Sung-Woon believed that Wisdom had made a clever move.


    When Lunda asked why, Sung-Woon replied, ¡°He interfered with your resource production. It means that he wants to make the warst longer.¡±


    ¡°Was he not just taking his anger out on me? Maybe he didn¡¯t want to run into my main force.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t certain about that, but he would soon know the answer.


    After the first expeditionary army of Mangul, Golden Eye, and Asbestos withdrew, Jang-Wan requested a Whisper Conversation.


    ***


    As soon as Sung-Woon¡¯s face appeared, Jang-Wan began to talk.


    ¡°We¡¯re making an offer to surrender.¡±


    ¡°Surrender?¡±


    Jang-Wan intended to finish things before Sung-Woon could provoke her, so she quickly replied, ¡°We¡¯ll give you Danyum. And I mean we¡¯ll give it to you and not take any measure to reim it. Crampus has agreed to the condition already. On top of that, we¡¯ll also give you one third of Golden Eye.¡±


    If he considered Lunda¡¯s Red Fruit an ally and part of ck Scale, by epting Jang-Wan¡¯s offer, ck Scale would be four times bigger than its original size before the war. And with that, it would be the most powerful country on the third continent.


    ¡°Additionally, we¡¯ll return thend we took from Red Fruit.¡±


    Sung-Woon raised his hand and cut Jang-Wan off.


    ¡°You have a lot to offer, but what is it you want in return?¡±


    ¡°A truce.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Prohibition of revenge.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°AR¡¯s vassal statue. Anyway, Neb. That¡¯s not everything. There¡¯s also war reparations¡­¡±


    A vassal statue was a small bronze statue that was created as an item when a yer became a vassal. It resembled the yer¡¯s appearance and could be stored in another yer¡¯s inventory.


    Sung-Woon¡¯s response was concise.


    ¡°I decline.¡±


    1. A militarymand that means to turn around and face the opposite direction


    2. An area within the maximum range of a weapon, radar, or observer, but cannot be covered by fire or observation from a particr position because of intervening obstacles, the nature of the ground, the characteristics of the trajectory, or a weapon¡¯s limitations.

 Chapter 134: The Time of Choice

    <h4>Chapter 134: The Time of Choice</h4>


    ¡°You decline?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As Sung-Woon moved his hand to end the video chat, Jang-Wan hurriedly said, ¡°Wait. You didn¡¯t even hear everything.¡±


    ¡°I was going to end this for your sake.¡±


    ¡°For my sake?¡±


    ¡°We both know the other¡¯s situation pretty well, don¡¯t we? So why would we waste our time keeping this conversation going?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Jang-Wan hesitated, unable toe up with a response. Sung-Woon took that chance to quickly end the call.


    From next to him, Lunda whispered, ¡°What? Why did you decline? Isn¡¯t it the best offer there is?¡±


    ¡°The call ended. You can talk normally.¡±


    Lunda stood up from her crouching position.


    Red Fruit¡¯s capital, Agartin, was located at the bottom of a short mountain range. It was said that the Renards and even the other species who called Agartin home were born easy-going, which could be attributed to the abundant natural environment and the fact that they suffered no inconvenience when it came to living there.


    Lunda then said, ¡°Tell me. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to ept their surrender?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t a bad deal.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°It would take some time to integrate everything, but in the end, we would be stronger than their alliance. Simply put, we would have the advantage in war with more troops.¡±


    As if she found Sung-Woon¡¯s words unexpected, Lunda asked, ¡°The war would continue?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lunda asked. ¡°If you ept their surrender, wouldn¡¯t that be your victory? No, just wait a minute and let me talk. Okay, look. If the whole continent is unified, that would be an advantage when things get to an intercontinental fight. But among the matches of The Lost World I¡¯ve yed until now, there weren¡¯t many cases where a whole continent was unified against other continents. And even without that happening, there were many cases where I¡¯ve won. What should I say? It¡¯s kind of¡­simr to¡­perseverance.¡±


    ¡°Obsessiveness?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no need to obsessively try to unify the continent.¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°You¡¯re not having second thoughts, are you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by second thoughts?¡±


    ¡°Are you regretting the strategy you chose to win with? And because of that regret you think we should amodate them?¡±


    Lunda waved her hand.


    ¡°No way, of course not,¡± Lunda said, while thinking, <i>¡®He has a keen side to him, which is unexpected.¡¯</i>


    And Sung-Woon thought, <i>¡®Maybe not.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°If not, good. But it¡¯s not what you think. I mean I don¡¯t have an obsession to achieve perfect victory, or make everynd on the continent mine. I also would prefer for the war to end. And if I could benefit before it ends, even better.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°The problem is that <i>they?</i>have no intention of ending the war. I can¡¯t make the war end just because I want it to.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lunda said, ¡°But Jang-Wan said they would surrender.¡±


    ¡°And she also asked for AR¡¯s vassal statue.¡±


    ¡°What about that?¡±


    Sung-Woon understood Lunda¡¯s reaction.


    In the game The Lost World, there weren¡¯t many cases where a vassal statue was actually used. They were usually kept in the inventory, and when the game finished, the yer would take a screenshot of the vassal statues piled up in their inventory for self-satisfaction.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? They¡¯re trying to revive AR.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Generally, when a yer died, they would be sealed in the form of a statue called a vassal statue. However, through a ritual with special procedures, the yer could be revived, or the vassal statue itself could bepletely destroyed.


    ¡°To obtain a vassal statue in the first ce, you would have to kill the yer who possesses it or make a trade, so resurrection is umon. Additionally, The Lost World is primarily a game meant to be yed alone.¡±


    Lunda nodded as she listened to Sung-Woon¡¯s exnation.


    In regr matches of The Lost World, it was true that vassal statues had little use because there would always be a next game, and thus they wouldn¡¯t be too concerned about a match they already lost. And even if those who were in an alliance saved their teammate, it wasmon for AI to take over because the yer had already started their next game. Of course, there would be no other game after this one, so Lunda thought the scenario was unlikely.


    However, one would hesitate to say that releasing a vassal would necessarily be advantageous.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it costly to hold a vassal release ritual? I heard that it takes lots of time, and there are lots of things to pay attention to.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. But for them, it would be worth trying. If a vassal is released, they don¡¯t start over at level 1 again or at the level they died at. Rather, their level would be adjusted. The fact that they could maintain their numerical advantage is big. And above all¡­¡±


    ¡°Above all?¡±


    Sung-Woon pointed at the map of the third continent shown on one side of his screen. The location he was gesturing at sat in the nine o¡¯clock direction of the continent, or in other words, at Golden Eye.


    ¡°It would allow Golden Eye¡¯s pce, which is in disorder right now, to get back in order.¡±


    Golden Eye was currently very chaotic with the loss of their god.


    Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°Anyway, by reviving AR, that means they will challenge us again sooner orter. Of course, I won¡¯t be sitting around doing nothing¡­but there¡¯s no reason to create more unnecessary variables when we¡¯re already at an advantage, right?¡±


    Lunda nodded. She wondered if Sung-Woon was aware that the hardened vassal statue inside his inventory was a person.


    <i>¡®But there¡¯s no need to unnecessarily get on his nerves. We¡¯re on the same team now.¡¯</i>


    Lunda decided to change the subject.


    ¡°Now that I think of it, I haven¡¯t seen Eldar around recently.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Eldar¡¯s probably busy with something I asked him to do.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Sung-Woon shrugged without a word.


    ***


    Golden Eye¡¯s regent, Karloa Lotte, knew that many things would be decided tonight.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been over a month since His Majesty came out of his chambers, so I need to decide everything.¡¯?</i>


    But Karloa wondered if it would really be her decision. Things had gotten to this point independent of their will, and it seemed that it would continue to be the case in the future.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been even longer since God gave us any kind of response. Does it mean that Concealed Text God has really died?¡¯</i>


    Karloa thought that the death of her god waspletely possible because in Golden Eye¡¯s history, there was already a simr event where the evil god known as God of Blood and Rotten Meat got defeated along with the Bloodsucking Queen. After a hundred and some years, Karloa thought that they had recovered from the damage they had suffered at the time.


    <i>¡®But that wasn¡¯t the case.¡¯</i>


    Even after a yer died, information about their death wouldn¡¯t appear in front of every individual. To be exact, no information would be shown, which made it possible to conceal or manipte the information if necessary. However, it was almost impossible to hide from the people of Golden Eye the fact that a god could die.


    The people of Golden Eye suffered losses because of the evil god, and they were also the ones who confirmed the evil god¡¯s death. As a result, they more so than anyone believed that a god could die. Therefore, when they heard rumors that their god had died at the hands of Night Sky¡¯s apostle, they did not deny the fact even when citizens of other countries did.


    <i>¡®Because God isn¡¯t responding to the priests¡¯ prayers.¡¯</i>


    The soldiers of Mangul and Danyum, who had fought alongside Golden Eye¡¯s soldiers, also stated that they had all witnessed the death of the god.


    <i>¡®And that God died at the hands of Lakrak, who also killed the evil god.¡¯</i>


    The fact that it¡¯d been the fabled god killer made it undeniable that their god had died. All of Golden Eye were slowly acknowledging the absence of their god, and their responses could be divided into two categories.


    One was the inability to cope with their depression due to their awful defeat. Even those who were perfectly healthy struggled to carry out their daily routines. They endlessly shed tears or even took their own lives. Karloa considered such reactions foolish.


    <i>¡®Without a god, you can¡¯t even go to an afterlife and might end up being a wanderer forever.¡¯</i>


    Death was a terrifying experience for anyone, but the people of Golden Eye were now more fearful than the people of other countries.


    Those who were faithful like Karloa and the priests of Concealed Text God still held onto hope. But priests who couldn¡¯t prove God¡¯s existence were no different than an average person.


    There was another type of response.


    <i>¡®The damn opportunists. They behave so slyly even though they don¡¯t know when God mighte back¡­¡¯</i>


    It was those who immediately believed in a different god. They didn¡¯t simply have a change of heart, but argued that they had to fill the empty space with another god since Golden Eye was now godless. And they stated that converting to other beliefs was the only way the country called Golden Eye could properly operate again. It made Karloa miserable that their arguments weren¡¯t entirely unfounded.


    <i>¡®There are too many people who are lost in depression, so the country isn¡¯t operating properly. Bands of thieves and rebels also keep appearing, and there¡¯s a limit to how much we can rely on our allies, Mangul and Asbestos. We need to establish a basic direction for the country and make the people follow it.¡¯</i>


    But it wasn¡¯t an easy choice to make. The aristocrats quickly divided, and surprisingly, Night Sky was one of the candidates they were considering. Of course, Karloa knew that there were those who favored ck Scale in Golden Eye, but it hadn¡¯t been this bad before.


    Ultimately, if the people were most loyal to Golden Eye, not ck Scale, and Golden Eye was their top priority in the end, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to use those who favored ck Scale considering how powerful it was as a nation. Showing a friendly side to ck Scale could be advantageous in many ways.


    However, that was far from the reality they were facing now.


    <i>¡®Why¡­Why would they decide to side with those who killed Concealed Text God at this point in time?¡¯</i>


    Those who favored Night Sky openly revealed themselves when Night Sky¡¯s apostle killed Concealed Text God. But of course, they didn¡¯t mock the death of Concealed Text God. They showed enough courtesy toward the loser, but still imed that Night Sky was a powerful god the Concealed Text God could never rival. Karloa couldn¡¯t ept this logic.


    <i>¡®However¡­¡¯</i>


    The opposing option didn¡¯t really appeal to Karloa either. They were those who favored Mangul. Mangul was a long-time ally, so it was natural for people to feel a sense of closeness. Still, their attitude changed after Concealed Text God died. They stated that Golden Eye should take their side right away unless they wanted their country taken by ck Scale.


    <i>¡®Golden Eye is only stumbling. We haven¡¯t even lost everything yet. So why do they act as if we¡¯re in their hands already?¡¯</i>


    Additionally, the force that favored Mangul was receiving various support from Mangul, which was south of Golden Eye, and from Asbestos, which was north of Golden Eye. And with the excuse of dealing with rebellions, they had already brought quite a bit of Mangul¡¯s troops into the borders. If those who favored ck Scale gained the upper hand, it seemed as if they would find an excuse to send the troops into the pce.


    <i>¡®The same goes for ck Scale, but we can¡¯t hand over our power to Mangul. The power would be used as a tool to keep Golden Eye from ck Scale.¡¯</i>


    Karloa looked out the window. The sun was setting. And the leading figures of each force were scheduled to arrive at the next dinner banquet.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe we need to choose between the lesser of two evils rather than choosing the better option. Oh, Concealed Text God, what should we do?¡¯</i>


    Karloa got on her knees and prayed to God. Suddenly, someone opened the door to Karloa¡¯s room and entered. Karloa had her eyes closed and assumed it was her maid, but strangely, the door that opened wasn¡¯t the door to the hallway, but the door to her bedroom. It should¡¯ve been empty.


    She quickly shot to her feet.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Karloa thought it would be an armed assassin, but it wasn¡¯t. The uninvited visitor was unarmed and had a wooden cane, and he belonged to an unusual species.


    ¡°...An Ent?¡±


    The Ent began to talk.


    ¡°Ent? Ent doesn¡¯t really reflect the core of my existence well.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Ty. And the same is true for that. What could a name possibly prove?¡±


    As Karloa furrowed her eyebrows, the Ent, Ty, introduced himself.


    ¡°Regent of Golden Eye, I am a Wizard.¡±

 Chapter 135: Strange Uneasiness

    <h4>Chapter 135: Strange Uneasiness</h4>


    ¡°...A Wizard?¡±


    Karloa Lotte remembered who this Ent Wizard, Ty, was. She didn¡¯t have any personal rtionships with Ty. In the past, the king of Golden Eye had ignored Karloa¡¯s opposition and looked around for alchemists; among the alchemists the king found, there was someone with strange powers.


    At the time, Ty wasn¡¯t a Wizard yet, but he had the knowledge to make gunpowder and cannons. Some kind of deal was thus made, which led to Ty teaching them how to make gunpowder, and in return, the king helped Ty be a Wizard. However, something went wrong, and Ty disappeared. After that, the war broke out.


    Ty said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was rude of me to enter your bedroom. But with all the people roaming about, I had no other choice when sneaking in.¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s fine. Why have youe to see me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s clear on your face that you¡¯re deeply concerned, and I¡¯m considering helping you out.¡±


    Karloa frowned.


    <i>¡®I mean, we are in a chaotic situation. All sorts of things are happening now.¡¯</i>


    Karloa replied, ¡°It seems you don¡¯t understand where you are and to whom you are talking. Why don¡¯t we continue this conversation in prison? ¡­Guard!¡±


    Karloa expected the pce guards Golden Eye was proud of to appear in seconds with their trademark scarlet Phoenix feathers, but she didn¡¯t even hear footsteps from outside the door. Instead, the only footsteps that could be heard belonged to Ty, who wasing closer to her.


    ¡°...Guard!¡±


    Karloa became bewildered and looked at the door, and Ty didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°...Guard?¡±


    Soon enough, Ty was right in front of Karloa, and he leaned toward her. Ents were arge species with an average height of two meters and twenty centimeters.


    ¡°Even if you call for them, the guards will note.¡±


    ¡°...You didn¡¯t.¡±


    Ty straightened himself.


    Ents usually had hard, cold expressions, but Karloa noticed Ty¡¯s smile.


    ¡°No, I made you misunderstand, didn¡¯t I. It¡¯s just simple magic. Golden Eye is my hometown, and I still respect the pce and the royal family even though I no longer serve them. The guards simply aren¡¯t able to hear you.¡±


    ¡°All that just so you can talk to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Karloa couldn¡¯t figure out what this Wizard was up to, but for now, she decided to trust that he was speaking the truth.


    ¡°What did you want to talk to me about?¡±


    ¡°The matter that concerned you so much. Namely the problem that Golden Eye is facing right now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something that an Ent could handle.¡±


    ¡°What if I could?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Ty replied, ¡°Would you care to listen to what I have in mind?¡±


    ***


    Golden Eye. Those who left the banquet hall seemed to be in a foul mood.


    ¡°She won¡¯t ept anyone¡¯s help?¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous. Is the regent, Karloa Lotte, also suffering the same illness as His Majesty?¡±


    ¡°This is Golden Eye¡¯s pce. You should watch your tongue.¡±


    An aristocrat meeting had been held at the banquet hallte in the night. Since the king wasn¡¯ting out of his bedroom, Kar, who was the regent, summoned the aristocrats of Golden Eye for a meeting to decide which direction Golden Eye was going to take now.


    However, not a single aristocrat who participated in the meeting had foreseen this conclusion. ck Scale, or Mangul. The aristocrats thought Golden Eye could only survive by sticking with the stronger of the two. And Karloa was the one most ardently wished for Golden Eye¡¯s safety, so the aristocrats judged that Karloa would pick one of the two countries regardless of the price they would have to pay. However, that did not happen.


    Karloa declined help from either ck Scale or Mangul, and Asbestos for that matter. Since Karloa hadn¡¯t made any concrete exnation, the aristocrats assumed that she had made a non-decision under the pressure to make any decision. The aristocrats expected this situation to continue for a while, and if they wanted to put an end to it, they thought more extreme actions needed to be taken.


    There were simply the two factions of aristocrats at the meeting; envoys from both ck Scale and Mangul had also attended. The Kobold envoy from Mangul clicked their tongue. They were leaving when they saw the Lizardman envoy from ck Scale and went up to strike up a conversation.


    ¡°Deyanin, was it? This is troublesome for you too, right? You came all the way from ck Scale, and now you¡¯re going back empty-handed.¡±


    They had done their best to represent and fight for their own country during the meeting, but once the meeting was over, they had no reason to go against each other.


    The white Lizardman, Deyanin, awkwardlyughed.


    ¡°Things somehow ended up like this, I guess.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not only chaotic here, but everywhere across the country. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get to sightsee before going back.¡±


    ¡°Someday there will be a time to do so.¡±


    ¡°Well, all delegates from abroad are going to have some drinks tonight, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°I do have a prior engagement, but if you don¡¯t mind me beingte, then sure.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re nning to stay up all night, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    After choosing a time and ce to meet up, the Kobold ambassador left, and only Deyanin remained. Deyanin then walked around the corridors of Golden Eye¡¯s pce and soon arrived at a ce that no one would go to.


    ¡°So you¡¯re Deyanin from ck Scale.¡±


    ¡°My scales are white, so it¡¯s easy for others to recognize. It¡¯s one of my advantages.¡±


    The Entughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re a funny Lizardman¡­ Anyway, things went as nned. Did you see?¡±


    Deyanin looked out of the window in the corridor at Golden Eye¡¯s capital below. Torches lit up everywhere, and the candles inside the houses looked like stars in the night sky.


    Deyanin replied, ¡°Yes. Everything is going as nned.¡±


    This was all Night Sky¡¯s will. Through a revtion, Kyle Lak Orazen found out about the three WIzards, and Night Sky told Kyle to help them. At first, the revtion priests were very confused. They found it contradictory that they should tell Kyle, ck Scale¡¯s king and the representative of faithful believers, to help Wizards, who were non-believers. But Kyle acted as if he knew how things were going to unravel from the start.


    <i>¡®It would have been difficult for those who favored ck Scale to gain the upper hand anyway.¡¯</i>


    Even though ck Scale was powerful and had been victorious in battles until now, there was no way Golden Eye would be free of opposition against ck Scale. After all, Concealed Text God had died at the hand of Night Sky¡¯s apostle, Lakrak. And dealing with the opposition wouldn¡¯t change the fact that there was a more practical problem.


    <i>¡®Golden Eye is¡­too far from ck Scale.¡¯</i>


    Even if ck Scale was to help Golden Eye, attacksing from Asbestos and Mangul would always be faster. The only thing that ck Scale could do was retaliation, and retaliation wouldn¡¯t bring much constion.


    <i>¡®And so those who favored Mangul were about to gain the upper hand in Golden Eye, but¡­¡¯</i>


    As expected, the regent of Golden Eye, Karloa Lotte, seemed to have been persuaded by the Wizard, Ty.


    <i>¡®And that¡¯s enough.¡¯</i>


    Above all, Ty¡¯s words were likely made more convincing because he could back them up with his surprising ability, magic.


    Golden Eye didn¡¯t have to surrender to ck Scale to win the war as long as they didn¡¯t belong to another opponent.


    Ty asked, ¡°Hm, can I trust the words out of your mouth as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. From now on, ck Scale will not take action unless formal aid is offered. And all those who favor ck Scale in Golden Eye willply.¡±


    Ty nodded as if that was enough.


    When he was about to move back into the shadow, Deyanin said, ¡°Wait.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Ty turned around.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this will help, but Mangul¡¯s envoy seems to be holding a gathering tonight. It seems like they have a scheme in mind. I found out about the time and ce for the gathering in case the information might be helpful for you.¡±


    Ty stayed silent for a moment.


    ¡°Interesting. Where are they gathering?¡±


    ***


    ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± Wisdom muttered.


    Four months had passed since AR1026 died. In the meantime, Wisdom hadn¡¯t exactly gotten everything he wanted, but in his opinion, things weren¡¯t that bad either. Honestly speaking, losing AR1026 was a great loss, but in the grand scheme of things, he judged that things were slowly but steadily tilting to his favor in this war.


    <i>¡®Danyum and Golden Eye have both started to follow their own paths without relying on other countries.¡¯</i>


    In Danyum¡¯s case, the country had broken apart. Rebellions incited by minority species broke out for the establishment of their own independent countries, which was a good thing for the alliance of Wisdom, Jang-Wan, and Crampus. Because no one could control the rebellion, the rebels didn¡¯t be anyone¡¯s power, but unfortunately, that also meant that Danyum was no longer under Crampus¡¯s control.


    <i>¡®Yan, the Wizard.¡¯</i>


    From a yer¡¯s perspective, Wizards were difficult to deal with in many ways, and Yan was under Danyum¡¯s protection. That left Crampus with only the faithful believers to control, but fortunately enough, more of them had been steadily gathering, and they had seeded in creating an independent country by borrowing Wisdom¡¯s territory.


    <i>¡®And Golden Eye¡­¡¯</i>


    Golden Eye was not in the yers¡¯ control, either. After AR1026 died, it had been a question of great anticipation which yer Golden Eye would choose to join hands with, but simr to Danyum, Golden Eye chose a Wizard rather than the support of any of the other nations. It was unfortunate that he couldn¡¯t get his hands on Golden Eye¡¯snd and remaining forces, but Wisdom didn¡¯t think it was a bad oue.


    <i>¡®As long as it¡¯s out of ck Scale¡¯s reach.¡¯</i>


    But of course, Wisdom knew that this was what Sung-Woon had intended. Even though ck Scale was a powerful country, it would realistically be difficult for ck Scale to take possession of both Golden Eye, which was far away, and Danyum, which Crampus would actively try to interfere with. And if such an attempt was made, that in itself would give Wisdom a chance to attack.


    <i>¡®So he made it so that no one could take possession of them. I get that part. It¡¯s a good idea. However¡­¡¯</i>


    Wisdom wondered if Sung-Woon had made a mistake; preventing others from getting their hands on the two countries was an entirely different matter from indirectly influencing the two countries without owning them.


    Wisdom used the power of the alliance to force the two countries topletely block any trades with ck Scale and Red Fruit. And the two countries had no choice but toply.


    <i>¡®Crampus can still exert his power in Danyum. If he releases even one of his creations, Danyum has no other way of defending itself other than the Wizard. And the Wizard likely wouldn¡¯t want to ask ck Scale for help if possible.¡¯</i>


    The situation for Golden Eye wasn¡¯t much different.


    <i>¡®Golden Eye is closer to us. Even if ck Scale wants to help, it¡¯s too far for them to do anything substantial.¡¯</i>


    And this trade blockade could more or less determine the direction of the war.


    <i>¡®The greatest weapon in this war are the cannons, which require ck gunpowder.¡¯</i>


    There were three ingredients in ck gunpowder. One of them was sulfur, and another was charcoal. Out of these two, charcoal was easy to obtain, and sulfur was also found in ck Scale. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for the third ingredient, potassium nitrate, namely niter.


    <i>¡®Pure potassium nitrate needs to be obtained from niter, but no niter can be found in ck Scale¡¯s territory. It would take a long time to produce them. Therefore, we¡¯re significantly more in the lead when ites to gunpowder production.¡¯</i>


    Strangely, however, Wisdom couldn¡¯t shake off his uneasiness.


    <i>¡®Why isn¡¯t ck Scale making any requests?¡¯</i>

 Chapter 136: The Battle Offshore of Alkoom

    <h4>Chapter 136: The Battle Offshore of Alkoom</h4>


    ¡°If they take no action despite their supply of gunpowder running low¡­¡±


    In response to the issue Wisdom brought up, Crampus said, ¡°Perhaps ck Scale has a higher gunpowder production than us.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Charcoal can be easily produced in any country; the only difference is in its quality. Sulfur, on the other hand, is difficult to produce at the current stage of civilization. That¡¯s not the case for niter, namely potassium nitrate, right?¡±


    Crampus was referring to a saltpeter bed. In order to make saltpeter, salty soil was needed, which could be scraped from the soil below the living room, kitchen, or fences of older houses, but the supply would be limited. Then, the salty soil would be well-mixed with ash and a person¡¯s urine before being left to dry for months without being exposed to rain. Once it was dehydratedpletely, it would be spread out on the floor and air-dried for another few months, flipping from time to time, after which it would be covered with soil and livestock excretion. Then, it was set on fire, which would produce a white moss-like substance¡ªthat was saltpeter. However, the saltpeter wouldn¡¯t be very pure at this stage, so in order to increase its purity, it needed to be put into a big cauldron and boiled.


    Even low-quality saltpeter took at least three months to make, and high-purity saltpeter could sometimes take years. Not only did the process take time, it also required arge space with a mixture of dried substances, and this was called a saltpeter bed.


    ¡°But there are limits to those saltpeter beds. No matter how good Neb is, the production volume will never exceed a certain amount.¡±


    ¡°What if he had a skilled alchemist or Wizard?¡±


    Wisdom shook his head. At least that was how Crampus interpreted the gesture.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s simple. Saltpeter beds not only require time, they also require space and manpower. At the current level of civilization, agriculture is the foundation for every country on the third continent, yet Neb was going to invest time,nd, and manpower that could be used for agriculture just to make weapons? A skilled alchemist or Wizard isn¡¯t going to change that fact. Of course, they might be helpful in making better saltpeter¡­but a fundamental technological revolution would be needed.¡±


    Crampus nodded. Unlike Wisdom, however, Crampus believed that Sung-Woon was executing a simple, clear n instead of plotting a great scheme.


    ¡°Wisdom, are you not oveplicating things?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m oveplicating things?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We should admit that Neb is skilled, and let¡¯s just say that he¡¯s the best yer in The Lost World. But that doesn¡¯t mean he cheats or uses glitches to his advantage.¡±


    ¡°Even if he did, it wouldn¡¯t be so surprising at this point¡­ But I guess his strategies are still ones that everyone couldprehend.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. So even now, he¡¯ll be ying within goodprehensible boundaries. We shouldn¡¯t underestimate our opponent, but there¡¯s also no need for us to overestimate them and waste our energy on useless things, either.¡±


    ¡°am¡¯s razor, huh?¡±


    am¡¯s razor was a guiding principle in logic derived from a passage written by William, a British logician and Franciscan friar. ¡®First, don¡¯t assume unnecessary things. Second, if an exnation is possible with fewer assumptions, don¡¯t add any other.¡¯


    For example, If there was a ck apple with holes in it hanging from a tree, it could be assumed that someone had put holes into the apple, painted it ck, and cleaned up all the artificial traces, but it was more likely that a bug had eaten through it.


    Wisdom then said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s eliminate unnecessary assumptions. If we look at things simply, what can be the exnation?¡±


    Crampus replied, ¡°Neb doesn¡¯t find any problem with his current situation.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t find any problem with it? ck gunpowder has now be the main weapon in war. The military doctrine changed after only a few battles. And because gunpowder weapons are still improving, it could be said that the doctrine continues to evolve as well.¡±


    Crampus shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not denying that. But ck Scale stockpiled arge amount of niter right before the war. At the time, Jang-Wan, who had a niter production site within her territory, would have thought that ck Scale was eager to get their hands on as much niter as possible, and that if she was able to provide them with niter and make profit, she would be at an advantage during war.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Jang-Wan made a mistake. In fact, that much niter would¡¯ve run out after a few battles. And to prove the point, the quality of ck Scale¡¯s ck gunpowder did go down towards the end of the previous battle. That¡¯s because the niter wasn¡¯t high-purity niter, but niter produced from saltpeter beds."


    The mainponent of ck gunpowder used for gunpowder weapons was the propent, potassium nitrate. When potassium nitrate was ignited, it would generate a rapid expansion force that created the energy to push the projectile. And in the production process, potassium nitrate was the oneponent that differed the most depending on its purity.


    Crampus then said, ¡°But he still has as much as he needs.¡±


    ¡°As much as he needs?¡±


    ¡°Neb doesn¡¯t have enough potassium nitrate for a prolonged war, but he does have enough to carry out a battle right away. So¡­¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°Neb is aiming for a short decisive battle?¡±


    Crampus nodded.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Crampus smiled as if he was proud of his deduction. And from a logical view, it didn¡¯t seem to have any major ws.


    However, Wisdom shook his head again.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wrong?¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°To be precise, Neb likely will aim for a short decisive battle, but we¡¯re never going to let him have that. Just because Neb wishes it doesn¡¯t mean he can make it happen for sure.¡±


    Wisdom pulled up a map.


    ¡°Currently, it seems that Neb could gather more than 30,000 expeditionary forces, excluding his defense troops. Given the estimated amount of ck gunpowder, his troops will be able to carry out about three battles, but starting from the second battle, they¡¯ll have used up all the ck gunpowder made with high-quality niter. On the other hand, thend that Neb has to attack is veryrge.¡±


    Wisdom pointed at the important locations in Asbestos and Stone Cave. They were all where castles were located.


    ¡°Of course, if we were to invade and attack ck Scale, it would be a short decisive battle that Neb wished for, but we aren¡¯t gonna do it.¡±


    ¡°...Is that so? That does sound right,¡± Crampus said, shamefaced.


    Wisdom responded, ¡°But Crampus, I was able to find a clue thanks to what you said.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Wisdom moved his hand. He was pointing at a ce Crampus believed to be irrelevant.


    ¡°The coasnd of Mangul¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Alkoom. It¡¯s Mangul¡¯s niter production ce.¡±


    Crampus pped unthinkingly at the realization.


    Wisdom then exined, ¡°Alkoom is not only a niter mine, but it also has lots of storages as the niter gets sold to each country. And because it¡¯s far away from ck Scale, their war readiness is low. Neb could just get some more niter if he runs out. Alkoom will be ck Scale¡¯s next target.¡±


    ***


    Just as Wisdom had predicted, quite a lot of ships were being built in ck Scale, and most of them were revealed to be warships.


    Wisdom, Crampus, and Jang-Wan continued to strengthen the defenses of Alkoom while pretending not to know about Neb¡¯s n. At the same time, they also built more warships along their own coasts and finalized their defenses for naval warfare.


    Two monthster, ck Scale¡¯s fleet of 150 warships set sail toward the southern coast of the third continent. It was a surprise attack without any warning, but Crampus, who always stayed vignt of the sea, discovered the fleet without much trouble.


    <i>¡®We were waiting.¡¯</i>


    The alliance of the three yers did not miss the perfect opportunity to get revenge.


    ck Scale¡¯s fleet advanced toward the coast of Alkoom, only to find themselves surrounded by a total of 260 ships. Among them, 130 warships were from Mangul, 100 warships were from Asbestos, and 30 merchant ships were prepared by Danyum¡¯s rebellion force. The sh resulted in the alliance¡¯s victory.


    Unfortunately, from the alliance¡¯s perspective, they weren¡¯t able to cause significant damage to ck Scale. Led by Admiral Ian Tata, ck Scale¡¯s fleet only had two shipspletely destroyed and five ships partially destroyed. On the other hand, the alliance suffered greater loss with eight fully destroyed ships and thirteen partially destroyed ships.


    Still, the alliance¡¯s first victory against ck Scale was encouraging. Although Jang-Wan sarcastically remarked that it was a minor victory as they had used national resources and pushed their limits to build more warships, Crampus saw things differently.


    ¡°If our calctions are correct, ck Scale won¡¯t be able to use proper gunpowder weapons from the next battle onward.¡±


    Considering the total number of ships in battle, the ships destroyed weren¡¯t that significant, which was attributed to the alliance¡¯s active efforts, as well as the efforts and the significant amount of firepower ck Scale had put in to prevent any more losses. In addition to victory in battle, the alliance¡¯s goal was to make ck Scale deplete their ck gunpowder. And ording to Wisdom¡¯s estimation, although their victory on the tactical level was minor, their victory on the strategic level was major.


    ¡°What do we do next? Would ck Scale attack Alkoom again?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think they will.¡±


    ording to the spies in ck Scale, some of the warships had already been sold and made into merchant ships.


    Wisdom tried to consider the ns that Sung-Woon could have formted.


    ¡°One, Neb focuses on a defense match since the quality of ck Scale¡¯s ck gunpowder isn¡¯t great enough for offense.¡±


    Crampus then pointed out, ¡°But if we enter a long-term war, wouldn¡¯t it be more advantageous for us because we can maintain our ck gunpowder weapons?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. So there aren¡¯t many choices Neb can make.¡±


    The calction that Wisdom did of Neb¡¯s total stock of niter included both Red Fruit¡¯s and ck Scale¡¯s stock. With Red Fruit¡¯s stock excluded, it was estimated that Danyum had a more significant amount of niter and ck gunpowder. ¡°...Are they going to attack Danyum?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to know for sure. If they attack Danyum, then Danyum would want to be apart of our alliance again, and that would be too much of a burden on ck Scale.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    Wisdom pointed at Crampus.


    Crampus asked, ¡°What? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s you for two reasons.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, ck Scale will now aim for a long-term war as theirst resort.¡±


    ¡°And the second?¡±


    Things happened as Wisdom predicted.


    The new independent country that Crampus was newly establishing sat at the most vulnerable location of Wisdom¡¯s territory, thus it was part of Asbestos. Of course, it was because Asbestos couldn¡¯t give them an area with great strategic value, but thend was still valuable to Crampus, as the Trolls of Asbestos had built a tall fortress in preparation for attacks from other countries. The fortress, named Asien, could be used as a citadel for defense, and it was where the Danyum¡¯s rebellion force built the new Danyum.


    ck Scale¡¯s army of 20,000 soldiersunched an attack against the Asien fortress. But this time, the oue wasn¡¯t as the alliance had expected.


    ***


    On the fifth day of the battle at the Asien fortress, the walls fell under the continuous bombardment from ck Scale.


    ***


    Crampus requested a Whisper Conversation with Sung-Woon.


    ¡°Where did you get it from?¡±


    ¡°Get what?¡±


    ¡°The gunpowder.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded as if he had understood only then.


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t the only ones who can trade potassium nitrate, are you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sung-Woon showed him a map.


    ¡°Look carefully. Check if you are the only ones on the map.¡±


    Confused, Crampus looked at the map. And then he realized something.


    The map wasn¡¯t only of the third continent. In the five o¡¯clock direction of the map,nd peeked out from the bottom.


    It was the fourth continent.

 Chapter 137: Probably Not Right Away

    <h4>Chapter 137: Probably Not Right Away</h4>


    ¡°Wait, are you saying you traded with the fourth continent?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied concisely, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The continent the yer referred to as the fourth continent was generally known as the southern continent.


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°It is pretty far. But it¡¯s still closer than the second or third continent. More importantly, there are enough inds that it''s possible for trade routes to be established even at the current technology level.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. The fourth continent is upied by¡­¡±


    ¡°The Deep Ones.¡±


    Crampus kept hesitantly opening his mouth to say something like he found Sung-Woon¡¯s exnationcking.


    Sung-Woon understood what Crampus was getting at.


    ¡°Are you going to point out that yer Sha-Cha is an evil god?¡±


    yer Sha-Cha¡¯s ID was ¡®?§ë????¡¯. The Cyrillic alphabet in the name was pronounced ¡®sha,¡¯ and the korean letter that followed was pronounced ¡®cha.¡¯ Therefore, the yers of the third continent called them Sha-Cha. Sha-Cha had terrorized the southern part of the third continent through piracy with their Deep Ones, and the yers came together to fight off the Deep Ones, which triggered the whole war.


    Crampus said, ¡°...How can you trade with them?¡±


    Sung-Woon responded with a question of his own, ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask. Why do you think it isn¡¯t possible?¡±


    Sung-Woon¡¯s reasoning was simple. Deep Ones knew how to talk, and they had intelligence. Although Deep Ones relied on looting as the foundation of their economy, that was likely because of the environment they were put in. Since they had been expelled from continent to continent under the banner of Yaboon¡¯s Pirates, they could only support themselves with bad deeds to survive at sea.


    <i>¡®And on a continent with a stable supply of resources, there¡¯s a high chance that a proper civilization would be established.¡¯</i>


    Although they appeared wicked, there was no reason to believe they couldn¡¯t be otherwise.


    Under Sung-Woon¡¯s guidance, ck Scale was able to trade with the fourth continent, and when Vasen Lak Orazen was waging war against Danyum, ck Scale made contact with the Deep Ones.


    Of course, Sung-Woon knew that the yer behind the Deep Ones wasn¡¯t a regr yer, and the god controlling the species was the important matter to consider rather than the species itself.


    Excluding the 27 yers of the third continent who seemed to have joined the game the normal way, there were additional yers with scrambled IDs, and they were called evil gods. So far, there had been three such yers. One on the first continent. Then there were Jeol Woo-Bi of the third continent and Sha-Cha of the fourth continent.


    Specific information about these yers remained unknown, and so did their goals.


    <i>¡®Of course, when considering Jeol Woo-Bi¡¯s case, they seem to be after us with inexplicable hatred¡­but that isn¡¯t necessarily the case.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon¡¯s thoughts weren¡¯t baseless. Jeol Woo-Bi had plunged the third continent into chaos, but that was only because the other yers on the third continent hadn¡¯t made the best response at the time, while strategically Jeol Woo-Bi had made the correct decision. If the yers had enough time, they would have strengthened their internal defenses, identified the Vampires inside their countries, and seeded in establishing a line of defense.


    <i>¡®Jeol Woo-Bi simply carried out a logical strategy with the Vampires. Although the true nature of the evil gods is unknown, it¡¯d be irrational to avoid trading with us even if their ultimate goal is to defeat us.¡¯</i>


    And Sung-Woon was right. The Deep Ones were confused about the outsiders, but they were a different group of Deep Ones than Yaboon¡¯s Pirates, whom ck Scale and the alliance had defeated together. These Deep Ones epted the goodwill shown by ck Scale¡¯s merchants and carried out proper trades.


    And there was something else that surprised Sung-Woon.


    [yer, ?§ë????, has requested s Whisper Conversation. Would you like to answer?]


    .


    Sung-Woon epted the request after some thought, and the video chat was immediately connected.


    As soon as Sung-Woon saw Sha-Cha, he thought to himself, <i>¡®A kid?¡¯</i>


    Sha-Cha was wearing a white featureless mask, which gave them an eerie aura. From the proportions of their body, though, they seemed like a Human child or a young one from a Human-like species.


    Even though Sha-Cha had initiated the call, they stayed silent, and Sung-Woon had to initiate the conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯m Neb, but I¡¯m not sure what to call you.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°Did you like the trade? I think they¡¯ll bring even better goods next time.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°Um, you didn¡¯t identally request a conversation or something, did you?¡±


    Sha-Cha said, ¡°...Why?¡±


    A strange voice projected from beneath the mask.


    Sung-Woon thought about what Sha-Cha could be asking about.


    ¡°Why did I make them trade?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Sha-Cha didn¡¯t say anything, but Sung-Woon interpreted the silence as affirmative.


    ¡°Because trades can be beneficial for both sides.¡±


    Sha-Cha said, ¡°I¡­will¡­¡±


    ¡°...Will what?¡±


    Sung-Woon waited patiently. And then he heard a response that wasn¡¯t worth waiting for.


    ¡°Kill you all.¡±


    Sung-Woon bitterly smiled behind his mask. It seemed that Sha-Cha wasn¡¯t very different from Jeol Woo-Bi.


    ¡°But probably not right away.¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    ¡°The continents are too far apart. If you put together arge fleet, they could get caught in a storm, and their technological level is not high enough to carry out an operation onnd. Besides, aren¡¯t you not confident that you¡¯ll win?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    However, Sung-Woon was facing the same issues. Until the whole continent is conquered, or at least until the war with the alliance settles down, it would be difficult for him to conquer the fourth continent.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure who will be able to get ready first, but until then, let¡¯s just stay as good trading partners. Don¡¯t you think we¡¯ll be of help to each other?¡±


    ¡°.....¡±


    Sha-Cha didn¡¯t say anything. They just stared at Sung-Woon before ending the conversation.


    Sung-Woon then checked to see if there were any attackers following ck Scale¡¯s merchant ships, but there was none.


    <i>¡®So is that a silent agreement?¡¯</i>


    After a sessful first trade, Sung-Woon actively prepared to trade for the items he needed, which were potassium nitrate and niter. Sung-Woon¡¯s main concern was whether the southern continent actually had any niter mines, but fortunately, his concerns turned out to be unfounded. While the continent was slightly farther than Mangul, they sold niter at a lower price since they hadn¡¯t developed any gunpowder weapon yet.


    Sha-Cha didn¡¯t initiate any further conversations, but as if amitment had been made, the Deep Ones reciprocated and actively engaged in trade with ck Scale.


    ck Scale took the initiative to improve their gunpowder weapons with the high-purity potassium nitrate. And by that point, Sung-Woon was the one who was getting suspicious.


    <i>¡®Why have there been no attacks along this trade route?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon had of course taken precautions to ensure that the trade route would lead to the eastern side of ck Scale, making it difficult to discover, and he had also paid lots of attention to other aspects of the trade route as well. But these efforts were mostly in the form of measures taken to dy the discovery of the trade routes, as he believed that they would be discovered at some point.


    <i>¡®No, wait. Let¡¯s think again.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon considered the situation where Wisdom and his other allies hadn¡¯t discovered or even considered the possibility of a trading route.


    <i>¡®Then what would they think I was nning?¡¯</i>


    The answer was simple. If it weren¡¯t possible for him to produce potassium nitrate for gunpowder weapons at the moment, then he could just take resources that belonged to someone else. And the greatest source of potassium nitrate on the third continent was Mangul¡¯s Alkoom, which could be more easily attacked from the sea.


    <i>¡®Does Wisdom think I¡¯m going to attack Alkoom?¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t an impossible scenario. If the fourth continent hadn¡¯t existed, Sung-Woon might have actually attacked Alkoom.


    <i>¡®But if I were to do so, I wouldn¡¯t have stopped advancing after attacking Crampus¡¯s Danyum.¡¯</i>


    Since additional merchant ships were needed anyway, Sung-Woon had built warships and observed what would happen. And as he did so, the defense in Alkoom began to strengthen.


    So Sung-Woon judged that his spection had been correct.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s a good thing.¡¯</i>


    Currently, Lunda and Eldar were focused on small-scale battles happening at their own borders. They were helping so that resources could be preserved for ck Scale¡¯s next battle rather than being wasted. And in Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, it seemed possible to make the enemy suffer such waste.


    <i>¡®If both sides build more warships, it¡¯ll be the opponent who suffers losses.¡¯</i>


    In reality, Sung-Woon had prepared his fleet with less than half of the gunpowder weapons andbatants he had before assuming control over them so that ck Scale¡¯s fleet would reach the shore of Alkoom. And as he did, Wisdom and his allies fell for the pretense and wasted resources on the unnecessary sea battle.


    Meanwhile, ck Scale¡¯s main forces armed themselves with improved cannons to break down the walls of Asbestos¡¯s main fortresses, as well as handheld cannons that the infantry could use for single shots during battle.


    Having wasted resources necessary for battles, the alliance fell behind and couldn¡¯t catch up with ck Scale¡¯s fast moves. Instead, they mistakenly assumed that the quality of ck Scale¡¯s gunpowder would have decreased and underestimate them, which in turn brought about their defeat.


    Sung-Woon pretended he couldn¡¯t hear Crampus cursing.


    Then Crampus said, ¡°Tell me, Neb. What went wrong this time?¡±


    ¡°What went wrong? If predicting the opponent¡¯s actions is considered a puzzle, I don¡¯t think your puzzle matching skills are bad.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°You just didn¡¯t understand the rules of the game properly.¡±


    ¡°Rules of the game?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°If you want to put puzzles together, shouldn¡¯t you first check to see if you have all the pieces?¡±


    ording to Sung-Woon¡¯s personal evaluation, the alliance had too narrow a perspective; in other words, theycked imagination. They all knew the fourth continent existed, but never considered that ck Scale would trade with the Deep Ones there.


    <i>¡®They also assumed that Sha-Cha, just like Jeol Woo-Bi, weren¡¯t someone they could converse with.¡¯</i>


    They shouldn¡¯t have jumped to conclusions without any confirmation.


    ¡°Your confidence is excessive, Neb.¡±


    Sung-Woon turned around since Crampus wasn¡¯t the one speaking this time. Wisdom¡¯s head appeared next to Crampus.


    Wisdom said, ¡°The battle isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    The walls of the Asien Fortress copsed before the people of New Danyum could even establish their country.


    A huge shadow then rose from behind the fortress walls.


    Sung-Woon quickly moved his hands beneath the video chat window.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Lightning struck again from behind ck Scale¡¯s army. And with the crackling sound came the soldiers¡¯ cheers.


    Amid the cacophony of thunder and lightning, Lakrak appeared on Anakse¡¯s back.


    Lakrak flew toward ck Scale¡¯s army and shouted, ¡°Who dares stand up against the power of Night Sky!¡±


    Among the soldiers of New Danyum on top of the fortress walls, there were already some who threw their weapons aside and ran away.


    Knowing that the sight would only further bolster Lakrak¡¯s influence, Crampus¡¯s expression hardened.


    Wisdom thought to himself¡ª


    <i>¡®It won¡¯t be the same this time, Neb.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 138: Over the Fortress Walls

    <h4>Chapter 138: Over the Fortress Walls</h4>


    The shrine of the Trolls and Asbestos¡¯s god, who used to be called the Intertwined God and was now known as the Binding God, was deste. Among the giant pirs lining the path leading to the shrine, more were titling or had fallen than standing upright, and next to the pirs were the scattered remains of the building that had once been intact.


    Among the ruins, there were pieces of rock too broken to make out the original shape of, and between those pieces of rocks were what remained of the wood that had once stood. A careful look would reveal the dead bodies lying beneath all the debris. The smell was repulsive.


    Beyond the ruins was a spacious open area that had been cleared to make a path, and at the edge of the open area was a wide b of stone with the pattern of abyrinth on it, which symbolized the Binding God.


    Thebyrinth embodied the attributes ofplicated entanglement that Binding God had. It also symbolized the irregrity of the copsed shrine as well as the ability to find order within chaos and build another shrine¡ªthe Great Temple of Binding God.


    Redin BR Oser, the new king of Asbestos as well as the high priest of the religious order of the Binding God, had destroyed half of the royal pce to seize the throne from his father, Delmardin BR Oser, and he called what remained in the aftermath a temple.


    ¡°Today, a new history will be written for God.¡±


    Everyone called Redin a crazy Troll behind his back, but no one dared to say so in front of him. And all those in Asbestos followed the new order created by Redin.


    People often spected that something might have happened to Redin when his father sent him to Mangul, as when Redin got lost underground for a while, many of Mangul¡¯s priests had suddenly said that they were following God¡¯s will and disappeared without a trace. Therefore, Delmardin BR Oser suspected that his son had fallen under the influence of the Overflowing God, the god of the Kobolds, instead of the Binding God, the god of the Trolls; he thus attempted to use the excuse to punish Redin. However, that wasn¡¯t the truth.


    Whatever Redin had experienced in Mangul, it was revealed that it was the will of the Binding God. The priests of the Binding God testified to that fact, and Redin proved it himself by destroying the royal pce, killing his father, and taking the throne.


    Asbestos quickly epted the new order. And those who couldn¡¯t ept it were either the ignorant individuals who remained trapped in Delmardin¡¯s shadows, or opportunists who tried to take advantage of the chaos to expand their territory. These people gave Redin, who was perhaps chosen by both Binding God and Overflowing God, a chance to spread his eminence.


    Radin turned the Grand Temple of Deception into his pce. Unless there was an urgent matter, he would often sit or stand in front of the monument symbolizing deception and gaze at it. Many people had already realized that Radin was different from the ordinary kings, so his strangeness was easily epted.


    Now, Redin felt that the past he had been so bound to until now was insignificant.


    <i>¡®Revenge for mother? The truth about father? What use does all that have?¡¯</i>


    The Binding God¡¯smand was what allowed Redin toe to true realization.


    To be exact, it was all about following thatmand, or to be more exact, how fast and how well he could carry out Binding God¡¯smand. Whenever Redin fulfilled Binding God¡¯s will, he felt a dose of pleasure. And it was greater when he epted the orders like an automaton and immediately carried them out, instead of interpreting the order and thinking about it to get to a different conclusion. Redin wouldn¡¯t know why, but it was because he had a unique ability called Faithfulness. Individuals with this ability showed a stronger level of trust and belief in their god depending on the level of the ability, and it also increased proactivity when carrying out a yer¡¯s will.


    And Redin BR Oser, who had this ability, received a newmand.


    <i>-There¡¯s a task for you.</i>


    ¡°Apostle Redin, at your service.¡±


    <i>-It is difficult and challenging.</i>


    ¡°I will risk the lives of everyone under my control.¡±


    The Binding God, Wisdom, thought that wasn¡¯t enough, but there was nothing he could do about it now.


    <i>-Kill Night Sky¡¯s apostle, Lakrak.</i>


    ¡°I will obey yourmand.¡±


    Only after Redin responded did he understand Binding God¡¯s words. He was to kill the apostle Lakrak, also known as the Great Hunter, Thunder Lizard, the First Chosen One, and God Killer. However, it never even urred to Redin that he could refuse or protest.


    ***


    Sung-Woon looked at the copsed walls of the Asien Fortress.


    The New Danyum soldiers defending the fortress were running away, but there were also some who didn¡¯t.


    <i>¡®Is one of them Crampus¡¯s¡­no, Wisdom¡¯s creation?¡±</i>


    Sung-Woon had encountered this creation a few times before. Wisdom had turned almost all of his creations into anthropoids, and that was also the case for the creation called Ostro. Ostro was particrly familiar to Sung-Woon because it was Wisdom¡¯s destroyer.


    Among the types of creature creations, a destroyer was the mostmon, as theirrge size and overpowering physical strength allowed them to attack the enemy¡¯s troops, break down fortress walls in sieges, instill terror in enemy cities, or fight other simr creations. For example, Sung-Woon¡¯s destroyer was Sratis, which looked like a mantis and had a skill that granted it supernatural strength. Among anthropoids, Ostro looked like a gori. Except Wisdom¡¯s preference was incorporated, so Ostro had white fur and an extra pair of arms, which was amon trait for a destroyer.


    <i>¡®Is it about 45 meters tall? It grew a littlepared tost time. Its level isn¡¯t much different though¡­ And skill-wise, Sratis is at an advantage, so there shouldn¡¯t be much trouble to deal with it. However, Ostro is nothing but a distraction.¡¯</i>


    Usually, a giant creation like Ostro wouldn¡¯t be used as a distraction, but Sung-Woon realized that was the case this time.


    <i>¡®I did sense that they had been hiding something until now. They could have acted more proactively, but stepped back and acted as if they weren''t prepared. And I think I know why now.¡¯</i>


    What Sung-Woon was looking at was a long procession of troops. From their appearance, they didn¡¯t seem much different than the troops that Sung-Woon knew of. They wore armor made of iron, and the majority of them were riding Elks. Even with their visors down, it was clear that they were Trolls, and most of them were likely aristocrats who descended from the founders of Asbestos. Moreover, they and the Elks had on their chest a piece of cloth with the pattern of aplicated maze, which symbolized the Binding God; that meant they were Holy Knights.


    <i>¡®Binding God¡¯s Holy Knights. One would be hard-pressed to question whether they make a proper army¡­and that¡¯s not the end of it.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon looked at the one leading the Holy Knights. It was Asbestos¡¯s king, Redin BR Oser.


    Riding on his Elk, Redin appeared on top of the fallen walls of the Asien fortress as if he had nothing to be afraid of.


    Redin looked down at ck Scale¡¯s army and shouted to his men, ¡°Are you afraid?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    The 200 knights cheered. Even though there weren¡¯t many of them, instead of being intimidated, their confidence shot up to the sky.


    <i>¡®The Pdins of the Celestial Order. It''s hard to describe them as anything less than a formidable force...but there''s more to it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you afraid of Night Sky¡¯s army?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid of Night Sky¡¯s apostle?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Redin shouted, ¡°I am the apostle of the Binding God! If there is one thing you should be afraid of¡­¡±


    Naturally, Vasen Lak Orazen, whomanded ck Scale¡¯s army, didn¡¯t wait for the enemy¡¯s morale to rise.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    The improved cannons used to break down the fortress walls aimed at Redin and the Holy Knights. In an instant, it seemed like the cannonballs were going to crush Redin and the knights, but through the dust, Redin¡¯s voice could still be heard.


    ¡°...it should be the Binding God.¡±


    As the dust settled, Redin and the knight became visible. The knights should have been on the ground after being hit by the cannonballs, but Redin and the knights appeared fine as if the cannonballs hadn¡¯t even grazed them.


    When Redin strongly pulled the reins, his Elk raised its front legs.


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    Sung-Woon frowned.


    <i>¡®...He¡¯s an apostle.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon¡¯s first question was how Wisdom came to gain an apostle.


    <i>¡®Well, I mean, there were ways for him to get one. I see he tried to do something.¡¯</i>


    It was simple logic to create another apostle to deal with an apostle, but Sung-Woon was curious about what Wisdom had sacrificed to make Redin one.


    Sung-Woon¡¯s second question was why the Holy Knights were unaffected by the cannonballs as well rather than Redin being the only one impervious to the attacks. About that, a possibility immediately popped into Sung-Woon¡¯s head.


    <i>¡®Compared to Lakrak, who was pretty much made an apostle under special circumstances, Redin was ater, so it¡¯s only natural he''d be weaker. Therefore¡­Wisdom used a trick.¡¯</i>


    To be exact, it couldn¡¯t really be called a trick. An apostle¡¯s strength was determined by their skills, and their skills were determined by their reputation. However, what if an apostle¡¯s personal reputation was weak?


    <i>¡®Then they would borrow collective strength.¡¯</i>


    After Redin BR Oser killed his father and became king, he hadn¡¯t dealt with the rebellions and suppressed Asbestos with his own strength. He used Binding God¡¯s Holy Knights as if they were his own hands and feet. And through this process, Redin¡¯s reputation intertwined with the Holy Knights¡¯ to some degree.


    A yer couldn¡¯t freely look at the stats of another yer¡¯s apostle, so there was no way to tell for sure. Still, Sung-Woon was able to guess the skill that Redin had.


    <i>¡®When the Holy Knights are with Redin, and Redin with the Holy Knights, there¡¯s likely a skill that allows them to buff one another¡¯s faith level and abilities.¡¯</i>


    Theirbined reputation created a synergy that increased their levels and abilities, but the effect would be limited in range.


    <i>¡®Still, that doesn¡¯t matter because they only need it in their battle against Lakrak, don¡¯t they? That¡¯s reasonable.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon judged that he had to get involved now.


    <i>¡®Sratis!¡¯</i>


    <i>-...Destruction, Annihtion, Murder. Which one would you like?</i>


    <i>¡®Murder.¡¯</i>


    Sratis was Night Sky¡¯s barricade.


    A level 24 giant monster with a strength of over 500 broke through the fortress walls and charged at the white gori with four arms.


    Meanwhile, Lakrak called out to his descendent, ¡°Vasen!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, apostle Lakrak!¡±


    ¡°Anyone would be surprised at a shing Lizard, but save the admiration forter.¡±


    Vasen red at hisughing adjutant.


    Lakrak then said, ¡°As you can see, they are not enemies that an army of people can face.¡±


    ¡°...Then what?¡±


    ¡°Retreat. Looking from the sky, it seems like New Danyum¡¯s army is retreating, but Asbestos¡¯s army is joining them from the rear. They¡¯re going to attack the main force.¡±


    ¡°Southwest or northeast?¡±


    ¡°Southwest.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Lakrak looked at his shrewd descendant and smiled.


    At Vasen¡¯smands, ck Scale¡¯s army immediately began to move. However, they were incredibly slowpared to the speed at which Redin and the Holy Knights were charging toward them.


    <i>¡®Is he aiming to ruin the main force¡¯s formation?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak had no intention of letting the enemy have their way.


    ¡°Anakse, let¡¯s go! It¡¯s going to be a busy day.¡±


    On the vast field in front of the walls of the Asien Fortress, Lakrak charged toward Redin, and Redin toward Lakrak.

 Chapter 139: The Power of Order

    <h4>Chapter 139: The Power of Order</h4>


    Lakrak didn¡¯t fear Redin BR Oser¡¯s spear at all.


    Right before their weapons reached each other, Redin dodged Lakrak¡¯s spear.


    <i>¡®This attack is nothing more than a battle of strength between beasts. There¡¯s no reason to run into him like this.¡¯</i>


    As Redin dodged Lakrak¡¯s swing, the knights also split up and got out of Lakrak¡¯s attack range. To be exact, they tried to do so.


    ¡°Coward!¡±


    Lakrak jumped up and twisted his body in the air, throwing his spear straight toward the rear end of the knights. A few Elks copsed, bringing the knights riding on their backs with them.


    The Binding God¡¯s Holy Knights then immediately got up and confronted Lakrak. Redin and the knights circled back.


    <i>¡®He didn¡¯t say anything. It seems that the Troll, Redin, canmand the entire group without words.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak charged toward the Holy Knights who had fallen off their Elks, and with the sound of thunder, his spear pierced through the first knight. He then shook off the body of the second knight his spear had pierced through and threw his spear at the third knight. With a kick from Lakrak, the third knight¡¯s body flew tens of meters high into the air despite being over two meters tall and covered in steel armor.


    <i>¡®Next up¡­huh?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak bent his knees and lowered his body to throw himself to where the next knight was, but instead made a roll on the ground. With a swoosh, a shining arrow struck the spot where he had been.


    <i>Thud.</i>


    Lakrak stood up and looked at where the arrow had hit. There had been a small explosion.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not a normal arrow.¡¯</i>


    The arrows came from Redin and the knights charging at Lakrak. The Holy Knights demonstrated their marksmanship even while wearing heavy armor.


    But Lakrak was also talented in archery. He extended his left hand and grabbed the air. And as he did so, a golden horn bow appeared in his left hand, while his right hand was now holding a shining lightning bolt. Lakrak notched the lightning bolt and pulled as hard as he could.


    Redinmanded.


    <i>-Dodge it!</i>


    Lakrak¡¯s shining arrow shot out. For one millisecond, a beam of light connected Lakrak and Redin, and the next moment, six of the Holy Knights got struck by the lightning bolt and fell off their Elks with ck smoke rising from inside their armor.


    <i>¡®Is there no part of the reputation of Night Sky¡¯s apostle that is exaggerated?¡¯</i>


    Redin mused. He had thought he was strong enough when he borrowed God¡¯s power to kill his father, subjugated the knights and made them his own, and when he led the knights to quickly suppress the rebellions.


    <i>¡®But I must admit that I have only taken the easy path until now.¡¯</i>


    Redin had no choice but to avoid Lakrak¡¯s first attack since it was obvious what would happen if he faced Lakrak then and there.


    <i>¡®I would fall off my Elk, and the knights following me would fall as well.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak literally possessed the fighting spirit to kill a God, and he also had the abilities to support that spirit.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s a monster that can kill a god. I am not the same as him.¡¯</i>


    Redin judged that he needed to use a different method.


    <i>-Divide the troops into two. The vanguard will follow me, and the rearguard will follow the vice-captain. And vice-captain.</i>


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    <i>-Lead your troops to catch Lakrak.</i>


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    As Redin changed direction, half of the knights followed behind him.


    <i>-In the meantime, the rest will attack ck Scale¡¯s main forces. Lakrak¡¯s weaknesses are the retreating soldiers.?</i>


    ***


    As Lakrak struck his spear through the head of thest fallen knight, the knight he had kicked into the air before fell back onto the ground.


    <i>Crack.</i>


    Lakrak looked back and forth between the knights that had divided into two groups.


    <i>¡®Are they trying to lose me somehow?¡¯</i>


    Lakrak took a moment to think. It was possible to entrap the other group, but in that case, the other group of knights not led by Redin would attack ck Scale. Ultimately, no matter which side attacked ck Scale, ck Scale would suffer damage as they were short-handed.


    ¡°...Urgh!¡±


    Lakrak noticed a Troll knight who had been struck down groaning and trying to get up from the ground. ck blood was pouring out from beneath their visor, but it seemed that they were still alive.


    <i>¡®Their bodies are tougher than expected. I can¡¯t get sloppy.¡¯</i>


    Frowning, Lakrak realized that he didn¡¯t have to do everything on his own. He briefly nced at the sky before kicking the knight trying to get up in the head.


    <i>Thump!</i>


    The head tore off the body and flew far away.


    ***


    Adjutant Su-Heon rode beside themander of ck Scale¡¯s army, General Vasen Lak Orazen.


    ¡°General, the reconnaissance team has returned.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good.The army of New Danyum is btedly joining, but it seems that Asbestos¡¯s army have already prepared their troops.¡±


    Su-Heon told Vasen the number of Asbestos¡¯s troops and their state of defense.


    ¡°Number wise, they only have 10,000, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the entirety of the enemy force.¡±


    ¡°What if you add them all up?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. We¡¯re still getting more information from the reconnaissance team, but enemy forces are continuing to be discovered. There are about 30,000 at the moment. At first I thought they¡¯d taken a bad direction to retreat to, but on second thought, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. Asbestos¡¯s troops are spread out in all directions, so it''s pretty much a siege against us. I can¡¯t seem to think of a way out of this.¡±


    Vasen then said from on top of his Cockatoo, ¡°That¡¯s different from the number we knew before. And the same goes for the enemy¡¯s state of defense.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, yes. That is correct.¡±


    ¡°We usually conduct thorough reconnaissance.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Perhaps there was something we were neglecting this time¡­¡±


    ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t. I checked myself. And Night Sky had also checked the areas that we couldn¡¯t scout. Isn¡¯t that why the priests are chasing after those swordsmen who smelled of iron?¡±


    Su-Heon smiled at those words.


    ¡°Are you ming Night Sky?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m saying that Asbestos and the Binding God prepared thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t all war preparations be like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they prepared themselves for today alone. It¡¯s something to be happy about.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    When Su-Heon gave him a puzzled look, Vasen said, ¡°I think this will be thest fight against the alliance.¡±


    Su-Heonughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Order the entire army to pick up the pace. If possible, tell them to go at full speed.¡±


    ¡°Would it be okay to tell them to run away faster?¡±


    Vasen clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Adjutant.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You still have lots to learn.¡±


    Su-Heon looked at Vasen with wonder.


    Vasen said, ¡°If we¡¯re surrounded, we¡¯re not retreating anymore. We¡¯re charging.¡±


    Su-Heon¡¯s face brightened as if he had realized something, and he slowed down his horse.


    Someone then said something from the other side of Vasen. It was the reconnaissance team.


    ¡°We have bad news. The rear end of our troops have been captured!¡±


    Vasen turned to look over his shoulder.


    ***


    <i>-Fire!</i>


    At Redin¡¯smand, the knights shot their arrows. The shining arrows didn¡¯t fall to the ground, but instead struck ck Scale¡¯s soldiers. They were careless because a few arrows didn¡¯t seem like much, but they twisted their bodies and screamed in pain when they were shot.


    <i>-Aack!</i>


    The areas hit by the arrows suddenly began to swell, and then their flesh tore apart, exposing their muscles, blood vessels, bones, and nerves, which deformed and rearranged themselves.


    Even those who were fortunate enough to not be directly struck got shed by the swords of the knights who had chased after and caught up to them. Once cut off, the arm immediately unraveled into muscles, blood vessels, bones, and nerves before scattering onto the ground. The screaming victim was then attacked in the neck.


    <i>¡®...The power of order!¡¯</i>


    Redin rejoiced at the sight of a new order being established.


    The fundamental power of the Binding God was the power to intertwine and mix things. Originally, the Binding God¡¯s power was rted toplicatedly tangled balls of yarn or neatly woven works of art. The powers of many gods had the characteristics of both creation and destruction. For example, Night Sky could create insects, but Night Sky¡¯s apostles could also drive insects away. Simrly, the priests of Binding God possessed the skill to not only unravel threads, but also to tie them together.


    <i>¡®And the Holy Knights and I both possess power at a higher level.¡¯</i>


    If something could be tied, it could also be untied.


    <i>¡®This is the difference in perspective.¡¯</i>


    Untying something could seem insignificant, but it was useful from a different perspective. In a way, everything in the world was interwoven. For example, a well-made suit of clothes, a wooden house made with only wood and no nails, a book, and even theplex mechanical equipment that alchemists had.


    <i>¡®Therefore, living things are also made of interwoven tissues. Life is simply in a moreplicated form, but its essence is no different from death.¡¯</i>


    Redin stabbed the back of a ck Scale soldier who was running away, and the soldierpletely unraveled.


    <i>¡®Now this¡­is true¡­¡¯</i>


    But Redin¡¯s praise for the Binding God came to a sudden halt.


    <i>¡®...Insects?¡¯</i>


    When Redin and the knights lifted their bows again, a ck swarm of beetles appeared as if taunting him to try and unravel them too.


    <i>¡®Night Sky!¡¯</i>


    Redin had thoroughly investigated all the gods of the continent, so he knew that Night Sky had been closely connected to insects in the past.


    <i>¡®These insignificant insects¡­¡¯</i>


    Redin judged that the lessplicated something was, the easier it would be to unravel it. In fact, with the power of the Binding God, he could unweave objects such as clothes or books with a touch of his hand. However, contrary to his expectations, these insects didn¡¯t easily unravel. When they got struck by the Trolls¡¯ weapons, their shells, organs, and fluids tore apart and fell onto the ground, but that was all. When one beetle disappeared, another came, and when one beetle got struck, more came forth to rece it.


    <i>¡®Is this the power of Night Sky? Or are insects normally¡­¡¯</i>


    With their vision covered by beetles, the anxious Elks slowed down, hesitant to go forward. They then stopped or even turned back.


    Struggling to fight against the sudden swarm of beetles, Redin felt a sh of light behind his back.


    <i>¡®Damn it. Was he trying to buy time?¡¯</i>


    It was Lakrak. Fortunately, Lakrak hadn¡¯t defeated all the other knights, and there was a long tail of knights chasing after him.


    <i>¡®No, that¡¯s not it. He became anxious after seeing his troops get attacked. It¡¯s a chance for us to attack him from the front and back!¡¯</i>


    Redin then shouted to the knights.


    <i>-Charge at Lakrak! Shoot your arrows!</i>


    The knights escaped the swarm of beetles and charged toward Lakrak. Lakrak and Anaske were running through the ins, and the knights were riding on their Elks and shooting arrows at them from the front and back. No one would deny that they were great archers.


    Eventually, an arrow hit Lakrak¡¯s arm.


    <i>-It¡¯s done! Now with the power of order injected¡­</i>


    The arrow had been immediately pulled out, but the arm struck by the arrow was already bubbling as if it were boiling. Lakrak¡¯s internal organs were moving to rearrange themselves.


    Lakrak took a deep breath and red at his right arm.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    His arm then stopped moving as he tightened his muscles.


    Lakrak started to charge forward again.


    ¡°Keep trying, Troll!¡±

 Chapter 140: Wait

    <h4>Chapter 140: Wait</h4>


    <i>¡®Did he just suppress the power of order with determination alone?¡¯</i>


    Redin BR Oser was bewildered, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about something that had already happened.


    <i>¡®We still seeded in surrounding him.¡¯</i>


    With that thought, Redin heard a voiceing from behind him.


    <i>-And it¡¯s not like the power doesn¡¯t work on him at all.?</i>


    It was Ool, a creature creation made by two gods. Ool had the appearance of a snake and transferred to Redin abilities that he mightck. For example, the miracle that Redin called the power of order was also transferred to him by Ool from the Binding God and the Overflowing God. More specifically, the aspect of power was from the Binding God, while the Faith points were from the Overflowing God.


    <i>¡®Did the power work?¡¯</i>


    <i>-Yes. And it¡¯s still causing ripples in his body. For now, he¡¯s able to suppress the power with his strength, but once the power builds up, he won¡¯t be able to do anything about it.</i>


    Redin saw a sliver of hope.


    <i>¡®The phnx is made, so Lakrak will have to suffer damage to get out.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak certainly possessed the power to easily wipe out Redin and the knights, but in order to use that much power, he would need more preparation, or use a lot more power than necessary.


    <i>¡®And the Binding God also said that this phnx is specifically designed to kill apostles like Lakrak.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak would have to continuously fight against the knights when he was inside this phnx, and if he wanted to escape, he would need to create a big gap in the phnx.


    Redin thought to himself.


    <i>¡®The fight was already won the moment the phnx was formed. Die, apostle.¡¯</i>


    ***


    Crampus teleported to where Wisdom and Jang-Wan were.


    ¡°The situation isn¡¯t looking so good. How are things over there?¡±


    Wisdom looked at Jang-Wan for a moment before looking back at Crampus.


    ¡°We thought it was okay, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be. Tell us about your situation first.¡±


    Crampus said, ¡°ck Scale¡¯s army and Asbestos¡¯s army are fighting each other. Although Asbestos¡¯s army got in ce first, ck Scale¡¯s army was so powerful that Asbestos couldn¡¯t hold them out. The first defense line we ced has already been broken through.¡±


    ¡°What about the walls of the Asien Fortress?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately enough, it doesn¡¯t seem that ck Scale¡¯s army is attempting to attack the Asien Fortress again. They probably don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to purposefully start a siege battle when they have already destroyed the southern walls. They¡¯re still moving west.¡±


    ¡°They must be looking for a ce that will give them an edge in defense. Isn¡¯t there a good spot along the second line of defense?¡±


    Crampus opened his map. It was covered with marks and notes put down in preparation for this battle.


    He then zoomed in on the southwest side of the map and nodded.


    ¡°Here. The direction ck Scale¡¯s army is going in aligns with this location.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop them?¡±


    Crampus bitterly smiled.


    ¡°...To be honest, I¡¯m not sure if I can. Neb is interfering too much. Apart from his creations, he keeps making miracles somehow, so right before the attack, our allied troops were swept away with a miracle, and the troops we ced elsewhere for our special operation were also discovered¡­ That made me think he was focusing on the battle over there and the situation here should be better. Is that not the case?¡±


    Wisdom replied, ¡°It¡¯s partially good.¡±


    Wisdom pointed at where Lakrak was confronting Redin and the Holy Knights. The number of the Holy Knights was decreasing one by one, but the fight continued.


    While preparing for the battle at the Asien Fortress, Crampus learned the fact that Jang-Wan had used her XP to help Wisdom make an apostle. He believed that the attempt was good, but whether it would be efficient and bring them the intended results were another story. From what Crampus could see right now, however, everything was looking good.


    ¡°Considering it was a rushed improvisation made to stop Lakrak, isn¡¯t it quite good?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than good. We initially thought that it would be enough to just keep him at bay, but judging by how things are progressing, we might be able to deal with him too. That is, as long as my calctions are correct.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then why are you saying things are only partially good?¡±


    Jang-Wan, who was next to Wisdom, then said, ¡°It seems that we weren¡¯t the only ones who thoroughly prepared for this battle.¡±


    On the surface, the battle at the Asien Fortress seemed like a battle between only Crampus and Sung-Woon. At the beginning of this alliance war, Crampus had put up the front of a one-on-one confrontation to lure Sung-Woon into a fight with Wisdom and Jang-Wan as well. And as intended, ck Scale had arrived at the Asien Fortress without other allies.


    But of course, different from what the three yers had expected, ck Scale brought an outstanding gunpowder weapon, thus ruining the n for New Danyum¡¯s and Asbestos¡¯s troops to pour out from the Asien Fortress to surround ck Scale¡¯s army. As a result, the Asien Fortress had no choice but to helplessly withstand the bombardment for five days.


    Wisdom thought that was still eptable. Although ck Scale¡¯s firepower was stronger than expected, with the fortress walls copsing, an opportunity was made for Asbestos¡¯s army to ambush ck Scale. Wisdom, Crampus, and Jang-Wan thus saw the battle at the Asien Fortress as a chance to turn the tables.


    ¡°Red Fruit¡¯s army has appeared.¡±


    ¡°Red Fruit¡¯s army? Did they just cross the border?¡±


    ¡°No. If they had only just crossed the border, we would¡¯ve had enough time to deal with ck Scale¡¯s army and face themter. However, they are already closeby in the northeast. You should be able to see them with your bare eyes soon.¡±


    As the yers rose in Divinity level, it became a moremon urrence for reconnaissance to fail because of ess to the skill Divinity Block. Since the three allied yers were so focused on ck Scale and carrying out their ns, they had failed to notice the movement of Red Fruit¡¯s army.


    ¡°How many of them are there?¡±


    ¡°40,000.¡±


    At the Asien Fortress, there were several priests of Overflowing God, but Mangul¡¯s army wasn¡¯t there. And New Danyum¡¯s army had 5000 soldiers, while Asbestos¡¯s army had 20,000.


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°Red Fruit¡¯s army is heading toward the fortress wall ck Scale had put a hole into. They¡¯re probably trying to take the fortress.¡±


    Crampus then said, ¡°We don¡¯t have enough troops stationed in defense. We should get New Danyum¡¯s army to go back to the fortress.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯ll be easy.¡±


    Wisdom pointed at the fortress wall with a hole in it. As Crampus wondered what was wrong, he saw Sung-Woon¡¯s creation, Sratis, and Wisdom¡¯s creation, Ostro, fighting fiercely. The blood gushing from their giant bodies formed a small stream and flowed down.


    ¡°Given the situation, sending more defense troops won¡¯t be of any use. We need to find a way to block them from the outside.¡±


    ¡°...So this is the current situation,¡± Crampus continued to say. ¡°ck Scale¡¯s army is receiving Neb¡¯s help and moving toward a defense base while utilizing their firepower. In the meantime, Red Fruit¡¯s army is heading toward the line of defense with an overwhelming number of soldiers. And two monsters and two apostles are fighting each other. There is no knowing how the fights will unfold.¡±


    Crampus looked at the other two yers.


    ¡°Is there something we can do?¡±


    Wisdom made a gesture and was about to say something, but he hesitated.


    And then Jang-Wan, who was next to him, said, ¡°There is.¡±


    ¡°What can we do?¡±


    Jang-Wan exined, ¡°The only reason we can¡¯t stop ck Scale¡¯s army right now is because they have Neb¡¯s support. No matter how strong they are, they can¡¯t just recklessly break through a line of defense established in advance. If we¡¯re able to block ck Scale¡¯s army with the least amount of soldiers needed, we should be able to use the remaining soldiers to block Red Fruit¡¯s army. And after that, if even one of the monster or apostle on our side wins, the tide of the battle would be turned. We can then reim the fortress and seal the gap in the fortress wall for a defensive battle. We should be able to hold out until Mangul or Asbestos¡¯s reinforcementse.¡±


    Crampus nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good n, except for the fact that Neb won¡¯t just sit back and watch.¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°It might be possible to make him do that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Crampus.


    ¡°I should be able to do it.¡±


    It was Jang-Wan who replied.


    Crampus shook his head.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Apart from the fact that Wisdom and Jang-Wan had created an apostle, Crampus had recently learned another piece of information. It was the fact that Jang-Wan and Neb were rtives in real life, and that they were cousins.


    ¡°Are you saying that Neb would stop fighting just because of his cousin?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to stop the fight itself. If we can get him to do nothing while I talk to him, that should be enough. That alone should allow us to lead the game to our advantage. And there¡¯s something else I haven¡¯t told you. It¡¯s about me, Neb, and Neb¡¯s younger sister.¡±


    Crampus said, ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Jang-Wan replied, ¡°It¡¯s probably not that surprising, but Neb was a pro gamer before he got into The Lost World. And he had a younger sister. But the problem was that his younger sister was very frail, suffering from a myriad of minor illnesses as well as a major one.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but we don¡¯t have time for a long story, Jang-Wan.¡±


    Jang-Wan nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The story ends here anyway¡­ His sister died of a disease.¡±


    Crampus remained silent in deep thoughts.


    ¡°Neb couldn¡¯t be with his sister at herst moments because he was away at an e-sport tournament, and it wasn¡¯t even one he had to attend. Heter heard that his sister had said that she wanted to see him onest time before she died. After that, Neb retired from being a pro gamer.¡±


    Crampus said, ¡°...Indeed, that must have be a trauma for Neb¡­ But what does that have to do with you, Jang-Wan? It seems like a story between the siblings.¡±


    At that moment, Jang-Wan, namely Choi Seo-Yoon, wanted to yell that that wasn''t true. But she kept it to herself because it was something that these two people didn¡¯t need to know.


    .


    ¡°I knew Neb¡¯s sister very well. We were very¡­close. We looked simr, of course, and we even knew everything about each other¡¯s way of speaking and preferences.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m going to do things this way.¡±


    As they listened to Jang-Wan¡¯s exnation, Crampus and Wisdom looked at each other for a moment.


    And then they agreed to Jang-Wan¡¯s n.


    ***


    Neb, Sung-Woon, was controlling things inside the game when he suddenly sensed someone¡¯s presence and turned around.


    There was a small figure wearing a lion mask.


    ¡°...Jang-Wan?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but my name isn¡¯t Jang-Wan.¡±


    Jang-Wan took off the lion mask. And when she did, there stood a girl who looked about two years younger than Sung-Woon, and she had simr eyes and ears as him.


    ¡°Oppa, it¡¯s me. Your little sister, Ji-Woo.¡±


    Sung-Woon looked back and forth between the system windows he had opened and the girl who introduced herself as Ji-Woo. And then he stared at her.


    ¡°...Ji-Woo? You¡¯re Choi Ji-Woo? How can you be here¡­¡±


    Jang-Wan, who identified herself as Ji-Woo, thought things were going as she nned. There was no need for a detailed exnation as she had made herself look like Ji-Woo in the past. And in the Lost World that had be reality, nothing was too strange to happen.


    There was also no need to make significant changes to her avatar since she already looked simr to Ji-Woo as rtives. She just had to make her hair longer to reach below her shoulders, make herself a little taller, and touch up her nose and chin.


    For Sung-Woon, it might have been more usible for his dead sister to appear in this world than his cousin.


    It was time for Jang-Wan to achieve her goal.


    She said, ¡°Oppa, can we talk for a bit?¡±


    Sung-Woon hesitated and then looked down.


    ¡°Well, that is, Ji-Woo. Wait, can you wait just for a bit? I¡¯m a little busy right now.¡±


    As if he was trying to recover the flow of gamey that had been interrupted by the short conversation they just had, he controlled his system windows a little faster than usual.


    Jang-Wan wanted to scream.


    <i>¡®What an asshole.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 141: Something More Important

    <h4>Chapter 141: Something More Important</h4>


    As soon as Sung-Woon saw Ji-Woo¡¯s face, he recalled what Ji-Woo had said before.


    ¡°Oppa, I¡¯ll put a curse on you.¡±


    ***


    Jang-Wan, who was acting as Sung-Woon¡¯s younger sister, collected herself.


    <i>¡®No. I already knew he was such a jerk. Calm down, Choi Seo-Yoon. The conversation hasn¡¯t even started yet.¡¯</i>


    And she was able to tell that Sung-Woon had been throwing nces at her from time to time while looking at his system windows.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s not ignoring me. He¡¯s just trying to ignore me.¡¯</i>


    Additionally, Jang-Wan knew of a way to make Sung-Woon stop.


    Jang-Wan used to talk a lot with Choi Ji-Woo, her older cousin and Sung-Woon¡¯s younger sister. Because Sung-Woon¡¯s parents had to work, and Sung-Woon was a pro gamer himself, Choi Seo-Yoon, who lived closeby, used to visit Choi Ji-Woo at the hospital after school. At first, she went because her rtives had asked her to, but then she thought that visiting Ji-Woo and chatting with her wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    The majority of their conversations were initiated by Jang-Wan, but some were started by Ji-Woo. Because Ji-Woo stayed in her ward every day, though, there wasn¡¯t really anything for her to talk about. Most of the things she talked about were thus centered around Sung-Woon. In Jang-Wan¡¯s perspective at the time, Sung-Woon actually seemed like a good older sibling. He would call his ill little sister everyday and even came to visit whenever he had the chance.


    Jang-Wan then remembered the words that Ji-Woo would half-jokingly and half-seriously say whenever Sung-Woon left.


    ¡°ying games again?¡±


    At those words, Sung-Woon¡¯s fingers slowed, and with a light wave of his hand, the system windows in front of him got pushed to the side and disappeared.


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°Right, sorry. I was thrown off a little bit. It was such an unexpected situation that I unconsciously tried to avoid it¡­ Choi Ji-Woo, what happened?¡±


    Jang-Wan felt relieved on the inside.


    She couldn¡¯t fight in the battle herself, so now she had no choice but to hope that Crampus and Wisdom would do their best.


    Jang-Wan replied, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure either. I thought I was dead, but when I opened my eyes, I was here. I asked the yer called AR because she was the closest to me, and she told me this was a game. I did my best to learn to y it and tried to get used to this somehow.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the lion mask?¡±


    ¡°I was just¡­looking for something to cover my face with.¡±


    ¡°Did you not know it was me? Neb was the ID I always used¡­¡±


    ¡°I did suspect it, but I wasn¡¯t certain.¡±


    ¡°Also¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jang-Wan awkwardly smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a little scary when you pry like that.¡±


    Sung-Woon paused for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°Just one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Why have you appeared now?¡±


    Jang-Wan got a sinking feeling in her chest. It was a sharp and keen question to ask his dead sister.


    <i>¡®I need to answer well. He was a jerk who yed games even until the moment his sister died.¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan asked, ¡°Is gaming¡­that important?¡±


    Sung-Woon froze.


    ¡°I¡¯m here because I was happy to see you again, because I just found out you were really you. There¡¯s no other reason than that. I just wanted to talk to you.¡±


    Jang-Wan believed she had made the right choice when Sung-Woon fell silent. Now she just had to buy time by making small talk or bringing up their memories.


    <i>¡®...And then what?¡¯</i>


    If this effort produced good results, Wisdom and Crampus would lead the game to their victory. However, the cost of that would be digging deep into Sung-Woon¡¯s wounds and causing him defeat. Jang-Wan wondered if her choice was too harsh.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not. I saw Ji-Woo cry. I saw that he didn¡¯t call her once when he wasn¡¯t even that busy. Isn¡¯t this a reasonable price to pay?¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan clenched her teeth beneath her smile. She just hoped that Sung-Woon would say something in response.


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk a bitter then.¡±


    ¡°...Oppa?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long. To be honest, I don¡¯t think I need to do anything else at this point, but just in case¡­¡±


    Jang-Wan became anxious when she realized how Sung-Woon saw the situation.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just talk to me?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something more important than that.¡±


    ¡°...Something more important?¡±


    Sung-Woon scratched his mask as if he was puzzled.


    ¡°...You don¡¯t remember?¡±


    This was unexpected. In Jang-Wan¡¯s perspective, it seemed that Sung-Woon didn¡¯t have much affection for Ji-Woo. And thus she never considered that the brother and sister would have had a secret conversation that she didn¡¯t know about.


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°No, I do remember. But there¡¯s no way that¡¯s more important than¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon nkly stared at Jang-Wan.


    ¡°Meeting¡­¡±


    His eyes were cold.


    ¡°...Me again.¡±


    Jang-Wan thought to herself, <i>¡®Does he think I¡¯m suspicious?¡¯</i>


    And she was right. No, it was more than that.


    ¡°yers can change their avatar at will in The Lost World. You must be someone who knows me, has met Ji-Woo, is confident in imitating the way she talks, and knows about our past. My friends would have to be excluded, and I don¡¯t know Ji-Woo¡¯s friends very well. I haven¡¯t seen them many times, so they should be excluded as well. And the adults at home were also pretty indifferent, so they should be excluded too. And someone imitating Ji-Woo to approach me must harbor some kind of ill feelings toward me or Ji-Woo. Ji-Woo was a good kid, though, and she had no enemies. On the other hand, there should be about three people who have a grudge against me. Among them, there¡¯s only one person that fits all the other criteria mentioned before.¡±


    ¡°...<i>Oppa</i>?¡±


    Sung-Woon reopened his system window and said, ¡°Yes, I guess I was an <i>oppa?</i>to you too, <i>Choi Seo-Yoon</i>.¡±


    Jang-Wan bit her lip.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not over yet.¡¯</i>


    Jang-Wan then said, ¡°Answer me.¡±


    Sung-Woon looked up from his screen.


    ¡°What promise did I make?¡±


    ***


    With her big surgerying up, Ji-Woo said, ¡°It¡¯s painful for me to see you not being able to do what you want to do because of me.¡±


    Sung-Woon said that wasn¡¯t true. He had thought that he had provided enough reasons to exin his position, but Ji-Woo disagreed.


    ¡°How often do you worry about me that it has be so easy for you to say those words?¡±


    Sung-Woon kept denying it, but even he himself knew that it sounded like a poor excuse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, <i>oppa</i>. I¡¯ll put a curse on you.¡±


    ¡°...What do you mean?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about me when you¡¯re ying games. Focus on the game. You¡¯re good at it, so you¡¯ll win as long as you aren¡¯t distracted by something trivial.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not something trivial.¡±


    ¡°Anyway.¡± Ji-Woo said, ¡°From now on, if you lose and you use me as an excuse, I¡¯m going to curse you even after I die, alright? Forget about mepletely when you¡¯re gaming and win, Choi Sung-Woon. Don¡¯t ever lose. Ever.¡±


    ***


    Sung-Woon said to Jang-Wan, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a reason for me to tell you.¡±


    If she were really his younger sister, she wouldn¡¯t have ever disturbed him while he was ying a game.


    The day Ji-Woo died, Sung-Woon had lost his game. He failed to fulfill his promise to his younger sister <i>and?</i>lost hisst chance to talk to her. And after she died, the curse she gave him really held him back. Sung-Woon got demoted after multiple defeats, and then he left his team.


    It was pure coincidence that he got into The Lost World, and the only reason he kept ying was because it was in apletely different genre than the game he used to y. And his talent for ying games hadn¡¯t gone anywhere, so he was good at The Lost World too.


    After getting back into the game, Sung-Woon recalled what Jang-Wan had said while disguising as his younger sister.


    <i>¡®Talking to her is more important than gaming?¡¯</i>


    At first, Jang-Wan¡¯s imitation of his sister was so urate that he wasn¡¯t sure either, but she messed up the most important part.


    <i>¡®The real Ji-Woo would have never said something like that.¡¯</i>


    That was what Sung-Woon thought. Perhaps even if Ji-Woo had really said such a thing to him, he still wouldn¡¯t have believed it was her.


    When it seemed like Jang-Wan was going to shout something, unable to give up, someone ced a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    Jang-Wan turned around to see Wisdom and Crampus standing there.


    ¡°Why are you guys¡­? Oh, don¡¯t tell me what I¡¯m thinking is right.¡±


    Jang-Wan looked at Wisdom with a bit of hope.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, Jang-Wan,¡± Wisdom said. ¡°We lost.¡±


    ***


    ¡°We have upied the hignd!¡±


    ¡°Good work. Everyone must be tired, but we need to set up camp right away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let the generals know.¡±


    As his adjutant Su-Heon left, Vasen Lak Orazen looked around him. Everything would have been impossible without Night Sky¡¯s miracle, but his younger brother and his king, Kyle Lak Orazen, had offered great help as well.


    Kyle was an exceptional tactician, so he had advised Vasen about what to look out for, as well as a specific area to pay attention to when Vasen was going to attack the Asien Fortress. The fact that ck Scale¡¯s army was able to sessfully upy the hignd they were at suggested that all of Kyle¡¯s advice was useful.


    Unfortunately, the war wasn¡¯t over yet. The nearby Asbestos army was running away from the hignd, but ck Scale¡¯s army no longer had the strength to chase after them. And Asbestos¡¯s army would surelye back after regrouping. The victory was thus far from perfect, but nothing could be done about that.


    As a reconnaissance soldier came up to him, Vasen asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    The soldier couldn¡¯t hide his joyful expression and replied, ¡°Red Fruit¡¯s army is approaching from the east.¡±


    ¡°Are they here already?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    They had arrived earlier than Vasen expected. In many cases, this kind of favorable condition was intended by gods.


    Vasen estimated the amount of Asbestos troops there were between ck Scale¡¯s army and Red Fruit¡¯s army.


    <i>¡®Ultimately, Red Fruit¡¯s army would win, but Asbestos¡¯s army will put up a strong resistance. All of their defense troops will be concentrated on the east front though, where Red Fruit¡¯s army is approaching. And even a slight disruption to their rear end will significantly help Red Fruit.¡¯?</i>


    Vasen said, ¡°Prepare those among the cavalry who are still good to go. We¡¯re going to help Red Fruit¡¯s army.¡±


    ***


    Sratis¡¯s w prated deep into Ostro¡¯s chest.


    The giant gori tried to take it out, but Sratis forcefully pushed it further in. Unfitting for its appearance, Ostro then staggered backward, grabbed onto the stone structures within the Asien fortress, and fell backward. The w got pulled out then, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a good development for Ostro. Its giant heart pumped blood throughout its 40-meter-tall body through its sturdy blood vessels, and both had been severely torn by the attack. The next moment, as the heart squeezed itself, blood gushed out through the torn vessels, muscles, and ribs, sttering over Sratis¡¯s head and scattering like mist in the air before falling in droplets like rain.


    Sratis looked at the three arms that had been broken off and were now lying on the ground. Even though the pain meant nothing and it could quickly regenerate its arms with Night Sky¡¯s powers, it was still angry.


    <i>-How dare you¡­! Do you know who it was that created my body?</i>


    Sratis then swung itsst remaining arm down at Ostro. Every time it hit Ostro, blood, flesh, and bones flew above the Asien Fortress and fell back down. And it rained blood.


    ***


    Lakrak heard the small snake in his hand screaming.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    <i>-Let go of me! My name is Ool!</i>


    The snake continuously wriggled.


    ¡°Ool?¡±


    <i>-Yes! I am the creation of Binding God and Overflowing God!</i>


    ¡°Then you are my enemy.¡±


    <i>-No, you can¡¯t!</i>


    Lakrak tore off the snake¡¯s head and chewed on it.


    <i>¡®It tastes bad.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak spat out the snake¡¯s head and threw its lifeless body away.


    The apostle, Redin BR Oser, calcted correctly. The power of order building up in Lakrak¡¯s arm had left a big wound. As if hit by a bomb, scales had been torn off of his right arm, and blood dripped down. Lakrak groaned in pain and btedly tried to deal with the wound, but as the pain continued, he decided to simply ignore it.


    <i>¡®It¡¯ll heal one way or another, so there¡¯s no need to touch it.¡¯</i>


    And Redin was right in another way. Even until the end, Lakrak wasn¡¯t able to escape the phnx that Redin and the Holy Knights following him had made. Lakrak had a feeling that if he forced himself out of the phnx, he would get severely injured, so he had no choice but to keep fighting from the inside. However, Lakrak had made a different calction.


    <i>¡®At the end of the day, the enemy¡¯s greatest asset is the apostle and the knights. If I were to deal with them, victory would be ours.¡¯</i>


    So Lakrak did so. He endured the pain and didn¡¯t run away from the enemy. And he won.


    Lakrak looked down and said, ¡°Binding God¡¯s apostle, Redin. I see why you were so confident. You were an outstanding warrior.¡±


    Lakrak nodded with a look of relief.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I had such an intense fight after bing an apostle. Rest in peace.¡±


    Lakrak pulled out the spear which had pierced through Redin BR Oser¡¯s mouth, esophagus, and heart. Redin coughed up blood, but it was simply the blood remaining in his heart. Redin was already dead.


    As blood dripped down Lakrak¡¯s face and covered his left eye, he lightly brushed it off. And then he made his way through the piles of dead knights scattered everywhere, leaving barely any space to step on actual ground, and trudged to his mount, Anakse. As Lakrak approached, Anaske, who had been eating the dead knights, shrieked with joy.


    <i>Quuueeeck!</i>


    Lakrak got onto Anakse¡¯s back with practiced ease.


    And when he looked around, the tide of war had already been turned.

 Chapter 142: A True Alliance

    <h4>Chapter 142: A True Alliance</h4>


    Sung-Woon came to the same conclusion.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯</i>


    ck Scale¡¯s army had captured the hignds. Even if Asbestos¡¯s army finished regrouping and came back, ck Scale¡¯s army would have already set up camp on the hignds, so it wouldn¡¯t be an easy fight for Asbestos.


    Sung-Woon¡¯s destroyer, Sratis, had defeated Wisdom¡¯s destroyer, Ostro. The mantis-like destroyer had been critically wounded to achieve its victory, but it was definitely a monster that no normal army could go up against.


    Apostle Lakrak had also defeated apostle Redin BR Oser and his knights. Although Redin put up his best fight, Lakrak killed each knight one by one through what he had learned and practiced to this day and eventually reached his goal.


    Jang-Wan turned to Wisdom as if she couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°How¡­?¡±


    Wisdom didn¡¯t reply for a moment, seemingly bemused. And then he turned to Sung-Woon.


    ¡°How did we lose? Honestly, I¡¯d like to know that. How did we get defeated?¡±


    Sung-Woon continued to control a few things on his system window.


    He told his priests on the battlefield to not lower their guard and hinted to the revtion priests in Orazen about their victory, which would eventually reach the king of ck Scale, Kyle Lak Orazen. Kyle would then quickly hold a meeting on what they would do after the war with the noblemen and then dominate the continent ordingly.


    Then Sung-Woon gave Sratis a few words of encouragement while wondering what kind of message he should give Lakrak.


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°It is easy to exin, but you probably won¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, Neb.¡±


    There was a hint of resignation in Wisdom¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll agree, but I don¡¯t really think there¡¯s a big difference between you and me in terms of knowledge on game strategy and tactics. This game doesn¡¯t even have any particr physical factors, and I yed in a way that I could manipte individuals as I intended. So¡­¡±


    ¡°So because I didn¡¯t y the same way and hence wasn¡¯t able to control individuals as I wished, you should have won, not me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Wisdom.


    Sung-Woon exined, ¡°First of all, I want to say that there definitely are physical factors at y, but that isn¡¯t the important part right now, so let¡¯s move on from that.¡±


    ¡°...Sure.¡±


    ¡°And second of all, manipting individuals as you intended is an outdated meta among the top yers.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­it?¡±


    Sung-Woon exined, ¡°From my observations, I noticed that you, Jang-Wan, and Lunda had constructed simr religious systems.¡±


    The Lost World was a game where yers assumed the roles of gods, so the religious systems and doctrines established were very important. The religious systems were designed in a way that a yer''s Afterlife and the Small Areas they had would be intertwined with the elements of nature andndscape of the regions where they were active, thus making everything interconnected. And these religious systems were pretty much the yer¡¯s overall strategy.


    ¡°Your style was known as Manual y because it didn¡¯t allow things to progress naturally, but rather you direct the progress as you want. It was also called Initiative because the yer could progress the game ording to their will. When the strategy first came out, it was a powerful meta, and even after other metas emerged, it still wasn¡¯t considered bad, but neither could it be considered the best.¡±


    Wisdom then said with a voice with no confidence, ¡°In a game where nothing goes as a yer wishes¡­wouldn¡¯t it be better if the game progressed ording to our will?¡±


    ¡°It would be better than the game progressingpletely automatically, but there¡¯s a fatal weakness to Manual y.¡±


    ¡°A weakness?¡±


    Sung-Woon answered, ¡°It¡¯s that you can <i>only</i> y as you intend.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a weakness?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Manual y is based on the assumption that situations will be better when the yer intervenes rather than letting the game progress naturally. But that¡¯s not always the case. There are times where the yer would make a wrong choice, while an individual would make the right one.¡±


    For example, overseeing a battlefield andmanding a war was one of the times that could happen. New yers would usually look down at the battlefield from above, so they think they had a good understanding of the advantageous positions andmand their troops ordingly. However, from the perspective of the soldiers actually fighting in the war, they might notice the numerous obstacles they would have to ovee to reach those positions. Therefore, there was a possibility that it would be better to save energy by avoiding making difficult movements even if that meant being in a less favorable location, as that could lead to a better oue in future battles.


    ¡°And above all, yers don¡¯t have the ability to control absolutely everything. If they get into a situation where they have to multitask too much, they won¡¯t be able to make detailed or precisemands, and in those cases, they tend to make poor decisions.¡±


    Sung-Woon judged that Wisdom must have had a lot on his te. The most urgent task that the alliance had to deal with was Red Fruit¡¯s army. They already had Lakrak surrounded, and ck Scale¡¯s army, who had a smaller army, could be locked in the fortress and slowly killed. Therefore, while dealing with Red Fruit¡¯s 40,000 troops, they paid less attention to Ostro and Redin, and these two made their own judgments to not run away, but instead followed the previousmand they got from their god to kill their opponents. If rather than following themand, they had listened to their instincts and run away when they felt like they were in danger, the current situation wouldn¡¯t have been so bad.


    ¡°If you believe that your ns are always better and try to control the uncontroble things, problems will arise.¡±


    Wisdom replied, ¡°Then what should I have done?¡±


    ¡°Thetest meta is simple. Instead of trying to control individuals, let them follow the yer and leave them be to allow for their potential to unfold on their own. That way, if you happen to shift your focus elsewhere, the individuals that need to be protected won¡¯t die, and you would still be able to make detailed interventions in important situations.


    Wisdom nodded in understanding.


    Wisdom now understood why Sung-Woon had used the Wizards. Wizards were powerful but dangerous cards for a yer to have as they had their own fundamental tendencies, which prevented yers from manipting them as they wished. However, if the Wizards were simply left alone rather than being taken by a yer, they would remain as a power that no one could im, and thus they would be a weight to bnce the overall gamey. And this weight could be used differentlyter on depending on a yer¡¯s choices and influence.


    <i>¡®Handling a Wizard in a small kingdom versus handling one in a unified empire are two different things. Does he see keeping them as leaving possibilities open rather than having a risky wildcard?¡¯</i>


    Wisdom then said, ¡°I¡¯ve learned something new¡­ I surrender, Neb.¡±


    Sung-Woon lightly nodded.


    ¡°Great.¡±


    And then he looked at the other two yers.


    <i>¡®He said ¡®I.¡¯ Wisdom has easily epted everything, but what about those two?¡¯</i>


    Crampus then said, ¡°Since Wisdom asked a question, can I ask one too?¡±


    "Sure."


    If he could get Crampus to surrender by answering a question, there was no reason to refuse.


    ¡°Even aplex question?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°If our situations were reversed, would you surrender?¡±


    Sung-Woon crossed his arms and thought about it.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°I would judge that there¡¯s still a chance.¡±


    ¡°...Exin.¡±


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°First, there¡¯s no telling how Wisdom would move after he surrendered. Redin, who was his apostle as well as a king, has died, which will bring great disorder to the country. And even if Asbestos gets into order again, or Wisdom says he¡¯ll actively support me as an ally, there will be a limit to how much support he could offer. Additionally, the other countries, Golden Eye and Danyum, can¡¯t even be considered your enemies because it¡¯s the Wizards that are leading them, not ck Scale.¡±


    ¡°Is there more?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°Of course there is. Jang-Wan has suffered little damage from the war, and her troops are just as they were. She¡¯s also very far from ck Scale, so she would be able to buy some time before ck Scale and Red Fruit deploy expeditionary forces to attack. During that time, she could formte a few more strategies. And so, I would think it¡¯s too early to give up.¡±


    Crampus smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I was nning to ask for reasons to surrender and get persuaded, but what you said puts me in a difficult position.¡±


    ¡°But of course, you and I are different.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I woulde up with such a strategy, but you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Crampusughed instead of getting angry.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re actually¡­¡±


    ¡°But if I am to persuade you into surrendering, I do have more I can say.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Sung-Woon raised three fingers.


    ¡°Even if my n this time is to fail, I still have three more cards that I haven¡¯t yed yet. First is the Wizard, Mazdari.¡±


    ¡°The Wizard¡­¡±


    Crampus nodded as if that was enough of an exnation.


    ¡°What about the other two?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the first one enough? The other two are of course secrets. I¡¯ll tell youter if you surrender.¡±


    Crampus replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll surrender.¡±


    Then everyone looked at Jang-Wan.


    Jang-Wan asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to tell you that you¡¯re the only one left to make the decision.¡±


    ¡°Do you wish for me to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness or something?¡±


    Sung-Woon wanted to tell her to not get ahead of herself, but there was something to point out first.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you to do so with that face.¡±


    Jang-Wan flushed red. She then took out her lion mask from behind her and put it on her head.


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I¡¯ll fix my appearanceter.¡±


    Sung-Woon let out a sigh.


    ¡°Is there a need to do so? Didn¡¯t you want me to get hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t im that the disguise was only a part of your strategy, can you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­also right.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s no need to change your avatar since you would surprise me every time you show up with that face.¡±


    Jang-Wan shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Jang-Wan¡¯s voice slightly shook.


    ¡°To be honest, I never thought you would notice because I believed you were a terrible brother who didn¡¯t even care about his sister. But it seems that I misjudged you. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re a good person, but I can say that you¡¯re not as bad as I thought. I¡­made a mistake. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    <i>¡®I am though,¡¯ </i>Sung-Woon thought to himself. He was a terrible person, and Jang-Wan might not have beenpletely wrong.


    After all, Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t very upset about that kind of strategy. Given the opportunity, he would have done the same thing.


    <i>¡®Rather, it¡¯s Wisdom¡¯s mistake that he didn¡¯t use this card earlier when he had the chance.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought it was better not to mention that part and instead addressed what had been bothering him.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to apologize, you should apologize to Ji-Woo, not me.¡±


    Jang-Wan raised her lowered head and looked at Sung-Woon with wide eyes.


    ¡°No. I know her well. She would forgive me.¡±


    ¡°...What¡¯s with all that confidence?¡±


    ¡°This I won¡¯t concede. Ever.¡±


    ¡°Wait. What? What rtionship did you have with Ji-Woo?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you.¡±


    Sung-Woon was going to ask again when Crampus suddenly came up to themughing.


    ¡°Okay, so everyone is surrendering, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t surren¡­¡±


    Wisdom spoke up too and said, ¡°Good. Then Neb, it¡¯s time to make a choice. Are you going to destroy us all and turn us into figures? Or are you going to make a true alliance with us rather than a loose one?¡±


    Sung-Woon thought to himself, <i>¡®So that¡¯s what he has been ultimately aiming for.¡¯</i>


    From the beginning, Wisdom had kept in mind the scenario in which the alliance lost.


    <i>¡®It takes a lot of unnecessary time and resources for one country to unify arge continent.¡¯</i>


    Of course, there were games where that did happen. It would happen when one country gained supremacy over the other countries on the continent in the beginning of the game.


    However, in cases like this, where forces at simr levels were growing on the continent, the option of a true alliance would be taken into consideration. Essentially, it meant an alliance that was supported by the game system itself rather than a loose alliance that was temporarily made. The true alliance could take many forms, and the decision was usually made by the yer with the upper hand.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Sung-Woon had already decided on the form of alliance.


    ¡°It¡¯s now time to build a pantheon.¡±

 Chapter 143: Pantheon

    <h4>Chapter 143: Pantheon</h4>


    Shune Lak Orazen, the younger brother of Vasen, the general of ck Scale, and older brother of Kyle, the king of ck Scale, suddenly opened his eyes and noticed something.


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t Orazen.¡¯</i>


    He saw a green grasnd.


    Although there was a vast delta at the mouth of Orazen¡¯s river, it wasn¡¯t so vast that it reached beyond the horizon. On this seemingly endless grasnd, he saw Lizardmen sleeping here and there under the warm sunlight.


    <i>¡®Endless green grass, warm sunlight, a gentle breeze¡­ and even Lizardmen who are sound asleep as if they¡¯re having happy dreams¡­¡¯</i>


    Shune pped.


    ¡°Oh my, this is the Prairie of Beginnings.¡±


    The Prairie of Beginnings referred to the afterlife the religious order of Night Sky knew of.


    Shune stared at the ce that he had only ever pictured based on the descriptions of scriptures and the words of the priests, and then his mood turned gloomy.


    ¡°Oh no. Does this mean I¡¯m dead?¡±


    Then he dropped onto the ground.


    ¡°...Why¡­why did I die?¡±


    His memories right beforeing here were vague. He remembered hearing that the revtion priests had received news of ck Scale¡¯s victory, and people were rushing about inside ck Scale¡¯s pce to prepare for what woulde after the war.


    ¡°Is¡­is it because of the wine? Was I the only one who died when everyone else was enjoying the festival?¡±


    As a matter of fact, Shune had no reason to find that unfair because he had been drinking at the festival celebrating victory until a few moments ago.


    Shune muttered to himself, ¡°My goodness, I¡¯ve gone through so many hardships as a priest in training even though I¡¯m part of the royal family, and I was looking forward to bing an official priest and live freely by traveling the country, meeting other local priests, and receiving meals from them. But here I am, dead.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you should be setting an example if you¡¯re a priest.¡±


    Shune turned to the source of the voice. At first, he wondered who the speaker was because the sun wasing from behind the Lizardman, and he had never actually met the Lizardman before. But he had seen that face, and he eventually put two and two together.


    ¡°...Apostle Lakrak?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shune got down on his knees and was about to bow down to Lakrak, but Lakrak quickly put his hand on Shune¡¯s forehead to tilt his head back up. Unable to bow down, Shune struggled to regain his bnce and get to his feet.


    ¡°Forget about earthly etiquettes.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? But even if this is the Prairie of Beginnings, you are at a higher position than I am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to forget about it because I¡¯m bothered by it.¡±


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    Shune lowered his head for a moment. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m dead, ain¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°No, you aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t this the Prairie of Beginnings?¡±


    ¡°It was until recently. It still is in a way, but it can be considered not that.¡±


    Lakrak had given a vague response, so Shune just stood there, expecting Lakrak to give an exnation. However, Lakrak simply waved Anakse over and got onto its back before reaching down to Shune.


    ¡°You havee here for a special duty.¡±


    ¡°A¡­special duty? But there are lots of priests at a higher rank than me. Why would I¡­?¡±


    Lakrak seemed to find the question unexpected and thought for a moment. And then he shook his head,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But there must be a reason as Night Sky has chosen you personally. Anyway, you¡¯ll return once your duty is done, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lakrak added, ¡°As long as you follow the rules of thisnd.¡±


    Shune wanted to ask what kind of rules Lakrak was talking about, but Lakrak was already pulling Shune up by the wrist, and Shune found himself suddenly riding on Anakse¡¯s back as if he had been thrown there.


    Shune then thought to himself, <i>¡®Well, I¡¯m already here¡­so I guess things will work out somehow.¡¯</i>


    Shune was an optimistic person.


    ***


    Lakrak and Shune rode on Anakse across the prairie.


    Shune asked various questions, and Lakrak casually answered them as if there was nothing to hide.


    <i>¡®Hm, if I really do get to go back, I should be able to boast about this experience and earn myself lots of free meat and wine.¡¯</i>


    A rampart appeared in front of Shune, who was full of anticipation.


    ¡°Oh, is that rampart by any chance¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the Rampart of Origin.¡±


    There weren¡¯t only Lizardmen on the Prairie of Beginnings. It was a ce all arrived at as long as they believed in Night Sky. Therefore, there were also some species who didn¡¯t feelfortable in arge area like the prairie; the Rampart of Origin was like a shelter for those species.


    ¡°Are we going to go inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Our destination is somewhere very far away, so we must go through this wall.¡±


    ¡°Go <i>through?</i>it?¡±


    When the question left Shune¡¯s mouth, he realized that there wasn¡¯t anything that could be called an entrance along the wall.


    Anakse then spread the wings that weren¡¯t even half the size of its body and pped them as it jumped over the rampart.


    <i>Quueeek!</i>


    Anakse stretched out its neck as if it was proudly showing off its flying.


    ¡°Well flown, Anakse.¡±


    Lakrak lightly stroked Anakse¡¯s neck.


    Shune thought to himself, <i>¡®Didn¡¯t it just jump with the strength of its legs?¡¯</i>


    Then Shune observed the inside of the walls.


    ¡°Oh my goodness.¡±


    Inside, there were countless people bustling around and living their lives. A Lizardman with a pipe in his mouth strode along, and a Halfling rode on a donkey on the opposite side. Steam filled the streets as an Orc, who was the owner of a noodle shop, opened up a pot and served a generous portion to a Dwarf and a Troll. Past them, a Goblin and Elf chatted while walking, and at the pottery shop next door, a Nix wasining about something to an Astacidea, who owned the shop. The whole block was filled with even more people going about their daily lives.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories, but I¡¯ve never seen a more crowded city than Orazen.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll continue to be that way.¡±


    Lakrak rode Anakse over the wall, and of course there was no one there guarding it. The wall only existed to divide the daily living areas.


    ¡°But why do they continue to act like living people even after they die? What¡¯s the meaning of eating or arguing like that?¡±


    Lizardmen who faithfully believed in Night Sky didn¡¯t picture the afterlife as this. While there were personal beliefs, it wasmon for them to dream of running through the prairies after death.


    Lakrak replied, ¡°Shune, what do you think people are made of?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s sudden for a profound religious question.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess it can be embarrassing. I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡±


    The two of them seemed to have forgotten that they were an apostle and priest of the same religion.


    ¡°I¡¯ll still try to answer. Simply put, people are made of a body and a soul.¡±


    Lakrak frowned as if he was trying to think of something to say.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. People are made up of blood, flesh, and bones, but they are also made up of a soul. What do you think a soul is?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m not sure. Umm, don¡¯t I exist here as a soul?¡± asked Shune.


    ¡°Hm, simply speaking, just as the body can be divided into blood, flesh, and bones, a soul can also be divided. Memories of myself are part of my soul, so are rtionships with other people and the habits I had developed throughout my lifetime.¡±


    Shune understood what Lakrak was saying. He had seen people lose their families in war and in turn their sanity, as well as people who had to give up their lifelong pursuit as a cksmith after losing their hand in the war.


    Lakrak then said, ¡°Lizardmen aren¡¯t alone in imagining what would happen to them after they die. However, there are some who do not. And some continue to live the same way as if they were still alive.¡±


    ¡°Is it because they don¡¯t want to lose themselves?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Or it might be because they don¡¯t know how to lose themselves.¡±


    ¡°Do they¡­have to?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said. But if they don¡¯t, then they live forever.¡±


    Shune was going to ask more questions, but refrained from doing so.


    The afterlife didn¡¯t appear too different from what Shune already knew of. If Shune remembered correctly, he had heard that those who live inside the Rampart of Origin sometimes passed through the walls that no one guarded and went out into the prairie. On the other hand, he had also heard that those who ran through the prairies as well as those who continued to sleep on the prairie sometimes entered the rampart.


    In the temple of Night Sky, there had been asional chit-chat about the afterlife of those who weren¡¯t historically significant or noteworthy.


    After running across the top of the rampart for a while, Anakse jumped off the wall and continued to run through the prairie. And the horizon began to change.


    ¡°...This seems different from the Prairie of Beginnings that I know of.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Shune pointed at the horizon. The right side of the horizon was obstructed by dense forests, which differed from the clusters of trees on the Prairie of the Beginnings that could be considered as forests, but weren¡¯t abundant enough or dense enough to cover the horizon. And beyond the left side of the horizon, rugged mountain terrain soared high into the air. Even the thought of going up the path from the prairie to the gray cliffs was dizzying because of the steep slope.


    ¡°Ah, the right side is thend where those who believe in Bountiful Harvest God go after they die, and the left side is where those who believe in the Limitless God go. The forest I understand, but I¡¯m not sure why some would like that kind of destend either.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shune was surprised. ¡°All thends of the afterlife are connected?¡±


    ¡°No, not necessarily. Night Sky decided to make it so not long before I met you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Even Night Sky shouldn¡¯t have that kind of authority over all the gods¡­¡±


    Lakrak replied, ¡°It became possible.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean that Night Sky has risen above all the other gods on the continent.¡±


    Shune¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Night Sky¡­has be the king of the gods?¡±


    ***


    <i>¡®King of the gods?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was indeed sitting on a throne-like chair. It was a beautiful chair decorated with gold, and the parts that touched his waist and hips were covered in red velvet. The table in front of him was a long rectangr one rather than a round one, and Sung-Woon¡¯s seat was at the head of the table. From his seat, he could see five other yers sitting at the table. On the left were Crampus, Wisdom, and Jang-Wan, and on the right were Lunda and Eldar.


    The ceiling of where their meeting was taking ce was so high that it was barely visible, and from it hung a fewplex and bizarre looking chandeliers. The walls and floor were covered in white marble, which reflected the light from the chandeliers and resulted in res whenever one moved their head. It was a dazzling space.


    Lunda said, ¡°No, I told you. I didn¡¯t do it because I wanted to. I was threatened by Neb.¡±


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. You were going to betray Crampus from the start, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Eldar then said, ¡°Hey, everyone¡­I¡¯m sorry, but why don¡¯t we forget about it since it¡¯s all in the past¡­¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°I think it¡¯s an interesting assumption. Jang-Wan, go on.¡±


    This was the recently improvised Pantheon.


    <i>¡®More like¡­the leader of the gods.¡¯</i>


    The pantheon was one of the religious systems supported by The Lost World, where multiple yers participated together. However, such a pantheon was always apanied by difficulties. The interests of multiple yers were intertwined together, and in the case where there were differences in their faith systems, exnations had to be given to each god¡¯s followers.


    The yers coulde together for the sake of winning the game, but they couldn¡¯t simply exin that to those who believed in them. They had to teach them why alliances were formed, what rtionships they had, what role they each yed, and how the followers should hold their belief from now on. And before deciding on those teachings, the yers would have to first narrow down the interests they shared, which was why they had to have gatherings like this.


    <i>¡®But I forgot that I had to do it myself.¡¯</i>


    As Sung-Woon checked on Lakrak and Shune, uninterested in the argument taking ce, Crampus turned to Sung-Woon and spoke up.


    ¡°Why are you not paying attention and instead are doing something else when it¡¯s getting chaotic already?¡±


    Sung-Woon was going to make excuses, but in the end, he opted to quietly close his system window.


    ¡°...Good. So where were we?¡±

 Chapter 144: Messenger of the Gods

    <h4>Chapter 144: Messenger of the Gods</h4>


    ¡°What do you think about creating hell?¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°In my opinion, I think everyone takes the Afterlife too lightly. If we change one of the worlds into hell, the others would be more faithful.¡±


    Lunda said, ¡°Then what roles would the other worlds y?¡±


    Wisdom replied, ¡°A slightly less terrible hell than the original one. It would be for those who haven¡¯tmitted bad enough sins to fall into the first hell but still deserved punishment.¡±


    ¡°What about the next world?¡±


    "A slightly less terrible version of the second hell?"


    "...So, they''re all going to be hells?"


    Wisdom shrugged.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter since the real world is what directly affects the Lost World, not the afterlife, right?¡±


    Eldar raised their hand.


    ¡°Then how about the same approach, but making it heaven?¡±


    ¡°Eldar, people are fundamentally more responsive to punishment than reward. And while everyone shares an aversion to suffering, what they enjoy differ. Just because it¡¯s heaven, not everyone will like baby angels ying trumpets and choirs singing praises to the gods.¡±


    ¡°Well then¡­since we have six avable worlds we could use right away, why don¡¯t we tailor them to each desire?¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°Pursuit for wealth, desire for honor, appetite, desire to sleep, lust¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Since you mentioned the seven deadly sins, I was going to say that wouldn¡¯t be much different from hell.¡±


    Crampus then said, ¡°If we go with Eldar¡¯s suggestion, wouldn¡¯t that not be much different than hell either?¡±


    Lunda then said to Eldar, ¡°You said lust, so you take that one.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Lowering his system window, Sung-Woon said, ¡°All the priests havee, so are we going to do as we discussed earlier?¡±


    ¡°Neb, I¡¯m curious about your opinion on a reward and punishment system.¡±


    Hearing Wisdom¡¯s question, Sung-Woon seemed to think for a moment.


    ¡°Hell itself doesn¡¯t seem so bad, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Sung-Woon had effectively used the concept of hell in The Lost World before.


    Afterlifes like the current one Sung-Woon had, Prairies of the Beginnings, didn¡¯t need much management. It could be left alone, and it wouldn¡¯t cause much trouble to even allow the legendary figures to be in charge of the other dead. However, because not much happened, there were also little benefits.


    <i>¡®Of course, there are other things on the Prairie of Beginnings.¡¯</i>


    The ce where the star catcher and his descendants were was a kind of scientific research institution within the Afterlife. And in addition to that, exceptional warriors like Yur and Tatar were still training the dead as warriors, which could have some influence on the warriors¡¯ descendents through dreams. But passing down knowledge to descendents through dreams consumed a significant amount of Faith points.


    <i>¡®Things would be different with the adoption of a concept like hell.¡¯</i>


    If people were to receive eternal punishment after they died, certain doctrines could be put into ce, which would be beneficial to the core gamey.


    If a specific religion was branded heresy or demonized, there would be dramatically less cases of people being influenced by or even converting to the religion. Additionally, it would also be possible to correct the habits of the followers by saying that they needed to wash their hands and keep their bodies clean, that they must not bezy and needed to be hardworking, or that they needed to keep their desires in check.


    Emphasizing cleanliness would reduce infection rates for diseases, which would in turn lower mortality rate. If a culture that rejectedziness was made, the overall development of society would be faster. And if restraint was agreed on as important by themunity, crime rates would drop.


    <i>¡®It is nice and simple, but¡­¡¯</i>


    .


    When things were enforced this way, naturally there were also side effects.


    Washing hands would be considered a religious ritual, and that would provide the grounds for a denomination or faction to rece it with a different action. If hardworking became important, people would be that much more desensitized to culture, art, and entertainment, so development rted to those things would slow down. And if desires were suppressed, the economy would decline.


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°Flexibility is important.¡±


    ¡°Flexibility?¡± Wisdom asked as if that was an unexpected term.


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°In a normal game, it would be good to have a clear goal at this point. Set a clear direction and develop civilization ordingly. That way, unless the remaining yers pull an extreme anti-meta strategy, we would be in a more advantageous position as we would have started developing first.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Sung-Woon continued, ¡°But the game we¡¯re ying now can¡¯t be considered the same as the game we knew before. Not only because this world is real, but also¡­¡±


    ¡°Evil gods exist.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°So we should leave ourselves open to different possibilities so that we can deal with various situations with ease. But to be honest, I¡¯m not even confident if the condition for victory is the same as before.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    The condition for victory in The Lost World was simple. It was to turn every other yer, except oneself and one¡¯s allies if there was any, into a vassal, or in other words, kill them. Since Divinity level followed the size of a yer¡¯s civilization, there wasn¡¯t a need to destroy the opponent''s entire civilization. Just by destroying the opponent¡¯s main apostles, creature creations, priests, and temples, the drop of XP would exceed the enemy¡¯s Divinity level.


    ¡°But among them, there is an additional hidden condition. Does anyone know what it is?¡±


    Sung-Woon looked around. Wisdom and Eldar seemed to know it, while the other yers looked puzzled.


    Wisdom then said, ¡°But the practicality of that is questionable, and even if it really is achieved, it would be meaningless¡­¡±


    Jang-Wan became impatient and asked, ¡°So what is that condition?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°An all-yer alliance.¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t that not possible in ranked games?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible. But some have done it.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Someone was curious, so they proposed the idea at the beginning of each game, and after getting rejected dozens of times, there was a game where everyone epted it. After they seeded in getting everyone to ept the proposal, the game ended the moment all the yers formed an alliance. But it wasn¡¯t very meaningful. They all got a victory message, but apparently it was treated as a defeat or a draw, so their rankings dropped.¡±


    Eldar then said, ¡°Oh, so if we can convince everyone this time as well¡­¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work because of an evil god that may or may not exist.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°Considering the worst-case scenario, the question is whether the game will end if we meet the victory conditions.¡±


    The other yers seemed lost in thoughts. It didn¡¯t really matter if the game didn¡¯t end because if they won, they would remain as gods. But even in that case, they would have to fight something forever, and if the threat of an evil god remained, that couldn¡¯t be considered a victory.


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s forget about this topic for now. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll find an answer if we keep thinking about it. Let¡¯s handle the urgent matters first, shall we? Eldar?¡±


    ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°It seems like there are no objections, so make preparations ording to what we¡¯ve discussed before. Almost all of the priests have gathered.¡±


    Jang-Wan slightly raised her head, but then she turned back without saying anything.


    And Eldar hesitated, but replied, ¡°Alright.¡±


    ***


    ¡°We¡¯re here now.¡±


    Lakrak took Shune Lak Orazen to what looked like the intersection of all afterlifes. There stood gray, sharply risen walls, and there were tall stairs leading into the architecture and a smooth iron door that connected the top of the stairs to the interior.


    Shune asked, ¡°Is this¡­where the gods reside?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit in? It seems that he hasn¡¯t been able to pay much attention to it because he¡¯s busy.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Well, I guess so¡­¡±


    Shune was admiring the walls so big that it seemed impossible for even the people of the entire world to build.


    Lakrak then tapped Shune on the shoulder.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be better to admire it next time. We seem to be thest ones, so let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    ¡°What? Next time?¡±


    Lakrak didn¡¯t give him an answer and instead urged Anaske to walk up the stairs. During their ascent, the iron door opened on its own.


    ¡°This is amazing. The giant iron door is opening by itself¡­¡±


    ¡°By itself?¡±


    At Lakrak¡¯s words, Shune looked behind the door. The chain connected to the iron door was wrapped around a beetle¡¯s horns, and the beetle was pulling it. And as if the iron door was too heavy for even this giant beetle that was more than 20 meters in length, the door opened slowly with its every step.


    Lakrak said, ¡°It¡¯s Hekab, the temporary gate keeper.¡±


    ¡°The majority of everything here is temporary. Nothing has been decided yet. And the gods have gathered here to make a decision.¡±


    Shune said, ¡°Will I get to meet the gods too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hekab then said, ¡°You are thest ones.¡±


    Lakrak simply nodded and walked past Hekab. And when Shune looked back, Hekab was pushing the door closed again with its giant front legs.


    Inside the door was dark and dim. As Lakrak walked between therge pirs, there was only a self-luminous firefly lighting the way a few meters ahead of them. Something big moved among the dark shadows, and it sometimes passed over their head as well.


    As Shune lowered his head in fear, Lakrak said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. These creations are made by the gods themselves, and they only gather here for now because it hasn¡¯t been decided where they will go yet.¡±


    ¡°Then is Night Sky¡¯s barricade also here?¡±


    ¡°It just walked over our heads.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The guardians of the other gods were wandering around trying to intimidate you. So Sratis chased them away.¡±


    Shune¡¯s facial expression returned to one of calmness.


    Then, Lakrak and Shune joined the clusters of light they could see from a distance. Six priests of different species wearing different clothes were all praying.


    <i>¡®What are they praying about?¡¯</i>


    Then a voice was heard.


    -You¡¯rete, Lakrak.


    It was a clear and pure voice that Shune had never heard before.


    Lakrak got off of Anakse and said, ¡°It just happened somehow.¡±


    Shune then followed suit and moved past the priests from behind to locate the owner of the voice. And he quickly realized why they were praying. At first nce, he saw an Elf with long hair, pointy ears, and a small body, which made it difficult to determine their gender. With Shune¡¯s seventh or eighth sense that he had never felt before, he immediately sensed that the being in front of him was special and significant. And when he saw the Elf¡¯s facial features, he found them beautiful even though he would never have felt that way as a Lizardman.


    Lakrak then stuttered and asked Lakrak, ¡°Over there¡­who is that¡­?


    ¡°It¡¯s the god of Zarin and the Elves, Dancing Shadow God.¡±


    It was Eldar. Eldar looked at Shune and slightly smiled, and that alone made Shune¡¯s heart race. Then Shune dropped onto the floor as if all his strength had left his body and prayed.


    Eldar said in front of the other priests.


    -Now that all seven priests have gathered, as the messenger and storyteller of the gods, I will tell you about the events that urred among the gods.

 Chapter 145: The Last World

    <h4>Chapter 145: The Last World</h4>


    ¡°No. Leave out the ¡®In the beginning¡­¡¯ part.¡±


    Lunda then shot back at Sung-Woon.


    ¡°But that¡¯s one of the basics when telling a myth, isn¡¯t it? ¡®In the beginning, there was chaos. The great god Night Sky existed, and as a hermaphrodite being, Night Sky produced other gods. Those gods were a little lesser than Night Sky.¡¯ So on and so forth.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mocking me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Sung-Woon decided to let the joke slide.


    ¡°That would be the case for a general myth.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not even trying to do something so grand¡­ Can¡¯t we just keep it simple?¡±


    .


    It was Eldar who spoke up this time.


    Clearing their throat, Eldar said, ¡°Well, I think what Neb means is that if we start with something like, ¡®In the beginning¡­there was something something,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t those who have lived here for a long time get confused? Their ancestors have lived in this world since a long time ago. If we suddenly talk about the beginning, they would question where the gods had gone if there were any at the start of time, and that would just make the story moreplicated¡­¡±


    Lunda blinked and then nodded.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. But Eldar.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you a writer?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Wisdom then answered the question instead.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first sharp observation you¡¯ve made, Lunda.¡±


    ¡°...The first?¡±


    ¡°Eldar had talked about the Deep Ones and the works of Lovecraft or whatnot before. And usually, people who read such things are enthusiasts or those who make a living out of them.¡±


    Eldar gave Wisdom a suspicious look.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know before, did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­ Anyway, we haven¡¯t shared much information about each other even after spending a long time together, so wouldn¡¯t it be okay to reveal our identities, at least just a part of it?¡±


    Until now, they had all been enemies, or they could have be enemies at any moment, but that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. Eldar frowned like they were considering it, and then she rxed and nodded.


    ¡°Alright, I can do that. That¡¯s right, I am a writer. But it¡¯s not the way you all are thinking.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°We can talk about the details next time.¡±


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°Right. Seeing that Choi Seo¡­no, Jang-Wan has participated in this game, there is the possibility of there being more personal connections between us, or even among the yers on the other continents. And in order to confirm that, we would have to somewhat reveal our personal information. Now is not that time. But we should make use of the facts that have already been revealed, right?¡±


    Eldar asked, ¡°What do you mean by making use of it?¡±


    ¡°Well, all the gods can¡¯t just gather in front of the priests and tell them every single detail. It wouldn¡¯t be impossible, but that would undermine the mystery that has shrouded us.¡±


    ¡°Then can¡¯t we just have a creation exin as initially nned¡­¡±


    ¡°That would undermine our authority. It¡¯s a chance for us to get the priests to understand and convince them. And having a creation from a certain god do it may be perceived as unfair.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s Night Sky¡¯s apostle?¡±


    ¡°Lakrak?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°No. Lakrak has actually yed the role of a destroyer until now. And he even killed another god. So everyone outside of the priest from ck Scale would feel overwhelmed, no, threatened by him.¡±


    Eldar lightly tapped on the table with their finger as if they were lost in thought.


    Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°Ultimately, I think it would be best for one of us to step forward and talk to them. The priests might ask questions, and that way, we could flexibly provide answers.¡±


    ¡°And that has to be me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has to be you.¡±


    ¡°In cases like this, don¡¯t people usually say, ¡®You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Should we go for a vote then?¡±


    Eldar looked around at the other yers. They were all busy avoiding eye contact as no one wanted to take the burden.


    With a sigh, Eldar said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡­ So, what is the first sentence again?¡±


    ***


    -I came from a ce that you all could notprehend.


    Eldar recalled the conversation they had had a few moments ago and began to tell the story.


    -From a ce that you all could notprehend, I looked upon yournd through indescribable ways. And I have also witnessed you losing your gods and straying away, as well as losing knowledge and culture and bing wane, so how could I not feel pity? I wanted to guide you all, but it wasn¡¯t easy because all the other gods thought the same.


    None of the yers, including Sung-Woon, had the ability to create a great myth that would influence all the people on thend, but they also didn¡¯t want to use the simple temte provided in the game The Lost World. While theycked the ability to make one up, that didn¡¯t mean they wanted to have a poorly made story. So Sung-Woon came up with a simple idea.


    <i>¡®Dramatizing real events that have happened.¡¯</i>


    The Lost World they had enjoyed was only a game, but that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. As the Lost World had be reality, all the matches they had yed until now had be practice for this moment.


    -Many gods entered yournd with different purposes in mind. And because everyone hid their thoughts, they became enemies, and there was no end to miserable events. Whenever there was a major failure, we reset everything that happened on thisnd to the beginning.


    When one match ended, the next match started anew. This was an obvious principle for the yers, but it sounded different to the priests sitting in front of Eldar.


    <i>¡®Does that mean the gods turned back time?¡¯</i>


    Shune Lak Orazen was surprised. He knew that gods were beings with great powers, but turning back time was a possibility he had never even entertained; it was a difficult concept to wrap one¡¯s mind around until the invention of clocks.


    Eldar continued.


    -And in the world that had started anew, we nned everything again. We chose who our followers would be, ruled over creations, led civilizations, and fought other gods as if we were stags charging into each other with our antlers. And we did so because that was the only way we could express ourselves. However, that world failed again. So we tried once more with the belief that someday, we would find a way to reach an agreement. Again and again, dozens, hundreds, thousands of times¡­no, even for an unimaginable number of times that you could neverprehend, we repeated this process.


    Shune became dazed. People felt overwhelmed when considering only all the years ahead of them, but here, the gods were saying that history was repeated even thousands of times.


    <i>¡®Can the gods turn back time forever?¡¯</i>


    Eldar heard Shune¡¯s voice.


    It was necessary for the storyteller to also respond to a listener¡¯s voice.


    -Not forever. Because our repeated battles have burdened your world. One of the gods hade to learn that fact with great difficulty, and we also learned that we only have one chance, just like everything withers away in the end. Therefore, with the utmost caution, we began thest salvation, hoping our wills would finally align¡­ And you all are that final world.


    Hearing that they were the final world, the priests¡¯ expressions turned solemn.


    Unfathomable beings had felt pity in these mortal beings and fought almost endlessly. However, they eventually faced the end.


    Shune was grateful that he existed as part of thest chance, and not the countless repetitions of history.


    -And so, conflict between the gods began again. Among these gods, Night Sky is at the top. He surpassed everything in this world, ruling over people beyond his initial intentions, and reached answers that he didn¡¯t even know¡­


    A Whisper Conversation window that only Eldar could see appeared to interrupt them.


    [Neb: That¡¯s a bit too much.]


    Eldar¡¯s acting was visible to the other yers too.


    And then another message immediately appeared.


    [Lunda: No. Keep going.]


    Eldar slightly smiled.


    Neb was soon going to be the leading god, so it didn¡¯t matter that Eldar went a little overboard when describing him.


    -No one could catch up to Night Sky. However, the other gods, who concealed their true intentions, stayed wary of Night Sky, so Night Sky had to fight alone. I too was like that, but looking back now, that was foolish of me because I btedly realized that Night Sky and I shared the same goal.


    At those words, the eyelids of the Elf priest from Zarin began to twitch.


    -Night Sky and I worried about whether the beings on thend would be used and enved by evil gods, and if they would be devoted for a more fearful and wicked purpose, so we hid our intentions to prevent being deceived by others. And that was Night Sky¡¯s will, so how could I dare go against that?


    The priests couldn''t answer, but Eldar knew that they agreed in their hearts.


    In Eldar¡¯s perspective, they were a much more receptive audiencepared to the other yers, who might not even be listening now.


    Eldar continued to talk about the events that had happened on the continent, the intentions of the gods, and the detailed process of misunderstandings and reconciliations.


    The overall throughline of the narration was that the gods had been fighting withoutmunicating with one another, and only after Night Sky achieved victory did they have conversations. And gods had been killed due to misunderstandings, as Night Sky didn¡¯t even get the chance to reveal his intentions.


    The overall story revolved around conflict and reconciliation, so it was natural for those who believed in Night Sky to be even more moved. As for those who didn¡¯t believe in Night Sky, it was a narration created to make them rethink what they thought of Night Sky.


    In the narration, Lakrak¡¯s name was brought up quite frequently, and during the retelling of how Lakrak became an apostle after making a great sacrifice against an evil god, Shune even shed some tears. At that sight, Lakrak, who was standing behind Shune, was rather embarrassed.


    Soon afterward, beyond the continuous conflicts between the gods, it was revealed that when all the countries came together to fight the pirates, it was actually to oppose a new evil god. Eldar also exined that the artillery technology that was derived from the knowledge of alchemists and non-believers was only a fraction of the knowledge that the gods possessed.


    It contradictedmon sense, but since Eldar said so, the priests simply nodded and believed it to be true. This was a key point Sung-Woon had told Eldar to make.


    <i>¡®He said that now that we¡¯re going to elerate the development of technology, we need to exin this kind of scientific knowledge as knowledge of the gods.¡¯</i>


    In the case of ck Scale, which followed Night Sky, there was little to no anti-intellectualism, but in order to strengthen the faith of the followers, other countries tended to hold some negative thoughts against technological advances.


    Until now, nothing could be done about that since the issue stemmed from each yer¡¯s build, but now, it was necessary for all of their builds to be somewhat unified.


    And there was another reason outside of scientific development. On the third continent, there was a gear that still wasn¡¯t turning smoothly, so it was necessary for Eldar to apply some lubricant.


    -Three Wizards have escaped from the Alchemist Tower and sought help from Night Sky. I will now reveal what kind of grace Night Sky has granted them and how those Wizards repaid that grace.

 Chapter 146: Return

    <h4>Chapter 146: Return</h4>


    The story about the Wizards that Eldar told was as followed:


    Alchemists weren¡¯t non-believers from the start. They were neglected because of their appearances and got cast out of theirmunities, and in order to ovee the dangers posed to them, they pursued knowledge with single-minded focus.


    However, regardless of these facts, Wisdom, known as the Binding God, was strict; he persecuted the alchemists and the Wizards because he believed that they were a threat. But Wizards wouldn¡¯t harm people with their power if those who believed in gods could understand them.


    Unlike the stories told before, the priests seemed to have a harder time epting this one. There were some like Shune, who simply nodded because Eldar said so, but the priest of the Binding God seemed unwilling to believe that their god had made a mistake. And so the priest wanted to ask a question, but wondered if they could dare do so in front of a god.


    Eldar then pointed at that priest.


    -Speak your mind.


    The Troll priest said, ¡°Oh, great Dancing Shadow God¡­even if they have inherent goodness in them, their knowledge stems from ancient evil. Could we risk that?¡±


    ***


    A little while ago, in the pantheon¡¯s meeting room, Wisdom had said regarding the direction they were going to take with magic, ¡°You¡¯re going to leave the Wizards be?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°Yes. You guys were going to use the Wizards too. Is there a problem?¡±


    Then Crampus stepped in and said, ¡°The situation is different from then.¡±


    ¡°Exin in detail.¡±


    ¡°That was right before the war started, and we needed a powerful weapon.¡±


    ¡°What were you nning to do after the war?¡±


    ¡°It would be greedy of us to keep something that no one can control.¡±


    Sung-Woon looked at Wisdom.


    ¡°Do you think the same way?¡±


    Wisdom replied, ¡°Not only me, but AR probably also thought the same.¡±


    ¡°Hm, strictly speaking, I¡¯ve never used a Wizard as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°...Well, I suppose so. But you don¡¯t think it¡¯s okay just because you didn¡¯t use them as a weapon, do you?¡±


    Wisdom added, ¡°I don¡¯t consider the way you¡¯ve been using the Wizards until now a problem itself. It was a good idea to use Wizards in areas a yer can¡¯t pay attention to. And it¡¯s also amazing that you actually seeded in carrying out that idea. But when you¡¯ve gotten enough value out of something, you should know to throw it away.¡±


    Sung-Woon asked, ¡°Not because you have other intentions?¡±


    ¡°Other intentions?¡±


    Sung-Woon erged his system window and showed a map to everyone.


    Currently, New Danyum had already copsed, and the Wizard, Yan, had taken over Danyum, while Golden Eye, as expected, was under the influence of the Wizard, Ty.


    ¡°Crampus needs to take his country back, and you, Wisdom, want to take over Golden Eye, thend AR used to rule over. Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re saying that I need to get rid of the Wizards?¡±


    Wisdom stayed silent, but Crampus didn¡¯t look pleased.


    Jang-Wan interjected, ¡°No. I also think it¡¯s a good idea to deal with the Wizards. And no one cares about Golden Eye. At this point, ruling over arger area isn¡¯t really important on the third continent, right?¡±


    Crampus then said, ¡°Wait, it¡¯s not unimportant. You can say that because you have a solid force, but I don¡¯t.¡±


    Even though they were allies, it was inevitable for there to be a difference in how much say they had depending on the forces they possessed. That was how it was in the game version of The Lost World, and it was the same or even more so now.


    Jang-Wan stayed silent, like she understood Crampus¡¯s point. And Sung-Woon nodded, saying that he agreed.


    ¡°But in my opinion, we could be at a disadvantageter on without magic.¡±


    .


    ¡°Howe?¡± asked Jang-Wan.


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Because we started out on the third continent.¡±


    In the Lost World, the locations of species or things like ancient ruins constantly changed. However, the terrain itself hardly ever changed, which meant that the amount of resources hidden underground was predetermined for each continent.


    ¡°The third continent has the least amount of resources among the three continents, and the most important one, petroleum, is scarce. In order to develop natural gas, we need to increase our scientific technology level.¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°But we¡¯re not at the stage of civilization yet where we need to worry about that. I do think we will need to soon though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying we need to worry about it now. I¡¯m saying we need to get to a more advantageous position than the others.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting we go with a magical civilization?¡±


    There was certainly such a build. It allowed unlimited magic to be used while minimizing a yer''s interference. And in this case, Wizards would gain power close to or evenparable to a nation¡¯s king, which allowed them to have strong influence.


    As Wizards became aristocratic, the ss difference would increase. But aside from that, powerful magic could push a civilization further in war and diplomacy than what other civilizations could achieve through technology.


    However, this build was only prevalent in the early days and soon fell out of favor after yers like Wisdom began to adopt builds that would best it.


    When Wizards started to believe that they didn''t need any gods, they burned down temples and killed priests, and gods at rtively low Divinity levels couldn''t resist their attack, or even if they won, they would ultimately be defeated in battles against other yers.


    Sung-Woon seemed to ponder for a moment and then said, ¡°It might be something like that.¡±


    ¡°Something like that? Then I oppose it.¡±


    ¡°But it might also bepletely different.¡±


    Jang-Wan teasingly said, ¡°Which is it?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Just hear me out. In my opinion, I think this method will work because I¡¯ve used a simr build before, and it did well.¡±


    The other yers exchanged nces.


    In the end, Sung-Woon was their leader, so the only way to change his opinion was through conversation. Although they were allies and it was Sung-Woon¡¯s role to implement their conclusions, from the system¡¯s standpoint, Sung-Woon was allowed to make any decision he wanted. But the fact that he didn¡¯t do so and instead asked the others for their opinions made it a familiar democratic process for the others.


    Wisdom then said, ¡°Neb, why don¡¯t you exin in more detail?¡±


    ***


    Eldar recalled Sung-Woon¡¯s exnation, which had convinced everyone in the end.


    -Don¡¯t be surprised and listen, priests of the Binding God and all other priests. This is a secret even among the gods.


    Eldar took a short but deep breath.


    -Originally, Night Sky was a god that had existed in thisnd long ago, way before us new gods came, before you pitiful beings lost your civilization and wandered thend. It was when the ancient ruins that had be nothing but deep scars on the ground used to shine. And someday, when you will eventually reach the splendid intellectual century again, Night Sky will have been by your side.


    At those words, the priest of the Binding God as well as all the other gods had to hide their surprise.


    -Yes. Night Sky had left you, but came back.


    All the priests looked at Eldar with various questions in their minds, but Eldar waved and quieted them.


    -I will not reveal why Night Sky had left you and returned right now. You have already learned a great divine secret, so you will no longer be able to bear the burden of learning any more mysteries of the gods.


    When the priests showed signs of disappointment, Eldar smiled slightly.


    -But there is something more important. Now you know that Night Sky is a god who has returned. Does that make Night Sky one of the ancient evils?


    Eldar voiced the unspoken questions the priests had in their minds.


    -Yes, it could be seen that way. However, not all ancient evils were exactly as you think. Your mortal lives are fraught with misunderstandings and mistakes, so you will have to reflect on knowledge you have never seen or heard about until now over and over again. Instead of believing what others say, you need to make your own judgment based on what you have seen and heard.


    Eldar was only repeating the dogmatic words that they had read somewhere in the past, but perhaps because they were saying it from a god¡¯s perspective, it also made them reflect on themself.


    To avoid getting too emotional, Eldar pointed at the priests in front of them and raised their voice a little.


    -Priests, especially the priest of Night Sky, will know that Night Sky is not an evil god. Among those known as ancient evils, there were some who fought the real evil alongside Night Sky, and there is no magic in a Wizard¡¯s repertoire that Night Sky did not create. This means that magic is not just knowledge¡­


    Eldar pointed to the right because they felt that by this point, they needed someone to help with the performance. And as they did, a spark appeared in the air with a <i>pzzt</i>, and a stingray emerged from a photosphere. It was the spirit of demoing magic, Pzzt.


    As the priests eximed, Eldar continued their speech.


    -Here is a spirit of demonic magic that used to serve an ancient evil. Let it be the witness of my words. Answer ording to the will of god. Is everything I have said true?


    With half-lidded eyes, Pzzt looked at Lakrak. And Lakrak nodded as if telling it to hurry and answer.


    Lying was easy for this spirit of demonic magic.


    <i>-Yes, it is true. The reason I share my powers with the priests of Night Sky is because Night Sky is my master from long ago.?</i>


    As Eldar nodded, Pzzt rolled in the air like it was bowing and then disappeared.


    Then Eldar said to the priest of the Binding God in a reprimanding tone, ¡°Do you understand now? Night Sky did not reveal this secret until now in case his priests got confused, but now, Night Sky has proimed that he will not tolerate the suffering of those who possess his knowledge and use that knowledge to fight. Therefore, you shall not look down on Wizards simply because of the existence of ancient evil.¡±


    The other priests bowed again in agreement with Eldar.


    This had been Sung-Woon¡¯s idea. Sung-Woon had used a simr method after Lakrak influenced Pzzt in the past and sessfully convinced the priests and followers of Night Sky to understand Electric Demonic Magic. This time, he was doing something simr.


    If there was resistance against magic because it derived from the evil gods, it would be enough to state that it wasn¡¯t true. Of course, there would need to be a suitable narrative and evidence to support it, but fortunately, they already had the right groundwork. And at this point, there was no one who would argue that it wasn¡¯t true.


    <i>¡®If the continent hadn¡¯t been unified, then some might im that I was lying, but that¡¯s not the case now.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon thought to himself.


    <i>¡®Then what had been previously impossible in the game, something beyond sharing demonic magic with the priests, should be possible¡­ Huh?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon, who was sitting in the conference room, checked the window that popped up in front of him.


    [You have acquired ¡®Unique Domain: Magic¡¯.]

 Chapter 147: Unique Domain

    <h4>Chapter 147: Unique Domain</h4>


    In The Lost World, many Domains were shared. For example, numerous Domains and Small Areas were likely possessed by multiple yers. Small Areas such as Small Area: Livestock or Small Area: Crops were essentialponents for civilization development. Even when a yer didn¡¯t make the choice, one of the Small Areas would be naturally chosen in ordance to the species the yer had picked, and as civilization developed, the Small Areas would inevitably reach the minimum level.


    And this wasn¡¯t much different for Species Domains either. Even if a yer chose Humans as their first species, there was no problem for other yers to make the same choice. Therefore, it was difficult to say that a specific Domain a yer had was a unique characteristic of that yer.


    <i>¡®Though there are Domains that are rarer.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon had ess to Electricity from Domain: Demonic Magic, and he believed he was the only one that currently had it. This Domain was certainly a useful one, and Sung-Woon was making good use of it.


    He also possessed less rare Domains like Domain: Grass and Domain: Flower, but he had only obtained them by chance, and the same was true of the other yers. yers rarely tried to obtain the Domains on purpose.


    Ultimately, no matter which Small Areas and Species Domains a yer had, which were the key features that determined a yer¡¯s overall abilities, no Areas were exclusive to certain yers¡ªnot even Large Areas that granted more abilities and capabilities than Small Areas. Therefore, it could be said that the distinct characteristics of a yer was generally decided by the level of the Small Areas or Species Domains they had, which depended on the yer¡¯s overall strategy.


    <i>¡®Of course¡­there are some exceptions.¡¯</i>


    The exceptions Sung-Woon thought of were Unique Domains.


    The most well-known Unique Domain that Sung-Woon knew of in The Lost World was Unique Domain: War. It was a Domain directly rted to what one could achieve in wars, so it was natural for the yers to want it the most. Given it was the most powerful Domain, obtaining it had a 80 percent chance of putting the yer within the top 3.


    There were many other powerful Unique Domains that were distinct whenpared to other Domains. While general Domains determined the basic abilities of a god, Unique Domains revealed what kind of god they were. But the problem was that the conditions for obtaining these kinds of Domains were unclear.


    Even the most popr Unique Domain: War wasn¡¯t something a yer could obtain just because they wanted to, and the conclusion drawn by yers of The Lost World was that each Unique Domain came with several conditions, which were randomly chosen for each game. The conditions to obtain Unique Domain: War was of course rted to gamey concerning war, but in The Lost World, pretty much everyone was engaging in such acts, so it was hard to determine what the exact conditions were.


    The conditions of a few popr Unique Domains had been inferred, but at the end of the day, it was difficult to try to fulfill the conditions during each match, and doing so could even hinder a yer¡¯s possibility to win the game.


    Sung-Woon also thought it was unreasonable to attempt to go through the several conditions assigned randomly for each Unique Domain, so he had pretty much given up on obtaining Unique Domain: War. Not only Sung-Woon, but most yers understood that it was better for their win rate to only make a few attempts to obtain a Unique Domain and quickly give up if those attempts failed.


    And perhaps due to these distinct characteristics of Unique Domains, there were also rare Unique Domains that were obtained only once in a blue moon. For example, there was a Unique Domain called Unique Domain: Disease. In the history of The Lost World¡¯s yermunity, Unique Domain: Disease had only ever appeared ten times; all the conditions were unknown, and seven out of the ten yers who obtained it won the game. Initially, opinions divided on whether this Domain actually existed, or if it was just the result of a hack or bug.


    <i>¡®Well, it would be best to obtain Unique Domain: Disease¡­¡¯</i>


    There were quite a few trivial Unique Domains that made one question why they even existed. The Unique Domain Sung-Woon had already obtained, Unique Domain: Corpse, was one of them. He had obtained this Unique Domain by killing the evil god, Jeol Woo-Bi, and although the Domain¡¯s level continued to rise because individuals who believed in Sung-Woon continued to die, that was it. It had brought no other significant benefit. But in Sung-Woon¡¯s perspective, the magical Unique Domain he obtained this time was different from those.


    <i>¡®Magic, huh¡­ I¡¯ve never seen this Domain, just like Domain: Corpse. It¡¯s likely that it didn¡¯t even exist before in this game, but what¡¯s important is the fact that I obtained it.¡¯</i>


    Even Sung-Woon couldn¡¯t quite grasp what conditions he had met, but he had certainly met some conditions, which led to his acquisition of the Domain.


    Regardless of the heated debate going on between the other yers about the form of the pantheon, Sung-Woon proceeded to check the Domain. In the case of Unique Domain: Corpse, it still only disyed a message that said, [No skills currently avable.] It would be disappointing if that was the case for Unique Domain: Magic.


    [Unique Domain: Magic]


    [Lv. 1]


    [Origin of Magic]


    [You can use all existing magic. However, the resources consumed when using magic are proportional to Faith points. (See more.)]


    [There is one additional skill. (Swipe to check.)]


    When Sung-Woon was about to check the next skill, Lunda asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Sung-Woon closed the system window for now.


    ¡°I had to check something. Did you guys say anything important?¡±


    ¡°We were discussing how to make the dining room and the kitchen,¡±


    ¡°Dining room and kitchen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, the dining room¡­is it a done deal that we¡¯re making it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sung-Woon decided to move on from his own thoughts of why they needed a dining room when they didn¡¯t even need to eat.


    Generally, in The Lost World, the interior of a pantheon wasn¡¯t very important, and the cost of renovation wasn¡¯t much either. On the other hand, in cases where a proper pantheon was to be made rather than a temporary one, it would be better to decide on the interior properly since it would be a residence to the yers.


    Sung-Woon then pointed at Lunda and said, ¡°Lunda.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I give you all the authority for making the dining room and kitchen. Do what you want.¡±


    For some reason, Lunda and Crampus, who had beenining, began to get angry at Sung-Woon, but he just told Lunda to discuss with the others and turned back to his system window.


    There was still a skill he hadn¡¯t checked.


    <i>¡®...Is it simr to the other Domains?¡¯</i>


    Most Domains were obtained at level 1, and they came with creation abilities that were rted to the Domain. Domain: Atmosphere could make air, Domain: Electricity created lightning, and Domain: Insects created insects. For moreplex concepts such as Domain: War, it could be understood that it created war. When using such a skill in peaceful regions, conflict would arise rtively quickly in proportion to the amount of Faith points used, and that conflict would escte into war. Therefore, it seemed reasonable for Domain: Magic to create magic.


    <i>¡®But even if a god could use magic¡­¡¯</i>


    The creation abilities Sung-Woon gained through the many Small Areas he had obtained were in fact not much different from magic. But of course, magic would have more nuanced effects, and there were parts that Small Areas couldn¡¯t imitate. Being able to use magic wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing.


    <i>¡®Above all, I would be able to lure the Wizards.¡¯</i>


    The false origin story Sung-Woon had started wasn¡¯t known to the Wizards yet. However, if he showed them that he could use magic, they might interpret the story in a certain way and be convinced.


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s check the next skill, shall we?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon swiped the air and checked the next skill.


    <i>¡®Well, I did somewhat expect this, but¡­¡¯</i>


    [?§ì?Ô¹? ess Privilege]


    [?????? ?????œ®??Óɧê? ??????.]


    Sung-Woon furrowed his eyebrows.


    <i>¡®Corrupted text. It¡¯s the same as the evil gods.¡¯</i>


    A Unique Domain that hadn¡¯t existed before, and corrupted text that appears upon obtaining it. This power called ¡®Magic¡¯ was said to be rted to ancient evil, so Sung-Woon had somewhat predicted what he would see.


    <i>¡®But what does ¡®ess privilege¡¯ mean¡­ I wonder what it is for.¡¯</i>


    It was something that was still unknown.


    <i>¡®...It¡¯s just a level 1 skill. I¡¯ll have to wait and see whether other skills would appear as the level of the Unique Domain increases in the future.¡¯</i>


    But Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t able to focus on this matter for long. Not because of the debate about the dining room in the pantheon, but because Eldar¡¯s story wasing to an end.


    It was now time to prepare for the unfolding of a new act.


    ***


    After Eldar¡¯s story about the three Wizards ended, the story about war between the gods followed. To be exact, it was a story about the fight between the Binding God, who feared self-destruction because mortals were unintelligent and foolish, and Night Sky, who knew of the mortals¡¯ weakness, but believed in the inherent strength in them.


    Eldar exined and convinced the priests about the actions of the Binding God and the other gods, and that in the end, Night Sky was proven right, which was why Night Sky was able to achieve victory. However, the story wasn¡¯t presented in a way that Night Sky¡¯s victory would lead him to taking over everything because in this story, all the gods, except for the evil gods, shared the same goal of taking care of the mortals. Without being able to understand each other¡¯s intentions, it unfortunately led to unavoidable conflict and sacrifices, but at the end of the story, misunderstandings were resolved, and they were able to set foot on the path of reconciliation.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t the story¡­too dogmatic?¡¯</i>


    Eldar was a bit worried, but seeing the priests burst into tears, Er thought such concerns were unnecessary. Above all, it was also true that this kind of story would be afort as the priests of the other gods would have be anxious after hearing about Night Sky¡¯s victory. However, there seemed to be one priest that was dissatisfied.


    ¡°Oh Dancing Shadow God, it is truly a moving story.¡±


    -But it seems that it did not satisfy you.


    ¡°Yes. I cannot be satisfied.¡±


    The priest stood up, and all the other priests looked at her.


    It was a Nix from Golden Eye. The priest had been a believer of Concealed Text God, previously known as Unseen Origins God, but now, she couldn¡¯t really be called a priest anymore because the god she had believed in had disappeared.


    ¡°If you''re saying that the war that caused thousands of soldiers to die was nothing more than a misunderstanding, and married women who lost their husbands and had tobor to fill their stomachs was just a mistake, I can ept that. Even if that¡¯s truly inevitable pain, however, there is one thing I cannot understand. Why did our god alone have to disappear when all the other gods remain?¡±


    Even though she wasn¡¯t confronting the god they believed in, the other priests were concerned that the Nix was being too disrespectful. At the same time, however, they couldn¡¯t build up the courage to stop the priest of Concealed Text God, so they simply watched her in silence.


    Eldar replied.


    -Of course. You have a right to be angry. Continue to be angry if you think it is unjust.


    Perhaps because Eldar¡¯s words were said in a gentle way, the rage on the Nix priest¡¯s face subsided somewhat.


    Eldar then continued to say.


    -And that is an urate point. We called you all to thisnd not to simply tell you a story. Us gods know of the empty seat in the pantheon. Nevertheless, just as a person¡¯s hands are required to grow crops, along with the sun¡¯s warmth, rain, andnd in nature, we also need the will of mortals in order to resolve theplicated causality between the gods and mortals.


    ¡°Does that mean¡­¡±


    -Yes.


    Eldar nodded.


    -We are going to resurrect Concealed Text God.

 Chapter 148: For Hardship

    <h4>Chapter 148: For Hardship</h4>


    A Gnoll with white fur entered Orazen¡¯s pce.


    The Gnoll was old, but there were traces on his body showing that he had been a warrior in the past. There was a deep scar above his left eye, a sheath naturally hanging by his side, and he maintained a well-built physique.


    Behind this old Gnoll were younger Gnolls who followed his orders.


    A left minister then came running toward this Gnoll and said, ¡°Duke Fashian, I apologize, but you cannot enter with a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Even though it took me tens of days to get here, and I came with not even a handful of escorts?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I guess I have no choice but to take it off. Though I¡¯m not sure if someone who calls themself an emperor should be afraid of an old Gnoll like me.¡±


    The left minister didn¡¯t know how to reply and had a sour expression on his face.


    Fashian unfastened the sheath around his waist and handed it to the left minister with a smirk.


    ¡°I have every reason to be afraid.¡±


    Fashian turned around when the voice came from a distance. And before anything else, those stationed at the pce recognized the voice and bowed. The one who had just spoken was Kyle Lakrak Orazen, the emperor of the ck Scale Empire.


    Fahian looked at Kyle.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s young.¡¯</i>


    Because of all the years he had lived through, Fashian could easily guess the ages of other species.


    <i>¡®The scales around his eyes still glisten, and the bumps on his tail haven¡¯t hardened yet. He¡¯s over fifteen years old, but not over twenty. Is this young Lizardman the ruler who unified the whole continent?¡¯</i>


    Even in Danly, which was far away from ck Scale, it was widely known that ck Scale was a powerful country. There were even rumors saying that if a continental war was to happen, ck Scale was most likely to win. But the fact that such a young Lizardman was the one who made all thise true was surprising.


    ¡°I heard that you were an undefeatedmander-in-chief in a long war across the sea¡­ So how could a coward like me, who sacrifices his own citizens in war and gives his brother the role of amander, thus making him always covered in the stench of blood, bepared to you?¡±


    Fashian, of course, couldn¡¯t just agree with that.


    Even though the empire had just been established, and there was no knowing what would happen going forward due to the chaos brought about by the Wizards, Fashian¡¯s territory in the eastern continent still wasn''t enough to go up against the empire.


    <i>¡®What if Danly and ck Scale are to go to war? That might be a fair fight. However, my country is too far, and ck Scale is too close.¡¯</i>


    Fashian bowed and said, ¡°Your Majesty is protected by Night Sky and has wisdom that reaches the skies, so there must be no need for Your Majesty to get up from the throne. I spoke carelessly when Your Majesty was simply concerned about this Gnoll, who is dull and has only swung a sword his whole life. Please forgive me.¡±


    Hailed from a humble bloodline, Fashian had climbed up to the position of a duke due to his valor in war, but his silver tongue showed that he hadn¡¯t gotten to where he was through swordsmanship alone.


    Kyle said, ¡°No need to ask for forgiveness. I¡¯ll see youter at the banquet, Duke Fashian.¡±


    As Kyle passed by, Fashian raised his head back up.


    <i>¡®He isn¡¯t as easy as I thought.¡¯</i>


    Originally, Fashian hade all the way to Orazen to attend Kyle¡¯s coronation ceremony. However, because it was such a long journey, he was dyed by weather and other idents and thus missed the coronation. For that, Kyle extended the duration of the ceremony out of consideration for Fashian. And as a result, many royals, nobles, and other notable figures were staying at Orazen¡¯s pce.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s important to attend the banquet to suss out ck Scale¡¯s intentions, but there¡¯s something else that¡¯s equally important.¡¯</i>


    Fashian followed the left minister to the room they would be staying in for the duration of the banquet.


    <i>¡®I need to gather information about the Southern Continent.¡¯</i>


    Initially, Danly started off on the continent where ck Scale was located, but after a long-distance move known as the Great Traverse, Danly was currently on the western continent.


    Fashian¡¯s hometown was on the continent where ck Scale was, but he had spent most of his life in the western continent because of the recognition he had earned. Therefore, when Fashian was sent back to thisnd, he had believed at first that his king no longer needed him; even though the small remainingnd of Danly on the third continent was stillparable to other countries, the people of Danly only thought of it as a trace left in the Great Traverse. Additionally, if Fashian were to return to his homnd, he would most likely be perceived as demoted or banished. But that wasn¡¯t the case.


    It was revealed that a new continent existed beneath ck Scale, known as the Southern Continent. And moreover, it was known that there were hardly any powerful nations dominating the Southern Continent.


    <i>¡®The size ofnd determines national power.¡¯</i>


    Until now, Danly had had nothing to be concerned about even though ck Scale was a powerful country. Apart from the fact that ck Scale was far away, in Danly¡¯s perspective, ck Scale wasn¡¯t a threat that they had to pay much attention to. However, ck Scale showed their hidden potential and took over the continent in an instant. If ck Scale wanted to, they would easily be able to swallow Danly¡¯s remainingnd on the continent as well, but perhaps because they didn¡¯t want expansion, they hadn¡¯t made any move for war yet.


    <i>¡®The fight would take ce somewhere else.¡¯</i>


    Fashian believed the fight would take ce on the Southern Continent. And it wouldn¡¯t be arge-scale war.


    <i>¡®Instead, it will be a fight of who ims morend.¡¯</i>


    Danly was far, so Fashian nned to move shrewdly to find out stories that couldn¡¯t be learned in Danly.


    ***


    ¡°The fourth continent is an emptynd?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded at Lunda¡¯s question.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    An emptynd. In The Lost World, this didn¡¯t mean that it was actually and that was empty. Strictly speaking, it was hard to findnd that waspletely unupied in The Lost World. From the North Pole to the South Pole, as long as there were drynds, there would be people, and that could be the case because the Human species could adapt to different terrains. So in The Lost World, an emptynd referred to a region that no yer had upied yet.


    ¡°But Sha-Cha exists. And you even traded with them. Doesn¡¯t that mean their civilization has developed to a high enough level?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you something surprising.¡±


    ¡°Something...surprising?¡±


    ¡°Sha-Cha¡¯s main species are Deep Ones.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Deep One¡¯s are fish.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°And they even live in the sea.¡±


    Frogmen were able to live in water, and once their civilization levels advanced, they would build underwater cities. However, that was only in freshwater. They did have some resistance against seawater, but living in water with high salinity would cause them pain, so the majority of Frogmen¡¯s range of activity was limited tokes and rivers.


    Sung-Woon exined, ¡°Deep Ones are the opposite of Frogmen. They are fine in high salinity water, but they avoid freshwater. Of course, they don¡¯t immediately die if they go into freshwater, but their skin can¡¯t resist drying up as well as Frogmen.¡±


    Wisdom nodded at Sung-Woon¡¯s words.


    ¡°So the central area might bepletely empty. How big is Sha-Cha¡¯s territory?¡±


    ¡°The country of the Deep Ones is quiterge. They dominate most of the coastal areas that I have checked so far, and it also seems that they have a city under the sea. However, in terms of poptionposition, Deep Ones are the major species, and the other species are pretty much treated as ves. Most of Yaboon¡¯s Pirates were also Deep Ones.¡±


    Crampus nodded.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying we should go to the fourth continent.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s also an opportunity to revive AR.¡±


    .


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Sung-Woon took out the vassal statue of AR1026 from his inventory and ced it on the conference room table.


    ¡°Regarding the strategic value in the game of reviving AR1026¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon looked around the conference room and noticed the eyes of Jang-Wan¡¯s lion mask were wide open and staring straight at him.


    ¡°...I won¡¯t say anything about it. There¡¯s nothing even to say about it. The more gods in the pantheon, the more advantageous it¡¯ll be as we can take on different roles. Everyone knows that, right?¡±


    There were many other reasons as well. It was necessary for them to find out whether AR1026 would be okay after being released. Someone other than AR1026 might be a vassal during this game. If some changes to the game had made it impossible for them to release someone from their statue, turning someone into a vassal would have entirely different implications.


    <i>¡®ording to the original rules, she hasn¡¯t really died, so it should be fine. And we¡¯ve been following the rules until now. There¡¯s no reason for things to suddenly change.¡¯</i>


    Eldar then said, ¡°So then¡­is AR the only one?¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head and took out two more vassal statues. It was the vassal statues of Lim Chun-Sik and Solongos.


    ¡°They did get eliminated quite early on in the game, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re ipetent.¡±


    Lunda asked, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they have ill feelings toward you?¡±


    ¡°What if they do? They won¡¯t have any toward you guys, and they won¡¯t cause us any harm for the sake of the alliance. Or at least for their own sake.¡±


    And there was another reason.


    If there were any connections between the other yers, just like the rtionship between Sung-Woon and his younger cousin, it was necessary to meet as many yers as possible and check.


    <i>¡®And who would dislike being revived again?¡¯</i>


    A special ritual was required to release a vassal, which was called ¡®Hardship¡¯ within the game system. The Hardship could be set by the yer, but it wasn¡¯t the yer who would perform it themself; instead, it had to be carried out by individuals who had received revtions from the yer.


    The difficulty of the Hardship depended on values as measured in the game. For example, picking a medicinal herb on a small hill would only give less than ten points, sacrificing someone as an offering would give 300, and killing a giant monster, which would require the cooperation of lots of people, would give around 1000 points. Therefore, by going to an untrodden continent and oveing the trial of killing monsters they had never seen and discovering treasures, they could earn quite a lot of points.


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked ces where ancient ruins might exist. If something is found, that should earn us enough points to revive AR. And if we don¡¯t have enough, we can postpone reviving the other two yers.¡±


    Jang-Wan then said, ¡°So ultimately, it¡¯s not only for AR. This is just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just?¡±


    ¡°Imperialism, or colonization, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    This was amon urrence in The Lost World. As battles between continents intensified, the level of civilization of each continent would differ. And if that difference became big, there were cases where advanced civilizations would colonize others.


    <i>¡®Of course, subjugating anothernd isn¡¯t easy when it isn¡¯t empty, and another yer is there¡­¡¯</i>


    Anyhow, the Southern Continent was currently an emptynd. At least it should be ording to what had been confirmed so far.


    <i>¡®If we could expand our territory before starting a war of nerves against the first or second continent, that would be perfect.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon then said, ¡°Well, you don¡¯t intend to criticize it, do you?¡±


    Jang-Wan hesitated before answering, ¡°...No.¡±


    Sung-Woon shrugged and replied, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Wouldn¡¯t AR be pleased to know that we¡¯re at an advantage in the game when shees back?¡±


    Jang-Wan sighed, but couldn¡¯t help but agree.

 Chapter 149: Ships Overturn

    <h4>Chapter 149: Ships Overturn</h4>


    At Maganen, the southeastern end of ck Scale, an Elf was talking to a warehouse worker.


    The Elf¡¯s dark red clothes were embroidered with gold threads, but she didn¡¯t seem like any other wealthy merchant. To prevent her clothes from pping around in the sea breeze while not restricting the movement of her arms and legs, her sleeves and the hems of her pants were sealed and tied with strings. She seemed to be a sailor.


    The Elf was squinting, which gave the impression that she was smiling, but her eyes were deep ck, making it difficult to tell what she was really thinking on the inside.


    The warehouse worker was angry andined to the Elf, but they soon calmed down and bowed when the conversation was over.


    As the conversation came to an end, a Lizardman approached the Elf and asked, ¡°Are you busy?¡±


    Her long and pointy ears twitching, the Elf looked at Vasen Lak Orazen.


    ¡°Prince Vasen¡­no, Team Leader?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Captain Theone Itimo.¡±


    ¡°Captain?¡± Theone said with a big smile. ¡°I¡¯ve be the owner of a small fleet thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°Then should I call you Fleet Leader?¡±


    ¡°But I am also the captain, so you can just call me that.¡±


    After finishing her conversation with the crew member, Theone went to a nearby noodle shop with Vasen Lak Orazen and talked about what had happened until now. During the continental war, when Vasenmanded the army as a general, Theone had diligently transported war supplies. And when the war ended, Theone received payment from the pce and became rich because of it.


    ¡°I even joined The Fifth Waterwheel.¡±


    ¡°The Fifth Waterwheel? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t know?¡±


    As Vasen nodded, Theone covered her mouth.


    ¡°Then you didn¡¯t hear anything¡­¡±


    ¡°What, I can¡¯t know about it?¡±


    ¡°I naturally assumed you would know since you¡¯re a prince¡­ I just made another slip of the tongue¡­¡±


    Vasen smiled.


    ¡°If even mentioning it makes you feel troubled, why don¡¯t you just tell me about it? I don¡¯t know what it is, but I¡¯ll keep it a secret.¡±


    Theone seemed to think for a moment, and she then nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing big. It¡¯s just a secret merchant union.¡±


    ¡°A secret merchant union? Not just any other merchant union?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a union founded by Hwee-Kyung,posed of famous merchants in Automation in the past.¡±


    ¡°Is it like a legend among merchants?¡±


    "Well...something like that. The interesting part is that it''s not a legend. I thought it was as well until I got an offer.¡±


    Vasen thought about asking what benefits there were to joining the union, what the secret merchant union aimed to do, as well as the identity of those who had joined under such strict conditions. However, it seemed to Vasen that Theone didn''t want to answer, so he didn¡¯t ask. He wasn¡¯t that curious anyway.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve joined such an impressive union, then congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. By the way, was it you who decided on the trip to the Southern Continent?¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    ¡°Yes. The original n was to go to the eastern mountains, but things have changed a lot, haven¡¯t they? It¡¯s also what His Majesty wanted, and I heard that the gods of the pantheon wanted that too.¡±


    The term ¡®pantheon¡¯ still seemed unfamiliar to Theone. Stories about the gods were the trending topic after the war. The stories told to the chosen priests by Dancing Shadow God, the god of the Elves of Zarin and the messenger of the gods, had been made into a book and circted throughout the continent. Soon after, the stories could be seen performed on the streets, and everyone in civilized regions of the continent knew it as ¡®Dawn of the Pantheon.¡¯ Theone, who had spent a long time traveling the seas, btedly learned about the stories, and so she was still getting used to them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the performance too. They were performing it out there in the square just yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re the same performance group, but I used to watch it everyday in Orazen. Once I even saw someone ying my role, and they weren¡¯t a Lizardman. It was a Dwarf wearing a mask instead.¡±


    ¡°But there should have been plenty of Lizardmen in Orazen.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the Dwarf was the best actor and thus took on multiple roles. It was fun though.¡±


    ¡°Actually, in the performance I saw yesterday, a Troll was ying your role.¡±


    ¡°...Interesting.¡±


    Theone said, ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re going to carry out the story of Dawn of the Pantheon in real life now, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Dancing Shadow God had said that they needed to travel to the distant Southern Continent in order to revive the dead Concealed Text God. And for that journey, they needed priests as witnesses, as well as strong explorers who could ovee the difficult journey. So Vasen became the leader of the expedition team, and Theone became the captain of the fleet that would take the expedition team to the Southern Continent.


    However, Vasen had told a little lie. The journey wasn¡¯t something that he truly desired. Due to his victory in war, support for him had been growing even though he didn¡¯t want it, and the whole continent was still too vast for ck Scale to rule over. He would be a burden for Kyle if he stayed.


    <i>¡®Well, Kyle still would have gotten things done one way or another.¡¯</i>


    But to save trouble, it seemed better to step out of his position, and there happened to be a role that suited him.


    Theone said, ¡°Although it¡¯s not the eastern mountains we promised to go to in the past, I guess we¡¯re going further.¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe we¡¯ll go there someday.¡±


    A few dayster, the selected priests and explorers from each nation departed from Maganen. The five ships sailed together from Maganen to Doltan Ind, but they nned to anchor on different parts of the coast of the Southern Continent to avoid the area that belonged to the Deep Ones, known as the ck Order. This was partially to gather as much information as possible, but it was also because they didn¡¯t know much about the weather and the water in the area. It was thus also a precaution to ensure that even if something dangerous did happen, not all of the five ships would get caught up in it.


    <i>¡®We¡¯re going tond that we didn¡¯t even know the existence of before. There¡¯s no telling what will happen.¡¯</i>


    As Vasen looked out over the sea from the ship, Theone said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. These ships wouldn¡¯t overturn so easily.¡±


    And two days after they passed Doltan Ind, the ship that Theone and Vasen were on, the <i>Humiliation of Pirates</i>, got caught in a cyclone.


    ***


    ¡°...Waves!¡±


    Waves that towered over therge hull of the ship and had to be looked up at even from a pier struck down onto the deck.


    Theone yelled, ¡°What are you doing! Bail the water!¡±


    Theone grabbed the helm of the ship while yelling, and Vasen tried to help with anything, but then the ship tilted more than 30 degrees to the left and swayed violently.


    ¡°Hold onto the railing!¡±


    Those were thest proper words that Vasen remembered. The next things that followed were shouts and screams, the sound of huge waves crashing down like they were going to crush the world, and what sounded like the ship¡¯s screams of pain.


    When Vasen opened his eyes, he saw something green and thought to himself, <i>¡®Damn it, is this the Prairie of Beginnings that?Shune?said he saw?¡¯</i>


    But that wasn¡¯t the case. As he brushed off the sand from his eyes, he saw shrubs and a fairly dense forest. And when he looked behind him, he saw a yellow sandy beach that extended into blue water.


    The sun shone through the clear seawater at an angle. It didn¡¯t seem to have been long since it rose.


    <i>¡®Did I regain consciousness as my body warmed up? Thank goodness.¡¯</i>


    His head was throbbing like he had gotten hit by something or perhaps hit it when rolling around the ship, but fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to have any injuries. The unfortunate part was that there was nothing around him.


    <i>¡®...Well, there are broken parts of the ships scattered everywhere. There might be others who got washed ashore like me. But before that¡­¡¯</i>


    Vasen felt his throat burning.


    <i>¡®I must have swallowed some seawater.¡¯</i>


    And perhaps because being in the water took away his body heat, he felt very hungry as well.


    Vasen decided to enter the forest to see if there was any food and drinkable water nearby before walking the coast to look for other survivors. He got a little lost amid the vegetation of the unfamiliar southernnd, but as expected, he found a small pond.


    He thought there was a chance the water would be salty given how close it was to the sea, but that wasn¡¯t the case when he bent down to drink from it.


    <i>¡®It would be good if there was a bottle to take some water in¡­¡¯</i>


    As Vasen looked around the pond, he noticed a strange figure staring at him. At first, he thought it was a strange looking beast. On its back was what seemed like a round tough shell, and its snout was long and pointy. It seemed to be about the size of a Halfling, which meant it was only half the size of an average Lizardman. It was wearing a loincloth with only the front of its body covered, and it held a pouch that Vasen was looking for in its hand.


    Vasen had never seen this species before, but it certainly looked like a person. It was a Pangolin, which was a species that looked like scaly anteaters. Pangolins had scales that covered their whole body from head to tail, and when in danger, they could ball themselves up to avoid dangerous situations.


    But as if this Pangolin was btedly noticing Vasen while getting water, they simply stared at him. And as the Pangolin stayed still, Vasen decided to initiate a conversation.


    ¡°Hey, you.¡±


    ¡°...Heek!¡±


    The Pangolin got surprised and let out a sharp shriek before running away.


    ¡°No, wait!¡±


    Vasen didn¡¯t want to miss the chance to talk to the Pangolin as they were still a person, so he ran after them. And as the Pangolin noticed Vasen, they rolled their body into a ball.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    In Vasen¡¯s moment of bewilderment, the Pangolin started rolling downhill. Vasen was puzzled as it was his first time seeing a species like the Pangolin, but he didn¡¯t give up his chase. As the Pangolin reached the bottom of the slope and slowed down, Vasen began to have hope that he could catch up with them. However, at that moment, a giant figure appeared in front of the Pangolin.


    To Vasen, it was another strange-looking species. Their overall height and build was simr to a Troll, their face looked rough, their mouth was stretched apart, and their eyes were nted upwards in a way that made it look perpetually angry, while parts of their face were different colors as if they were wearing a mask. It was another species that Vasen had never seen before, but known among yers as Rakshasa. They were a species that could be considered a distant rtive of Trolls, but their distinct characteristics were that they had faces that always looked angry, and each individual had a different color face.


    The Rakshasha grabbed the Pangolin¡¯s tail and picked them up.


    ¡°Margo! You ran away again instead of working, didn¡¯t you!¡±


    Lifted upside-down, the Pangolin named Margo unrolled their body and said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Master! But sick Chacha wanted to drink water¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? Leave Chacha alone!¡±


    ¡°But if I leave Chacha be, Chacha will die¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want! Taking care of that sick punk is dying the construction of the temple!¡±


    ¡°But Chacha isn¡¯t sick, you whipped Chacha¡­¡±


    As if Margo¡¯s words made them angry, the Rakshasa clenched their fist.


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    It seemed evident that the Rakshasa was a vicious master, and the Pangolin, Margo, was going to get whipped after trying to help their friend.


    Vasen didn¡¯t bother trying to say anything like ''that''s enough¡¯ or ¡®stop¡¯ to the Rakshasa because the Rakshasa was simr in size to a Troll, and Vasen¡¯s sheath must have gotten lost somewhere amidst the crashing waves. So as the conversation continued, Vasen took a rock and carefully approached the Rakshasa from their back. Just before the Rakshasa was going to make a swing, Vasen used the rock to strike the Rakshasa¡¯s head.


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    The moment the Rakshasa got struck, it swayed back and forth before falling down on one knee.


    ¡°Who¡­?¡±


    <i>¡®As expected, they are simr to Trolls. Their head is hard.¡¯</i>


    Before the Rakshasa could turn around, Vasen struck their head again. And the Rakshasa copsed.


    ¡°Oh my!¡±


    The freed Pangolin, Margo, looked back and forth between the copsed Rakshasa and Vasen.


    ¡°Oh no! What do I do!¡±

 Chapter 150: The Day

    <h4>Chapter 150: The Day</h4>


    Vasen Lak Orazen said, ¡°Is there a problem? I only helped because it looked like you were in trouble.¡±


    Margo, the Pangolin, said, ¡°Oh my¡­ Well, I am in a difficult situation¡­ I am grateful, but¡­¡±


    Margo hesitated before continuing to say, ¡°Master is the supervisor, and if this gets out, I would be dead¡­ You should also run away¡­¡±


    Vasen threw away the rock he was holding and dusted his hands.


    ¡°If I put you in trouble, I should take responsibility. Tell me the details.¡±


    ¡°Details¡­?¡±


    Margo observed the stranger, wondering if they could trust him or not. However, after looking at their unconscious supervisor with a bleeding head wound, Margo seemed to have decided that they had no other choice and began to tell Vasen more.


    Pangolins had been living here for a long time. There was a lot of food around the area, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to feed a tribe through hunting and gathering; therefore, there wasn¡¯t much conflict. The Deep Ones did pose asional threats when they came from afar via ships, but most of the Deep Ones only wanted to trade for food.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t Deep Ones also trade for ves? Hm, I guess they could have thought that these Pangolins weren¡¯t valuable.¡¯</i>


    Then one day, Rakshasas invaded thend. Pangolins had been leading a secluded life as they were easily frightened, so they hadn¡¯t been aware that the Rakshasas were the dominant tribe in the dense tropical rainforest. Even among the Rakshasas, there were lots of internal conflicts as there were several tribes, so they rarely attacked other species. When a tribe called Ashurada unified all the other Rakshasas, however, things changed.


    The Ashurada tribe began to pige neighboring tribes and took them as ves. Then the leader of the Ashurada tribe demonstrated their power and began to construct a temple for the guardian of the tribe, Ashurada.


    ¡°Wait, a guardian?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you also believe in a god?¡±


    ¡°God? Are you talking about ancient evil?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about the new gods.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about them. But we do have a guardian¡±


    Vasen decided to change his question.


    ¡°So Ashurada is the guardian of those Rakshasas, and you guys have another guardian?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We had Katuru.¡±


    ¡°What happened to Katuru?¡±


    ¡°Katuru is currently locked up in the temple we are building. They said Katuru will be offered as a sacrifice to Ashurada.¡±


    ¡°What do Katuru and Ashurada look like?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Ashurada, so I¡¯m not too sure¡­ But Katuru is entirely covered in thick fur, its snout is very long, and on its four feet, it has nails as big as us.¡±


    Vasen thought that the guardians Margo was talking about seemed more like beasts, monsters, or mystical creatures than gods.


    Margo continued to say, ¡°Katuru is a good friend, but¡­things have turned out this way¡­ There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±


    Vasen seemed to think for a moment before he said, ¡°Margo, I didn¡¯te to thisnd alone.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We came from a distant continent onrge ships simr to the ones that the Deep Ones you saw asionally would have used. There were five ships in total, but they all took different routes, so not all of the ships would have gotten caught up in a disaster. If the other ships are found, I think we might be able to help you guys.¡±


    Margo blinked and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think a few people on a few ships would be enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Is the Rakshasa force big?¡±


    ¡°Overall, they¡¯re quite big¡­¡±


    ¡°How many warriors, or I should say, fighters are there?¡±


    ¡°There are over 300 in our vige alone.¡±


    There was more than Vasen expected, but he didn¡¯t think that was a big problem.


    ¡°If we can find myrades, that shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Plus, Night Sky and the gods of the pantheon will be looking over us.¡±


    ¡°...Night Sky? Pantheon? What is all of that?¡±


    Vasen thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s talk while we deal with this body. And shouldn¡¯t you give some water to your injured friend?¡±


    Margo threw Vasen a reluctant look when he was already moving. This unfamiliar stranger was in a dangerous situation, yet he was still full of confidence for some reason.


    ***


    At Pantheon, the first temporary conference room that was built had gone through a dramatic makeover from the empty ce it had been, even excluding therge long tables and chairs that went with it. The conference room now resembled a theater with a lecture hall style setup.


    Sung-Woon had suggested thisyout because when yers coborated in the game, there were many cases where one person would present things to the others. Just like right now.


    ¡°...For that reason, two ships got caught in a cyclone and got damaged, and three ships safely anchored, but we still have no news about the other ship. That¡¯s the current situation.¡±


    As Sung-Woon pointed to the screen he had opened and stopped talking, Crampus spoke up.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too much damage, right? Worst case scenario, we did estimate that it would be fine even if only one ship arrived.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This isn¡¯t out of the realm of our predictions. Although I don¡¯t really like the damage itself.¡±


    Wisdom then asked, ¡°Could the cyclone have been someone else¡¯s doing?¡±


    Sung-Woon thought for a moment and replied, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be impossible. But as far as we know, there aren¡¯t any yers with such Large Areas, and the yer that¡¯s around us is Sha-Cha, who is an evil god. When I asked, they said it wasn¡¯t them.¡±


    Jang-Wan then asked, ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing that we can have an actual conversation with Sha-Cha, but are they really not doing anything to attack us? Jeol Woo-Bi tried to attack us quite recklessly.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Sung-Woon replied, ¡°In my opinion, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much difference in their patterns of behavior. Fundamentally, they both tried to attack us. The difference is that Jeol Woo-Bi attacked us because it was worth trying, while Sha-Cha is in a different situation. We currently have the upper hand, so they seem reluctant to start a war.¡±


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, wouldn¡¯t they still try to stop us froming?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that wasn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Sung-Woon opened the map of the northern region of the fourth continent that they came to know about. The left side, or the northwest region, belonged to the ck Order, and the right side was an unexplored area.


    ¡°It was observed that their ships have been moving little by little. While we can¡¯t know for sure what kind of system the ck Order operates under, I¡¯m guessing they are experiencing some internal conflicts, causing their external activities to slow down. And it worked to our advantage that we were careful. We need to organize a second expedition team, but we also have to put in some effort to block the Deep Ones that Sha-Cha will send.¡±


    After Jang-Wan and the other yers agreed and moved on, Lunda asked, ¡°Then are there no survivors from the wrecked ships?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still checking. ording to what we know so far¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon checked his system window that showed the scouting information from his creature creations.


    ¡°Ah, Vasen is alive.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s met a native Pangolin¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, a Pangolin? Pangolins are so cute.¡±


    ¡°...And apparently he killed a Rakshasa that was harassing the Pangolin. It appears that Rakshasas are the dominant dominant species of the northern region.¡±


    ¡°Darn. That doesn¡¯t sound like good news.¡±


    For a moment, Sung-Woon thought the same, but he changed his mind as he checked more of the information collected by his creations.


    ¡°Well, it might actually be okay.¡±


    ***


    Margo said to Vasen, ¡°That is our vige.¡±


    As they passed through a dense jungle, a wide open area extended before them.


    The first thing that could be seen was a massive temple. The enormous stone building, unlike anything seen in Orazen, was built in the shape of a pyramid. It was divided into three floors, each built with wooden structures. Perhaps because the top of the temple was still unfinished, Pangolins were busily moving rocks. Rakshasas who appeared to be the supervisors were holding whips and shouting at the Pangolins or whipping the ground to scare them.


    The Pangolin vige that Margo was talking about stood to the left of the temple. It looked quite shabby.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the temple you were talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the small temple that Katuru is locked inside. Compared to therge temple located in the Ashurada capital, Rugunda, it is small.¡±


    ¡°Then bring water to your friend. I¡¯ll rescue that Katuru¡­¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean¡­ We¡¯ve hidden the dead body well, so you should keep yourself hidden for now. You should wait for your friends¡­¡±


    At that moment, a loud sound came from one side of the vige, and a long line of Rakshasa warriors marched out.


    Margo and Vasen quickly ducked and hid.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t pull!¡±


    After a familiar voice came a thicker one.


    ¡°Hwae-Sa! Get mad! Mad¡­but won¡¯t fight. If fight, Captain die¡­¡±


    Vasen squinted and looked at the line of warriors. There were Theone Itimo and her crew, and at the end of the line, Hwae-Sa stood shackled. Hwae-Sa was huffing and puffing, but perhaps because of the other hostages, Hwae-Sa obediently followed the others. Behind Hwae-Sa, there were the goods the Rakshasas had looted.


    After the shipwreck, it seemed that Vasen had fallen far away while the other crew members had somehow gotten to the coast with the broken ship. But they were exhausted and couldn¡¯t fight back, so they got captured.


    Margo said, ¡°Are those¡­the friends that you talked about¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, that¡¯s not good. Then you won¡¯t be able to fight¡­¡±


    Vasen saw the hostages being moved into the wooden prison behind the temple.


    He said to Margo, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. We don¡¯t have to wait for myrades toe now, so shouldn¡¯t we get going?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    As Vasen followed his words and actually started moving between the nts to get to the prison, Margo got anxious, but eventually followed after him. Margo pointed out the Rakshasas¡¯ patrol routes from time to time and helped Vasen sneak in.


    As Vasen began climbing the outer wall of the prison, he said to Margo, ¡°Margo.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when things begin. Can you call your friends to fight with us?¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­ I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ Just do as you wish. As long as they don¡¯t start fighting against us because they¡¯re scared of the Rakshasas, it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course that¡­¡±


    ¡°Now go to your friend. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Vasen effortlessly climbed the outer wall of the prison and disappeared into the building.


    Margo anxiously watched him.


    <i>¡®Oh dear, no matter how capable he is, there would be so many Rakshasas inside. What do I do?¡¯</i>


    Margo didn¡¯t want to witness Vasen getting terribly defeated, so they quickly walked back to their friend, Chacha.


    Chacha was lying on their stomach, resting at home.


    ¡°How are you feeling, my friend? Is your body feeling better?¡±


    ¡°I feel a bit better after a whole day of resting. But where have you been all this time? The supervisors have been looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is¡­¡±


    Margo hesitated and considered whether to tell Chacha about what had happened today. However, telling the truth was a scary thing.


    Just like Vasen was doing, the Pangolins had once tried to secretly organize a resistance against the Rakshasas, but the Rakshasas encouraged and rewarded informants. The whole thing was thus ruined before it even started.


    <i>¡®Right¡­ Something should be kept a secret.¡¯</i>


    Margo replied, ¡°...Well, something happened. I¡¯ll probably get whipped tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh no¡­ What happened that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Margo initially thought lightning had struck, but as a series of explosions followed, it was made clear that it wasn¡¯t lightning.


    Then as Margo rushed out of the house, they saw a Rakshasa running while shouting, ¡°It¡¯s an ambush! We¡¯re being ambushed!¡±


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The Rakshasa suddenly fell forward like they had gotten hit by an invisible bat and couldn¡¯t get up. Afterward, Vasen walked toward Margo while reloading his matchlock. Behind him were his now untiedrades, and they were shooting and killing Rakshasas.


    ¡°Margo, good to see you again. I was wondering if you¡¯ve changed your mind.¡±


    Margo¡¯s eyes widened and then suddenly shouted, ¡°Chacha! Chacha! Today is the day!¡±


    ¡°The day? What day?¡±


    ¡°The day we kick the Rakshasas¡¯ butts!¡±

 Chapter 151: The Anteater and White Spider

    <h4>Chapter 151: The Anteater and White Spider</h4>


    During the continental war, cannons certainly proved their usefulness. However, problems arose amid the chaos when rebel forces with ambitions to liberate their own species popped up in various imperial territories¡ªthe cannons were too slow.


    Overall, the empire''s regr army outnumbered the rebel forces and outperformed them in terms of technology, but in regions where a rebellion took ce, the empire''s conscription process would take longerpared to the rebels, who had already gathered and united for a singr purpose. And in terms of technology level, due to concerns that the rebels might acquire the empire''s firearms technology, various weapons and gunpowder depots were concentrated in the central imperial regions, making it time-consuming to transport these weapons for the suppression of rebels.


    As a result, the hurriedly assembled regr army often had to suppress the rebels using cold weapons, which led them to rely solely on trained soldiers.


    Kyle Lak Orazen had personally devised the nationwide conscription process and military supply routes for the empire to suppress rebellions, but the results were not entirely satisfying. So Kyle nagged the Technology Minister, Rumf, about it.


    Rumf carefully asked, ¡°Your Majesty, I dare not speak about political matters like rebellions, but...would it be a matter that could be solved with technology?"


    Kyle nodded right away as if there was no need to ponder.


    "For now, it can be solved with technology. Most of the rebels are failed nobles who tried to gain power in their respective regions. They armed their private soldiers with armor and mounts, which, in some cases, are even superior to the empire''s armed forces. Although we haven''t suffered any significant defeats yet and have been rtively sessful in quelling the rebellion overall, the burden on themanders suppressing the rebels on the fields is substantial."


    Rumf asked, ¡°Then in which direction should we develop the weapons¡­?¡±


    Kyle replied, "To catch those well-armored and mounted riders, forming a phnx and piercing them with spears would be effective. But it would be better if we could do the same with firearms¡­¡±


    At those words, something seemed to havee into Rumf¡¯s mind.


    "Indeed. A firearm could essentially be a long spear. I will try to create such an item soon."


    And that was how the matchlock was developed.


    In the end, Vasen Lak Orazen didn¡¯t have the chance to see how useful it was in suppressing rebellions because after the demonstration, it got added to the armaments of the expedition team, and after a little bit of practice, they departed right away.


    <i>¡®This should be enough.¡¯</i>


    A Rakshasa warrior came running toward Vasen with an ax. But Vasen judged that the distance between him and the Rakshasa warrior was too far for him to use the matchlock.


    <i>¡®In that case¡­¡¯</i>


    Vasen got into shooting position and went toward the Rakshasa warrior with quick steps. Not knowing what the matchlock was, the Rakshasa warrior increased his speed and then leaped into the air to split Vasen¡¯s head in half. At that moment, Vasen pressed the matchlock''s butt te to his shoulder and pulled the trigger.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    Fire came into contact with the gunpowder, and a bullet was shot. It buried into the Rakshasa¡¯s head while he was in the air, and the Rakshasa fell lifelessly to the ground and tumbled due to the momentum.


    The decisive difference between a hand cannon and a matchlock was the trigger.


    Unlike the hand cannon, which would only make a shot after the fuse waspletely burned, the fuse on this new weapon called a ¡®gun¡¯ was already lit. Thus, when the trigger was pulled, it immediately came into contact with the gunpowder and fired. In fact, the ability to precisely shoot bullets at the desired time was most effective when utilized by a group rather than an individual.


    "Aim!"


    Theone Itimo''s voice could be heard from the east of the temple. As soon as she escaped from the shoddy wooden prison with Vasen''s help, she quickly armed herself andmanded her crew. Vasen had worried about whether Theone would fight for the Pangolins, but that concern seemed unnecessary.


    ¡°What are you talking about? The Pangolins are one thing. The Rakshasas tied and dragged exhausted people all the way here, so they should be punished.¡±


    With the firepower of the matchlocks and Theone''s experience in using the cannon in previous battles, she judged that she could handle the enemies well even though they were outnumbered.


    "Fire!"


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    As white smoke spread, blocking their view for a moment before dispersing again, bodies toppled to the ground one after another. Meanwhile, the surviving Rakshasas screamed as they grabbed onto the parts of their bodies hit by the bullets. Theone led her squad to deal with the wounded Rakshasas and continued to wipe the rest of them out.


    Vasen also put the match he had around his arm in ce and aimed for his next target.


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Five Rakshasa warriors were charging from a distance.


    <i>¡®If I shoot now and quickly reload, I can probably hit one more.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, Vasen was also skilled in swordsmanship. Taking on ten Trolls all at once like the legendary Tatar would be difficult to do, but three was manageable.


    However, Vasen lowered the matchlock he had pressed against his shoulder when a huge obstacle appeared between him and the Rakshasas.


    "First officer! Will crush you!¡±


    Hwae-Sa swung arge log that was supposed to be used for a part of the building, and with a single strike, two Rakshasas were sent flying more than tens of meters away before rolling on the ground.


    The warriors then began to run away from Hwae-Sa, and Hwae-Sa chased after them. The Rakshasas¡¯ screams continued.


    ¡°Oh my, that person must eat a lot,¡± Margo said while trotting and ncing sideways at Hwae-Sa.


    Vasen replied, ¡°Why does that matter?¡±


    "Well, once this chaos is over, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to just say thank you and move on. We want to express our gratitude in some way. However, we don¡¯t really have anything to eat in the vige, so¡­¡±


    Vasen chuckled.


    ¡°We don''t want to cause you trouble. Have you told the other Pangolins?"


    "Yes. They seem quite excited seeing the Rakshasa warriors losing their senses. In the midst of this chaos¡­"


    "That''s good."


    The Pangolin, Margo, said, "But the Rakshasa warriors won''t back down like this..."


    "You''re right. But for now, we''ve almost defeated the Rakshasa warriors. Even those who can''t fight have run away."


    "Still, the neighboring vige is close by... They also have a simr number of warriors..."


    "Hm."


    There was still gunpowder and ammunition left for the matchlocks. However, they had to consider not only the next wave of Rakshasas, but also the one after that and the many more that would follow.


    Mago said, "I have an idea..."


    "What is it?"


    "If we can quickly find and save Katuru right now, Katuru might be able to help us stop those warriors."


    "Oh, you mean your guardian?"


    "Yes."


    Vasen looked at the temple. He didn''t know the interioryout, but there were likely Rakshasa warriors waiting inside, ready to attack when someone entered. Thus, he had nned to wipe out the surrounding warriors first before making a careful entrance into the temple.


    <i>¡®But if that guardian can help us, it¡¯s a risk worth taking.¡¯</i>


    Vasen said, "But our expedition team seems to be too busy right now. Can you help us?¡±


    Margo looked up at Vasen with round eyes and said, "Of course!"


    As the Pangolins had built the temple themselves, they knew a way to enter the temple without being spotted by the Rakshasas. Vasen led Margo and ten Pangolins armed with daggers and crossbows into the temple. They quickly subdued the few Rakshasa warriors and finally arrived at therge hall at the center of the temple. However, from inside the hall, they heard strange shrieks and sounds of fighting.


    <i>¡®No one from the expedition team would have entered the temple yet.¡¯</i>


    Vasen found it strange, and as he went deeper into the temple, he saw what was happening in the hall. There was a creature the size of a house with a long snout and sharp ws, and it was chained up and growling. Vasen had never seen such a creature before, but its outer appearance resembled that of an anteater.


    Margo quietly murmured, ¡°Katuru¡­!¡±


    Unfortunately, Katuru¡¯s condition was not good. The Rakshasa warriors surrounding Katuru kept stabbing it with their spears from ces where Katuru couldn''t reach. The ground was already soaked with blood, indicating that this had been going on for a long time.


    <i>-You...!</i>


    Unluckily, a Rakshasa slipped on the blood, and Katuru quickly crushed them out of anger. But there were still many Rakshasas left.


    The leader of the Rakshasas shouted, "Kill that thing quickly! They said the others woulde soon!"


    Vasen sighed. When he thought about it, he realized all this was the natural course things would take. The guardian Katuru had enough power to protect a tribe. Everyone had thought that Katuru would stay alive until it got sacrificed to a bigger monster, but ultimately, the Rakshasas were the ones measuring its worth. If they judged that it was dangerous, they would kill it anytime.


    Margo tearfully said, ¡°Oh no¡­ What do we do?¡±


    There were too many Raksharas than initially expected for them to charge in right away. And even if they fought, it was uncertain whether they could release Katuru from the chains around its body fast enough.


    Rationally, the best course of action would be to retreat for now and call for the expedition team from the outside. However, in this case, there was a high probability that Katuru would die. And Vasen believed that there might be another solution.


    Vasen anxiously thought to himself.


    <i>¡®We need toe up with an answer quickly. Time is ticking.¡¯</i>


    ***


    At the Pantheon, the yers sitting in the conference room were watching Katuru die.


    Crampus looked at Katuru with a pitying expression.


    ¡°I feel sorry for it.¡±


    Wisdom replied, ¡°But isn¡¯t it okay to not have that particr divine being right now?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s not very important. Even without Katuru, they¡¯ll probably be able to easily block the next waves of enemies. And if Vasen were to train the Pangolins, the situation would improve. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°We can¡¯t <i>not?</i>use this situation.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by using it?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it? To me, it seems like the perfect moment for a god to intervene.¡±


    Sung-Woon summoned one of his creature creations.


    ¡°Hillove.¡±


    ***


    The white spider, Hillove, raised its body as it heard its name being called. It didn¡¯t need to open its eyes as its six eyes were lidless.


    ¡°Hillove, there¡¯s something for you to do.¡±


    <i>-I will do anything.?</i>


    ¡°...It¡¯s nothing too serious. A divine being is chained up and being attacked.¡±


    <i>-Do you want me to finish it off?</i>


    ¡°No. Save the divine being and help my follower Vasen, hispanion named Margo, and the other Pangolins.¡±


    <i>-What do you mean by helping them¡­?</i>


    ¡°Um¡­ Do whatever it is they wish.¡±


    <i>-I will do as you say.</i>


    After giving its response, Hillove felt Sung-Woon pick it up and move it. Although it was just being dragged from Sung-Woon¡¯s ¡®Creation List¡¯ to the ¡®Mini Map¡¯ of the fourth continent, for Hillove, it felt like an almighty being was lifting it up and moving itsrge body across different dimensions.


    <i>-You are almighty.</i>


    Hillove realized it had arrived at a familiar dark and enclosed space. There was also the smell of blood, a strange creature that seemed to be the divine being, insignificant beings swinging thin sticks in front of that creature, as well as the one that God, who looked down at those insignificant beings, adored, along with hispanions.


    HIllove silently moved across the ceiling and approached Vasen. Margo and the other Pangolins were startled, but Vasen felt an unusual intimacy with Hillove.


    <i>-Mortal, I havee here at the call of Night Sky. Tell me what you wish.</i>


    Vasen realized that the presence before him was a creation of Night Sky.


    He knelt down ording to the proper etiquette and said, ¡°Please kill those Rakshasas. We will do the rest.¡±


    <i>-That is easy.</i>


    Hillove flipped over andnded on the ground. As arge shadow fell from the air, the Rakshasa leader looked up, puzzled.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Hillove¡¯s leg pierced through the Rakshasa''s head.

 Chapter 152: Night Sky鈥檚 Flail

    <h4>Chapter 152: Night Sky¡¯s il</h4>


    The Rakshasas fought desperately. They quickly turned the tips of their spears toward Hillove, took out axes and swung them around, and called and gathered all the other Rakshasas in the temple. However, unfortunately for the Rakshasas, Hillove was an ¡®annihtor¡¯.


    Among Sung-Woon''s creations, Sratis was a ¡®destroyer¡¯, tasked to break down fortress walls, to kill other creations and monsters, and if necessary, to confront an apostle, a being under Divine Control, or a Hierophany body.


    Annihtors were also meant to kill enemies, but the opponents they were specialized to deal with were a little different. While Hillove could handle other monsters, it was specifically made to deal with opponents weaker than itself such as mortals, lesser monsters that couldn¡¯t be considered giants, armies, and especially infantry units.


    One of its legs alone ran 15 meters long when fully extended, and the tips of all its legs were almost as sharp as obsidian, so just by walking toward the Rakshasas, dead bodies were piling up. When a part of a corpse got stuck to its leg due to friction, Hillove would flick the leg back like a Human dusting their hands. And every time it did so, the corpse would fly away and get embedded into a wall or ceiling.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the Rakshasas to realize that Hillove was a monster they couldn¡¯t beat.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Run away! Run away!¡±


    ¡°Go outside!¡±


    But Hillove quickly finished the task Vasen Lak Orazen had assigned. Hillove spewed white spider webs from its abdomen, blocking the Rakshasas'' escape routes. Some of the Rakshasas carelessly stepped on the spider webs and got tangled up, while otherscked the courage to even step on them and were left standing in ce in fear.


    Hillove didn¡¯t move frantically like it was intoxicated with murder, nor did it move too slowly like it was savoring the process of taking lives. Instead, it moved at a consistent pace from start to finish and soonpleted the task.


    Vasen then went up to Hillove and bowed down to it.


    ¡°Thank you, Night Sky¡¯s il.¡±


    The title of ¡®il¡¯ was given to it when it faced the Deep Ones on the Southern Archipgo. The Astacideas gave Hillove the name as a reference to the way it shook the corpses off its legs and the way the corpses scattered like grains when the battle ended.


    Hillove replied.


    <i>-No need to thank me. I simply follow the will?of Night?Sky.</i>


    "Regardless, you have helped me, my friends, and the divine being Katuru, haven''t you?"


    Then the Pangolins also got down and bowed fully with their heads touching the ground.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    Just like the time Hillove received praises from the Astacideas when it chased away the Deep Ones, it felt awkward in such situations. Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t given Hillove any exceptional eloquence or sharp intellect because as an annihtor, it was enough for Hillove to be eloquent and intelligent to the degree to not be deceived by enemies.


    Hillove hesitated for a moment and decided to just ept the goodwill.


    <i>-Get up. If you are in danger again, I will help you.</i>


    At those words, a low rumble was heard, followed by a voice.


    <i>-Is that¡­true?</i>


    It was the divine anteater, Katuru. Katuru had just been released with the help of the Pangolins, but it didn¡¯t look well due to the excessive bleeding.


    Hillove replied.


    <i>-Yes. Because that is what Night Sky wants.</i>


    <i>-Night Sky¡­?</i>


    <i>-The god of creature creations, as well as my master.?</i>


    <i>-A god? The gods have left.</i>


    <i>-Night Sky has returned.</i>


    Katuru slightly shook its head as if it didn¡¯t believe what Hillove said.


    <i>-I do not know Night Sky. What if Night Sky changes their mind and says you do not need to do so anymore¡­?</i>


    With its six eyes, Hillove looked at the Pangolins that were bowing in front of it, as well as Katuru, who was in pain and weak. Until now, Hillove had acted ording to Night Sky¡¯s will and mostly remained asleep during other times. However, in Hillove¡¯s perspective, it didn¡¯t seem that its master was going to summon it back.


    <i>¡®Then I will do as Night Sky does.¡¯</i>


    Hillove replied.


    <i>-If Night Sky doesn¡¯tmand not to do so, I will still help you.</i>


    At those words, Katuru sat down.


    <i>-Oh, that¡¯s good. Thank goodness.</i>


    Katuru rested its head on the ground before continuing.


    <i>-Please look after these small friends until I wake up again¡­</i>


    And right after saying so, Katuru closed its eyes. As it did, the Pangolins were startled and started observing it.


    Worried, Vasen asked, ¡°Is it dead?¡±


    Margo put their palm to Katuru¡¯s nostrils and said, ¡°No. It¡¯s just sleeping because it¡¯s in a lot of pain.¡±


    The Pangolins then treated Katuru.


    Vasen said to Hillove, ¡°White spider, I actually have another request.¡±


    <i>-Speak it.</i>


    ¡°From what they have said, it seems that there would be more Rakshasasing from the neighboring viges. Could you help us defeat them?¡±


    Hillove turned to look toward the temple¡¯s exit and extended one of its feet to Vasen.


    ¡°What¡­is this?¡±


    <i>-I would like you to tell me where to go, but your feet are slow.</i>


    Hillove¡¯s head slightly tilted. With its broad vision, that was enough for it to clearly see Vasen.


    <i>-Can you get on?</i>


    Vasen and Margo both climbed onto Hillove¡¯s back. As soon as they came out of the small temple, Margo pointed in the direction where the enemies were expected to show up, and Vasen shouted loudly to assure Theone Itimo and the crew members, who might be startled, that they were part of the same team. Some of the crew members recognized Hillove and bowed down.


    The Rakshasa reinforcements from the neighboring vige had already gotten quite close. A part of the scouts were observing Mago¡¯s vige. However, before they could escape and report back, they got entangled in Hillove¡¯s spider web. And after they spilled the information that there were 200 of them, that they were all infantry, and everything about their weapons, they all died.


    Hillove said.


    <i>-I don¡¯t have a problem facing the enemies, but I can¡¯t kill all 200 of them at once in a wide forest like this. Some will surely run away.?</i>


    Vasen was about to ask if it was thinking about killing all of them by itself, but held back and slightly shook his head. He realized that Hillove didn¡¯t say so because it was simply confident; it was speaking purely from a strategic perspective. Even killing the scouts right away was out of the concern that their information would be passed on to the enemies in the rear.


    It was obvious that some would run away if Hillove was to attack all 200 enemies alone in the forest.


    ¡°Please take a big detour around the enemies and approach their advancing direction from the opposite side. Then drive them out toward this vige.¡±


    <i>-Alright.</i>


    ¡°I and the rest of the soldiers will surround and attack them, as well as chase after those who run away.


    <i>-Sounds like a good n, mortal Vasen. You are indeed intelligent.</i>


    Hillove executed Vasen¡¯s n just as he had expected. However, its abilities to kill and injure their enemies exceeded Vasen¡¯s expectations. Vasen gathered the crew members and expedition team and quickly formed a phnx in the vige where most of the Rakshasa warriors had been subdued, and they waited for the Rakshasa reinforcements to arrive. But these reinforcements only came in six or seven at a time every once in a while, and then they stoppeding altogether.


    Vasen had expected to use a lot of bullets, but because of the small number of enemies, they didn¡¯t even use any. Instead, it was enough for the archers lying in wait to deal with the Rakshasas by shooting their heads while they screamed and ran away.


    <i>¡®Did they run away mid-fight? I guess we can¡¯t really do anything about that¡­ No, what if something bad has happened to Hillove¡­¡¯</i>


    That concern was unnecessary. As Vasen took the carefully selected expedition team toward where Hillove was, around 150 dead bodies were scattered around the forest. The leaves that were supposed to be thick and green were covered in blood, and because of Hillove¡¯s habit, there were many dead bodies on top of the trees as well.


    Hillove said.


    <i>-How many have you killed?</i>


    ¡°43.¡±


    <i>-The numbers add up. None ran away.?</i>


    Then Hillove returned, apanied by the cheers of the expedition team. The Pangolins were even happier. They expressed their gratitude to Vasen and hisrades, and then they celebrated their victory.


    ***


    Wisdom said excitedly, ¡°Impressive. Not only did they gain the favor of the natives¡­Faith points are on the rise too. Shouldn¡¯t it normally be decreasing instead?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sung-Woon replied.


    In situations where a yer interfered with an individual, causality was vited. And due to that vition, Faith points would be consumed. That was especially true if the individual wasn¡¯t a follower of the yer, and the penalty would be greater.


    ¡°So what happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Sung-Woon exined. ¡°Even when there¡¯s no systematic support, loose alliances still create the effects of a real alliance. The penalty of helping an ally¡¯s followers is lesser, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not because the two are allies. It¡¯s because they have formed a close rtionship. The specific value is unknown as it isn¡¯t disyed on the status windows, but ording to research that has been done, it can be referred to as Intimacy.¡±


    Wisdom summarized, ¡°So¡­if Intimacy is higher, the penalty decreases?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And through Hillove, I quickly built up Intimacy with the Pangolins and Katuru.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you said it¡¯s the perfect time to interfere.¡±


    Under certain circumstances, perhaps Vasen and Margo could have saved Katuru on their own. But if Hillove, one of the weapons that Sung-Woon had, could be sent with a simr amount of resources, that would be more beneficial.


    ¡°But using Hillove still consumes Faith points. And although I did gain points back through the praise that Hillove received, that would only make things even.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that it¡¯s still better than trying to resolve the problem without using any Faith points, right? I guess that¡¯s certainly true. Making Hillove a representative idol would also boost the reputation of the Pantheon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The current native religion of the Pangolins was divine worship. This simple native faith was established through intimacy and interaction with a divine being. And because Katuru, the divine being of the Pangolins, acknowledged Hillove, that allowed Hillove to receive those Faith points instead while Katuru was asleep.


    Wisdom¡¯s voice was filled with joy. ¡°It doesn¡¯t end here, does it?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ***


    Vasen cleaned up the vige.


    A few sailors and expedition team members had suffered light injuries, and quite a few Pangolins had died or gotten injured, but the casualties were eptablepared to the victory that they had all achieved together.


    Vasen then asked Theone, ¡°If Margo is right, the enemy¡¯s attacks won¡¯t end here. How do we contact the other ships?¡±


    Theone replied, ¡°Thest ship of the fleet that departed with us was themunication ship. It took the safest and fastest route. It will try to contact each ship while going along the coastline, so it will notice that we are missing. And even if they don¡¯t, ck Scale is preparing a second expedition team, so they¡¯ll eventually find out.¡±


    ¡°When¡¯s the fastest they would know?¡±


    ¡°Maybe fifteen days?¡±


    ¡°And thetest?¡±


    ¡°We would have to wait for the second expedition team to be organized, so¡­at least three months?¡±


    Vasen shrugged.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope for fifteen days. If we can make contact with the other ships, our gunpowder issue will be solved. Though bullets might be a problem at that point too¡­¡±


    ¡°If we know the geography, we might be able to produce some ourselves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea¡­ But for now, we need to focus on the next few days. If Margo is right, the Rakshasas are from arger nation than we thought.¡±


    ording to Margo¡¯s description, the size of the whole Rakshasa tribe was more than half of ck Scale¡¯s penins at the least. Even though their level of development was low, it seemed that they dominated a vast region.


    ¡°We will have to n a lot of fights. And in order to do that¡­¡±


    Hillove interjected.


    <i>-I¡¯ll help.</i>


    ¡°Oh, of course we would be thankful if you would do so¡­¡±


    <i>-Use me more actively.</i>


    Vasen contemted for a moment. Hillove was a creation sent by God, so as a follower, he was uncertain and burdened by whether or not he could continue to ask Hillove for help. ording to myths, gods vited causality to intervene, and it was described as too much for the gods to handle at times.


    <i>¡®But at this point, what¡¯s the use of worrying about that? This is certainly a message from Night Sky, telling us to survive. So survive we must.¡¯</i>


    Vasen said, ¡°The neighboring vige has sent reinforcements, but the rest of the tribe will still be in the dark. There¡¯s a high possibility that reports haven¡¯t reached the higher ranks.¡±


    <i>-So you¡¯re saying that we should silence them.</i>


    ¡°Yes. So it would be best to attack first before the enemies can even prepare themselves. If we take the less fatigued people andunch a surprise attack on the next vige¡­¡±


    <i>-I will go.</i>


    Puzzled, Vasen asked, ¡°Do you mean you will go¡­alone?¡±


    Hillove didn¡¯t answer immediately and instead raised its head.


    <i>-Night ising.</i>


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Hillove said.


    <i>-Even though my body is white, I can move the quietest among all the creations that Night Sky has made. So wait here. It won¡¯t take too long.?</i>


    Hillove then walked into the shady woods.


    And a few hourster, Vasen came to learn that Hillove was indeed a reliable spider.

 Chapter 153: Savior鈥檚 Promise

    <h4>Chapter 153: Savior¡¯s Promise</h4>


    Chapter 153: Savior¡¯s Promise


    As Vasen Lak Orazen went to the neighboring vige, he confirmed that all the captured Pangolins there had also been freed.


    After Vasen returned, he said to Theone Itimo, ¡°Everyone was puzzled because all the Rakshasas died overnight.¡±


    ¡°Did they not see Mr. Hillove?¡±


    ¡°Some of them did, but it was in the middle of the night, and they each saw different parts of the body and mistook it as something else. Hence their testimonies didn¡¯t make sense when put together. Anyway, I gave them a good exnation, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issues.¡±


    ¡°What did you say to them?¡±


    Vasen replied, ¡°I told them that the guardian of the great Night Sky helped them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they would have understood that exnation¡­¡±


    Vasen and Theone looked up at Hillove, who was sitting still on top of the partially constructed small temple. Hillove asionally moved its legs to adjust its posture, but it didn¡¯t make any other significant movements or say anything.


    Vasen asked, ¡°By the way, did you check the ship?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is it repairable?¡±


    "We at least managed to ride it here, so we should be able to use it after we repair it. The problem is whether we can actually repair it though... Our ship, the <i>Humiliation of Pirates</i>, was made of sturdy wood from the north, so I''m not sure if the wood grown in this warm region would do. We don''t even have a professional shipwright aboard. We¡¯re asking the Pangolins if we would be able to use theirs temporarily, at least for now.¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    ¡°Would it take long to fix the ship?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t expect too much. Even if themunication ship arrives, it would be difficult for all of us to return on it.¡±


    ¡°So in any case, someone has to stay here.¡±


    Theone pursed her lips and replied, ¡°Probably.¡±


    Fortunately, the <i>Humiliation of Pirates</i> didn''t sink, but it was in a condition where self-navigation was currently difficult. Since the ship had departed with the purpose of exploring ancient ruins, some crew members intended to stay for an extended period. However, about a quarter of the original crew members had been swept away by the waves and went missing or died, and a lot of supplies had to be discarded to prevent the ship from sinking.


    "As expected, we''ll need a lot of help from the Pangolins here."


    As soon as Vasen said so, Margo, the Pangolin, appeared from behind them.


    ¡°Oh, of course. Ask us anything as you have helped free us.¡±


    Vasen replied, ¡°We are not Rakshasas. Even when our technology was not as advanced as it is now like the Rakshasas, we didn¡¯t act like them. If we need anything, we will pay the proper price and trade for it.¡±


    Vasen thought Margo would naturally agree to his words. But Margo responded differently.


    ¡°No. We are in great debt for you have granted us freedom and saved Katuru. Besides, you are an important guest. And¡­um¡­above all¡­¡±


    ¡°Above all?¡±


    Margo seemed to think for a moment and then said, ¡°I have something to show you, so please follow me.¡±


    Vasen and Theone followed Margo. Margo led them to the basement of the small temple that the Pangolins built.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there would be a basement as well. It must have taken more time to make a space like this than simply stacking rocks.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°This underground space was here before we even settled on thisnd.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an ancient ruin.¡±


    However, it wasn''t the kind of ancient ruin that Vasen had hoped for, which was one that would please the gods of the Pantheon. The staircase leading downward wasn''t too long, and the ce they had arrived at wasn''t very spacious.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t think this space was very important, but the Rakshassa wanted to keep it hidden. That¡¯s why they wanted to build a small temple on top and seal the space off.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, at first we couldn¡¯t understand either, but now I think we do.¡±


    There were drawings on the walls of the underground ancient ruin. Margo illuminated the drawings in order with a torch and exined.


    "These paintings portrayed events from the past and the future. I think it starts here, showing the gods leaving while mortals remain on thend. The mortals fall into decline and lose all their knowledge."


    "Hm."


    "Thenes the important part. These figures represent us, and we are sat on by the Rakshasas and Ashurada. They are conquering us."


    In Vasen''s view, the drawings were so simplified that one couldn¡¯t really make out Pangolins or Rakshasas at all. The figure referred to as Ashurada simply looked like a big lizard. However, he didn''t bother to point that out.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way that old knowledge would have remained anyway, so isn¡¯t it just interpreted the way it¡¯s read? If the ancients were so wise, they might have intended for it to be interpreted this way.¡¯</i>


    Margo continued to say, ¡°This part is crucial. From over there, you cross the sea, and there¡¯s also a veryrge being, probably the god called Night Sky you say you believe, and a white spideres out from their hand. Here, this is Mr. Hillove.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it really does seem that way.¡±


    This time, Vasen, who had been listening halfheartedly, was also bewildered, as there really was a white spider drawn on the wall. Although it was a simplified image, the only thing with a round body and eight legs that Vasen knew of was a spider. Afterward, the story continued to show the spider defeating the Rakshasas and Ashurada, thus saving the Pangolins.


    When the story ended, Vasen said, ¡°So¡­are you saying we¡¯re the army sent by gods that appear in this prophecy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "And it was predetermined that Hillove would help you?¡±


    "Yes...!"


    Margo continued to say with excitement, "At first, it didn''t ur to us because it was an old story. After the Rakshasas sealed this cave, we almost forgot about it too. But when I saw Mr. Hillove, I immediately recognized that you were the beings from the promises of the old stories. And that you would undoubtedly defeat the Rakshasas and Ashurada and save us all."


    Vasen was somewhat bewildered.


    <i>''Was this also a divine arrangement by Night Sky?''</i>


    ***


    Vasen wasn''t the only one who was bewildered.


    Crampus asked Sung-Woon, "Did you know?"


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°Eldar mentioned that savior transcriptions were quitemon.¡±


    Eldar exined, ¡°That¡¯s right. If you think about it, savior transcriptions weremon even on Earth. For example, in the Bible, it foretells the world''s destruction, but it also mentions the seconding of Jesus. Buddhism has a simr concept too. Anyone can achieve nirvana like Buddha, so a new Buddha can emerge as well."


    Crampus pointed at the white spider drawn on the wall.


    ¡°What about that?¡±


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°It was a simple trick. I noticed the drawings before Margo exined it to Vasen, but I only noticed the spider when inspecting the temple''s interior. Seeing it, I thought we could use it. And therefore, I sent Hillove, the white spider, based on that."


    ¡°What if you had no creation that was a white spider?¡±


    ¡°Then I would have created a new one. Or¡­we could have embedded that pattern onto the existing creations and sent them instead.¡±


    Crampus then eximed as if he had juste to a realization.


    However, Sung-Woon had a question himself.


    Interpreting the simple drawings didn''t seem to pose any problems as it wasn''t a methodology foreign to them. Even though the image wasn''t precisely of a white spider, the story of new godsing to save the persecuted was spread among the third continent. However, Sung-Woon couldn''t help but feel uneasy because even if it hadn¡¯t been for that particr drawing, Sung-Woon would have most likely sent his most efficient annihtor, which was Hillove.


    <i>''Additionally, this fourth continent didn''t even exist until now. So far, it doesn''t seem much different from the other continents. But is there some undiscovered reason that it had been hidden like the evil gods?''</i>


    For now, it was impossible to know, so Sung-Woon decided to observe the situation with the other yers a little more. But of course, he would make use of the Pangolins¡¯ story.


    ***


    Vasen learned that Pangolins lived in various ces along the northeastern coast of the Southern Continent.


    ¡°There are a few more viges.¡±


    ¡°And what about the other viges?¡±


    ¡°Oh, other species are enved there.¡±


    ¡°And the Ashurada or Rakshasas tribes dominate them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Vans seemed to have gotten lost in his thoughts for a moment.


    Then Theone asked, ¡°Why are you asking about the other viges?¡±


    ¡°Because in my opinion, we might be in danger. We have defeated the nearby Rakshasas, and ording to Margo, the Pangolins aren¡¯t concerned. However, Rakshasas have regrmunicationworks as well as channels they use when the need arises. Moreover, the neighboring viges did undergo a surprise attack from Hillove, but there would have been some who managed to escape when we first started the battle here.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­that¡¯s true. Although it may not be a proper reporting system, they woulde by to check the situation as a part of the process.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Lucky for us, except for the neighboring vige, the next vige is more than a two days'' journey away, and even if the runaways arrive without getting lost on the way, they won¡¯t just send an army recklessly. We used an unfamiliar weapon that they have never seen before, and if they ran away so quickly, they wouldn''t know exactly what happened here.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you n on doing?¡±


    Vasen replied, ¡°Fortunately, the tales of this underground ancient ruin are widely known among the Pangolins. So to the Pangolins, we are the promised saviors.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    "While it''s unfortunate that the stories haven''t spread much among the other enved species, it''s fortunate that the Pangolins believe it as they can spread the word to other Pangolins."


    It was as Vasen said.


    The Rakshasas had sensed that there was something wrong in the northern region. As runaways appeared, they came to learn of the stories of Lizardmen holding sticks that made thunder-like sounds and killed all the Rakshasas. At the same time, a secret spread among the Pangolins in the northeastern region of the Ashurada tribe, stating that a legendary white spider hade to rescue the Pangolins. Hearing such stories alone created a buzz among the Pangolin society, and the ve supervisors became bewildered.


    Although the Pangolins'' stories were only ancient talesbined with the rumorsing from the northeastern end, it created an atmosphere of uneasiness.


    Despite how absurd the story was, Akulda, the governor responsible for the northern region of the Ashurada tribe, reported it to the higher-ups and decided to send an investigative unit instead of an army for now. They opted not to form an army because the ve supervisors and soldiers had expressed uneasiness about the unusual movements of the Pangolins.


    <i>¡®Even if it¡¯s just a story, we can¡¯t afford to let the supervision of the ves gocent. If something did happen in the northeastern region, it would probably just be a Pangolin rebellion. And that wouldn¡¯t be a problem if that happened in only one or two viges. One Rakshasa warrior can deal with ten Pangolins. So although we may not know what exactly is going on, we shouldn¡¯t act rashly.¡¯</i>


    That was a miscalction on the part of the northern governor, Akulda.


    Vasen quickly trained the Pangolins into an army while acquiring information about the jungle and the terrain from them. And four dayster, when a small reconnaissance unit of about twenty appeared, he and the Pangolins ambushed and annihted them.


    <i>¡®They are moving as I expected.¡¯</i>


    Vasen then realized that they had more than enough time. Even if the Rakshasa realized something was wrong when the reconnaissance unit never returned, they would be hindered by the excited Pangolins if they were to prepare an army and send them.


    Leading the expedition team, Hillove, and the trained Pangolin troops, Vasen recaptured the coastal viges in the northeastern region one by one. Within five days, they recaptured two viges and even discovered survivors from a wrecked expedition team''s ship, who had been hiding in the area. Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t many of them, and the ship had partially sunk, leaving almost no cargo behind.


    Regardless, there was a silver lining to their situation. They encountered the fifth ship of the expedition team, themunication ship, three days earlier than initially expected. Vasen rode themunication ship back to Margo¡¯s vige and instructed them to unload all the gunpowder and guns on the ship. Then he made them hurriedly set sail for Doltan Ind and told them to bring back all the sulfur and guns.


    Theone asked, ¡°Why sulfur instead of gunpowder?¡±


    ¡°We found a source of sulfur on the ind, and we¡¯ll make gunpowder here. If they carry only sulfur, they can transport more of it.¡±


    ¡°What about the guns? There aren¡¯t too many of us here.¡±


    ¡°We will need more from now on.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    Vasen replied, ¡°Because the Pangolins now know how to shoot guns too.¡±

 Chapter 154: The Deceiver, Gordius

    <h4>Chapter 154: The Deceiver, Gordius</h4>


    ¡°Movement in the northeast is getting serious. We need to mobilize the military.¡±


    ¡°No, we cannot do that. The Pangolins are currently excited about the savior, the white spider. We will get into trouble If we recruit the warriors who should be supervisors.¡±


    Akulda, the governor of the northern Ashurada tribe, furrowed his eyebrows while listening to his entourage.


    ¡°I must meet with Koprik.¡±


    A member of the entourage hesitantly said, ¡°But Koprik has been sleeping deep inside therge temple for a month now. If we wake them up¡­¡±


    ¡°They would surely get angry.¡±


    Koprik was the guardian responsible for the northern Ashurada tribe. Although Koprik had lost to the Great Ashurada who ruled over the Rakshasas and became a subordinate, Koprik still had a higher rank than any other Rakshasa. While Akulda held the highest position as governor in the city of Siol, which could be considered the main city of the northern Ashurada tribe, the powerful guardians of Ashurada were an exception to the hierarchical system.


    Akulda said, ¡°Prepare an offering. It needs to be enough to calm Koprik¡¯s anger and allow for a conversation.¡±


    ¡°The offering we sent to Ashurada not long ago was already significant. And the Pangolins¡¯ resistance will be strong.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about that. If something big really is happening in the northeast, we can¡¯t resolve it without Koprik¡¯s help.


    The enved Pangolins in Siol were gathered, and candidates for sacrificial offerings were selected. There was some resistance from the Pangolins, perhaps because of the old legend that was rapidly spreading among them, but the Rakshasas were able to swing swords as big as the Pangolins, and the Pangolins couldn¡¯t resist that without being properly armed.


    Once the first group of candidates were chosen, the remaining Pangolins expressed anger, but at the same time let out sighs of relief. But soon after, the second group of candidates were selected.


    ¡°The first offerings are to calm Koprik¡¯s anger, and the second offerings are to ask Koprik for a favor. Do not go against the will of the guardian.¡±


    The town square of Siol once again fell into chaos, but the time taken to collect the sacrificial offerings didn¡¯t go beyond Akulda¡¯s expectations.


    The offerings were brought into the temple ording to the procedure upheld by the Rakshasa priests, or more specifically, in a way that wouldn¡¯t anger Koprik. The screams of the Pangolins echoed from the inner temple.


    Akulda waited in front of therge temple for the priests to offer the sacrifices ande back out. Initially, Akulda was supposed to go in when the priests came out of the temple and gave Akulda the sign that it was okay to enter, but something unexpected happened.


    <i>-Oh, darn it¡­ it¡¯s stuck in my teeth again.</i>


    With the sound of heavy footsteps, a ck shadow came out from the temple.


    <i>-Is there nothing else that can be offered other than those damn Pangolins? Those pieces of trash don¡¯t even have much flesh, and their skin is tough to chew on.</i>


    The shadow remained visible even under the sunlight. Koprik was a ck panther that was 30 meters long, and it was around 9 meters tall even when measured at the level of its shoulders. Its sparkling yellow eyes looked like moons as they casually scanned those gathered in the town square, while its mouth was covered in blood.


    .


    Akulda was bewildered and said, ¡°Great Koprik, have you seen our priests¡­¡±


    <i>-Huh? Priests? Were there priests too? There was something a bit chewable. I guess it was the Rakshasas.</i>


    Koprik chuckled in a low voice.


    Akulda wasn''t taken aback. Despite Koprik''s animal appearance, it wasn''t ignorant. Everything it did was calcted. Rather than getting angry for being woken up, it ate the Rakshasa priests as well to obtain more offerings, and rather than an act out of hunger, Koprik had likely done so in protest and for fun. And Koprik only left Akulda in the position of governor because Akulda yed along with its antics.


    <i>¡®I guess we need to choose priests again.¡¯</i>


    Koprik then said.


    <i>-Anyway, what did you wake me up for? You better prepare yourselves if you woke me up for something insignificant.</i>


    Akulda bowed down and replied, ¡°Great Koprik, we Rakshasas are facing significant difficulties. Please help us.¡±


    Koprik looked at Akulda with interest.


    <i>-You? Is it that the fish in the west has started moving? Did they finally fill giant water pouches with seawater and start marching while pouring it over themselves? If that¡¯s the case, I must have a look myself.</i>


    ¡°...Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case.¡±


    Akulda began to exin that some Rakshasas had run away from a vige in the northeast. And ording to eyewitnesses, there emerged a group made up of various species holding sticks that produced thunder-like sounds, and whenever the sticks emitted light and smoke, Rakshasa warriors would copse. Since then,munication from nearby viges stopped one by one, and a legend about a savior began to spread among the Pangolins. Reconnaissance teams had been sent, but they never returned either. So although it was evident that something was going on, the situation didn¡¯t allow for the army to be mobilized.


    <i>-...So that¡¯s why you need my help?</i>


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>-Then I shall go to the town to see for myself. I¡¯m looking forward to tasting something other than Pangolins.?</i>


    Koprik was already leaning toward the north of the temple.


    Akulda then said, ¡°...You cannot.¡±


    <i>-I can¡¯t?</i>


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®If something were to happen to Koprik, we would be in big trouble¡¯</i>


    It didn¡¯t matter if Koprik died. That might even be better. The Rakshasas relied on ves forbor, but it constantly decreased because of the guardians ruling over them. However, if Koprik didn¡¯t die and only got injured, then Akulda would be the one to bear all the anger.


    Akulda said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what kind of danger there will be, but I cannot let you face it. It would be enough for you to go around the vige so that the Pangolins don¡¯t harbor thoughts of vengeance. Pangolins are cowards, so that alone would keep them in check.¡±


    <i>-Hmm¡­ Going around the vige¡­</i>


    Koprik continued to say.


    <i>-If I go around the vige without you, I might just eat the Pangolins as I please.</i>


    Akulda suppressed the desire to sigh.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s worth it if that means getting over this situation.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...You may do as you wish.¡±


    <i>-Good. I will. You go take care of your own affairs.</i>


    After saying so, Koprik went toward the offerings that were tied up on top of the altar, which were rightfully its own.


    ***


    The yers looked down at Koprik and said, ¡°That¡¯s¡­a giant ck panther.¡±


    Eldar replied to Lunda, ¡°It¡¯s likely a nahual.¡±


    ¡°Nahual?¡±


    In the Pantheon¡¯s conference room, only Sung-Woon, Lunda, and Eldar remained. Although the yers didn¡¯t experience fatigue and didn¡¯t need sleep, all the yers agreed that it wouldn¡¯t be efficient for all of them to continuously monitor the situations, excluding Sung-Woon. In other words, they needed some kind of change to feel refreshed. And due to that agreement, they agreed upon a shift schedule for them to take turns taking breaks and getting out of the conference room, which was why Sung-Woon, Lunda, and Eldar were the only three currently in the room.


    Eldar then said, ¡°It started out as a deity from Aztec mythology, but due to the nature of the Lost World randomly adopting myths, legends, and folktales from Earth, you can simply think of it as a giant ck panther with mysterious power¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. Anyway, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s a divine being, right? When only looking at what it does, it doesn¡¯t seem much different from a fiend.¡±


    ¡°That part is indeed questionable.¡±


    Sung-Woon agreed on the inside and looked down at Koprik. Creatures in The Lost World were divided into quite a few categories. First, there were people, which were also called sapiens. Although they had clearly diverged into many species, they shared a simr form of appearance through convergent evolution, and they were the sources of followers for the yers. Then, there were also animals, which would eat people and sometimes get eaten by people as well.


    Up to this point, these beings were also found on Earth, but what came next, namely the monsters, were where things went slightly differently. Among the monsters were giant and powerful creatures that people couldn¡¯t easily face alone, and strange creatures such as Drakes, Cockatrices, and Gargoyles were included in this category.


    In addition, there were creatures called Abominations. Unlike monsters that could be raised as livestock, these Abominations existed as individual entities and were perceived by the yers as field bosses. Simr to these Abominations were divine beings. They bore a simrity to Abominations in that they existed as individual entities, but unlike Abominations, they weren¡¯t typically enemies of yers. They were generally neutral or even helpful with good intentions, so if used well, they could benefit a yer.


    The next category of creatures were those that were still inadequate in the eyes of the gods but ruled over people because of their high intelligence¡ªfiends. And Koprik, which the yers currently saw as a nahual, seemed to be closer to a fiend than a divine being.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because of the being called Ashurada,¡± said Sung-Woon.


    Lunda replied, ¡°Do you think Ashurada could be a yer too? But they aren¡¯t on the yer list.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Wouldn¡¯t there be a cheat that could be used to hide oneself from the list? But they did also say it was a guardian.¡±


    ¡°Then a fiend?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Or perhaps something even greater than a fiend.¡±


    Lunda nodded in realization.


    Then Eldar said, ¡°Anyway, Koprik seems quite strong. Even though we¡¯re armed with guns, wouldn¡¯t it be a little troublesome to deal with it at the current level of power? Sending Lakrak might be¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to use such a high-level card. And if Vasen happens to initiate a preemptive attack, we¡¯ll end up fighting in the enemy''s territory, which would lead to a penalty.¡±


    ¡°Then do you have another good n?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Koprik looks pretty strong. That¡¯s rather a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Good?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna make another creature creation. It¡¯s one of the methods I used to employ quite often, and I have a temte already, so creating it will be simple. However, it¡¯ll require a skill that¡¯s only essible when a certain Small Area reaches a certain level, and I can¡¯t meet it alone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    Sung-Woon pointed at Eldar¡¯s face.


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lunda, who was beside Eldar, was also surprised.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ***


    A few dayster, the recently created creature, named Gordius, began to crawl with its small and long body as soon as itnded on the ground. Compared to its siblings, it was surely a small and fragile creature. It was about 10 centimeters long, and the only reliable part of its body seemed to be the strong teeth at the tip of its head, which could even bite through steel.


    Even the mini pigs that the Pangolins raised as livestock, which were the weakest creatures nearby, were natural enemies to Gordius.


    Gordius crawled while repeatedly bending and stretching its fragile body.


    <i>-I¡­will survive¡­</i>


    For a creature that looked simr to a worm, those words sounded very resolute, but Gordius certainly possessed enough intelligence in its tiny body. Gordius knew its origin as well as its purpose.


    <i>-I am the child born between the watcher, Night Sky, and the messenger of the gods, Dancing Shadow God¡­</i>


    Of course, it did have a somewhat distorted understanding of itself.


    <i>-My purpose is¡­that¡­over there¡­</i>


    Gordius didn¡¯t give in as its muscles screamed in pain, but instead crawled up the high tform that was blocking its path. Gordius only relied on smell and temperature to navigate itself. And where it was heading was the top of the altar, where the Pangolins were tied up and waiting. More specifically, it was heading toward a Pangolin¡¯s¡­


    <i>-...Hole!</i>


    Soon afterward, Gordius crawled up the leg of the Pangolin that was sitting at the very rear end and prated into the Pangolin¡¯s body through an opening. Having been waiting on the altar to be offered as a sacrifice, the Pangolin became wide-eyed at the unexpected feeling. One of the priests had noticed the Pangolin¡¯s weird reaction, but they ignored them after a nce.


    <i>¡®Seems like a sick one also got included. But it doesn¡¯t matter because that gluttonous monster would eat anything.¡¯</i>


    As a giant shadow appeared, the Pangolins began to scream. It was one of the Rakshasas¡¯ guardians, the nahual Koprik.


    <i>-Come on, time for a bite!</i>


    Soon after, Koprik got to the Pangolin that Gordius had entered. Gordius knew that it was now its turn. Just before Koprik chewed on and swallowed the Pangolin, Gordius came out of the Pangolin¡¯s body and quickly pierced through the roof of Koprik¡¯s mouth.


    <i>-I am the deceiver, Gordius.</i>


    <i>-Hm?</i>


    Koprik felt a sudden pain in its mouth and heard a voice that seemed to ring inside its head.


    <i>-Night Sky created my body, and I learned techniques as an actor from Dancing Shadow God¡­</i>


    Gordius quickly pierced through the skull, blood-brain barrier, and cerebrospinal fluid that separated itself from Koprik¡¯s brain.


    <i>-I shall be you.?</i>


    Gordius was a Gordian Worm.

 Chapter 155: Between Excitement and Calculation

    <h4>Chapter 155: Between Excitement and Calction</h4>


    Akulda led the thousand warriors from their city, Siol, toward the north. Considering that one Rakshasa warrior could take on ten Pangolins, it was definitely arge number.


    However, what worried Akulda was the sticks that made thunder-like sounds that the outsiders had brought, but Akulda had an idea about what to do with them.


    <i>¡®I heard that there were Wizards among the fishes. That weapon must be rted to magic. But if it is able to make that big of a sound, then ultimately, it must be mere deception with no substance.¡¯</i>


    Putting together the stories told by the Rakshasas who had escaped the vige, Akulda came to the conclusion that the weapon might not be anything to write home about. Once it let out a loud sound and spewed fire, it required preparations such as struggling to fold another small stick into the initial stick, which took a long time. When Akulda asked one of the fugitives why they didn¡¯t attack the enemies while they were getting their weapons ready, they replied that the enemies had been stationed all over, preventing them from predicting which sticks would fire next.


    <i>¡®However dangerous the weapons may be, they would¡¯vee to crush us without even giving us a chance to resist if they really were that impressive. As long as our warriors take advantage of the downtime when they are preparing their weapons and charge, attacking should be no problem.¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°Oh no. ording to the news from the south, Governor Akulda from the north has gathered a thousand warriors and ising our way¡­¡±


    At Margo¡¯s words, Vasen Lak Orazen replied, ¡°A thousand? Is that all they can gather?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Margo then added, ¡°But one Rakshasa can handle ten Pangolins¡­ I wonder if we¡¯ll be okay¡­¡±


    Margo looked at the Pangolins who were currently training. Each vige had sent a good number of Pangolin warriors, making an army of 800 in total. Their numbers being equal, however, Pangolins would never defeat Rakshasas even with the help of gunpowder weapons. In that sense, the Pangolins¡¯ army was small.


    In Margo¡¯s perspective, the Pangolin warriors looked like nothing but a rabble. The braver and stronger Pangolins had already rebelled against the Rakshasas and died, or they had been sacrificed as offerings to the Rakshasa guardians. The only reason these Pangolins could even serve as warriors was that they did not reflexively turn into a ball when facing enemies. And this requirement had only been set by Vasen to determine whether they would be able to use the weapons that were brought from across the sea.


    When Vasen had first gathered the Pangolin warriors, it was a mess. The moment Vasen fired a matchlock into the air, one fourth of the Pangolins that gathered there reflexively rolled themselves into balls. So Vasen had to somewhat sternly tell them to get back to their feet, and some Pangolins did follow his words.


    With a tone that suggested there was nothing for them to worry about, Vasen confidently reassured them by saying, ¡°We won¡¯t be using edged weapons but these matchlocks, so what¡¯s there to be concerned about?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Vasen looked at Margo. This small Pangolin had lots of fears, but still had courage and was flexible in different situations.


    <i>¡®Which means they are quick-witted.¡¯</i>


    In Vasen¡¯s opinion, being quick-witted meant having lots of thoughts running through their head. And Vasen believed that this trait of Margo¡¯s, who had been a ve, enabled them to survive among the Rakshasas and seize opportunities when things turned upside down.


    ¡°Tell me what concerns you. If there¡¯s something that I didn¡¯t think of, then we might have to make up for those things.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­well, that is. We are quite good at shooting these objects called matchlocks¡­¡± Margo said, ¡°Even though they do shoot farther than crossbows, however, they aren¡¯t as urate. Also, because the recoil is stronger than when shooting crossbows, using thin leather to protect our shoulders isn''t that effective, and it¡¯s not like they can be reloaded faster than crossbows either¡­and there aren¡¯t enough matchlocks¡­¡±


    Vasen agreed with Margo¡¯sst point. Counting those on themunication ship as well as the ones hurriedly brought over from Doltan Ind, there were only 200 matchlocks in total. After those, supplies would have to be brought directly from ck Scale, which would take a long time. Therefore, only 200 out of the 800 Pangolins would be gunners, another 100 would be crossbowmen, and the remaining would be spearmen.


    Vasen then said, ¡°But we can still deploy more gunners than skilled crossbowmen right away. That should be enough. And you also have us.¡±


    ¡°Even so, there¡¯s only around 50 of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s trust Hillove.¡±


    With eyes filled with anticipation, Margo finally looked up at Hillove, who was perching on top of the small temple. To Vasen, it seemed like Margo thought the fight was worth trying because of Hillove.


    <i>¡®But that won¡¯t be the case.¡¯</i>


    Vasen¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t simply winning the battle. It was topletely defeat the Rakshasas with the Pangolins alone.


    Vasen looked at the vige. Only about fifteen days had passed, but thendscape had changed significantly. While the Pangolin gunners continued their training and making banging sounds, niter was being carried back in carts from nearby mountains, and trees had been chopped down and put into mud furnaces to make charcoal. Inside tall buildings made of wood, molten iron was dripping one drop at a time. Every drop fell and solidified in a circr shape, which became a bullet for the matchlocks.


    Although Hillove might have triggered the beginning of their salvation, if the Pangolins weren¡¯t able to save themselves, then future fights would be difficult. On the contrary, if the Pangolins were able to save themselves, the battle ahead of them would be easier.


    To make sure that they would be ready when the time came, Vasen taught the gunners the formation he hade up with himself.


    ***


    A Rakshasa warrior whispered to Akulda, ¡°I see the Pangolins over there.¡±


    ¡°I see them too¡­ What a bunch of fools.¡±


    The Rakshasa troops hid within the jungle and observed the hilltop where the Pangolins were. About 100 Pangolins were on the hill, where the ground was covered in t rocks and stones. Due to that, there were barely any tall trees, and the grass that grew between the rocks barely covered the ankles.


    <i>¡®If they¡¯re in such an open space, there will be no bushes for warriors to hide in.¡¯</i>


    Akulda believed there were a few rules to war. One of them was to not reveal their presence to the enemy until the fight began.


    <i>¡®Of course, the distance is quite far for stone throwing or shooting crossbows. But if they don¡¯t know our locations and we know theirs, we can attack whenever and wherever we want.¡¯</i>


    Additionally, there seemed to be a smoky burnt smelling from the Pangolins for some reason. And the smell was how the Rakshasas had located the Pangolins in the first ce.


    Akulda said, ¡°We need to quickly overpower them first.¡±


    ¡°Would it be okay to not check the upper hill?¡±


    ¡°To check that hill, we would have to go past them from the front anyway. And if we don¡¯t want to do that, we would have to take a longer route around. We can¡¯t afford to miss this chance by wasting time to do so.¡±


    The warriors agreed with what Akulda said. There were merely a hundred Pangolins, and they were only armed with clubs and spears. Given the Rakshasas only thought of the Pangolins as ves, the fight the Pangolins were putting up seemed disgraceful at best.


    Akulda pointed at a warrior and said, ¡°Lead the blood-rted warriors and charge.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for giving me the honor to lead the charge, Akulda.¡±


    Akulda smothered augh and thought, <i>¡®Although they¡¯re only Pangolins, we still haven¡¯t figured out what the sticks that make thunder-like sounds are. Them being there wouldn¡¯t just be a coincidence.¡¯</i>


    Around 200 Rakshasa warriors charged toward the Pangolins.


    And at that moment, Margo, who was among the 100 Pangolins, shouted, ¡°Aim!¡±


    The Pangolins all took aim at the Rakshasas.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    mes shot up following the loud noises, and white smoke rose over the hill. The Rakshasa warriors who were charging under Akulda¡¯smand fell to the ground. With their long tails and low center of gravity, Pangolins were at an advantage when it came to withstanding recoils. Training also allowed the Pangolins to not be surprised at the sound of gunfire, so after they shot their guns, they immediately reloaded and moved to the back.


    Margo then shouted again, ¡°Aim!¡±


    When the Rakshasa warriors saw those running in front of them fall to the ground, they reflexively slowed down their pace. And once they realized that not only themselves, but the warriors around them were all hesitating, they debated whether to keep charging forward or run away. The tremendous gunfire sounds had robbed them of their excitement for war and made them do cold calctions for survival. And staying stuck between their excitement and calctions turned out to be their fatal mistake.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!?</i>


    Round metal bullets tore through the tough skin of the Rakshasas and broke their bones.


    Akulda felt his mind go ck.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad¡­!¡¯</i>


    But Akulda¡¯s judgment hadn¡¯t beenpletely wrong. After the two rows of Pangolins fired, there came a chance when they had to pause to reload their guns.


    ¡°Now¡¯s the time! Charge!¡±


    With the Rakshasa troops that had charged first injured, Akulda btedlymanded the next troops to advance. However, the path up the hill was not very wide. And Akulda then realized that even the open terrain was a part of the enemy¡¯s calctions.


    <i>¡®Are there more on top of the hill too¡­?¡¯</i>


    Before Akulda could raise his head, Vasen had already led the remaining gunners forward to aim at the Rakshasas.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    The fight didn¡¯tst long, and Hillove, who had been waiting nearby, didn¡¯t even get the chance to participate in the fight. The only ones to survive were Akulda and a few subordinates, who were clever enough to immediately retreat rather than take part in the fight.


    ***


    Inside the jungle, Akulda ran in a different direction than the subordinates beforeing to a stop. It had been a while since Akulda, who was built strong as a Rakshasa and had earned a high-ranking position,st ran until he no longer could.


    ¡°Damn it, how did those Pangolins¡­¡±


    Akulda had certainly seen not only the Pangolins but also the outsiders. There had been Lizardmen and other various species. Akulda thought he needed to inform the great Ashurada about this, and even though he could lose the position of governor and perhaps even his own life, Akulda thought he needed to hurry.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter of my own safety. This can be a threat to the Rakshasas and maybe even the whole Ashurada tribe¡­¡±


    Akulda then suddenly heard a rustle from the bushes and drew his sword. A familiar figure had emerged through the trees.


    ¡°Koprik¡­!¡±


    <i>-You look exhausted, Akulda.</i>


    ¡°Please forgive me. We have lost in the fight against the Pangolins.¡±


    Bowing down, Akulda thought this could be the end. However, an unexpected reply came.


    <i>-Oh, that¡¯s unfortunate. I dly forgive you.</i>


    ¡°You¡­forgive me?¡±


    <i>-Isn¡¯t that what I said?</i>


    ¡°Th¡­thank you.¡±


    Akulda was puzzled, but thought that Koprik could have been satisfied after filling its stomach with lots of Pangolins.


    Akulda said, ¡°They have a significant weapon. I think they got it from the outsiders, and there was no way for us to fight against them.¡±


    <i>-Then what will you do now?</i>


    ¡°I must visit the Great Ashurada.¡±


    Koprik nodded as if that was the right thing to do, but then suddenly stopped.


    <i>-No, are you going to just ept defeat like this?</i>


    ¡°There is nothing I can do to fight back.¡±


    <i>-Do you think the Great Ashurada will forgive you when you¡¯ve suffered a great defeat??</i>


    ¡°I might not be forgiven¡­¡±


    Koprik then said.


    <i>-In my opinion¡­yes, that¡¯s right. Why don¡¯t you gather all the remaining warriors and fight again? I can help this time.</i>


    ¡°A¡­are you being serious?¡±


    Akulda was taken aback. Perhaps because of the defeat it had suffered at the hands of Ashurada, who ruled over the Rakshasas, Koprik never showed any affection toward them. The only reason Koprik cooperated was that Akulda was the governor, and Koprik would ignore any request it deemed to be even the least bit unreasonable. Thus, Akulda had to be satisfied with Koprik going around the vige and creating an atmosphere of fear rather than asking Koprik to directly fight.


    .


    Koprik then said.


    <i>-Yes. I want to taste those outsiders before Ashurada eats them all.?</i>


    Akilda was partly relieved at Koprik¡¯s attitude. Akulda had faced the great Ashurada several times before. If it was the great Ashurada, they could resolve anything, so this situation might not even be that serious.


    ¡°Oh, okay. Then I¡¯ll gather the warriors again. Now I will never underestimate them, and most importantly, with your help¡­we will certainly win.¡±


    Akulda bowed to Koprik.


    Koprik, or more specifically, Gordius who had taken over Koprik¡¯s body, then said to Sung-Woon.


    <i>-Father, Night Sky, it has been done as you wished.</i>


    Sung-Woon replied.


    <i>-Good. Let¡¯s start by annihting the Rakshasas of the north.?</i>

 Chapter 156: Predetermined Fate

    <h4>Chapter 156: Predetermined Fate</h4>


    Assuming control over Koprik¡¯s body, Gordius quietly spent time inside the temple. Then, a priest came rushing in.


    ¡°Wejen, please save me!¡±


    The priest wasn¡¯t running to Gordius, but was rather running away. Gordius was puzzled at the name that it had never heard before and didn¡¯t bother saving the priest.


    Gordius had two main abilities. One was its theatrical talent, mainly derived from the art that Eldar had established through a high-level Small Area. The other was its intelligence based on its body created by Sung-Woon, which allowed it to make rapid inferences.


    Gordius had nibbled away Koprik¡¯s brain and thus killed Koprik, but that didn¡¯t mean Gordius had obtained all of Koprik¡¯s memories too. Gordius filled in the nks with its inferences, figuring out what kind of rtionships Koprik had with those around it, as well as what kind of existence Korpik was. ording to its deduction, the Rakshasa priest was to Koprik nothing more nor less than a living snack that could move and talk.


    The Rakshasas believed they were different from the Pangolins, but it was merely a false assumption born out of the fact that Koprik had never treated the Rakshasas that way in the past.


    <i>¡®That thing chasing after the priest is annoying me.¡¯</i>


    Eventually, the priest fell and rolled on the ground. Then arge crow appeared, grabbed the priest with its talons, and began to eat the screaming priest, starting with their head. Gordius spected that thisrge crow was Wejen, a guardian with a simr position to Koprik.


    <i>-It¡¯s been a while, Wejen.</i>


    Wejen briefly nced at Gordius and swallowed the Rakshasa in one bite.


    Wejen then said.


    <i>-I¡¯m surprised to hear such friendly words from you.</i>


    Gordius then realized that there had been a mistake in its judgment. The ck panther had never considered the Pangolins, Rakshasas, or even other guardians as its peers.


    <i>-This neighborhood has been quite noisytely¡­</i>


    <i>-It is indeed quite noisy¡­</i>


    While Wejen walked through the temple¡¯s corridor lined withrge pirs, it said.


    <i>-Seeing that you express the situation that way, I suppose you haven¡¯t heard the news about the other regions.?</i>


    <i>-Other regions??</i>


    Wejen replied.


    <i>-In addition to the north, the east and west are also in chaos. Not only are those fish moving, but the invaders seem to have appeared as well.</i>


    <i>-Invaders?</i>


    <i>-Yes. It seems that they havee from across the sea¡­from another continent.</i>


    <i>-Hm.?</i>


    By fish, Wejen was probably referring to the Deep Ones. The other parts, though, Gordius knew were new information that not even Sung-Woon was aware of.


    Wejen said.


    <i>-The Great Ashurada is worried and wishes to ask the guardian of each region about the situation on their end. Especially in the north, isn¡¯t there a Pangolin guardian that needs to be sacrificed? The Great Ashurada is also looking forward to it.</i>


    Gordius replied.


    <i>-Tell the Great Ashurada not to worry. Those invaders did bring new weapons, but there aren¡¯t many of them, and the Pangolins¡­are just Pangolins. We have a n to capture them all at once, so¡­</i>


    <i>-Wait, did you just say Great Ashurada?</i>


    Gordius became nervous because it made another slip of the tongue.


    <i>¡®This damn ck panther had no respect for its superiors or inferiors!¡¯</i>


    Gordius then thought about whether it should attack and kill Wejen now, or get attacked and eaten by Wejen. Both options were fine for Gordius, but it wasn¡¯t sure if the n of the mortals, who believed in Night Sky, would get disrupted.


    Wejen thenughed and said.


    <i>-It seems that you have finally developed loyalty as well.</i>


    Gordius felt relieved.


    <i>-I guess I would have to acknowledge¡­the difference in power.</i>


    <i>-That¡¯s more than enough, Koprik. Honestly, I like your change in attitude more than your confidence in stopping those invaders. I¡¯ll stop by again.</i>


    <i>-Do whatever you want.</i>


    Gordius looked at Wejen as it waddled out the corridor. And then it became curious about something.


    <i>¡®Just what kind of existence is Ashurada?¡¯</i>


    ***


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to fight anymore?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­that¡¯s not what I meant exactly¡­¡±


    The Pangolin, Margo, was hesitant in front of Vasen Lak Orazen.


    After their great victory against the Rakshasas, there were smaller battles in the following days, and the Pangolins continued to win. However, the Rakshasas didn''t even engage in proper fights as they simply fled at the news of the Pangolins¡¯ approach. To Vasen, this seemed like a better form of victory.


    The Pangolins had recaptured most of the northern regions and sessfully driven the Rakshasas away. Now, if they could reim thergest city, Siol, they would have taken back all the viges that the Pangolins had called home in the past.


    But of course, Vasen wasn''t going to be satisfied with just that. The Rakshasas, or more specifically, the Rakshasas of the Ashurada tribe, did have a lower technology level, but they were establishing arge country, and the northern region where the Pangolins lived was only a small part of it.


    <i>¡®But the Pangolins might think it¡¯s excessive. They not only drove out the Rakshasas who oppressed them, but also gained the power to protect themselves from them.''</i>


    It wasn''t just the matchlock guns. While Pangolin scales were hard and tough to chew on, the iron swords and spears used by the Rakshasas could still cause them injuries. However, by wearing steel armors custom-made to suit the Pangolins, they would be a difficult enemy for the Rakshasas to deal with.


    The Rakshasas had already attempted ambushes against unarmed Pangolins, but they had also suffered a defeat at the hand of heavily armed Pangolin spearmen. Their difference in physique could be made up for through technology.


    "You would continue to win if you kept fighting. Are the Pangolins having a hard time with the battles?¡±


    "It''s not that. It''s just that continuing the fight doesn''t seem as efficient..."


    "Not efficient?"


    Margo hesitated and said, "War is wasteful. If we can gain profits without fighting, it would be better not to engage in war."


    Vasen could only nod in agreement. War was indeed wasteful.


    "Then are you suggesting a peace settlement with the Rakshasas?"


    "Yes. Not all Rakshasas are dull-headed, and behind them stands Ashurada and therge temple... It''s difficult to expect the streak of victories to continue..."


    Vasen then thought to himself.


    <i>¡®They might be right. We''ve achieved great victories so far, but if the battles continue, the frontline will expand. With an expanding frontline, the importance of infrastructure like roads, supplies, and transportation vehicles will increase. However, there is hardly any such infrastructure in thisnd.¡¯</i>


    And Vasen¡¯s concerns didn¡¯t end there. The majority of Pangolins had been ves for a long time, so theyckedpetentmanders, and if the forces increased, it would be difficult to maintain the current high quality of equipment. Even though they were making up for the power difference through technology and boosting the morale of the Pangolin army with victories, the situation was still precarious. And he was especially wary of Ashurada, or even Koprik, which he expected to run into the next time.


    The white spider, Hillove, had for some reason said that there was nothing to worry about Koprik, but ording to the Pangolins, the guardian was quite a notable existence.


    <i>¡®Yes. Perhaps it''s best to end the war here and let our expedition team return to their original mission. We''ve gathered some information during this time too. And with the message ryed by themunication ship, ck Scale would already be preparing for more warships. If ck Scale and the Rakshasas must go to war, it would be better to engage them directly rather than using the Pangolins.¡¯</i>


    Vasen said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Margo. Let''s see if a peace settlement would be epted."


    The Pangolin envoys traveled to Siol, the central city of the Rakshasas in the north, and they could sense the stark difference in how they were treated. The Rakshasas did not hide their difort, but still treated the envoys like Rakshasa nobles, and the ordinary Rakshasas they encountered in the town square were frightened upon seeing them.


    The northern governor, Akulda, met them to listen to what they had to say. The Pangolins¡¯ conditions were simple.


    First, the Rakshasas would free all enved Pangolins in all the towns and cities, including Siol and the other towns and cities that the Pangolins hadn¡¯t yet attacked. Second, they would leave Siol, which was a city that originally belonged to the Pangolins. And third, they would not return. And what Rakshasas would get in return was even simpler.


    <i>¡®They won¡¯t attack anymore? Did they suggest those conditions with only such a promise?¡¯</i>


    Akulda felt anger rising inside. But Akulda was apetent Rakshasa noble who had risen to his current position through their political capacities.


    "I ept your conditions. However..."


    The envoys looked anxious as they waited for Akulda to finish.


    Akulda smiled and said, "I''d like to build a good rtionship with the Pangolins. Although the past can¡¯t bepletely forgotten, we¡¯ll show our remorse. I would like it if you could give us a chance. And to that end, when we form the peace settlement, I wish to invite the people beyond the sea who helped you and hold a grand festival. What do you think?"


    The envoys dly epted this proposal and returned with excitement.


    Behind the temple, Koprik, or more urately, Gordius, who had taken over Koprik''s body, had listened in on the conversation between Akulda and the envoys.


    And then it said.


    <i>-Surely, you won''t actually considering to a peace settlement with the Pangolins, right?</i>


    Akulda looked at Gordius as if asking what it meant.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s a chance to gather the chief executives of the enemy in the center of the city, so we can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    Gordius smiled and replied.


    <i>-That¡¯s true. But aren''t you worried that they won¡¯t ever propose a conversation again after we attack their chief executives?</i>


    ¡°There¡¯s no conversation to be had with the Pangolins. A conversation only happens when the two sides have an equal standing. And besides, if you help, there will be no next time for them.¡±


    <i>-Yes, let¡¯s put an end to this.</i>


    Gordius thought to itself.


    <i>''That¡¯s right, a conversation only happens when the two sides are at an equal standing.¡¯</i>


    ***


    The Pantheon¡¯s second conference room, also known as the tactics conference room, was entirely upied by a single table. And on the table, there were figurines that moved. They moved ording to a yer¡¯s input and had simr abilities. Therefore, they could be used to conduct a mock war, or war game.


    Sung-Woon pointed at the temple and said, "They''ll probably have a battle in front of this temple. Of course, there won''t be any armed Rakshasas so as to avoid provoking Vasen and the Pangolins that were invited. But on the other hand, the Pangolins will likely go with minimal armament too.¡±


    Sitting across from him, Wisdom said, ¡°Then here, an armed Rakshasa force will probably wait behind the temple, far enough that they could hide themselves, but close enough for an ambush. Do they roughly have¡­two thousand?"


    ¡°They probably barely gathered that much.¡±


    "Hmm, wouldn''t it be better to let Vasen attack from the outside? Didn¡¯t you already tell him that it¡¯s a trap?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°No, if we do that, the Rakshasas will pursue an efficient defense by utilizing the city''s outskirts, and then the number of casualties among the Pangolins will rise. On the other hand, if personnel are ced beforehand, they will believe that the Pangolins are tricked and thus deploy no forces on the outskirts, which would make it easier for our troops to enter.¡±


    Wisdom said, "So I guess the problem lies here, with Vasen and the Pangolins ying the role of bait. Are you sure you can save them?¡±


    ¡°We have these guys, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°These guys?¡±


    Sung-Woon took out two small figurines from his inner pocket. One was a white spider, and the other was a ck panther. He ced the white spider on the outskirts and the ck panther on the temple. And as he did so, Hillove¡¯s consciousness connected with the white spider figurine, and Gordius with the ck panther figurine.


    <i>-Hillove hase.</i>


    Then Hillove and Gordius, with theirrge round eyes, looked down at the great gods from above the second conference room.


    Sung-Woon, who was big enough to overturn the world if he wanted to, marked out a distant foothill before pointing at Hillove and Gordius.


    "We''re doing this mock battle to see if they can sessfully defend everyone. If the mock battle doesn''t go well, we''ll go with your n."


    On the opposite side, Wisdom rose like a second sun and agreed.


    "Alright, shall we¡­give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Hillove, Gordius. Move.¡±


    <i>-As you wish.</i>


    <i>-Please look forward to it.</i>


    A massive ck panther silently approached the group of Rakshasas waiting behind the temple and swung its front foot.


    ***


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The Rakshasas'' bones shattered, and their flesh flew into the air. Their screams echoed through the air.


    Then Akulda, who was waiting with other warriors to attack the Pangolins from behind the temple, shouted, "Wha¡­what''s happening?"


    Amidst the continuous screams, a Rakshasa warrior came running.


    ¡°K¡­Koprik has gone mad! It is attacking us Rakshasas!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Akulda felt his mind go nk. He couldn''t understand what was happening.


    "Order the warriors to retreat for now. I¡¯ll talk to Koprik..."


    "Governor, we have a big problem!"


    From a different direction came another warrior. They shouted to Akulda, "A giant white spider broke through our line of defense and ising toward the temple!"


    The warrior pointed at one side of the city. As they said, a giant white spider was ughtering theirrades.


    "Oh no, this can''t be¡­ No, it can¡¯t be. This can¡¯t be happening!¡±


    Out of sheer superhuman will, Akulda urged andmanded the warriors that had been lost in chaos, but Hillove and Gordius knew that was useless. They both knew how this fight would end because of the mock battle.


    To them, this wasn¡¯t a fight, but rather them fulfilling the predetermined fate of the Rakshasas.

 Chapter 157: A Roll to Remain in History

    <h4>Chapter 157: A Roll to Remain in History</h4>


    The white spider, Hillove, was able to overwhelm the Rakshasas just by walking.


    No matter how skilled the Rakshasa warriors were, whenever they approached Hillove, it would raise one of its eight legs higher than their heads and easily avoid their attacks. When the warriors charged at Hillove with their swords, aiming for Hillove¡¯s legs, Hillove¡¯s legs pierced their heads in an instant as soon as they looked up.


    Of course, the Rakshasas knew they couldn¡¯t deal with Hillove at melee range. They were capable of deadly ranged attacks, such as throwing rocks or using slings, using their superior physical abilitiespared to other Sapiens. However, that wasn¡¯t very useful, either. Hillove¡¯s exoskeleton was much thicker than the scales of an average Pangolin, so it was difficult for ranged attacks to cause it damage.


    Hillove disliked the fact that it was being attacked by mortals who were also unbelievers. It thus avoided their attacks by easily bending or stretching its legs as if it was dancing. And it would also silently hide in buildings, then suddenly appear from behind the enemies like a ghost and strike them.


    Gordius, on the other hand, spread death like a gue. It hit, stomped on, or kicked with its back feet the Rakshasas hiding in wait to attack Vasen and the Pangolins. Caught off guard, the Rakshasas¡ªwho had believed Koprik was their guardian until now¡ªgot struck by Koprik and flew tens of meters out the temple before getting crushed or torn apart by Koprik¡¯s ws.


    However, Gordius became cautious when Akulda regained senses and btedly issued propermands.


    "Koprik has gone mad! I don¡¯t know why, but this is all a part of the scheme of those Pangolins and foreigners! Half of you warriors stall for time while the other half goes down to the temple and kills them!"


    But, as Gordius had experienced in the mock battle, no Rakshasas made it past the pyramid-like temple made of stacked stones


    When it first took over Koprik¡¯s body, Gordius had to put in effort to get used to the body. Originally, it had a body simr to that of a worm, so it was difficult to control a body that had eyes, a jaw, four legs, and a tail all connected to it. But now, Gordius controlled Koprik¡¯s body as well as Koprik, if not better than Koprik had in the past. It effortlessly leaped around the high steps of the temple, devouring the Rakshasas.


    Seeing the Rakshasas getting thrown out of the temple and Gordius slowly approaching, Akulda got scared and began to retreat.


    <i>¡®At this rate, no number of warriors will be able to stop Koprik. I must escape!¡¯</i>


    Unfortunately, Akulda was mistaken about one thing. He didn¡¯t know that Koprik¡¯s body had been taken over by Gordius long ago, and that all this was merely a part of a prenned scenario. Akulda¡¯s retreat was no exception.


    Vasen Lak Orazen, Margo, and the Pangolins cut down the Rakshasas charging at them on the tform with their swords. Though there was a difference in size, the Rakshasas were only armed with simple clubs, while Vasen and the Pangolins were armed with small but sharp daggers and sickles. And that wasn¡¯t all.


    Taking advantage of the weakened defense of the Rakshasa warriors, the Pangolins continued their attacks against the city.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!?</i>


    The quick stato of guns being fired all at once was now a nightmare for the Rakshasas.


    The elite troops led by Theone Itimo made it past the main gates of the city of Siol and handed weapons to Vasen and the Pangolins, who had been holding their ground until now.


    "Thanks, Captain."


    "Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    "It seems like the temple is on high ground, which is advantageous for our defense."


    Theone nced back.


    "Well, it looks like the Pangolins will take over the city soon... Let''s make sure to keep that in mind, Team Leader.¡±


    Vasen saw 3000 armed Pangolin soldiers pouring into the city. Although only a portion of them were armed with fire matchlocks, the few Rakshasa defenders left were already in a state of panic. Vasen then smirked and led Margo and the Pangolin elites to the top of the temple.


    Vasen''s target was governor Akulda. More specifically, he aimed to help the Pangolins in capturing Akulda themselves. If the Pangolins could do that, it would be a symbolic event that would make sure that the Rakshasas would never look down on the Pangolins again.


    <i>¡®But...this Rakshasa named Akulda seems to be even more of a scaredy cat than I thought.¡¯</i>


    As Vasen and the Pangolins ran to the opposite side of the temple, they saw that Akulda had already rushed down from the temple. To Vasen, it seemed difficult for the short-legged Pangolins to catch up to Akulda. Luckily, Hillove and Gordius were fighting the best they could, so there were no Rakshasa warriors blocking the way between the Pangolins and Akulda. However, if Akulda managed to get on a rhinoceros, which the Rakshasas used as a method of transportation, they could lose Akulda.


    <i>¡®That would be the worst situation. Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to Akulda from this distance if I were to run right now. If the Pangolins can''t capture Akulda, it might be better to ask Hillove for help¡­¡¯</i>


    As soon as Vasen thought this, Margo btedly spotted and pointed at Akulda.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s Akulda!¡± Margo shouted.


    ¡°Roll!¡±


    Vasen witnessed an extraordinary sight. The Pangolins ran toward the stairs as if they had no time to waste and curled into balls. Then, they used their matchlocks as axles and rolled down the stairs.


    "...What?"


    When Vasen first met the Pangolins, he had thought that their ability to curl up like that could only be used for escape. It turned out that there was a different use to it. Margo was the first to reach the bottom of the hill, but rather than stopping, Margo kept rolling. The momentum gained from the slope allowed the Pangolin to outpace any other species¡¯ running speed.


    ¡°Akulda! The Pangolins¡¯ enemy!¡±


    Margo unwrapped and immediately got into a shooting position. Due to the remarkable evolution of their semicircr-shaped organs for rolling their bodies, Margo''s gun remained perfectly steady.


    Hearing their name called out from behind, Akulda turned around in surprise.


    "This is Katuru''s revenge!"


    Margo''s gun fired.


    ***


    The battle was won.


    The Pangolins had taken over a city of the Rakshasas, which was multiple times bigger than their own. And Vasen told the Pangolins to drive out the civilians and capture the warriors as prisoners.


    When some Pangolins protested that it was cruel to leave the Rakshasas with nothing and insisted on sharing food and water with them, and that holding the Rakshasa warriors as prisoners was useless, Vasen sighed. It was a relief that he was inmand.


    Vasen exined that there were plenty of things to eat in the jungle, and that the nearest Rakshasas'' vige was only a two-day journey away, thus posing a problem. He also exined that the Rakshasa warriors they took as captives couldter be traded for Pangolins captured in other regions.


    Margo had already be a hero among the Pangolins. Until now, the Pangolins had been a tribal society, but now they were thinking of establishing a kingdom like the Rakshasas. In that case, Margo had a higher chance of bing king due to that amazing roll that would go down in history.


    Vasen was the second most likely candidate to be king, followed by Hwae-Sa because the Pangolins liked how big and strong Hwae-Sa was. Vasen, of course, declined, but Theone had to give quite a lengthy exnation to Hwae-Sa about why it wasn¡¯t right for an Ogre to be the king of the Pangolins.


    After the city was somewhat restored, and several festival-like nights had passed, Vasen and Margo were putting together the information obtained through interrogating the Rakshasa prisoners.


    "Margo, did you know about it?" Vasen Lak Orazen asked.


    Margo replied, ¡°Oh, I had heard something like that, but I never thought it would actually be true."


    Vasen briefly furrowed his eyebrows and then agreed.


    "Yeah, even if it were me, if someone told me, ''The castle walks,'' I''d probably also think it was just a metaphor rather than taking it literally."


    By ''castle¡¯, Vasen was referring to the Moving Castle of Ashurada, the ruler of the Rakshasas, who was also known as Great Ashurada.


    The information they acquired was simultaneously shared with the yers.


    ***


    Lunda pped and said, "Wow, the Moving Castle! Then do we have two of the ten ancient ruins?"


    Crampus replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s not ours yet.¡±


    Sung-Woon thought about the ten ancient ruins.


    In the Lost World, there were numerous ancient ruins, and they did not belong to fixed geographical features such as continents, mountain ranges, or rivers. The locations of the ancient ruins constantly changed, so it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where the ancient ruins would be this time. Moreover, there was a high chance that these ancient ruins contained various valuable goods, items, or skills that could help the yers. And among them were ten ancient ruins that were well-known among the yers.


    <i>¡®Four Towers, three Castles, two Walls, and one Path.¡¯</i>


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, these ten ancient ruins were not all useful, and there were other ruins that were valuable. However, the ten ruins were well-known for a reason. Among them, one of the three castles, Automation, had already been discovered on the third continent.


    <i>¡®Even though it¡¯s been only somewhat useful until now, the value of Automation will naturally increase as technology and magic levels improve. So it''s a decent ancient ruin.¡¯</i>


    Other ancient ruins were likely to exist around Automation. Normally, the third continent had the highest chance of spawning ancient ruins, so it was likely that the Swallowed Tower or the Last Journey could be found in the unexplored regions of the continent, such as the area above the penins, the eastern mountain ranges, or the various rough terrains across the continent. Although the locations were random, there were certain attributes specific to each ancient ruin that made it possible to make an educated guess.


    <i>¡®And there¡¯s also the massive wall that always appears on the second continent.¡¯</i>


    Among these ten ancient ruins, finding the Moving Castle before the other yers was a matter of luck. Unlike some ancient ruins that were bound to be challenging to use even if found, the Moving Castle was immediately useful upon discovery.


    <i>¡®Because the Moving Castle¡­walks.¡¯</i>


    It was in quite the literal sense. The Moving Castle hadrge walls, and inside those walls was arge garden and a crumbling castle. Additionally, there were several massive metal bridges that extended from it. The castle had a control room and it could move in any direction its controller desired.


    <i>¡®It can be used forrge-scale troop deployment, as a temporary capital, and even as a war weapon if needed.¡¯</i>


    It wasn¡¯t considered the best ancient ruin, since it had its limitations when it came to moving, and it could be destroyed by creature creations. Nevertheless, it could provide an advantage in various situations.


    Then, Jang-Wan walked into the first conference room.


    "I don''t know if this is good or bad news."


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I used my creature creation and figured out what the ¡®Great Ashurada¡¯ is.¡±


    Sung-Woon asked, ¡°How can a piece of news be both good and bad? Tell me. What is it?¡±


    Jang-Wan replied, ¡°The Great Ashurada is a Dragon.¡±


    Indeed¡ªSung-Woon realized¡ªthis was both good and bad news at the same time.

 Chapter 158: Rubberpunk

    <h4>Chapter 158: Rubberpunk</h4>


    In The Lost World, Dragons were considered a special existence whenpared with Abominations, divine beings, and even fiends.


    A majority of Dragons were the reclusive type who just slept in theirirs. Dragons were considered one of the main suspects for the destruction of ancient civilizations, and theirirs were undoubtedly filled with valuable treasures. While some were discovered along with ancient ruins, they were typically buried underground, making them difficult to find. These reclusive Dragons would also usually sleep throughout the whole game and remain undiscovered.


    As civilizations advanced, of course, Dragons could be found through geological investigations or deep-sea explorations, but most yers didn''t bother to wake them up on purpose. The reason for this was that some of the reclusive Dragons, when awakened through external interference or random encounters, turned into Vtile Dragons. Vtile Dragons were filled with anger from being awakened, and they were contemptuous of mortal beings while harboring baseless hatred for gods, making conversation or persuasion impossible. They also vented their emotions through only actions, thus bing literal disasters.


    When civilization reached a higher level, specialized departments would be created within countries to locate Dragons or predict the direction the Vtile Dragons would move in once they woke up. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t just a metaphor to call them disasters.


    Other Dragon types included the growth type, known as hatchlings, and the unusual type, which disyed exceptional behavior. Generally, Dragons, excluding hatchlings, were at level 70 to 80, which was higher than the average yer level, making them extremely challenging to kill.


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°It must be a Vtile Dragon. Some yers may have encountered them before, but in some cases, instead of directly doing things themselves, they act like deities and use Abominations or divine beings as their subordinates."


    Crampus replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen them acting on such a wide scale though¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°But this kind of exception isn¡¯t really that surprising, is it? I think it could be exined to some extent. As of now, Sha-Cha has been the only yer seen on the fourth continent. Normally, there are many yers on one continent, so they would attack the Dragon if they discovered one, but that wasn¡¯t the case this time. With the continent unupied, the Dragon acted like a yer to expand and dominate more territory, which would help the Dragon prepare for yers that woulde along in the future.¡±


    The other yers seemed to ept Sung-Woon¡¯s exnation.


    Crampus asked, ¡°But would we be able to defeat the Dragon?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­it¡¯ll probably be a bit risky. But it won¡¯t be impossible since matchlocks have been developed.¡±


    ¡°What if we intervene directly?¡±


    ¡°We would surely kill it, but¡­¡±


    In The Lost World, there existed the concept known as the principle of causality, and the yers, or gods, existed outside of that causality. Therefore, in order to break causality and intervene themselves, they had to use resources called Faith points.


    However, there were moments when causality weakened, and that was during fights between yers. When two yers fought each other, one yer would spend Faith points to generate natural phenomena within causality, resulting in a strong penalty. However, if one yer had already intervened, the other yer fighting against that yer would be fighting from outside causality, thus receiving a weaker penalty. As a result, fights between yers often escted beyond natural battles into divine battles, which led to power esction on all parts.


    However, when a yer was only facing natural phenomena and not a yer outside of causality, there was no need to use significant amounts of Faith points and bear the strong penalties. For example, Sung-Woon only intervened for a short time on special asions like now.


    ¡°Dragons are natural phenomenons.¡±


    Surprisingly, Fiends were treated as gods and thus considered beings outside of causality, but Dragons, which were more powerful than fiends, were considered to be within causality. As a result, it would take a yer a lot more Faith points to deal with a Dragon through direct intervention. That was why Dragons could be more troublesome than yers.


    Jang-Wan said, ¡°But this time¡­the situation is a bit different, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°We could use Gordius.¡±


    Gordius the Deceiver was ssified as a parasite among creations. Parasites actually ounted for a bigger percentage among creations, and Jang Wan and Wisdom could use parasites to enhance the power of their apostle or simply to gain information. Moreover, creations in the form of parasites were widely used in The Lost World.


    Gordius, in particr, could serve various special purposes among those parasites.


    <i>¡®Of course, the production cost was expensive, and it would be more like gambling under normal circumstances. Gordius could have gotten crushed between Koprik¡¯s teeth, just like the Pangolins that were sacrificed as offerings.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee it¡¯ll seed though. Dragons are very intelligent, and it won¡¯t simply put any sacrifice in front of them into their mouths like the ck Panther did. Additionally, it¡¯s very likely that it¡¯ll use magic, so we would need to be prepared for that too¡­¡±


    ¡°But what if we just steal it¡­?¡±


    Sung-Woon shrugged.


    ¡°Is there a need to say?¡±


    ***


    After the Rakshasas got defeated, unlike what Vasen Lak Orazen thought, they actively participated in the prisoner exchange and freed all the Pangolins enved in other regions. However, it seemed to be more about preparing for the next battle by getting at least one more warrior back than maintaining peace with the Pangolins.


    The Rakshasas seemed unwilling to meet the Pangolins¡¯ demands.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Even though they had hoped for a peaceful resolution, there was nothing Vasen could do if the Rakshasas didn¡¯t even want to have a conversation.


    Margo, the crowned king of the Pangolins, gradually expanded the Pangolin civilization with Sion in the center. And once Katuru''s wounds healed to some extent, it treated the white spider, Hillove, as a guardian on equal footing. Thanks to that, more and more Pangolins came to follow the gods of the Pantheon.


    Margo didn¡¯t actively support the Pangolins to do so considering their tendency to be cautious of unfamiliar things. However, Margo still showed enough consideration for the believers of the Pantheon, even openly mentioning the name of Night Sky.


    Meanwhile, the yers used Vasen and the expedition team to investigate the surrounding terrain and identify the tracks left by the Moving Castle. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Moving Castle still seemed far away and not moving immediately, giving them enough time to wait for the second expedition team from ck Scale.


    It was during this time that the information assets of the Pantheon spread across the fourth Continent detected something unprecedented.


    [sh of Civilizations!]


    [Two different nations havee into contact. Experience points (XP) are rising for both nations.]


    [Warning: The opposing nation has Faith.]


    They were typuses.


    ***


    More precisely, they were tys, a species that clearly derived from typuses[1]. These Sapiens had dark gray fur and broad vivid yellow bills, and just like most species outside of Garudas, they didn¡¯t have wings. However, the tys were flying in the sky.


    Sung-Woon gathered the yers of the Pantheon.


    ¡°It¡¯s a yer, right? Any response to the Whisper Conversation request?¡±


    Lunda answered Sung-Woon¡¯s questions, ¡°No, no response.¡±


    ¡°Where were they found again?¡±


    ¡°In the east.¡±


    "We thought there would be no Rakshasa attacks all the way to therge river and the mountain range. We let our guard down."


    "But we couldn''t have predicted that something would appear via air... By the way, that thing they¡¯re flying with¡­what is it called again?¡±


    Sung-Woon suggested, ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look like something from a painting of a famous artist? It looks very simr to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    "It was a sketch.¡±


    "Leonardo da Vinci? Da Vinci''s Aerial Screw? Is that an Aerial Screw?"


    Sung-Woon instructed Wisdom to give a revtion so that soldiers could be gathered on the eastern outskirts of Sion. Then he zoomed in on the things that the tys were riding on. The structure seemed to be designed to handle air resistance, as it wasposed of a wooden framework and only carried two tys inside. However, above the tys¡¯ heads, there was a vigorously rotating helical wing, and perhaps because that alone wasn¡¯t enough for stabilization, small secondary wings were attached on both sides.


    Sung-Woon then agreed and said, ¡°I guess¡­they should be called helicopters.¡±


    Wisdomughed quietly; the other yers didn¡¯t hear it because they were anxious.


    Crampus said, ¡°What? How are helicopters appearing already?¡±


    Then Wisdom controlled his system window and calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s called Rubberpunk.¡±


    ¡°Rubber?¡±


    ¡°Yes, rubber. Or more specifically, rubber bands. I guess it could be said that they¡¯re powered by rubber. But in The Lost World, it was a custom to add ¡®punk¡¯ when describing civilization, so¡­¡±


    Wisdom lightly flicked his finger and created a rubber band. Craftwork made from natural materials could easily be created with the power of a god. Wisdom ced one end of the rubber band on the ground and stepped on it with his foot, then he pulled on the other end and rubbed his hands together in one direction to wind it.


    "Rubber bands have strong sticity, right? By winding one like this, the power is stored in the rubber band. And when you release it?"


    As Wisdom let go of his hand, the rubber band quickly unraveled.


    "That''s the power being released. In addition to the machines, The Lost World has rubber trees that can provide a level of sticity that doesn''t exist on Earth. That''s why Rubberpunk is possible."


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°Exnations can wait. We werete to discover it. I think they¡¯re just a reconnaissance team, but they mightunch an attack. We need to be prepared."


    Wisdom replied, "Preparations... Well, I think we''re done."


    ***


    Naturally, Vasen, Theone Itimo, and the Pangolins were much more surprised than the yers of the Pantheon. As not one, but about fifteen wooden helicopters approached Siol, the Pangolin gunners quickly came together.


    Vasen was especially shocked when he saw the tys¡¯ helicopters.


    <i>¡®They fly in the sky?¡¯</i>


    Vasen suddenly thought of all the strategic and tactical advantages of soldiers flying in the sky, making him somewhat dizzy.


    <i>¡®Not to mention the difficulty of hitting flying birds. Facing enemies that fly in the air would undoubtedly be a difficult task.¡¯</i>


    Vasen armed the Pangolins with shields to prepare for attacks from the air and positioned them on steep slopes for possible escape in case of an emergency.


    Soon afterward, the ty helicopter units approached the Pangolins.


    <i>¡®Huh? They¡¯reing down slowly. ¡­Is it for an attack?¡¯</i>


    Vasen believed it would be safer to attack from greater altitude, but at the same time, uracy would suffer in that situation.


    <i>¡®Still, if they attack like that, wouldn¡¯t they be within the range of the Pangolin gunners¡­?¡¯</i>


    While Vasen pondered the question, the ty helicopters began attacking.


    Vasen shouted, ¡°Raise your shields!¡±


    <i>ng! Tang! Ting!</i>


    As the Pangolins raised their iron shields, the sound of projectiles hitting metal could be heard.


    Vasen then checked what had firmly struck his shield before falling onto the ground.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re¡­rocks?¡¯</i>


    Obviously, dropping fist-sized rocks from a high ce could be a deadly attack, especially if one were to get hit on the head without any armor. But the Pangolins were holding shields and wearing helmets. Moreover, the bombardment didn¡¯tst long. The rocks that poured down like hail soon stopped.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    Vasen moved his shield and looked up at the sky. The ty helicopters seemed lost about what to do and began to retreat.


    ¡°Aim!¡±


    Vasen then ordered with a slightly uneasy feeling.


    ¡°Fire!¡¯


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    A few rubber-powered helicopters failed to stabilize and crashed into the forest.


    1. tys are a species simr to typuses. Specifically, it is a fictional species derived from ????? (typus) but called ??? so we have also shortened its name to something simr to the actual animal, which were made up by the author. ??

 Chapter 159: The Path Not Taken

    <h4>Chapter 159: The Path Not Taken</h4>


    A few hours before, a ty walked into an outpost that was madest minute with wooden logs.


    Wearing a wool coat and a tricorne on their head, the ty smiled as they entered the outpost.


    Then a ty soldier saluted and began moving their yellow bill, saying, ¡°Commander Golt, you¡¯re back.¡±


    "How is the operation preparation going?"


    "The ves are winding the rubber of the Helix Wings."


    Golt Tebari of the Fabirang Union nodded and looked toward the inner outpost. Inside, there were wooden axles with rubber cords wound around them, and connected to those rubber cords were pulleys. Rakshasas tied with rubber chains were winding the pulleys connected with rubber. Then the rubber cords around the pulleys were wound around wooden axles, which would then be attached to the flying instruments called Helix Wings. Once the rubber cords were released, the Helix Wings would carry two pilots and rocks that would be used to deliver deadly attacks to enemies onnd.


    <i>¡®The Helix Wings are the main units of the Fabirang Union. Our union will make new history with these Helix Wings on the new continent.¡¯</i>


    The Fabirang Union had escaped from the eastern continent and had yet to find their way to the continent where ck Scale was. Lacking a reference point, they referred to the fourth continent simply as the new continent.


    In the Fabirang Union¡¯s perspective, it was fortunate for them that the natives on this new continent were very uncivilized. As soon as the natives saw the flying Helix Wings, they didn¡¯t know what to do and struggled to regainposure at the downpour of rocks. By using airborne attacks to disorient the enemies and attacking the enemy¡¯s main forces with saw de tanks, they were able to conquer many native tribes. Golt was particrly satisfied with the species called Rakshasas.


    <i>¡®They wind all the rubber that I need to wind in less than half a day. If we can capture more Rakshasa ves, conquering the new continent will be easy.¡¯</i>


    Rubber power was fundamental to the Fabirang Union. The rubber cords with tremendous sticity could be wound up to the limit of their support, and the energy was used to move machinery automatically. However, the problem was that winding these rubber cords made from Doodooba trees required tremendous strength and time.


    To make a Helix Wing fly for about three hours, they had to wind the rubber without rest for at least a day and a half. This meant that preparations for one Helix Wing to take off had to begin at least two days in advance, and at least three people had to take turns winding the rubber.


    Moreover, if there were any mistakes or idents, or if the axle used to wind the rubber got damaged due to wear and tear, not only did the rubber have to be wound again from the start, but those that got hit by the fiercely unwinding rubber cords would either die or get injured.


    <i>¡®But by enving the Rakshasas, us tys have been able to focus only onbat.¡¯</i>


    Golt believed that rubber energy had tremendous potential. Unfortunately, the Fabirang Union had been driven out of their home continent before they could even see its full potential.


    <i>¡®At the end of the day, rubber power requires ves. It was difficult to find such ves on the old continent because of various restrictions and high prices. But this new continent is different. With just a little effort, free ves can be obtained.¡¯</i>


    Golt envisioned advancing the rubber power technology through these ves and discovering new technology, preparing for the day when the Fabirang Union would challenge their old continent again. However, Golt noticed the presence of intruders on this continent that would be their new base.


    <i>¡®The Folded Wing Golden Bird was correct. There are species beyond those mountains who aren¡¯t natives.¡¯</i>


    Golt¡¯s subordinates had observed the foreigners from a distance, so they couldn¡¯t identify exactly who they were. However, the tys had known about the far western continent, also known as the third continent, since their time back on their old continent, so they were able to guess that these intruders were from there.


    <i>¡®But they haven¡¯t found flying things they could ride, so surely they don¡¯t have this sacred rubber power technology. Or perhaps, unfortunately for them, they don¡¯t have any Doodooba trees on their continent.¡¯</i>


    That was a very fortunate thing. If the intruders didn''t have rubber power technology, in Golt¡¯s opinion, they would be nothing more than primitive beings.


    <i>¡®This might be an opportunity.¡¯</i>


    Since arriving at the new continent, Golt hadn¡¯t had many opportunities to show their abilities within the union. And capturing ves through aggressive upation wasn¡¯t enough to earn high authority.


    <i>¡®Orders for attack haven¡¯t been made by the triumvirs yet. But what if I ambush the enemies first?¡¯</i>


    The Helix Wings could only carry the weight of two pilots, a rubber power axle, an additional power axle in case of an emergency, as well as a load of rocks to be used for attacks.


    <i>¡®But once the emergency power and rocks are used, there would be enough room to capture those outsiders. If I then extract information from them, my position in the Fabirang Union will be more secure.¡¯</i>


    Golt said, ¡°Hurry a little more. I will participate in today¡¯s operation too.¡±


    ¡°You will too¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The ty soldier saluted and said, ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    Golt was one of the nobles whomanded the Fabirang Union¡¯s retreat to the new continent. Thanks to the sessful operation, Golt was considered an idol by certain soldiers.


    As Golt casually epted the salute, the ty soldier used a whip to get the ves to work harder. Golt believed that the operation would end sessfully.


    <i>¡®...Surely, it should have gone that way¡­¡¯</i>


    With only two unit losses, they sessfully crossed the mountains, and Golt considered it lucky for them to encounter a small fearless enemy unit. However, when the pride of the Helix Wings, the dropping of the rocks, failed, Golt became petrified.


    "...How do they have such tough and sturdy shields?"


    Of course, Golt was a noble of the Fabirang Union, which was considered a civilized nation, so Golt knew that there could be shields strong enough to block stones. However, Golt never thought that beings who hadn¡¯t discovered rubber technology would be the ones to possess it.


    Golt eventually confirmed that not much damage had been done to the enemies.


    "This won¡¯t work. Retreat!"


    Golt turned the control lever, relieved that the enemies hadn''t shot any arrows. But at that moment, there was a thunder-like rumble, and the axis of the Helix Wing was damaged.


    Golt couldn''t figure out what had happened exactly, but knew it was an attack from the enemies.


    ¡°Commander Golt!¡±


    ¡°...Darn it!¡±


    The rubber violently unraveled. It then snatched the co-pilot sitting behind Golt and threw them far away, and then it began to damage the remaining body of the Helix Wing.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Golt crouched down to avoid getting caught in the rubber and held tight onto the control lever to somehownd. They endured until they lost consciousness.


    ***


    Lunda, who had been watching the whole fight, looked at something else then with astonishment.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Wisdom replied, ¡°It¡¯s the path we didn¡¯t take.¡±


    Then she looked at Sung-Woon as if asking him what that meant.


    So Sung-Woon replied, "It means technology can develop differently. The usual builds in The Lost World may differ in whates earlier, but they all tend to follow simr technological developments. However, there can also be ys that take a different approach."


    Lunda summarized what she just heard.


    ¡°So¡­you mean...while we were developing steel and gunpowder, those guys created rubber-powered technology?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡±


    Wizdom replied, "It''s not surprising for technology to develop differently. For example, even on Earth,pletely different patterns of technological development emerged after a certain point. Technological progress requires interaction. That was the primary way through which certain technologies spread to other countries. For example, the Aztec Empire is famous for not inventing the wheel spokes. Beyond that, they never properly used wheels and didn''t feel the need for wide roads. On the other hand, with obsidian knives, they advanced in medicine to the extent where they could perform surgery, which not even the people of medieval Europe had attempted.¡±


    As the other yers listened attentively to his words, Wisdom slightly waved his hand.


    ¡°Well, aside from that, Rubberpunk was initially known as a speed build in the early stages of The Lost World because rapid scientific technological development was possible."


    Lunda then raised her hand and asked, "Um, Wisdom. Then can they create something other than flying things with that?"


    "Due to the need for manpower to wind up the rubber as well as materials that can withstand the tension of the rubber, it''s not possible to create highly advanced tools. However, they can still use gears. Even those helicopters have quiteplex structures. It''s also possible to make cars, automated dolls that carry out simple actions, and primitive calctors.¡±


    Crampus then said, ¡°Come to think of it, I think I''ve seen a video once."


    Lunda asked, "What kind of video?"


    "<i>Demonstration ofputable technology in The Lost World</i>...was the title, I think. The video showed various odd ways to make aputer in the game, and I think rubber power was one of them.¡±


    ¡°Is there really a need to go that far with rubber bands¡­?¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°Theoretically, it¡¯s not that far-fetched.¡±


    Then Sung-Woon said, "Unfortunately, it seems that the yer who rules over those guys¡ªor more precisely, those tys¡ªhasn''t reached that level yet. If those tys were smart enough, they wouldn''t have carried out an attack like that."


    Crampus then asked, ¡°So why did the opposing yer make a mistake?¡±


    "They might have made a mistake just because they¡¯re managing a wide area. Or they could have been quite confident, as such attacks had worked well for them before."


    ¡°Are you saying that it might be the main meta of the first continent?¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°That would be better. Then we would order ck Scale to build sailboats and go to the first continent.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s not?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°In my opinion, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case unless something extremely odd had happened. Rubberpunk waspletely abandoned because those rubber cords waste a lot of human power and resources, and the technologicalpleteness is low, which lowers the win rate too. They also require special resources, the Doodooba trees, which will necessitate a strategy that focuses on transportation. So my guess is that it got dropped in the fight for power on the first continent¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon saw Vasen and the Pangolins run toward the flying wings that had fallen.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out now.¡±

 Chapter 160: Turning Gear

    <h4>Chapter 160: Turning Gear</h4>


    The Pangolins were exceptional gunners with good training, but unfortunately, they couldn''t drop all the Helix Wings. Seven of the Helix Wings that had attacked Vasen Lak Orazen and the Pangolins were shot down, and eight of the fourteen ty pilots were found dead. The other pilots either lost consciousness or fought until the end, but Vasen believed it would be best to capture them alive if possible. Fortunately, that wasn''t too difficult.


    After Vasen and the Pangolins managed to capture six ty pilots as prisoners, Vasen said, ¡°These are terrible knives.¡±


    Vasen bent the chipped dagger, and it stayed slightly curved.


    ¡°Our country didn¡¯t even use weapons like this a hundred years ago.¡±


    After saying so, Vasen looked at the ty dressed in the most elegant clothes. Golt Tebari, the baron of the Fabirang Union, had been discovered with a broken arm.


    After sessfully escaping thepletely wrecked aircraft, Golt had waited in hiding to strike Vasen from behind. Though defeated, Golt was still a soldier who valued the pride, honor, and duty that came with their rank.


    <i>¡®Is that Lizardman themander? If I can kill him, then this defeat will still hold some value.¡¯</i>


    Golt¡¯s surprise attack was quite sessful. Vasen couldn''t help but let down his guard after the tys¡¯ humiliating defeat. So he never anticipated such a sharp and silent attack. However, Golt''s iron dagger merely grazed the chestte Vasen was wearing.


    <i>¡®Even without the armor, this level of sharpness wouldn''t have caused any significant injuries...''</i>


    Golt then muttered as if making excuses, "O¡­our union hasn''t been able to build a proper smithy since arriving at this new continent... Otherwise, you would be dead!"


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Vasen nodded and took the dagger.


    <i>¡®Union? I¡¯ve never heard of it. But if they haven¡¯t even been able to build a smithy, it makes sense that their technology level would be so poor. Can they even defeat the Rakshasas?¡¯</i>


    Vasen thought that interrogating the prisoners would be the easier way to get answers, and so he took them to Siol. They first treated the wounded captives, and Golt and the other tys seemed surprised by this.


    ¡°Why do you treat ves so well?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to answer. I get it. You¡¯re going to offer us as living sacrifices!¡±


    Golt pointed at the temple with their uninjured arm.


    ¡°We''ve heard stories of you savages offering sacrifices to your guardians."


    Vasen was going to exin that he and the Pangolins were not savages, and that he hade from ck Scale, a nation across the sea, where prisoners needed to be kept healthy to have any value. But then he thought all of that would be useless and said something else.


    "You mentioned a union?"


    ¡°Yes, the Fabirang Union.¡±


    ¡°Right. What does the Fabirang Union do with wounded captives?¡±


    Golt confidently replied, "If we spare them, they''ll consume unnecessary resources. We show mercy by ending their lives."


    "Hmm."


    Vasen didn''tbel Golt as savage. Instead, he tried to imagine the environment Golt came from.


    <i>¡®Did theye from a barrennd? I guess they could be suffering from a shortage of food resources.¡¯</i>


    Vasen then said, ¡°Where did you guyse from?¡±


    ¡°We came from across the mountains.¡±


    ¡°Did your ancestors also live on this continent?¡±


    ¡°No, the Fabirang Union came from across the sea.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Vasen had somewhat expected this.


    <i>¡®Far away, the western continent beyond the western continent¡­ No, perhaps I should call it the eastern continent.¡¯</i>


    It was nowmon sense that the world was round, as there was scientific evidence to support it.


    <i>¡®But there has been no other direct evidence like this. If we cross the eastern sea, the eastern continent must be there.¡¯</i>


    Considering the vast distance between them, Vasen understood that the tys must have experiencedpletely different technological developments.


    "Why did you and your peoplee to the new continent?"


    "Um...well¡­right. For exploration."


    "Exploration, just like us."


    Vasen knew Golt was lying, while Golt believed that they had told a convincing lie.


    <i>¡®Their technology is dangerous. If they think of us as easy pickings and attack us, the Fabirang Union might not be able to endure without the help of God. Oh, but of course...considering how powerful these weapons are, they might be particrly strong and dangerous ones that aren¡¯t usually given to regr soldiers.¡¯</i>


    Golt¡¯s spection wouldn¡¯t be far off if only the fourth continent was taken into consideration. However, Golt was unaware that ck Scale¡¯s expedition team, which resembled an army and was armed with matchlocks, was on their way.


    Vasen asked, ¡°Do all the others on that continent use technology like yours?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, they don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then are you saying your technology is the most advanced?¡±


    Suddenly nervous, Golt hit their chest and even huffed.


    ¡°Of course. Our rubber powered technology is the unique technology of the Fabirang Union, which has been persecuted for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Persecuted?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The three species of our Fabirang Union faced attacks from other species in different parts of the continent. However, with the castle built with our excellent construction skills, we defended ourselves from their attacks and gained independence.¡±


    Vasen interpreted what Golt said.


    <i>¡®That means they weren¡¯t able to interact with other countries and were isted.¡¯</i>


    It seemed to Vasen that the Fabirang Union, after building a castle and defending themselves, had decided that it wasn¡¯t worth being on the offensive anymore and simply cut off all diplomatic and economic interactions with others.


    Golt continued to say, ¡°And about ten or so years before the continental war escted, we discovered we could create a powerful material called rubber from the sap of Doodooba trees. That was all thanks to the Folded Wing Golden Bird though¡­¡¯


    ¡°Keep going.¡±


    ¡°So we used rubber to create tools necessary for war and stored those weapons in a warehouse over time. That way, when the time was right, we could show our strength.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Vasen said. ¡°So did you guys unify the continent?¡±


    Golt rebuked, "You''re talking nonsense. No matter how powerful a nation is, how could they unify all the countries on the continent?"


    Vasen didn''t say anything. Golt didn''t see the corners of Vasen¡¯s mouth go slightly up.


    "Eventually, a small country provoked us. Following the Triumvirate''s orders, we decided to attack them, and we did. At first, it seemed sessful."


    "But?"


    "Their counterattack began. They didn''t have those¡­loud-sounding sticks you guys possess, but they had sturdy steel. Moreover, their numbers were muchrger than ours."


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say they were a small country?¡±


    ¡°The neighboring countries helped them¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "We''re not entirely sure, but¡­something about¡­viting diplomatic courtesy..."


    Vasen nodded.


    When going to war, it was custom to give prior notice. A sudden, unannounced attack could seem somewhat unfair. To avoid that being considered unfair, one should either win the war through that surprise attack or overpower all the other countries iming that the move was unfair.


    <i>¡®So, this country called the Fabirang Union must have been abandoned¡­no, isted¡­for long enough to ignore basic diplomatic customs.¡¯</i>


    Then Vasen asked, ¡°That¡¯s why you fled to this new continent?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    "...Didn''t you say earlier that you came to explore?"


    "Oh, uh, no. Yes, it''s for exploration. That¡¯s a slip of the tongue. We came to this new continent to ovee that defeat because here¡ªthere are many ves who can wind rubber cords."


    Vasen held back hisughter and said, ¡°Hm, so it can be dangerous to attack your expedition team, can¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yes. It would be better not to do that. If such a thing were to happen, we would send an enormous army from¡­our maind.¡±


    ¡°Then we should be careful.¡±


    Vasen got up from his seat and said, ¡°Rest for now, Commander Golt. A littleter¡­¡±


    Golt squinted at him.


    ¡°Are you going to interrogate us?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll only be a waste of your energy because I won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    After saying that, Golt firmly shut their beak and red at Vasen.


    Vasen was going to tell Golt to look forward to a good dinnerter on for cooperating with the interrogation.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s toote to say that now. It¡¯ll only upset this little buddy.¡¯</i>


    Vasen nced at Golt and nodded.


    ¡°Golt, I hope your will stays firm.¡±


    After Vasen left the interrogation room, Golt continued to sit there ring.


    ***


    The information that Vasen obtained from Golt through several conversations, along with the rubber-powered engine and captured Helix Wing, were rapidly transported to ck Scale¡¯s Orazen pce through regrmunication lines and express ships.


    After Kyle Lak Orazen examined the rtively well-preserved Helix Wing and rubber-powered engine, he said, ¡°This is fun. What do you think, Rumf?¡±


    ¡°I agree with you, Your Majesty. It is indeed an interesting object.¡±


    The two men weren¡¯t looking at the rubber powered engine, but rather at the Helix Wing.


    "I''m not sure about this rubber powered engine. They do hold value in terms of storing power, but..."


    "If the test result is urate, it takes too much time to wind up this material called rubber. And it''s unstable¡­¡±


    "That¡¯s true. What caught my interest are these gears. Despite being made of wood, they are incredibly intricate¡­ I''ve never seen gears like these before. Have you seen something simr elsewhere?"


    Rumf, a Dwarf and the Technology Minister, nodded.


    ¡°It''s not exactly the same, but I''ve seen something simr. In my hometown, there was a custom of gifting children toys that would move when they twisted a handle. Usually, they were made by the artisans of the vige."


    "Interesting. I saw something like this in an ancient ruin."


    ¡°An ancient ruin?¡±


    ¡°More specifically, Automation.¡±


    "Ah, I see."


    Just then, the door to the technological chamber opened, and a white Lizardman entered.


    "I figured you''d be here, Your Majesty."


    "Deyanin,e and take a look as well."


    "No, Your Majesty. The second expedition force... No, the second expedition team has reached the southern continent."


    "Just now?"


    "Yes, just now."


    Kyle slightly smiled.


    "It seems our n was sessful."


    "Yes, indeed."


    "Then follow the original n and get the second expedition team to follow the first expedition team and deliver the orders to Vasen.¡±


    "Understood."


    Kyle went over the situation in his head. Vasen''s information had some interesting aspects to it. One of them was that the military force of those called the Fabirang Union might not be so strong.


    <i>¡®Although they discovered this thing called a rubber engine, by cutting off interaction with the other countries, they lost their opportunity to improve the technology or integrate it with other technologies.¡¯</i>


    And there was something else that would benefit them. Now that the new continent had been discovered, the other countries on the eastern continent would be arriving at the southern continent too¡ªeven though it wouldn¡¯t be at asrge a scale as the Fabirang¡¯s Union¡¯s migration when they had no choice but to abandon their homnd.


    <i>¡®Thepetition intensifying may not be a good sign, but¡­¡¯</i>


    Kyle then figured out the structure of the Helix Wing as if he had assembled it itself and took the gear out of it.


    <i>¡®They couldn''t even create gunpowder weapons. Have they just started to understand this rubber powered engine now? This fight is most advantageous for ck Scale.¡¯</i>


    Kyle then said to Rumf, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we be able to make something like this too?¡±

 Chapter 161: Three Denominations

    <h4>Chapter 161: Three Denominations</h4>


    The gods unified under the name of Pantheon, and as a result, all believers of the third continent came to follow a single religion. However, just because they followed the same religion didn''t mean their beliefs were entirely the same. To give a simple example, the Elves, who followed Eldar, Dancing Shadow God, in the past, sent more prayers to Dancing Shadow God than to Night Sky. Some even disliked Night Sky, mentioning old stories from the past.


    <i>¡®That kind of deviation isn¡¯t a big deal. If I don''t acknowledge that exceptions exist in any situation, that might cause them to build unnecessary resentment. Besides, it¡¯s somewhat true that I mistreated the Elves.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon was quite objective about himself.


    Anyway, the establishment of the Pantheon didn''t lead to aplete unification of individual beliefs into one religion. Those who believed in Crampus, the Limitless God, continued to believe in Limitless God. The same was true for followers of Lunda, the Bountiful Harvest God, Wisdom, the Binding God, and Jang-Wan, the Overflowing God.


    The Pantheon embraced all these diverse factions because it didn''t diminish the influence of Sung-Woon, or more specifically the main god, Night Sky. In fact, there were more Night Sky believers after the establishment of the Pantheon. It was only natural for new followers to emerge as the ck Scale Empire gained fame and became the leading nation of order. But of course, that wasn''t the only reason.


    <i>¡®With the number of believers increasing, there''s a need to differentiate each other.¡¯</i>


    While not officially announced, among the Pantheon, Night Sky¡¯s denomination was divided into three factions.


    One was the forces that followed Night Sky as the Thunder God. Led by the apostle, Lakrak, it was the most traditional Night Sky faction, and they highlighted the values of courage, ethics, and sacrifice from Night Sky. They followed the book ¡®Night Sky,¡¯ written by Sairan Muel, as their doctrine and upheld the history of the grand heroes and Night Sky¡¯s aplishments. The Thunder God Denomination had the most followers, and generally, those who believed in Night Sky were considered a follower of this faction.


    <i>¡®The eternal power they possess¡­surelyes from the chosen ones.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon had somewhat left the selections of the chosen ones to Lakrak. On one hand, it was because of his increased workload, but more importantly, Sung-Woon believed that Lakrak better suited the task now.


    The second faction was known as the Gear Denomination. Its members were mostly technicians, engineers, astronomers, schrs, and merchants. They weren''t the most devoted supporters of Night Sky, and instead, they emphasized the worldly aspects of their belief and had a strong desire for knowledge and capitalism. However, since Night Sky valued those aspects, they were still considered believers of Night Sky. And therefore, they respected figures that received rtively less attention in the history of the denomination of Night Sky, such as Zaol, who built Orazen, the first astronomer, the star catcher, and Hwee-Kyung of the The Fifth Waterwheel.


    <i>¡®The power of the Gear Denomination likelyes from gunpowder and capitalism.¡¯</i>


    Gunpowder had brought about dramatic paradigm shifts in war, but that wasn¡¯t the case for capitalism yet since most nations hadn¡¯t been through the separation of church and state until now. However, with the establishment of the Pantheon, belief in the gods would be somewhat detached from state power.


    <i>¡®Because as time passes, power will naturally flow through capitalism rather than bloodlines.¡¯?</i>


    Such transitions happened naturally in The Lost World and Earth''s history, so it wasn''t a strange phenomenon. Moreover, this also provided yers with the advantage of reduced restrictions.


    Now, the more important part was the third faction, the Return Denomination. They were the most recent denomination to be made. Those who respected Night Sky in this faction were the Wizards, who were the smallest in number and used to be a secretive group. But Sung-Woon had sessfully won them over.


    <i>¡®It started out as a lie, but now that I came to possess Unique Domain: Magic, it has be reality.¡¯</i>


    The three Wizards had been taking in disciples and expanding their influence. While they didn''t entirely believe Sung-Woon''s story of him returning to this world, they at least didn¡¯t dismiss it. Officially, the Wizards didn''t belong to the denomination of Night Sky, but they taught their disciples about Night Sky¡¯s existence. They taught them that although it wasn¡¯t possible to know for sure whether or not Night Sky was a returner, that didn''t matter as Night Sky had helped all Wizards when they were persecuted. And above all, they told their disciples that Night Sky acknowledged their pursuit of magic. Of course, Sung-Woon didn¡¯t establish this rtionship just because he liked Wizards.


    <i>¡®It''s because they''re useful.¡¯</i>


    ***


    <i>Bang!</i>


    As gunshots echoed through the jungle, a flock of birds shrieked and flew away.


    "Wouldn¡¯t it be better to return to camp?" Theone Itimo shouted while running.


    Beside him, Vasen Lak Orazen also ran while reloading his matchlock.


    "Then the camp would be in danger. Besides, that guy... No, those guys are likely faster.¡±


    Suddenly, a massive shadow covered Theone and Vasen. Vasen instinctively pushed Theone away and used the counterforce to roll to the other side.


    <i>Thud!?</i>


    A giant lion-like monster pounced on the spot where Theone and Vasen had been running. First, its tail with a viper head looked at Vasen. The viper knew it couldn''t reach Vasen, so it hissed with its tongue poking out. Then the four-legged body turned around. It had a mane like a lion, but its face resembled an old Human man with wrinkled eyes, nose, and mouth. It was a Manticore.


    ¡°Save me.¡±


    Manticores were known to have low intelligence, but it seemed that they could roughly mimic a few voices, much like Sapiens.


    "Argh, my arm! I don''t want to die!"


    Vasen picked up the ramrod he had let go of and hid behind a tree.


    "Is it reying the final words of the people it devoured? What a jerk."


    Vasen had made time and had been exploring a small ancient ruin in the area with some of hispanions and a few Pangolins. Though Vasen was the leader of the expedition team, his role was closer to a guardian protecting the expedition team of schrs and technicians until they finished their business, alongside the other troops.


    Originally, Hillove, Katuru, or Gordius was supposed to apany them, but Vasen dissuaded them because they were leaving Siol for more than two days, and Siol could get attacked in the meantime. Though there had been no noteworthy movements from the Fabirang Union and the tys or the Rakshasas of the Ashurada tribe, rumors had it that Deep Ones were on the move. Therefore, Vasen decided it wouldn¡¯t be good to deploy the best forces just for a simple exploration.


    <i>¡®But we could''ve brought at least one of them with us.¡¯</i>


    The ancient ruin was assumed to be a vast city from ancient times. Even though it was called a city, most of it was buried underground, so it was impossible to tell where the city started and ended, or what they should look for.


    The expedition team was initially examining an area presumed to be the entrance to the city, but Vasen believed that if it was an ancient ruin, there might be a guardian protecting it. Thus, he moved towards the center of the city with the reconnaissance team. However, the guardian they encountered was far more dangerous than Vasen had expected.


    <i>¡®Well, it¡¯s still a relief. The other reconnaissance members managed to escape, so if they prepare thoroughly at camp¡­¡¯</i>


    Vasen suddenly felt a shiver down his spine and rolled forward. A whip-like tail swung above his head, and the viper head came at him. It barely missed Vasen''s head and bit the tree that Vasen had been leaning against.


    <i>Hsssss!</i>


    The viper looked angry and opened its mouth threateningly.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s an opening.¡¯</i>


    Seeing a giant snake head the size of his fist should have been shocking, but Vasen quickly understood what he had to do to increase his chance of surviving. He drew his sword and pierced it into the snake''s head. Then he swung it down toward the bottom of the tree.


    "Argh!"


    There was a scream that sounded like it came from a person.


    When Vasen turned around, he spotted the Manticore, which had been aiming at his back.


    <i>¡®It moves quietly and fast despite its giant size.¡¯</i>


    Vasen then ran under the snake tail that he had pinned to the ground. The Manticore struggled to free the snake tail from the tree for a while.


    Vasen ran toward Theone.


    "Are you alright?" Theone asked.


    "Did you reload?"


    "Yes, just now."


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna aim for its eyes. We need to shoot at it urately, so we¡¯re going to shoot right before it swallows us whole.¡±


    "...Will that work?"


    "If it doesn''t, we¡¯ll be in trouble¡­ Here ites."


    The Manticore didn''t know how to pull the sword out, so eventually, it simply yanked at its tail with all its might, getting its second head cut in half and killed. The Manticore looked at its tail, which was helplessly dragging behind itself on the ground, and then it grew angry and approached Theone and Vasen.


    "It''s a monster! Save me!"


    Vasen tsked.


    Then he said to Theone, "Pull the trigger when I signal you.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    "Aim..."


    However, Vasen wasn¡¯t able to shout ¡®Fire¡¯ because someone got in between him and the Manticore.


    "What a loser.¡±


    "...?"


    Even the Manticore seemed bewildered and looked at the neer.


    "A Human face, a lion''s body, and a snake as your tail. You don''t have anything of your own, do you?"


    "...Save me?"


    "Even your voice. Do you even know what you''re saying?"


    The neer was very tall and appeared to be carrying arge sack on their back, but after looking again, that wasn''t the case. What seemed like arge sack was instead wings, which were rare to find on other species. It was a Garuda.


    The Manticore certainly couldn''t understand the Garuda''s words, but it seemed to have grasped the disdain in the Garuda¡¯s attitude.


    The Manticore growled as it lifted its massive forelegs, which was the size of a person¡¯s upper body.


    "Even your movements are sluggish.¡±


    As the Garuda raised their staff, the Manticore''s forelegs dropped. The Manticore seemed bewildered and looked down at its own feet.


    "...Die?"


    "At least you say something that makes some sense in the end."


    With those words, the Manticore''s head slid diagonally before falling to the ground. Then the Manticore''s body also copsed.


    The Garuda didn¡¯t seem to care about the Manticore and turned around to look at Vasen.


    Then Vasen, who had been aiming his gun, stood up and went up to the Garuda.


    "It¡¯s been a while, Vasen."


    "...Wizard Mazdari? What brings you here?"


    Mazdari raised his index finger, wordlessly telling Vasen to give him a moment, and then pulled out a roll of sealed sheet of paper from his inner pocket.


    "It''s an order issued by His Majesty the Emperor of the ck Scale Empire. In summary, it¡¯s a request for me to help you.¡±

 Chapter 162: Collapse of the Kalonba Empire

    <h4>Chapter 162: Copse of the Kalonba Empire</h4>


    "A Pce Wizard?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mazdari replied to Vasen Lak Orazen¡¯s question. ¡°It means a Wizard who works for the pce. His Majesty suggested it first, and I epted the offer.¡±


    Although Vasen didn¡¯t dislike Wizards, he still wasn''t entirely free from old prejudices about them.


    As if Mazdari had sensed those thoughts, he continued to say, ¡°What do you think about a Wizard being used during war?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. To be honest, I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected. Haven¡¯t you seen magic a few times before?¡±


    ¡°But it was always used to kill something. It¡¯s amazing that it could do such a thing alone, but if we were to focus on a Wizard strategy and lose them, the losses would be severe."


    Mazdari nodded in agreement, as it was a point he hadn''t really considered before.


    Vasen continued to say, ¡°Honestly, if the cost of forming a Wizard unit was the same as forming a unit full of gunners with simr power, it would be better to go with the gunners. If a Wizard is killed with a single bullet, that''s the same as losing an entire unit, whereas a gunner unit would only lose one member."


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Mazdari asked. ¡°But Wizards have a bit more skill.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    Mazdari held out his palm for a moment as if asking Vasen to wait, then began drawing a magic circle on the ground.


    Vasen looked around. Theone Itimo was checking for any remaining threats in the area with her crew, but given that the Manticore were assumed to be a guardian, there seemed to be no other threats. From not far away, the sound of schrs discussing various topics while examining the ancient ruin could be heard.


    Then Mazdari said, ¡°It¡¯s done. With this¡­¡±


    Mazdari took a handful of tubifex from his pocket.


    ¡°Is that food?¡±


    ¡°What? No, not at all.¡±


    Mazdari scattered the worms onto the magic circle, and as the circle emitted a faint light, the tubifex began to squirm.


    Vasen thought they were trying to escape the magic circle, but that wasn''t the case. The worms twisted and turned, ovepping with one another and forming letters.


    Vasen could read the letters formed.


    <i>I have encountered Vasen.</i>


    "...What is this?"


    Mazdari said, ¡°It¡¯s the sentence I made. Let¡¯s see what the next sentence will be.¡±


    The worms formed a different sentence.


    <i>Is everything okay? How is Vasen? And how are you, Mazdari?</i>


    Mazdari then asked Vasen, ¡°His Majesty is asking if you are alright. How should I respond?¡±


    Bewildered, Vasen replied, ¡°This is¡­His Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Well, no, the tubifex aren¡¯t His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...I know that much. But how is this possible?¡±


    Mazdari tapped on the magic circle.


    As the worms continued to move, Mazdari exined, "It''s a form ofmunication magic. You draw two magic circles and link them. Then if you control the creatures on the magic circle, the ones on the other side make the same movements. And that¡¯s why we use things like tubifex, because they are flexible and it¡¯s easy to carry lots of them around.¡±


    "I''m not sure I understand, but that¡¯s interesting."


    As Vasen quietly looked at the worms, they busily moved and formed a conversation.


    <i>Both of us are doing well.</i>


    <i>That¡¯s good to hear. There are¡­no changes regarding orders.¡±</i>


    <i>Alright.</i>


    Then the brief exchange concluded.


    Vasen said, ¡°This is certainly valuable.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    "After all, strategy ultimately relies on how quickly it can bemunicated. I''ll have to give it some thought.¡±


    Mazdari began to gather the tubifex again.


    "It''ll be fortunate if it proves useful. His Majesty seems to want more Wizards."


    "Hmm, do you think that''s a good idea?" Vasen asked.


    "It''s not for me to say. But..."


    Mazdari understood Vasen''s concerns.


    "There will be some Wizards who are arrogant. They might even think that if they can mimic the power of gods, why not y a god? Such individuals have to be expelled from the learning process. And the existing Wizards should also strive to be great teachers."


    "What about you?" asked Vasen.


    Mazdari stayed silent for a moment.


    Then he looked at his left hand and said, "I had hatred inside of me. I grew up as a cursed child, so I always wanted to strike a blow on those who were so arrogant for being considered normal.¡±


    "But do you think the ck Scale stole that opportunity from you? In a way, I guess you could see it like that.¡±


    Mazdariughed.


    "No, I don''t see it that way. I may not totally like it, but having hatred doesn''t necessarily mean I need to take it out on someone else."


    Mazdari¡¯s revenge on his peers could be considered done through the continental war. The Trolls had now lost their power. While they functioned as an autonomous country, they were still one of the imperial provinces of the ck Scale empire. And Mazdari¡¯s childhood pain was healing. Afterall, Night Sky was said to be the one to save them.


    Vasen patted Mazdari¡¯s shoulder and walked toward the researchers.


    ¡°It seems that you not only learned how to be a Wizard, but also to be an adult.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    In the days that followed, the researchers set their tents up and continued with their excavation. What they discovered had significant value, but wasn¡¯t something that met everyone¡¯s expectations.


    Vasen looked at therge golden tablet tied to Hwae-Sa¡¯s back and said, ¡°Golden tablet of Kalonba? Aren¡¯t these stacked inside the storage room in Orazen¡¯s pce?¡±


    Theone replied, "Not quite to that extent."


    The tablet contained stories about the great empire of Kalonba, which had had a brilliant civilization in the past until the gods left. This ruin also appeared to be part of the Kalonba Empire and revealed how the empire¡¯s reach hadn¡¯t been limited to one continent, but also this distant southern continent as well.


    While looking at the golden tablet, Mazdari said, ¡°Well, the content is still interesting.¡±


    ¡°Can you read ancientnguage too?¡±


    "What did you think the characters Wizards wrote on their magic circles were?"


    "They were characters?"


    Theone then poked Vasen¡¯s side in embarrassment. Vasen looked sideways at the Elf who dared to casually poke the prince of the empire in the side.


    "Even I can tell...this is different from the golden tablets of the Kalonba Empire that are in the Orazan Pce. Those golden tablets mainly boasted about how brilliant the Kalonba Empire was. As if...boasting to someone. But this tablet here is somewhat different."


    "In what way?"


    Mazdari squinted for a moment and said, "The text here contains the story of how the Kalonba Empire copsed.¡±


    ***


    [Golden Tablet: Copse of the Great Kalonba Empire (3)


    The inscribed text on the golden te describes the process of the copse of the ancient civilization known as the ''Kalonba Empire'' of the past. This is important information about how the splendid civilization of the Kalonba Empire met its end... (See more)]


    Sung-Woon looked at the golden tablet with more interest than Mazdari, and he wasn¡¯t the only one showing such keen interest. The other yers had gathered again after the golden tablet had beenpletely excavated.


    Wisdom thoroughly searched through his system window before lowering it and saying, ¡°It¡¯s not in the database. It¡¯s an entirely unfamiliar relic.¡±


    Sung-Woon then said to Eldar, ¡°Eldar, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the expert.¡±


    Eldar looked around at the other yers with a puzzled expression. Everyone nodded as if that was obvious. From some point on, Eldar had taken the role of exining the stories and settings of the Lost World.


    ¡°Well, in my opinion¡­¡±


    ¡°Go exin down there.¡±


    ¡°...Alright.¡±


    Eldar then walked down the stairs of the first conference room and stepped onto the podium.


    Eldar continued to say, ¡°In my opinion, It is a very important relic.¡±


    ¡°And the reason?¡±


    "Up until now, there has been a missing link in the system of The Lost World. It''s about when, how, and why the gods left. It''s not usually a big concern for yers, and in fact, these kinds of settings usually don¡¯t matter when ites to enjoying the game."


    Jang-Wan said, "But not for us."


    "That''s right. That¡¯s not the case for us."


    Eldar opened a drawing board window that everyone could see and began to jot things down. The handwriting was far from neat.


    ¡°Evil gods were spected to be part of the ancient evil that only existed within settings of the game, but they actually appeared in the form of Jeol Woo-Bi and Sha-Cha, and because of this, we face uncertainty on the conditions for victory. In an extreme sense, this all might just be¡­a huge conspiracy.¡±


    Lunda raised her hand.


    ¡°Do you have a question?¡±


    ¡°Not a question, but could you give a specific example?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Just as the being called Aldin who brought us to this ce had said, perhaps they have brought us here for some other purpose, not simply to y a game. After all, there¡¯s no reason for them to give us the reward of being a god just for ying a game.¡±


    Crampus summarized, ¡°...So, you¡¯re saying the missing link in the setting could be the key evidence to solving the conspiracy.¡±


    "Yes, exactly."


    Eldar drew a long line on the temporary drawing board and continued to say, "Anyway, based on the recently discovered golden tablet, if we look at the rough timeline of their downfall, the Kalonba Empire existed even after the gods left. In fact, it seemed like they were pleased that the gods had left. However, that was a scheme of the ancient evil, and the downfall of the empire came after. Also the reason for the downfall that was just discovered is quite interesting."


    Eldar drew a mushroom. The drawing skills disyed were outstanding.


    "It was a massive explosion. And in The Lost World, in order to make this kind of explosion happen, it would have to have been a..."


    "A nuclear explosion?" Sung-Woon suggested.


    Eldar nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Magic can achieve something simr, but if you look at the fallout described, it was surely a nuclear war. The climate situation written down is also simr to what¡¯s called a nuclear winter. Though it did seem a bit warmer than that.¡±


    Wisdom said, ¡°It¡¯s called a nuclear autumn. Even if all the nuclears exploded on Earth, it was theorized that the lowered temperature would be better described as a nuclear autumn rather than a freezing nuclear winter.¡±


    "Then it¡¯s probably that. A nuclear autumn. That''s likely why the Kalonba Empire didn''t vanish in an instant but suffered a great blow and eventually declined. The important point is that the golden tablet we just discovered is an usation report of sorts. It contains the name of the one who disrupted the empire and made those in the empireunch nuclear missiles at each other.¡±


    Eldar wrote down the name, Ashurada.


    Lunda then raised her hand again and asked, "Could the Ashurada mentioned be the same Ashurada we know of?"


    "Well, we can¡¯t be sure. But Dragons, ording to the settings of the game, have an infinite lifespan, so it wouldn''t be strange if they had survived since then."


    "But if they have the knowledge from that time, why would they just leave the Rakshasas that they rule over be?¡±


    "I don''t know. The Kalonba Empire probably had a civilization somewhat simr to our Earth. There would be differences, of course. But ording to the settings, Dragons exist within causality, so they could freely ess their knowledge without using resources like Faith points."


    Then Sung-Woon said, ¡°Well¡­that¡¯s not all that important. We¡¯lle to know eventually once we open up that Dragon¡¯s head.¡±


    Wisdom, who was looking at the system window, said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we have good news.¡±


    ¡°Good news?¡±


    ¡°The Fabirang Union has begun to move. They are advancing with arge-scale deployment of Helix Wings.¡±


    It was news Sung-Woon had been waiting for.

 Chapter 163: Not Saying Anything

    <h4>Chapter 163: Not Saying Anything</h4>


    The Lizardman, Vasen Lak Orazen, said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that walking castle.¡±


    He neatly unfolded a piece of paper and grabbed a piece of charcoal.


    ¡°First¡­this castle has feet. How many did you say it had?¡±


    ¡°Twenty five.¡±


    As the Elf, Theone Itimo replied, Vasen shook his head.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t specify. The feet are divided into big, medium, and small ones. How many of each of them are there?¡±


    From beside Thone, the Pangolin, Margo, said, ¡°Well, there are 3 big ones, 9 medium ones, and 13 small ones.¡±


    Vasen sketched the legs with light strokes.


    ¡°Are they roughly this shape?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those are the shapes of the legs.¡±


    ¡°And these are whole pieces of metal?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Vasen properly drew the legs without saying anything for a moment.


    He then turned to Theone. ¡°You said you talked to the new gunpowder engineers that arrived, right? Did you ask them about what I was curious about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±


    ¡°What did they say?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­they unfortunately said that would be difficult. When they estimated the weight of the Moving Castle, they said it¡¯s unlikely to be made of simple steel. It would have been made with the help of magic, or with technology beyond our understanding, so with the simple gunpowder we have, we would only be able to destroy the small legs¡­¡±


    Vasen replied with a disappointed voice, ¡°Even if the expedition team members were to get close to the legs and install gunpowder?¡±


    "Yes. While they didn¡¯t replicate the actual conditions, the technology department at the pce has conducted an experiment, and they said that it wouldn¡¯t be enough even if we were to use all the gunpowder we have.¡±


    Vasen looked at Mazdari, and Mazdari shook his head.


    ¡°Magic isn¡¯t omnipotent. Of course, there might be some kind of magic that I haven¡¯t discovered yet which could destroy the Moving Castle, but for now, just holding onto one of those small legs is all that can be done.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Well, I did think it would be challenging from the beginning."


    Vasen then wrote ¡®Destruction of legs: rejected¡¯ next to the drawing.


    The current target of the expedition team led by Vasen was the Moving Castle. While he wished to postpone investigating this Moving Castle if possible, ording to the priests, it was said that the gods of the Pantheon secretly wanted the Moving Castle. In particr, the denomination of Concealed Text God, which was in the lead in resurrecting dead gods, was especially supportive. Not only did they provide verbal support, but they also provided actual financial aid, so in Vasen¡¯s position, he couldn''t just ignore their will.


    Vasen observed the Moving Castle for quite a long time and came to the conclusion that the best way to enter it would be to destroy its legs. The Moving Castle consisted of 25 legs of different sizes that bent like those of a crab, and depending on which legs were broken, the oue would differ. It was calcted that the Moving Castle would be unable to function with one-third of the legs broken. However, the investigation showed that the legs supporting the Moving Castle were too strong.


    Vasen said, ¡°What about digging up a trap?¡±


    The idea of a trap seemed ridiculous, but Vasen judged that it wasn¡¯t impossible. Things that walked on the ground all had the possibility of falling into a hole. There was no reason that wouldn¡¯t apply here just because it was a castle.


    However, Theone disagreed.


    ¡°It likely won¡¯t work.¡±


    Theone unfolded a map that was folded in half.


    ¡°This is the Moving Castle¡¯s movement route.¡±


    The map showed a circle that seemed distorted here and there.


    ¡°Does it continuously move along this path? Then it seems like digging a trap would be good because there would be no need for bait.¡±


    "That''s true, but there are two reasons why it wouldn¡¯t work. First, it takes about 43 days toplete a full cycle along this path. Even if we start digging the moment it passes, wouldn¡¯t it be quite challenging to dig a hole big enough for the Moving Castle to fall in in just 43 days?¡±


    A groundbreaking method to deal with this issue didn¡¯te to mind, even for Vasen.


    ¡°And the other reason?¡±


    ¡°The Moving Castle doesn¡¯t just move on its own. It''s controlled by someone, so they would most likely notice the trap. Also, a Rakshasa reconnaissance unit goes ahead of the Moving Castle to check for any dangers.¡±


    Vasen said, ¡°That is a problem, the Rakshasas.¡±


    The Moving Castle was said to move at a speed simr to an average person¡¯s walking speed. That was slow given its sheer scale, but when considering the massive size of the castle and the fact that it moves continuously without stopping, that speed seemed reasonable.


    However, its speed made it difficult to attack the castle with Vasen¡¯s current capabilities. The fact that it moved about as fast as an average-sized person walked meant that the Pangolins would have to move quite fast to keep pace, and if the Rakshasas protecting the Moving Castle were to engage in a prolonged war outside the castle, it would take hard work to catch up to the castle with arge number of troops.


    ¡°Although there are many entrances into the castle¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not entirely a good thing.¡±


    As Margo exined, Vasen continued to refer to the partial drawings that the reconnaissance soldiers had brought back andpleted his sketch of the Moving Castle.


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, when the Rakshasa tribes weren¡¯t unified, the Moving Castle was attacked, and they simply cut off thedders they climbed to block the attacks¡­¡±


    ¡°What about invading by climbing up the legs?¡±


    ¡°The legs are very rusty and covered in lots of moss, so those who know how to climb trees would be able to easily climb them, but other than the three big legs, there¡¯s no other way up. Additionally, the parts where the legs are connected are constantly patrolled by the Rakshasas day and night¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± Vasen said. ¡°Then I guess there¡¯s only that option left.¡±


    ¡°By that option you mean¡­?¡±


    Vasen drew a sketch of wings on top of thepleted drawing of the Moving Castle. Although it was a rough sketch, everyone knew what it was because of the helical shape.


    ¡°We¡¯ll fly.¡±


    ***


    The Helix Wings that the tys developed could carry a maximum of two tys and a small amount of rocks. Therefore, two Pangolins, who had simr physiques, were also able to ride it, and for species such as Lizardmen or Human-like species with a medium-sized physique, only one person could fit. As a result, the number of Helix Wings avable for the expedition team to ride on and attack the Moving Castle was very limited.


    After capturing the Helix Wings of the tys, only six of them were fixed properly, and out of them, two were sent to the Orazen pce.


    <i>¡®We need more Helix Wings.¡¯</i>


    The problem was that ck Scale, or at least the current expedition team didn¡¯t have anyone with the technological capabilities to fix more of them. Vasen also believed that not even the top engineers of ck Scale would be able to exactly replicate the Helix Wings.


    <i>¡®Because ck Scale doesn¡¯t have any Doodooba trees that are used to make rubber.¡¯</i>


    Currently, the Doodooba trees in the southern continent were said to be concentrated in the east, but this was also just an assumption. After all, the tys located in that region were producing rubber powered technology there.


    <i>¡®And we don¡¯t even have enough time to make them now.¡¯</i>


    Vasen judged that the next week would be the best time to attack the Moving Castle. The Moving Castle was heading toward the city of the Pangolins, Siol. It wasn¡¯t certain whether they would go all the way to Siol or just continue to pass by it on their usual path, but now that they were getting closer, it was the perfect time to attack. Furthermore, Vasen didn¡¯t want to give the Rakshasas any more time to prepare, and he also thought that it was the best time since the second expedition team had joined them now.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s only one way.¡¯</i>


    Vasen nned to steal Helix Wings from the Fabirang Union. Even if they got damaged, recing simple parts was something that the expedition team and the Pangolins could do without much trouble. If they had about 40 to 50 units to carry the expedition team, that would be sufficient enough to attack the Moving Castle.


    <i>¡®But the Fabirang Union should have some knowledge on our gunpowder now and have prepared for it. So to ensure an easy battle, we need to figure out their weaknesses.¡¯</i>


    Vasen walked into the prison where the captives were held.


    ¡°Golt Tebari, how have you been?¡±


    The ty, Golt Tabari, red at Vasen and said, ¡°Hmph! I won¡¯t give you any more information now. I won¡¯t speak with you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Vasen thought things had be somewhatplicated. Over the past few days, Golt had freely talked about the Fabirang Union to Vasen without realizing they were being interrogated, but now it seemed Golt had btedly realized that Vasen had been trying to get information out of them.


    Vasen was just taken aback.


    <i>¡®After saying all that?¡¯</i>


    On the other hand, Golt would be helping the Fabirang Union by keeping silent, so he couldn¡¯t really me the ty. But of course, Vasen hadn¡¯te to see Golt without any n.


    <i>¡®What did Kyle say I should do again¡­¡¯</i>


    Through Mazdari¡¯s magic, Vasen had told Kyle, his younger brother and the emperor, about this matter and sought advice, and Kyle gave quite a simple answer. It remained uncertain whether Kyle¡¯s interrogation method would really work or not, but Vasen had a feeling it would work with Golt.


    <i>¡®Right, I remember now.¡¯</i>


    Vasen said, ¡°Listen up, Golt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you. Hmph.¡±


    ¡°We decided to execute you.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m not talking to¡­ What?¡±


    Golt looked stunned.


    Vasen slightly waved his hand.


    ¡°Well, I mean, not immediately.¡±


    ¡°...Our Fabirang Union will not forgive you!¡±


    ¡°...But around tomorrow morning.¡±


    Golt gasped. Golt¡¯s eyes were now slightly watery, but Vasen pretended not to notice.


    ¡°Considering we¡¯re here on an expedition and have too many mouths to feed, there¡¯s no reason to keep a lot of <i>useless?</i>captives.¡±


    Vasen then nced at Golt to see their reaction.


    Golt were tearing up, then they suddenly closed their eyes and said, ¡°Go ahead! Kill me! If it means I¡¯m sacrificing my life for the Fabirang Union!¡±


    For some reason, Vasen felt a sense of relief.


    <i>¡®Right on, they shouldn¡¯t change their mind just like that.¡¯</i>


    Vasen said, ¡°Well, dying isn¡¯t the only option.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°We had decided to only kill half of the captives. But there was some opposition suggesting that it would be okay to save the ones who are useful. So if there¡¯s someone willing to provide information about the types of rubber-powered machines and their weaknesses, we decided to let them live.¡±


    Then Golt said, ¡°B¡­but couldn¡¯t everyone just remain silent?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then eventually, everyone would be executed¡­¡±


    ¡°We never nned to execute everyone because we value ck Scale¡¯s honor. We believe that those with fidelity are valuable. Oh, by the way, we decided to hear about the weaknesses of the rubber powered machines in a firste first served manner. So even if someone were to tell us information, it would be toote if they were the fourth out of the six captives.¡±


    Golt¡¯s situation could be summarized as: If all six captives remained silent, they would all survive. But if even one of them were to start talking, only three of those who talked first would survive.


    Vasen believed Golt understood the situation well enough and turned around.


    ¡°Call for me if you want to start talking.¡±


    As soon as his back was to Golt, Golt said, ¡°Wait! Hold on!¡±


    ¡°...I haven¡¯t even left the prison doors yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I called out to you, haven¡¯t I?¡± Golt then said with determined eyes, ¡°I will tell you everything.¡±


    Vasen stayed turned around for a moment to hide his smile.

 Chapter 164: Helix Wings and Saw Blade Tanks

    <h4>Chapter 164: Helix Wings and Saw de Tanks</h4>


    The Helix Wings wereposed of a round body made of wood, a tail wing for stability, and secondary wings on each side. In the center of the body was the rubber powered engine, and the rubber cords of this engine extended into the wide helix-shapedponent used to lift the Helix Wings up. Below that was where the cockpit was located. And from the cockpit, the secondary wings on each side could be controlled for maneuvering the aircraft, and thending controller used to give friction and gradually stop the rubber powered engine tond was also located here.


    ording to Golt Tebari, a ty and baron of the Fabirang Union¡ªalso known as the one with the biggest mouth in the world¡ªthe first Helix Wing sessfully taking flight didn¡¯t have anding controller.


    "...Then what happened to the one flying it?"


    ¡°Are you talking about the madman, Toolbo, the creator of the Helix Wing?¡±


    "Yeah, that guy."


    "He ascended to heaven."


    "...Hm"


    Golt was quite cooperative, and finding it suspicious, Vasen checked to see if Golt was saying something different than the other ty captives, but surprisingly, it was actually another ty soldier who lied to cause confusion.


    Golt spoke briefly about the hero of the tys.


    "Toolbo was obsessed with Doodooba trees his whole life. Before the Helix Wings were created, Doodooba trees were mostly made into balls to kick around, or used to mend cracks in broken roofs.¡±


    "But Toolbo found a use for them?"


    "Yes. Of course, not everything Toolbo made was useful from the start."


    Vasen became interested. The tys had an entirely different history and culture, so listening to their stories could be helpful in some way.


    "For example?"


    "A replication of a man¡¯s genital for widows who lost their husbands at war.¡±


    "What?"


    "Do you call it something else here? The thing attached between the legs of men..."


    "Never mind that, move on. What else?"


    "What else? The next thing Toolbo created was for men who lost their wives early in their lives¡­"


    "Next."


    Golt listed the various misceneous inventions that Toolbo had made and then said, "At the time, everyone called Toolbo a madman, but only one person watched and supported him."


    "Who was that?"


    "Well, of course...the Folded Wing Golden Bird."


    .


    From what Vasen heard, that Folded Wing Golden Bird seemed to be the god of the Fabirang Union.


    The madman Toolbo had surpassed all the priests of the Fabirang Union in gaining the favor of the Folded Wing Golden Bird and risen to the position of a saint. Therefore, not only the priests of the Folded Wing Golden Bird, but even the triumvir, which led the union, had no choice but to concede to Toolbo.


    Unlike in the past, Toolbo was then able to receive most of the financial and personnel support from the Fabirang Union as long as it was within their limit.


    ¡°In the end, the Folded Wing Golden Bird was right. Because that¡¯s how we gained rubber powered technology.¡±


    Vasen did not remind Golt that the machines using rubber power got shot down by the gunners of ck Scale.


    "We believe that the madman Toolbo reached the Folded Wing Golden Bird with the first Helix Wing."


    And he also didn¡¯t ask about whether the madman Toolbo would have eventually crashed somewhere after reaching the sky.


    Golt then said, "Come to think of it, doesn¡¯t ck Scale also have an ascended hero? Thinking that way, our Fabirang Union and ck Scale Empire share some simrities."


    ¡°You should watch what you say, duckmouth.¡±


    "...Huh? Why?"


    Golt had an expression of someone who was treated unfairly.


    ***


    A few dayster, at a ce that took two days to get to from the city of the Pangolins, Siol, the 500 gunners of ck Scale from the first and second expedition teams of ck Scale were stationed on a small rocky hill, along with 2000 Pangolins. From what Vasen had confirmed, this small hill that didn¡¯t even have a name seemed to be the best location to block the Fabirang Union from.


    Siol did have a rampart, but that wasn¡¯t very useful against Helix Wings. And even though the rocks dropped by the Helix Wings weren¡¯t very effective, they would affect the citizens of the city who weren¡¯t participating in the war. Moreover, the Helix Wings themselves could be used as transportation for infiltrating enemy territory.


    Unlike Vasen¡¯s expectations, ording to Golt, the tys of the Fabirang Union seemed to make good use of such capabilities. Therefore, Vasen positioned the gunners on the hill where they could shoot down the Helix Wings, which typically moved at a low altitude.


    A soldier who had climbed to the rocky hilltop with a telescope came running down toward Vasen.


    ¡°Team Leader, I¡¯ve seen their Helix Wings rising into the air.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll have to see it for myself.¡±


    Vasen took the telescope and went to the top of the hill.


    Just as he expected, Helix Wings flying at a low altitude began toe into view. There were about a hundred of them. This was a substantial number.


    The Helix Wings weren¡¯t very fast. They could fly against the wind, but they preferred to ride the currents rather than fly against them, and even so, their speed wasn''t that impressivepared to birds in the sky.


    <i>''But moving while ignoring terrain is a significant advantage. I thought they were ridiculous at first, but with more research, there will certainly be many other uses.''</i>


    Of course, not right now though.


    Vasen focused on the battle.


    Though not immediately visible, the Helix Wings were likely moving along with ground troops. This was the typical battle tactic of the tys that Golt had revealed.


    <i>¡®They make a preemptive attack with the Helix Wings to cause confusion, then the soldiers on the ground be the main force to crush the enemy.¡¯</i>


    The tactic did make some logical sense.


    Generally, battles took ce on the ground, typically fighting against only one side of the enemy. However, facing attacks from two fronts¡ªand not simply from both sides, but oneing from above¡ªwould be difficult to deal with if the soldiers weren¡¯t skilled enough even if the attacks weren¡¯t that powerful.


    <i>¡®Moreover, if what Golt said was right, the stone throwing fromst time was intended for capturing living captives, and depending on the units, they could have arrows or spears¡­ Still, their aim isn¡¯t that great.¡¯</i>


    In war, a weapon didn¡¯t necessarily have to inflict actual harm. It would still be useful if it could pose a threat.


    And facing enemies in the sky which are difficult to deal with would lead to panic.


    <i>¡®But for all that to work, they should have chosen opponents who are unfamiliar with new technology.¡¯</i>


    Vasen additionally thought.


    <i>¡®...And it would be better if they would instill greater loyalty in their soldiers. ¡®</i>


    As the Helix Wings approached, Vasen ordered the soldiers to light their fuses. Because this was a surprise attack, the order was ryed by having the soldiers telling those next to them.


    Soon, smoke would rise from the gunners¡¯ matchlocks, but Vasen wasn¡¯t concerned.


    <i>¡®By the time they realize¡­¡¯</i>


    As Vasen had predicted, the Helix Wings didn¡¯t cross over the hill and instead came around from the east to ride the current. It was right where Vasen¡¯s military expedition members were hiding.


    Then, a soldier that was aboard one of the Helix Wings was heard urgently shouting something.


    So Vasen stood up and yelled, ¡°...Fire!¡±


    The gunners stationed in various locations on the hill in sitting firing positions all opened fire at the Helix Wings at once.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    Around twenty Helix Wings immediately began to crash, and another twenty fell down more gradually. Some of the other Helix Wings hurriedly changed their directions or flew higher, and as a result, the Helix Wings collided against each other, or as they flew higher in the air, the weak axles broke and they began to fall. Around twenty Helix Wings survived the first attack and managed to escape.


    <i>¡®Many of them aimed at the same targets.¡¯</i>


    Despite dividing the gunners into squads and giving them slightly different orders, they weren¡¯t able to wipe the enemy out with one try. But Vasen wasn¡¯t disheartened.


    <i>¡®After all, attacks from guns have high damage rates.¡¯</i>


    Those riding the Helix Wings seemed to have a rough understanding that there would be some dy between matchlock shots. Therefore, instead of flying higher into the sky where the matchlocks wouldn¡¯t reach, they counterattacked and quickly turned back around to return to where their ground forces were.


    Then, the Pangolin crossbow unit that had been hiding in the bushes with their backs to the sky raised their crossbows and began shooting. Like rain being pulled back into the sky, arrows soared into the air and struck the Helix Wing unit. All the remaining Helix Wings began to spiral down.


    <i>¡®There might be surviving ty pilots in the forest. Besides, we should prepare for the iing ground troops.¡¯</i>


    If Golt was right, the Helix Wings also served as a reconnaissance group, which meant that the ground troops weren¡¯t far, so they would have heard the gunshots as well.


    As the troops finished preparing again, a reconnaissance soldier came running to Vasen and said, ¡°The enemy''s ground troops are starting to appear!"


    Compared to the northern jungle, the density of vegetation was lower in this part of the forest, but the forest was still full of trees, making it difficult to identify the enemy. Among the branches, though, the tys and the saw de tanks that the tys were proud of could be seen.


    The Fabirang Union was divided into three main species, and thanks to the madman Toolbo, who created the rubber powered technology, the tys were the ones who best utilized the technology.


    <i>¡®Of course it wouldn¡¯t be simply for that reason. Their small and light physiques would make it efficient for them to get on the machines, and this efficiency wouldn¡¯t apply only to the Helix Wings, but also the saw de tanks.¡¯</i>


    The saw de tanks were something that Vasen also hadn¡¯t ever seen before, but thanks to Golt¡¯s exnation, he became very familiar with them.


    The hull of these tanks were almost the same height as Lizardmen, and the tanks moved forward on their own through rubber power, without the help of a creature. Unlike the Helix Wings that flew up with one rubber powered engine, saw de tanks contained five engines, making them massive. The four wheels on each side were wrapped in thick and sturdy rubber in the shape of a M?bius strip, and rotating helix poles were attached to the front. These helix horns were made of brass, and each spiral end had small saw de teeth, making it look like the bud of an alien flower. Smaller helix horns were also attached to the central axis of each wheel, making it possible to literally grind any infantry that attacked from the side and not just the front.


    <i>¡®Hm, so they haven¡¯t juste without a n.¡¯</i>


    This was also what Golt had predicted, but unlike Helix Wings, the saw de tanks were able to easily carry more weight.


    The tys of the Fabirang Union didn''t know exactly what weapon their opponent had, but they must have felt the need to defend themselves against external attacks if all the additional brass tes they had attached to the front and sides of the tanks was anything to go by. Normally there would only be wooden tes, which would have been enough to block arrows.


    <i>¡®A heavy and massive tank that isn¡¯t built by creatures. In previous wars, they would have yed a significant role on the battlefield, just like cannons.¡¯</i>


    Surely there would be ways to counter them in a second encounter, but in Vasen¡¯s opinion, the new gunpowder weapons that would emerge after each fight in previous wars had the upper hand. And this would also be true for the rubber engine powered tanks.


    <i>¡®However¡­apart from the timing, isn¡¯t the location unfavorable?¡¯</i>


    Vasen had thought the saw de tanks might not make an appearance, but he seemed to be mistaken. Their enemies seemed to like their weapons more than Vasen thought.


    A soldier shouted, ¡°The enemies have appeared!¡±


    The Fabirang Union spotted the line of Vasen¡¯s military expedition troops and the Pangolin troops that Margo led on the hill, and they ced their saw de tanks at the front.


    There were about 2000 ck Scale and Pangolin troops. Although it was a small number, there were only ten saw de tanks. Vasen believed that if they were to fight with the same weapons and without any cavalry on a normal nd, it would be difficult to fight with the same numbers.


    ¡°Tell them to reload each of their weapons and stay in formation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Soon, the saw de tanks advanced forward.


    <i>¡®The strength of the saw de tanks is its massiveness that not even cavalry on horses could face.¡¯</i>


    Vasen waited.


    The saw de tanks emerged from the forest and charged fiercely at a speed simr to a horse running slowly. They weren¡¯t very fast, but it was still a speed that could effortlessly crush and run over the enemy¡¯s infantry.


    <i>¡®And the weakness of the saw de tanks¡­¡¯</i>


    However, the saw de tanks began to slow down at a distance of about a hundred footsteps before reaching Vasen¡¯s formation. They weren¡¯t reducing their speed though. The wheels were spinning in ce.


    <i>¡®...is also their massiveness.¡¯</i>


    Soon, the wheels of the saw de tank that was charging at the very front sank into the ground. They were trapped in a swamp.


    Vasen believed that as long as they could fight in a location of their choosing, they wouldn¡¯t be defeated.

 Chapter 165: Wings

    <h4>Chapter 165: Wings</h4>


    Even though the Fabirang Union had Helix Wings capable of flying over terrains, they still had to match the speed of the saw de tanks that moved through the jungle on winding paths while avoiding trees. Therefore, there had been enough time for the leader of the expedition team, Vasen Lak Orazen, to find a location for their battle.


    The hill they were currently at wasn¡¯t the only location that Vasen had considered. When considering the direction the Fabirang Union was advancing in, there were more than five hills that Vasen judged were suitable for battle as his main concern wasn¡¯t the danger of the Helix Wings that they had already won against once, but rather the saw de tanks.


    Vasen had been looking for a swamp. Jungle terrains generally had high humidity, with small streams and ponds here and there. And among them, there were also swamps with aquatic nts and muddy grounds.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no need for a swamp that would submerge people to their heads. An ankle-deep one would be enough.¡¯</i>


    Of course, ording to the Pangolins, there were swampy terrains where even the Rakshasas couldn¡¯t escape once they fell in, but such swamps weren¡¯t required in Vasen¡¯s strategy. It was fine if the soil wasn''t wet enough for people to sink into it. In fact, the ground needed to appear solid to make it look like normal bushes and dry soil. Vasen even ordered the expedition team to disguise the swampy area to look somewhat like an ordinary field.


    <i>¡®Sinking the saw de tanks in the swamp would be enough.¡¯</i>


    The saw de tanks were sinking into the mud just tens of footsteps away now. Their wheels kept spinning in ce, flinging mud backward and showering the tys of the Fabirang Union with it before gradually slowing down and sooning to a stop one by one.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯</i>


    Overall, the Fabirang Union¡¯s strategy wasn¡¯t all that bad. They first sent the Helix Wings to scout the enemy or make them panic, and then nned to attack the enemy with their ground troops. However, the Fabirang Union was overly confident in their technology and strategy, so they couldn''t react with flexibility but instead made a robot-like response. The ty infantry panicked and tried to push the saw de tanks out of the mud, but the tanks were firmly stuck and didn¡¯t budge.


    <i>¡®Thanks to that, now they got their feet stuck in the swamp and covered with mud.¡¯</i>


    Vasen then drew his sword.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    At Vasen¡¯s order, the gunners fired at once. A few bullets hit the front of a saw de tank and made sparks, and the tys that had been trying to get the tanks out of the mud could be seen falling to the ground.


    Vasen then judged that shooting guns was insufficient to surely overpower them.


    "Charge!"


    The order was ryed by the soldiers.


    ¡°He said to charge!¡±


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    While the tys panicked and failed to properly shoot their arrows and spears, Vasen¡¯s infantry closed the distance in an instant. The main infantryposed of the Pangolins raised their short spears and attacked the tys. As the tys saw the situation turning against them, they turned around and hurriedly ran away.


    Vasen then shouted, ¡°We need to retrieve the Helix Wings from the jungle! Things will be troublesome If there is an ambush by the enemies in the process, so don¡¯t lose any of them!¡±


    ***


    In the first conference room of the Pantheon, Crampus said, ¡°Neb, there¡¯s a whisper conversation request.¡±


    ¡°From who?¡±


    ¡°The guy we¡¯re currently facing, RD.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to connect to them.¡±


    The yer ID, RD, had appeared on the yer list after they encountered the Fabirang Union.


    Crampus pushed the video chat window to the side to make it visible for everyone.


    Lunda then said, ¡°How about going to the restaurant instead of staying here?¡±


    Crampus turned around to look at Lunda.


    ¡°Move ces? Why?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll seem more serious? If we just sit here in the conference room, we¡¯ll look like a bunch of university students attending a lecture on Halloween.¡±


    The video chat connected.


    After seeing the silhouette of the opponent appear on the screen, Sung-Woon said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be necessary.¡±


    RD said, ¡°Who¡¯s the leader here?¡±


    Lunda began tough, and Crampus lowered his head. While Jang-Wan remained sitting calmly, her shoulders kept shaking.


    Laughing, Lunda mumbled, ¡°Folded Wing Golden Bird¡­haha. It¡¯s way too cute¡­¡±


    The corners of Sung-Woon¡¯s mouth also went up below his mask, and Wisdom seemed to be the only one notughing. He managed to say something with seriousness.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who made the request, so I think you should introduce yourself first, RD.¡±


    RD then made a very determined face, but it couldn¡¯t be taken so seriously. RD¡¯s avatar looked like a rubber duck toy. It was a yellow rubber duck-shaped toy designed to float on water, and it would be perfect to ce on one side of the bathtub for children who didn¡¯t like taking baths.


    ¡°I¡¯m RD, the yer leading the Fabirang Union.¡±


    Sung-Woon then thought and said, ¡°typuses, rubberpunks, and a rubber duck toy. You¡¯re too into the concept.¡±


    ¡°...Isn¡¯t that too rude to say to someone you¡¯re meeting for the first time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, did I say that outloud? Sorry. I only meant to think about it.¡±


    ¡°No matter what you say, you were making fun of me, you buster.¡±


    The rubber duck bobbed its head.


    ¡°Anyway¡­the reason why I wanted to talk is¡­¡±


    ¡°Is?¡±


    ¡°To suggest a conditional surrender.¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°That¡¯s not that surprising. But what do you mean by conditional?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­can you do something about the guysughing behind you first?¡±


    Before Sung-Woon could say anything, Lunda, Crampus, and Jang-Wan quietly got up and left. Lunda found it so funny that she was still holding her stomachughing, and herughter could be heard right until she left the conference room.


    Wisdom then pointed to RD¡¯s face and said, ¡°Good strategy, making othersugh with your appearance. If we weren¡¯t usually deprived ofughter, we might have just ignored it.¡±


    "What''s he talking about now?"


    "Forget about it. Let¡¯s move on¡­ Any other conditions?"


    RD said, "Don¡¯t attack anymore."


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to surrender?¡±


    ¡°I meant that I won¡¯t attack any more. If you continue to attack, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already y all your cards? What¡¯s with the confidence?¡±


    ¡°You must be talking about yourselves. Don¡¯t you see my magnificent rubber technology civilization? My civilization is more developed and scarce than any other.¡±


    Sung-Woon thought to himself.


    <i>¡®Are they bluffing? Or is it real?¡¯</i>


    Either way, it sounded usible.


    The poor disy that RD and the Fabirang Union had put on until now made it only possible to look down on RD. But the fact that they maintained a certain level of influence on the new continent and enved the indigenous Rakshasas meant that they were doing pretty well for themselves. Above all, they clearly hadn¡¯t done all they could because they hadn¡¯t revealed their god¡¯s power. Of course, even if RD was a very powerful god, there was no reason to use Faith points on a battle of about 3000.


    <i>¡®...That¡¯s the same for us. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter either way.¡¯</i>


    In fact, that wasn¡¯t very important to Sung-Woon because at least for the time being, there was no reason to attack RD.


    <i>¡®We¡¯ve retrieved all the Helix Wings we need, and once we take the Moving Castle, conquering the fourth continent won¡¯t be difficult.¡¯</i>


    Although there was still a great enemy, the Dragon, the risk was worth taking considering the rewards that would follow. Therefore, if necessary, measures would need to be taken by Sung-Woon¡¯s side to prevent RD¡¯s expansion, but if RD really honored and followed this conversation and didn¡¯t mobilize their troops, then there was nothing bad about that for Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon looked at Wisdom, and Wisdom didn¡¯t seem to have any other objections.


    So he said, ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll do so.¡±


    ¡°Of course you should. If you intrude into my territory, you better be prepared, got it?¡±


    Sung-Woon minimized the video chat window without saying anything.


    And perhaps because RD thought the video chat had ended, they heard RD talking to themself.


    ¡°Whew, what a relief.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Huh, wait, did it not end?¡±


    Sung-Woon ended the chat and closed the window. He shared a look with Wisdom for a moment. Sung-Woon was about tough at RD, but instead decided to talk about their operation n, and Wisdom seemed to agree with doing so.


    ***


    A few dayster, not far south from Siol, the simple n to attack the Moving Castle was a go. Using about sixty Helix Wings, they would cross through the air andnd inside the walls of the Moving Castle. Then the 60 or 70 troopsposed of species with smaller physiques simr to the Pangolins had the special mission of stopping the Moving Castle from moving.


    Based on the information they got from interrogating the Rakshasas they captured in the nearby tribe, it was revealed that there was a separate room called the control room, which was used to control the Moving Castle. This room seemed to be upied by Rakshasas of a high position chosen by the Great Ashurada. After taking over that room and stopping the Moving Castle, their next objective was to help the main troops heading there climb onto the Moving Castle. After that, the final step was for Vasen tomand the main troops to kill the Great Ashurada and thenpletely take control of the Moving Castle.


    The Rakshasa tribes inside the Moving Castles lived a luxurious life where they had festivals everyday; most noises were thus buried, and it was said that the Great Ashurada wouldn¡¯te out of their room for minor disturbances.


    While inspecting the troops onest time, Vasen noticed a familiar face sitting in one of the Helix Wings.


    ¡°Mazdari?¡±


    The Garuda said, ¡°The n seemed somewhat simplistic, so I thought it would be better to go with you and swapped seats with another member. I also made a few changes.¡±


    Vasen then worriedly said, ¡°But would it be alright? The weight¡­¡±


    Mazdari shook his head.


    ¡°You must not know, Lizardman. Our species originally flew in the sky. We are much lighter than how we appear to be.¡±


    Vasen recalled the old legend of the Garuda species, who used to fly in the sky with the wings on their backs.


    ¡°Then there should be no problem. Just make sure to keep up.¡±


    Following themand, the rubber powered engines were attached to each Helix Wing. As Vasen released the friction band from his control seat, the rubber cord slowly began to unwind, and soon, the central wing of the Helix Wing began to rotate vigorously. The Helix Wing then rose into the air.


    <i>¡®I practiced so many times, but I still can¡¯t get used to this.¡¯</i>


    Whenever Vasen used the Helix Wing and flew in the sky, he always felt a flutter in his chest.


    <i>¡®Is it because I¡¯m normally not able to fly in the sky? Or perhaps because our species had also once been able to fly in the past?¡¯</i>


    Vasen didn¡¯t indulge in the line of thinking for long. It was a very unusual sight to see dozens of man-made vehicles beneath his feet. It felt entirely different from aiming at enemies from afar with guns.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s as if¡­we¡¯ve be a flock of birds.¡¯</i>


    Vasen thought this would feel simr to what flocks of birds actually felt.


    Vasen then looked to where Mazdari was. Although he couldn¡¯t see Mazdari too clearly because they were far away from each other, Vasen thought that Mazdari might have another reason foring along than simply wanting to help.


    <i>¡®Did he say that they could no longer fly because of a curse from their old god? Well, now that curse seems to have be meaningless.¡¯</i>


    The Helix Wings rose into the sunset, and the secret attack on the Moving Castle began.

 Chapter 166: The Fight in the Sky

    <h4>Chapter 166: The Fight in the Sky</h4>


    A warm purple on top of dark green finally traced the horizon, and soon, dusk would make its departure.


    Flying in the Helix Wing, Vasen Lak Orazen turned around and looked at the eastern sky. It was already filled with stars.


    <i>¡®Oh, Night Sky, apostle, and priests and guardians of our continent, please bless us. We are heading toward the promised hardship, as you desired.¡¯</i>


    Vasen and the expedition team that was tasked with a special mission soared through the air, listening to the hum of the wind.


    Then, a low but massive echo pushed through the atmosphere and revealed itself.


    <i>Thud¡­!</i>


    It was the Moving Castle. Its twenty-three legs that were positioned without any apparent pattern or rules were made of metal and attached to the foundation supporting the castle. On top of the big and solid rock foundation existed a rampart that was cut and stacked, and the interior of the rampart was illuminated by torches and braziers. The gray structures were covered in moss and weeds, but their dominance was firm.


    Vasen thought that if it weren¡¯t for the Helix Wings, they would have had to prepare for a head-on battle with the Moving Castle itself, or assemble an even more extreme elite group.


    The highest rising building on the inside was the enormous gray dome located in the center.


    <i>¡®Did they say the Dragon was there?¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, the control room that maneuvered the Moving Castle was located in a tower quite far from the dome. ording to the Rakshasas, the Great Ashurada rarely left the dome for minor disturbances. Even during an inter-tribal fight among the Rakshasas, Ashurada hadn''t shown any particr interest.


    <i>¡®We¡¯re almost there now.¡¯</i>


    Vasen looked down to see if there were any problems with the other Helix Wings. Although it was quite a fussy technology, none of the Helix Wings had broken down.


    Skilled engineers from the ck Scale, as well as their excellent materials, were included in the second expedition team, and it was also fortunate that they couldmunicate with the pce¡¯s technology department through Mazdari''s magic.


    The craftsmanship of the tys was impressive at their level, but with ck Scale¡¯s technology and materials, they managed to resolve a few ws in the Helix Wings.


    <i>¡®Then could these Helix Wings also be used in ck Scale?¡¯</i>


    Vasen pondered for a moment.


    <i>¡®But the rubber for the rubber powered engine can only be obtained from the Doodooba trees that grow in warm ces and not on our continent. ording to Theone, as long as a sea route is fully established, there would be no major issue in supplying them, but wouldn¡¯t there be a better way?¡¯</i>


    Vasen couldn¡¯t find an answer.


    While Vasen was clever enough when it came to utilizing scientific technology, creating something entirely new wasn''t his strong suit, and furthermore, he didn¡¯t have enough time to think more about it.


    "Something is rising to the right of the Moving Castle!"


    Hearing that shout, Vasen looked to the east.


    When he looked carefully, something was rising into the sky above the horizon, where only a faint dusk remained.


    <i>¡®A Dragon? No, it¡¯s too small. And there isn¡¯t only one. Are they birds?¡¯</i>


    It seemed to have wings and its pping motion resembled that of a bird. However, as the silhouette of fifteen of them came closer, Vasen realized they weren¡¯t as small as he thought.


    Those who knew them could identify their forms even in the dark.


    ¡°They¡¯re Wyverns!¡±


    They were reptiles with two wings and thin skin that flew in the sky, Wyverns.


    "I don''t recall hearing about this."


    Vasen turned his head toward the voice. Madadari had brought his Helix Wing close to Vasen¡¯s.


    Vasen replied, ¡°Well, it¡¯s only our wishful thinking that there will be no surprises to respond to.¡±


    "I''m curious how they tamed the Wyverns."


    Vasen didn¡¯t pay attention to the schrly curiosity as he knew that hisck of interest was one of his strengths.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk once we safelynd first.¡±


    Vasen reduced the friction of the rubber powered engine and said, ¡°Raise your arrows! Squad one, go up and draw their attention! In the meantime, squad two, infiltrate the inner walls!¡±


    They hadn¡¯t predicted the existence of Wyverns, but since they had assumed an enemy attack would happen, the military expedition team listened to Vasen¡¯s orders and moved in perfect order.


    As expected, the Wyverns flew toward squad one, Vasen¡¯s group.


    ¡°Arrows are being shot from the Moving Castle!¡±


    Vasen didn¡¯t issue any othermands to squad two.


    <i>¡®It''s difficult to hit Helix Wings despite the slow moving speed, especially if they didn¡¯t anticipate it. It would be difficult for guns, but even more difficult with arrows. Also, the Helix Wings aren¡¯t the only things that are moving.¡¯</i>


    Vasen''s assumptions were correct. The Helix Wings of squad two, which had been flying ahead, had begunnding over the castle walls.


    Many arrows missed the Helix Wings. Although very slow, the Moving Castle was also moving. Having experienced the challenges of long-range shooting during the continental war, Vasen and the expedition team knew that they had no reason to be concerned.


    While hoping for the Helix Wings tond without getting damaged, most of the expedition team members were seen fighting against the charging Rakshasas or jumping out of the Helix Wings before they evennded on the ground to attack the archers that were aiming at squad one.


    <i>¡®Now it¡¯s our turn.¡¯</i>


    Vasen let go of the control stick and raised his bow. A gun would have been better, but there wasn¡¯t time to light the matchlock.


    Vasen took a breath and held it. He calcted the trajectory of the slowly descending Helix Wing and the shortest distance between him and the head of the Wyvern flying straight toward him¡ªthe straight line, that was.


    <i>¡®Now.¡¯</i>


    With the sound of wind and a swoosh, the arrow disappeared into the darkness. Just as Vasen was going toment his miss, the Wyvern that had been flying at the very front lost strength in its wing and fell. Without taking even a moment to observe the falling Wyvern, Vasen quickly notched another arrow. And within that short time, the Wyverns reached squad one.


    Sounds of arrows being released, asional gunshots, sharp cries of the Wyverns, and the cries of the expedition members fighting against them were heard. The central wing of the Helix Wings were made of leather and wood, so structurally and materially, they weren¡¯t sturdy. While some individuals, like Vasen, were skilled enough to take down the Wyverns, there were also Helix Wings crashing down with the Moving Castle right in front of them.


    <i>¡®Damn it, just a little more!¡¯</i>


    When about half of squad twonded, Vasen saw them fighting against the Rakshasas to create space for squad one tond. Vasen then aimed an arrow at the Wyvern that was clinging onto one of the Helix Wings of the expedition team below.


    <i>Krrrrr¡­!</i>


    The first thing that Vasen felt was the sudden warmth that blocked the coldness of the sky. Then he felt his Helix Wing shaking, and when he turned his head, he saw a Wyvern¡¯s head, apanied by the smell of blood.


    ¡°It seems that your partner was the one who died first!¡±


    Vasen then turned around in an instant and shot an arrow. However, the Wyvern''s neck extended at an exceptional speed. The arrow pierced the Wyvern''s lower jaw, but its sharp teeth also came dangerously close to Vasen¡¯s face.


    <i>Kao!</i>


    The Helix Wing tilted halfway as the Wyvern tore the Helix Wing and pushed its snout toward Vasen. Because the Helix Wings had no safety devices, Vasen had no choice but to grab onto the body of the Helix Wing with one arm. The tilted Helix Wing was being held by the Wyvern¡¯s ws, so essentially, Vasen was in the Wyvern¡¯s clutch.


    The Wyvern tilted its head for a moment, then seemed to realize something and joyfully cried out.


    <i>Krrrrr!</i>


    It had just realized that if it let go of the Helix Wing, Vasen would fall to his death. However, just like how the Sapiens had always managed to respond to ferocious beasts until now, Vasen was quicker.


    "Hmph!"


    Vasen puffed out air from his nose, took out the dagger in his inner pocket, and struck it through the Helix Wing and into the Wyvern¡¯s foot.


    <i>Kaaaooooo!</i>


    As the Wyvern attempted to throw aside the Helix Wing several times and failed, it extended out its long neck again and pushed it toward Vasen, who was still hanging by a hand. Vasen didn¡¯t miss his chance. He drew his long sword from his waist and thrust it into the Wyvern¡¯s jaw. The Wyvern¡¯s head then drooped, and as Vasen pulled out the dagger buried in the Wyvern¡¯s foot, the Wyvern fell toward the ground.


    The main wing of the Helix Wing began to rotate again with a creaking sound, but its condition didn¡¯t look good.


    <i>¡®Damn it, it seems like it¡¯s not enough.¡¯</i>


    Vasen looked down to find the walls of the Moving Castle still too far for him to just drop down onto. The Helix Wing wasn¡¯t going to crash straight down, but it seemed like it would crash below the Moving Castle.


    "Jump down!"


    As Vasen looked back, he saw Mazdari¡¯s Helix Wing flying below him.


    Vasen shouted, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the weight!¡±


    ¡°Just trust me!¡±


    There was no time for further conversation, so Vasen trusted Mazdari and jumped. Their arms crossed for a moment, and they grabbed onto the other¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Fly up!¡±


    With those words, Mazdari¡¯s Helix Wing began to rotate rapidly at an incredible speed, far beyond what the rubber powered engine alone could achieve. Having been falling toward the ground, the Helix Wing that had caught Vasen slowly rose again and eventually made it over the Moving Castle¡¯s walls. As soon as it did, they jumped down onto the rampart. Vasennded lightly with a roll and turned to look at Mazdari, who made a gracefulnding despite his big physique.


    Mazdari exined, ¡°I originally learned magic for my species¡¯ long-cherished wish.¡±


    "What is it?"


    "I learned magic to be able to fly."


    Mazdari slightly wiggled his wings.


    ***


    A total of 46 individuals, including Vasen, sessfully arrived inside the walls of the Moving Castle.


    After managing to temporarily get away from the Rakshasas, Vasen called over two more expedition members who could serve as leaders.


    He told them, ¡°Unlike our expectations, they already knew we wereing. Therefore, they must have made some preparations, so we need to modify our operation.¡±


    The expedition team members nodded, but their faces were filled with nervousness.


    ¡°We¡¯ll divide into groups again, but three this time. Squad one will head to the control room, and squad two and three will createmotion and divert their attention. Engage in battle while prioritizing your safety. Even if they don¡¯t have any great weapons, Rakshasas are the same size as Trolls, and they will be prepared.¡±


    Vasen then issued specific instructions to each expedition member. One group would set fires to attract attention, while the other group would capture high-ranked Rakshasas and stage a hostage situation.


    After roughly dividing the number of people, one of the expedition team members asked, "But then there is no one left for squad one. Who will be in it?"


    Vasen replied, ¡°I¡¯m going alone.¡±


    ¡°But that would be too dangerous!¡±


    ¡°The enemy would have already made preparations to guard the control room. So instead of causing chaos and rushing all together to the control room, it¡¯ll be better to scatter their attention and quietly invade it alone.¡±


    As one of the expedition team members was about to say something, Vasen shook his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else. This meeting is over. Let¡¯s move.¡±


    With that, Vasen turned around, and the expedition team members began to move as Vasen ordered. Vasen, too, easily climbed over a fence and moved toward the tower where the control room was located.


    Someone was standing in the dimly-lit short corridor. Vasen approached cautiously, but then recognized the face.


    ¡°Mazdari?¡±


    Mazdari walked out into the starlight and said, ¡°Do you not trust your subordinates or something? Or think they won¡¯t do their jobs if I don¡¯t help them?¡±


    ¡°Well, then have youe because you don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Vasen walked past Mazdari and said, ¡°I guess I can¡¯t do anything about that since I¡¯ve shown you my unreliable side. Let¡¯s move.¡±


    "Hmm."


    Mazdari followed behind Vasen, thinking he was aplicated man.

 Chapter 167: A Bug鈥檚 Emotions

    <h4>Chapter 167: A Bug¡¯s Emotions</h4>


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Mazdari said as he looked at the gunports in the rampart of the Moving Castle. ¡°Even though it¡¯s moving, I can¡¯t feel any shaking up here. The legs attached to this castle are much more cleverly crafted than we think.¡±


    Vasen Lak Orazen asked, ¡°<i>Clever</i>? Isn¡¯t it just magic?¡±


    ¡°Hm, I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    The concept that Mazdari was talking about was the gyroscope, which could sense tilting in all directions, but he didn¡¯t have the vocabry to exin that yet, so he just decided to move on.


    The two of them avoided the Rakshasas and hid in the shadows of the castle wall or crouched among the trees and bushes in the courtyard of the Moving Castle. Because both of them were rtivelyrge in size, they weren¡¯t exactly doing a good job at hiding, but fortunately enough, the Rakshasas were charging toward the second and third squad, who were makingmotion as Vasen ordered, so the Rakshasas never properly looked in the direction of where Vasen and Mazdari hid.


    ¡°But it seems that our luck stops here.¡±


    Once they got close to the tower where the control room was, the security set up by the Rakshasas seemed very immacte. Although about twenty of them seemed to be having casual conversation about the chaos happening in the distance, creating a somewhat rxed atmosphere, they still thoroughly checked to see if there were any intruders.


    Mazdari said, ¡°There are quite a few of them. Sneaking into the tower seems difficult as they have a clear line of sight from here to the tower¡¯s entrance. What¡¯s your n?¡±


    Vasen pondered for a moment.


    ¡°Is there any kind of magic that would be useful? The magic you used against the piratesst time would¡­¡±


    Mazdari replied, ¡°That kind of magic requires a lot of potions. Getting those potions wouldn¡¯t be a problem if I receive the help of the pce, but the Helix Wing didn¡¯t hold out.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Mazdari scratched his beak.


    ¡°However, I wouldn¡¯t havee along if I couldn¡¯t use any magic. There is a useful spell, but it requires more than one dead body. If we have that, then¡­¡±


    Vasen shook his head.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s drop that idea.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Requiring a dead body means that we would have to capture a Rakshasa from somewhere, but that takes too much time.¡±


    ¡°I see. I understand you don¡¯t want any dys. Maybe I should have mentioned it earlier.¡±


    Vasen replied, ¡°Even if it weren¡¯t for that, using magic while a Dragon is nearby is risky. Haven¡¯t you heard the old saying that magic belongs to the evil gods and Dragons?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also not sure if the magic would be detected or not.¡±


    ¡°Andstly, it might be wise to save that kind of magic since we¡¯ll soon have to face the Dragon.¡±


    Mazdari nodded.


    ¡°Well, if you think so¡­ But isn¡¯t there no other way to deal with those guys then?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be best to just approach it simply.¡±


    ¡°Simply?¡±


    Vasen looked up and down at Mazdari.


    ¡°Do you know how to act?¡±


    ***


    A few momentster, Mazdari walked toward the Rakshasas while limping.


    Then he said, ¡°Oh, thank goodness. I¡¯m saved.¡±


    The Rakshasas seemed surprised and confused at Mazdari¡¯s sudden appearance, and held out their weapons.


    Mazdari raised his hands and continued to say, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m one of the intruders who came into the castle, but it seems that things aren¡¯t going so well for me. I¡¯d like to surrender.¡±


    A few of the Rakshasas whispered to each other. Then the one who appeared to be the leader and had a ne made of teeth went toward Mazdari.


    ¡°Are you one of those guys who came on those things that fly in the sky?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Why do you want to surrender?"


    Mazdari looked behind the leader for a moment. Vasen was moving behind the Rakshasas, silently and swiftly. Then, Vasen kicked one of the Rakshasas in the back of their knee while wrapping his arm around their neck and piercing his dagger deep into their throat.


    The other Rakshasas were all focused on Mazdari, so they had no idea what was happening behind them.


    Vasen then silently lowered the dead Rakshasa¡¯s body onto the ground and moved toward his next target.


    Mazdari said, ¡°As you can see¡­my partner ran away after losing, and I sprained my ankle¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± the leader with the tooth ne said. ¡°Losing, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We are losing. It was an absurd n.¡±


    The Rakshasas then whispered among themselves again.


    Meanwhile, a de was inserted and pulled out of the heart of the Rakshasa at the very back. The Rakshasa¡¯s warm blood dripped onto the stone floor, and at that sound, another Rakshasa reflexively turned around. They were a little more than ten steps away.


    Mazdari tensed up.


    <i>¡®Is barely two all that you can take down?¡¯</i>


    That wasn¡¯t the case. Vasen immediately pulled out his bow and shot an arrow. The rustle was so quiet that it was buried by the sound of wind and the crackling of the castle¡¯s torches. The arrow pierced through one of the Rakshasas¡¯ eye. Vasen then jumped and grabbed onto the head of the dead Rakshasa to prevent the body from hitting the floor and making a sound. Then he quietlyid down the body as ifying a drunk person onto bed.


    Mazdari continued to say, ¡°To be honest, some of my friends did survive, so I can¡¯t say for sure how things will turn out. However, I¡¯m lost, and there¡¯s no other way for me to find any of my other friends, so I¡¯m surrendering.¡±


    The leaderughed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of bizarre species you are, but you seem tock courage for your size.¡±


    ¡°Are you mocking me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually mocking your species, birdhead.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That might actually be true.¡±


    As Mazdari easily epted the fact and agreed, it was the Rakshasas who were thrown off.


    ¡°Does your species easily ept humiliation like that? Do you not have any pride?¡±


    ¡°Pride? I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t really feel anything.¡±


    "What do you mean?"


    "Judging a species'' value solely based on what one¡¯s seen is probably a reflection of your own narrow perspective. Why would I feel any emotion about such narrow-mindedness?"


    ¡°You damn¡­¡±


    ¡°You only annoy me. Do you feel emotions towards bugs?¡±


    "That''s it!"


    The Rakshasa leader lost their temper and stalked toward Mazdari. Then another Rakshasa hurriedly grabbed their arm.


    ¡°Captain, behind¡­¡±


    ¡°Let go! I won¡¯t rest until I rip this rude birdhead¡¯s beak apart¡­¡±


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    The leader turned around.


    Vasen¡¯s de was inches from their nose, but one of the Rakshasa subordinates quickly extended their club and stepped in between them. The de ended up cutting the subordinate¡¯s club, chest, and stomach.


    The leader thought they had escaped death, but soon came to their senses as they felt an ominous feeling from behind their back. However, they weren¡¯t able to turn around. Mazdari had drawn his sword and stabbed into their back. Thest thing they saw was the sword protruding out of their chest.


    Mazdari then quickly counted the remaining Rakshasas.


    <i>¡®Have we reduced the numbers down to ten now?¡¯</i>


    Vasen and Mazdari positioned themselves back to back to limit their blind spots.


    Furious with Vasen¡¯s surprise attack and Mazdari¡¯s deception, the remaining Rakshasas closed in and surrounded them.


    Vasen then said, ¡°Mazdari.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The thing you said about feeling emotions toward a bug is sphemy.¡±


    Mazdari sighed.


    ¡°...Can¡¯t you just cut me some ck? It hasn¡¯t been too long since I considered devoting myself to ck Scale, so my faith in Night Sky isn¡¯t great.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about that after we deal with all these guys.¡±


    Almost simultaneously, the ten Rakshasas charged at them. But Vasen clearly spotted one of them moving a beat earlier than theirrades. Even though their synchronization was impressive, attacking simultaneously was difficult.


    <i>¡®It won¡¯t be possible to dodge all of them. What¡¯s important is what to avoid, what to block, and what to strike.¡¯</i>


    Vasen dodged the swords, parried the axes with his sword, and endured the striked from the clubs. While he dodged, he used his tail to grab onto a Rakshasa and kicked their head.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    In an instant, the Rakshasas heard a sound that made them flinch. The Rakshasa''s neck was unnaturally elongated. The neck bone had detached from their spine.


    Vasen then said, ¡°Now there¡¯s nine.¡±


    ***


    It didn¡¯t take much time to kill all the Rakshasas.


    Vasen and Mazdari wiped their des on the clothes of the dead Rakshasas and then headed toward the tower.


    "Is this...the control room?"


    Vasen was somewhat bewildered, but Mazdari was looking around with admiration.


    "This is surprising. I expected something magical, but this seems more like a machine."


    There were exposed gears and control levers. Vasen recalled the interior of Automaton he had seen once. There were things written down, but they didn¡¯t even seem like letters to him.


    Vasen carefully said, ¡°Hm, I think it would have been better to leave one of them alive¡­¡±


    ¡°No, hold on. I think I know what to do.¡±


    Mazdari pulled and pushed on the control levers.


    "Do you know what you''re doing?"


    "I''ve encountered a simr ruin before. If the symbols on these handles mean the same as the ones I saw there, it shouldn¡¯t be much different,¡± Mazdari replied. ¡°What would you have done without me?¡±


    "Wouldn¡¯t there be multiple ways to stop things that move?¡±


    As Vasen said so, he pointed at his bag. Mazdari hadn''t paid much attention to what Vasen had taken and put into his bag from the other adventurers before, but now he realized what it was. A strong smell of gunpowder came from the bag.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡±


    Mazdari operated the control levers thinking that he was saving an ancient ruin.


    "There...it''s done."


    As Mazdari pulled thest control lever, a deep rumble seemed toe from the Moving Castle¡¯s foundation, deep underground. Very slowly, the Moving Castle came to a stop.


    Vasen then looked out of the tower window toward the castle walls. Thendscape that had been moving quite quickly was gradually slowing down.


    ¡°Finally. ¡­Mazdari?¡±


    As Vasen turned around, Mazdari was looking at something outside the window on the opposite side.


    Mazdari didn¡¯t even turn around and said, ¡°Vasen.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can I apologize for something?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I cursed at you earlier when you chose the difficult path. But you were right. It was good that I saved it.¡±


    Vasen didn¡¯t reply and walked toward the window that Mazdari was looking out of. There was something there. It was something huge. Torches and braziers that offered warmth to people couldn¡¯t illuminate this whole thing. Legs were the only thing visible under the light. It was tens of steps long from head to tail, and the four exposed legs were so thick that a couple people wouldn¡¯t be enough to circle each of them.


    <i>-Was it you? Who appeared while spreading that foul gunpowder smell?</i>


    The voice came from the sky, from two glowing yellow dots which appeared to be eyes.


    <i>-I asked if you were the mortals who dare challenge me again, the Great Ashurada.?</i>


    Fortunately or unfortunately, this huge being didn''t sound angry. Or perhaps it didn¡¯t even think it was worth getting angry.


    Both Vasen and Mazdari hoped on the inside that Ashurada would consider them not there and hid next to the window.


    Vasen said, ¡°...Wait, what did I tell you to save?¡±


    Mazdari raised his staff.


    ¡°Magic.¡±


    And he tapped the ground with it.


    Under Ashurada''s feet, the bodies of the dead Rakshasas began to bubble and boil.

 Chapter 168: Because of Foolishness

    Chapter 168: Because of Foolishness


    A faint magic circle was drawn around Mazdari¡¯s staff, and Vasen Lak Orazen realized that the magic circle had been inscribed onto the staff.


    In a cold tone, Mazdari began to recite words and phrases that Vasen couldn¡¯t understand, and the dead bodies underneath the Dragon¡¯s feet began to change.


    The dragon slightly tilted its head at the end of its long neck.


    -What is this...?


    Mazdari struck his staff on the ground again, and at the next moment, the dead bodies all exploded at once.


    Boom!


    The flesh, blood, fat, and bones of each body turned into bullets and poured down toward the Dragon.


    ¡®They¡¯re like thorns.¡¯


    The bodies froze in their exploded state, resembling des shooting out from the ground. However, these des were red, yellow, or white, and much of them were a grayish brown color, which was the color of Rakshasa skin. Vasen could even identify the skin torn off of a Rakshasa¡¯s face.


    ¡®But what about the Dragon?¡¯


    Vasen hadn¡¯t seen the Dragon move, so he assumed that the Dragon had been entangled in the des that formed from the dead bodies. And with the twenty des rising at the same time and obscuring Vasen¡¯s sight, he couldn¡¯t confirm if he was right at that moment.


    ¡®...What if I look through the other window?¡¯


    As Vasen thought that and attempted to run to the opposite window, Mazdari pushed Vasen to the wall with his staff. Vasen was about to ask what Mazdari was doing, but at the window he was about to run to, a bright yellow eye appeared, filling the opening.


    -A Wizard?


    When the Great Ashurada moved toward the other window, Vasen and Mazdari quickly moved to a spot where the Dragon couldn¡¯t see them.


    The Dragon showed no sign of pain. Despite its massive body, it had somehow avoided the magic.


    -Poor skills, but¡­why would a Wizard¡­act as gods wish?


    Vasen understood what Ashurada meant. Wizards were originally those with powers rivaling gods, just like dragons, so it made sense that the dragon would find that hard toprehend.


    -Are you getting yed by their tricks?


    Vasen and Mazdari exchanged a brief nce. They couldn''t just sit still and do nothing. Judging by Ashurada''s size, the tower could copse with just one kick. Vasen wondered if, even with the help of the gods, the expedition team could defeat it.


    Mazdari pointed at his chest, and then repeatedly gathered and spread his four fingers and thumb next to his beak. Vasen understood what this meant. It meant he would buy some time.


    It seemed that the Dragon wasn''t tearing the tower down this second due to its curiosity about Mazdari, so it was a valid strategy. Vasen nodded in response.


    ¡®However¡­buying time won¡¯t be enough.¡¯


    With more time, the expedition team members might ride the Helix Wings ande save them, but with a small force, they could actually be at a disadvantage. Later on, the main forces of the expedition team would climb up the now halted Moving Castle, but there was no guarantee that the Dragon would be patient until then.


    ¡®I should think of a n for if Mazdari fails to buy time. We can¡¯t leave everything to luck.¡¯


    This time, Vasen lightly tapped his chest and pointed up. Mazdari couldn¡¯t exactly understand what Vasen was up to, but he knew Vasen had something in mind.


    ¡®Alright, try whatever you can.¡¯


    Mazdari nodded.


    Vasen began to crawl beneath the window, going toward the stairs that led up to the tower.


    To divert Ashurada¡¯s attention, Mazdari said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, Ashurada.¡±


    Ashuradaughed in a low tone.


    -I guess you are a Wizard, seeing that you¡¯re arrogant¡­ What did the gods promise you? Authority? Wealth? Or did they take something precious from you as leverage?


    Mazdari replied, ¡°Authority and wealth are things I could obtain on my own, and there is nothing that the gods have taken from me.¡±


    -Then why do you serve the gods?


    Mazdari felt the need to make the conversationst longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually curious about something. Why have you settled for this trivial civilization? I thought that a Dragon would have possessed greater intelligence and knowledge beyond ours. But It seems that you are just satisfied with the Rakshasas serving you.¡±


    Ashurada moved.


    Mazdari worried if Vasen had been caught, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Ashurada had simply wanted to look through a different window.


    -Because this is how it should be.


    That was an unexpected answer.


    Mazdari asked with simple curiosity, ¡°How it should be?¡±


    -Thew of the jungle. The strong ruling over the weak. This is the principle of nature. Not the trivial and false values that you people created after being deceived by the gods, such as ethics, justice, andws¡­but the only pre-existing order that existed before even me and the gods existed. I respect this unchanging beauty.


    Then Mazdari refuted, "I see it as nothing more than pitiful and primitive. You may be the master of the Rakshasas, but you''re not even handling them properly. You receive living sacrifices and exploit them, but you don¡¯t act as their protector. With your ancient knowledge, you could provide the Rakshasas with a morefortable and easy life, yet you seem to have nothing but a cruel hobby of inflicting pain on the weak as a strong being. The only order and the unchanging beauty? But isn¡¯t it that you haven¡¯t been able to develop from a primitive lizard?¡±


    Mazdari was concerned that he might have spoken too harshly, but fortunately, Ashurada didn¡¯t get angry.


    -No, I am indeed properly protecting not only the Rakshasas, but also many other creatures within my reach.


    ¡°By just¡­leaving them be?¡±


    -Yes.


    Ashurada affirmed.


    -You mortals¡­believe that you know something. Especially you Wizards. However, you know nothing.


    ¡°But the gods¡­¡±


    -Yes. Those gods.


    Ashurada''s pupils dted. It wasn¡¯t looking for Mazdari, but looking at a far distance.


    -Even now, eavesdropping on our conversation from somewhere in the heavens, those gods know nothing either. But they would believe that they do.


    ***


    The yers sitting in the conference stayed silent for a moment.


    Crampus said, ¡°Is that lizard talking to us right now?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Let¡¯s listen more to what it has to say.¡±


    ***


    Mazdari asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    -The gods, and you who follow them, are destined for destruction.


    ¡°Destined for destruction?¡±


    Ashurada¡¯s eyes closed for a moment. It was recalling the past.


    -Yes. I too once believed in you and your gods. I wasn¡¯t the only one. All the Dragons believed in what could be called civilization.


    Ashurada then said in a singsong voice.


    -I won¡¯t deny that it was brilliant and beautiful. Can you even imagine it? Spires that soared into the sky, streets that shimmered colorfully even after the sun sets. Rivers that wouldn¡¯t overflow even if it rained heavily, and buildings that wouldn¡¯t copse after earthquakes. Machines used to cool people down in the heat and heat things in the cold. Mortals could go anywhere despite their limited lifespans and could have anything they wanted.


    ¡°But?¡±


    -That was only a part of the curse.


    ¡°A curse?¡±


    -Remember this, Wizard. Every curse begins with deception through sweetness.


    Ashurada continued to say.


    -A simple story. That brilliant civilization heightened everything. Everyone was captivated by its beauty, but the beauty alone wasn''t pushed to the extreme. Among things that were, there were weapons. Weapons mortals couldn''t bear¡­ Can you even imagine a newborn being able to take hundreds of thousands of lives with just a touch of their finger?


    Mazdari was simply puzzled. He couldn''t yet picture such events with his Wizard imagination.


    Mazdari disagreed, "It doesn''t make sense to me. If such a weapon existed, we would eventually destroy it because we don¡¯t need a weapon that kills so many people. Isn¡¯t that all rted to the evil god?"


    Ashurada replied.


    -Civilization is the name of the curse. Just as your mortal lives are predetermined, everything you create is also destined to decay. The weapon I mentioned earlier is just one example.


    "An example?"


    -Yes. Raising towers, widening rivers, and modern conveniences, these are all values eventually obtained from transforming something else. Believing you can bear change indefinitely¡­is your foolishness. The existence of the evil god only fanned weaknesses and hastened what was going to happen.


    Mazdari thought for a moment.


    "So...that¡¯s why?"


    -Yes.


    Ashurada replied.


    -That¡¯s why I decided not to achieve civilization. To prevent your predetermined mortality.


    Mazdari knew there was a leap of logic and madness to the Great Ashurada¡¯s story. In Mazdari''s opinion, this ancient being seemed to have somewhat lost its mind due to its excessively long life. Nevertheless, there seemed to be a sprinkle of truth.


    "...However."


    Mazdari thought this Dragon¡¯s words might be true, but at the same time, another thought came to mind. If the Garudas had lost their ability to fly in the skies due to their own foolishness, that could be interpreted and passed down to future generations as a curse, in line with what the Great Ashurada had said.


    However, perhaps it was an inherent attribute of his species¡ªno, all mortals¡ªthat he mumbled, ¡°Maybe this time it will be different.¡±


    Ashurada said.


    -I understand now.


    ¡°What?¡±


    -The reason why you follow the will of the gods even though you¡¯re a Wizard.


    Ashurada raised its head.


    Mazdari sensed its movement and looked out the window.


    -It¡¯s because you¡¯re foolish.


    Ashurada raised its massive body and lifted its front feet.


    At that moment, Mazdari calcted whether he would be able to survive if he jumped off the tower.


    Then Vasen shouted from on top of the tower, ¡°Get down, Mazdari!¡±


    Vasen threw his backpack at Ashurada. There was the smell of gunpowder. The bullet shot from Vasen¡¯s matchlock pierced into the backpack full of gunpowder.


    After a gunshot was heard, a huge explosion followed.


    ¡®Did it do some damage? Would this give me enough time to escape¡­?¡¯


    Mazdari looked at the Dragon with hope. It looked like the Dragon was holding onto the air with both of its feet. In its feet, Mazdari could see a red light sphere shining brightly. Mazdari realized it was magic.


    ¡®It trapped the explosion with magic!¡¯


    -Hmph.


    Ashurada sped its feet together, and as it spread them apart, the explosion vanished into thin air.


    -Did you think I wouldn¡¯t be able to smell that scent?


    Vasen didn¡¯t panic and immediately reloaded.


    ¡®So it already knew? ¡­That¡¯s a good sign. That means we would be able to hurt it if it didn¡¯t know in advance.¡¯


    Ashurada calmly moved as if it had no reason to hurry and raised its foot toward Vasen.


    -Didn¡¯t you know?


    It wasn¡¯t Ashurada. The voice came from beyond the des that rose tens of meters high into the air.


    Vasen, Mazdari, and even Ashurada looked in the direction the voice came from. The sound of giant footsteps echoed through the top of the Moving Castle.


    -That the gods were listening¡­!


    At that moment, the des that Mazdari had conjured broke, and a pair of giant shiny horns made their appearance.


    Ashurada quickly turned around and blocked the horns. The owner of the voice wasn¡¯t even half as big as Ashurada, but it pushed Ashurada with the momentum it had built up while charging toward Ashurada. It had the appearance of a giant beetle.


    -I, Hekab, havee to help ording to the will of Night Sky!


    Hekab used itsrge horns to hook Ashurada¡¯s waist and flipped it over. Big as a small hill, the Dragon got lifted into the air and mmed onto the ground.

 Chapter 169: Believing in Trust

    <h4>Chapter 169: Believing in Trust</h4>


    There were Faith points obtained from all the believers and temples on the continent, but at the same time, there were also Faith points being consumed by the yers at every moment. Generally, where and how much to invest these Faith points were predetermined.


    However, a problem arose when it came to investing Faith points on the fourth continent. yers of the Pantheon, including Sung-Woon, always considered the possibility of a worst-case scenario; since they had to save up for it, they couldn¡¯t invest a significant amount of Faith points. Therefore, the resources to be spent on the fourth continent needed to be limited to what could be earned from the fourth continent itself.


    Wisdom said, ¡°But what if a creation alone isn''t enough?


    ¡°Then we have no choice. We¡¯ll have to use more Faith points.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t it be better to use sufficient Faith points to secure our win from the start?¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a close call?¡±


    ¡°To be honest¡­yes. It¡¯s not enough power to be confident with. It¡¯s also unknown how much power that Ashurada possesses.¡±


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°But if we fight safely every time, we¡¯ll surely fall behind the other yers.¡±


    Especially since the opponent they were facing now, the Great Ashurada, was a Dragon, and there were additional Faith point penalties when a yer faced a Dragon. In Sung-Woon¡¯s view, it would be a waste to pull cards that they believed would secure them victory against the Dragon, and honestly, they couldn¡¯t be certain that they would work. In their current level ranges, even a yer using Hierophany would be challenged to face a Dragon at Ashurada¡¯s level.


    ¡°Simply pushing on with force could ultimately be a waste.¡±


    Wisdom mumbled, ¡°Is he saying to believe them as much as they believe in us?¡±


    The fight on top of the halted Moving Castle continued.


    ***


    The torches lit by the people shone amid the dust soaring several meters high.


    <i>-How dare you¡­!</i>


    Above the light, the Great Ashurada raised its body and lifted its head. Overall, the Great Ashurada looked like a sauropod. The length of its body seemed rtively shortpared to its very long neck. However, there weren¡¯t many people bold enough toment on its unusual proportion.


    The head that soared about thirty meters high was embedded with a pair of yellow eyes, and they shone like ominous binary stars that called for the end of things as described in the ancient prophecy. And the Dragon¡¯s freely bending fingers and sharp ws were more than enough to make that prophecye true.


    Above Ashurada¡¯s head, a silhouette resembling a red crown appeared.


    Mazdari shouted, ¡°It¡¯s magic!¡±


    Then Hekab¡ªtherge beetle who was one of Night Sky¡¯s creations and the gatekeeper of the pantheon¡ªeximed.


    <i>-I know, Wizard of Night Sky!</i>


    The distance between Ashurada and Hekab was roughly a hundred meters. Considering the sizes of the giants, it couldn¡¯t exactly be described as a great distance, but in Mazdari¡¯s perspective, it was enough for Hekab to charge and stop Ashruada¡¯s magic. However, Hekab¡¯s strategy was different from what Mazdari thought.


    Hekab stuck its horns under a boulder by its feet, which was about its size.


    <i>Rumble.</i>


    Mazdari couldn¡¯t even imagine a boulder that big moving, but move it did. Hekab raised its head, lifted the boulder from the ground, and threw it toward the Dragon.


    <i>-...!</i>


    Therge boulder struck the Dragon¡¯s body after half a rotation.


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The impact of the boulder hitting the ground sent the small bricks and broken stones of the Moving Castle flying, and the propelled currents of air swept over Mazdari and Vasen Lak Orazen.


    Vasen came down from the top of the tower and said to Mazdari, ¡°Mazdari, I should go bring the expedition team.¡±


    ¡°...Do you think the gunpowder will be useful?¡±


    Vasen nodded.


    ¡°Of course. That Dragon blocked the explosion through magic.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m pretty sure you saw the same thing I did.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon blocking it means that it wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand it if it got hit. Even though its skin looks thick, it¡¯s still a living being and will surely have softer parts, so guns will work.¡±


    Mazdari turned around and looked at Ashurada.


    ¡°Alright. I should see if I could be of any help to that guardian. I¡¯ll try to buy as much time as possible.¡±


    ¡°Will you be alright?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s something I have to do even if I won¡¯t be.¡±


    Vasen smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Mazdari watched Vasen running off for a moment, and then he recalled the list of spells that he remembered. Mazdari¡¯s left hand spoke up to Mazdari.


    <i>-You¡¯ve gotten yourself involved in something crazy again, haven¡¯t you?</i>


    <i>¡®It seems so.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Do you know that there wasn¡¯t any real falsehood to what that Dragon said?</i>


    <i>¡®I suppose that might be the case.¡¯</i>


    <i>-And do you also know that the Dragon tried to persuade you?</i>


    Mazdari knew this too. The Dragon seemed to be trying to persuade him even now. If he sided with the Dragon in this fight, the direction of the fight could change.


    <i>''That''s a good idea.''</i>


    <i>-What?</i>


    ***


    Ashurada barely caught the boulder that Hekab had thrown at it. There seemed to be no great damage done, but both of Ashurada¡¯s front feet were trembling after catching the rock without being prepared for it.


    <i>-How dare you, a mere beast raised by gods¡­!</i>


    However, Ashurada wasn¡¯t able to talk for too long. In the short time that Ashurada caught the rock, Hekab had charged toward Ashurada, shortening the distance between them.


    <i>-Hrrmph¡­!</i>


    Hekab charged to stab Ashurada in the side, but Ashurada caught Hekab¡¯s horns with its feet. There was a brief battle of strength. As Ashurada began to be pushed back little by little, it eventually gave up on engaging in the battle head-on and pushed the horns aside. This allowed it to avoid a direct stab by the horns, but Hekab skilfully turned its head to the side and made Ashurada fall over.


    <i>¡­Thump!</i>


    A dust cloud rose again. Ashurada lost its bnce, but quickly rolled its body over and used its front and back feet to get up again.


    <i>-You!</i>


    However, Ashurada didn¡¯t charge at Hekab because it knew that it wouldn¡¯t be able to win if they got into another battle of strength.


    <i>-Physical strength is rooted in savagery anyway.</i>


    Ashurada took a deep breath and puffed up its cheeks. In the game version of The Lost World, this was known as Breath, a spell that Dragons used.


    Hekab had somewhat predicted what type of breath spell Ashurada would use based on the simtion battle in the second conference room, as the yers had enough data to infer the Dragon¡¯s abilities from its appearance.


    <i>¡®The area around its mouth is brightly glowing. Fireball! In that case¡­¡¯</i>


    Hekab charged at Ashurada again. Just as Hekab had expected, Ashurada indeed let out a fire breath. The massive fireball shot at Hekab directly.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s useless!¡¯</i>


    Although the fire flickered fiercely on Hekab¡¯s exoskeleton, it soon cooled down and disappeared. Hekab appeared to be nothing special other than being strong and hard, but that simplicity itself was its weapon.


    Sung-Woon knew that this kind of weapon would be needed someday.


    <i>-How is that possible¡­!</i>


    The Great Ashurada took a few steps back to gain some distance to use more magic, while Hekab tried to seize the chance.


    <i>-You can¡¯t escape!</i>


    However, Hekab¡¯s fierce charge was stopped short.


    <i>-...?</i>


    A small being stood in front of it.


    <i>-Wizard, what are you doing?</i>


    Mazdari appeared in front of Ashurada and Hekab.


    As Hekab couldn¡¯t go forward, worried that it might stop on Mazdari, Ashurada stopped and said.


    <i>-You¡¯re the Wizard. Are you a Garuda?</i>


    Mazdari slowly walked to Ashurada.


    ¡°Yes, Great Ashurada. I havee to ask you a question.¡±


    <i>-Interesting. I ept your question. What¡¯s causing confusion within that little head of yours?</i>


    ¡°Is everything you told me at the tower true?¡±


    Ashuradaughed in a low voice and nced at Hekab. Noting that Hekab wasn¡¯t moving, it said.


    <i>-Yes, it is all true.</i>


    ¡°Well, in that case¡­¡±


    <i>-There¡¯s no need to ponder for long, Wizard.</i>


    Ashurada extended its long neck and went toward Mazdari.


    <i>-If you change your heart and truly have the courage to stand against the gods, then I will teach you not those poor parlor tricks of yours, but true magic.</i>


    Hekab took a step forward.


    <i>-Wizard!</i>


    However, Hekab couldn¡¯t go forward any further. A translucent wall appeared in the air, blocking Hekab. Ashurada had used Magic when its front foot touched the ground.


    Mazdari said, ¡°But how can I believe that? What if you¡¯re no different from the gods?¡±


    <i>-Hm, alright. I¡¯ll teach you one spell right now¡­ Listen closely, so this secret doesn¡¯t get out¡­</i>


    Ashurada¡¯s head slowly came down until it was right in front of Mazdari. Instinctual fear gripped Mazdari as he came face to face with the giant that could swallow him whole without even chewing first. However, Mazdari was someone with strong will, and he had continuously put in effort to keep his instinct from taking over him after bing a Wizard. So even in fear, Mazdari was able to move his body.


    ¡°What¡¯s the secret?¡±


    <i>-The secret is¡­</i>


    Right then, Mazdari extended his hidden left hand.


    The Dragon immediately reacted.


    Cone-shaped mes poured out from Mazdari¡¯s left hand.


    Ashurada raised his head in an instant. Though its lower jaw had been grazed, the me didn¡¯t seem to have caused significant damage.


    <i>¡®The goal was to buy time anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯</i>


    Ashurada said.


    <i>-You tricked me.</i>


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it true that you didn¡¯t fully believe me until the end either?¡±


    Ashurada was about to respond, but after seeing Hekab charge toward it, it growled.


    Mazdari¡¯s surprise attack wasn¡¯t quite sessful, but it managed to disrupt Ashurada¡¯s focus on its magic.


    However, the Great Ashurada didn¡¯t seem to n on getting attacked by Hekab the same way again.


    <i>-...</i>


    Ashurada, who had been using magic without reciting spells until now, began murmuring a spell that not even Mazdari knew of.


    Then Hekab shouted while charging toward Ashurada.


    <i>-Small being, get down!</i>


    Unfortunately, Hekab¡¯s advice was futile. The moment Mazdari got down, the Dragon¡¯s front feet touched the ground. In an instant, Mazdari, Hekab, the trees in the ground, all the soil caught by the intertwining tree roots, and the bricks stacked on top of them shot into the air.


    <i>¡®Is this a reverse spell¡­!¡¯</i>


    Mazdari felt his body rotating in the air and saw the ground falling to the sky. He had only fallen into the air for a few seconds. Then he and Hekab regained their weight, beginning their descent.


    Mazdari, who had risen hundreds of meters into the air, saw the ground getting closer and thought to himself, <i>¡®This will be hard to survive.¡¯</i>


    However, Mazdari''s vision caught a glimpse of something white then, and he felt pressure as something wrapped around him while regaining a sense of stability from his contact with the ground.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lying on the ground, Mazdari realized that he was tightly wrapped in a spider¡¯s web. A giant white spider looked down at Mazdari and used its de ws to cut the web wrapped around him.


    <i>-Are you alright, Wizard?</i>


    It was the white spider, Hillove.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. But Hekab¡­¡±


    <i>-You don¡¯t need to worry about that.</i>


    As Mazdari raised himself up and lifted his head, he could see Ashurada using its front legs to flip Hekab over again. The guardian was now on its back.


    ¡°What a mess.¡±


    Then came Vasen¡¯s voice.


    Mazdari turned to see Vasen and the gunners appear on the hill.


    Vasen then made eye contact with Mazdari and said, ¡°You did good, Mazdari.¡±

 Chapter 170: How to Face a Dragon

    <h4>Chapter 170: How to Face a Dragon</h4>


    Mazdari got up somewhat embarrassed while listening to Vasen Lak Orazen¡¯s words.


    When Vasen and the expedition team members came down, Mazdari said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m doubtful if we can defeat that monster.¡±


    Vasenughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s a power we¡¯ve never seen before, but we can certainly win.¡±


    Mazdari also tried to think positively.


    Due to the magic that Mazdari hadn¡¯t even heard of, which flipped the sky and the ground, traces of the castle had disappeared. Now, only wet soil, debris, broken trees, and the unlucky Rakshasa bodies that had been flipped into the air remained, and the Great Ashurada stood on top of the rubble.


    Fortunately, Ashurada didn¡¯t immediately shoot magic, and it seemed to be because of Hekab, whose body had just flipped over again. The ck beetle was the size of a house and was prepared to attack Ashurada at any moment, and beside it was Gordius¡ªmore specifically the divine body of the ck panther Koprik, which Gordius had taken over.


    Gordius was the most crucial variable in this battle. It continued to disguise itself as one of Ashurada¡¯s subordinates, Koprik, with only Vasen and Mazdari, as well as the other creations of Night Sky like Hekab and Hillove, knowing the truth.


    <i>¡®Its true identity is¡­¡¯</i>


    A creation that could take possession of an enemy''s body while it was still alive.


    The first reason why Sung-Woon had sent Hekab instead of Sratis was that Sratis was higher level and took a lot of Faith points to use, and the second reason was that Sung-Woon¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to kill Ashurada. The goal was to take possession of Ashurada¡¯s body.


    Mazdari felt a sense of fear after hearing about what Gordius was, but thought it was fortunate as long as it wasn¡¯t his enemy.


    In Mazdari¡¯s opinion, even taking over Ashurada¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t be easy, but for now, the fight seemed manageable.


    On the opposite side of Hekab was Hillove, the one who saved Mazdari.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re all guardians known for having Night Sky be directly involved in their creation, but¡­¡¯</i>


    The Great Ashurada was over a hundred meters in length. While on the other hand, each of the creations was norger than twenty meters. A significant portion of Ashurada¡¯s length was its tail and long neck, but even excluding those parts, it was still bigger than the three creationsbined.


    Of course, there were other forces on their side in addition to the guardians¡ªVasen and his expedition team.


    Mazdari nced behind him at the hill, over Hillove¡¯srge body.


    There were only about a hundred troops at the moment, but seeing that Hillove and Gordius had arrived, the rest of the main forces were likely to arrive soon.


    <i>¡®Even so, it¡¯s just an army of people.¡¯</i>


    Even if the Dragon could be hurt by bullets as Vasen predicted, it could use another great magic spell and sweep them all away in an instant; the number of troops might not matter as much when facing magic.


    <i>¡®Do the gods, Night Sky, really believe this is enough to face that Dragon?¡¯</i>


    Mazdari looked up at the sky. Just like Ashurada and Hekab had said, the gods would have been watching them from somewhere. And as if in response, Mazdari could see a blue butterfly fluttering in the air. There would hardly be anyone who didn¡¯t know the blue butterfly was Night Sky¡¯s sign of good luck. The members of the expedition team who had already spotted the butterfly whispered among themselves.


    <i>¡®Is it saying to believe in them?¡¯</i>


    Mazdari pulled himself together and made up his mind to do so. As far as he knew, Night Sky had never been defeated. Night Sky wouldn¡¯t have allowed things to get started if they were nning to lose.


    Then Mazdari said, ¡°Vasen.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious if my magic samples have arrived.¡±


    As Vasen shouted something, two members at the back came struggling forward with a bag. Mazdari then put the bag over the shoulder that wasn¡¯t holding his staff.


    Meanwhile, Vasen and the expedition team lit their matchlocks.


    "Is everyone ready?"


    ***


    ¡°How to face a Dragon, step one.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Lunda raised her hand in response to Sung-Woon¡¯s words.


    Sung-Woon politely gestured to Lunda with his hand.


    Lunda answered, ¡°Numbers.¡±


    Crampus grumbled, ¡°Well, of course having more numbers is advantageous. What Neb was talking about is a more strategic¡­¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    "I knew you''d say that."


    As Crampus turned around in disbelief, Sung-Woon replied as if asking what the problem was.


    ¡°Individually, Dragons are the strongest. Facing them with small numbers should be avoided as much as possible.¡±


    ***


    As Sung-Woon spoke, the battle began on the Moving Castle.


    While Hekab charged, the Dragon lifted its front feet. Vasen knew that it wasn¡¯t a good sign, so he quickly ordered the troops to take cover, but the magic didn¡¯t start.


    Controlling the ck panther¡¯s body, Gordius chased after Ashurada from behind, running faster than Hekab.


    Ashurada stopped reciting the unknown spell and grabbed Gordius¡¯s neck with its front foot.


    <i>-Koprik¡­!</i>


    Gordius wondered if its identity had been caught by Ashurada, but luckily, it didn¡¯t have to act too much. As Goridus knew, Koprik had always opposed Ashurada before.


    <i>-I¡¯ve waited for this day, Ashurada!</i>


    <i>-You¡­!</i>


    Ashurada raised the ws of its other front foot.


    <i>¡®Yes, kill me and bite my throat!¡¯</i>


    However, Ashurada tilted its head for a moment before throwing Koprik to the ground. Hekab was in that direction, and seeing all this, Mazdari wondered if something had gone wrong, but decided to think of it as a coincidence.


    <i>¡®Now, if we go a little further, we''ll be within range to attack Ashurada with the matchlocks.¡¯</i>


    Then the opportunity woulde.


    The Dragon gathered its feet again, but this time, its ws got tangled in the spider web that Hillove shot. Ashurada roared in anger and extended its long neck toward Hillove, so Hillove stepped back and threatened Ashurada by lifting its two front feet. As a de shot toward Ashurada¡¯s eye, Ashurada flinched back in surprise.


    <i>-You¡¯re being annoying¡­!</i>


    At that moment, Hekab charged into Ashurada and blocked its ws. Ashurada then took in a deep breath and puffed up its cheeks. Bright light shone from the inside of both its cheeks and mouth, and mes shot out from its nostrils.


    Mazdari realized what Ashurada was trying to do.


    <i>¡®A Dragon¡¯s breath spell doesn¡¯t require movement.¡¯</i>


    Then Hekab said while pushing against Ashurada.


    <i>-That magic won¡¯t work on me!</i>


    Ashurada didn¡¯t reply because it wasn¡¯t aiming at Hekab, but at the ones most vulnerable to magic¡ªVasen and the expedition team.


    ***


    ¡°How to face a dragon, step two.¡±


    Lunda asked back, ¡°There¡¯s a second step?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is.¡±


    Crampus said, ¡°I think I know this one.¡±


    ¡°What do you think it is?¡±


    Crampus pointed at a part of the screen.


    ¡°Disrupting a spell.¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ***


    Just before Ashurada exhaled, Mazdari¡¯s staff moved.


    <i>¡®Breath spells are only possible for those who live as long as Dragons and have the spells engraved on their bodies. However, as much as the process is difficult, the structure of the magic itself is simple. It begins with taking a breath, which is also known as substituting the atmosphere. Then it¡¯s easy from there.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari raised his staff and changed theposition of the air that Ashurada was inhaling.


    Then, Ashurada coughed like it was choking for a moment with its mouth involuntarily aiming at Hekab, which was below it. Red mes rained down, but it had no effect on Hekab.


    <i>-You¡¯re funny!</i>


    Hekab then pushed with all its might, but Ashurada didn¡¯t engage in a battle of strength with it like before. When Hekab raised Ashurada with its horns, Ashurada rolled over before Hekab could throw it onto the ground. Ashurada showed extraordinary agility and flexibility that was unimaginable for its size.


    <i>-Trying to block my magic? I must say your gods are different from the ancient ones.</i>


    Ashurada uprooted a tree and held the base of it as if holding the head of a hammer. Then it struck Gordius, which was running toward it, off its feet. Koprik¡¯s body drew a parab in the air.


    As the clumps of soil caught by the tree¡¯s roots crumbled and fell, Ashurada threw the remaining part of the tree at Hekab. Hekab jumped and dodged it, but its legs got entangled in roots, causing it to tumble down a small hill along with the tree.


    Ashurada then grabbed a tree in each hand again and said.


    <i>-But I am a Dragon. If I only relied on magic, I wouldn¡¯t have be a Dragon.</i>


    Ashurada then turned around and struck Hekab in the head with an upward swing. Hekab endured the first attack, but the second attack hurled it into the air, and both its front legs lost contact with the ground.


    Vasen shouted, ¡°The Dragon is showing its back! Fire!¡±


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    The gunners had eventually gotten into close range and fired at Ashurada¡¯s back. Its kick at Hekab interrupted, Ashurada flinched and turned around, throwing the trees it was holding.


    ¡°...Get down!¡±


    At Vasen¡¯s shout, the expedition team members took cover. However, the screams of those who got hit by the trees echoed through the air.


    Ashurada realized that some of the bullets had pierced the Dragon¡¯s scales and burrowed into its body. It then wiped the blood pouring out from its side and growled.


    ].


    <i>-You¡­damn mortals! Those who use cursed weapons are unforgivable!?</i>


    Ashurada¡¯s front feet pressed into the soil.


    Mazdari hurriedly attempted to disrupt the spell.


    <i>¡®What kind of magic is it? First, if I change theposition of the soil¡­¡¯</i>


    The soil Ashurada was touching turned blue for a moment, but only around one foot.


    Ashurada was picking something up with its right foot.


    <i>¡®Is that¡­a sword?¡¯</i>


    It was a sword made of a light gray stone. The seemingly crude stone sword was covered in soil inrge parts, and it was about twenty meters long. While it took the form of a sword, it didn¡¯t actually have a ded edge, so it was essentially a club.


    However, Mazdari was overwhelmed by the weight of the sword and the momentum that would be generated by the power of the Dragon. Whether it had a de or not didn''t matter. Above all, the length of the sword was the main issue.


    The gunners had thought that they were at a considerable distance from the Dragon, but they realized that it was no longer the case when Ashurada swung the sword.


    "Ahh!"


    The sword dragged across the ground in a semicircle, hitting a few gunners. The expedition members that were farther away saw heaps of dirt and debris covering the sky ck and falling down like hail


    Then Vasen shouted, "Retreat!"


    Ashurada said.


    <i>-Do you think I¡¯m just going to watch?</i>


    With a single step, the distance between Ashurada and the expedition members closed in an instant.


    Right then, Gordius rushed in and wrapped around Ashurada''s arm.


    <i>-Hmph, I was waiting for you.</i>


    Ashurada buried the sword into the ground and threw Gordius off its arm.


    <i>-I already knew you weren¡¯t Koprik.</i>


    <i>-...!</i>


    <i>-I cast the spell of obedience on all the divine beings, including Koprik. I asked how you broke that magic, but it seems you didn¡¯t even understand.</i>


    Gordius was going to get out of Koprik¡¯s body at that brief contact, but it ended up losing consciousness due to the impact of Korpik¡¯s body mming onto the ground.


    <i>-It seems you''re being controlled by something created by the gods, just like the trick the ancient gods had used often...!"</i>


    While Gordius lost control of Koprik¡¯s body, Ashurada stepped on the upper roof of Koprik¡¯s mouth and grabbed Koprik¡¯s jaw with both of its front feet.


    <i>-I won¡¯t be defeated!</i>


    Ashurada then lifted both its front feet.


    <i>Rip!</i>


    The sound of flesh tearing was heard, and a part of Koprik¡¯s body got torn off from its lower jaw to its chest. Ashurada forced its ws in between the exposed rib cage and crushed everything.


    <i>-Hmph.</i>


    Then, as if handling something filthy, Ashurada quickly pulled its foot out and kicked Korprik¡¯s body away.


    Furious, Hekab charged at Ashurada from behind. The Dragon grabbed the sword again and tumbled with its massive body, leaving a giant crater on the ground and sending soil and debris flying into the air.


    Hekab pushed its horns through the wall of debris, blocking its view.


    <i>-You foolish bug!</i>


    And then appeared the Great Ashurada, holding the sword with both of its front feet, in a position ready to swing the sword with full power.


    <i>Wack!</i>


    Of course, Hekab¡¯s shell was able to withstand the attack, but another part of Hekab didn¡¯t.

 Chapter 171: Facing Fear

    <h4>Chapter 171: Facing Fear</h4>


    One of Hekab¡¯s front legs got hit directly and snapped, the broken parts flying into the air while the joint that connected the leg and the body drooped. Due to the tremendous pressure, some of its internal organs got pushed out through the dislocated joint, and Hekab was sent flying tens of meters away.


    Mazdari crawled out from under the debris while dusting himself off.


    ¡°Damn it¡­Vasen? Are you okay?¡±


    "Fairly...not great."


    Mazdari turned around in surprise. Vasen was getting up, but his foot was twisted.


    "Shit. Did it break?"


    Mazdari bent down and reached for his bag, but Vasen shook his head.


    "Mazdari, there''s something you need to do."


    "Right, it''s better to carry you and run than to try and heal you."


    "That''s not it."


    "Then what?"


    Vasen looked at Ashurada as the Dragon wielded its sword at the expedition members that couldn¡¯t yet escape.


    Then he said, ¡°The situation has changed.¡±


    ¡°I can see that too.¡±


    "No, you don''t understand. We''re not losing."


    "Then?"


    "It''s just...a change in circumstances. It means that the n needs adjustments."


    Mazdari allowed Vasen to speak first and then called over the nearby expedition member. The Troll quickly came over to help Vasen, and Mazdari moved to the opposite side, providing support as they retreated.


    "Whatever we do, we should relocate first."


    "It''s your job."


    "Me?"


    "Yes, Mazdari."


    Mazdari furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    "Originally, I intended to do it, but things gotplicated with my foot like this. Actually, it doesn''t matter who does it, but you''re fully qualified. You speak well and you''re fast on your feet."


    "What exactly are you thinking of asking me to do..."


    Vasen limped along while he exined his n, and Mazdari realized what the n was even before Vasen finished exining.


    "Are you crazy?"


    Vasen didn''t say anything.


    "You''re not crazy."


    "Will you do it?"


    Mazdari didn¡¯t answer and let go of the hand supporting Vasen. Then he looked at Vasen''s back for a moment before running in the opposite direction.


    Vasen said to the expedition member helping him, ¡°We just need to make it up to the top of that hill. I''ll walk on my own from there."


    "Team Leader, your foot is injured."


    "I know. So help me just a bit, please."


    But it seemed Ashurada had no intention of conceding even that much. Except for the few who managed to run away earlier, many of the expedition members were swept up in the natural disaster caused by Ashurada.


    <i>-If your civilization were more developed, things could¡¯ve been different.</i>


    Ashurada gripped the sword with both of its front feet and raised it high.


    <i>-But if you were a little wiser, you''d be grateful that you wouldn¡¯t survive long enough to be swept away by such a curse in the future.</i>


    As if trying to achieve maximum eleration, Ashurada swung the sword back as far as it could.


    <i>-To me!</i>


    However, Ashurada couldn''t swing the sword. It was firmly fixed in ce.


    When Ashurada turned around, it saw that the white spider, Hillove, had wrapped the sword and tied it to a massive rock with its webs.


    <i>-...Right, there¡¯s one more.</i>


    Ashurada tried to break the spider web with force, but before the web broke, it realized that was difficult to do. Thus it put down the sword, turned around, and went toward Hillove.


    Hillove watched Ashurada carefully and quickly walked in a circle.


    As Ashurada reached out to grab Hillove¡¯s leg, Hillove jumped onto Ashurada''s arm and crawled up Ashurada''s nape.


    <i>-How dare you get on my body!</i>


    Hillove inserted its legs into Ashurada''s body while climbing up, aiming for the cervical vertebrae. However, Ashurada''s front foot wrapped around its own neck before Hillove could strike. Hillove then attempted to raise its leg to aim for the spot below where Ashurada was covering, but one of its legs got stuck between Ashurada''s finger bones.


    <i>-Don''t be annoying, bug.</i>


    Ashurada then grabbed a few of Hillove¡¯s legs with its other front foot and brought Hillove in front of itself, using the foot that was around its neck to grab onto the remaining spider legs. That alone caused several of Hillove¡¯s legs to snap with a cracking sound.


    <i>-Did you think you would live forever if you lived ording to the gods¡¯ will? Ha, I¡¯m the counterevidence.</i>


    Hillove said.


    <i>-Do you know what my eight eyes see?</i>


    <i>-What do they see?</i>


    <i>-An ignorant lizard that believes it knows something.</i>


    <i>-That¡¯s pathetic for a dying wish.</i>


    Ashurada opened its mouth wide and lowered its head down. It seemed like it intended to bite and tear apart Hillove.


    <i>-Stop, Dragon!</i>


    Ashurada felt a burning sensation at the tip of its tail.


    Certainly, the beetle had flown away, and Ashurada thought it had killed the thing that was inside Koprik, so Ashurada became curious.


    What was holding onto the end of Ashurada''s tail was arge anteater.


    <i>-...You are?</i>


    <i>-I am Katuru! I havee to help my friends!</i>


    Katuru yanked the tail as hard as it could. Ashurada lost its bnce and stumbled, letting go of Hillove as it fell over.


    <i>-You! I remember now. Weren¡¯t you my sacrifice?</i>


    <i>-That day will nevere!</i>


    Ashurada crawled with all four legs and turned itself around to face Katuru.


    A small voice shouted from a distance. "Fire!"


    Ashurada turned to look up the hill.


    A thousand Pangolins were lined up, pointing matchlocks at Ashurada. At the front was Margo, who held a sword andmanded everyone.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    Ashurada couldn¡¯t help but copse at the pain of its whole body being hit. The white smoke blocked its vision, and an intense gunpowder smell assaulted its senses.


    Katuru came running and wound its arm around Ashurada''s neck.


    Ashurada soon opened its eyes again and tried to raise its neck but only managed to raise its body.


    <i>-You impure hybrid!</i>


    <i>-You¡¯re the hybrid since you¡¯re a Dragon!</i>


    Katuru growled back.


    Ashurada then threateningly revealed its upper teeth to refute.


    "Fire!"


    Again, there was an explosion, and Ashurada cried out in pain as the explosion hit its side. The rapid gunfires came from the 500 members of ck Scale¡¯s expedition team.


    Theone Itimo ordered them to reload and helped Vasen.


    "We were a bitte dealing with the Rakshasas, but we should havee faster. It doesn''t look good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re not falling behind that much."


    ¡°I was talking about your foot."


    Ashurada bent its body, then swung its long tail from the distance.


    Katuru was startled by the impact on the back of its head and had no choice but to release its grip.


    Ashurada didn''t miss the opportunity.


    <i>-I¡¯ll show you that numbers don¡¯t matter.</i>


    Ashurada stood up and grabbed its sword again.


    As soon as the Pangolins, who had reloaded in a two-line firing form, were about to shoot, Ashurada made a sign with its other front foot.


    <i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>


    There were sounds of explosions, but the transparent protective barrier that Ashurada created blocked both the bullets and smoke.


    Margo urgently shouted, "Roll back!"


    Ashurada''s sword swept across the hill.


    What was left of the inner walls of the Moving Castle crumbled, along with the heaps of soil that formed the hills, and the Pangolins that didn¡¯t roll fast enough got caught up in the debris. At this sight, Theonemanded the expedition team to retreat rather than fire.


    Ashurada looked down at Katuru.


    <i>-First, I¡¯ll finish you off.</i>


    ***


    "How to deal with a dragon, step three."


    Lunda said, ¡°There are three steps?¡±


    "It''s a method acknowledged by other yers too. How did you usually defeat Dragons in the game?"


    "I usually just suffered some losses, then used Hierophany or sent an apostle..."


    Sung-Woon said nothing and just stared at Lunda for a moment.


    Lunda met his eyes and was briefly taken aback. Then she turned to other yers and said, ¡°He just cursed at me, right? He didn''t say anything, but with his eyes, he seems to be saying, ''That¡¯s why you lost to me, you idiot.''"


    "I didn''t say a word."


    "Then is what I said wrong?¡±


    "Hm."


    "This is when you should deny it, you idiot who destroys interpersonal rtionships."


    Wisdom raised his hand.


    "I¡¯ll say it.¡±


    Sung-Woon pointed out, "You''ve been silent."


    ¡°I wanted to concentrate because I¡¯m curious how things will end.¡±


    "So the answer is?"


    Wisdom said, "Stay one step ahead of the Dragon."


    At first nce, it might seem like nothing but a wordy, but Sung-Woon thought this third piece of advice had real value. In The Lost World, Dragons were one of the few individuals that acted strategically. Not only were they smart, they alsopeted with yers, even luring them into traps. But Dragons and yers had different viewpoints and methods of exerting influence.


    The traps that Dragons set up could be used against them, or the traps that the Dragons thought they avoided could be used again.


    ***


    The area around Ashurada''s mouth turned red again.


    Katuru tensed, ready to spring away at a moment''s notice.


    <i>-...Hm.</i>


    Even if it dodged the breath spell, Katuru still had to dodge Ashurada''s sword, and then it also had to dodge Ashurada¡¯s foot as it tried to stomp on Katuru. All that were necessary steps before Katuru could attempt to scratch Ashurada¡¯s thighs.


    <i>-...But I, Katuru, am not an ungrateful beast.</i>


    Just before Ashurada could exhale its breath of fire, Ashurada coughed again and spat out a fireball onto the ground.


    <i>-...You Wizard! You¡¯re disrupting me again!</i>


    Katuru knew someone was running behind itself. It was the Garuda Wizard.


    Mazdari said, "Go!"


    Katuru decided not to miss this opportunity. Due to Ashurada''s breath being interrupted by its cough, its sword swings were sloppy, and the stomp missed its target.


    Katuru then used its long ws to pierce deeply into the Dragon''s thigh.


    <i>-Ridiculous!</i>


    However, Katuru''s ws weren¡¯t sharp enough.


    Ashurada swiped its tail above the hill to threaten the gunners from shooting, then it pinned Katuru down with its left front foot.


    <i>-Die!</i>


    It tried to choke Katuru to death.


    <i>-And you too!</i>


    With its right front foot, Ashurada swung down on Mazdari. No, it tried to. But a massive hand simr in size to the Great Ashurada''s foot shot up and caught it.


    Ashurada recognized this magic.


    <i>-A Tjin!</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret this, Dragon.¡±


    <i>-Do you think I¡¯ll be defeated by a Wizard that only knows how to use his hands?</i>


    Mazdari hurriedly drew magic with his staff.


    <i>-Do you think you¡¯re safe because both my feet are tied?</i>


    Ashurada didn''t release Katuru with its left foot or break free of Tjin¡¯s grip with its right. Instead, it extended its long neck.


    "...!"


    Ashurada swallowed Mazdari whole.


    ***


    Mazdari heard a voiceing from inside him.


    <i>-Are you not afraid of me? To you, what I am must be iprehensible.</i>


    <i>¡®I am afraid.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Then what made you forget about your fear? Is it the courage of a Garuda, or the arrogance of a Wizard?</i>


    After a brief moment of thought, Mazdari replied.


    <i>¡®It is faith.¡¯</i>


    <i>-Faith.</i>


    <i>¡®Faith in Night Sky, and you, the child of Night Sky. Also faith in my teammates.¡¯</i>


    The voice remained silent for a moment and then said.


    <i>-...That¡¯s a topic to think about.</i>


    <i>¡®And I, even in my daily life, get along well with another friend inside my body. So there¡¯s no reason for me to hesitate epting another one.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari¡¯s rotten hand said.


    <i>-You idiot. If you die like this, who will appreciate it?</i>


    <i>¡¯I¡¯m not going to die.¡¯</i>


    The third voice within Mazdari''s body, Gordius, said.


    <i>-Yes, you¡¯re not going to die.</i>


    ***


    Mazdari opened his eyes.


    He was inside Ashurada''s moist mouth. It smelled burnt.


    Before the wildly moving tongue could push him back into the throat, Mazdari had grabbed onto the flesh of the tongue and used his staff to hold the mouth open for a moment, preventing it from closing. Then, he quickly raised his right hand and pressed it against the roof of Ashurada''s mouth.


    <i>-Thank you for lending me your body, Mazdari.</i>


    Gordius, who had burrowed into the palm of Mazdari''s hand, stretched itself out and dug into Ashurada¡¯s pte.

 Chapter 172: Battle Fortress

    Chapter 172: Battle Fortress


    The Great Ashurada felt pain inside its mouth. At first, it didn''t bother it too much.


    Ashurada had swallowed countless things with its mouth until now¡ªcountless Abominations, divine beings, insignificant mortals of various species, asional dragons, and even apostles of god.


    Even if they put up a final struggle, once Ashurada ripped them apart with its jaw or swallowed them, it was the end. By moving its tongue or shaking its head, they would lose consciousness and slide down into its throat.


    The Wizard in its mouth at this moment, too, would eventually meet the same end as the countless lives Ashurada had restored its own power with. However, before Ashurada could even shake its head, it sensed something other than pain. The bones connecting the roof of its mouth and its nasal cavity were not just transmitting pain.


    Through self-modification with magic, Ashurada had a more thorough and sensitive nervous system than normal creatures, so it realized that something was going into its nasal cavity.


    -What are you doing?


    The Dragon opened its mouth wide and used its tongue to flick Mazdari out. It was nning to crush him with its jaw. With no skill to withstand it, Mazdari¡¯s body plummeted to the ground.


    Ashurada was going to crush Mazdari right away, but even after spitting the Wizard out, not only was the feeling still present, it realized that something was trying to crawl higher up into its nasal cavity. The Wizard wasn''t the source of this feeling.


    Ashurada carelessly threw Katuru aside with his left front foot and scratched the roof of its mouth. The Dragon''s senses located a small hole gushing out blood there, but there was nothing it could do about it.


    -How dare you!


    Furious, Ashurada tried to step on and crush Mazdari again. It didn''t know what this thing inside its head would do, but it couldn''t stop it, so it wanted to at least have revenge on the source of this incident, Mazdari. However, one of Ashurada''s front feet was still held by the Tjin¡¯s hand, which Mazdari had summoned.


    Due to Mazdari¡¯s light body and wings, he was able to gain control of his body even after falling to the ground, and he was getting further from Ashurada.


    With a fierce growl, Ashurada grabbed the Tjin¡¯s hand, twisted and broke it, and rotated the broken part to leave it hanging. Only then did the Tjin''s hand release Ashurada''s foot and disappear into the magic circle as if it was sucked in.


    In the meantime, Ashurada felt something inside its nostrils digging between its nasal cavity and brain, a ce it had never given a name to, and then Ashurada realized it had one option left.


    -Alright, I¡¯ll burn you up.


    The Great Ashurada held its breath magic. As it breathed in, the pocket of fire beneath its jaw, mouth, and nasal passages burst into fiery mes.


    The movement suddenly hesitated. The heat filling the mouth was affecting it, but it couldn''t be stopped.


    -No, no¡­


    Ashurada was a Dragon. There was no giving up. So Ashurada began to n out new magic. For a Dragon, reimagining the structure of magic and creating entirely new spells that had never existed before was not a difficult task.


    -Yes, it will be over soon¡­


    Whatever was inside its head was tiny and moving to a position that could be fatal if mishandled. To directly kill it, a magic that had never existed before was needed.


    Even if Ashurada had to blow half of its own head off, it came up with a spell that could stop the thing in its head.


    Then at that moment, a voice was heard.


    -It¡¯s over.


    Ashurada thought it was its own voice. And it became reality. mes erupted from Ashurada''s nostrils, followed by blood pouring out.


    Vasen Lak Orazen, who was going tomand his troops to get into formation again and fire, raised his hand to stop everyone from doing so.


    Ashurada swayed and almost fell, but managed to keep itself upright with both front feet on the ground. Its head, which was also swaying and close to touching the ground, lifted again. Its pupils dted, and its dark, cloudy eyes looked up at the night sky, regaining its brightness soon after.


    ***


    [Notice: The creation ¡®Gordius¡¯ has taken over the body of the ¡®Great Ashurada.¡¯]


    Sung-Woon casually swiped the notification window to close it and said, ¡°It¡¯s done. Let¡¯s move on to the next phase.¡±


    ***


    A surprising rumor spread among the Rakshasas. Their ruler, the Great Ashurada, would no longer interfere with the Rakshasas and would not ept sacrifices anymore. This sparked a major controversy among the Rakshasa tribes.


    Initially, themon belief was that Ashurada was testing them. The story of foreign invaders from across the sea and the Pangolins attacking the Moving Castle was already known. Many Rakshasas had died in that battle, and the Rakshasa tribe directly associated with Ashurada, known as the Ashurada Tribe, was reported to have been wiped out, but the Great Ashurada lived.


    Furthermore, there were stories that the foreigners and Pangolins were assisting Ashurada in rebuilding the broken Moving Castle. Although the Rakshasas had all died honorably in the battle, it was still the Great Ashurada who emerged victorious in the end, and it seemed that Ashurada had subjugated the foreigners and Pangolins. However, since the Moving Castle had deviated from its original path and entered Pangolin territory, there was no way to confirm these facts.


    The Rakshasas argued that there was no reason for Ashurada to abandon them, the ones who had established the most powerful nation, after defeating the foreigners, and that they should maintain their current system for the day Ashurada returned.


    But there was also the opposite opinion. Some argued that Ashurada had saved its life but was defeated. Still, the idea that a Dragon could be defeated was difficult to believe for the Rakshasas, so this opinion wasn''t initially given much attention.


    However, as time passed, they realized the merits of the opinion. There was no need to hunt down smaller species tribes anymore to offer sacrifices to Ashurada, and the risk of Rakshasas themselves being offered as sacrifices had vanished. Furthermore, the Ashurada Tribe, which had been the leading tribe among the Rakshasas solely because it had been the first to catch Ashurada''s eye, had disappeared; thus there was a need to discuss who would take their ce.


    Although there was a fear that Ashurada might return someday, the consensus was that whoever held power when that happened would serve Ashurada from the closest position.


    The outbreak of a tribal war among the Rakshasas was only natural. Initially, they split into two major sides and began fighting, but soon, internal conflicts within each side led to even greater conflict. The reason why the Rakshasas had unified into one tribe in the first ce was due to their fear of Ashurada. But this led to even more division among them.


    Additionally, due to the Rakshasas¡¯ internal conflicts, some minority tribes seized the opportunity to fight and unite in order to seek their own freedom.


    On the other hand, one yer was on the move.


    ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯


    It was the yer with the appearance of a rubber duck, RD.


    After the crushing defeat the tys suffered, RD had been keeping an eye on the movements of Sung-Woon and the Pantheon. And immediately after the battle ended, RD mobilized the best army that the Fabirang Union had.


    ¡®This will be the first andst chance.¡¯


    Although RD had said that they wouldn''t fight under certain conditions, they thought that this virtue wasn''t very important among yers. Besides, if RD didn''t fight now, there would be no future for them.


    ¡®Those damn yers of the first continent.¡¯


    RD had be a loner on the first continent with the bad strategy forcing them to develop their technology in istion, thus preventing RD from gaining allies. While they were able to invent unique technologies because of that, unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t win wars with said technologies. No, it was beyond the level of not being able to win in war¡ªthey were on a losing streak.


    ¡®How long are you going to keep pushing me around?¡¯


    In terms of technological level, the yers of the first continent were no match for the yers of the third continent. However, they had benefited in Divinity levels from the ongoing wars.


    When RD btedly realized this, it had already be too difficult to fight them with their rubber power technology.


    The discovery of the fourth continent was perhaps RD''s only way out, but...


    ¡®Now that I was going toy the groundwork for a counterattack, those damn guys of the third continent¡­!¡¯


    In truth, even if it weren¡¯t for those of the third continent, the yers of the first continent had sent ships to find the fleeing RD, so RD had no way to put up with everything. If they remained like this, a future where they would be beaten by both the first and third continent, ultimately leading to the copse of their civilization, was all that was left.


    ¡®But I won''t lose!¡¯


    ording to RD''s judgment, now was when the yers of the third continent were the weakest. They had exhausted their strength in their battles against the Dragon, the Moving Castle, and the Rakshasas. Though the losses in troops weren''t significant, the damage on the creations likely consumed a considerable amount of Faith points.


    There were rumors that the Dragon was still alive, but in RD¡¯s opinion, it was likely a baseless rumor created to provoke conflict among the Rakshasas. While it wasn¡¯tpletely impossible that one of the yers of the third continent might have gained control over the Dragon''s body via a creation, such luck wasn''t something that came easily.


    ¡®The problem is the Moving Castle¡­¡¯


    RD had some countermeasures in mind. Firstly, because of the battle against the Dragon, the Moving Castle had be quite ruined, reducing its strategic value. So even if the yers from the third continent tried to turn it into a moving fortress, it would be difficult to fortify it in the short term.


    ¡®They probably sent workers from the third continent to urgently repair it. So I need to destroy it before then.¡¯


    If the Moving Castle happened to appear on the battlefield, that would be even better. A surprise attack using the Helix Wings, as demonstrated by the yers of the third continent, could beunched. After all, the Helix Wings were an invention of RD''s own tys, so RD would surely be more skilled at using them. If the Fabirang Union managed to recapture the Moving Castle when it showed up on the battlefield, victory was guaranteed without a doubt.


    ¡®In the end, what determines the oue of war is timing¡­!¡¯


    yer RD redirected all the coastal forces that had been waiting to block the invasion from the first continent toward the ind. Collectively, they were an army of over 10,000, an unusuallyrge force for a new continent. Besides the ty species making up what would be described as a mechanized unit, there were Dwarf knights serving as anvils, and a Human army taking on various roles from cavalry to archers. These were the best forces the Fabirang Union possessed.


    RD believed that the most critical point of the war would be the siege in the Pangolin city of Siol, so when a giant shadow started to move behind a small rocky hill, which the Fabirang Union had assumed to be ordinary terrain, RD was frightened and surprised.


    "What...what is that?!"


    It was the Moving Castle. And it wasn''t just a giant waste of space. While it was clearly constructed at thest minute, the guns of warships were aligned on the hilltop.


    With a splint on his leg, Vasen shouted from the top of the highest tower of the Moving Castle, ¡°Fire!¡±


    Across the wall of the Moving Castle where cannons and gunners lined up on every tier, the order to fire was continuously repeated.


    "Fire!"


    "He said fire!"


    "...Fire!"


    A bombardment of cannonballs and bullets rained down on the army of 10,000.

 Chapter 173: The Use of Dragons

    Chapter 173: The Use of Dragons


    General Roktor, whomanded the army of the Fabirang Union, immediately made amand.


    ¡°Advance forward!¡±


    As Roktor pulled the reins, the rubber powered mechanical horse made a creaking sound as it turned. If the tys had created somewhat wild and bizarre contraptions using rubber powered mechanisms, what the Dwarves of the Fabirang Union had made were exquisite works of art, imitations of things that actually exist.


    However, themand to advance wasn¡¯t made fast enough. No, by the time the Moving Castle appeared, it was already toote.


    The pouring cannonballs struck the saw de tanks of the tys and the cavalry led by Roktor. The cannonballs shattered the wooden rubber-powered machines, and the remaining kic energy bounced toward the soldiers of the Fabirang Union, who were all flesh and blood.


    Some were hit in the face by cannonballs and ended up buried, while others got part of their flesh torn from a simple graze.


    ¡®The Moving Castle in the rumors...!¡¯


    With the information given by their god, the Folded Wing Golden Bird, as ryed by their priests, Roktor had learned of the strategy ck Scale had used to capture the Moving Castle and considered how they should do the same. Contrary to what the priests had said, the Moving Castle wasn¡¯t that shabby after the fight against the Dragon. General Roktor had only one thought.


    ¡®We need to retreat for now.¡¯


    Even though the Moving Castle was not fully functional, a proper attack could only beunched with the Helix Wings to wage war. A siege was the worst form of attack the one on the offense couldunch. What if the castle starts to retaliate?


    There were no soldiers underfoot yet, while that massive Moving Castle with twenty three legs was a weapon itself.


    The one to be the general of the Fabirang Union wasn''t a ty, who tended to be overconfident, or a Human, who tended to overplicate things, but Roktor, a Dwarf, and it was due to their Dwarf-like simple and quick decision-making.


    ¡®Despite its giant size, the Moving Castle''s movement speed isn''t very different from the speed that people walk. We retreat when the damage is minimal.¡¯


    Mind made up, Roktor shouted, ¡°Retreat! Fall back!¡±


    The soldiers of the Fabirang Union were pleased to hear themand to retreat. The Helix Wing formation also saw the g being shaken by the main troops, gave up on further attacks, and started to move back.


    However, there was one individual who didn''t like thismand. It was RD, the god of the Fabirang Union.


    "No! You fools!"


    RD judged that if they retreated now, they would never get another chance. Yet RD couldn¡¯t easily give a revtion telling them to proceed with the attack because they also doubted whether they could win if they attacked the Moving Castle. And in that brief moment, Roktor had already issued themand to retreat.


    In RD''s view, an attack could have been possible if they had their own support. The number of Helix Wings was still significant, and the Moving Castle seemed to have rtively weak defenses against Helix Wingspared to before.


    ¡®Of course, we can''t execute a proper attack either¡­¡¯


    Attack training on the Moving Castle had already been conducted. If Roktor were tomand another attack, their followers would base their tactics on this training.


    ¡®If they try to interfere with their creations, then I will also give it my all.¡¯


    As there were multiple yers on the opposing side, RD was aware that they were at a disadvantage. However, they also believed in the problems that were bound to arise from arge number of yers.


    ¡®More people means slower decision-making and attempts to avoid responsibility. It''s somethingmonly seen among allied yers. There''s no reason they would be any different.¡¯


    "Advance again!"


    At the end, RD gave thismand through a revtion.


    This was a ridiculous order to the priests, as well as Roktor, who had already ordered them to retreat, and the soldiers trying to escape the cannonballs. However, after debating whether they should follow God''s will, Roktor ultimately concluded that once God¡¯s will was made clear, they had no choice but to follow it.


    "The retreat order is void! Get into formations! We will advance again!"


    Unlike the magnitude of Roktor¡¯s internal conflict, when Roktor actually ordered another advance, Roktor felt a sense of relief. That was because at this moment, Roktor was merely carrying out the will of God rather than acting as a general.


    ¡®Is this right? ...Even if it''s not right, I can''t help it. It''s all God''s will.¡¯


    Despite the changingmands, the Fabirang Union did their best. The main force quickly got into formation. Roktor also swiftly assessed the situation and moved the forces. Roktor judged that excluding the copilots, the Helix Wings could carry one more ty each.


    Furthermore, if they went up the steep hill that the Moving Castle was hiding behind, it seemed like they would be able to escape the cannon range of the Moving Castles andunch an attack with arrows. The rest of the troops would move around the Moving Castle to attract the attacks, waiting for the Helix Wings tounch an assault and lower ropedders or stop the Moving Castle.


    On the battlefield, the Fabirang Union moved systematically ording to Roktor''s tactics, which didn''t seem like it had only just been made ording to the situation then and there.


    Sung-Woon, who was looking at this from somewhere nearby just like RD, showed his admiration.


    ¡®Well, even when a yer''s abilities arecking, there are cases where exceptional individuals manage things on their own. But¡­¡¯


    Teams tend to have slow decision-making and avoid responsibilities. RD''s conjecture wasn¡¯t without merits. The problem was that Sung-Woon was already well aware of these problems. Moreover, he had already calcted how RD would move.


    Something appeared from the central hall of the inner castle of the Moving Castle.


    RD tried to guess what it was based on its size.


    ¡°Is it a creation? I knew it!¡±


    RD summoned their most powerful creation¡ªa giant...crab. Thanks to its long legs, the crab easily went up the Moving Castle¡¯s legs. The weapon that RD¡¯s creation possessed were itsrge ws, and RD believed that the creation called Boss with its skill, Cut, was the best force they had.


    "Go!"


    However, RD''s Boss didn''t have much chance to show what it could do. The giant monster that emerged from the inner castle skillfully dodged the snow crab¡¯s w attacks. The part of the body that RD thought was simr to a snake was actually its long neck, and thick legs were attached below its torso. It was the body of a Dragon, the Great Ashurada.


    And Gordius, who controlled that body, gained an intricate nervous system, heightened sensitivity, and precision unlike anything it had experienced with Korpik¡¯s body, which it had been using until now.


    -It¡¯s slow.


    Gordius said this and climbed onto Boss''s back. Then, Grodius twisted the crab¡¯s right w backward and pulled.


    Boss screamed and produced foam.


    And RD screamed as well.


    "This can''t be true! A Dragon?!"


    While RD''s mind went nk, Gordius didn''t stop moving. It plucked out the eyes of RD''s snow crab creation and even broke off the struggling left w before casting it out of the Moving Castle.


    Helix Wings either got hit by the parts of the Snow Crab and broke, or tried to avoid them, but eventually all crashed down.


    Roktor saw the massive shell of Boss, who now had no legs, flying toward themself, casting a shadow.


    ¡®It''s over,¡¯ they thought.


    ***


    When Sung-Woon and his allies captured the Moving Castle, they had already anticipated that the Fabirang Union wouldunch an attack. And in Sung-Woon¡¯s predictions, it seemed easy to defend the city of the Pangolins by strategically using Faith points.


    "The problem is that the Fabirang Union isn¡¯t the end."


    The Fabirang Union seemed unaware, but they weren¡¯t the only ones attacking Siol, the city that ck Scale currently used as their base.


    Gordius learned of this fact shortly after he took over the body of the mighty Ashurada. Wejen, a subordinate of the Great Ashurada and the Crow guardian who delivered Ashurada''s messages throughout various regions of the Rakshasas, hade to find Gordius.


    Gordius had to act like Ashurada and greet Wejen.


    -You are unharmed, Great Ashurada.


    -I am unharmed. I was just about to finish them off.


    -I apologize for interrupting you while you¡¯re busy, but I have urgent news to deliver.


    -Say it.


    Wejen said.


    -The fish from the west have gotten quite close.


    -Fish?


    -Pardon? Yes. The Deep Ones. They''re carrying stones that turn fresh water into saltwater anding up the river.


    Wejen seemed puzzled, but continued to say.


    -ording to what you said, I led the Rakshasa tribes and tried to fight them, but we are facing defeat in our battle with them. Now we really need your help. In my opinion, those fish are a more urgent problem than these foreigners.


    Gordius looked up at the sky. Night Sky¡¯s answer was heard.


    -You managed the conversation well, Gordius. I checked and it seems to be true.


    -What should I do about this crow?


    -It doesn¡¯t seem very clever, but it could be trouble if left alone. Let''s minimize variables.


    Gordius did as Sung-Woon said.


    The Deep Ones, that was, the army of the evil god Sha-Cha, was close to 30,000 strong. This was the real danger.


    As they talked about this issue, Wisdom said, "This is a problem. Even if we try to use the Moving Castle immediately, it will take time to repair the walls. Setting aside dealing with the Fabirang Union, with the 30,000 forces that Sha-Cha has, they could climb up the legs, and if they use creations, they could also transport the troops. It¡¯ll spell trouble if the Moving Castle falls into their hands."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to use the Moving Castle.¡±


    ¡°Without repairing it?¡±


    ¡°We will repair it.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Sung-Woon pointed at the Dragon. Wisdom and the other yers then understood.


    "Indeed."


    In Sung-Woon''s opinion, the Dragon possessed various values. It was a powerful weapon capable of facing apostles, which also had high intelligence and the ability to create variables through magic. Unfortunately, since the original Great Ashurada was essentially erased, Gordius couldn''t really use magic, but the spells embedded in the body, like the breath spell, were still usable. It was an individual with many advantages like so, but it had another advantage that was often neglected because of how different Dragons appeared to be from any other species.


    "It''s the fact that they¡¯re strong.¡±


    In Sung-Woon''s opinion, being strong didn''t just mean that it would be useful in war andbat. Even from the perspective of modern civilization, great strength provided significant utility, and Humans have developed many technologies to replicate such power. Heavy construction machinery like excavators, trucks, and cranes were examples of that. And in Sung-Woon''s view, a Dragon''s body served as a living construction machine usable even at a low civilization level.


    Moreover, since the Moving Castle¡¯s main body wasn''t destroyed, by cing construction materials on the Moving Castle¡¯s foundation, repair work could be done while moving. So while the Moving Castle moved, the Dragon ttened thend where the walls sat and moved bricks.


    Sung-Woon moved the Moving Castle and destroyed the yer RD''s army. Then, after roughly epting RD''s surrender, he immediately moved the castle to the west. Due to this, the evil god, Sha-Cha, only discovered the actual Moving Castle near the end of their battle against Siol. What Sha-Cha saw was a fully equipped Moving Castle and the Dragon, which was rumored to be dead.


    -...


    Sha-Cha was a different kind of yer from RD. Immediately, Sha-Cha gave a revtion to their priests.


    -Retreat.


    And perhaps because they felt that the simple order wasn''t enough, they added a more concrete exnation.


    -It¡¯s eptable if we lose half of our troops. Just retreat as fast as you can.

 Chapter 174: The Age of Adventure

    Chapter 174: The Age of Adventure


    The Evil God, Sha-Cha¡¯s, judgment was quick.


    Contrary to expectations, however, only 4000 out of Sha-Cha''s army of 30,000 returned¡ªnot even half the number.


    Based on the fact that Sha-Cha¡¯s army possessed a relic that could turn freshwater into seawater, Sung-Woon had inferred that Sha-Cha''s army consisted entirely of Deep Ones, and that their movement routes were limited.


    "Since they came along the river, it''s obvious they''ll have to go back the same way."


    Of course, Deep Ones were better swimmers than those opposing them, so their marching speed would be much faster. However, there were issues with going via riverspared to a regr path.


    "First, while on the ground, you can create a path and march. Rivers, on the other hand, have predetermined paths. And second..."


    Sung-Woon looked down at the map.


    "Rivers meander."


    The Moving Castle moved slightly faster than a person''s walking speed, and since it could still move without any rest or sleep, its average daily trekking distance was quite far. Additionally, because of the known path of the river, the Moving Castle could arrive first at the destination that Sha-Cha¡¯s army was heading to.


    Eventually, after the 30,000 Deep One forces diligently followed the river downstream, they encountered the Moving Castle, which had blocked and stayed in the riverway.


    Gunfire poured upon the river, and Deep Ones emerged dead on the water. If they couldn¡¯t avoid it, they had to fight.


    Wisdom then asked about this.


    "We do have the advantage, but is it really necessary to go out of our way and engage in a battle with the Deep Ones?"


    "Yes. Even if we manage to weaken their forces this time, we¡¯ll likely have to fight them again after some time. It might be better to focus on internal affairs sooner rather than engaging in such a small-scale battle."


    "But why?"


    Sung-Woon answered, ¡°Sha-Cha¡¯s main strength lies within the sea, and sea battles require further technological advancement. It would be difficult to settle things in a short time. The war willst long. Therefore, it might be a good idea to assess their capabilities now."


    Wisdom agreed. And therefore, Sung-Woon was able to observe a battlemanded by Sha-Cha. Just as Sung-Woon had thought, Sha-Cha was a skilled yer. The troops moved in a coordinated manner. There were troops climbing up the Moving Castle, but that was only a part of their strategy. The main force, who had the relics, moved out onto the ground to try and go around the Moving Castle. If Sung-Woon hadn''t predicted this and positioned his forces ordingly, Sha-Cha would have sessfully retreated even more forces than anticipated.


    Just by Gordius leaping into the middle of the Deep One troops, dozens of soldiers were sent flying into the air. Then, Sha-Cha''s creation was also revealed. Because it looked like a giant Deep One, Eldar called it Dagon.


    Although it was a fact they would only learn aboutter, Sha-Cha seemed to believe the form was efficient and had modeled numerous creations after the particr Dagon. Sung-Woon and the other yers were thus able to spot the Dagons easily.


    However, the one that appeared first was miserably defeated in the battle against Gordius. As Dagon was bipedal and around 30 meters tall, it would seemparable to Gordius in terms of physical prowess. However, it was weak against the breath spell inscribed on the Great Ashurada¡¯s body, unlike Hekab, who had resistance to mes with a different physique.


    Nheless, Sha-Cha achieved their desired oue. The main forces that Sung-Woon had attacked, along with the relics they possessed, were actually fake. Sha-Cha had anticipated a low chance of sess, so they lured Sung-Woon''s forces with more troops and sent only a few with the real relics to escape through an alternate route tond.


    Wisdom found this puzzling.


    "But didn''t the realmanders die? Or are they fake as well? It seems a bit excessive to summon creations to defend against this."


    "It''s likely themanders were real. They probably wanted to save both sides, but in the end judged that they had to choose only one."


    Still, victory was victory. On the other hand, Sha-Cha''s ck Order was able to avoid arge-scale battle against Sung-Woon¡¯s Pantheon.


    Sung-Woon got the surrender of the Fabirang Union in the east, defeated the ck Order in the west, and the central Rakshasha tribes had divided, so he judged that there would be no external threats for the time being.


    Then, AR1026 returned. Vasen exploring the interiors of the Moving Castle had satisfied the requirement of hardships for a god to be revived. So now, in the imperial city of the Golden Eye, which was subjugated by ck Scale, a festival was being held, and the highest priests of the Pantheon designated this day as a holiday.


    Once revived inside the Pantheon, AR1026 appeared hostile toward Sung-Woon and seemed confused, but given that her consciousness waspletely absent while being a vassal, it was a natural reaction. Upon hearing the exnation of the situation, AR1026 was able to join the alliance without significant opposition. Of course, her rtionship with Lunda seemed difficult to mend, but Lunda appeared to ept her situation, thinking of it as karma.


    However, events on the fourth continent were still far from over.


    First, the area of the fourth continent that ck Scale had explored was only a small part of the northern region, leaving unexplored regions that were five to six timesrger. And not only were they unexplored, but there could also exist other Dragons like the Great Ashurada.


    Additionally, behind the surrendered RD was the forces of the first continent, and to the east, Sha-Cha''s ck Order still retained strength.


    Moreover, there were two more gods that Sung-Woon had decided to revive, but not enough hardships had been ovee yet. The adventure had to continue.


    ***


    Sung-Woon decided to ept RD into the Pantheon.


    RD seemed bewildered.


    "Uh, um, why?¡±


    In RD¡¯s perspective, there was no need to make an alliance bigger after it was formed. The pantheon could have just taken RD¡¯s resources and information and left them on their own. So RD, who had lost their main troops, thought Sung-Woon would do that and was somewhat prepared.


    Sung-Woon said, ¡°Can I be honest with you?¡±


    "Sure. Honesty is better than just saying something nice to hear."


    ¡°We need a seawall to block those guys from the first continent.¡±


    RD chuckled, and the round eyes of the rubber ducky turned into crescents.


    Behind Sung-Woon, Lunda murmured to Eldar that RD was very cute. Sung-Woon ignored them.


    ¡°...If we just take things from you and leave you on your own, those people from the first continent will destroy you. Then they¡¯ll, to some extent, absorb your foundations and technology.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. They¡¯ve taken some of the base facilities from our maind, so they would be developing it somewhat now¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not worried about that. Just because they take the Fabirang Union¡¯s technology, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll be able to make something amazing.¡±


    RD chuckled again.


    Sung-Woon cleared his throat and continued to say, ¡°On the other hand, there are points where things would be annoying if we were to face those from the first continent.¡±


    "So you¡¯re making the first move and coaxing me?¡±


    "Yes."


    RD got lost in thought. This couldn¡¯t be considered a favorable condition. Even if they formed an alliance, what the Pantheon of the third continent wanted was for RD to block the attacks from the first continent, and they would get full ess to their technology; RD would only be giving.


    ''No, that''s not it.''


    But didn''t RD themself want the power to stand against the first continent? And considering ck Scale had built proper gunpowder weapons and sessfully persuaded a Wizard, it seemed worth considering the synergy with Rubberpunks.


    ¡®... This can work.¡¯


    RD said, "A¡­alright. What''s the big deal, let''s give it a shot."


    Crampus didn¡¯t like RD¡¯s attitude, but the Fabirang Union still ended up joining the ck Scale Empire.


    At the time, the attack from the first continent was imminent, but the Moving Castle was also at its peak. The alliance of the first continent made an effort, going to the length to even use Hierophany, but they lost to Gordius and had to hand over the 50 anchored ships to ck Scale.


    After ck Scale blocked the first continent''s initial attack, they turned the Fabirang Union¡¯s city, Ullor, into a major port and began the full-scale exploration of the new continent¡ªthe main homnd of ck Scale, located on the penins, wasn¡¯t the only yers in the game; many imperial territories began to form independent adventuring groups.


    Ullor merged with the nearby port to the west, Penn, and became a massive port city called Ullor-Penn. It weed numerous ships from the third continent and also gathered valuable relics, various rare animals found on the fourth continent, Doodooba rubber trees, and gear technicians of the Fabirang Union. Pangolins, Rakshasas, and other minor species who sought opportunities for sess on the third continent, which was the new continent in their perspectives, also gathered in the city.


    The ships that departed from Ullor-Penn traveled to numerous port cities on the third continent, including Maganen, picking up adventurers, traders, and priests from those destinations back to Ullor-Penn. It was truly an era of adventure.


    The priests of the Pantheon, including Night Sky¡¯s, built temples on the fourth continent and interacted with the deities there, as well as with the minority species that followed these deities.


    In particr, the Pangolins yed the bridgehead role of resolving conflicts between ck Scale and the native species. It was widely known that the Pangolin king, Margo, along with the deity Katuru, earned the title of arbitrator from the emperor of ck Scale for their sess in that regard.


    However, danger still existed. The western part of the continent was still under the influence of the ck Order. Only a few authorized merchant ships asionally engaged in exchanges, while the minority species under the rule of the Deep Ones restricted entry beyond thend of the ck Order. Adventurers also set foot on the continent in search of many relics and treasures lying dormant in ancient ruins, but there were still some species that feared and attacked outsiders.


    Vasen Lak Orazen, Theone Itimo, and Mazdari discovered the sacrednd called Yobuen and killed another Dragon, Atneil. Surprisingly, in this battle, no assistance from any god was needed. Yobuen was a hignd with steep cliffs, where the jungle ended. The vast green fields stretching beyond the horizon looked like the Prairie of Beginnings that Vasen¡¯s younger brother, Shune, had seen.


    By killing Atneil, who ruled over the spire of the prairie, the requirement for hardships was fulfilled, and the other gods, yer Lim Chun-Sik and Solongos, were revived. Both Lim Chun-Sik and Solongos were even more bewildered than AR1026. However, firstly, there was a reason why all the yers summoned them again and they needed to understand what it was, and secondly, since the territory of the ck Scale Empire continued to expand, there needed to be gods to manage it. These reasons alone were sufficient for them to ept the alliance.


    Without letting Sung-Woon know, Eldar told the two of them that there might be a third reason as well.


    Lim Chun-Sik asked, "A third reason?"


    "You guys being vassals bothered him."


    "Bothered? ...That doesn''t seem like him."


    "That¡¯s just my thoughts. Games are meant to be enjoyed together. There''s no need to be so harsh on each other."


    "Hm."


    Lim Chun-Sik rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    "Well, he''ll probably deny it, so don''t ask him directly."


    Next to Yobuen¡¯s spire, a city named Vaseniol was established, which was named after Vasen. Vaseniol became the nextndmark for those who arrived on the new continent through Ullor-Penn, while at the same time it became a second home for adventurers.


    The northern jungle was only a part of the fourth continent. There was a great influx of people exploring the other parts. In that, the yers from the Pantheon had nothing to be worried about. The poption was explosively increasing, and it would be nigh impossible for gods to pick out individuals with impressive abilities on their own. So these individuals had to prove themselves, to show that they were worthy of the attention of the gods.


    As expected, those who were born with such qualifications aplished great things. A new ancient ruin was discovered, Dragons were killed, and they also protected a threatened reimednd.


    But asionally, ordinary individuals also achieved great things. They reconciled two tribes who were fighting against each other, seeded in taming Wyverns, and discovered new farming methods suitable for the different soil. They even built buildings on emptynd, formed a militia in a city that had no public order, and bargained with divine beings to protect the city¡¯s source of water supply.


    Meanwhile, in the pce of Orazan, a remarkable discovery was made. A mechanical device made of iron was ced in the pce garden. This device was divided into a big part and a smaller part, and in between the two parts was a set of gears.


    Someone with keen eyes might recognize that therger part was a loom, since warp threads and wefts were hung between the parts. However, there was no seat for a person to sit and operate the device like a traditional loom. Additionally, the smaller part had coal piled next to it, giving it the appearance of a furnace at a nce.


    Kyle Lak Orazen said, ¡°Rumf, aren¡¯t you a bit too nervous?¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Oh, haha, I suppose a little.¡±


    "I don''t think there''s anything to worry about. This is the correct direction. It was just too heavy to put on a Helix Wing."


    Rumf sighed. That was the model Kyle had initially proposed; they had spent so much time replicating Helix Wings with this technology and failed every attempt that Rumf was worried about this demonstration turning out to be another failure.


    "...But you, Your Majesty, are right. The crucial point is whether it can move by itself."


    "Among the gifts given by the Night Sky, there''s silk as well. Silkworms move themselves to produce thread, and Night Sky also hopes we can imitate that. Do you understand?"


    Rumf nodded.


    "I will begin."


    As Rumf signaled, the official of the technological department standing next to the machine lit a fire inside the small machine and began adding coal. The water inside the machine boiled, and as the coal inside the furnace burned, it emitted ck smoke through the pipes.


    Rumf murmured, "Please, please...!"


    And slowly, the gears next to the small machine started turning, aligning with the gears of therger machine connected to it.


    The first spinning machine began to weave cotton.

 Chapter 175: Wind of Civilization

    Chapter 175: Wind of Civilization


    Kyle Lak Orazen¡¯s current job could be referred to as an Emperor. He was the ruler of a great empire which consisted of two continents and was the one that the gods paid most attention to.


    There was no need to specte how he appeared to ordinary people. Although some said he was merely a pawn in the gods'' war, he unified a continent before the age of twenty, had a direct hand in strategizing for many wars, and was an advisor to General Vasen, who led the army himself. Moreover, he discovered a new continent and expanded settlements. He also took on the trials of the gods, formed an expedition team, and ultimately seeded.


    Even on the western and eastern continents, where cross-continental exchanges had started, the name of the great empire of ck Scale was being known. While traders crossing the ocean boasted about their countries being great nations, none of them couldpare to ck Scale. As much as the apostle Lakrak hadid the groundwork, Kyle¡¯s aplishments that turned ck Scale into a great empire were just as notable.


    On the other hand, there were those who felt regret because many believed that this young emperor wouldn''t be able to make any more significant achievements. However, Kyle''s history had only just begun.


    In Sung-Woon¡¯s eyes, if Kyle had been born in a more advanced civilization, he would have be a schr. Not an ordinary one, but one of the few giants seen through civilization, who could unravel discoveries and inventions spanning perhaps centuries¡ªall by himself.


    ¡®But Kyle was born in this era.¡¯


    And that was why Kyle could aplish even greater things. Kyle started out not as an ordinary person, but as a king capable ofmanding people and utilizing resources as he wished. Moreover, he received the favor of the gods and the blessings of his ancestors. When he slept, sages from the past whispered secrets to him, and when he looked up at the night sky, Night Sky showed revtions to him with the stars.


    Kyle went beyond simply following the will of god. He understood God''s will and found intentions that even God themself could not fully understand, and he tried to find ways to easily fulfill God''s will. This is why he supported the creation of steam engines as a scientist, designed automated looms as an engineer, and envisioned the future that these machines could create with the perspective of a futurologist. Even though the future hadn''t arrived yet, Kyle could sketch it on a nk piece of paper.


    ¡®In the end, the machines will change everything.¡¯


    So it was only natural that Kyle would provide full support to manufacture numerous machines, including the steam engines and looms he had invented.


    During the age of adventure on the fourth continent, numerous factories were established on the third continent. Under the emperor¡¯smand, schools were built in each region to foster schrs, traders built factories, and technicians who learned about the machines were treated well. Additionally, to prevent overcrowding in the cities, limitations were ced on the number of factories in each region even at the cost of efficiency, and excessive wealth was taxed and used to support the areas that produced less wealth.


    In order topensate for theckingbor force, the nobles of each region began to cater to minority species rather than oppressing them. To coax those species to their side, priests of the Pantheon went to the regions of the third continent where civilization hadn¡¯t reached. The priests shared stories about how the gods of the Pantheon had once fought with differing intentions but eventually united under a single purpose, and about the history they achieved bying together. So those who had rejected civilization over several generations came out of the forests, joining hands with the priests.


    Waterwheels generating power, including the four waterwheels in Automation, became relics of the past, and a tremendous amount of coal was consumed. The Kobold miners¡¯ eyes widened at the substantial amount of money offered by the emperor, and to earn more money, they found and unfolded the maps their ancestors had charted and hidden.


    The Elves made good use of their meticulousness and unique intelligence. Behind the massive production process was numbers. Administrative and ounting tasks that would give other species headaches matched the conscientious nature of Elves.


    Ogres transported cargo by ships and carriages at the harbor and factories. Centaur porters were always popr among traders because frankly speaking, hiring a centaur was more cost-effective than hiring horses and coachmen.


    Halfling thieves were also around, but someone realized that their small physique was advantageous for navigating between densely packed machines, and that they were dexterous enough to fix machines that often broke down little by little.


    The meticulousness of Nixes differed from the Elves¡¯. They discovered errors in the printing of newspapers and asionally found traces of misdeed that greedy rich people left in ount books.


    When threats arose, it was the Orcs who were willing to risk their lives and act as reporters.


    The winds stirred by the third continent did not end there. The massive wind of revolution that overturned the entire industry continued into the fourth continent. And the era of adventure was said to continue, but that was from the perspective of the third continent.


    Various minority species, including Pangolins and Rakshasas, quickly epted the astounding knowledge and values they had first discovered in their generations. Factories began to be built, and even in Vaseniol, which was located deep within the fourth continent, a factory was established.


    At first, it was just a simple happening. As a newly constructed city, Vaseniol had many inadequacies, and the transportation system through Helix Wings and Wyverns had its ws. The Helix Wings frequently broke, and the Wyverns were curious and often refused to listen to their riders.


    Meanwhile, the factory owner from the days of the expedition team faced a disruption in coal supply. Having goods to deliver, they sought out the nearest all-round problem solver¡ªthe Wizard, Mazdari. The factory owner was an acquaintance of Mazdari, and Mazdari showed schrly interest in whether his magic could rece coal. Mazdari used the rotation magic that he had used to save Vasen from falling more than ten years ago.


    During that time, Mazdari had absorbed knowledge of the new continent, and it was something beyond simple technique that young Mazdari had shown until now. Over time, his project independently developed into arcane power rather than steam engine.


    As the two axes that make up civilizationplemented each other, the wind brought by Kyle turned into a storm that couldn''t be simply described as fierce. Machinespletely overturned the continent and all life on it. During the time when such a storm was raging, the age of adventure that had peaked for about 20 years slowly faded away¡­


    ***


    Sung-Woon saw what the adventurers, who had reached the southern end of the fourth continent, had discovered. There was a city there. Residents there had built a civilization of a small port city, but the surprising thing was that the name these people used to refer to themselves was familiar. The city belonged to the Danly Union Empire. Until now, other adventurers that weren¡¯t from the third continent had been spotted asionally, and their country of origin was a mystery. Now, however, the answer was revealed.


    Sung-Woon got a Whisper Conversation request, and he epted it as a video chat.


    Then a grating voice was heard.


    "It''s been a really long time, Neb."


    Sung-Woon checked the avatar of his conversation partner. They wore a steel horned helmet while their red eyes glowed from the inside. Even if Sung-Woon wanted to forget about this yer, it was hard to do so due to their memorable appearance. This was the 2nd ranking yer of The Lost World, someone who could be considered Sung-Woon¡¯s rival before they came to this and the first yer that Sung-Woon had defeated a long time ago¡ªHegemonia. Sung-Woon knew Hegemonia well.


    Sung-Woon slightly tilted his head and said, ¡°Who are you again?¡±


    Hegemonia seemed annoyed and said, ¡°Are you joking?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it reasonable to forget someone after about 150 years?¡±


    ¡°You do remember. No, we even contacted each other from time to time.¡±


    ¡°I think we did.¡±


    ¡°Just say you remember already. I need to get my revenge after 150 years.¡±


    Sung-Woon thought to himself.


    ¡®Then wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to not remember you?¡¯


    Hegemonia then said, ¡°No, forget it. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t remember.¡±


    "You''re going to do whatever you want anyway..."


    As Sung-Woon talked back, he noticed Hegemonia looking behind him. Sung-Woon was on the podium in the conference room, and the other yers were sitting behind him.


    "Looks like you''ve added some odds and ends to your side during this period. Did youck strength?"


    "Odds and ends? That''s a bit harsh. Those odds and ends listening might be offended."


    Crampus muttered, "You''re the worst one."


    Sung-Woon ignored the voice murmuring behind him and said, ¡°Are you alone?"


    "Of course. I don''t need any teams. I''ve taken down five yers so far."


    Then Hegemonia pulled out five vassal statues from his inventory and held them up.


    "Five?"


    Sung-Woon nced behind him and then looked at Hegemonia again.


    "I have seven plus an evil god, making that eight. I won."


    Hegemonia threw his hands.


    ¡°Numbers don¡¯t matter!¡±


    Another muttering came from behind Sung-Woon.


    "Wait, did this guy just treat us as trophies right now?"


    ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time.¡±


    Crampus and Lunda made theirments one after the other.


    Despite the annoyanceing at Sung-Woon from both the front and behind, Sung-Woon remained calm.


    Sung-Woon said, "Anyway, if you came here to brag, you''ve picked the wrong person. If it''s just for joking around...that¡¯s not that bad."


    Hegemonia replied, ¡°No! I would win if I fought against you guys anyway, so I requested this chat to give you onest chance.¡±


    "For what reason are you so confident?"


    Hegemonia, who was punching the air in anger, suddenly calmed down as if nothing had happened. They crossed their arms and said, ¡°I have War.¡±


    Even Sung-Woon, at this point, couldn''t help but be a bit surprised. More urately, it was the feeling he would get when he faced someone with a strong Unique Domain while ying The Lost World.


    ¡®How unlucky.¡¯


    Although he hadn¡¯t confirmed it himself, if Hegemonia had a Unique Domain with a high win rate like War, there was a chance that Hegemonia hadn¡¯t lost any games since their sh, because that was exactly the case with Sung-Woon. However, Sung-Woon calmly looked over the powers he possessed. There was no reason to give up.


    Sung-Woon said, "First, a question."


    "Ask away."


    "I have a guess, but how did you appear in the southern part of the fourth continent?"


    Hegemonia replied, ¡°I upied the northern part of the second continent. The is round, isn¡¯t it? You understand what that means, right? The north ocean route taken from the second continent is probably the quickest route to the fourth continent. Like this..."


    Hegemonia easily created the map of the Lost World and drew the shortest path that connected each continent. It was just as Hegemonia said.


    Sung-Woon snapped his fingers.


    ¡°Oh, so that means..." Sung-Woon replied, "If we destroy you, then the path to not only the second continent, but also the path to the first continent would open up."


    Sparks ignited in the corner of Hegemonia''s eyes.


    "That is, if you can."


    ***


    83 years after the war between the ck Scale Empire and the Danly Union Empire broke out on the fourth continent¡­the two countries were still at war.

 Chapter 176: The Vampire in the Lecture Hall

    Chapter 176: The Vampire in the Lecture Hall


    Since the beginning of the new century, when the new gods came to the of the Lost World, 267 years had passed.


    In the middle of the continent known to ck Scale as the southern continent¡ªnew continent for the other countries and fourth continent to the yers¡ªwas the Yobuen teau. The region was a high and wide open field at an altitude of over 800 meters, and it was considered a sacred ce because it looked like the Prairie of Beginnings that was told from the Pantheon. However, it was bing outdated for it to be called sacred.


    Yobuen was a goodnd for people to live in. Just as the many ruins and spires testified to this fact, the new generations were also building a new civilization in this patch ofnd. In particr, the metropolis of Vaseniol, named after the pioneer Vasen Lak Orazen, was one of thergest cities in the southern continent. Although it had only been around for about one hundred years, this metropolis, located at the edge of the Yobuen teau with the Gareum River running down into a waterfall below,bined harmoniously with ancient relics, forming a paradoxical city that merged the past and the present.


    On the other hand, it also served as a supply base for the frontline between the ck Scale Empire and the Danly Union Empire. In fact, the actual border between ck Scale and Danly was hundreds of kilometers south of Vaseniol, but if Orazan¡ªthe capital and an automated city that could run by itself¡ªwas the heart, then Vaseniol was the hand with a supply base and fortress acting as a spear and shield.


    However, not all those who came to Vaseniol were soldiers. In the first ce, the new continent was an area of conflict between various forces worldwide, including the knowledge of the ck Scale Empire, the Danly Union Empire, the Ronante-Oroban alliance, the Muen Holy Kingdom of Mune, and even the ck Order. They each exerted influence to some extent and engaged in fights to take the sphere of influence from the ck Scale Empire. And in these fights, there weren¡¯t only guns, swords, magic, and miracles.


    The most significant weapon that had shaken the world in the past one hundred years was knowledge itself. Those at the Margonin University in Vaseniol wasparable to the schrs of Orazan''s Kylin University. Despite being criticized by other countries for itsck of neutrality due to the affiliated military academy that trained officers, students from various nations enrolled to learn knowledge that was pretty much monopolized by the ck Scale Empire. Of course, there was nothing bad about this for ck Scale.


    Some of these foreign students returned to their homnd, but others remained in Vaseniol to continue their studies, and there were also some who, perhaps in line with the ck Scale''s desires, chose to turn their backs on their own countries. So for other nations, it was essential to catch up with the ck Scale in a world where each day brought change.


    ***


    "...Therefore, after Night Sky established the Pantheon, Night Sky reaped the blessings that he had bestowed upon his species and then blessed them anew. For example, the Lizardmen of the past were said to possess immense strength. They were so strong that a warrior could allegedly break a water buffalo¡¯s neck with their bare hands."


    In a lecture room at Margonin University in Vaseniol, one could look out of the window to see the Yobuen teau, where the grand Gareum River flowed, meeting a precipice and transforming into a waterfall.


    Beneath it was a vast jungle. There were stories that small numbers of Rakshasa tribes who were untouched by civilization still lived within this jungle, but as long as they didn¡¯t interfere with the routes used by traders and soldiers, ck Scale no longer interfered because it was deemed that there were no longer any Rakshasa groups that wanted to be part of civilization.


    A middle-aged Orc standing on the podium continued to say, ¡°However, with the passing of the age of the three brothers, Night Sky took back the blessing of strength he had granted to the Lizardmen. Instead, he bestowed that blessing upon the weak and fragile Pangolins. As a result, while the Pangolins have small physiques, they possess strengthparable torger species. What is it like, Chocho?"


    At those words, a Pangolin that was seated and quietly listening to the lecture repeatedly blinked.


    "Oh, well...yes. That''s right. My friends often say that I''m quite strong for my size, and I haven''t really felt ufortable due to that. But..."


    "But?"


    "If Night Sky had paid a little more attention and maybe made us a bit taller..."


    Thisment prompted a wave ofughter throughout the lecture hall.


    The Orc professor also grinned, revealing their mrs.


    "It''s a shame, indeed. However, Night Sky likely believed that even with a small physique, there were things you could aplish. What else is there?"


    This time, from the back of the lecture hall, a massive Ogre with a height of almost two meters even when sitting raised their hand.


    "Night Sky has also shown consideration for our species as well. This might sound disrespectful to our ancestors, but honestly, they weren¡¯t exactly good with calctions."


    The Orc professor nodded.


    "Yes. I don''t me species that haven''t received blessings in the past. Blessings sometimes just vary in direction. For instance, the Ogres from ck Scale and those from the Danly have significant differences."


    The Orc professor didn''t borate further, but the Ogre in the lecture hall nodded. Compared to the Ogres from ck Scale who had gained intelligence and assimted with other species, the Ogres from Danly had be much more aggressive than their ancestors. As a result, they were no different than living tanks on the battlefield, but regardless, many ck Scale Ogres felt fortunate that they weren''t Danly Ogres.


    The professor said, "Us Orcs, too, were said to be aggressive in the past. Fortunately, thanks to Night Sky¡¯s blessings, instances of me giving you guys lower scores have decreased."


    A brief bout of awkwardughter swept through the ssroom.


    "Anyway, Night Sky made up for the weaknesses of various species to enable harmony among them. This concept is known as Night Sky¡¯s Counterbnce. This wasn''t a single urrence but rather something that took ce over several generations with the most care and caution, and some schrs even view it as an ongoing process to this day. This will of God¡¯s aligns with the principles of fairness, equity, and bnce, as found in the Pantheon."


    Afterward, the professor continued the lecture by going into metaphysical concepts while excerpting passages from the book Night Sky, which was written by Sairan Muel. In a simple summary, it was about the concept of justice that Night Sky held, and the conclusion was because of that, it would only be natural for them to emerge victorious against powerful nations like Danly. There might have been a somewhat dogmatic aspect to the conclusion, but the students'' reactions weren''t that bad as this was a lecture of the History of the Pantheon that was required for graduation.


    Then the professor said, "To wrap up, if there are any questions about today''s lecture, I will give a concise answer and we can leave it there for today¡­ Are there none?"


    The students scattered throughout the lecture hall began to exchange nces. It meant that they should refrain from asking any questions because lunchtime was approaching.


    Then, ignoring all those nces, a white hand went up. The hand belonged to what Lizardmen called a Minnow¡ªspecies such as Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Halflings. The owner of the hand sat in the very corner of the lecture hall, wearing a deep hood that made it difficult to see their face.


    Yet the professor knew their name.


    "Ramin Solost?"


    "Yes."


    It was a woman''s voice.


    The Orc professor nced at the clock hanging on the wall for a moment. Many items in the lecture hall were creations of the Dwarf craftsmen from the Fabirang Empire. In particr, the arcane-powered wall clock held great value. This astonishing clock didn''t stop as long as it received regr maintenance and supply from a Wizard.


    The Orc professor said, "Ask your question."


    Cold stares were directed at Ramin, but she didn¡¯t seem to care.


    Ramin said, "I have a question about the first part of today''s lecture."


    The professor recalled the lecture. The first part of the lecture discussed the Afterlife of the Pantheon. After the era of the three brothers, the Afterlife of Night Sky, which had been known simply as the Prairie of Beginnings, transformed into one withplex and challenging rules as the afterlifes of various gods merged with it.


    The professor nodded, and Ramin continued to ask, "Actually, my question isn''t about the doctrine of the Pantheon. I know that when believers die, not only the believers of Night Sky but also believers of other gods go to the afterlife realms made by their respective gods. But..."


    "But?"


    "If someone doesn''t believe in any god, where do they go?"


    The question chilled the ssroom. The Orc professor seemed taken aback, as their expression showed that they were thinking for a moment. Meanwhile, on one side of the lecture hall, students were murmuring.


    "As expected, she''s...probably a non-believer."


    "Why did our school even admit someone like her in the first ce?"


    Ramin''s body grew slightly tense. Even though she tried not to listen, her keen ears involuntarily picked up the words about herself.


    "A Vampire, huh. Honestly, I thought they were extinct until I saw her."


    That was the same for Ramin. Before bing a Vampire herself, she thought Vampires were an extinct species. A long time ago, during the dawning of ck Scale, Lakrak had killed the God of Blood and Rotten Meat. Many Vampires were moved by Lakrak''s dedication and sacrifice, so they chose to end their lives through starvation as they didn¡¯t want to live having to sacrifice the life of others. However, not all Vampires did so.


    A small number of weak and insignificant Vampires blended into the crowds of people and survived. Because their existence was insignificant and their influence was minimal, the gods hadn¡¯t paid attention to them. However, if one delved into history books, records about Vampires and their punishments could be found. Most vampires who harmed people were executed, and those who didn''t were brought to prison and died of starvation.


    The starved Vampires who died in their hunger became a symbol of sacred sacrifice, but treatment for those who had escaped as well as their descendants was not so favorable. The concept of being a Vampire itself as not being a crime had only recently emerged. And thanks to that, Ramin was able to enter Margonin University, but she still felt the weight of many eyes on her.


    The Orc professor said, ¡°Ramin, honestly speaking, even I''m not entirely sure. I know that gods take the souls of believers when they die. But for non-believers...it¡¯s said that they usually just vanish."


    "..."


    "Of course, I''m not a theologist or a priest, so I don''t know for sure. We have plenty of professors here who specialize in that field, so it would be a good idea to ask them directly."


    "But..."


    Ramin was about to say that she had met and asked the theologists and priests about this, but at that moment, a student shouted while looking out the window.


    "It''s the Moving Castle!"


    From the horizon, the Moving Castle stood tall above the jungle with its legs moving as it approached the teau below.


    ¡°Was today the day that the Moving Castlees?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The route must have changed.¡±


    "Why, though? Is it because of the war?"


    Outside the window,munication Wyverns that flew from Vaseniol were heading toward the Moving Castle already.


    The students were excited. Besides transporting war supplies and soldiers, the Moving Castle was also used for trading by merchants who had amassed goods from the maind of ck Scale. Although this was the same for other cities that the Moving Castle passed by, the days the Moving Castle arrived at Vaseniol were a festival.


    The Orc Professor sent Ramin a look meaning that there was nothing they could do, and before Ramin could agree, the professor said, "Let''s stop here. I hope you all have a good day."


    The professor and students left the lecture hall.


    Ramin was thest to rise from her seat. She also looked at the approaching Moving Castle outside the window. To get a better view, she slightly lifted her hood, but a gust of windpletely blew it off her head. Beneath her ck hair, the deep brown irises that she had had back when she was a Human had been reced with unsettling red eyes. Ramin furrowed her eyebrows. Then, to block the pain from the sunlight, she hurriedly pulled her hood back over her head.


    ***


    Even though the Moving Castle hadn''t arrived yet, the streets of Vaseniol were already in a festive atmosphere.


    Feeling dizzy because of the massive crowd, Ramin slipped into a dark alleyway as she usually did.


    Vaseniol''s security wasn''t that bad. With a considerable proportion of soldiers passing through the streets due to the ongoing war and nobles from various nations moving along, ck Scale had to pay attention to maintain their security. Moreover, with the presence of Wizards in the Magic Tower not far from Vaseniol, bandits were few and far between even though there were asionally some petty thefts and pickpocketing. After all, nobody wanted to experience the nightmare of encountering a Wizard just because they picked a fight.


    Therefore, when Ramin felt someone approaching from behind, she didn''t pay much attention to it. And if that feeling hadn''te with a de being held against her neck, she would have continued to think nothing of it.


    "Ramin Solost, slowly raise your hands and don''t move from your spot."


    Ramin did as they said and quietly asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    "I''ve been watching you for a long time."


    "What?"


    "A Vampire, hybrid, and non-believer."


    "..."


    "You''re the person we''ve been seeking."


    "What do you mean..."


    "Slowly turn around."


    Ramin turned around slowly. Unfortunately, the inside of the alley was dark, and there were no signs of other people around.


    This person had a mask made of wood. A mask resembling the face of a Troll, Rakshasa, and Goblin. It was somewhatical and humorous. Other than the mask, they were covered in ck clothes and fabric, so it wasn¡¯t possible to know who they were. But regardless, Ramin could recognize what this symbol meant.


    "You are..."


    "Yes. Since the era of the three brothers, our existence has be widely known. I''m a part of Fang.¡±


    Simply put, the group collectively known as Fang was the armed organization that the Danly Union Empire was proud of. Their missions were mainly shadowing, espionage, kidnapping important figures, and assassinations.


    If they were soldiers of ck Scale, Ramin would have been trembling, but Ramin instead felt rather confused as they boldly presented themselves in thergest city of the southern continent.


    The Fang agent said, ¡°Ramin, if I gave you the chance to wipe out this city, would you do it?¡±

 Chapter 177: Red Smoke

    Chapter 177: Red Smoke


    Ramin Solost red at the mysterious figure in front of her.


    ¡®Is it really Fang?¡¯


    Fang was known for existing for a long time, dating back to the days when ck Scale and Danly fought over Automation. Now, they operated throughout ck Scale, using all means necessary to make the Danly Union Empire achieve victory in war, and appeasing was of course one of their tricks.


    Many notable figures, as well as ordinary individuals, fell for their tricks and betrayed ck Scale. Danly imed that these people wanted to possess unique skills or research material, or that they trusted their own intellect, and that they were living a good life after going to Danly. But of course, it wouldn''t be long before ck Scale¡¯s newspapers would report that those betrayers died in an unfortunate ident.


    ¡®They might not be Fang.¡¯


    There were other rumors as well. Rumors that the empire tested individuals they considered gullible, including those easily susceptible to seduction and those who would react sensitively to those situations. However, Ramin couldn''t be sure whether any of that was true or not.


    While the Fang agents of the Danly Union Empire had a not so secret side when carrying out their secret missions, it wasn¡¯t known how the empire¡¯s intelligence agents worked.


    Though Vaseniol might seem peaceful because they were far from the battlefield, the war continued inside the city as well.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like Gorgota.¡¯


    Even though Ramin had a supervisor assigned to her because she was a Vampire, in her eyes, her supervisor seemed like an ordinary official. Compared to this person in front of her who imed they were a Fang agent, her supervisor didn¡¯t leave a strong impression.


    ¡®This person seems like a different species to begin with.¡¯


    Ramin¡¯s supervisor, Gorgota Falu, was a Frogman. While this Fang agent in front of her, despite wearing a mask, had a head smaller than an average Frogman, and the mask wasn''t facing straight ahead but was slightly tilted upwards, so she assumed that they might not be Human or an Elf, but possibly a species with a protruding mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking a long time to think, I see.¡±


    The agent slightly moved the de against Ramin''s neck.


    Ramin said, "...If I were given the chance to wipe out Vaseniol? Of course...I''d go to the local security office and report it. Why would I destroy a city where I''m living well?"


    "Hmm. Living well you say..." The agent continued to say, "You seem suspicious of me."


    "..."


    "Well, there''s still time... Let me give you a gift. I''lle back and ask you againter. By then, you should be able to give a more proper answer."


    "A gift?"


    ¡°Go out the west gate and head to the twelfth storage room in the third warehouse.¡±


    The agent withdrew their de, took something out from their coat and dropped it at Ramin''s feet. The sound of metal hitting the ground rang. Ramin reflexively picked up the ¡®gift¡¯.


    "...A key?"


    When Ramin looked up, the agent had already disappeared.


    ***


    The Pantheon had different floors, rooms, and sections designed to fit its owner as needed.


    While Sung-Woon didn¡¯t have a particrly artistic taste, other yers certainly did. Therefore, when he walked through the simple wide, bright gray hallway illuminated with indirect lighting and entered RD''s room, he felt a sense of bewilderment. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of white marble, and several chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The thirty six baths with several levels in the shape of staircases could amodate tens of people at the same time, and they were no different than a swimming pool in terms of its size and depth. Each bath had hot steamy water that came out of a duck statue, and the edges were also decorated with art nouveau styled golden decorations.


    "It feels like the number of baths have increased again."


    As Sung-Woon said so, RD, who was floating in the middle of thergest central bath, rotated their body by swinging their legs. RD was wearing sunsses.


    "I¡¯m very serious when ites to resting. What brings you here?"


    "Sorry to disturb you during your rest, but I have something to ask you. It''s about the eastern battlefront."


    Currently, the empire''s war was happening in all four directions. The southern, northern, and western sides were all wars against Danly, and the eastern side was a war against the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, which was from the first continent.


    Once war broke out, the western side seeded in pushing back one of Danly''s Union Kingdoms, which had remained in the third continent until now. However, there had been no further progress after that, with boring naval battles and asional small-scale infiltration attempts on the northern and western sides.


    Most of the war against Danly was going on at the elongated battlefront across the southern part of the fourth continent. About twenty years into the war, ck Scale hade close topletely upying the fourth continent, but then the Ronante-Oroban Alliance from the first continent intervened, causing ck Scale to lose control.


    The Ronante-Oroban Alliance had attacked the eastern side of the fourth continent, which was where ck Scale¡¯s Fabirang Empire was located. So Sung-Woon had assigned RD to handle this battle in the eastern battlefront. The reason for this was because the Ronante-Oroban Alliance was not necessarily a strong force, while the fact that RD¡¯s unexpected strategy of Rubberpunk convinced the other yers that RD was a morepetent yer than they thought, capable of ying their own part alone.


    ¡®It¡¯s just that RD has a strange stubbornness.¡¯


    Sung-Woon thoroughly discussed the power that ck Scale employed with RD.


    "...Oh, so you¡¯re saying that if we lost the three apostles from the eastern battlefront, there would be no one who could immediately make up for their ces, right?¡±


    "Yes. Gordius and Polpura should be enough."


    RD then continued to say, "Is the war situation in the south bad by any chance? It looked fine until yesterday."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "No, it''s not because of that."


    "Then what?"


    "The leakage issue must be resolved."


    "Oh."


    In The Lost World, there were several phenomenons that were not easily understood, and the leakage issue was one of them. In this case, leakage referred to the yer''s Faith resources leaking, and it became a problem when the cause of the loss was unknown.


    Faith resources were continuously generated through the number of believers, their prayers, and faith-rted objects like temples, but at the same time, were also consumed through miracles, prophecies, and simr actions. Among them was the type of issue where Faith points were continuously consumed when creations were summoned to the real world.


    But even if all these consumptions were ounted for, there was still an unknown portion of Faith resources being consumed. This was the leakage issue.


    In past games of The Lost World, such leakage issues were considered a simple game error or random value that the yer was simply unaware of, and because the leakage wasn¡¯t great, the yers didn''t pay much attention to it.


    However, now it had be a significant problem for Sung-Woon. The yer Hegemonia, who was behind the Danly Union Empire that Sung-Woon¡¯s empire was facing, was fairly powerful.


    In Wisdom''s perspective, it was quite impressive for Hegemonia to maintain a fight with arge nation like ck Scale and also once have their own territory on each of the four continents.


    Moreover, the Hegemonia possessed the Unique Domain: War. Whenever Hegemonia used a small amount of Faith points, conflict and disorder would arise in a specific region, which would sometimes escte into war. And the special forces known as Fang were the ones to fuel these situations. Not only that, but Hegemonia also possessed specialized abilities rted to the act of war itself. Normally, an army would be considered wiped out if it lost even twenty percent of the troops. However, troops that received Hegemonia¡¯s miracles were able to continue fighting with even greater losses.


    Therefore, it was necessary for Sung-Woon to revise the doctrine of war when facing Hegemonia¡¯s army. In the process of ck Scale going back and forth with Danly in who took the upper hand of the war, the leakage issue was very important. Faith points were a crucial resource for war, and if this issue could be resolved, it was calcted that ck Scale could break the standoff and overpower Danly.


    Especially now, the amount of Faith point leakage from the Pantheon was significant enough to be worrisome.


    RD said, "Are you sure you caught the loose thread?"


    "It¡¯s too early to say I¡¯m sure.¡±


    "Really?"


    "For now, I think it might have something to do with the Vampires."


    "The Vampires? Those species that the Evil God made?¡±


    "Not made, more like...well, let''s just put it that way. Go back to resting for now."


    RD said, ¡°Why don''t youe and rest too?¡±


    Sung-Woon turned around and waved his hand.


    After Sung-Woon left RD¡¯s room, he opened his system window. The window showed a bird¡¯s view of the city of Vaseniol. What the bird was looking at was a Vampire.


    ¡°Ramin Solost.¡±


    Beside Ramin was a status window, and even someone who had yed many games until now would find it strange. The individual''s history contained details that were difficult for Sung-Woon to believe.


    He murmured, "There are so many things that I don¡¯t know about even after ying this long.¡±


    ***


    Ramin briefly nced up at the parrot perching on the rooftop railing of a building before she continued walking.


    Parrots weremon birds in Vaseniol.


    ¡®They said the twelfth storage in the third warehouse.¡¯


    There were two main depots in Vaseniol. One was located at the north gate, where goods were unloaded whenever the Moving Castle came. Today was the day that the Moving Castle came, so most of Vaseniol¡¯s merchants and workers would be there.


    The other main warehouse was by the west gate, and this one was for aircrafts. Because Yobuen was a high teau, the railway from the north couldn¡¯t be established here. Therefore, the military base for mass storage of military supplies was also by the west gate, and it was fairly big as it also served as a transportation hub for merchants and other people because the Moving Castle only came by Vaseniol about once a month.


    Fortunately, the third depot wasn¡¯t a military storage but a regr one, so aside from the entrance, there wasn¡¯t much security.


    ¡®But I¡¯ll still have to get over the fence.¡¯


    Ramin walked past the Rakshasas who were standing guard at the entrance and continued to walk along the fence, all the way to the point where there weren¡¯t any other vehicles, rubber-powered carriages, or people. Then she made sure no one was there and went over the fence.


    ¡®Is this the ce?¡¯


    All the buildings were marked withrge numbers, so it was easy to find the right storage. Arge padlock was hanging on the door, and the key given to her by the agent fit perfectly, making a click. As she opened the door and went inside, it was very dark. It seemed like an ordinary storage area. Stacks of wooden crates were everywhere, and apart from that, there was nothing particrly unusual.


    ¡®What does this have to do with anything?¡¯


    After some time, the Fang agent putting a de to her throat felt like a foolish prank. She had the thought that perhaps someone from her university had yed an unpleasant joke on her and considered if she should just leave, but then she spotted a crowbar on one side of the door.


    ¡®Well, they did give me the key to check, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to just open some of them and see.¡¯


    Ramin dragged out one of the heavy boxes and used the crowbar to open the lid that was nailed down. Inside, she found something she hadn''t expected.


    ¡®A ss bottle...? There''s something inside.¡¯


    Specifically, it was a cylindrical ss tube, sealed at the top and bottom with brass tes.


    ¡®Wait, this is¡­¡¯


    Ramin picked up the bottle and walked towards the entrance where it was brighter, holding it up to the sunlight. Then she almost dropped the bottle in surprise. The bottle was filled with red smoke.


    The war between ck Scale and Danly led to many inventions. Among them, the greatest inventionsy in weapons. Schrs from ck Scale and Danly pondered how to kill more people, leading to the creation of efficient mass-killing weapons that people in the past wouldn¡¯t have even imagined. Among them, there was a weapon known to have been used in ancient times, which was then recreated.


    ''The Zombie epidemic.''


    The red smoke in the bottle was a symbol of the Zombie epidemic.


    Ramin looked around the storage in disbelief. All the boxes were the same shape.


    ''Everything inside those boxes are¡­ No, it can''t be.''


    Ramin examined the box she had just opened. The contents inside that box alone couldpletely destroy Vaseniol if they were shattered in various parts of the city because Zombies spread on their own.


    Ramin hesitantly put the bottle back in ce, loosely closed the box, locked the storage door, and climbed over the fence again to leave.


    ¡®It¡¯s true.¡¯


    There was no way around thinking that.


    Ramin decided to return home to organize her thoughts. As Ramin returned to Vaseniol and was heading home, she heard a voice.


    ¡°Ramin Solost?¡±


    Ramin turned to the familiar voice. It was a Frogman wearing a suit. Their skin was turquoise. Usually, recognizing the face of another species wasn¡¯t easy, but due to the dark pattern above their eyes, Ramin was able to recognize them immediately.


    ¡°Oh, Gorgota?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I''ve been looking for you. Due to the Moving Castle arriving unexpectedly early, I had to adjust the regr supervision schedule."


    "Oh, I see."


    "You weren''t home. I thought you''d head straight home after sses."


    Ramin¡¯s mind raced. Gorgota Falu was Ramin''s supervisor. The reason why Ramin had a supervisor was because ording to ck Scale¡¯s standards, she was someone who required close monitoring. The empire no longer killed Vampires, but they still kept a close watch on them.


    ¡°I went on a walk around the airport because the weather was so nice today.¡±


    ¡°Even though you¡¯re a Vampire?¡±


    ¡°Old habits don¡¯t vanish easily. Humans like sunny weather.¡±


    "Hmm."


    Noting the suspicious look on Gorgota¡¯s face, Ramin shook her hand.


    "Actually, it''s because of the Moving Castle."


    "Because of the Moving Castle?"


    "My attic lets in all the noise from the streets. I thought I might head back home after the excitement dies down. But that doesn''t seem to be of much use."


    A group of children passed by the two of them, chattering noisily. Then, on the other side, a steam car let out smoke and rolled out down the road.


    Gorgota nodded.


    "I am very sorry that our institution couldn¡¯t provide you with a better living environment."


    "Oh, I¡¯m already grateful that you¡¯re paying my boarding expenses.¡±


    ¡°Should we go to your room now, if that¡¯s okay with you?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    As Ramin led the way, she calmed her trembling heart.


    ''Gorgota couldn''t have noticed, right?''


    The Parallel Nation was an institution that resolved conflicts between various species and addressed unique issues that each species faced. For example, an ointment called the Delluba ointment was given to the Frogmen every month. This ointment helped maintain moisture in the Frogmens'' skin, allowing them to livefortably even outside rivers andkes.


    asionally, outsiders who hade from outside of ck Scale, which were species that didn¡¯t receive Night Sky¡¯s blessings, were given medicinal waters to control their violence or enhance their social functioning. However, for some species, the institution was tasked to surveil them rather than showing them consideration, and that was the case for Vampires.


    Regr supervision was never a pleasant thing.


    Once they reached the house, Gorgota took out a file, looked around the ce, and said, "Since you''ve been through this a lot now, please answerfortably."


    "Yes."


    "Do you possess any deware such as daggers or axes that could be used as weapons?¡±


    "No."


    "This time, the question is about firearm possession. We¡¯ll go through them one by one¡­ Do you possess a firearm that uses gunpowder?"


    "No."


    "Do you have a rubber-powered firearm?"


    "No."


    "Do you have a magically powered firearm?"


    "No."


    Gorgota nodded and checked each question off one by one.


    Just when Ramin thought the questioning was over, Gorgota asked another question.


    ¡°Ramin, this is thest question. Have you ever met a suspicious person that hid their identity?"


    Ramin replied, "Oh, that''s new."


    "We added it recently. We received an order."


    Gorgota showed the file that disyed the printed question.


    "Anyway, have you ever had such an encounter?"


    Ramin answered, "...No."

 Chapter 178: My Answer Is

    Chapter 178: My Answer Is


    Gorgota Falu stopped moving the fountain pen and nced at Ramin Solost.


    Then Gorgota cheerfully checked off the question.


    "Very well. The regr check isplete with this. It seems you haven''t purchased any other significant items, so I won''t take a separate look around because I trust you, Ramin.¡±


    Ramin shrugged as if saying ¡®of course.¡¯


    Gorgota looked through the messenger bag and pulled out a box that took up most of the space.


    ¡°This is for the next month.¡±


    "...Thank you."


    Ramin pretended not to be interested and ced the box on the desk. However, she couldn''t help but picture what was inside.


    The box contained vials of people¡¯s blood.


    Vampires were divided into several ranks, depending on how close they were to the first vampire, the Demon Queen Shaiven. The lowest-ranking Vampires could survive to some extent without people¡¯s blood, but they couldn''t be healthy, and Vampires higher in rank required people¡¯s blood without exception.


    This dietary habit was one of the biggest issues in the process of the empire epting Vampires. Vampires'' very existence literally demanded blood from other species. Therefore, while Werewolves from the first continent were epted as part of society simply by regrly consuming medicinal water to control their violent urges, it took longer for Vampires to be epted.


    Fortunately, with time, this matter was somewhat resolved. As medicine advanced, the jobs of doctors and institutions called hospitals emerged naturally. The ongoing wars led to frequent surgeries, and these hospitals required blood. And as ces for the cirction and storage of blood emerged, the empire was ready to ept Vampires. Since there wasn¡¯t a great number of Vampires, they didn''t burden the blood supply in hospitals.


    With their newfound confidence in keeping Vampires under control, the empire conducted an investigation to track down the Vampired.


    ¡®Not sure if I should say I¡¯m lucky or unlucky.¡¯


    The conditions the empire presented were shocking. They tore apart thews that had deemed the mere existence of Vampires illegal and, above all, decided to grant amnesty for unproven criminal allegations. At a nce it seemed like the obvious thing to do, but this decision shed with the public¡¯s perception.


    ¡®Because the existence of Vampires means that they survived while harming other people.¡¯


    Initially, there were bacshes arguing that punishment should just be adjusted in proportion to the lifespan of the Vampire. However, opinions favoring cing Vampires and managing them in well-seen regions instead of shaded ces gained strength. Despite the possibility of bing cruel due to the prolonged war, the priests of the Pantheon raised their voices and protested for Vampires¡¯ rights.


    However, Ramin didn¡¯t feel particrly grateful towards them.


    Ramin instinctively looked at the box. The blood vials were sealed with a stopper spell until opened, and as Gorgota had mentioned, there was only about a month''s supply.


    ¡®They¡¯re a kind of shackle.¡¯


    And these supervision processes were followed by embarrassing procedures.


    Gorgota Falu, the employee of the Parallel Nation, then said, "I''ll just do thest check and leave."


    "Okay.¡±


    ¡°Please say eeee.¡±


    Ramin did so.


    Gorgota then took out a ruler smaller than their palm and brought it to Ramin¡¯s fangs.


    "Not much has grown yet. But you might need to extract them next month."


    Vampires could use venom from their two fangs to turn individuals of other species into their own kind. Obviously, the empire didn''t view the increase in the Vampire poption as a good thing, but unfortunately, even if Vampires extracted their fangs, they continued to grow back, and it didn¡¯t even take that long.


    When these fangs were extracted, an anesthetic was administered, but extracting them caused excruciating pain, both physically and psychologically. A Kobold doctor who studied the strange field called psychology concluded that this was because Vampire fangs could correspond to the reproductive organs of other species.


    Gorgota put the ruler away and wrote down the length of Ramin¡¯s fangs.


    "I''ll make sure not to forget and go to the hospital."


    "Alright. Well then, see you in a month."


    As Gorgota closed the door and left, Ramin sat at her desk with both hands grabbing her head and let out a frustrated growl. It was due to her worry.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I say anything?¡¯


    Ramin med herself, but at the same time, she knew why she hadn''t told Gorgota about the countless bottles of the Zombie epidemic she had seen in the storage.


    ¡®There¡¯s no other way. This is the right thing.¡¯


    Ramin then opened the box that she received from Gorgota and opened one of the vials filled with red blood. Due to the stopper spell, the warmth of the blood¡¯s donor still remained. Ramin then emptied the vial.


    ***


    A few dayster, after returning home, Ramin found a paper note wedged in the windowsill.


    Come to the empty factory with the blue roof in the southeast industrial area tonight at 12:00.


    It was the contact from the Fang agent she had been waiting for.


    For self-defense, Ramin then grabbed the wooden cane that she used to prop herself up when her anemia was particrly bad.


    The empty factory that was described in the note was easy to find. As she entered the factory, she heard a voiceing from beneath the dim gas lighting.


    ¡°You¡¯vee on time.¡±


    The voice came from the mask Ramin had seen before. But besides the red mask, there were five other agents dressed simrly.


    The one in the red mask said, "Have you checked the gift we gave you?"


    "Yes."


    "Are you willing to join us for a great cause? If so, we''ll tell you the detailed n and tasks you need to perform. Of course, we''ll also let you know what rewards you''ll receive afterpleting the tasks. No..."


    The red-masked figure chuckled and continued to say, "Maybe an answer isn''t necessary. One of our agents saw a supervisor at your home. It seems you didn''t mention anything about the items in the storage since there was no movement from ck Scale¡¯s intelligence agency.¡±


    "That¡¯s right. I didn''t tell them about it."


    "Still, we need a definite answer. Will you join us?"


    Without answering, Ramin walked towards the person in the red mask.


    The person wearing the red mask slightly tilted their head, as if puzzled.


    Then another Fang agent approached Ramin and tried to stop her.


    "Hey, stop."


    But Ramin quickened her pace instead. The agent, seemingly bewildered, drew their sword and pressed it against Ramin''s throat.


    "How dare you...!"


    Then Ramin swung her cane downward. At least, that was what it looked like. However, when Ramin¡¯s cane and the sword crossed, she struck the agent¡¯s sword upward, and the agent lost their grip of the sword.


    The sword spun through the air and fell towards Ramin. Ramin easily caught it with her left hand and simultaneously took a step with her left foot, thrusting the sword forward. The disarmed agent didn''t even notice the swording at them from outside their field of view. It plunged into the agent''s throat and then came out, and Ramin took a step back.


    Everything had happened in a single breath.


    The agent who got pierced in their throat btedly dropped to their knees and copsed, all the while spilling bubbly blood on the ground. Then a puddle of blood began to spread.


    "What the...?"


    Taken aback, the agents only began to draw their swords now.


    The one in the red mask said, "...What are you doing?"


    Ramin replied, "My answer is no."


    "What?"


    The person in the red mask tilted their chin slightly at Ramin as if there was nothing else to hear from her.


    "...Catch her. If she doesn''t want toply, we''ll just make her want to."


    Then the other agents ran toward Ramin. However, without even having to block the swords, Ramin moved her body and avoided three attacks with footwork alone. Then she swung the sword again and severed the neck of another agent. The agents who were about to attack again hesitated and stepped back.


    Ramin cast her cane backward, kicked the hilt of the sword the agent had dropped with her foot, and caught it with her right hand.


    "You know nothing about me."


    Ramin took off her hood.


    "I''ll be 120 years old next year."


    "...?"


    "I learned to wield a sword before the empire was unified, and after the age of adventure began, I yed and killed monsters on thisnd. You all probably weren''t even born yet. I''ve been wielding a sword for over a hundred years.¡±


    "...What?"


    Ramin continued to say, "You picked the wrong person to mess with."


    Except for the one in the red mask, the three agents approached Ramin.


    ¡®Are they trying to go for my blind spots?¡¯


    The standard approach would be to strike before the opponent could make a move. However, Ramin waited until they surrounded her.


    ¡®That way, I can kill all three of them at once.¡¯


    The first iing strike was a sword that went for her back. Ramin twisted her body sideways and avoided it. Then as her right hand moved, she shed the first opponent¡¯s throat. The artery was cut and blood spurted out, covering Ramin in red.


    Then the second sword aimed for Ramin''s thigh, and the third sword came toward her chest. Using the sword in her left hand, Ramin sliced the hand that was holding the second sword attacking her. Her body easily turned, and the sword that the first attacker used with their right hand went toward the third opponent. The opponent attacked faster, and Ramin, who had already shed two opponents, waste, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    Ramin turned her body and transferred that rotational force to the sword in her right hand, and then she let go of the sword in the direction it wanted to go. The sword released like a thrown spear and pierced through the third opponent''s chest without rotating.


    "..."


    The person in the red mask wasn''t as foolish as Ramin expected. They took out a pistol and aimed it at Ramin.


    ¡®A rubber pistol!¡¯


    Shaped like several cylindrical tubes, the pistol consisted of rubber that was meant to be stretched and a small wedge that was held by the rubber. When the trigger was pulled, the rubber released, and the wedge shot out.


    Ping!


    Ramin instantly covered the gun¡¯s muzzle with a sword. The wedge hit the de, and Ramin lost her grip of it.


    ¡®Darn.¡¯


    Ramin then instinctively rolled sideways to dodge the next wedge bullet. But it never came.


    As Ramin looked up, she saw the person in the red mask escaping through the factory¡¯s exit.


    ¡°What a fool.¡±


    Ramin picked up the sword she had dropped and was going to go after the masked agent. Well, she would if she hadn¡¯t heard a familiar voice then.


    ¡°Ramin Solost.¡±


    Ramin turned around. A Frogman entered the factory from a different entrance.


    "You don''t need to chase after them. Other agents from the intelligence agency are chasing them.¡±


    ¡°What, why are you here¡­?¡±


    Gorgota Falu was surprised and said, "Well, I don''t even know how to exin this. Honestly speaking, I suspected you, Ramin Solost. There were rumors that Fang was active in Vaseniol. I already knew about the Zombie gue in the storage in the west. And I also knew that you lost me on purpose and went out of Vaseniol and returned. So I thought that was suspicious.¡±


    Gorgota looked at the dead bodies around them and continued to say, ¡°But it seems I got it wrong."


    "...I¡¯m not crazy enough to turn Vaseniol into a Zombie pit like the western pit. No, before that...you¡¯re from the intelligence agency?"


    Gorgota raised their index finger and replied, ¡°Ramin, let''s take it step by step. Allow me to ask you a question first. Why didn''t you tell me anything? Why did you try to handle this on your own?"


    Ramin furrowed her eyebrows and got lost in thought. But as if she couldn¡¯t find a suitable way to exin, she just blurted out what came to mind. That actually seemed more like the truth.


    "...I was following the will of Night Sky."


    "What?"


    Ramin avoided Gorgota¡¯s gaze and looked up.


    ¡°Night Sky said not to be satisfied with following their will but to achieve greater value."


    "Well, that''s..."


    "So I thought of a good way to protect the empire, as well as my financial conditions.¡±


    The corners of Gorgota''s mouth drooped.


    Even Ramin, who was a different species, was able to tell that the Frogman was basically asking with the expression, ¡®What the hell do you mean?¡¯

 Chapter 179: Vampire of Automation

    Chapter 179: Vampire of Automation


    Ramin Solost said, ¡°It¡¯s because you are less faithful. A faithful believer of Night Sky like me would naturally think this way.¡±


    Gorgota Falu spread their hands and said, "Let''s stop talking about that¡­ First, what¡¯s with the sword?"


    Surprised, Ramin dropped the sword she had been holding.


    "It''s not mine. I borrowed it for a moment."


    "I''m not talking about the sword itself, but about your swordsmanship. I''ve never seen anyone move like that in my entire life."


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the only time an official of the Parallel Nation would see swordsmanship when watching a theatrical performance?¡±


    Gorgota took something out of their pocket. It looked like a small leather notebook, and when they opened it, there was a white embroidered pattern of a Lizardman''s face. It symbolized the Hunting Minister, Deyanin, who founded the first intelligence agency.


    "...So, you are from the intelligence agency?"


    "I used to be a soldier. I had to take on rear tasks due to injuries, and luckily there was an open position in the intelligence agency. Thanks to that, I ended up working for the intelligence agency instead of being discharged."


    Ramin took a nce at Gorgota. Although it was purely based on the rumors she had heart, it was said that the intelligence agency wasn''t a ce you could just easily get a spot in.


    "So, you being assigned to me wasn''t just an extension of the Parallel Nation task?"


    "Correct. Of course, most Vampires are overseen by the Parallel Nation. But the intelligence agency instructed me to look into you. Up until now, I didn''t know the exact reason. You were just designated as a dangerous person by the higher-ups, but when I checked where that came from, it was oddly linked to the Pantheon rather than the empire¡¯s secretary office. Now that I see it, the gods seem to have taken an interest in you, Ramin."


    Ramin shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯m not a person to be interested in.¡±


    "Let''s talk about the details in my office."


    "...But I haven''t done anything wrong."


    Gorgota pointed at the dead bodies.


    "You''re joking, right?"


    Shoulders drooping, Ramin followed Gorgota.


    ***


    Sung-Woon and all the other yers saw Ramin Solost fighting.


    Crampus said, "...Where did something like thate from?"


    Then Jang-Wan checked Ramin''s stats and history and said, "She really lived for 120 years. Her swordsmanship skill is at level 4."


    "Level 4? ...Isn¡¯t that a sword master or something? Neb, did you know Vampires could live this long?"


    Sung-Woon shook his head, "I''ve only seen it recently too. Vampires usually die quickly."


    Currently, the average lifespan of a Vampire was only about four years. Some managed to live for around a decade, which raised the average lifespan, but most died within a few years. The median was even lower than four years. This was due to the world''s negative view on Vampires.


    Outside the empire, it was still customary to kill Vampires and Werewolves on sight. While it was confirmed that Vampires don''t age, their actual lifespan hadn¡¯t been confirmed.


    Species like Elves and Dwarves lived longer than Humans or Lizardmen, but their average lifespan still doesn''t exceed 90 years. This was partly due to the ongoing war, but it was also because medicine hadn¡¯t advanced that far yet. In The Lost World, the development of specific medical fields were dyed. Different species had varying susceptibilities to diseases, and the methods of treatment also varied.


    "Just because a species can live long doesn''t mean every individual will. This is truly an exceptional case,"


    Crampus checked the stats window and said, ¡°The other abilities are also evenly high. This should be more than enough to consider her an exceptional person. She should have actually had an ability penalty because she¡¯s a fourth generation Vampire.¡±


    ¡°That probably means she didn¡¯t live carelessly for the past 120 years,¡± Sung-Woon said. ¡°I only discovered this very recently as well. The basic trend regarding Vampires has changed within the empire, and Vampires have starteding to surface"


    Wisdom said, ¡°I must admit she is an unusual individual, and also strange. But we already have many individuals with exceptional attributes and skills that are a burden to manage. Is there a specific reason you paid attention to her?"


    Sung-Woon replied, ¡°Everyone, look at the very top of Ramin Solost¡¯s history.¡±


    As they did, quiet and loud exmations escaped their mouths.


    ***


    ¡°...Hwee-Kyung, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ramin said, ¡°Hwee-Kyung was the one who bit my neck. I don¡¯t have any regrets since I was dying at the time anyway.¡±


    In one of the meeting rooms in Vaseniol¡¯s intelligence agency, Gorgota shook their head in disbelief.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s the Hwee-Kyung I know of? The legendary rich merchant who lived in the time of Lakrak?¡±


    "That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same Hwee-Kyung who was there when Night Sky defeated the one they were angry with?¡±


    "Yes. That''s right."


    "Um, but¡­I heard that Hwee-Kyung died."


    Ramin was also familiar with the legend of Hwee-Kyung. Hwee-Kyung inherited Automation through the victory of Night Sky and continued to grow with the support of ck Scale. Apart from the four famous waterwheels, there were stories that she also made an organization which only merchants could join, but the most famous story was still about Hwee-Kyung¡¯s final moments.


    It was well known that Hwee-Kyung became ill at a young age. She had a lung disease, which seemed to be a hereditary illness from her maternal side. But regardless, even during her illness, Hwee-Kyung excelled at her duties more than anyone else. She brought unprecedented wealth to Automaton.


    However, when it became known that Hwee-Kyung was sick, people within Automation could no longer regard Hwee-Kyung in a wholly positive light because she still didn¡¯t have any children at that time. In particr, opposition was bad from the four royal families as well as the Hwee family because if Hwee-Kyung, the owner of the Automaton, were to suddenly die, ownership of Automaton would pass into the hands of someone else within the Automaton, rather than within the Hwee family.


    Stability was always required for power. But Hwee-Kyung had her reasons. She had someone she loved. His name was Sairan Muel, another famous figure. He was not only an exceptional warrior but also a schr and one of the chosen ones, but if there was one issue about him, it was that he was a Lizardman. Obviously, there could be no offspring between Humans and Lizardmen.


    This was a problem for ck Scale as well. Their alliance with Automation began with the meeting of Hwee-Kyung and Sairan, but as time went on, the stakes of Automation in ck Scale grew considerably. Though there was no intent to take the sessor''s position, Automaton was where the most foreigners gathered in ck Scale, and if Hwee-Kyung were to die and Automaton was to fall into someone else¡¯s hands, that would lead to a major issue.


    Lakrak apathetically suggested that she could just bring in a second husband, but Hwee-Kyung refused. Despite the pressure, she stood firm. Although she was a lung disease patient, Hwee-Kyung was at her peak at that time, and she had grown enough to handle any kind of battle or conspiracy. So all that the four royal families, the Hwee family, and ck Scale could hope for was for Hwee-Kyung to somehow endure her lung disease for a long time.


    But then, the one nobody had expected to make a move did.


    Sairan Muel left Hwee-Kyung. Details about the reasons were not well known, but there were several spections. One of them was that Sairan was disappointed in Hwee-Kyung, who couldn''t let go of power. Another was that Lakrak ordered Sairan to leave Hwee-Kyung for the future of ck Scale, or alternatively, it could have just been a simple change of heart, like many ordinary love stories. Of course, the theory people favored and found most usible was the following:


    Sairan Muel knew that Automaton was being shaken and that Hwee-Kyung was under attack from the other families because of himself, and Sairan wanted Hwee-Kyung to have a second husband and be happy. In order for that to happen, he had to leave her.


    Hwee-Kyung tried every method to find Sairan, but she couldn''t. There were also rumors that Sairan had died. It was an era where one couldn''t be found if they left for the wilderness and wandered around, so Hwee-Kyung eventually gave up and married her second husband. He was a person from the Gyo family and an old friend of Hwee-Kyung¡¯s. And he was one of the few people that couldfort and understand her.


    Soon, a child was born between them, and Hwee-Kyung gave the child the name Muel. Only then did the four families pledge allegiance to Hwee-Kyung once again. Despite appearing fine on the surface, Hwee-Kyung''s heart was rotting because Sairan never showed up again.


    The reason behind Sairan''s departure, or perhaps the true reason, was only revealed after Sairan''s dead body was discovered. Sairan had written several books in seclusion and left behind a letter before taking his own life. While the letter mostly contained numerous apologies to Hwee-Kyung, there were some hints.


    ¡®By the will of God.¡¯


    This meant that Night Sky had demanded Sairan to leave. However, it was emphasized that Night Sky only demanded Sairan to leave Hwee-Kyung, and that he hadn¡¯t told him to kill himself. Like the others who followed Night Sky, Sairan only tried to aplish more than Night Sky¡¯s intentions. He believed that if he died, Hwee-Kyung would never find him.


    However, Sairan had underestimated a part of Hwee-Kyung. Although it was unknown what emotionspelled Hwee-Kyung to do so, she nned to overturn everything that had happened until then. That was to be a Vampire.


    There were ancient legends about Vampires. Vampires didn''t die from diseases and didn''t age. With this transformation, Automaton would forever be Hwee-Kyung¡¯s. So she became a Vampire. Of course, nobody epted this. While it was a tool to stabilize power, leaving a sessor and possessing eternal power were different things.


    The four families and the Hwee family turned against Hwee-Kyung. At that time, there was no support for a Vampire. Hwee-Kyung only had a small number of people who had admired her from long ago, Goblins who promised to risk their lives for her, her second husband, andstly, Automaton''s mud soldiers. That was about the entirety of her supporters.


    The fight was fierce,parable to the previous sessor fight, and the oue was terrible. In the end, it was said that Hwee-Kyung cursed Night Sky while dying.


    This story became a famous anecdote that love couldn''t continue if the species were different.


    Ramin shook her head.


    "She at least didn¡¯t die then. She probably did curse Night Sky, but she survived and bit my neck."


    Gorgota looked skeptical, perhaps due to the fact that they didn¡¯t know an old legend would interfere with their mission.


    Ramin added, "So, my real name is Ramin Solost Muel. She told me I was her real child.¡±


    ***


    Lunda said, ¡°Did you know she was alive?¡±


    ¡°I did see her running away.¡±


    ¡°You would¡¯ve been able to kill her.¡±


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    ¡°Yeah, I probably could¡¯ve killed her. I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t.¡± Sung-Woon then continued to say, ¡°Afterward, Hwee-Kyung hid in one of your territories. But even after unification, she wasn''t found. That means..."


    "She went to another continent?¡±


    "Exactly. Ramin was also a Human from the second continent."


    Lunda lightly pped.


    "Oh, I get it.¡±


    "Get what?¡±


    ¡°The reason why you didn¡¯t kill Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    ¡°What do you think it is?¡±


    Lunda gave him a slightly mischievous smile and leaned closer to Sung-Woon¡¯s mask.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because Hwee-Kyung cursing you would seem like she abandoned her faith?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°If Hwee-Kyung, who abandoned her faith, died, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see Sairan again. Isn¡¯t that why you weren¡¯t able to kill her? Because we don¡¯t know where souls without faith go.¡±


    Sung-Woon slowly nodded.


    "...That might¡¯ve been the case.¡±

 Chapter 180: Third Apostle Seat

    Chapter 180: Third Apostle Seat


    Wisdom said, ¡°But that would mean Hwee-Kyung still hasn¡¯t abandoned her faith.¡±


    AR1026 asked, ¡°What does that mean?


    "Neb talked about the leakage issue. If there was any kind of leakage, that would be because Hwee-Kyung still believes in Neb. That''s the only way Hwee-Kyung could have had a connection with Neb¡­ Neb, does Hwee-Kyung also have the apostle ss?"


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ¡°Yes, she had it.¡±


    "Then she must still be alive somewhere. She¡¯s surviving somewhere and using the faith of the Pantheon as she pleases. And we haven''t found her because she''s not within our territory, and we can''t control her."


    Sung-Woon said, "That¡¯s likely true."


    The current Afterlife was quite systematically managed. If she exists, there was no way they would be unable to find her.


    Sung-Woon said, "I don''t think all the leakage problems are because of Hwee-Kyung; the amount of leakage is too significant for that to be true. There are probably more cases like Hwee-Kyung that we haven''t recognized."


    Then AR1026 asked, "But Neb, why is Hwee-Kyung still maintaining her faith? She probably doesn¡¯t like you that much.¡±


    "To be honest, I can''t be exactly sure about that part either. But based on our assumption, I have a guess of what kind of case it is."


    "Which is?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "A modified belief system."


    "Hm.¡±


    AR1026 nodded.


    The other yers seemed to somewhat understand as well. Modified belief systems weremon in The Lost World. One of the simplest examples was when the Astacideas in the Southern Archipgo worshiped Hillove¡ªthe white spider which was one of Sung-Woon¡¯s creations¡ªas a god when ck Scale upied only a small penins.


    Unlike apostles who were treated as quasi-gods, the fact that Hillove, a creation, was worshiped didn''t mean Hillove received Faith points. Instead, it was through Hillove that Sung-Woon gained Faith points. Ultimately, the Astacideas believed in Sung-Woon, and the process of conversion for the Astacideas to believe in Sung-Woon easily happened.


    A simr event urred during the exploration of the fourth continent. In The Lost World, these were called modified belief systems, and there were builds that actively utilized them.


    "Modified belief systems usually lead to integration, but it''s also possible for integration not to happen. If the yer didn''t intend it, then they may not find out about it until the end."


    Then Wisdom said, "Neb, this isn''t your own idea, right? I think I''ve seen a rted post somewhere."


    "Yes, you''re right. It was a spective post about why leakage problems ur."


    Crampus asked, "Exin the mechanism more urately. We understand the cause of the leakage, but in that case, wouldn¡¯t more Faith points be generated?"


    Wisdom''s head began to spin.


    "Yes, it¡¯s only one possibility. ording to that post, if a yer fails to monitor an individual with the ss of a chief priest or priest, that individual could be subject to gaining Faith points in other regions. In this case, their priest level would naturally rise. The problem is that over time, the amount of Faith points consumed would be greater than the amount of Faith points generated because as the priest¡¯s level rises, they could use more power ording to the rules the yer had set."


    "Is the opposite not possible?"


    Sung-Woon replied instead of Wisdom, "It''s not impossible, but if that happens, it means there are a noticeable number of believers. In that case, they would die at the hands of the god ruling that territory. To be honest, at this point..."


    Lunda pped Sung-Woon on the back.


    "No. Don''t say that. Don''t say bad things."


    "...What was I trying to say?"


    "Weren¡¯t you going to say you wish she would die?"


    "Exactly."


    Lunda furrowed her eyebrows because he ended up saying the words she was trying to prevent froming out of his mouth.


    Sung-Woon said, "But in my opinion, Hwee-Kyung is intelligent and won''t let ite to that. Even with a rough calction, she¡¯s lived for over 200 years. She surely knows where the gods are paying attention to and how to avoid them."


    Wisdom said, "Then we need to find Hwee-Kyung first. And themunity that Hwee-Kyung would be leading...is probably a Vampire n. We should find them and kill them, or¡­¡±


    When Lunda gave Wisdom a look meaning that he shouldn¡¯t say what he was going to say, Wisdom¡¯s head stopped spinning, and he said, "We just have to subdue her again. But I don''t know how we''re supposed to find her. If we haven''t found her until now, it seems difficult to find her going forward too."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "No, that''s not it. First, we have Hwee-Kyung''s Vampire descendant with us, and we also know about the bloodline born with antlers that came from Automation. Geographically, Ramin will guide us, and if we get close enough, the antlers, or I should say, the spirit of Demonic Magic that transferred to her descendants, would sense her."


    "The spirit of Demonic Magic will sense her?"


    "I asked Pzzt. Apparently, spirits embedded in the body like that can recognize the body they originated from before transferring."


    Lim Chun-Sik, who had been quietly listening until now, then said, "Hey, everyone seems to have missed the most important issue."


    "What is it?"


    "If Hwee-Kyung is on the second continent, doesn''t that mean those two would have to enter Hegemonia''s territory directly? Is there any chance they can even survive before finding her?¡±


    "That¡¯s an important point,¡± Sung-Woon replied, and then he raised three fingers.


    ¡°Three?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of sending the third apostle.¡±


    Currently, there were nine apostles in total in the Pantheon. Each of them were a significant force on their own.


    Eldar said, "But isn¡¯t the third apostle part of the forces on the eastern front?"


    "I asked RD. RD said it would be okay for the time being."


    Lim Chun-Sik replied, "Is it worth it?"


    "If we can get to the middle of Danly, there''s no rule saying we can¡¯t do anything else other than solving the leakage issue."


    Now, everyone seemed to be in agreement.


    Sung-Woon looked down at Vaseniol. The third apostle was on the move.


    ***


    Ramin Solost Muel said, "So when are you sending me home? Is the interrogation or hearing not finished?"


    "Well, that''s beyond my authority... It seems you''ll have to spend the night here today."


    Ramin asked incredulously, ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°We have a night-duty room, so things shouldn''t be too ufortable."


    "That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about.¡±


    "Well, let me show you where it is since it came up. Are you nning to have a meal¡­?"


    "Can you provide me with a meal?"


    "...I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Anyway, let¡¯s go."


    As Gorgota stood up, Ramin sighed and also got up.


    That''s when it happened.


    Bang!


    A massive explosion shook the intelligence department. The windows shattered from the impact, and both Gorgota and Ramin lowered themselves to the ground at the same time.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Yes, I guess. But what''s going on..."


    Before Ramin could finish her sentence, various sounds of gunfire, shouts, and fighting were heard from outside the window.


    Amidst the chaos, there were words that could be discerned.


    "It''s an attack!"


    Gorgota peered out the window for a moment, then pulled a revolver from their holster and spun the cylinder to check the bullets.


    "The guard post has been blown away. After that, about a hundred of those Fang bastards came in."


    "What? Is the intelligence agency really thatx?"


    "It seems they packed a car with explosives and detonated it before the inspection started."


    "Theymitted suicide?"


    "Yes. There¡¯s no measure in ce to respond to such a tactic, and there¡¯s nothing we can do when we¡¯re targeted like that¡­ These are the kind of enemies we face."


    Ramin said, "But why is the intelligence agency under attack?"


    Gorgota looked at her as if asking what she meant.


    "It''s an intelligence agency, what reason would there be for it not to be attacked? We''re in the middle of a war right now. It''s not strange no matter what the reason is."


    "...Hm."


    "Of course, I know what they''re aiming for. We moved the Zombie epidemic that those Fang Bastards kept to the basement of the intelligence agency building. After realizing it was gone, they must be nning to retrieve it and proceed with the event today."


    Ramin also briefly nced out the window and said, "Isn''t that dangerous?"


    "They''ll manage it well on their own. This is Vaseniol. The moment those guys cause trouble, they''re as good as dead."


    Gorgota crouched and walked down the corridor with quick steps, looking upwards. It sounded like footsteps wereing. Soon after, a gunshot was heard.


    "It seems like something''sing down from the rooftop."


    ¡°What?¡±


    "They seem to be using Helix Wings."


    Gorgota quickly scanned the corridor in both directions and said, "My task is to keep you here, but this time, I''ll use my discretion and try to escape from here with you. It would be great if the intelligence agency can hold things down, but currently, there are many undercover agents posing as intelligence agency staff, so..."


    "Undercover agents?"


    "The intelligence agency is moreplex than it appears. About half of them don''t even know they''re undercover agents themselves."


    "What about the other half?"


    "They believe they''re not undercover agents."


    Ramin thought Gorgota was probably telling an intelligence agency joke.


    They passed through the corridor and the central staircase.


    "Let''s head for the iron staircase outside. It''s on the opposite side from where the attack ising from, and since the guysing down from the rooftop will prioritize clearing the interior..."


    However, Gorgota then heard the sound of people running down the iron staircase.


    Gorgota pressed against the wall and said, "Stay behind me. I''ll handle this. When the door opens, lower yourself and..."


    But before Gorgota could finish speaking, Ramin opened the door first.


    Armed with a gun, a Fang agent wearing all ck with a goblin mask saw Ramin and stopped for a moment at the unexpected situation. Ramin then pulled out the sword from the agent''s hip and kicked the pit of their stomach.


    Thud!


    The Fang agent couldn''t even let out a scream before falling to the ground. The agent behind the first one reflexively raised their gun, but Ramin''s sword was faster. The hand holding the gun flew through the air.


    Then a third agent raised their gun and aimed at Ramin.


    Ramin jumped to the armless agent, using their body as cover, and then Gorgota appeared for their role. Two quick shots struck the head of the third and fourth agents, and the final shot went into the head of the armless agent.


    Ramin pushed the slumped body off the staircase and let it fall to the floor.


    Then she said, "I have another idea."


    "What is it?¡±


    "Since the rooftop is probably empty now, we could go up and use the Helix Wings they flew here with to escape. How does that sound?"


    The Frogman, Gorgota, replied, "But for that, both of us need to know how to operate Helix Wings."


    "You don''t know how?"


    "No."


    "Then let''s go up."


    The two of them passed through the building where gunfire was ongoing and climbed to the rooftop through the exterior staircase. As expected, there were several Helix Wings on the rooftop. Then just when they were about to get on the Helix Wings, Ramin pointed to the sky.


    "What''s that?"


    Something was descending toward the rooftop.


    "It looks like a bird."


    "No, that is¡­ That person is..."


    Before Gorgota could finish speaking, the winged figure lightly touched down.


    It was a Garuda. He naturally walked over to the two of them.


    Then Gorgota saluted.


    "Intelligence Agent No. 15, Gorgota Falu, greets the third apostle, Mazdari."

 Chapter 181: Different Species, But

    Chapter 181: Different Species, But


    Ramin Solost Muel had seen Garudas a few times before.


    The age of exploration was that kind of time. In the past, if one thought they couldn''t make a name for themselves in their homnd and had given up in frustration, there was always a chance to be famous in thisnd of opportunity. Even if it wasn¡¯t for killing monsters during exploration or discovering ancient ruins, if one established a reimednd, made a bond with an unfamiliar tribe, cultivated rare nts, or even seeded in digging wells, they would be considered heroes. Ramin was no different.


    Garudas were tall and quick, so they were a good species to gain fame as adventurers. Ramin had also witnessed Garudas retiring and returning to their homnd or settling down in this ce. Regardless of species, young Garudas were considered almost universally attractive¡ªWell, Frogmen and Deep Ones often found them threatening for some reason. Elderly Garudas, on the other hand, were a different story. It was sad to see their feathers fallen off, their visible wrinkles, and the tips of their beaks broken. Although they lived longer than smaller species, they didn''t live exceptionally long livespared to Humans.


    ¡®But this legendary Wizard...seems to have even deceived time.¡¯


    Certainly, this Wizard hadn¡¯t maintained his youthful appearance. If he had, Ramin would have thought this Garuda was a Vampire. His once dark brown feathers had now turned a pale gray. However, his neck feathers swelledrger than ever, and the gray feathers on his eyebrows and under their eyes contrasted close to white. His beak remained ck. He was tall even for a Garuda, as he was two meters and forty centimeters, and due to his broad shoulders, he could stand his ground even if he was to face a Troll.


    ¡°Let¡¯s save our greetings forter. I should deal with those pests.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    This Wizard was one of Night Sky¡¯s priests and third apostle of the Pantheon, and was also known as the Extraordinary One, the Great Wizard, and Staff of the Returner. Although the Garudas hadn''tpletely broken their curse of not being able to fly, Mazdari had ovee it to some extent. After building the Wizard Tower, Mazdari had gathered ancient knowledge from across the continent and taught future Wizards. And because he used that ancient knowledge to actively fulfill Night Sky¡¯s will, he instilled terror in all his enemies.


    But Mazdari also had a bad reputation. ording to rumors, in Danly, he was called the Feathered Nightmare, and although he had little to do with Crows, he was also known as the Corpse Crow. Just as crows would perch on branches and wait before a battle, battlefields where Mazdari was seen became terrifying for the enemy.


    Mazdari slightly nodded, epted Gorgota Falu''s salute, and then stared at Ramin. Ramin was taken aback.


    ¡®Huh? Does he know me?¡¯


    However, Mazdari closed his mouth and walked past Ramin without a word.


    Mazdari then said to Gorgota, ¡°Agent.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Mazdari began to draw something on the ground with his staff.


    "Do you know everyone in the intelligence agency?"


    "Yes, I do."


    "Could you recognize them from a distance by their silhouettes?"


    "Well..."


    "I hope you can. Fortunately, this isn¡¯t too difficult."


    Afterpleting his drawing of a magic circle, Mazdari tapped the center of it with his staff. Then the magic circle divided into quadrants, rose into the air, and glowed red. In an instant, all the noises, gunshots, screams inside and around the intelligence agency building as well as the voices buried in between vanished.


    Ramin was bewildered.


    ¡®Did he just block out all the sounds?¡¯


    Gorgota looked down from the rooftop and said, ¡°There is no one there. What just happened?¡±


    Mazdari pointed to the sky.


    "Don¡¯t look down, look up, agent. Check if there are any members from the intelligence agency. Right now, except for you two and me, everyone in this immediate area has been teleported one kilometer up."


    "Everyone?"


    "Yes, everyone."


    Gorgota and Ramin looked up at the sky.


    The sound of screams began to ring. At first, they thought it was the stars moving, but it was actually people falling.


    Mazdari said, "Those wearing masks and ck clothes would be the Danly agents. I''ll catch the rest, but if I miss anyone, point them out with your finger and let me know."


    "...Yes, sir! I understand."


    Mazdari scanned the sky and reached out into the empty space. Then, those who weren''t wearing masks and ck clothes¡ªthe intelligence agency personnel¡ªfloated like falling leaves and slowly began to descend, while the Fang agents mmed to the ground.


    Crack!


    Several screams became closer before stopping abruptly with the sound of bones breaking. In between, Gorgota pointed out the ones Mazdari had missed with their finger. About fifty Fang agents ttened when they fell to the ground, and the area fell silent again.


    Then the intelligence members, who had be weightless and were swaying back and forth,nded safely on the ground. A crowd gathered and chatted while looking at the rooftop, and as Mazdari raised and lowered his hand, Ramin btedly realized that those people had saluted to Mazdari. Then they scattered and began pointing at the fallen bodies on the ground or helping the injured.


    Ramin observed her surroundings.


    Some of the Fang agents had fallen onto the rooftop, sttering the floor with patches of dark red and littered it with dead bodies.


    Then Mazdari exined as if making excuses, "Killing each one individually would take too long, and others might suffer during that time. It¡¯s not like I could just erase all of them, so I sorted them out for easier ssification. Fortunately, it seems to have worked out well¡­ Oh, agent."


    "Yes?"


    "Did you think it would have been a good idea to leave some for interrogation? With my magic, I could temporarily bring the dead back to life to make them speak."


    Gorgota shook their head.


    ¡°No, Honorable Apostle. ording to our information, most Fang agents in Vaseniol are of low rank. None of them would have a direct connection to the mission director.¡±


    "Well, that''s probably true."


    Since Gorgota, who was an agent of the intelligence agency, knew that Mazdari was needed on the eastern front, Fang would likely have thought the same and never considered a scenario where Mazdari suddenly showed up.


    ¡®So they probably thought that inferior agents would be enough.¡¯


    The evidence of this was that none of the Fang agents had survived. None of them were equipped with magic blocker that could block specific types of magic once or twice; they would have possessed one if they were senior agents even though it was expensive.


    Considering the rtionship between the apostles and the intelligence agency, the surrounding situation would fall under Mazdari''s control once he gave the words. The intelligence agency received orders from the emperor, and the emperor sought to follow the will of the gods. Of course, the gods made their intentions clear for small matters, but they remained silent about the big picture.


    On the other hand, the apostles couldmunicate directly with the gods. While they also refrained from discussing the big picture, they could give direct orders to the emperor and intelligence agency. From the intelligence agency''s perspective, this was morefortable than waiting for the revtion of a high priest of the Pantheon.


    However, contrary to Gorgota''s thoughts, Mazdari walked in the opposite direction instead of going down to meet with the intelligence agency''s officials.


    Ramin was puzzled as Mazdari approached her.


    ¡°Um, what¡¯s going on?"


    "You look alike."


    "Pardon? With whom?"


    Mazdari was about to say something, but instead closed his beak and made a ck.


    "Never mind." Mazdari said, "Both of you,e to the western gate at dawn."


    Gorgota asked, "Both of us?"


    "Yes. You, you were a soldier, right? Didn¡¯t you fight on the eastern front?"


    "How did you know?"


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we met before?"


    Gorgota then replied as if that was unexpected to hear, ¡°Yes, that''s right. When our unit was stranded on the ind, you came to us, Honorable Apostle. I thought you might not remember since you just passed by."


    "You seemed quite skilled with a gun and have good eyesight. Thanks to that, I was able to spare those I shouldn''t have killed today. I probably would¡¯ve missed at least two."


    "...I¡¯m honored."


    "I need a capable agent."


    "I''ll do as you wish."


    Ramin then said, ¡°Wait. I have to go to school though.¡±


    "Do what you need to do."


    "What do you mean by that? There are only a few hours left until sunrise."


    "I have to go to the Wizard Tower right now."


    "Hey!"


    Gorgota wanted to admonish her for her rudeness, but upon more consideration, he realized that Ramin was roughly the same age as Mazdari. Suddenly, Gorgota was hit with a bewildering feeling.


    Mazdari ignored Ramin as if she was annoying him and walked toward the railing.


    "Excuse me? I''ve been living a good life, you know?"


    Mazdari turned around on the railing and looked at Gorgota.


    Then he pointed at Ramin and said, "Agent, you are responsible for bringing her there. She¡¯s the reason we¡¯re setting out on this trip."


    Gorgota then made a sharp salute.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Ramin looked back and forth between the two of them with an incredulous expression.


    As Mazdari leaped into the sky and flew away, even that became challenging.


    ***


    Many things had happened by dawn.


    Since Mazdari left without any follow-up, Gorgota had to exin what kind of magic Mazdari had used and whatmands needed to be given. And in the early hours, to deal with matters of Ramin taking time off school and the travel procedures for Vampires that were set by the Parallel Nation, both of them had to visit the homes of professors, university staff, and assessment officials of the Parallel Nation, waking them up one by one to give them intelligence agency notebooks. After finishing all that, the sun was beginning to rise.


    Then the two of them hurriedly got into a car and headed to the western gate. Gorgota hoped that nothing like this would happen, but Mazdari was already waiting at the gate. There was also another person next to Mazdari, but their hood covered their face.


    As the car came to a stop, Mazdari said, "You''rete."


    "We apologize."


    "It doesn''t matter. You brought the car, which is good. Drive us to the airport."


    "Pardon?"


    With that, Mazdari and the other person got into the backseat of the car. Gorgota seemed taken aback, but started driving right away. The arcane-powered vehicle began to move slowly.


    "Are we getting on an airship?"


    "Yes."


    "...It''s not a secret we can¡¯t know about until the end, is it?"


    Mazdari replied, "I nned to exin after boarding the airship, but I guess it doesn''t matter. We''re going to the western continent."


    "Pardon?"


    Here, ¡®Western continent¡¯ typically referred to Orazen, and the name had be widely epted due to the southern continent. To the yers, however, the western continent typically referred to the continent dominated by Danly, which was the second continent.


    "Then we''ll head north and take a ship to the maind..."


    "No. We''re going south."


    "...South?"


    "You should know that thisnd is round, right? If we head south from the southern continent, we''ll eventually reach the northern part of the western continent."


    "Ah, I do know that, but...isn¡¯t there a problem?"


    "What problem are you talking about?"


    When Gorgota hesitated, Ramin interrupted and said, "We have to cross the frontlines!"


    "That¡¯s right. We''re crossing the battlefield."


    "What do you mean by..."


    Mazdari furrowed his eyebrows.


    "I''m not sure what you''re trying to say. It''s the shortest route. The whole empire is a battlefield on all sides anyway. No matter where we go, we¡¯ll have to cross a battlefield."


    "No, before that, why do I have to go to Danly?"


    Mazdari''spanion, who had remained silent until now, said, "Noonim[1]."


    "...Noonim?"


    "We''re going to meet Hwee-Kyung. She''s my ancestor, and she would be your parent."


    Ramin then asked one of the three questions she was most confused about, ¡°Hold on, why am I your noonim?¡±


    Mazdari''spanion removed their hood, revealing a young Human man. However, what stood out about him were the antlers above his forehead.


    "My name is Hwee Juran Muel. Since we share a name, aren''t we family?"


    1. Noonim is a term in Korean used by males to call or refer to females older than themselves ?

 Chapter 182: Thunderstrider

    Chapter 182: Thunderstrider


    ¡®Family.¡¯


    Ramin Solost Muel stared at the man who introduced himself as Hwee Juran Muel. The pair of antlers on his head felt somewhat familiar to Ramin. Those were the very antlers that Hwee-Kyung had in the distant past. So to Ramin, it seemed usible that Hwee-Kyung was his ancestor.


    Therefore, she raised a different question, "The assumption is wrong. I don''t consider Hwee-Kyung my parent. Vampires don''t see the person who made them a Vampire as a parent just because they made them a Vampire.¡±


    "Then how do you see her?"


    ¡°Uh, well¡­ It¡¯splicated. I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    "Can¡¯t you at least say if you lean more toward positive or negative about it?"


    "If you insist on framing it as positive or negative, it''s closer to the negative. It''s different from other species, who willingly embrace family."


    ¡°But being a family is sharing the same blood with others that otherwise would have been a stranger, and living together even though they don¡¯t get along too well.¡±


    Ramin looked at Juran as if he was ridiculous.


    "Come to think of it, maybe there''s more positives than negatives."


    "As you said, willingly epting each other is also considered family."


    Ramin looked to Gorgota Falu for some help, but Gorgota was currently focused on driving. Then she looked at Mazdari.


    Mazdari said, ¡°Juran is my Wizard student.¡±


    "Our family has been managing the Wizard Tower since my great-grandmother''s time."


    ¡°Hwee Ravida Muel was my friend,¡± Mazdari exined. "From what the gods have told me, Ramin, you are the only living person in ck Scale who has met Hwee-Kyung. Besides you, it''s difficult to find any clues to locate Hwee-Kyung."


    Ramin was taken aback. "Hwee-Kyung did turn me into a Vampire, but our rtionship wasn''t that deep. I was born and raised in Danly, but it was a long time ago. I also don¡¯t think Hwee-Kyung would stay at one ce for too long."


    "It doesn''t matter. It''s better than having no clues. None of us here have even met Hwee-Kyung. It''s only natural for someone who has met her in person toe forward and help."


    Mazdari then pointed at Juran.


    ¡°And we don¡¯t need to find the exact location. As long as we can narrow the range, the antlers that Juran has will sense Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    Juran nodded.


    ¡°Based on what my antlers have said, apparently it can sense its former host as long as we share the same bloodline.¡±


    Ramin replied, ¡°Alright. If this is all the will of the Pantheon, then I should follow it. But why do we have to find Hwee-Kyung?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡±


    Ramin tried to read Mazdari¡¯s expression, but Mazdari showed no tells. It wasn¡¯t difficult for the Garuda to hide his thoughts from her because they were of different species. Even if they were both Garudas, however, it would still be nearly impossible to figure out Mazdari¡¯s innermost thoughts.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, Honorable Apostle.¡±


    "Continue driving into the airport, Agent."


    "Pardon?"


    Ramin turned to look at the front of the vehicle. Arge airship settled next to the airship terminal building. It resembled a massive, streamlined Whale made from a wooden frame with a pair of enormous helix wings for propulsion affixed to its sides.


    Mazdari said, "That airship docked over there is the one we''ll be boarding, the Thunderstrider."


    ***


    Many soldiers were already aboard the Thunderstrider.


    Gorgota then said to Ramin, who looked around in suspicion, "Even when I was a soldier, the Thunderstrider was famous. It performed more than fifty missions, going between the eastern and southern fronts, and it has never crashed. It''s considered a legendary airship, often regarded as a symbol of victory by each military unit."


    "Well, I don''t know much about recent wars, but it doesn''t seem heavily armed for something like that. Can one airship make such a significant impact on the battlefield?"


    "Well, because it''s the airship Mazdari would be on."


    "...I see."


    Then from the flight deck Mazdari said, ¡°If possible, the goal is to take this airship all the way to the western continent."


    "If possible?"


    "It might be challenging. The Thunderstrider can fly at high altitudes, and with my magic, we could reach even greater heights than average."


    "But?"


    "Danly should be aware of that as well."


    Once the hydrogen was fully injected into the envelope of the airship, it lifted and hovered above the ground. The Thunderstrider was now tethered to the ground only by a few ropes.


    "If we''re lucky, we might even make it to the western continent in one go, avoiding the eyes of The Angry One and the Dragon Knight of Danly."


    "And if we''re not lucky?"


    "We wouldn¡¯t be able to cross the frontline."


    As the Lizardman captain of the Thunderstridermanded, the crew members cut off the ropes at the same time.


    The Thunderstrider began to ascend.


    Then Ramin said with anticipation, ¡°Then the n would be dyed?¡±


    ¡°Not a chance,¡± Mazdari replied. "One way or another, we have to cross the frontline."


    "But even if we make it to the bottom of the southern continent controlled by the Union Kingdom viand, how do we cross the sea?"


    "Getting the empire¡¯s assistance is tricky, so we''ll have to smuggle ourselves in somehow. Fortunately, if we can get on board a ship without being noticed, searching for us within the Union Kingdom won''t be too rigorous."


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a problem even after we arrive on the western continent. There¡¯s a high chance we would get caught inside the Union Kingdom, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    "The Union Kingdom is well-connected with railways, just like the Empire.¡±


    Ramin measured the time of the long journey.


    "Then we might not be able to return even by next semester?"


    "Aren''t you concerned about dying first?"


    "Us Vampires consider themselves to have died once already, so we don¡¯t really hold onto the idea of death.¡±


    Mazdari raised an eyebrow.


    "Interesting. Anyway, if you don¡¯t want this journey to be rough, you should hope this Thunderstrider does its part.¡±


    Ramin sighed.


    For some reason, she felt that things wouldn¡¯t go so smoothly.


    ***


    Somewhere on the southern continent, in the Danly Union Kingdom, someone was standing on top of the demolished ancient ruin. In fact, describing them as standing would be somewhat inurate because this person was a Lamia.


    While the upper body of a Lamia bore a resemnce to Humans or Elves, the lower half was that of a snake with a long tail. This snake tail was so long and thick that Lamias were once considered monsters by other creatures until just a few centuries ago.


    To yers of The Lost World, Lamias were known as a rare species like Centaurs and Garudas. It was difficult for such species to increase their number; they were strong and intelligent, but had difficulty maintaining rtionships with other species. In terms of social difficulties, Lamias had more difficulties than other species, and because of that, they were often abandoned by many yers.


    It was because Lamias were prone to cannibalism that it was harder for them to establish longsting alliances. Even when allied with other species, some Lamia individuals were known to kidnap and eat the young from their allied species, which was why there had been no cases where an alliancested long.


    Like other species that weren¡¯t chosen by yers, extinction was amon urrence with Lamias by the middle of the game. Of course, just like many species that were somehow suppressing their inherent natures, this female Lamia was doing the same to some extent.


    Anyone who saw the ck uniform and epaulet she wore on her upper body would recognize her as a member of the Danly Union Kingdom, and any ck Scale soldier who fought on the southern frontlines would have heard rumors of her, or at least heard of her name.


    ¡°Here you were, Alma Alloy.¡±


    The Lamia, Alma, turned around.


    Standing there was a Fang agent with a red mask and ck clothes.


    ¡°Del. I heard the operation in Vaseniol failed.¡±


    The n was to recruit an important person in Vaseniol and spread a massive Zombie epidemic. Alma was already aware of the n and its failure. One of the individuals they intended to use in the n had acted contrary to their expectations. Perhaps the n was wed from the beginning.


    The intelligence agency of ck Scale had already known about the Zombie epidemic that Danly had thought they had secretly transported.


    Del lowered their head. "I apologize."


    "No. I don¡¯t want to me you, and I''m not sure if I even have the right to do so. I''ve failed many tasks that the Angry One demanded as well."


    Del shook their head and looked at Alma.


    Alma Alloy was the fifth apostle of the Angry One. On the second continent¡ªreferred to as the western continent by ck Scale and the central continent by Danly¡ªshe was a war hero who had achieved numerous victories during the unification war of the Union Kingdom. Her exceptional physical abilities as a Lamia was outstanding, but she was famous for hermanding tactics on the battlefield and her charisma with her soldiers. She was also known as the Saint of Sacrifices and the Snake that Swallowed Its Tail, as she willingly sacrificed her life for the Angry One even though she knew she would die.


    Del then said, "While you were inmand, the northern front never fell to ck Scale."


    "And it didn¡¯t get pushed back either. But enough with the lip service, Del. We know how fearsome the forces of the Devil and his subordinates are."


    Within the Union Kingdom, the Night Sky was collectively referred to as the Devil, and it wasmon for ck Scale Empire to be perceived as an evil empire. Such propaganda strategies were often used in The Lost World. They aimed to boost the morale of subjugated individuals and make war and war crimes more eptable by demonizing the enemy.


    However, Sung-Woon found it challenging to implement such a strategy actively. Firstly, the ck Scale Empire''s doctrine was that the enemy was ignorant and would ultimately be embraced as allies. Therefore, promoting the idea of absolute evil existing could lead to ideological contradictions. This was a mistake that beginner yers in The Lost World often made.


    If a yer implemented more than one strategy in a game, the individuals under the yer''s control would be confused and have difficulty maintaining faith. They couldn''t handle the conflicting situations and would abandon their faith, rebel, or even be absorbed by hostile forces.


    And there was another matter that Sung-Woon considered. In this Lost World, a real evil seemed to exist. Those known as the ancient evil were the most difficult for yers to deal with and could pose unexpected threats. In such a situation, if the Union Kingdom were dered an absolute evil, it could be problematic when the real evil emerged. Of course, Hegemonia believed they could ovee any situation on their own, so they didn''t pay much attention to such matters.


    Alma asked, "So, you have news to deliver?"


    "Yes. One of our informants reported that one of the Empire''s Apostles has left the front lines and is on the move."


    "An Apostle, you say?"


    "Yes, the Third Seat."


    Alma furrowed her eyebrows.


    ¡°...Corpse Crow. The bird that wields the detestable power of the Devil."


    To Alma, who was themander, he was not just troublesome, but a terrifying presence.

 Chapter 183: Headfake

    Chapter 183: Headfake


    Commander Alma Alloy had never personally encountered Mazdari. However, Alma was well aware of Mazdari''s evil reputation.


    The Danly Union Kingdom was checking for all potentially threatening Wizards, but among them, Mazdari, who had be an apostle, possessed unrivaled power. It was pretty much impossible to face him unless one possessed the power of the Angry One. Of course, there was the reason that the Union Kingdom did not utilize wizardry in the first ce. The Angry One, or in other words, the yer Hegemonia, chose a build that excluded magic. It was amon build that aimed for a unified and consistent system, and Sung-Woon also frequently used it. In fact, it was an exception for Sung-Woon to use a build incorporating magic, making this situation rather special.


    Instead, the Danly Union Kingdom diligently pursued technological advancement as much as the ck Scale Empire did. Despite not originally cing much emphasis on technological advancement and knowledge systems, they were able to catch up with the ck Scale, who started out with the tendency, due to excluding magic.


    Alma said, "Have you not confirmed exactly where the Apostle went?"


    "Yes, but there were several other incidents that urred around the same time." Del continued to say, "The Thunderstrider was spotted at Vaseniol¡¯s flight dock. It wasn''t for a very long time, but they definitelynded."


    "Theynded?"


    "Yes."


    Alma asked, "Were there any other incidents before or after that?"


    "We had an operation just before that. It was part of our n until Mazdari appeared to interfere."


    "Anything else?"


    "Well, the Moving Castle was close. It had deviated from its original path..."


    "Oh, that''s because of something else. One of our units destroyed one of the Empire''s supply depots. So they probably did so to transport military supplies. Anything else unusual?"


    "Hm."


    "If there''s anything I don''t know, even something minor, please tell me."


    Del seemed to contemte for a moment and then said, "It''s nothing significant, but the Vampire we were trying to persuade also went into hiding. At least until I left Vaseniol. They might have been found by now."


    "I wonder."


    Alma nodded as if she knew something.


    "I can think of two reasons why the Corpse Crow is moving. One is to temporarily lend his power to another front during a time when the Ronante-Oroban Alliance is weakened."


    "There¡¯s also another reason?"


    Alma said. "I''m concerned about the fact that the Thunderstridernded."


    "Pardon?"


    "The Corpse Crow flies in the sky, as if he¡¯s showing off the fact that he has ovee the curse of his kind. So there''s no need tomand the Thunderstrider tond just to board the airship. And he¡¯s also known for not following protocol.¡±


    "Oh."


    Del nodded.


    "So that means someone else went aboard the Thunderstrider... Does that Vampire bother you?"


    "Yes."


    "ording to our investigation...there are uncertainties in her past, but it doesn''t seem like she engaged in any noteworthy activities."


    "Well, it¡¯s still a possibility."


    Del waited for Alma to say more, but she didn''t mention the Vampire any further.


    Alma returned to a more practical discussion.


    "We should move a veteran."


    "A veteran¡­?"


    "Yes."


    Veterans were not a systemic concept in The Lost World. However, there were individuals that yers paid special attention to, and such individuals naturally had high ability. And if a yer gave special powers to such individuals, they would stand out even morepared to the others. In the temple of Angry One, they were called veterans, counterparts to the chosen ones in the Pantheon.


    Many veterans made great achievements and became heroes of the Union Kingdom. Well-known veterans received praise from the kingdom''s citizens, and songs and poems wereposed about them. Unfortunately, those were tales from a time before the war. It was the standard of the Union Kingdom, but the veterans of the previous era had vanished due to the Empire''s wicked power.


    Bing a veteran in this era meant not bing a hero and living a peaceful life but sacrificing one''s life to leave an honorable legend behind.


    "...We should send Mahim."


    "Champion Mahim?"


    "Yes. If we are to find the Thunderstrider and face them, Mahim would be the best."


    Of course, Mahim couldn''t face an apostle of the Pantheon alone. Beyond that, it depended on the Angry One''s will.


    Del said, "It seems that we will pass by the dragon''s nest where Mahim is on our way to my next destination. Where should I tell Mahim to go?"


    "Do you have a map?"


    "Of course."


    Del took out a map from their bag.


    The spot Alma pointed at with her finger was further south than what Del had in mind.


    "Isn''t the front line above that?"


    "If the Corpse Crows were bombing the front lines, it would be around there. But if he¡¯s descending after passing the front lines, they will follow the path of the blue sky. He¡¯ll fly to the end of that sky path, which we can''t see with our eyes."


    "...Do you have a reason for thinking he¡¯ll pass the front lines? Just because of a Vampire?"


    Alma ignored Del''s question and said, "Send Mahim this way. Mobilize the knights and have them ride Wyverns to the highest point they can reach, and tell them to look at the sky from this location. The Thunderstrider should be there."


    ***


    Ramin Solost Muel pondered whether this journey was perhaps not as bad as she thought. Her first concern was that the sun was too close, but contrary to her expectations, the structure of the airship provided a nice, shielded space to be in, especially if one didn''t want to bask in the sunlight. Moreover, during midday, a huge envelope blocked the sunlight, allowing people toe up on deck and enjoy the breeze.


    Additionally, since Mazdari was a Wizard, Ramin''s purely interest-driven knowledge hunt was well-satisfied. Of course, Mazdari seemed busy with some research in his own room, so she did more often talk with his student, Hwee Juran Muel, about magic, and in such cases, they could use the library located within the Thunderstrider.


    Certainly this airship was originally constructed for war, but the actual power of it relied on Mazdari or the other Wizards that would be on board, so it was well-equipped for living and convenience. It was also natural that the Wizards performing the war for the Empire were all high-ranking officers.


    Gorgota Falu, who had little contact with the air force, just spent their time like a fish out of water and asionally made conversation with Ramin. In Ramin¡¯s perspective, the agent looked bored.


    Gorgota said, "It''s amazing how casually you interact with the Apostle."


    "He''s about the same age as me."


    "...Is that really the reason?"


    "Actually, what surprised me more was that you know my age but still treat me the same way as before. Lakrak had said that if you want wisdom from the elderly, start by treating them with respect.¡±


    "...How much more respectfully do I need to treat you?"


    "That''s exactly the point!"


    Ramin was about to retort when amotion came from the deck.


    Gorgota hurriedly went out the door and said, "I''ll check ande back."


    A few seconds afterwards, Gorgota returned.


    "It''s an attack!"


    When Ramin followed Gorgota out onto the deck, she saw the blue sky. There were scattered clouds, but looking down, she could see the round shape of the horizon. The altitude was high enough that oxygen wascking, but a Wizard was responsible for supplying air to the hull, so there was no problem with breathing.


    Gorgota said to Ramin, "Why did youe up? Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay in your room because there¡¯s an attack?¡±


    "If I stay in my room, I won''t know anything until the airship crashes, right? Unless it''s a threat serious enough to make the airship crash, it''s not a big deal."


    Gorgota thought they coulde up with a counter-argument if they were given a moment to think about it, but that was a luxury given the situation.


    "Oh, okay, fine."


    Mazdari quickly ascended to the deck with Juran following behind him.


    Then a soldier rushed over and said, "It''s the Dragon Knights. There are quite a few of them. They haven''t approached yet, but..."


    "I¡¯ll check myself.¡±


    "Yes, sir. They are about 500 meters away. There are no clouds, so they should be aware that we noticed them."


    Mazdari looked down the railing of the deck. The enemies were very far from them, and an ordinary person might not easily recognize them but only make out the shape of something pping its wings¡ªthat was enough to identify it as something flying.


    Dragon Knights rode on Wyverns. In chronological terms, Wyverns were the most recent monsters that were domesticated. Their body length was over 8 meters, and their wingspan was more than 15 meters. But much of their body length was upied by their tails and wings, so in terms of actual body size, there wererger monsters. Still, Wyverns were so fierce and threatening that there was a saying that on the ground, there were Drakes, and in the sky, there were Wyverns.


    Once it became possible to keep Wyverns as livestock and they became rideable, the next thing that happened was riding them to fight. The so-called Flying Dragon Knights¡ªor Dragon Knights¡ªemerged as an alternative force while knights on horses were losing their effectiveness due to firearms on the battlefield. By aiming for the moment right after rifle shots, Dragon Knights, with their over 300 kilograms mounts, could sweep past infantry units at almost crashing speed, causing significant disruption.


    Moreover, in the battles in the sky that had be crucial after the Helix Wings were made, Wyverns were incredibly effective. Wyverns were faster and had more freedom of movement than the Helix Wings.


    There were approximately a hundred Wyverns beneath the Thunderstrider. Considering that they were all ridden by Dragon Knights, this couldn¡¯t be taken lightly.


    Mazdari called out to the captain, Ploy Tansen, "Ploy."


    "Yes."


    "How long have they been there?"


    "We spotted them about a minute ago. But we''re muchrger than they are, so..."


    "We might have beente in spotting them, right?"


    "Yes."


    Mazdari looked up at the envelope.


    "Apostle?"


    "Do you remember the strategymonly used by Dragon Knights?"


    "You mean the Headfake strategy?"


    Even though they were Dragon Knights, it was difficult to directly attack an airship with greater firepower and air forces on board, especially when there were Wizards. Therefore, the typical offensive strategy of Dragon Knights had them attacking from above, not below. Of course, the airship was made with thick leather, and even if there was some damage to one of theyers, the internal gas wouldn''t leak immediately. To deal with that, the Dragon Knights didn''t use their spear des to pierce through it. Instead, they used the dynamite that they carried. Additionally, in most cases, the airship could spot Dragon Knights from above, so they sometimes used a separate formation for deception. This was known as the Headfake strategy.


    Ploy said, "I thought about it. However, it''s a high altitude where it''s difficult for Dragon Knights to ascend."


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    "But there are soldiers on duty on the ship''s deck..."


    "That would be enough if they are ordinary Dragon Knights."


    Mazdari turned around.


    "Ramin."


    Ramin was startled because she didn''t expect Mazdari to call her.


    "Yes?"


    "Your sword...you already have it with you. You can use this¡­this gun."


    Mazdari took out a revolver from his inner pocket and put it in Ramin¡¯s hand.


    "What?"


    ¡°You cannd on your own.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Mazdari didn''t reply. Instead, he grabbed Ramin''s wrist and jumped over the railing. No, the only one jumping down was Ramin. Mazdari¡¯s other hand was holding onto the rope that connected the envelope to the hull.


    "Ahh!"


    Ramin thought she was going to be thrown off the airship just like that. And her thoughts were urate¡ªexcept for the direction she was thrown in. Ramin saw a magic circle glowing on the back of Mazdari¡¯s ck left hand. It was a magic circle tattooed on his hand. He then threw Ramin and drew a circle, sending Ramin upward with centrifugal force. Ramin shot up as if she had lost gravity, slightly rolled, and saw the top of the envelope of the airship.


    Then she met eyes with a Wyvern.


    "Huh?"


    And behind that Wyvern stood a Minotaur in armor. Despite the rider wearing a helmet, Ramin recognized it as a Minotaur by its head. Below all that was happening, Gorgota, who had the mission of protecting Ramin, looked bewildered.


    "...What''s going on?"


    "Don''t worry, agent," Mazdari said while perching on the railing, "Among those on this ship, besides me, that Vampire is the strongest."

 Chapter 184: Within the Mind

    Chapter 184: Within the Mind


    Ramin Solost Muelnded on the envelope of the airship. The thick leather surface appeared very soft but was actually quite tough; it was only natural with the iron frames attached to eachyer. However, the sunlight was a problem. The sun had risen to the middle of the sky, and Ramin had to pull her hood down tight. While vampires with darker blood could get burned, Ramin wasn¡¯t that vulnerable. Specifically speaking, she was only a bit more vulnerable than a Frogman who didn¡¯t apply Delluba ointment.


    Even with the slightest movement, it seemed that Ramin¡¯s sudden appearance itself was threatening for this Wyvern, so the Wyvern screeched. Then the Minotaur that was on one knee and had just opened their bag stopped and looked at Ramin. It seemed that they were bewildered, but Ramin was also puzzled.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe he just threw someone without exining anything.¡¯


    But of course, Mazdari¡¯s judgment seemed urate. Ramin hadn¡¯t participated in a recent war, but she still knew that the aircraft would be in danger if there was an explosion. The thick leather of the envelope could provide some protection, but if dynamite or something simr was thrown inside, the airship would explode.


    ''But if it''s so dangerous, couldn¡¯t he have juste up himself?''


    Ramin thought so, and then she heard an explosioning from under the envelope. Mazdari was dealing with the other Dragon Knights. Regardless, she was here now. She heard a loud noiseing from below where the other wyvern riders were dealing with the threat.


    ''Surely, the apostle won''t be defeated so easily. I just need to buy some time¡­ A Minotaur, huh.''


    Minotaurs were a rare species with the body of a human and the head of a bull. They were known for their strength but had lower intelligence and social skills, making them an unpopr species. Ramin had fought one before, but she couldn¡¯t say it was a pleasant victory with a broken arm and broken ribs preventing her from moving properly.


    ''But thanks to that, I know how to deal with them.''


    In front of the Minotaur was the Wyvern, and the Wyvern was wing down a soldier that was originally stationed on top of the envelope.


    ''Would the Wyvern interfere or would it run away in fear?''


    Ramin hoped that the Minotaur in front of her would just give up the n and take off on the Wyvern. However, the Minotaur Dragon Knight did the exact opposite. They continued to take out dynamite from their bag.


    ¡®That fool is trusting the Wyvern!¡¯


    As Ramin ran forward, the Wyvern showed its teeth and blocked Ramin¡¯s path. But Ramin didn¡¯t care because she had a gun.


    Bang!


    Ramin extended her left hand and aimed at the Minotaur. The bullet passed through the Wyvern¡¯s neck and hit the Minotaur in the side. The Minotaur''s massive body served as a massive target. However, the armor was thick enough for the Minotaur to handle a gunshot. Moreover, the Minotaur had twisted their body to avoid a direct hit.


    ¡®They¡¯re not just an ordinary fool.¡¯


    Ramin tried to remain calm because the Wyvern was rushing at her in rage. She was already in the middle of her next move. Jumping up from the flying airship, Ramin stepped on the Wyvern¡¯s neck and ran forward. As the bewildered Wyvern raised its head and turned around, Ramin raised her sword and slid down the Wyvern¡¯s back. The tip of the de was aimed at the Minotaur''s neck.


    "...!"


    The Minotaur shouldered the bag of dynamite again and took out an ax. To other species, it would be a two-handed ax, but this Minotaur seemedfortable wielding it with just one hand. The Minotaur avoided Ramin¡¯s downward strike and swung the ax sideways.


    As soon as Raminnded on the envelope of the airship again, she bent down and rolled forward. They distanced themselves from each other.


    The Minotaur said, "You''re quick on your feet. I am Mahim, a veteran of the Union Kingdom. Who are you?"


    Ramin didn''t respond, as she couldn''t understand why she had to introduce herself all of a sudden. Instead, she pulled her hood down and thought to herself.


    ¡®...A veteran? Can I even win?¡¯


    The word veteran reminded Ramin of her teacher, and during her time of learning how to fight with a sword, she had never once defeated her teacher.


    After a brief moment, the Wyvern was the first to make a move.


    -Kaaoo!


    Ramin didn''t turn toward the Wyvern. If she moved her gaze away from Mahim for even a moment, the ax woulde down on her. Therefore, with a quick side nce at the Wyvern, she aimed her left hand at the Wyvern''s head and immediately fired.


    Bang!


    Just that was enough to make the approaching Wyvern fall to the ground.


    Mahim also swung their ax down, but Ramin had anticipated this and avoided the strike. When Mahim looked at the Wyvern, it was bleeding from its eye, distressed in pain.


    ¡®Did she just make an urate shot with a side nce?¡¯


    It was a precision that seemed impossible unless it was luck.


    ¡®Is she also being watched by the gods? ...But so am I!¡¯


    Then Mahim¡¯s eyes glowed red. Ramin blinked for a moment.


    ¡®They¡¯re fast.¡¯


    She aimed her pistol, but Mahim moved faster than that simple motion.


    The back of Mahim''s hand sent Ramin''s pistol flying.


    ¡®Oh no.¡¯


    The ax swung down on Ramin. While Mahim¡¯s swings and thrusts were big and dramatic, they were also so fast that Ramin couldn''t find an opening between those big movements. At first, Ramin could barely dodge each of the attacks, but after avoiding a few attacks, she noticed a pattern.


    Ramin remembered her teacher¡¯s words.


    ¡®People were made by their habits. Is it because it¡¯s a Minotaur? They¡¯re not thatplicated.¡¯


    When the ax came down and was raised again, there was an opening below. Due to the Minotaur¡¯srge physique, there was quite a distance between them, but Ramin could still insert her sword through the gaps in Mahim''s armor.


    ¡®No, wait¡­¡¯


    Ramin quickly withdrew her sword as soon as she thrust it forward. The third hand hidden beneath the armor had clenched its fist and was about to grab her arm.


    Ramin rolled backward. "What...are you?"


    Mahim said, "This is the gift given to me by the Angry One."


    Under Mahim''s two arms, another pair of arms appeared. Ramin recalled the gifts that veterans of the Union Kingdom received from their god.


    ¡®They¡¯re not just a big monster with four arms. They¡¯re calcting my weaknesses.¡¯


    A pair of arms wasn¡¯t the only thing the veteran, Mahim, had received from the Angry One.


    As expected of the God of War, the Angry One, they had given Mahimbat skills as well. Minotaurs had great strength, but that alone wouldn''t make them victorious in a fight.


    ¡®Even if they have four arms, I''ll find a way to buy time with my bare hands¡­¡¯


    As Ramin was thinking this, Mahim the Minotaur reached for their back. Then, they grabbed a short spear, a sword, and an iron club with each hand.


    Ramin clicked her tongue.


    ***


    Crampus looked at the screen and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this dangerous?¡±


    ¡°A little,¡± Sung-Woon replied.


    The battle between the Vampire Ramin and Minotaur Mahim itself didn¡¯t bode well. Meanwhile, the fight beneath the airship was also intensifying. Initially, it appeared to be a one-sided battle with the knights attacking the airship. However, the empire¡¯s side, Apostle Mazdari, was an outside interference in terms of causality.


    That left room for the opponent to step in further. Due to this, although Ramin, who was fighting high above, could not see it, a giant monster almost the same size as the airship was attacking it.


    The Angry One''s strategy was not the Headfake strategy to begin with. When Mazdari momentarily diverted his attention to the veteran, Mahim, the n was to take that opportunity and crash the airship with their creature creation. Fortunately, Mazdari figured out the n and threw Ramin onto the top of the airship so that the main force would remain on deck, which was himself. However, that alone was not enough.


    The guardian of the Angry One, who looked like a massive flying moray, was using its overwhelming physique to block Mazdari¡¯s magic. The only thing Mazdari could do through his magic was to prevent it from approaching the airship in any way. However, this didn''t mean that the knights charging toward the airship had disappeared, so soldiers and Wizards on the airship were busily running around, and Mazdari was also flying in the sky, blocking the giant moray.


    Then Crampus said, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we do something about it?¡±


    "It''s...done."


    Sung-Woon touched his system window.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t have sufficient Faith points until just now because of the situation at the western front.¡±


    "What are you going to do?¡±


    Sung-Woon pointed at the screen with his hand.


    ***


    Ramin felt like she had entered a phase of her life where peace was a distant memory, brought back into the past where she lived to survive. The Minotaur in front of her, with its four arms, was more than she could handle.


    Ramin''s mentor had taught her many things, especially various survival skills for living in remote ces from civilization. Among those skills, her swordsmanship allowed Ramin to survive and keep her life intact. Ramin had a talent for it, and she believed that if it were just a matter of swordsmanship and notbat, she could go against her mentor.


    ¡®Except for the tail part, I don''t have a tail, so it wouldn''t have been fair.¡¯


    However, the enemy in front of her was stronger than any opponent she had encountered before. She thought perhaps they might be even stronger than her mentor. They hadn''t inflicted any fatal wounds on her yet, but they had inflicted too many minor ones. These were fatal problems for other species, but problematic for Ramin all the same. As a Vampire, her anemia went together with her hunger, and there was another problem.


    -Honestly speaking, you''re not qualified.


    Something that she couldn¡¯t identify had begun to speak within her head.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    -I know you''ve lived a life that''s been tough to endure. You''ve been rejected and lived an unwanted life, and because of that, you''ve taken unnecessary lives. Your existence has erased many possibilities.


    ¡®What is this? Is this¡­my guilt?¡¯


    Then the voice shouted.


    -No! I¡¯m not a part of you!


    ¡®Then?¡¯


    The voice ignored Ramin''s question and mumbled.


    -Yes. But even so, you have the qualification. If you ovee the current crisis, in the days toe, you may bloom countless possibilities.


    ¡®I don''t understand what you''re saying.¡¯


    -Above all, he has chosen you.


    Ramin asked the voice again.


    ¡®Who are you?¡¯


    -You know me


    ¡®I know you?¡¯


    -Yes.


    -From the withered straw of a barren winter, at times during stormy nights, asionally in the lines of a theater actor''s script that elicits awe, when a few extraordinary individuals make choices that change the world, within your mind, I exist!


    It was only then that Ramin identified the owner of the voice.


    ¡®Pzzt¡­?¡¯


    -Yes. I am...Electricity!


    Ramin heard sparks in her head. It was clear, vivid, and sharp.

 Chapter 185: The Second Option

    Chapter 185: The Second Option


    Ramin Solost Muel also knew well about the chosen ones. She had met one in person and used to think that she might be one in the past, but of course, she then thought it was closer to a delusion for a longer time.


    ¡®I was chosen?¡¯


    The spirit of Demonic Magic disappeared without a trace, as suddenly as when it had appeared and spoken to her in her mind. However, the sensation still lingered in Ramin''s body. It flowed up her fingertips and toes, climbed up her spine, and swept up through her mind.


    It seemed that Mahim was unaware of Ramin¡¯s change.


    ¡®On purpose.¡¯


    It was customary for veterans to keep the gifts they received hidden because learning about their gifts would give the opponent the ability to respond ordingly. And it seemed that the spirit of Demonic Magic had given Ramin her gift secretly for the same reason.


    ''I''ll end this with the next strike.''


    Ramin didn''t even have enough energy or blood to continue the battle.


    She dodged the Minotaur Mahim¡¯s ax and pushed her sword into Mahim''s chest.


    ¡®Things aren¡¯t so difficult until now.¡¯


    So far, diving into Mahim''s space hadn¡¯t been difficult. However, she couldn''t avoid the following attack. The iron club came down, and the short spear pierced through. Even if she managed to block one of them, she would have to take the other with her body.


    ''But this time is different.''


    Ramin spread out her left hand.


    Pzzt¡­!


    The air cried out as sparks jumped from her fingertips.


    Ramin pressed her left hand against Mahim''s chest.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Then Mahim abruptly stopped, feeling an excruciating pain spreading through their entire body, but still tried to move somehow.


    ¡®This kind of pain¡­is barely enough¡­!¡¯


    However, the pain was separate to Mahim''s will.


    Nerve signals in the body consisted of minute electrical currents. Therefore, if a stronger current entered from the outside of the body, the process of transmitting nerve signals would be disrupted, and the nerves could misinterpret this current, leading to contractions or stiffness. And the muscles making up the heart were no different.


    Mahim''s heart stopped. The blood that the heart had been pushing passed through the arteries, through the tiny blood vessels, hesitated to pass through the veins, and finally stopped exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide. Then the muscles that had moved to expand the lungs stopped taking in oxygen. Mahim''s visual nerves transmitted the light of the blue sky for thest time, and then their vision became dark.


    ¡®...But it is not time for I, veteran Mahim, to die yet!¡¯


    Veteran Mahim somehow managed to endure the pain and stand up. The touch of the Angry One reached Mahim''s body. There was a power within them that couldn¡¯t be exined by reason and logic alone. But Ramin didn''t miss her chance.


    ¡®My teacher told me to check one more time even if I think my enemy is dead.¡¯


    Her sword wasn¡¯t so shabby that it couldn¡¯t cut through a scarecrow standing still.


    As Mahim''s fingers twitched again, Ramin''s sword struck in between Mahim''s helmet and chest armor. Mahim kneeled, the armor pieces nging against each other, and Mahim''s head fell to the ground. Ramin kicked Mahim in the chest, which caused the Minotaur to fall backward. Blood poured out and covered the envelope of the ship.


    Ramin swallowed her saliva. The hunger and thirst she had momentarily forgotten struck her again.


    ¡®No, I can¡¯t.¡¯


    Ramin shook her head and looked around her. There were still the noises of people fighting below, but up here, the only ones left were Ramin and the Wyvern holding its eye in pain, not even knowing that its owner was dead.


    ¡®I only killed someone I had to, and it''s my prey, so it wouldn¡¯t matter, right?¡¯


    Ramin recalled her past. She had traveled from the western continent to the ck Scale maind and then to the southern continent, where she had spent the longest period of time. This was becausew and order was the most inadequate there.


    Still, Ramin tried to live righteously ording to her teacher¡¯s teachings. She didn''t kill innocent people, and if she could afford to, she helped those less fortunate than herself. That was also the will of Night Sky.


    But Ramin didn''t think of herself as apletely pure person. There was a time when a robbery urred at an inn in a settlement. As Ramin entered the inn, the robber who had stolen the innkeeper''s money pushed Ramin and ran away. She then chased after the robber for the innkeeper on the condition that she wouldn''t have to pay a week''s rent. The robber was fast and managed to run to the outskirts of the settlement, but he wasn¡¯t as fast as Ramin. The man, panting, turned around and drew his sword. He was a young man who hadn''t even grown out of his youthful appearance. Ramin said she would let him go if he just returned the stolen money. However, the young man was nervous and told Ramin to get lost.


    At that moment, Ramin had a choice. One was to calmly persuade him with words. Approaching an armed person empty-handed was dangerous, but perhaps she could talk him out of it. But Ramin chose the second option. She also drew her sword and told him that if he didn''t want to die, he shoulde at her. Then the robber attacked, and Ramin killed the robber.


    The reason this memory remained in Ramin''s mind was because she was thirsty and hungry at the time. She had a craving for blood. Even though she had the option to make a different choice, she had provoked the robber to fill her stomach.


    ''What''s wrong with that? Everyone does whatever it takes to survive, don''t they?''


    Ramin suddenly came to her senses.


    Bang!


    It was because of a gunshot.


    The leather that made up the envelope didn¡¯t absorb the pouring Minotaur blood, and the blood formed a pool instead. In that pool of blood was the reflection of her own face, as she was kneeling and on her hands like a beast above the dead body.


    ¡°Oh no, Ramin, are you okay?¡±


    Ramin raised her head. Gorgota Falu was crawling up the envelope. Then she realized that the Wyvern that had been struggling behind her had copsed. Gorgota had shot and killed the Wyvern after seeing the Wyvern while climbing up. Ramin then got to her feet, hoping Gorgota hadn¡¯t seen her panting with her tongue out over the pool of blood.


    ¡°Gorgota?¡±


    Fortunately, when Ramin looked, Gorgota seemed distracted with the climb up the envelope.


    "I came up because theck of news worried me."


    "I''m fine. What''s the situation below?"


    "This is the first time I''ve been through a war like this in my whole military life."


    Ramin thought that Gorgota was joking when a giant flying moray was mentioned, but as she walked toward the edge of the envelope, she could see the battle happening around the airship.


    Mazdari lured the giant moray that swam through the air like a fish in water, pushing and pulling it with his magic while triggering explosions. But regardless, the giant moray easily resisted Mazdari¡¯s magic and tried to approach the airship.


    "That moray seems to have been created to resist Mazdari¡¯s magic."


    "Resist Mazdari¡¯s magic?"


    "Yes. Usually it isn¡¯t easy to resist magic just because it''s a giant guardian. But¡­¡±


    Ramin looked back.


    "Then we should use a different method other than magic."


    Gorgota was puzzled at first but understood after hearing Ramin''s exnation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to tell Mazdari.¡±


    ¡°No, even though it looks like that, a guardian of the Angry One probably has intelligence. So it should know how to get angry as well."


    "Pardon?"


    Ramin turned around and picked up the head of the Minotaur, Mahim.


    Then she went back to the edge of the envelope and shouted, "You ugly giant moray! Look here and see who died!"


    The giant moray, which had been chasing Mazdari, appeared to turn its head slowly. It was a kind of optical illusion as the movements ofrge objects appeared slower from a distance.


    Ramin then shouted again, ¡°Your stupid ox-head leader, Mahim, is dead! If you don''t take Mahim away, we''ll offer them to our Night Sky¡¯s sacrificial altar!"


    Bewildered, Gorgota said, ¡°We don¡¯t use people as sacrifices at the pantheon!¡±


    "No, I know. It''s just a provocation."


    "...Oh, is that so? I just wanted to make sure."


    "What kind of person did you see me as?"


    While the two talked, the giant moray started approaching the envelope, or more specifically, Ramin.


    Mazdari seemed very bewildered. But this time, the giant moray ignored Mazdari''s interference and attacks and headed toward the top of the airship.


    Noting that her provocation had worked, Ramin said, "Well, it looks like it''s hungry now. Here, take it."


    Ramin threw Mahim¡¯s head as hard as she could. It spun and fell down the gap between Ramin and the giant moray.


    -...How dare you!


    The giant moray increased its speed.


    "Are you angry because you couldn¡¯t catch it? This time, make sure you do."


    Ramin reached for the backpack she had hidden behind her. It was Mahim''s. Inside was dynamite, which had been packed to blow up the airship''s envelope. Ramin grabbed the backpack¡¯s straps and threw it as hard as she could again.


    Ramin then shouted to Gorgota, "Shoot!"


    "It''s too close!" Gorgota aimed and sternly replied. If the dynamite was detonated at too close a distance, both of them could get caught in the explosion, and the airship could suffer some damage too.


    ''But if it falls too far...''


    The backpack drew a parab and fell toward the giant moray''s head. However, by the time it had fallen that far, the backpack appeared so small that it was barely visible.


    Bang!


    Ramin immediately realized what had happened when she saw Gorgota reloading. Gorgota had missed.


    ''In that case...''


    Ramin stretched out her left hand. A thin blue current connected her fingertips to the backpack containing the dynamite.


    Then their vision flickered.


    ***


    ¡°Are you awake now?¡±


    Ramin opened her eyes. As she looked up, she saw the airship¡¯s envelope. She was on the deck. Ramin got up while shaking her head in dizziness.


    "No. My head is..."


    "It¡¯s because you used Demonic Magic. Normally, you should smoke herbs to replenish yourself, but since you were unconscious, I used a temporary solution."


    Ramin looked to the side and saw dry leaves burning.


    Mazdari said, "Well done. You did better than I expected."


    "Um, what about the giant moray?"


    "It didn''t die from your attack, but it lost most of its resistance to magic. Thanks to that, I was able to kill it."


    "Oh, that''s a relief."


    Mazdari remained silent for a moment, as if thinking about something.


    Then Ramin said with a slight sense of uneasiness, ¡°What is it?¡±


    "It''s not necessarily a relief."


    "What''s wrong?"


    "It damaged the airship¡¯s envelope with its final resistance."


    "What?"


    "Right now, the Thunderstrider is crashing."


    "What, how are you saying that so calmly?"


    Ramin quickly got up. As she did, she saw soldiers and Wizards running around on the deck. Then looking over the railing, she could see the ground rapidly getting closer and closer.


    Mazdari said in a detached manner, "Everything that flies in the sky eventually falls."

 Chapter 186: Deceiving Deception

    Chapter 186: Deceiving Deception


    "It looks like we''re all going to die, so why are you talking so casually about it? Oh, I see. Is it because you¡¯re going to be okay with wings?"


    "There isn¡¯t always a causal rtionship with wings and flying in the sky.¡±


    "What do you mean?"


    "And," Mazdari said, "I only said we were crashing, not that we were all going to die."


    Ramin Solost Muel was relieved on the inside.


    Mazdari was both a great Wizard and an apostle, so it was obvious that he wouldn''t leave everyone in the Thunderstrider to die.


    "So, there''s a way out after all?"


    Mazdari shook his head and replied, "A way out? I don''t have any ns to intervene personally."


    "What?"


    "The Thunderstrider is an airship originally constructed to withstand even the worst-case scenario of the envelope being inplete destruction and crashing. We can''t avoid the fall itself, but we can change the hardnding into a soft one."


    At those words, Ramin checked to see what the busy soldiers were doing. They were using levers to turn the direction of the thrusters attached to both sides of the helical wings, moving them from facing forward to facing up and down so that they would somehow lift the airship.


    Mazdari continued to say, "The envelope isn''tpletely destroyed, so it can be repaired. Some of the wizards have already started synthesizing hydrogen. That would give us enough gas to fill the gasbag, and we have materials to repair the torn envelope."


    Just as he finished speaking, there was a loud clunking sound from both sides of the airship''s hull. Both of the tilting thrusters had turned to right angles.


    As the thrusters on both sides began to turn at themand of the Lizardman captain, Ploy Tansen, the descent speed significantly slowed, enough for the passengers to feel it.


    The soldiers cheered and hugged each other, and Ramin dropped to the ground.


    "Why did you scare me? I should go see if there''s any way I can help the others."


    "Ramin, you don¡¯t understand. Just because wend safely doesn''t mean the situation changes."


    "What do you mean now?"


    "The problem isn''t that we''re crashing; it''s where we''re crashing."


    Only then did Ramin remember what she had forgotten. Since they had encountered the Dragon Knights of the Union Kingdom, it was only natural to assume that the Thunderstrider had crossed the frontlines.


    Mazdari continued to say, "We''re falling toward the southmost part of the southern continent, the Danly Union Kingdom. There are likely numerous soldiers and weapons of the Danly Union Kingdom beneath us."


    Ramin was taken aback.


    She said, ¡°I was secretly hoping the airship would crash, but I still hoped it would happen before we reached the frontlines. It seems Night Sky misunderstood my wish."


    "...Maybe so."


    Mazdari was about to scold Ramin, but he realized it wouldn''t be of any use and gave up.


    "Although we don¡¯t know how fast the enemies are, we can''t avoid battle when considering the time it takes to repair the Thunderstrider."


    "So, in the end, we¡¯re all going to die? And you, apostle, will fly away?"


    Mazdari cked his beak together. He had been looking at Ramin with his sharp eyes¡ªit had always worked to produce useful results in previous conversations¡ªbut the Vampire showed no signs of realization this time.


    Mazdari held back a sigh and said, ¡°I won¡¯t run away, Ramin.¡±


    "That''s a relief."


    "You''re the one who needs to run away."


    Ramin asked, "What?"


    ***


    There was a massive steel fortress that could be called impregnable. It consisted of dozens of spires of varying heights in a Gothic style, and the spires seemed to pierce the sky. The windows of the tall corridor bridge connecting the spires were stained ss marked with indistinct symbols.


    Gargoyles, who had lost their roles due to ack of visitors, sat on the railings of the spires and bridges, silently looking down at the emptiness beyond the fortress. It looked like a prison where no one came and no one could escape from.


    On top of the tallest spire, on the highest tform, was someone wearing a horn helmet sitting on arge throne. It was the yer Hegemonia.


    Hegemonia said to the creation bowing in front of the throne, "What did you say? Say it again."


    This creation, resembling a Velociraptor in every way, had been created by Hegemonia to fulfill several tasks on their behalf. This type of creation was known to take on the administration role among yers, and Hegemonia had been too busy to govern all their expanded territory, so Hegemonia had no other choice but to have such a creation.


    The raptor bowed its head very low and said, "The Thunderstrider is crashing in our territory."


    "Is that so?"


    This was unexpected news for Hegemonia. When the massive moray created to face Mazdari died, Hegemonia had swiped away the screen, thinking the operation a failure. However, even in the moment of its death, the massive moray had not forgotten its mission and had seeded.


    "Then can we finally capture one of the apostles? No, wait, they would¡¯ve sent their army to the crash site, right?¡±


    "Yes. The fifth apostle, Alma Alloy, is moving armies from all directions to surround the area."


    While listening to the raptor¡¯s report, Hegemonia checked the situations one by one through the system window.


    "Oh, good. So..."


    Just as Hegemonia was about to ry additional instructions, a message appeared.


    [yer, Neb, has requested a Whisper Conversation.]


    Hegemonia instinctively moved to touch the approval button, but stopped just before doing so.


    ¡®No! I won''t fall for it this time.¡¯


    From Hegemonia''s perspective, the war of the past several decades could be summarized as a history of long thought deceitful tactics by Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon had presented Hegemonia with simple proposals, ceasefires, and even partial surrenders that would be considered sweet words for Hegemonia. Yet they were all just tactics for his next scheme. In fact, epting any of those proposals, even on a specific front, would eventually lead to losses for Hegemonia, but that couldn''t be known until after the fact. When they had initially yed The Lost World together, there was no need for Hegemonia to talk with Neb, so it was something Hegemonia didn¡¯t even imagine would happen. But thinking about it now, even that seemed like a part of Sung-Woon¡¯s schemes.


    ¡®He acted like he was going to y fair, but¡­!¡¯


    Of course, what happened wasn¡¯t only because Hegemonia simply trusted Sung-Woon. With the scale of the ongoing war between two nations being so massive, it was impossible for one toprehend all the cause-and-effect involved. For example, when Sung-Woon had proposed a ceasefire on the eastern front for several years, Hegemonia had epted it. However, the abrupt ceasefire had caused merchants making profits though the war to go bankrupt, leading to economic copse in the region. It was something that Hegemonia couldn¡¯t have checked for. After that, the situation led to weakened security and eventually a rebellion, and other seemingly minor events had eventually turned the war against Hegemonia.


    ¡®I just need to do what I have to do and not be fooled by Neb''s wordy.¡¯


    In the first ce, the fact that the opponent was making any proposal indicated that they had already finished their preparations. Even if Hegemonia prepared thoroughly and was a god who could know everything that was going on within their territory, there were limits to how much information Hegemonia could take in and digest all alone.


    ¡®...No. Neb is no different. Even though there are other yers, they are only slightly smarter and more autonomous than my creations. Alliances are always a risk factor.¡¯


    The truth was that Hegemonia regretted not attacking Sung-Woon and his alliance properly, but Hegemonia believed they could win using only their own full abilities. Of course, Hegemonia believed that luck was also a skill; it was the case for yers who had risen to the top of a particr field.


    Ignoring the message, Hegemonia continued giving instructions to the raptor.


    "...Oh, and I should send more creations down. From among the creations that aren''t currently guarding the frontlines, we should assign their positions..."


    Just then, a lone raptor came running.


    ¡°Oh, Great Angry One! We have a major problem!"


    "What''s going on?"


    "You must quickly check the northern front!"


    Hegemonia brought up the screen.


    "...What is this?"


    The southern front of the empire, which was the northern front of the Union Kingdom, showed the status of trench warfare. Normally, those with the ability to break through the front lines, such as apostles, creature creations, or tank forces, would pierce the front lines, followed by infantry units advancing after. Both sides would then respond to stop each other''s front lines from getting broken through while trying to gain the upper hand on other fronts, which could be considered a universal tactic.


    The supply situations of both nations weren¡¯t great due to the prolonged war, and the need to advance technologically and socially had forced them to find some degree ofpromise. However, what could be seen on the front line now was not the usual warfare of give and take. Countless creature creations were charging forward toward the trenches, which hadn¡¯t been unprecedented at the frontlines. Among them were creations that Hegemonia had already put on their must-kill list.


    ¡®Isn''t that Sratis? It didn¡¯t appear after thest battle on the eastern front. That beetle is Hekab, and that one...it¡¯s damn Sekton.¡¯


    Even one of them could easily sweep aside an infantry unit, and now tens of them were charging in a line along the front. While there could be creations with low levels among them, if those creatures formed a unit, the front line wouldn¡¯t withstand them.


    ¡®Wait, with those numbers, did they pull out all the creations from the other fronts? Then they must have fought on the other fronts first... No, no.¡¯


    Hegemonia came to their senses. When it came to warmand, Hegemonia was confident even against Sung-Woon.


    ¡®I get it, they wanted an all-out battle. Neb must have realized that his ridiculous mind games won''t work anymore.¡¯


    If this were the case, it also made sense why he had risked deploying the third best apostle, Mazdari, into danger.


    ¡®The Thunderstrider crashing was a deception as well. Just to prevent me from having time to react.¡¯


    But even now, it wasn''t toote to realize this.


    Hegemonia stood up and said, "Alright, raptors. We''re going all-out as well. Gather all the apostles who aren¡¯t currently fighting in other fronts. The first front was to buy time for situations like this anyway. We''ll settle this on the second front!"


    Then, one of the raptors raised its head.


    "Well, however, Great Angry One..."


    "What is it?"


    "...What should we do about the Thunderstrider?"


    Hegemonia then said angrily, "You still don''t get it? It''s all a deception. Just keep it in ce, but make sure to report Mazdari''s location urately."


    ***


    Sung-Woon said to Wisdom, ¡°How is it?¡±


    Wisdom checked his screen and replied, "It¡¯s just as you said. The enemy forces are gathering. How did you know?"


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "It''s because we made a bold decision that we¡¯ve never made before, so naturally, Hegemonia got thrilled. Plus, Hegemonia is pretty simple.¡±


    While it could be said that Hegemonia generally possessed the ability to rival even the empire¡¯s power, one would be hard-pressed to call their moves strategies. Therefore, Sung-Woon''s first strategy against Hegemonia was not to seek direct gains from the war. And this approach had always been sessful.


    "But if we immediately withdraw our troops, Hegemonia would realize it''s a deception as long as they¡¯re not an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Then do we just maintain the front lines even if we would be at a loss?¡±


    ¡°No, withdraw right away.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    As Wisdom turned around, Sung-Woon continued to say, ¡°But we need to deceive Hegemonia about what the deception is for. We should move the intelligence agency from the western front. It would be great if that Gnoll skin disease we kept back then could be put to use.¡±


    In the meantime, Sung-Woon was thinking about moving the real pawns that needed to be moved.

 Chapter 187: Hounds Chase the Smell

    Chapter 187: Hounds Chase the Smell


    Ramin Solost Muel said, "What is the Union Kingdom like?"


    Gorgota Falu replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Well, it''s a country with quite vastnd¡­ If they had to bepared, I heard the major cities are somewhat simr to the Empire, unlike the rumors. Regions close to the front lines would be filled with soldiers, much like the Empire, and the areas further away would be a bit poorer¡­ Oh wait, but aren¡¯t you the one who was born in the western continent?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t born in the Union Kingdom. I¡¯m from the Garang Kingdom, and although we were in the middle of the unification war, it was still before it got unified.¡±


    "Ah." Gorgotta continued to say, "But there are a few things you should know. This is also my first time in the Union Kingdom''s maind, but I received some information while we were on the Thunderstrider."


    "Such as?"


    "Undercover identities."


    "Undercover identities?"


    Gorgota nodded.


    "Unlike the rtively new southern continent, which doesn''t have a well-established system due to the war, the western continent has had a strong and stable identity as being the maind of the Union Kingdom for a long time. Pretending to be war refugees has its limits. So, the intelligence agency has prepared undercover identities."


    At those words, Hwee Juran Muel showed interest.


    "I thought I''d be going on adventures if I followed Teacher, but I didn''t expect it to be this serious. What are our roles?"


    "Oh, well...as I mentioned earlier, while the Union Kingdom doesn''t differ significantly from the Empire in terms of lifestyle or societal rules, there are a few distinct aspects."


    "In that case, let''s start with those distinct aspects."


    The three of them were in the storagepartment under the deck of a passenger ship that connected the western and southern continents. They were currently being smuggled.


    While Gorgota exined to Juran, Ramin recalled her conversation with Mazdari.


    ***


    ¡°Only we are going to run away?¡±


    The Thunderstrider hadnded much more safely than anticipated, thanks to magic.


    The Wizards on board the airship could have coborated, or perhaps Mazdari alone could have lifted the Thunderstrider in the air, but the problem was that such magic required an excessive amount of magical resources. Magical resources referred to the catalysts¡ªor items consumed when using magic¡ªthe effort and time spent drawing magic circles, and the collective mental power of the Wizards. Generally, it was known that using magic consumed more resourcespared to simr efforts in scientific technology, so using magic for problems that could be solved with scientific technology was considered uneconomical and thus should be avoided.


    However,nding the Thunderstrider with minimal damage was currently impossible with technology, so magic had to be used.


    Mazdari said, ¡°Yes. Thending caused several Wizards to faint. I need to guard the Thunderstrider until we can get it back up again."


    "But..."


    "There are no buts. This is all within Night Sky¡¯s calctions."


    When Ramin gave him a doubtful look, Mazdari added, "I¡¯m not needed in this n anyway. What¡¯s important are you two Muels.¡±


    ¡°I will do so if Night Sky says so, but hasn¡¯t the n already failed? We only just crossed the front line, and we have to go without you.¡±


    ¡°No, this is rather an opportunity.¡±


    Mazdari exined the opportunity. The best n was to take the Thunderstrider all the way to the western continent. But the failure of the n itself wasn¡¯t a major problem. As long as the attention of the Union Kingdom and the Angry One was on the Thunderstrider and the Apostle, it would be rtively easy for Ramin and her small group to escape. However, Mazdari didn''t mention anything about therger bait. If he were to reveal that they hadunched an unprecedented all-out attack to clear the path for the two Muels, it would make it even more challenging to convince Ramin.


    "We¡¯re using you as bait?"


    "Bait... That''s quite a daring choice of words to use in front of an Apostle. But it''s urate."


    "Is this really so important? Finding an old vampire?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe it''s not that important. There are nine Apostles, after all."


    Ramin didn¡¯t understand.


    "Even if one of those Apostles is you? Can you even think it¡¯s not something important?"


    "It''s a matter of perspective, Ramin."


    "Perspective?"


    "From a person¡¯s perspective, you have to evaluate what''s important and what''s not."


    "That¡¯s right."


    "But from a god¡¯s perspective, such values may no longer be important. For the sake of a speck of life, more valuable lives might be sacrificed, and a whole empire could be sacrificed to take a piece ofnd so small that not even a single person could lie down there.¡±


    Ramin found this difficult to understand, but she tried to wrap her head around it however possible.


    "So ultimately, you¡¯re saying Night Sky wants this. Even if it seems insignificant for now, you believe Night Sky sees it as important."


    "Yes," Mazdari said. "Now go. Move quickly before the siege tightens."


    Ramin was worried about escaping with the Thunderstrider and Mazdari being used as bait, but she managed to leave the crash site without much difficulty, continuing south. Mostly, they hadn¡¯t heard any proper rumors due to their constant movement as war refugees, but there were stories that a big battle had taken ce on the battle front.


    ¡®I hope it¡¯s not because of us.¡¯


    Ramin and the group had smuggled themselves through the Union Kingdom''s regr passenger ship. Fortunately, even though it was a passenger ship, it was filled with military supplies, making it easy to hide among the cargo. Moreover, before leaving the Thunderstrider, they had stocked up on blood for Ramin and even ointment for Gorogota, so there was nothing to worry about except for traveling with rats.


    After crossing the Antarctic Ocean and finally arriving at the western continent, Ramin gained confidence.


    ¡®At this rate, it shouldn''t be too difficult to make our way to the center of the Union Kingdom.¡¯


    The problem was what came after.


    ***


    On the fourth continent, at the third frontline battle base, Alma Alloy¡ªthe Lamia that was the fifth Apostle of the Angry One¡ªsaid, "Del."


    Del, the Fang agent wearing a red mask, replied, "Yes."


    "It seems you need to go to the maind."


    "The¡­maind?"


    "Yes."


    "But the war is at its peak. There are more things for Fang agents like me to do here."


    Alma appeared to be contemting.


    "That is true. Del, do you remember that the Thunderstrider had fallen?"


    Del nodded.


    "I heard that with the power of the Angry One and the help of Veteran Mahim, they managed to bring it down at the cost of their life, and right now, they''re tightening the siege. If it weren''t for those damn Wizards, we wouldn''t even have to worry about a single airship..."


    Alma replied, "Yes, we seeded in bringing down the Thunderstrider. But I''m worried that we might be missing a bigger part of Night Sky¡¯s n."


    "What do you mean?" Del asked, confused.


    "Perhaps the Thunderstrider, and even the Corpse Crow, the owner of Thundestrider, are not the real protagonists in Night Sky¡¯s n."


    "I''m aware of that. At first, I thought the n was to send the Thunderstrider south of the frontline as a momentary distraction from the northern front. I really believed that the war''s oue might shift when the air raid started. But even that turned out to be a deception, and it wasn''t until recently that we discovered they were up to something in the western front."


    "But that might not be all."


    Del asked, "Are you referring to the Vampire we talked about before?"


    "Yes. The Thunderstrider is still under siege, but I think it''s toote. The vampire has probably escaped."


    ¡°But if that was the case, the Angry One would have¡­¡±


    Alma shook her head.


    "The Angry One probably won''t be interested."


    "Pardon?"


    "Maybe if it were the Devil Night Sky, it would be different. All the individual ns are within the Devil¡¯s conspiracy. But the Angry One...not so much. If Night Sky is water which seeps everywhere, the Angry One is fire. They are a wildfire that burns everything in front of them."


    "...You¡¯re talking about the unification war, aren''t you?"


    "Yes. The Angry One truly never looks back. So, the Devil¡¯s apostles and our Angry One¡¯s apostles have different roles to y. If the Devil¡¯s apostles are chess pieces, we are the hounds of the Angry One. We sniff around, guiding the Angry One¡¯s fire."


    Alma continued to say, "Del, I can smell it. This scent originates from an old buried incident, where a Vampire crossed the eastern sea. Since we cannot fullyprehend the Devil¡¯s intentions, I cannot move on the front lines. So, it''s up to you to chase them."


    Del bowed.


    "I will obey.¡±


    ***


    At the port city of Df, the biggest port of the Union Kingdom, a person was walking along the main road of this city. It was a Centaur. However, this Centaur had both hands tied behind her back, a bit in her mouth, and a Gnoll was riding on her back.


    The Gnoll was going along the road, holding the reins tied to the bit in the Centaur¡¯s mouth. The Gnoll''s name was Levony Dorandotte. They were a noble of the Dorandotte family, a family that was a founding contributor of Danly, and also a heresy investigator and punishment chief.


    Even though a caste system existed in the Empire, it was still possible for one without a noble title to reach high rank. However, in the case of the Union Kingdom, it was almost impossible to ovee one''s status through personal effort, and furthermore, unlike the Empire, where the caste system could vary even within the same species, in the Union Kingdom, the caste system was divided by species.


    In broad terms, it was divided into the Full Tailed, Half Tailed, and Tailless. The Full Tailed consisted mostly of nobles and the majority of priests, Half Tailed included merchants and the military ss, while Tailless made up the manufacturer ss. Because the upper ss consisted of mainly species like Gnolls, who had tails, they were called Full Tailed, while in contrast, species like Elves and Dwarves, who had no tails, made up the lower ss¡ªeither because they yed no significant role in history, such as during the unification war, or because they had started rebellions in the past.


    Levony said to their Satyr personal assistant, who was in the Half Tailed-ss and following them, "Lib, you¡¯re sure about that, right?"


    "Yes, they surely said they are one of the most extravagant ve traders in the Ronante-Oroban Alliance."


    "Hmm, if they¡¯re so famous, why didn''t I know about them?"


    "They apparently mainly traded with the Empire."


    "With the Empire?"


    "Even though it may not seem like it on the surface, ve trading is likely still prevalent among some imperial territories. However, the Empire''s folks are quite picky, so they are looking for new business opportunities."


    Levony slowly nodded.


    "Alright. The High Priest mentioned that a lot ofbor is needed to build the new temple, so this could be an opportunity provided by the Angry One."


    Levony intended to treat the noble merchant who hade from the Ronante-Oroban Alliance today well and secure a good deal. This kind of work wasn''t originally Levony''s responsibility, but as Levony got older, they stopped actively engaging in witch hunting in the field, so they had been trying to find ways to serve the Angry One¡¯s temple. After searching, however, there weren''t many things they could do with their noble status. Of course, Levony also thought that this kind of work suited them quite well.


    As Levony arrived near the docks, they immediately spotted the distinctive attire of the ve trader. When Levony approached the ve trader, Levony was greeted by a smiling Frogman.


    "Are you the ve trader, Gor?"


    Agent Number 15 of the Intelligence Agency, Gorgota Falu, said, "Yes, I am Gor."


    "And who are those behind you...?"


    "My ves."


    Upon hearing this, Juran, who was standing behind Gorgota, lowered his head as if trying to hold inughter, and Ramin furrowed her eyebrows.

 Chapter 188: Ordinary Hell

    Chapter 188: Ordinary Hell


    Two weeks ago, Ramin Solost Muel, Hwee Juran Muel, and Gorgota Falu were in the storagepartment of the passenger ship, on their way to sneak into the western continent.


    "Why are we ying the role of ves?"


    At Juran¡¯s question, Gorgota replied, "Unlike the southern continent where things are chaotic due to the war, and sses are mixed up ording to needs, the maind of the Danly Union Kingdom is quite clearly divided by species. Species with tails are referred to as Full Tailed and hold the highest status. On the other hand, species without tails, called Tailless, have a lower status."


    At those words, Ramin said, "Wait a minute. Frogmen don¡¯t have tails either.¡±


    "Do you not know? We also had tails when we were young. They gradually shrink as we grow."


    "Really? I didn''t know that."


    "Usually people only pay attention to their own species." Gorgota continued to say, "The reason they have Full Tailed, Tailless, and Half Tailed in between is because during the unification war, the species that belonged to Danly were integrated into the main species of the Union Kingdom. The Tailless ss were generally the main species of other countries."


    Ramin said, "The Garang Kingdom where I was born did have Gnomes as the royal family. I think I also remember that the lord of the vige where I lived was a Gnome as well...."


    Juran then said, "But can¡¯t we y any other roles? Not all Tailless individuals are ves, right?"


    "That''s true. But in many ways, it''s more convenient to y ves. Most Tailless-ss people end up as serfs bound to fields and farms, or they work as factoryborers. The ss is also allowed limited moving range, so if you take on different roles and move around without a good reason, they''ll check your status everywhere you go. And there¡¯s also another reason.¡±


    ¡°Another reason?¡±


    Gorgota said, "The identities provided by the Intelligence Agency aren¡¯t simple fakes, it''s quite specific. We will meet with another agent of the Intelligence Agency operating within the Union Kingdom, and we will receive other assistance from them."


    "Another agent?"


    Gorgota nodded.


    "Espionage activities take ce more overseas than inside our country. There were instructions before we left the Thunderstrider."


    Even though the role didn¡¯t seem very appealing to Ramin, she decided to go with it because of the fact that they could receive help. When given some thought, the life of a Vampire always required acting. It wasn''t a life of living entirely as oneself, but rather pretending not to drink blood, not to harm others, and to act as if they were living a normal life.


    ¡®...I did prepare myself, but this is even worse than I thought.¡¯


    Both Ramin and Juran, who had decided to take on the role of ves, found the task not particrly difficult. Rather, Gorgota was the source of difort.


    Gorgota, who took on the role as the ve trader, Gor, was conversing with the nobleman of the Union Kingdom, Levony Dorandotte. To Ramin, Gorgota appeared so much like a ve trader that it raised suspicions to her about whether Gorgota''s actual profession was a ve trader. Ramin didn¡¯t feel particrlyfortable listening to their conversation.


    As the Gnoll, Levony, was riding the Centaur and moving forward, they said, "But to treat Humans as ves, you have unique taste."


    Beside Levony, Gorgota was riding on a horse. Levony had offered to let Gorgota get on the Centaur Levony was riding on, but Gorgota declined with an appropriate excuse.


    Gorgota replied, "Among the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, Humans are quitemon as ves. I''ve heard that there are also many Human ves in the Union Kingdom as well, referred to as the Tailless-ss."


    "That''s true. However, the ones we treat as ves are a bit more..."


    "A bit more?"


    "They are strong-willed species. Centaurs are considered to be in the Half Tailed-ss in the Union Kingdom. This Centaur was demoted to a ve due to a punishment. We prefer Half Tailed ves. Rather than using Tailless ves as actual ves¡­yes. We just prefer them to stay out of sight.¡±


    "I see."


    "So, I am a bit concerned."


    ¡°Pardon?


    Levony replied, "In the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, if you mainly use Humans, who are like the Half Tailed-ss, as ves, it might be difficult for us to give you a proper price for the ve purchase this time."


    At those words, Gorgota smiled and said, "You don''t need to worry. In fact, you should be pleased."


    "Is that so?"


    "Since the Union Kingdom is reluctant to use species considered as the Half Tailed-ss as ves due to their reputation of being fierce, we, the Ronante-Oroban Alliance would be able to provide more ves considering the supply and demand,¡±


    ¡°Oh wow.¡±


    "It¡¯s all about bncing the market, isn¡¯t it?"


    "That does make sense."


    With that, Gorgota arrived at Levony¡¯s vi and entered it along with Levony. Levony exined that the vi had been used by Frogmen nobles in the past and thus there was a swimming pool in the banquet hall.


    Gorgota entered the vi, leaving Ramin and Juran behind. The two were then led to the stable.


    "Even though we were brought along as ves, we can''t even enter that spacious vi?"


    "Noonim, in my opinion, Gorgota has been considerate of us.¡±


    "Considerate?"


    "Inside the vi, we would have to continue pretending to be ves, so it would be a concern. At least here, we can stayfortable despite the smell of horse dung."


    "In my opinion¡­even if that''s the case, it''s probably because Gorgota is worried that we might make a mistake, not because they¡¯re being considerate of us."


    "Well, there might be some truth to that as well."


    Juran looked at Ramin with a smile.


    "You can speak freely. You can also address mefortably as well."


    "But as I mentioned before..."


    "Even if you''re not my real noonim, can''t I call ady with a significant age difference noonim? Or should I call you grandma?"


    Ramin flicked Juran''s antler with her fingers.


    "Ouch."


    Juran felt a vibration through his horn, but judging from the way Ramin lightly brushed her finger, it seemed that she was the one who felt more pain.


    Ramin said, "You can call me noonim if you want, but don''t push it with your jokes."


    "I''m sorry," Juran said. "Did you and Hwee-Kyung not get along?"


    "It''s not necessarily that."


    "If we share stories about Hwee-Kyung, wouldn''t that help us find her?¡±


    Ramin hesitated for a moment, looked around the stable, and then said, "I grew up in a house with many siblings. I think there were about five siblings older and younger than me, but my memories aren¡¯t very clear because it was so long ago. Anyway, I didn''t receive much attention while growing up. It''s not a big deal to grow up in such a family. Just like other simr households, I would have be a noble housemaid or worked in the fields originally and lived my life until I died."


    "But?"


    "An epidemic broke out. At the time, I didn''t know, but apparently it was an epidemic that spread not only in the Garang Kingdom, but throughout the entire continent. As the epidemic caused a shortage ofbor, there was also a shortage of food, and it even led to a famine. We managed to hold on for about a year, but after two, three years passed, all my five siblings, each older or younger than me, died. My parents then decided to sell me, but it turned out to be worse than being sold to a noble house."


    "How so?"


    "I mentioned there was a food shortage, right? So, there were often cases where children were bought in one vige and then sold to another vige where a different species lived."


    Juran frowned. "So, you mean..."


    "They were bought to be eaten." Ramin added, "Do understand. It was a tough time."


    "I understand. But as members of the same species, it''s a bit sad..."


    "There''s no need to feel sad. Would a merchant who sells childrene to a Human vige empty-handed? Why do you think I knew my fate?"


    Juran remained silent at those words.


    Feeling like she had silenced Juran unnecessarily, Ramin continued with the next part of her story.


    "Anyway, I left that vige. But just because it was a different vige didn''t mean there were always spares or extra children to sell, so I witnessed quite a few other children being sold, but I wasn''t sold myself. There was one time I almost got sold, but they wanted to buy the bigger kid behind me, so I lost my turn."


    "..."


    "Then we were attacked. They were Troll bandits, but honestly, it wasn''t a good time to live as a bandit either. The merchants fled as soon as they saw them, and the children scattered, but I picked a bad direction to run toward."


    "Did you get captured?"


    "An arrow pierced my leg. But before a Troll could approach, a Human woman with antlers on her head snuck up behind the Troll and chopped its head off with an ax. She was Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    Juran then said with anticipation, "And she rescued you?"


    "Well, yes? Probably?"


    "Probably?"


    "It can¡¯t simply be described as a rescue."


    "What? How so?"


    "Hwee-Kyung didn''t just rescue me; she gave me a choice. Either let her suck my blood until I die, or to be her servant."


    Ramin saw theplex emotions on Juran''s face about his ancestor''s twisted personality, and she wondered if she should¡¯ve kept that to herself. However, Ramin had some feelings about Hwee-Kyung, so she didn''t stop the story there.


    ¡°Oh, but of course..."


    Then at that moment, the stable door opened. It was the Centaur that Levony had ridden earlier. But unlike before, the female Centaur had no restraints on her hands, no bit in her mouth, and the saddle on her back had been removed.


    Ramin whispered, "What do we do in this situation?"


    "What kind of situation is this?"


    "Is there some kind of magic to make it less awkward when you''re in a foreignnd with a Centaur ve in a stable?"


    "That seems like quite a rude thought."


    Contrary to Ramin''s expectations, the Centaur walked toward Ramin and Juran.


    The Centaur said, "No need to worry, Ramin."


    "Wait, huh? How do you know my name¡­"


    ¡°I don¡¯t relieve my feces here.¡±


    "..."


    "Oh, no, it''s not like that. I guess I was just being self-conscious."


    Then Juran replied, "No, it¡¯s okay. That¡¯s a relief."


    Ramin was surprised to see Juran actually put on an expression of relief, and it seemed genuine.


    Ramin asked, "No, hold on. That''s not the important part. How do you know my name?"


    Right then, a familiar Frogman entered the stable. It was Gorgota.


    Gorgota said, "Oh, don''t worry. Ramin, Juran, I''m sorry I didn''t introduce you earlier. This Centaur here is Te, agent number 13 of our Intelligence Agency."


    "Oh."


    Te nodded.


    Gorgota then continued to say, "I wanted toe out sooner, but that Gnoll was quite persistent. Good thing the Gnoll isn¡¯t a very good drinker and quickly fell asleep. But it seems like you have to spend the night here."


    "That''s okay."


    Te said, "Being a ve is my undercover identity here. It''s a different mission than you guys, but this was the only way to get closer to Levony. You must have been surprised as it was something you wouldn¡¯t have seen before in the Empire.¡±


    "Yes, a bit."


    "In the Union Kingdom, the strong Half Tailed or Tailless often have restraints on them ording to their owner''s will. You will see many Ogres and Trolls in shackles if you go to the vebor camp."


    Ramin frowned.


    "vebor camp?"


    "In the Union Kingdom, those working as a servant or acting as a ride as I do are considered the lucky ones. It''smon for those whomit major crimes like rebellion to not receive anypensation and to work in thebor camp until they die."


    Gorgota said, "That''s why the mission agents like Te take on here is important."


    "By mission, you mean¡­?"


    Te smiled and said, ¡°A revolution.¡±

 Chapter 189: Divine Punishment

    Chapter 189: Divine Punishment


    Ramin Solost Muel asked, ¡°What is a revolution?¡±


    The Frogman Gorgota Falu and the Centaur Te looked at each other.


    Hwee Juran Muel then said, ¡°I know what it is. I¡¯ve heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    "In an empire with a centralized power structure, such things wouldn¡¯t happen, but in the past, within the imperial territories, lords often persecuted and acted harshly to themon people. They would impose heavy taxes or forcedbor during the farming season."


    "I know about that. From what I know, that wasmon even now here on the western continent.¡±


    "Yes. Then when themon people couldn''t bear it anymore, they would rebel, storming into the lord''s castle and hanging the lord and their family. That''s what a revolution is."


    Ramin looked at Juran, puzzled.


    "Isn''t that just a rebellion?"


    "Oh?¡±


    "Such things happened frequently in ck Scale as well. Tribes that formed smallmunities would often rebel for independence. Or sometimes, someone would want to be king and try to oust the current one. I remember the famous case in the Empire¡¯s Asbestos, when the Troll Prince Redin BR Oser killing his father Delmardin.¡±


    "Oh, I know that as well. It was a sessful rebellion.¡±


    Ramin asked, ¡°Then how are rebellions and revolutions different?"


    Juran blinked for a moment.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not exactly sure about that¡­¡±


    Te smiled and said, "It''s okay to think of this as simply plotting a rebellion. In reality, it might turn out to be something like that."


    To Ramin, it seemed that there must be some clear difference between the two, but it wasn''t her concern; she felt things would be tiresome if she were to know anyway.


    Ramin asked, "But, um...I¡¯m sorry, but is pretending to be a noble''s ve one of those kinds of things?"


    "Yes. Levony Dorandotte isn''t just any noble. They¡¯re a heresy investigator, one of our biggest enemies. Therefore, there are many important figures to consider around Levony, and the simplest way to approach these figures is to pose as someone they wouldn''t suspect.¡±


    "It must be a lot of work."


    "It''s a job I chose to do willingly."


    "Willingly..."


    "...You''re not getting any strange ideas, are you?"


    Ramin waved her hand.


    "Well, anyway... This revolution has nothing to do with us, right?"


    This time, Gorgota answered, ¡°Notpletely. This n has been in preparation for a very long time, so it may involve not only the Empire, but also the Union Kingdom, and perhaps even everyone not directly associated with it."


    "No, is it rted to our work?"


    Te handed Gorgota a bag and said, "I heard that you wereing and checked the train schedule. It might not be the mostfortable ride, but you should be able to move straight ind."


    Gorgota said, "In that case, we''ll be entering the region where the former Garang Kingdom was. And we would get off at the station not too far from the Rubeil Valley, where Ramin said she saw Hwee-Kyungst.¡±


    "Well...I''m not so sure about that. It''s been so long that even if Hwee-Kyung is alive, I don''t think she would have stayed in the same ce. What''s near Rubeil Valley now?"


    Gorgota didn¡¯t know the answer, so they looked to Te.


    Te said, "If my memory serves me right, there''s arge vebor camp."


    "A vebor camp?"


    "There¡¯s no need to be concerned. They''re quitemon in the Union Kingdom. They handle both logging and mining, but I''m not sure about the exact scale."


    "Are there no Intelligence Agency agents there?"


    "It would be great if we could have agents everywhere, but security is the priority, and suitable talent isn''t always avable."


    Then Te¡¯s short briefing began.


    "And there''s no need to worry too much."


    "Howe?"


    "You probably didn¡¯t have ess to information as you were on your way here from the Thunderstrider, but there''s some surprising news."


    "I¡¯m not expecting much."


    ¡°A prophecy hase down with Ramin¡¯s name.¡±


    Looking at the surprise on Ramin¡¯s face, as well as Gorgota¡¯s and Juran¡¯s, Te said, "The prophecy states that Ramin will find Hwee-Kyung."


    ording to the history of the Pantheon, Night Sky¡¯s prophecies had never been wrong. If Night Sky said so, it was bound to happen. However, this prophecy was somewhat underwhelming for what it was.


    Ramin then said with disappointment, "...Is that it?"


    "Well, actually...there''s more. But I don''t quite understand it just by looking at this prophecy alone."


    "What is it?"


    "It says that Hwee-Kyung will forgive you¡­ Do you have any idea what that might mean? Or is it like most prophecies, using some kind of metaphor or symbolism."


    Ramin shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ***


    A hundred years ago, at the Rubeil Valley, Hwee-Kyung said, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let you live back then.¡±


    Ramin shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You should¡¯ve killed me then.¡±


    "Perhaps it''s not toote even now."


    "Give it a try."


    But Hwee-Kyung couldn''t move an inch.


    It was an ident that could happen to anyone. The two Vampires were walking along a narrow mountain path, trying to avoid people as always, and as is the case with such rarely used paths, there was always the possibility of it copsing.


    Hwee-Kyung tumbled down into the valley below. Her condition was not good. Both her antlers were broken, her hip and one of her legs were twisted, and one shoulder hadpletely dislocated. Ramin could have put it back in ce, but it wasn''t easy.


    Hwee-Kyung said, "Do you know that a fairy lived in my antlers?"


    "Yes. Are you trying to say you would have been fine if the fairy were still there?"


    "Yes."


    "But the fairy left, and there''s no one else beside you except me."


    Ramin acted calmly. There was no one in this world who would help a Vampire. So if Ramin made a mistake, both of them would be as good as dead. She calmly went down into the valley and checked Hwee-Kyung¡¯s condition. If it weren''t for Vampires¡¯ persistent vitality, those wounds would have undoubtedly been fatal. Hwee-Kyung was losing consciousness. Just as when Hwee-Kyung had saved her, Ramin had to make a choice. To let her die, or find a way to save her somehow. Ramin decided to save Hwee-Kyung. However, merely making a choice didn''t guarantee that she could save Hwee-Kyung.


    "Kill me, Ramin."


    "I can''t do that."


    "I can''t live like this."


    "This is a way of life too."


    There was only one way to save a Vampire, and that was to make them drink someone else''s blood. And not just a little blood, but a substantial amount of it.


    After turning Ramin into a Vampire, Hwee-Kyung had taught her a rule to live by as a Vampire. Don''t kill people for the sake of drinking blood. Therefore, they were to actively seek out people who deserved death when they were thirsty. It was a challenging rule, but Ramin had kept it until now. However, Ramin knew that she had to break it to save Hwee-Kyung.


    The Rubeil Valley didn¡¯t see a lot of visitors. Only a few merchants passed through the valley with their bundles of goods on their backs. However, Ramin spent more than a month going back and forth through the valley, making Hwee-Kyung drink blood.


    When Hwee-Kyung could finally move her body, she resisted or tried to escape, so Ramin tied her up.


    By the time Hwee-Kyung was almost entirely recovered, she said, "When I¡¯m able to get up, I''ll kill you. Then, I''ll take my life too."


    Ramin shook her head. She hoped Hwee-Kyung would understand her, but Hwee-Kyung couldn¡¯t. asionally, she would recall Hwee-Kyung''s words after running away from her.


    ¡°You are my sin. This is a Divine Punishment.¡±


    Ramin disagreed.


    "No, it¡¯s not. You said you hadn¡¯t seen the Bug God since you came to this continent.¡±


    "Just because you can''t see them doesn''t mean they don''t exist."


    "If God really hated you, they wouldn''t have let you escape."


    "Or maybe they knew that running away would be the most painful thing for me."


    Ramin shook her head.


    "Live. Live in agony and prove to me that God is still watching us."


    ***


    ¡°Ramin?¡±


    Ramin opened her eyes. The train was shaking.


    There was a faint fishy smell of water, but it wasn''t too unpleasant. Ramin had lived too long and had met too many Frogmen to find it unpleasant.


    "Yes?"


    "The atmosphere inside the train doesn''t seem right."


    It was Gorgota who said that. Ramin btedly realized where she was. She was on a transcontinental train that traveled between the north and south, on her way to the Rubeil Valley. The first-sspartment Gorgota had booked in their name came with beds and even meals. However, there was still a clear distinction between the Full Tailed-ss and Tailless-ss, which made Ramin angry, but it was much better than sleeping in the stable. Moreover, being confined to a bedpartment meant that she didn''t have to put up a ridiculous act as a ve anymore.


    Although the journey on the train hadsted for over ten days, it wasn''t particrly boring, thanks to the variousndscapes the long railway connected. Of course, it wasn''t as good now because of the war, but at least it wasn''t as deste as the time Ramin remembered from the unification war.


    ¡®Was that dream¡­because we¡¯re getting closer to the valley?¡¯


    Ramin shook her head to wake herself up.


    Then Gorgota said, "There has been amotion since thest stop, so I''ll go out and check what''s happening. Please wait here with Juran."


    "Sure, I¡¯ll do that."


    Ramin nodded.


    After Gorogota walked to the front of the train, Ramin listened carefully to the noises inside the train. There seemed to be chaos for some reason. Someone was loudly protesting, and a contrasting but authoritative voice followed.


    ¡°It is noisy. When did this start?"


    "Just after our brief stop at the previous station. There is word that it wasn''t a scheduled stop."


    "What should we do?"


    Juran then put his finger to his lips. Ramin pressed against the wall and looked at the entrance to their sleepingpartment. Someone was passing in front of the ss entrance door.


    "You, check from the back of the train. Make sure they don''t escape to the rear."


    Several people in ck clothes and masks passed by the entrance and quickly moved toward the back of the train.


    Ramin held her breath and tried to identify the owner of the voice. They were dressed in ck, just like the others, but wore a red mask.


    "...!"


    Ramin recognized that mask. It was the same red-masked Fang agent who had proposed treason to her on the southern continent not long ago.


    ''Why is that guy here... Wait a minute.''


    Figuring out why the red-masked agent was here wasn''t important. Even though the mask was handmade, it didn¡¯t mean that there couldn¡¯t be others with the same design. What mattered now, however, was that they were a threatening Fang agent. Ramin didn¡¯t know why the Fang agent was traveling, but from the moment they boarded this train, Ramin and her group were destined to get off the train and escape.


    ''Then it''s simple.''


    Ramin''s answer was simple. If they had to escape anyway, they just had to get rid of the enemies who were right behind them.


    When Ramin drew her sword, Juran was taken aback. However, Ramin gave no signal other than a slight nod. Then without giving Juran time to intervene, Ramin pierced her sword through the window that separated her from the red-masked Fang agent. The de shattered the window and reached the red-masked agent as they turned to look at her.

 Chapter 190: Efficiently

    Chapter 190: Efficiently


    When the de made contact with the mask, Ramin thought that it was harder than she had expected.


    She realized that the masks worn by the Fang Agents weren¡¯t just simple decorations but rather quite useful protective gear. Regardless, the Empire¡¯s des were sharp enough to cut through the masks, but a swordsman always swung their sword ording to the material they were going to cut, which gave the red-masked Fang agent a moment to step back before their face could be pierced.


    Half of the red mask fell to the ground along with the shattered ss pieces. Ramin looked at the face revealed, or more precisely, the mouth.


    "...A Lizardman?"


    The Lizardman beneath the diagonally cut mask red at Ramin.


    "...Is there anything to be surprised about?"


    Ramin wasn¡¯t only surprised because they were a Lizardman, as there were many Lizardmen in the Union Kingdom too. However, this Lizardman had ck scales. Of course, there could be other Lizardmen with ck scales who weren¡¯t from the Empire, but all the ones Ramin knew of were from the Empire.


    Del, the ck-scaled Lizardman, drew a dagger from a sheath on their chest. Ramin considered it a reasonable choice. While they had a longsword at their waist, brandishing it in a narrow space could easily result in the weapon getting caught on something.


    ¡®Of course, that''s only when youck experience in fighting in narrow spaces.¡¯


    Ramin kicked the door open, forcing Del to step back. She could get attacked from both sides, but fighting in the corridor seemed like the better option.


    ¡®Because then, Juran wouldn¡¯t be within the Lizardman¡¯s range of sight.¡¯


    Ramin nced at Juran, who was against the wall. Since she couldn¡¯t give him a signal, she could only hope he would do what he had to do on his own.


    Juran gave her what seemed like a nod.


    ¡®Alright, then¡­¡¯


    Ramin¡¯s idea was simple. Find Gorgota, who had left to check the situation inside the train, and escape together. But to do that, they had to kill the Fang agent in front of them.


    ¡®The Empiremunicates through the Wizards with tubifex, but the Union Kingdom mainly uses pigeons. If we kill this guy quickly before they send a signal¡­¡¯


    Bang!


    As Ramin moved forward, a gunshot echoed. The bullet grazed Ramin''s ear. But it wasn¡¯t the Lizardman who had fired.


    ¡®If it were, they wouldn¡¯t have missed.¡¯


    There was another Fang agent behind the Lizardman. They hadn''t been able to aim properly at Ramin because they were trying to avoid hitting Del. However, the uracy of the shot itself wasn''t the important part.


    ¡°The Vampire is here! Car 8! Car 8!¡±


    Ramin briefly clicked her tongue.


    It seemed that Del didn¡¯t find the need to attack as the other Fang agents would surround Ramin even if Del didn¡¯t do anything, and they could just let the others attack her from behind.


    Left with no choice, Ramin thrust her sword toward Del. Even in a narrow space that could barely fit one person, if she treated her sword like a spear and made no shing movements, there was no reason she couldn¡¯t use her sword.


    Del, however, responded defensively and backed away when possible while skillfully using their dagger instead of fighting back. asionally, the Fang Agent behind Del would attack instead, using their pistol.


    Ramin said, "Are you just going to run away? You don¡¯t have any confidence, do you?"


    Del shook their head.


    "Provoking me is pointless, Ramin Solost Muel. I''m not a fighter."


    "Then?"


    "I''m an official. I do what I''m told to do."


    Ramin thought that this response itself was a reaction to being provoked.


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason you betrayed the Empire?¡±


    "I haven''t betrayed the Empire. The Empire betrayed me."


    ¡°Is that why you tried to recruit me? Because of that experience?¡±


    Del ignored Ramin''s question.


    "If you surrender now, I''ll help ensure a positive oue for your future."


    Ramin rolled her eyes.


    ¡®Where is the independent life you talked of, Night Sky?¡¯


    Ramin also ignored Del''s words. Then, she quickly shifted her position with a step and thrust her sword. It was arge movement that she hadn''t done until now.


    Then, as if Del saw it as an opportunity, they took several steps back and tried to block the sword with the guard of their dagger. Del was aiming for a brawl, taking advantage of the difference in their physique. However, Ramin''s moves were a deception.


    As Ramin took one more step forward, she lightly pulled back the arm that had been extended. Del, who had experienced Ramin''s swordsmanship once before, realized what this action meant.


    ''...She''s going to throw it!''


    Del''s prediction was correct.


    Ramin extended the arm she had pulled back and let go of the hilt of the sword. Del, puzzled that she would make such an easily predictable move again, stuck to the wall and avoided the sword, which had started rotating once it left Ramin¡¯s hand.


    Thud!


    The dull noise was apanied by a chilling sensation.


    When Del turned around, they saw that the sword had pierced the chest of the Fang agent behind them, right up to the hilt. Ramin had been aiming for the agent behind Del in the first ce.


    ¡°Damn it¡­!¡±


    Del looked back at Ramin, but she was already jumping into the next sleepingpartment. Ramin opened the window of the emptypartment and squeezed through it. As her body was halfway through, she saw Del holding a dagger in one hand and a pistol in the other. The moment the rubber-powered gun was fired, Ramin stepped onto the window frame and grabbed the roof of the passenger car to climb up. The bullet grazed the sole of Ramin''s shoe and flew past her foot.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    When Del looked up at the ceiling of the car, Ramin¡¯s footsteps echoed. Del aimed up, but then decided to save the bullets, thinking that a low-velocity rubber bullet wouldn¡¯t prate the metal te.


    Then another Fang agent btedly arrived. "Where''s the Vampire?"


    "She went onto the roof of the car. Half of you go up from the front, and the other half from the back. Hurry!"


    Ramin looked at the scenery from on top of the moving train. The train was racing as fast as a galloping horse. The sky was clear, and thendscape was beautiful, with green fields and low mountains. If it weren''t a life-and-death situation, she would very much want to stare at it in awe.


    As Ramin looked forward, her hood naturally came off.


    ¡®What a fool.¡¯


    Feeling scorching heat hit her face, Ramin put her hood back on and turned around. Then a hand reached up from the back of the car, and someone began climbing up. It was a Fang agent.


    "She¡¯s there!¡±


    Ramin fired her gun.


    Bang!


    However, the bullet missed, hitting the roof and causing a small spark. Although the distance was close enough, the strong wind made aiming difficult.


    "It''s a gunpowder pistol! She has a gun!¡±


    Ramin looked back and forth. The Fang agents already had their hands on the roof of the car and were prepared to climb up.


    Del shouted, "The Vampire has a gun! Go up at once on my signal! Anyone who dies here will be honored by the Angry One!"


    Ramin nced around, lowered her body, and lowered her hands toward the roof of the car.


    ''Efficiently.''


    There was a way of life she had developed after encountering Hwee-Kyung, her teacher, and countless others. It was efficiency. A Vampire''s life stemmed from someone else''s suffering, pain, and life, so it must not be wasted. And this way of life still applied even after she became a chosen one.


    ¡®Mazdari gave aplicated exnation, but the conclusion was that using Demonic Magic drains mental power, so it makes me tired.¡¯


    While she could recover by burning dried medicinal herbs, there was no knowing when she would have the time to do so. Therefore, Ramin thought that the Demonic Magic should always be used efficiently. And this was the reason why she had aimed for the heart when she first became a chosen one and fought the Dragon Knight. The heart was the most vulnerable part of a person¡¯s body, after all.


    ¡®Even if I just shoot electricity everywhere¡­if what the ancient schrs said about electricity is true, most of the energy dissipates as it passes through the air.¡¯


    That would be a waste of energy.


    There hadn¡¯t been many chosen ones, so the study of electricity hadn¡¯t progressed much either, but Ramin did have some knowledge.


    ¡®Dry wood doesn''t like electricity, but a wet cloth does.¡¯


    Ramin put her hands on top of the roof of the car.


    ¡®Rubber doesn''t like electricity, but iron does.¡¯


    An electrical current flowed through the roof of the car, which was made of thin steel sheets, and it reached the Fang agents who had just started to climb onto the roof.


    There were no dazzling electric sparks like the ancient chosen ones had shown. Instead, the hearts of the Fang agents simply contracted, and they died of cardiac arrest. Three lifeless bodies fell off the train.


    "The Vampire is using strange powers!"


    "She seems to be a Wizard. This is inconsistent with what we know of her!"


    "We can''t handle this by ourselves..."


    The agents appeared to be in chaos. Not all of them had been killed, but none of those left had the courage to climb onto the roof again.


    "She''s a Chosen One! It''s electricity!"


    Del had figured it out, but it wasn¡¯t enough to reassure the agents. In the first ce, Ramin hadn¡¯t zapped them to death in the corridor; she had waited for this moment.


    "Jump over from the cars next to the one she is standing on! The soles of your shoes will block the electricity."


    Ramin was considering giving up efficiency when someone appeared at the window of the next car ahead. It was Gorgota. Gorgota didn¡¯t make any sounds to prevent attracting attention from the Fang agents, but the handwave obviously meant for Ramin to jump over the car and go to them.


    As Ramin started running, a gun was aimlessly fired from below the car roof. While thinner ces of the roof got pierced, there were also bullets that were stopped. Ramin then ran as fast as she could and jumped across the gap between cars.


    Thud!


    The moment Raminnded on the next car, a spark arose from the connecting part between the cars. She crouched and looked down. Juran was dusting his hands off and getting up.


    Juran then said to Ramin, "I''m d you''re safe, nunim. I''ve just disconnected the cars."


    Before Ramin could ask anything, she realized what had just happened. The coupling between the cars was burning red and had been broken.


    Since the train''s power came from the steam engine in the leading power car, it was natural that with the coupling severed, the following cars would lose speed and fall behind. The train was running on a straight track, so it quickly distanced itself from the severed cars. Then the door opened, and Del appeared from the part of the train growing farther and farther from them. As they took aim, Del realized that the distance was too great and lowered their gun.


    "What about Gorgota?"


    ¡°Gorgota had been captured by the Fang agents. I helped Gorgota escape.¡±


    Ramin then came down from the roof and joined Gorgota.


    Gorgota said, "We did manage to shake off the agents, but now that they know we''re on this train, we can''t continue riding it like this."


    ¡°Then what do we do?¡±


    Gorgota took out a map.


    "The Rubeil Valley is nearby. It might take some time, but we should be able to travel on foot. We can jump off during a deceleration section."


    Juran then said, ¡°Would we be okay? Although I¡¯m not sure why, it seems like they''ve discovered our route."


    Noting the thoughtful look on Gorgota¡¯s face, Ramin said, "I''m worried about that too, but it''s not even the worst-case scenario. The fact that they know our route might mean that they know what we want."


    "What do you mean?"


    Ramin replied, ¡°We weren¡¯t certain if we would even be able to get some clues about Hwee-Kyung if we went to Rubeil Valley, but in reality, it might be the opposite. They discovered our route because Hwee-Kyung is there.¡±

 Chapter 191: Slave Labor Camp Intrusion

    Chapter 191: ve Labor Camp Intrusion


    ¡°You were a highschool teacher?¡±


    Crampus replied to Sung-Woon¡¯s question, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°A science teacher?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sung-Woon looked at Crampus from head to toe.


    Then Crampus said, "You seem to be having some rude thoughts again."


    "No, not really. I just naturally thought you would be unemployed...preparing for a job."


    "...Jang-Wan, this guy didn¡¯t have any friends, did he?"


    Jang-wan, who was beside them, nodded silently. She had taken off the lion mask she usually wore because it was getting in the way of the work they were currently doing.


    ¡°Anyway, that''s not important. Just because I was a science teacher doesn¡¯t mean I know a lot about science.¡±


    "But?"


    "Look at this."


    Crampus lightly tapped the table with the tip of his knife. On the table were luxurious dishes of food.


    Sung-Woon sat at the head of the dining table while the other yers sat around the table and enjoyed the meal. The yers didn''t need to eat, and neither did they have to sleep or breathe. They could even change their appearances however they wished. Therefore, Sung-Woon thought this kind of meal was useless, and he objected to the idea when Lunda and the other yers proposed to build a restaurant.


    Sung-Woon''s opinion was simple. The desire to eat was just a tradition and habit. He said that there was no reason to create a restaurant even though it didn''t cost a lot of resources, but Lunda and the other yers said that eating was a necessary activity. Even though they no longer felt like real people, performing this function was mentally helpful, just as it was when they were still regr humans. Sung-Woon had then said that everyone had been doing well without such things, but that was wrong. As it turned out, Sung-Woon was the only one who had not taken up any hobbies outside of the game, while the other yers had continued their hobbies from the past, including eating.


    Eventually, Sung-Woon ended up saying something he shouldn¡¯t have said.


    "Isn¡¯t that why you lost?"


    Lunda finally punched Sung-Woon in the face, and Jang-Wan also kicked him in the shin. Then Eldar scolded Sung-Woon, saying that he should be careful with his words.


    Wisdom then mediated the conflict. While it might not be a perfect experiment, he had secretly divided the yers outside of Sung-Woon into two groups. One group was encouraged to secretly enjoy their hobby without Sung-Woon knowing, while the other group tried to cater to Sung-Woon''s preferences by not enjoying their hobbies. Wisdom then quantified the yers'' performance and documented how each group performed, presented the document to Sung-Woon, and made a presentation for the other yers of the Pantheon.


    ording to his findings, although the result differed from individual to individual, and there wasn¡¯t a significant difference, those who enjoyed their hobbies showed better performance than those who didn''t. So Sung-Woon created a restaurant, created creature creations to work there, and gathered spirits from the Afterlife who were skilled in cooking. He also allowed a broad range of hobbies for each yer to pursue in their private rooms. And it was around this time that they decided to hold a banquet when all the yers would gather for a meeting.


    Sung-Woon asked, "Why? Is there a problem with the steak?"


    "It''s not that... yers don''t need to eat anything, right?"


    "That''s right."


    "But as long as we exist, we can''t ignore thews of physics. Saying that we''re fine even though no energy is supplied can be interpreted as energying from somewhere else, right?"


    Sung-Woon shook his head as if he didn¡¯t know the answer to that.


    "We''ve already seen many things that can''t be exined by the knowledge we had on Earth. So there must be something more that we can''t exin."


    When Crampus was about to say more, Lim Chun-Sik, who was sitting next to him, said, "By the way, what''s happening with Hwee-Kyung?"


    Sung-Woon briefly exined the situation. Hwee-Kyung had been keeping out of Hegemonia''s sight and couldn¡¯t be found even though they searched various ces throughout the second continent, but now they were starting to get some clues to where she was. In order to attract Hegemonia¡¯s attention, the apostles, the creations, and the Empire¡¯s army were shedding blood on various battlefields, but they weren¡¯t only on the receiving end, and the exchange rate wasn¡¯t too bad. In Sung-Woon¡¯s opinion, they would end up with a positive when they eventually found Hwee-Kyung.


    ¡°But why is Hwee-Kyung in a vebor camp?¡±


    "I have my theory. We need to check, but it''s likely to be true."


    "What is it?"


    Sung-Woon said, "Have you heard of the Fake God Strategy?"


    ***


    Rubeil once used to be the center of the Garang Kingdom, but now, it was hard to find traces of the prosperous nation there. Unlike the Empire, which generally attempted an appeasement policy in their upied areas, the Union Kingdom did not. When the Union Kingdom upied other cities and countries, they simply imposed their system. Kings and nobles either died or became ves, and their bloodlines were dragged to vebor camps scattered throughout the upied territories. Due to these measures, the distinction between the Full Tailed and Tailless sses became even more defined.


    Many nations solidified their determination to resist due to the Union Kingdom¡¯s actions, which in turn fueled discrimination against the dominant species of the Union Kingdom, and this became a driving force for the anger of the main species of the Union Kingdom. Then the Angry One drew strength from the pain and hatred between the species, as their name would suggest, and the anger tranted into the vebor camps.


    To some extent, the Empire determined where to obtain basic resources based on economic feasibility. Therefore, even if a region appeared to be resource-rich, resources were abandoned and new regions were sought if the region was too dangerous, or the resources required excessivebor force for extraction. And whenever such situations arose, there were often conflicts between regional management, local residents, and merchants, so in the yers¡¯ perspectives, the resource generation rate was not always satisfactory.


    However, in the case of the Union Kingdom, there was no such problem, as resources were obtained through forcedbor until the ves in the vebor camps died. Moreover, even as a ve ss, the poption was rapidly increasing due to advancements in medicine and increased grain production. And from the perspective of the Angry One, this was a highly reasonable methodology.


    "The security seems tight," said Gorogota, who was looking ahead through binocrs.


    Ramin and her group had entered the Rubeil Valley. Below the exposed rocky mountains and cliffs were dense bushes, making it easy for the three of them to hide.


    Gorgota was looking at a cluster of small buildings below the cliff. The broken stone structures seemed to belong to the previous era, and many people were moving in between them.


    Ramin said, "Is it because of us?"


    "Maybe. In a vebor camp, the internal security should be stricter than external security, but it seems like the opposite is true. They not only have people at the watch posts but also have reconnaissance scouts going around."


    The journey on foot after getting off the train was not enjoyable. The residential areas were patrolled by not only the Fang agents of the Union Kingdom, but also the policemen and soldiers, as if they no longer nned on hiding the fact that they were chasing after Ramin and her friends. There were also many difficulties along the way, but it wasn''t impossible to get through them. However, from here on, there were problems that couldn¡¯t be solved with determination and effort alone.


    Gorgota said, "The station you see there is probably one of the small camps of the logging camp. As far as I know, the main production resource of the vebor camps in Rubeil is not wood but coal, so if we want to get to the center, we need to pass that ce and go deeper in.¡±


    Ramin then looked at Juran and said, "What should we do in a situation like this? Shouldn''t we ask the higher-ups for guidance?"


    Juran replied, "The tubifexes have no signal here, and we also seem to be too far from the nearest switching center. We have to make the decision ourselves."


    Gorgota sighed and said, "We''ve worked hard, but I can''t risk both of your lives by going that way. If the Fang agents are smart enough, there are probably people waiting for us inside that vebor camp as well. It''s too dangerous."


    ¡°Then what?¡± Ramin asked


    Gorgota replied, ¡°After I escort you both to a safe area, I''ll go in alone. If I can find Hwee-Kyung, that would be great, but if I don''t return within the time we agree upon, you might be able to contact another agent and receive better assistance."


    Ramin furrowed her eyebrows and said, ¡°Let''s do the opposite."


    "The opposite?"


    "If anyone can find Hwee-Kyung, it''s the two of us, not you, Gorgota. If Juran is okay with it, the two of us will go in, and you can be on stand-by."


    ¡°What?¡±


    Juran nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m good with that. Besides, it seems like noonim isn¡¯t just saying this out of politeness, and actually has something in mind.¡±


    "How did you know?"


    "Because you don''t seem like the type to sacrifice yourself just for the greater good¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    Ramin briefly looked at the distant mountains and then turned to Gorgota.


    "Just hear me out first."


    The daily work in the vebor camps was straightforward. The camp was divided into three main groups. The managers, security guards, andborers. Although the managers were the smallest in number, they effectively managed both the security guards and theborers, and the security guards, who were part of the military, were in charge of monitoring theborers and ensuring they didn''t leave the camp.


    But of course, this task alone was not easy; even though both managers and security guards were armed, theborers outnumbered them by about twenty times. Therefore, theborers were always put into groups and moved together, and the managers and security guards made each group keep an eye on each other. If anyone vited the camp''s internal rules, they would report each other, leading to rewards or punishments.


    However, Ramin¡¯s idea was simple.


    "If external surveince is stricter while the number of security personnel stays the same, then it''s only natural that internal security would be weakened, right?"


    "I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily true, but...yes, it could be that way."


    "As we¡¯ve already seen with our eyes, each group seems to be spread out for their logging work, so there would be room for escape. And among them, there definitely are people who want to escape.¡±


    Gorgota added, "Escape attempts in the vebor camps are quitemon. Even though it''s the Union Kingdom, they don¡¯t haveplete control of the issue. In fact, it is said that many former runaway ves have settled themselves in the remote parts of the Union Kingdom, and some even manage to escape overseas¡­like to the Empire."


    Ramin nodded.


    "So, we can help with that."


    Gorgota then said doubtfully, ¡°Are you saying we should take advantage of the chaos and infiltrate? But I don''t think that alone will be enough."


    Ramin shook her head.


    "That''s not it, not exactly..."


    As Ramin began to exin, Gorgota found it hard to ept the idea, but had to admit that it was the most viable n among those proposed so far.


    "...Alright, let''s go with that. Let''s hope for the protection of the stars."


    ***


    There was a minor disturbance at the logging site of the Rubeil vebor camp. Five groups ofborers took advantage of the weakened internal security and attempted to escape. However, the reason why this chaos didn''t draw much attention was that none of the five groups managed to escape sessfully.


    The security guards didn''t have aplete list of the members in these groups, so they counted heads to verify, but there were no missing numbers. Then the security guards gathered the five groups and took them to the old Garang fortress site, which was in the middle of the vebor camp. And among the group of ves being taken away, were Ramin and Juran.

 Chapter 192: The Supporter Sect

    Chapter 192: The Supporter Sect


    Ramin''s idea was simple. If Gorgota was right, the vebor camp in Rubeil was under arge management system, which meant that the managers and guards were separated. This implied that they didn''t share information with each other from time to time.


    "They would check, but that would be done by the managers once we enter the vebor camp. The Union Kingdom has borrowed many systems from the military, so I think the vebor camp will be simr. Officers often can''t remember every single soldier. What do you think?"


    "I agree... I think it will be simr.¡±


    Making theborers escape was the most challenging part of the n, but it was easier than infiltrating the camp''s guards. The logging camp periodically changed locations, and there were temporary mountain cabins for theborers on each site. Gorgota had hidden the weapons they carried in the bedding and washrooms used only by theborers. But Gorgota''s concern was that theborers would report these weapons to the guards or managers. If that happened, it would be discovered that it hasn¡¯t been long since the weapons were hidden, and they would increase the security in the camp, making it even more challenging to enter.


    However, that didn''t happen. Gorgota had thought that it would take theborers days to n for their escape after finding the weapons, but instead, theborers escaped immediately.


    Ramin and her group, who had been hiding nearby, approached two Humanborers attempting to escape. Then Gorgota asked the twoborers to swap clothes with Ramin and Juran in exchange for guaranteeing their escape, and they of course agreed without hesitation. Eventually, Ramin and Juran got caught by the security guards, and they pretended to be surrendering mid-escape.


    As they were being dragged towards the center of the vebor camp, Juran said to Ramin, "It might be difficult to hold out for long."


    "We just need to make it to the inside of thebor camp. We¡¯ll get out once we confirm if Hwee-Kyung is there."


    Ramin didn¡¯t think they could hold out for long, either. The cursed ones¡ªthose with parts of their bodies transformed and infused by a spirit of Demonic Magic¡ªwere treated quite negatively in the Union Kingdom. As a result, cursed ones could often be seen among theborers.


    ¡®But aside from that, antlers just stand out.¡¯


    However, Ramin actually wasn''t in the situation to worry about Juran. Theborers had escaped in thete afternoon, and although it was currently after sunset, if they were made tobor after dawn, her identity as a Vampire would be exposed. In the Union Kingdom, cursed ones wereborers, while Vampires were sentenced to death.


    ¡®But the Angry One''s Fangs are chasing me anyway. So that isn¡¯t really something to be afraid of, is it?¡¯


    However, there was one thing that Ramin had overlooked. The guards didn''t have precise information about the number ofborers, and the managers were at the center of the camp, but right next to them was a group that could recognize the changedborers.


    "Hey you."


    A thin Elf man tapped Ramin¡¯s shoulder.


    "Who are you?"


    He was dressed like aborer, just like Ramin and Juran.


    ***


    The Elf revealed his name to be Aganin Ore. Aganin ordered his fellowborers to surround them, making sure otherborers couldn''t hear and that the guards'' gaze wouldn''t reach them.


    Aganin then said to Ramin, "I''ve survived in this vebor camp for over ten years. There was not a single face I didn¡¯t know in the group that went out to cut wood today, but surely I¡¯ve never seen you two before.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    "Don''t think about lying. I''ll report you to the guards right away."


    Ramin thought about what to do for a moment, but her decision was simple.


    ¡®We gave theborers guns and they immediately attempted to escape. The situation in thebor camp isn''t good. In such cases,borers are more likely to cooperate with the managers and guards if they don''t want to be persecuted. But...''


    Ramin thought she could control the Elf in front of her through her lies. She could im to be an agent from the Empire¡¯s Intelligence Agency, sent to free the vebor camp, and that in order to do that, she would need the Elf''s help.


    ¡®But that¡¯s a lie, even if there¡¯s partial truth to it.¡¯


    Ramin decided to tell the truth rather than manipte Aganin with a false story.


    "We''vee to find someone."


    "You willinglye into Rubeil just to find someone? You must be insane."


    "It''s a matter of life and death for us."


    Aganin said, "And if you find them? Will that satisfy you? Do you have a way out of thisbor camp? Or does putting your life on the line mean you have no intention of going back?"


    That was a question Ramin had been worrying about too. All of this, indeed, happened because it was what the gods wanted. However, Ramin didn''t believe she was fanatical enough to risk her life for a religion. She had told Gorgota that she had strong faith, but she had never actually thought of herself that way.


    ¡®Yet I still jumped into something where escape isn¡¯t guaranteed. What is going on?¡¯


    Not following the will of the gods was a scary thing indeed. Considering the long war between the Empire and the Union Kingdom, one person''s life wouldn''t be taken very seriously; that made gods terrifying beings. However, during this journey, she hadn''t felt like she was being chased.


    ''In fact, it¡¯s my previous life that felt like meandering about.''


    Ramin felt a faint sense of God¡¯s will during this journey, and she knew that the will ovepped with her own.


    ''I¡¯m being controlled? ...No, it''s not a negative feeling like that.''


    Ramin tried to think further, but Aganin continued to talk to her.


    "Are you Fang agents sent by the Union Kingdom to test the loyalty of theborers?"


    ¡°Is that what it seems like?¡±


    Aganin burst intoughter.


    ¡°A Human woman traveling with a Human man with antlers? ¡­Of course not.¡±


    Ramin said, ¡°We really only came to find someone. That¡¯s all we want to do.¡±


    ¡°Hm, well, let¡¯s listen to what you have to say first. Who exactly are you here to find?¡±


    Ramin then said with a little bit of hope, ¡°Her name is Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    ¡°...Hwee-Kyung? I''m not sure I know her."


    "She might have been here for a very long time..."


    "I have been in thebor camp for a long time, but I don''t know everyone. Thebor camp is divided into several sections, and to prevent theborers from getting too close to each other, we are regrly reced. There are still many people I don''t know."


    "Oh, her appearance is quite distinctive. She''s a Human woman with antlers on her head."


    At those words, Aganin''s expression slightly changed. Ramin realized that Aganin knew something.


    Aganin pointed at Juran''s head.


    "...By antlers, do you mean antlers that look like those?¡±


    Ramin almost let out an exmation. However, Aganin¡¯s following words made her doubt her ears.


    ¡°Are you guys looking for the Saint?¡±


    ***


    Ramin and Juran received Aganin''s help. Aganin seemed to know not only many of theborers within the vebor camp, but also some of the guards and certain managers. ording to his introduction, Aganin was one of the leaders of a fairly well-known criminal organization within the Union Kingdom. This criminal organization started out as a group of Tailless thieves in the past, but now engaged in crimes like drug trafficking and gambling in the Union Kingdom; the scale was quite big, giving them a bad reputation. Because of this, Aganin also had a certain level of autonomy, unofficially, within thebor camp.


    "So, excluding two Humanborers from the list should be possible.¡±


    The central area of the vebor camp was somewhat familiar to Ramin as well. It had been a whole vige from the old Garang Kingdom, made into a mining site.


    Aganin stated that Ramin and Juran were not part of theborers who had attempted to escape, and the otherborers testified to the fact. Additionally, Ramin and Juran were also excluded from the regr gatherings due to their supposed illness, thanks to Aganin.


    "Most of the managers don''t even remember what theborers look like, but those antlers are a bit concerning. If you n to stay here for a while, it would be better to cut them. I can''t keep you excluded from the gatherings for too long."


    Ramin replied, "We won¡¯t stay long. We would get caught when the sun rises tomorrow anyway.¡±


    ¡°You would get caught?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, tell us more about this Saint.¡±


    Then Aganin exined that the person known as the Saint in the Rubeil vebor camp was at the deepest part of the coal mine in thebor camp. However, apart from being a female Human, not much was known about her. The Saint was always apanied by special guards and managers, making it difficult for otherborers to approach her.


    "Then why is she called a Saint?"


    "She helps theborers with mysterious powers."


    While it was difficult for otherborers to approach the Saint, it was an exception when she approached theborers.


    "How does she help?"


    "Quite literally. She tends to wounds and even takes beatings on behalf of others. She also does many of the tasks that otherborers should be doing."


    "That doesn''t sound very mysterious."


    Aganin shook his head.


    "If you get beaten here in thebor camp, one out of three people die. So surviving each time is a miracle in itself."


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    "Additionally, even when the mines are filled with gas, she has gone inside alone to rescue people or, in some cases, came out herself after being buried with others inside the mines. Anyway, they say she has shown many miracles that are hard to exin."


    Ramin said, "She may be a good person, but isn''t that unrted to being holy?"


    "No, not exactly." Aganin exined, "After she saves someone, apparently she tells them to convert as she received her power to perform those miracles from the One Who Stands Behind. Therefore, many people in thebor camp came to believe in the god, following the Saint, and so they¡¯re called the Supporter Sect."


    "...The Supporter Sect? They''re just letting that happen in thebor camp?"


    Aganin furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Honestly speaking, thebor camp manager sees the Supporter Sect quite favorably. The doctrine of the Supporter Sect itself ims that the punishments we receive here are to pay for our sins. They say that if you die while doingbor like this, you can live happily in the afterlife."


    "It''s a strange religion."


    "I''m not interested in it either."


    Aganin snorted and then quietly added, "But I do go to their gatherings because they provide special meals.¡±


    "...Uh, so what do we need to do to meet this Saint then?"


    Aganin replied, "Meeting her is not that difficult. There are regr gatherings as I just mentioned, and..."


    As Aganin was going to say more, someone walked into theborers'' lodging. The person opening the door and entering was wearing a mask, a Fang agent. It happened so suddenly that Aganin, Ramin, Juran, and even the Fang agent all froze for a moment.


    ¡®...Of course the agents must have been camping out inside thebor camp! And among them, there must be agents who know my face. I was too careless.¡¯


    Ramin was the first to move, but the Fang agent was not slow at all. Actually, they would be faster even though they startedte. What the agent pulled out of their pocket was a gunpowder revolver.


    ¡®Shit, we were so close!¡¯


    Even if she took the revolver with her bare hands, the entire n would go to waste if the gun was fired. Ramin began to stretch out her hand, but to unleash the lightning power she had received from God, she needed a moment of concentration. That moment of concentration meant there would be some dy.


    The moment Ramin saw the agent pull the trigger, Juran jumped between Ramin and the agent. Ramin thought Juran had undoubtedly made a foolish choice. However, the result Ramin worried about did not happen.


    Click.


    The firing pin of the revolver hit the bullet, but the bullet did not fire.


    ¡®A misfire? Lucky, but¡­¡¯


    Due to Juran suddenly blocking the Fang agent, the Fang agent had several opportunities to pull the trigger. The agent pulled the hammer down and fired again.


    Click.


    And again.


    Click, click, click.


    The Fang agent looked down at their gun in bewilderment. All five rounds were duds.


    "This is unbelievable..."


    Ramin saw Juran smiling slightly but didn''t ask him about it. Instead, she stretched out her hand toward the agent. A line of blue lightning shot out.

 Chapter 193: The Saint of the Mine

    Chapter 193: The Saint of the Mine


    It wasn''t a powerful electric current, just enough to momentarily disable a person.


    Ramin moved out from behind Juran and sprinted toward the Fang agent. She reached out, put her arm around the Fang agent''s neck, and twisted their head with force. With a cracking sound, the agent copsed.


    Aganin looked at the two of them with a bewildered expression. "Who are you people¡­"


    Ramin grabbed the gun from the agent''s hand and took off their ammunition pouch and sheath.


    Then she walked over to Juran and said, ¡°Was that magic? You could have mentioned something useful like that earlier."


    Juran tapped on his antlers and replied, "I told you there was a spirit here."


    Ramin had never thought Juran resembled Hwee-Kyung, but at this moment, they seemed simr.


    ¡®It¡¯s their eyes.¡¯


    Ramin handed the ammunition pouch and revolver to Juran and turned to Aganin.


    "Can we meet that Saint right away? Is that possible?"


    ***


    First, Ramin concealed the dead body, then she, Juran, and Aganin left theborers'' lodging.


    ording to Aganin, the Saint remained deep in the central camp within the mine in the vebor camp, without evering to the surface, under the surveince of the guards.


    "Is it difficult to sneak in then?"


    "Not exactly. In fact, nighttimeborer groups do go around when it¡¯ste, so it should be possible to slip in with them. But more importantly..."


    "More importantly?"


    "I can only guide you this far. I don''t know if that person truly was a Fang agent, but someone was killed, so it won''t be long before the others find out. No, they might already be at the lodging¡­¡±


    Ramin snorted and said, "So you think you''ll be okay if you return now?"


    "Hmm..."


    "It might be better toe with us and say that you were only doing this because we threatened you."


    Aganin sighed and agreed with what Ramin said.


    They had to go down the wooden staircase built alongside the deep vertical tunnel of the mine. It wasn''t narrow, wide enough for four pulleys to be installed outside the wooden staircase''s railing, connecting the tunnels above and below. During their descent, Aganin encountered guards and managers, but he managed to deceive them by iming that Ramin and Juran were there to supplement the night shift workers or that they were technicians for maintenance.


    Aganin said, "It seems the Fang agents haven''te in yet. If they had, things would have been even more chaotic."


    "Isn''t that a good thing then?"


    ¡°No, they would start the searchter on, so that means our escape routes would be blocked. No matter how talented you two are, how do you n to get past all those guards?¡±


    Ramin couldn''t figure out a way now either.


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t Night Sky think that it would be okay for me to just die here?¡¯


    Perhaps that was true. However, this was a trap Ramin chose herself. There was no turning back now. This was shaping out to be a suicide mission, but she wasn¡¯t very surprised. She had known that things could end up like this.


    ''Maybe I even wished for something like this to happen.''


    Ramin thought she had lived a rather dreadful life. Even after her painful childhood, the only good times she had were the brief periods when she was with Hwee-Kyung and her teacher. Apart from that, she lived as a monster who didn¡¯t fit in anywhere, and when she came to the southern continent, she lived as an ouw. She had never been able to afford the luxury of thinking aboutplexity while fighting to survive the pressures of the world.


    Then, one day, the world suddenly changed. The Empire epted Vampires and made it possible for them to live without harming others. Despite Ramin''sck of social skills and her almost animal-like nature, the Empire pushed her into a higher education institution.


    When she no longer had to struggle for survival, Ramin gained some leisure, and leisure made people think. Such thinking was unfamiliar to Ramin, but thanks to that leisure, Ramin got to do something that she hadn¡¯t been able to do until now. It was regret. After regaining the time that would have otherwise been entirely upied by her fight for survival, she adapted to the ethical standards suitable for city life, and she reflected back on the life she had led, which was several times longer than others¡¯.


    ¡®I should ept this if this is the end.¡¯


    Ramin thought this journey might be her end, a price for her sins.


    ''But...''


    Following the straight vertical tunnel, a horizontal one continued.


    Ramin looked at Juran''s back, who was in front of her.


    ''There are innocent people here too.''


    When Juran turned around, Ramin jumped, thinking that he had felt her gaze, but that wasn''t the case.


    Juran said, "Apparently we''re close. Right there, just ahead."


    Aganin said, "But the central camp is a bit further from here..."


    Before Aganin could finish his sentence, there was a noise ahead. It was the sound of a pickaxe. The sound came from one of the split paths.


    "There must be nighttime workers here."


    Juran said. "It''s over there. Let''s go."


    When Aganin tried to say something, Ramin said, ¡°If you want to go back, you can go back,"


    Aganin then hesitated and said, "...No, I¡¯vee all the way here, so I¡¯ll continue to guide you.¡±


    The three of them pressed their bodies against the edge of the tunnel and moved forward. Leading at the front, Aganin turned back and put out the oilmp before gesturing silently. The three of them hid behind a pile of rocks and looked ahead at the tunnel.


    "What a useless bunch,¡± said a Kobold.


    The species that looked like a sewer rat held a short whip in one hand and expressed annoyance towards theborers in front of them.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do it anymore? Who are you to decide that?"


    One of theborers kneeled and replied, "But Chief, it''s been more than half a day since the next shift workers should¡¯vee down, but didn¡¯t. We¡¯ve been here for more than a day.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the higher-ups say that they have their reasons? Regardless, we still need to meet today¡¯s production quota, and yet you¡¯re cking off like this?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not cking off. We''ve gone without water, let alone food. It''s only natural that we copse."


    There were three otherborers lying on the ground behind theborer who was talking. They seemed to have fainted.


    "Shut up.¡±


    The Kobold chief took out a pistol and pressed it against theborer''s head.


    "All you need to do is pull the mine cart up the slope, right?"


    "But we alone don''t have enough strength..."


    "Alright, enough. You need to work. We should remove the ones we don¡¯t need."


    As the Kobold approached the ones who had fainted, theborers moved away, daring not to get close to the Kobold.


    At that moment, someone approached from the other side of the path. It was a Human woman. Her clothes were more rags than fabric, simr to the state of what the otherborers were wearing, but at least they were proper clothes. She wore themonly epted priest attire, which loosely covered her body. However, there was a leather cor around her neck, which was connected to two chains, and there was someone holding those chains. There were also other armed people who seemed to be surveilling her.


    The woman''s face was covered with a cloth, but Ramin knew who she was even before Juran spoke. It was because of the antlers on her head.


    ¡°...Hwee-Kyung.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung then said with dry lips. ¡°I will help.¡±


    The Kobold stopped.


    One of theborers said, "No, Saint. Even if you help, the mining cart is in front of the uphill..."


    "I can push from behind."


    "From behind? No, it¡¯s okay. If we don¡¯t have enough strength, the cart will fall backward. It''s too dangerous."


    When theborer protested again, the Kobold whipped the air.


    "You damn thing. Who are you to reject it when that thing is offering to help? Hey you, monster. Can you really do it?"


    "Yes."


    "Then go ahead and try."


    Ramin thought that was ridiculous. There were eightborers, but only five of them could move. Yet there were six guards around Hwee-Kyung. If they really had to pull up the mining cart, it should have been the guards watching over Hwee-Kyung, not theborers. But as Hwee-Kyung walked toward the mining cart below, the guards released the iron chains.


    Hwee-Kyung went down, the chains making sounds as they dragged across the ground, and theborers who could still move followed.


    Therge mining cart was about the height of a person, and it was parked in front of an uphill that was roughly 30 degrees.


    Ramin was surprised when she saw that there was no power mechanism attached to it.


    Although they were mining resources for the Union Kingdom, in the end, all the elements served as a form of punishment.


    Without a word, Hwee-Kyung ced her hand on the cart, and theborers pulled the ropes connected to the mining cart. The cart hardly moved as if it were resisting. Only when theborers used their strength¡ªalmost screaming while doing so¡ªdid it start to ascend.


    Ramin could hear Hwee-Kyung breathing in.


    The sounds of their efforts, their groaning, and the slow, grinding noise of the cart crawling up the rails continued.


    When the cart was about halfway up, the Kobold whipped theborers and said, "Are you still cking off?"


    Then one of theborers slipped and fell, and given how precarious the situation was, it wasn''t unusual for that to happen at any moment.


    The cart struggling to ascend slowly began to fall backward. However, something worse happened.


    "Saint!"


    Ramin bit her tongue.


    One of theborers, who was concerned about Hwee-Kyung, rushed to the back of the cart, but Hwee-Kyung had already managed to get out from behind the cart. Not realizing this, theborer was moments away from getting crushed. However, that didn''t happen. Instead of simplying out from behind the cart, Hwee-Kyung had put her foot between the cart''s wheels and the rails. There was a slight crunching sound as her flesh and bone got crushed between the metal.


    Hwee-Kyung suppressed a groan and took a deep breath.


    "Oh my, Saint..."


    "What are you doing? Hurry and pull!"


    Both theborer who had fallen and Hwee-Kyung, whose foot was stuck, started pushing the cart again.


    The Koboldughed and mocked them, saying that she did something stupid.


    When Juran couldn''t stand it any longer and was about to rush out, Ramin grabbed his shoulder. Ramin lightly tapped her own chest and drew a semicircle with her hand. Then, she pointed at the Kobold. It was a signal that he should move when she went around and attacked. Juran nodded.


    Fortunately, the cart, after crossing the steep section, managed to go over the uphill slope. Hwee-Kyung limped while gripping the wall. Then she bent over, pulled the cloth back away from her face, and vomited.


    "Stupid. You stick your foot in for nothing?"


    Hwee-Kyung spat once and put the cloth back over her face.


    "Don''t be misled by such words, everyone. The One Who Stands Behind knows all of our pain...and everyone will be rewarded."


    After saying so, Hwee-Kyung started walking again without the need to support herself with the wall, albeit with a slight limp. Theborers looked at Hwee-Kyung¡¯s foot and whispered among themselves. Hwee-Kyung''s foot, which had been all broken bones and ligaments, was already healing. They could see the flesh regenerating under the torn skin.


    The Kobold chief then said to Hwee-Kyung¡¯s back, "Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know? If the One Who Stands Behind is such a powerful god, why are they just watching you all suffering here? Why don''t they just get you out?"


    Hwee-Kyung stopped abruptly. "Because the One Who Stands Behind wishes for us to be punished.¡±


    "Isn''t that funny? A god who wished for their believers to be punished. Now I want to see that again.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung stood silently. The guards next to her didn''t stop the Kobold and whispered among themselves while ring at Hwee-Kyung.


    The Kobold continued to say, ¡°Last time, I saw youe back to life even after your neck was half severed. Since then, I always wondered how you could be killed. What happens if a bullet goes into your head? Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±


    "That¡¯s..."


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your god wishes for punishment anyway?¡±


    The Kobold aimed at Hwee-Kyung''s head with their pistol.

 Chapter 194: Fake God Strategy

    Chapter 194: Fake God Strategy


    Bang!


    A gunshot echoed through the tunnel.


    Blood poured out from the Kobold chief¡¯s temple, and the Kobold copsed to the ground.


    "What the¡­ Kugh!"


    Appearing from behind the confused guards, Ramin swung her sword at them, and they all died before they were even able to draw their swords.


    Ramin then shook the blood off her sword and put it back into her sheath.


    "I told you to shoot after my signal."


    "But it was an urgent situation, wasn¡¯t it? Hwee-Kyung almost got shot."


    "They wouldn''t have shot her immediately anyway."


    "But you killed them all, didn''t you?"


    Ramin shook her head and approached Hwee-Kyung.


    Hwee-Kyung looked back and forth between Juran and Ramin.


    "You... No, Ramin? ¡­Is it really you?"


    Ramin tore the cloth that was covering Hwee-Kyung¡¯s face.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I should be asking that. How are you¡­here?"


    Ramin was about to say something to Hwee-Kyung, but she stopped herself and instead said to Aganin, "Elf, would the gunshots have been heard from far away?"


    "Probably. But they wouldn¡¯t be sure if they were gunshots or not."


    "We need some time to talk."


    Aganin sighed. "Alright. I''ll try to buy some time somehow. I can probably send the managers back, saying that there¡¯s a gas leak so it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    After saying so, Aganin went toward the group ofborers and led them out through the tunnel where he, Ramin, and Juran hade from.


    Ramin pushed Hwee-Kyung and made her sit on a small pile of rocks.


    "Is your foot alright?"


    "Look, it''s fine now. It''s a power from God."


    "Thene with us. The gods need you."


    Hwee-Kyung looked at Ramin with a puzzled expression.


    "The gods?"


    "More precisely, Night Sky, the Blue Insect God."


    Hwee-Kyung red at Ramin and then stared at Juran for a moment. To be precise, she was staring at his antlers.


    Hwee-Kyung said, ¡°No. I¡¯m going to stay here.¡±


    "Why?"


    "Because that''s what Night Sky wishes for me to do."


    Ramin realized that something was wrong.


    ***


    After escaping from ck Scale, Hwee-Kyung wandered for a long time. She had evene to the western continent, which was a newnd at the time, but nothing changed. The only difference was that the existence of Vampires was less known on the western continent at the time, making it easier for her to move.


    That was when she met Ramin. To Hwee-Kyung, who was lonely, Ramin became a source offort, but their time together didn''tst long. Especially because Hwee-Kyung had no intention of living by harming innocent people, she felt a sense of guilt about the way Ramin saved her.


    "So I decided to die."


    The method Hwee-Kyung had chosen to kill herself was starving to death, which had been the way her Vampire ancestors went with in the past. Vampires were known to devote themselves to Night Sky through that method, so Hwee-Kyung decided to follow the tradition.


    She buried herself in a pit and starved for ten days until she couldn''t move, and after a month, her consciousness began to fade. That was when it happened. When she couldn¡¯t distinguish between dream and reality, she saw God. More precisely, she couldn''t see the god but felt their presence behind her, constantly speaking to her.


    "He was the one I know. He knew everything about me."


    "Night Sky?"


    "Yes." Hwee-Kyung nodded. "He said he couldn''t forgive me, so even if I died, things wouldn¡¯t go the way I want."


    "..."


    "Instead, he said that if I follow his will, I could be forgiven for my sins."


    Ramin said, ¡°Is that why you''ve been here? Leaving yourself to be consumed like a ve? Just enduring all of this?"


    "Yes, this is my atonement, Ramin."


    Ramin grabbed Hwee-Kyung¡¯s shoulders.


    "Come to your senses. Abusing yourself just because you think you have sinned doesn''t change anything. This isn¡¯t atonement."


    "Maybe not, but..."


    "But what?"


    Hwee-Kyung avoided Ramin''s gaze and replied, "I told you I once loved someone."


    "Yes, you mentioned that a hundred years ago, but I still remember."


    "And I also told you he was taken by God."


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "And that was why I went against God¡¯s will.¡±


    "Right."


    "I''m afraid of God," Hwee-Kyung continued. "Gods can hold and shake any life as they wish. On the gods¡¯ Go board, no matter how noble or precious a life may seem, it all bes cheap. The precious gold trinkets, treasures, and technologies that we think are precious mean nothing from their perspectives. Ramin, imagine that I defy God¡¯s will. Think of it as a bug, once cherished and yed with, suddenly slips out of their grasp and escapes."


    ¡°...So it wasn¡¯t for atonement?¡±


    "It wasn¡¯t. if my suffering can make someone else better off, or if it diverts God¡¯s attention from someone else, then it''s worth it."


    Ramin muttered, ¡°...So it was a sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    Ramin said hesitantly, "B¡­but, no. Maybe somewhere, something went wrong. Or perhaps this is an attempt of the Pantheon to make things right. Night Sky is looking for you. He might have forgiven you."


    Hwee-Kyung replied, ¡°No, you are my test.¡±


    "A test? Why do you think that?"


    "If it''s not a test, then Night Sky would have spoken to me directly. Just like he does every day."


    Ramin exchanged nces with Juran. Juran seemed equally puzzled.


    Ramin replied, "What¡­ Night Sky sent us because he doesn''t know where you are. I am thest person in the Empire who met you, and this young man here is your descendant. He said he carried that spirit within his antlers."


    This time, Hwee-Kyung furrowed her eyebrows.


    ¡°...Is that so? Then who is thating over here now?¡±


    Ramin realized Hwee-Kyung¡¯s gaze was fixed on something behind her. She drew her sword and turned around. It was a dark path, and nothing was visible yet. Soon, something appeared out of the shadows, their footsteps echoing. It was an appearance that Ramin was also familiar with.


    The figure, although notmonly depicted in this form and usually appearing symbolically, had a close resemnce to the descriptions found in many texts. It was the one who had a buffalo skull over their head, Night Sky.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s the Fake God Strategy,¡± Sung-Woon said in the conference room of the pantheon.


    Then Solongos, the god of the Centaurs who was dressed in armor with metal scales, crossed their arms and said, "Could you please exin it more precisely, hyung-nim[1]?"


    "...Umm, you¡¯re familiar with the changed belief systems, right?"


    The other yers seemed to know, but Solongos appeared clueless.


    Sung-Woon exined, ¡°It means that even if a believer doesn¡¯t believe in a god, but maintains their faith in a god¡¯s creature creation, the Faith points would go to the god. Conversely, if they maintain such faith, the believer could also consume the Faith points.¡±


    Solongos nodded. Sung-Woon doubted if Solongos really understood, but continued to exin.


    "The Fake God Strategy targets the gap in this changed belief system."


    "What do you mean?"


    "For example, let''s say there''s a god, God A. God A is a good god, but like all religions, it''s impossible to satisfy everyone. Some people dislike God A. Let''s call this group Group B."


    Solongos nodded again.


    Sung-Woon continued, "However, God A wants to attract Group B into following them. In such a situation, God A creates a fake god, God B, who can appeal to the preferences of Group B. This way, even though this fake God B is not a yer, but a creation, they collect Faith points from that group."


    "I see."


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t understand, does he?¡±


    Although the others didn''t say it out loud, they seemed to agree.


    Sung-Woon ignored Solongos and continued to exin, ¡°This strategy can be quiteplicated if delved into, and thanks to favorable circumstances, Hegemonia used it quite well. They presented the fake god not as a fictional god, but as me, Night Sky."


    Sung-Woon thought about how Hegemonia could have used such a strategy. Certainly, they wouldn¡¯t have an overlyplex n.


    On the second continent, Vampires were rare, which increased the likelihood of them being noticed. Moreover, during the time when Hwee-Kyung and Ramin separated, Hegemonia likely would have paid attention to Ramin due to the murders of innocentsmitted.


    ¡®And then probably thought to make use of it.¡¯


    Simply considering Hwee-Kyung as a threat and eliminating her was an option, but Hegemonia would havee up with the Fake God Strategy because Hwee-Kyung was an individual with a high priest level and impressive stats. Furthermore, Vampires didn¡¯t age, meaning they had the potential to live indefinitely, which made them more valuable as a resource to make use of rather than dispose of.


    ¡®Imitating me probably wasn¡¯t even difficult.¡¯


    By that point, Hegemonia would have also possessed most Areas and Domains, so it wouldn¡¯t have been challenging to imitate Sung-Woon by creating insects through Miracles.


    ¡®Then Hegemonia would have read the individual¡¯s history, figured out inside information, and put together a rough imitation.¡¯


    That was how the Supporter Sect was made. For Hegemonia, it was likely to have been made for simple Faith point farming. This concept,monly known among yers as a Faith point farm or a Faith point factory, had various forms and types, and yers constantly made them when they had a chance. By now, Hegemonia would have likely forgotten about them.


    Beings who conjured Miracles were excellent for collecting Faith points. However, the problem was that Faith points were used each time a Miracle was performed, and in this case, where such aplex strategy was used, the Faith points Hwee-Kyung used through Miracles came from Sung-Woon. Meanwhile, the Faith points collected went to Hegemonia. It was an excellent Faith point factory.


    Sung-Woon found no faults in Hegemonia''s strategy. Strictly speaking, it was a great strategy that didn¡¯t match their animalistic ystyle.


    ¡°...In the end, it was me who caused the leakage problem.¡±


    Lunda then raised her hand. ¡°Neb.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, we understand the problem now, but how do you n to solve it?"


    Noting Sung-Woon¡¯s puzzled look, Lunda continued, "That ce is practically the heart of the Union Kingdom, and our forces are too far away. Even if we want to support them using Faith points, it''s Hegemonia''s territory, so we would get penalties as we enter."


    "Oh, you don''t need to worry about that part. I anticipated it to some extent, and this was just a confirmation process."


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for much from that Vampire, did I? I only told her to find Hwee-Kyung, which means that in itself is enough.¡±


    Lunda seemed confused at first, but then nodded as if she realized something.


    Then Solongos raised his hand, and Sung-Woon pointed at him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    "I don''t understand, hyung-nim.¡±


    Sung-Woon replied, "Well...the opponent used the Fake God Strategy. But what do you think would happen if that strategy got exposed?"


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Sung-Woon tapped on the map of the vebor camp with the back of his hand.


    "From now on, this is ournd."


    1. Hyung-nim is the polite/formal Korean term a male would use to address another male older than himself. ?

 Chapter 195: A Little Pain

    Chapter 195: A Little Pain


    ¡°It¡¯s ournd?¡±


    Sung-Woon nodded in response to Solongos¡¯s question.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But¡­there doesn''t seem to be any change in the Faith points.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for now, yes, because Hwee-Kyung and the fake god are still connected. However¡­¡±


    Sung-Woon¡¯s gaze turned toward the screen, and the other yers¡¯ gazes followed.


    ***


    The one who had a buffalo skull on their head, the One Who Stands Behind, stood in front of Ramin, Hwee-Kyung, and Juran.


    The One Who Stands Behind said.


    -Obey¡­me¡­


    ¡°The One Who Stands Behind.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung knelt in front of the god. No, to be exact, she tried to kneel, but Ramin grabbed her waist and pulled her back up.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me.¡±


    ¡°I just need to prove it, right?¡±


    ¡°Prove what?¡±


    ¡°Prove that the thing in front of you isn¡¯t a god.¡±


    Hwee-Kyung was going to push Ramin aside, but suddenly froze. Then before she could say anything, a gunshot was heard.


    Bang!


    Juran had shot the One Who Stands Behind. The bullet pierced through, leaving a hole in their head, but they didn¡¯t seem to be affected by it.


    ¡°Look at that. Nothing¡­¡±


    Ramin went to Juran and took the gun.


    ¡°I¡¯ll borrow this for a moment.¡±


    Then the One Who Stands Behind approached Ramin.


    -You are foolish.


    Ramin then also began to go toward the One Who Stands Behind and continuously pulled the trigger, aiming at their body, not their head. However, the One Who Stands Behind didn¡¯t slow down at all.


    -You¡¯re thinking about what would happen if I¡¯m a real god.


    ¡°...If you are really Night Sky, why would you send us?¡±


    -It¡¯s just as that child thought. To test her.


    As Ramin pulled the trigger again, a clicking noise was heard instead. There were no more bullets left.


    ¡®Did they not go through? ¡­No.¡¯


    Ramin had heard the bullets enter their body after the gunshots.


    ¡®They aren¡¯t an untouchable being, they¡¯re just strong.¡¯


    Then the One Who Stands Behind said.


    -It isn¡¯t toote to ask for forgiveness. I misled you, so¡­


    Then Ramin became certain, and she swung her sword. Just before Ramin''s sword could touch their body, a tentacle extended from inside the One Who Stands Behind¡¯s robe and struck Ramin¡¯s sword. Ramin barely managed to hold onto her sword and stepped back.


    The slime and tentacles made a sticky sound, and their appearance began to change.


    "Oh, so was that your false identity?¡±


    -No, it was my original form¡­


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to pretend until the end, huh?¡±


    Dozens of tentacles were visible under the One Who Stands Behind¡¯s robe.


    Ramin then quicklypleted her calctions in her head.


    ¡®It¡¯s going to be difficult to win.¡¯


    She had spoken confidently, but she didn¡¯t know what they were exactly, and she realized that they weren¡¯t an opponent that an ordinary mortal could face easily.


    Ramin carefully began to step back and said to Juran, ¡°Do you think you can carry her on your back and run?¡±


    Juran, who was inscribing a magic circle onto the cor around Hwee-Kyung¡¯s neck with a knife, replied, ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Carry on his back? Who? Me?¡±


    Juran flicked his fingers. The cor around Hwee-Kyung¡¯s neck sputtered sparks and fell off, making a metallic clunk when it hit the ground.


    Then Juran turned and showed his back to Hwee-Kyung, who had frozen in ce for a moment. As Hwee-Kyung stood still and hesitated, Ramin pushed her onto his back, and Juran lifted Hwee-Kyung up.


    ¡°Run when I give you the signal.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°...Now!¡±


    Tentacles shot out from the approaching ¡®god¡¯.


    Ramin cut off the closest tentacle, leaving the two other tentacles shooting toward their targets. But this was a deception. She slightly turned around and cut off the two tentacles that were heading toward Hwee-Kyung and then rolled forward to dodge the tentacle that wasing down toward her head. Ramin then nced and saw Juran carrying Hwee-Kyung on his back and running toward the pathway.


    ¡®Running away won¡¯t be enough.¡¯


    Just as the Elf Aganin had said, there could be Fang agentsing from above.


    ¡®Even if we can¡¯t kill them, we need to lose them¡­¡¯


    Tentacles approached her. Ramin¡¯s path was blocked, and in order to avoid the tentacles, she knew she had to go back toward the inside.


    -Yes,e to me.


    Ramin replied, ¡°Alright. That¡¯s what I want too.¡±


    Ramin jumped into the god¡¯s arms and reached into the roots of the tentacles. She felt sticky slime and a pressure that seemed enough to crush her hand, causing intense pain.


    ''High viscosity liquid,pletely enveloped flesh... The most optimal conditions.¡¯


    Ramin channeled her power as the chosen one. Then the tentacles that had been reaching out to strike Ramin''s back contracted and straightened, then they retracted in the opposite direction.


    -Ughh, uugh!


    Ramin pulled out her hand that almost felt numb because of the pain.


    ¡®Perhaps I can kill it like this¡­¡¯


    As she thought so and raised her sword, a hand reached out through the tentacles. Ramin quickly moved backward.


    -Ughhh...ughh...


    The One Who Stands Behind was letting out strange groans, but the tentacles that had retracted earlier were healing. While they turned somewhat red, their functioning didn¡¯t seem significantly impacted.


    ¡®Would I be able to kill it if I used all my power?¡¯


    She couldn''t be sure, but she didn''t think it was impossible.


    ''If I risk my life...''


    Using Demonic Magic consumed mental energy. Even if she squeezed the tentacles together at the end, it wouldn''t reach the depths of the One Who Stands Behind. Therefore, she had to get as close as possible again and channel her electricity, but she decided not to do so.


    ''I need to send Juran and Hwee-Kyung up.''


    Before the recovered tentacles could attack Ramin, she turned and ran in the direction where Juran and Hwee-Kyung had gone.


    ***


    By the time Ramin caught up with Juran and Hwee-Kyung, she saw Aganin and the group ofborers in the path.


    Ramin shouted, "Run! Hurry!"


    Aganin seemed puzzled, but when he felt something approaching from the path Ramin hade from, he shouted to theborers, "Run everyone! ...Run, but...!"


    Aganin ran over to Ramin''s side.


    "What is it? What''s going on?"


    "The One Who Stands Behind is chasing us."


    "What? Oh shit."


    Seeing Aganin''s reaction, Ramin asked, "Did you know about the One Who Stands Behind?"


    "Of course. Didn''t you guys know beforeing here?"


    "Tell me more."


    Aganin then began to exin that although it wasn''t clear whether there was a definite being, some of the more faithfulborers seemed to have had the opportunity to meet the One Who Stands Behind in person.


    The Supporter Sect, who believed in the One Who Stands Behind, had their faith strengthened because of Saint Hwee-Kyung, who evoked their memories, and the very real existence of One Who Stands Behind. Moreover, many of them believed the story that the One Who Stands Behind was actually Night Sky in disguise, just as Hwee-Kyung had described. They epted the words of the One Who Stands Behind to endure their pain because they believed that the god was not able to actively help them to avoid getting caught by the Angry One.


    ¡®Wait, then does everyone here, including Hwee-Kyung, think that the One Who Stands Behind is Night Sky?¡¯


    Before Ramin coulde up with a new idea, a voice called out.


    ¡°There¡¯s the Vampire!¡±


    Fang agents stood waiting in front of the tunnel.


    Ramin then said to Aganin, "Can you take those two and escape from here?"


    "Well, there''s only one entrance, but there are multiple paths leading to it, so we might be able to avoid them..."


    "Then do that. And lead all theborers you run into to escape."


    Aganin seemed troubled. Leading theborers to escape was not easy. There had been several cave-ins, so it was only natural to evacuate all the otherborers to the outside because there was the chance of the minepletely copsing.


    However, while Aganin was in the vebor camp, he enjoyed some privileges due to his reputation with the criminal organization. If his lie were to be exposed, it could be difficult to save his life even with his connections with the managers and the security guards. So it might be better to speak up about what had happened until now. Aganin certainly thought this way, but something different came out of his mouth.


    "Alright, I¡¯ll do that."


    Aganin ran toward Juran and then went into another tunnel.


    ''For now, I''m the one whose face is most recognizable to them,¡¯ Ramin thought. ¡®And they don''t even know I''ve had contact with Hwee-Kyung.''


    So Ramin decided to be bait.


    Ramin rushed towards the Fang agents.


    ***


    A few hourster, Ramin Solost Muel went up the wooden stairs of the vertical tunnel. She hardly looked like a person now; her entire body was covered in blood and dust, and aside from her round open eyes, she was covered in ck.


    Most of the blood she was covered in were from the Fang agents, security guards, and asional managers, but some of the wounds were her own. The enemies had done their best to tie up Ramin, and about two times, she came close to being captured by the One Who Stands Behind. However, Ramin managed to ovee these situations with her power as a chosen one, the swordsmanship she had learned from her teacher, and the knowledge and wisdom she had umted over nearly 120 years.


    The sun was rising from the east. While most species felt a bittersweetness as the day came to an end when the sun set, Vampires experienced those emotions when the sun rose. A sense of helplessness as the day ended¡ªthat was what Ramin felt.


    Then someone began to p as Ramin walked forward, exhausted.


    ¡°Impressive.¡±


    Ramin pierced her sword into the ground and leaned against it.


    The Lizardman Fang agent wearing a red mask, Del, said, "We had our doubts, but you really managed to survive. There were 40 agents and the security guards were several times that number. Really, you can''t even be considered a Human."


    Ramin didn¡¯t respond and let out a dry cough. Blood sttered out from her mouth.


    Behind Del, armed security guard soldiers had their rifles aimed at Ramin, and behind them stood Juran, Hwee-Kyung, and otherborers who had gotten captured. And they weren''t the only ones there. Given therge gathering of security forces, it seemed that otherborers had been brought here as well. Perhaps this was going to be an example to show what would happen to those who rebelled and attempted to escape.


    Ramin said, "Aren¡¯t you going to kill me?"


    Del replied, "We could finish you off ourselves, but it''s necessary to prove that the One Who Stands Behind is representing your god. Wait a moment. The One Who Stands Behind ising up. Confirm with your own body that all of this is nothing more than an idental event testing the Saint."


    Ramin nced back for a moment. She could see the dark pit of the vertical tunnel. The One Who Stands Behind hadn''t approached yet, but she knew they wereing up the stairs built along the tunnel.


    Now Ramin had no strength left to even respond.


    Del muttered, "Alma was worried, but...in the end, it seems your god does not value you.¡±


    Ramin had thought the same just a moment ago, or rather, a few seconds ago. The feeling of being abandoned itself was painful. But that wasn''t true.


    ¡®...What?¡¯


    Ramin felt the hairs on her body move due to a strange static electricity wrapping around her body. It wasn''t an illusion. It was a clear sensation.


    Then Ramin raised her head.


    "That''s not it."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Our god is partial to dramatics as much as you do."


    A blue butterfly flew between Ramin and Del.


    Then Del asked as if they hadn¡¯t even spotted the butterfly, "What are you talking about?"


    ¡°It seems our god doesn¡¯t really care too much about the actors suffering a little bit. However¡­he definitely seems to create the most excellent ys.¡±


    With those words, a bolt of lightning struck vertically down the tunnel.


    Due to the blinding light, Del, the agents, as well as the security guards all covered their eyes, and theborers ducked down in surprise.


    The lightning bolt that struck down without any warning turned the wooden staircase along the vertical tunnel into mes. And from within the mes, something emerged. At first it seemed like the One Who Stands Behind, but it wasn¡¯t.


    The one emerging from the mes was a Lizardman. Dressed in golden armor, he walked through the fire without trouble and stood beside Ramin.


    Then, he addressed the crowd.


    "It''s been a while, Lord of Automation."


    Hwee-Kyung blinked as she looked at the Lizardman.


    ¡°...Lakrak?¡±


    Del''s eyes widened upon hearing the name.


    Lakrak replied, ¡°Yes. I am the first apostle of the One Who Stands Behind, Night Sky. I havee in ordance with Night Sky¡¯s will to save those who suffer."


    At those words, theborers murmured among themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as the Saint said.¡±


    ¡°It really is him.¡±


    "The day has finallye."


    "We have paid for our sins."


    Del muttered, "This can''t be real. The One Who Stands Behind is just...someone the Angry One..."


    "Don''t you see?" Lakrak raised his spear. "I am the living proof!"


    Then light surged.

 Chapter 196: Balance is Broken

    Chapter 196: Bnce is Broken


    "Alma."


    The fifth apostle of the Angry One, the snake that consumes itself, the Lamia, Alma Alloy, heard a voice that crossed the boundaries of the world and called her name.


    Alma had just opened her eyes in hermand tent, and she witnessed the world contracting. Although she remained still, the entrance of hermand tent was pulled toward her, and beyond it, the proud soldiers of the Union Kingdom, recruits returning from their dawn training, and thendscapes of the fourth continent''s forests and ins allpressed into her field of vision. The scenes within her sight narrowed into individual lines, crossing the boundaries of the sea and sky before her, and before she knew it, she found herself surrounded by the familiar hall where the Angry One dwelled.


    The many doors of the hall began to open in order, and when a giant throne on top of a high tform appeared, Alma''s sense of reality returned.


    The Angry One was there, looking down at her with mes in their eyes. The Angry One had summoned Alma from the continent.


    Alma almost copsed due to the overwhelming dizziness that swept over her. However, she managed to push her concentration and endurance, twisting her long lower body to stand upright.


    "Alma."


    "Yes, Angry One¡­ Did you call me?"


    Alma realized that her clothes were messy, but she dared not touch it. When considering a rtionship of simply a superior and subordinate, instead of a god and their subject, the Angry One wasn''t such a bad superior. However, there were still times when the Angry One wasn''t in a good mood, usually after dealing with Night Sky and his Pantheon.


    "Do you know why I called you?"


    Alma lowered her head.


    An apostle like Alma handled dozens of tasks,rge and small, directly, as well as hundreds more indirectly. Alma wasn¡¯t a god, so she couldn¡¯t know about every problem that arose immediately. She knew that there were a few things to consider, but trying to gloss over them in front of the Angry One would be foolish.


    "I apologize. I do not know."


    "Two percent of the total Faith points just vanished."


    Alma had grown familiar with thenguage and metrics of the gods, so she understood what this meant. Two percent could be considered big or small. The current faith resources to maintain the frontlines were roughly half of the total, with the remaining half saved for creature creations or using Miracles as needed, as well as for when creature creations and priests exert their power during battles. And during a major battle, faith resources could sometimes literally fall close to the bottom.


    ¡®However, if it was a temporary situation, there would be no reason for the Angry One to be overly concerned.¡¯


    Alma narrowed down the many tasks she was responsible for where Faith points couldrgelye and go. She eventually narrowed down the event the Angry One could be mentioning down to the fingers on both hands.


    But before Alma could figure it out, the Angry One first said, ¡°Alma, did you know about the Vampire?¡±


    "...Yes."


    Alma could now narrow it down to one problem. It was something that happened around a hundred years ago.


    At the time, Alma Alloy, who was conducting the unification war in and around the Garang Kingdom, noticed frequent disappearances in a certain valley and began an investigation. What she discovered through her investigation was the existence of a Vampire.


    Alma thought that the Vampire needed to be dealt with immediately, but first, she informed the Angry One of the fact. But the Angry One''s opinion was different from Alma''s. The Angry One knew that the Vampire had fled to avoid another god and decided to mimic that god to providefort.


    The fake god that the Vampire started believing in became evidence of faith and made the Vampire spread false beliefs to the ves. These ves believed that salvation would eventuallye, and they ended up being devoted to the Angry One, even to their deaths.


    This was just one of the Angry One''s numerous schemes, so the Angry One likely didn''t remember it as something important. As such matters were like intricately tangled threads, thus something under the matter of causation, no one, not even a god, could easily unravel it. Therefore, Alma did not consider it to be of great importance either. However, the Angry One¡¯s greatest opponent had found a beginning to the tangled threads.


    Alma said, "I ordered the Fangs to chase after them. But..."


    "Yes, it seems that they have failed."


    The sharp nging sound of metal from within the Angry One''s helmet sent a chill down Alma''s chest.


    Del waspetent, and security around the vebor camp was certainly thorough. So when Alma heard that they had been found on the train, she thought she didn''t need to worry much about the Vampire anymore.


    ¡®That wasn¡¯t it. It seems that they found the Vampire¡¯s location because I sent Del out.¡¯


    The Angry One continued, "Night Sky didn''t just take their faith away, but also imed that the fake god is himself."


    "How...?"


    "I deceived the ves, trapping them in the shackles of hope, but Night Sky somehow got hold of it."


    Alma realized that this was a bigger problem than she had thought. The lost two percent of Faith points was not just a mere two percent. Theborers didn¡¯t just realize that the god they believed in was fake, but they began to believe in Night Sky as their savior. They believed in Night Sky with even greater faith than they had in the One Who Stands Behind.


    Furthermore, the Vampire had been forced to perform many Miracles to maintain the Faith points of the One Who Stands Behind, and the Faith points used for those Miracles hade from Night Sky, not the Angry One.


    ¡®So the gap is not two percent, but four... No, it''s definitely more than that.¡¯


    This was a significant problem. Looking at the size of Faith resources alone, the Empire had more. However, the Empire did not employ oppressive policies like the Union Kingdom, so they had to spend more on maintenance due to the minority species, scattered rebel groups, and wars with nations other than the Union Kingdom. And this imbnce between the two nations had kept the bnce of power leveled. That was the sole reason the standstill at the borders had been maintained for such a long time.


    ¡®But the bnce has been disrupted with this matter.¡¯


    If the gap exceeded five percent, it was not merely a matter of a gap in power. The power of Miracles and arrangement of creations, as well as the abilities of the priests through Faith points, held greater strategic and tactical value.


    Throughout the wars with the Empire, the Faith point gap asionally reached five percent or more, but¡­


    ¡®This time, it isn¡¯t just a temporary situation. The doctrine of the Union Kingdom''s warfare needs to change.¡¯


    Even as an apostle, Alma understood that she couldn''t bear the responsibility with her life alone. She knelt and ced her hands on the ground.


    "Please, punish me."


    The Angry One, Hegemonia, stayed silent for a moment.


    Hegemonia was aware of their own ystyle. It was sharp, but there was always an element of stubborness. Instead of unraveling the overall context, Hegemonia focused on finding and exploiting the weaknesses that their opponents showed by ident at the perfect time with their animal-like senses. It was this persistence that often brought victory to Hegemonia.


    ¡®But it doesn''t always lead to victory.¡¯


    Especially with yers like Neb, who had no openings and turned any potential weaknesses into opportunities, Hegemonia had a hard time utilizing their strengths.


    As time passed, Hegemonia believed that the situation would be more favorable for them. No matter how skilled a yer was, they were prone to losing focus in the long term, and past mistakes became more apparent with time. However, the one whose sharpness had be dull was themself. Among the many variables they had yed out without context, one was pressing them like a debt borrowed thoughtlessly.


    ¡®It¡¯s my fault.¡¯


    Alma was a loyal subordinate. She had consistently reported on this matter, just not stating its importance; the one who hadn¡¯t paid attention to it was Hegemonia themself.


    Hegemonia said, ¡°This is not the time to discuss rewards and punishments."


    "But..."


    "A Thunder Lizard has appeared in Rubeil. I have already sent the first apostle."


    The first apostles of the Angry One as well as Night Sky could be said to represent the respective gods¡¯ powers, and they had fought for a long time. But Alma felt that this battle was different from before.


    "Based on my calctions, the current gap is seven percent. It will increase further after the restoration of the Afterlife.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°At this rate, we have no choice but to ept that gap and slowly fall toward our doom.¡±


    mes flickered within the horn helmet of the Angry One.


    "Get up, Alma. It''s time for an all-out war."


    ***


    Lakrak¡¯s spear struck the Fang agents and security guards. Sparks flew from the contact point between the spear and the ground, and just by getting caught in the sparks, the soldiers burned to death with no chance of survival.


    ¡®...They¡¯re dying!¡¯


    At that moment, something fell out of the air.


    Thud!


    A shockwave swept over Lakrak and pushed dust away in concentric circles. Lakrak managed to block the hammer that came down toward his head with his spear, but the ground beneath him sank deeply. The edge of the tunnel behind Lakrak also copsed into the raging fire.


    Lakrak then said to the Gnoll holding the hammer, ¡°Salkait.¡±


    Salkait, the first apostle of the Angry One, tribal chief of the Ears Cut Tribe, and the nation''s founding king, replied after destroying the ground, "Lakrak¡­it''s been a while."


    Lakrak angled his spear aside to push down the hammer. Salkait, holding his massive war hammer the size of his head, skillfully dodged all of Lakrak''s strikes and made another swing. The sh between them sent shockwaves through the air, filling the sky with thunderous roars and causing earthquakes. The battle of these two apostles was like a living natural disaster.


    With each avoided attack, even those who were at a distance were swept up, so the Fang agents, guards, andborers fled without discrimination.


    As Lakrak dodged Salkait¡¯s attack, he shouted to Ramin, ¡°What are you doing? Save Hwee-Kyung!¡±


    Though Ramin initially thought she couldn''t move a step, she realized she had to after hearing Lakrak''s voice. Hwee-Kyung and Juran were being taken away by Del, fleeing in the distance.


    Salkait then squinted and swung his hammer toward Ramin. Considering the distance was nearly a hundred meters, Ramin thought Salkait had made a mistake.


    Thud!


    However, the ground split and the cracks extended beneath her feet. She had to quickly roll away to avoid it. The shiftingyers gave Ramin motion sickness.


    Salkaitughed. "Haha! Think you can go?"


    Lakrak then quickly shed at Salkait''s throat with his de, and the battle resumed.


    Ramin, despite her fear and the ground breaking with each step, ran up the steep terrain, which rose higher than her head. She stumbled several times, hitting her head and scraping her knees.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    She could hear Lakrak¡¯s voice even though his figure was obscured by the dust clouds.


    Ramin clenched her teeth and went up a hill.


    ¡®If I can just get over this...!¡¯


    However, when Ramin saw the view at the top of the hill, her legs nearly gave up.


    -Goooaaa¡­


    There stood a Golem the size of a house. This monster, seemingly made entirely from stone, was a presence often seen on the frontlines of the Union Kingdom and was known as the Siege Golem.


    ¡®Right, this is the Union Kingdom. If the Angry One desires, they can unleash their monsters at any time.¡¯


    Hegemonia used the same temtesmonly used by yers when creating creature creations, and the Siege Golem was a favorite for many yers. It was strong and tough. Despitecking any shy traits, it was a monster that boasted perfect efficiency.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t just sent out carelessly. It''s resistant to both electricity and des, a guardian to block my path.¡¯


    As Ramin wondered if she should be happy about the fact that even the enemy''s god seemed to have taken notice of her, the Siege Golem''s fist came crashing down on her head.


    Thud!


    The impact echoed from behind the hill. Salkaitughed.


    "Hahaha! ck Lizard, what a pity. Here, the Angry One can provide strength at any moment."


    "..."


    "It''s unfortunate you''re short-handed."


    Lakrak replied, "Did I ever say I came alone?"


    "¡­Huh?"


    In his lifetime, Lakrak had led his own army, apanied by renowned warriors. This invincible army had never been defeated, and there was no one who didn¡¯t know about the legends. As time passed and his reputation, or more precisely, the level of Apostle Lakrak rose, more of those legends had been converted into his power. Now, living up to his name, the legendary Thunder Dragon King could summon the past warriors.


    Raising her sword to block the Siege Golem''s attack, Ramin noticed a shadow over her. A Lizardman had raised their shield and blocked the Siege Golem''s attack. It was a Lizardman, but it wasn''t Lakrak.


    "Who...?"


    Shimmering a pale blue light, the Lizardman in ck scales didn''t seem to quite belong to this world, and he turned to face Ramin.


    "...Muel."


    "Me?"


    "No."


    The Lizardman used their sword to parry the Siege Golem''s attack. In a fight of strength, the Siege Golem staggered and stepped back. The Lizardman raised his head and red at the Siege Golem.


    "My name is Sairan Muel."

 Chapter 197: Two Crazy People

    Chapter 197: Two Crazy People


    Ramin was hit with a surreal feeling when a figure she had only heard about in stories appeared before her.


    ¡°Sairan¡­ Muel?¡±


    "Greetings can wait."


    Then the Siege Golem swung its massive stone fist. Sairan blocked it with his shield and charged forward. The Siege Golem lifted its foot to stomp on Sairan, but he smoothly slided between the Golem''s legs and turned around, swinging his tail at the Siege Golem¡¯s heel to make it fall to the ground. Sairan then leaped up and plunged his sword into the Golem¡¯s chest as it struggled to get back up. Even though it was made of solid rock, the de sank in more than halfway. However, the Golem''s movements didn''t stop.


    Ramin shouted, "It¡¯s a Golem, so its core must be on the inside!"


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Sairen pushed down the hilt of the sword with his foot, and the sword went in as if there was no friction at all and pierced through the Golem¡¯s core.


    The Golem''s arm, which had extended out to fight back, suddenly dropped helplessly.


    Sairan then took out his sword, and Ramin limped toward him.


    "Remarkable skills."


    "...Sure."


    "But it''s a bit too early for introductions, right?"


    Ramin looked ahead. There wasn¡¯t only one Siege Golem. Suddenly, around twenty Siege Golems appeared, seemingly guarding the Fang agents and security guards who were running away. To make things worse, she could see in the distance a giant unidentifiable shadow. It was likely a well-known guardian who had fought under the Angry One for a long time, and not just a creature creation made when one was needed on the frontlines.


    ¡®I''ve never seen so many Golems deployed on a battlefield like this. Even if we break through those Golems¡­¡¯


    Sairan shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not the only one who followed Lakrak here.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Sairan raised his head and looked to the top of the hill, and Ramin¡¯s gaze followed. Other Lizardmen were emerging on the hill. They all shone blue like Sairan and all had ck scales.


    ¡°In the name of Apostle Lakrak!¡±


    They were all mounted on the well-known rides of ck Scale, Cockatoos.


    "For the will of the Pantheon!"


    Then a golden spear shed and soared into the sky.


    ¡°For Night Sky!¡±


    Then the army charged. Shaking the ground with every step, the Cockatoos raced ahead of Sairan and Ramin, charging into the fray of Siege Golems.


    ¡®The cavalry is charging at the Golem? That¡¯s suicide.¡¯


    That was true ording to Ramin¡¯smon sense.


    The Siege Golems¡¯ role was to disrupt their formations and sweep the approaching cavalry away. But of course,mon sense was of no use for the old warriors. With a single charge, the Golems fell over.


    Then a warrior riding a Cockatoo came from behind and spoke to Sairan. Ramin noticed this Lizardman warrior only had one eye.


    ¡°Go, Sairan Muel.¡±


    "...Tatar."


    "Don''t let anyone slow you down anymore. Go and do what you must do."


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Tatar handed Sairan the reins of the Cockatoo that no one was riding on. Sairan got onto the Cockatoo first and then reached out to Ramin, who struggled to climb onto its back.


    "Did I just meet Tatar? The one who fought and defeated ten Trolls?"


    "Yes."


    Sairan urged the Cockatoo forward. The Cockatoo raced in between the gaps of the fighting Lizarmen and Golems, and finally, the great distance between them and Del began to narrow.


    ***


    Thunder and lightning. Earthquakes and thend¡¯s cries. Even if one imed that the world was being recreated, people would have no reason to doubt it.


    Behind a hill, the fight with the apostles continued.


    "Something is chasing us!"


    Del, the red-masked Fang agent, growled, ¡°Something? Be more specific.¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s a Lizardman riding a Cockatoo. And the Vampire we were chasing is also on it.¡±


    Del realized they had failed. They had thought they could easily kill the Vampire escaping through the narrow tunnel of the mine, but the agents and guards who had entered the tunnel only lost contact. They had seeded in capturing the Saint, but what they had to do next was still undecided.


    ¡®Should we kill the Saint? Should we do it now?¡¯


    But Del couldn''t be sure what the exact situation was right now. The Devil had surely nned something, but it was difficult to know their true intentions.


    ¡®Shit.¡¯


    One of Del¡¯s subordinates said, ¡°The enemies have gotten close!"


    ¡°Everyone stop! Lose the enemy on our tails!¡±


    The well-trained guards and the Fang agents turned around. The guard officer immediately gave the order to fire.


    "Aim!"


    Ramin ducked fully behind the Cockatoo.


    Sairan said, "There''s no need for that."


    "What?"


    "Electromaism has a more fundamental power than we thought."


    Ramin found the new term surprisingly familiar.


    "Fire!"


    Bullets flew towards Sairan. Sairan then made a casual gesture, like dusting off dirt in the air, and the flying bullets dropped to the ground as if being pulled by the earth before reaching him.


    "¡­!"


    Before the guns could even be loaded, Sairan''s Cockatoo jumped at the guards.


    Every time Sairan swung his spear, the guards ran away in fear, and the Cockatoo embedded its ws into the backs of the fleeing enemies.


    Ramin then jumped off the Cockatoo and rolled on the ground, piercing through the guards.


    "...Hwee-Kyung!"


    The Fang agents took out their guns and blocked Ramin¡¯s way, but Ramin''s dagger struck the first agent¡¯s forehead, and the second was shed across the chest by lightning. Ramin then slid past them and pulled out the dagger from the agent¡¯s forehead to narrow the range of fire. The Fang agents drew their swords and began to fight.


    ''It''s clear.''


    Although she felt exhausted and her sword felt heavy, Ramin couldn''t help but dodge the enemies¡¯ attacks because they were too simple and boring. It even felt a bit humorous to Ramin. Every enemy seemed to be attacking in predictable patterns, making it easy for her to dodge, block, or counter attack. The asional gunshots were a bit concerning, butpared to the fast bullets, the wrists holding the guns seemed slow and clumsy.


    ''They''re all one lump. It looks like they¡¯re dancing awkwardly. Why didn''t I see this before?''


    She felt like she could see them clearly. No, Ramin could actually vividly picture what was beside and behind her, where her opponents were. She didn¡¯t have any intentions of doing anything risky, but she believed she could dodge their attacks even with her eyes closed. All Ramin had to do was dodge their attacks and thrust or swing her sword to reduce the number of attackers one by one. As time passed, fights typically became harder, but, absurdly, it was bing easier for Ramin.


    For Ramin, it was just a feeling, but the yers could directly see Ramin''s progression through her stats.


    Ramin''s Swordsmanship had surpassed level 4, reached only after long training by those with natural talent, and reached level 5, which was obtained only by a few throughout the ages.


    Thest enemy fell, grabbing their severed artery on the left side of their neck.


    "Stop."


    It was Del. Next to Del, agents stood with their swords pointed at Hwee-Kyung and Juran''s necks.


    "If you move, they die."


    Ramin hesitated. But then a voice came from behind.


    "That won''t happen."


    "Stop."


    "There aren''t many who canmand me."


    Sairan walked in front of Ramin.


    Del then lowered their hand and immediately gave a signal.


    The two swords that seemed to be pressing into the hostages¡¯ necks suddenly began to shake.


    "The swords...!"


    With a wave of Sairan''s hand, the swords flew out of the agents'' hands and into the air. Whatever power this was, Del had no way of knowing.


    Del quickly made a decision. There were two options: draw their gun at Sairan, or grab the hostages themself. But they weren¡¯t confident either would work. Del was afraid of not just the iprehensible Lizardman before them, but also of Ramin, who was like a living corpse.


    ''I can''t die as a failure. I must find an opportunity to redeem myself.''


    So what Del chose was a smoke bomb.


    Ramin, in shock, rushed behind Hwee-Kyung and Juran to protect them. For a moment, everything was dark in the thick smoke. Then, the wind blew and revealed the surroundings again.


    Ramin heard the agents running into the forest behind them and thought about what to do.


    "Um, Sairan...?"


    Turning around, she saw Hwee-Kyung and Sairan looking at each other.


    Sairan kneeled on one leg.


    "It''s been a while, Hwee-Kyung."


    Hwee-Kyung opened her mouth to say something.


    "I, uh..."


    "I came to apologize to you."


    "You''re insane."


    There was no room for excuses. Leaving a loved one behind, and even leaving their own life behind just to follow God¡¯s will was madness.


    Sairan bowed his head.


    "It was an...unavoidable choice. I believed there woulde a time to exin, but it took too long. Hwee-Kyung, I will ask for forgiveness, but please don''t forgive me."


    "Look at me."


    Hwee-Kyung bit her lip and wiped her eyes.


    Sairan raised his head.


    "Apologize while looking into my eyes."


    "Don''t forgive me."


    Hwee-Kyung slightly shook her head.


    "What kind of apology is that?"


    "...Hwee-Kyung."


    "Say it. Ask me to forgive you."


    After a moment of silence, Sairan raised his head again and met eyes with Hwee-Kyung.


    "...Please forgive me."


    Hwee-Kyung wiped her eyes once more with her wrist.


    "I¡¯ll think about it." Then with all her might, Hwee-Kyung pulled Sairan into a tight embrace.


    "I¡¯ll think about it for a very long time."


    Hwee-Kyung cried.


    Sairan then raised his hands to seemingly hug her back, but hesitated and slowly lowered his hands.


    Hwee-Kyung punched Sairan''s shoulder.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Huh?"


    "Hurry and hug me tight."


    Sairan sighed softly and followed Hwee-Kyung''s wish. He felt his back be wet.


    "You''re crazy too."


    No exnation was needed. There weren¡¯t many crazy people in this world who would defy the will of God. And someone who tried to atone forever, thinking that their loved one might suffer even after their death, wasn¡¯t sane.


    Sairan didn''t ask how she had endured all the suffering. He thought that Hwee-Kyung probably knew that the One Who Stands Behind wasn¡¯t truly Night Sky, but she was worried about the tiny possibility that it really was. And because of that tiny possibility, she had endured everything for more than a hundred years and would have continued to do so.


    ''You valued yourself enough to risk everything for your own gamble, so why did you throw everything away for me?''


    However, Sairan didn¡¯t ask this; he already knew the answer.


    ***


    -Sairan.


    Sairan turned to the voice calling out to him.


    From the darkness, a figure wearing a hood approached him.


    -And Hwee-Kyung, Ramin, Juran.


    Ramin replied, "...Who are you?"


    -I am Bion, messenger of the Pantheon. Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but the Pantheon has summoned you all.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    -We will move there immediately.


    Bion stomped their foot.


    Then, Ramin felt the world turn upside down, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a world of green.

 Chapter 198: Reversing Pieces

    Chapter 198: Reversing Pieces


    "...Where are we?"


    Bion answered Ramin''s question, "Don''t you recognize it? This is the Prairie of Beginnings.¡±


    Ramin looked up. It was thendscape she had only heard of in stories. She could see a green field, and scattered across the field were people in their slumber.


    "So, are we dead?"


    "Yes."


    "What?"


    "I¡¯m just kidding."


    Ramin stared at Bion.


    Bion ignored Ramin¡¯s stare and continued to say, "There are many ways to reach the pantheon, but for the living toe, there are certain procedures that need to be followed. Of course, there''s a faster way, but you all have a ce to visit first, which is why you were brought here."


    "A ce we need to visit?"


    "Yes. Get on the carriage."


    Ramin looked around, puzzled about which carriage Bion was referring to, but then she noticed a big shadow that certainly wasn''t there a moment ago. Calling it a carriage seemed an understatement as it was so big. There were four wheels, and each wheel appeared to be 5 meters in diameter. A tall staircase led to the carriage''s mainpartment, which was as spacious as the deck of a sailing ship. But what was most striking wasn''t the carriage itself but what was pulling it. It wasn¡¯t a horse or any other animal that would be used to pull carriages, but a giant beetle.


    When everyone had climbed onto the carriage, the beetle said.


    -My name is Hekab.


    Ramin recognized the name of the famous guardian. She looked down at Hekab from the carriage''s railing.


    "Gatekeeper Hekab?"


    -Well, I¡¯m Hekab the carriage puller right now.


    Ramin wondered if it was okay for them to befortably riding a carriage pulled by Hekab, who could be considered an elder or superior entity.


    "...Oh, I''m sorry."


    -What are you apologizing for? I consider pulling this carriage an honor.


    Before Ramin could say that Hekab didn¡¯t have to feel that way, Bion cut in, "Hekab, we need to move quickly."


    -Yes, especially during the ongoing war.


    Hekab started moving.


    Ramin turned to look at Bion.


    "War?"


    "While searching for Hwee-Kyung, Night Sky made use of the conspiracy of the Angry One. Thanks to that, the Angry One suffered a major blow, and unlike previous wars, they decided it was more advantageous to end this war quickly, so movements of the Union Kingdom are being tracked worldwide."


    "So, should we, I mean..."


    Ramin nced at Hwee-Kyung and Sairan, who were still holding each other.


    She whispered to Bion, "Wouldn¡¯t it be better for the war if we leave those two and head back¡­¡±


    Bion shook their head, "The reason we summoned you all is just as important. And don''t worry about the war. Everything is going ording to Night Sky¡¯s n."


    Hekab was fast, but the scenery was changing even faster than Hekab''s strides. Ramin thought that in addition to Hekab¡¯s speed, there must be some secret about the carriage itself.


    After crossing a portion of the Prairie of Beginnings, massive mountains, dense forests, rivers, andkes came into view. These were the Afterlifes once held by gods of the third continents, andter, all of them became simr in nature to the Prairie of Beginnings. Just as the Lizardmen felt peace on the ins, Dwarves felt it in the mountains, and Kobolds in the burrows.


    As Ramin looked at the view, she noticed Juran talking with Hwee-Kyung and Sairan and approached them.


    Sairan said, "So you must be a descendant of Hwee-Kyung and Gyo Joong."


    "It goes back several generations, but yes, I am. And I''m honored...to also bear your name. But of course, my grandmother always wondered if it was okay to have that name..."


    "It doesn''t matter. If Hwee-Kyung willed it, it would naturally be permitted. Even if not, your blood is worthy enough to carry the name of Muel. Gyo Joong was a good person, after all."


    Hwee-Kyung, having cried her heart out, wiped her reddened eyes, "I thought you would be. You''re still my descendants, after all."


    Juran gave them a small smile.


    Gyo Joonh was Hwee-Kyung''s second husband. He was her childhood friend, stood by Hwee-Kyung''s side when Sairan wasn¡¯t there, and assisted her when she ran away from Automation. Because of this, Juran suffered for a long time as a descendant of a persecuted family. But now, receiving acknowledgement from the two most important people, the family''s long-cherished wish was fulfilled.


    Ramin cleared her throat. "Um, Sairan?"


    "What is it?"


    "Do you know where we are heading? I''m somewhat hesitant to ask Bion..."


    Sairan slightly smiled. "Bion has sharp ears, so they probably heard every word you just said. It might be wise to be cautious while speaking."


    Ramin took a quick nce at Bion. Bion acted as if they didn¡¯t hear anything.


    "And I don''t know either."


    Hwee-Kyung shook her head. "They might be nning to punish me."


    Everyone fell silent at that statement.


    It was a usible spection.


    Hwee-Kyung said calmly, "For a long time, I impersonated Night Sky¡¯s priest and misled people. And I used his power to perform miracles. So the reason he spent so much time and effort to find me...wouldn¡¯t it be to punish me?"


    Sairan replied, "That won''t happen."


    "...Sairan, we should consider the worst-case scenario. That way I can be mentally prepared."


    "...I will prevent that from happening."


    "You died for Night Sky, but now you''re saying you''ll defy Night Sky''s will?"


    Sairan firmly said, "Yes. It was a mistake back then. If I go against him now, I see it as an opportunity to correct that mistake."


    "Really?"


    "Yes, Hwee-Kyung. Night Sky allowed us to act as we please. Therefore, he should also be responsible for the consequences."


    Ramin didn¡¯t know what to react, hearing that Sairan would attack Night Sky if it came to it.


    "H¡­hold on. Didn''t you say Bion has keen ears?"


    "Bion doesn¡¯t have a big mouth. That''s why they are the messenger of the Pantheon. Even if Night Sky hears my words, instead of getting angry at me, he would think twice about how to handle me if I truly defy his will."


    Ramin thought that sounded reasonable. Night Sky seemed more rational than the other gods of Pantheon.


    Bion then said, "You can see the tower."


    "The tower?"


    Sairan nodded. "It''s the Tower of Trial."


    Ramin hadn''t perceived it as a tower at first. She had only seen it as a white line spanning between the earth and sky. But as the carriage that Hekab was pulling approached it, it became clear that it wasn''t a naturalndscape but a man-made structure. The thin white tower grew bigger as they got closer, and soon a massive city built beneath the tower came into view.


    Ramin also knew about this white tower. The Tower of Trial was constructed after the Pantheon was established, connecting the Prairie of Beginnings and the realms above. However, as its name suggested, not everyone could go to the higher realms. Inside the Tower of Trial was aplex maze, and only those deemed worthy could ascend, while any unqualified visitors would automatically be led out.


    Bion said, ¡°Many of the deceased choose a dreamless sleep, but if they wish, they can stay in the Prairie of Beginnings even after waking up. They could run through the prairie under the never-setting sun, climb mountains, and swim in rivers. However, to ascend to the higher realm, one must be qualified. The city beneath that tower was established by those who couldn''t ascend, living in hope that one day they might be able to.¡±


    Ramin said, "I''ve heard the qualifications are quiteplex."


    "Yes. One needs to have performed significant good deeds during their lifetime, acquired outstanding academic knowledge, earned honor in wars, or achieved something exceptionally distinguishable from others. If not, they should strive to achieve such things in the Afterlife."


    While not everyone did, some wanted to move to the higher realm in the Afterlife. Due to this, those who followed the Pantheon strived to align with the values the Tower of Trials demanded. However, the strange thing was that they did so without a clear understanding of what the world above the tower was like.


    ¡®The only thing actually known was that they would be closer to the gods.¡¯


    One reason for the tower''s massive size was that it wasn¡¯t just a trial for all; for sinners and those who deserved punishment, they would have to undergo even more tests.


    With a concerned expression, Ramin asked Bion, "Then are we to be tested as well?"


    "There are no exceptions. Since the establishment of the Pantheon, any deceased person has to go through the tests if they wish to go to the higher realm."


    "...I see."


    "But of course, not this time. That¡¯s only when you eventually pass away."


    "But you just said there were no exceptions?"


    Bion didn''t answer and murmured something to Hekab. Hekab went around the city and headed straight to the white tower.


    "How do we go up that tower without taking the test? Is there some secret entrance or something?"


    Bion replied, "No. Inside the tower, we¡¯ll have to navigate through itsplex interior. There is a shortcut, but since we''re on this carriage, there''s no need for that."


    "Pardon?"


    Thud!


    Hekab began to ascend the tower''s exterior. The carriage swayed a bit, but even with a 90 degree change in angle, no one fell off. It felt as if gravity was pulling them towards the tower.


    Bion said, "Amazing, right? Insects don''t really differentiate between ground and vertical surfaces."


    "...Well, that''s not exactly what surprised me."


    As Ramin looked out the carriage, she saw the Prairie of Beginnings and the city getting further away.


    Ramin then said, "If it bes known that one can ascend not just through the tower''s interior but its exterior as well, wouldn''t more people try to exploit it?"


    "Some already do."


    "...Is that okay?"


    "It¡¯s okay. If someone can ascend the exterior of this Tower of Trials, they are certainly worthy of the higher realm."


    Ramin assessed the tower''s height and felt that Bion was right. With the mysterious power of the carriage, they came close to the top of the tower that seemed to reach beyond the sky. Below them, the Prairie of Beginnings began to curve, and above, the space that used to be sky-blue gradually turned into a star-lit darkness.


    At that moment, Ramin noticed something unusual happening beneath the tower. The air ripped apart, revealing a massive t panel. It didn¡¯t seem that big as she was looking from the top of the tower, but if viewed from thend below, it would stretch across tens of kilometers.


    "...What is that?"


    Bion answered, "A reversal is urring. Things are about to get busy."


    "A reversal?"


    Bion slightly nced back at Hwee-Kyung and exined, "There was a fake god known as the One Who Stands Behind. Many died believing in this fake god, and these souls have been trapped in the world of the Angry One. But Night Sky killed the One Who Stands Behind and revealed himself as the real god."


    "Oh, then that means..."


    "Yes."


    Bion looked down at the splitnd beneath them. "With the power of causality, those who died believing in the One Who Stands Behind are returning to us. That brokennd below is where the believers of the Pantheon being reversed are. I''ve witnessed small-scale reversals before, but never one this great."


    Then, another light appeared over thend being reversed. The giant entity had a white buffalo skull on the head, and the body below looked as if it was wrapped with the night sky. Radiating starlight and fluctuating aura, the entity extended their hand toward the brokennd.


    Bion then said, "Night Sky is reintegrating thends."


    It was just as Bion said. Night Sky reached out, split the Prairie of Beginnings, and slowly integrated the pieces of the reversednd within.


    Ramin briefly felt as if Night Sky looked in their direction.


    Bion said, "We''ll be seeing him closer soon. Now look above, Ramin."


    Ramin raised her head.


    "We''ve arrived at the higher realm."


    Hekab climbed up onto the top of the tower.

 Chapter 199: Something That Hadn鈥檛 Even Been Started

    Chapter 199: Something That Hadn¡¯t Even Been Started


    As the carriage followed Hekab up, a massive castle came into view. It was made up of several tiers. The first tier was a dodecagon with a tower at each vertex; each side alone appeared to be a kilometer long, and the tier seemed to be tens of meters high. Above it were shorter tiers, and the same pattern was repeated six times. The final tier took the shape of a triangr pyramid, with each face decorated with geometric patterns that resembled lightning or tree branches.


    Ramin thought that something was odd.


    "While the tower is gargantuan, doesn''t it seem a bit strange? The castle appears muchrger than the diameter of the tower."


    "That''s actually true," Bion replied.


    Ramin waited for further exnation, but Bion didn¡¯t say anything as Hekab continued to approach the castle.


    The tower was circled by a garden with individuals of various species walking around, ying ball on a green field or sitting under a small pavilion and ying a game of Go.


    "It doesn''t look much different from the area below.¡±


    "Of course.¡±


    "It might sound a bit rude, but it doesn''t seem that special either."


    "That''s true."


    "Then why take the test?"


    Bion answered, "People desire it.¡±


    "There are stories of priests visiting the Afterlife in their dreams and peeking into the Tower of Trials. If those tales are true, it seems odd that people would wish for this."


    "It''s not strange," Bion responded. "Some people always aspire to be better. But there wasn¡¯t a clear metric to verify that. Not until the Tower of Trials was established."


    "So, it''s not that they want to ascend by taking the test, but they earned the right to ascend because they wanted to take the test and took it?"


    "That''s right. Only then can they enter the upper world, the pantheon."


    As it seemed like Hekab was going to pass by another door, it began to climb up the wall instead.


    "Are we not going in again?"


    "This way is faster. Are you curious about the inside?"


    "Who in the Empire wouldn''t be curious about the Pantheon?"


    "The first tier primarily serves as a library. It holds knowledge from the past, as well as the Empire¡¯s knowledge that will be used in the future."


    "Knowledge of the future?"


    "Due to thew of causality, the knowledge of the Pantheon cannot descend to the real world. On the other hand, those in the Pantheon have already surpassed the knowledge of the real world."


    Sairan said, "The power I demonstrated is part of it."


    Ramin then asked with interest, "You mean deflecting bullets or sending swords flying? That''s the knowledge of the future?"


    "Yes. It¡¯s the power of the chosen one, just like you. But how one perceives that power determines its use."


    "I don¡¯t know how to do such things."


    "You''ll eventuallye to know."


    "Can¡¯t you just teach me? I heard that sometimes people dream of their ancestors and gain clues to unresolved issues."


    Sairan shook his head. "That goes against causality. I might be able to share a little with the permission of the gods, but you won''t need to wait long anyway, so there''s no need to be impatient about it."


    Ramin replied, "I still find it strange."


    "What part?"


    "The gods created such a grand space when the deceased don''t even need food, drinks, or sleep. So why gather knowledge and research academics?"


    Bion answered, "The answer is the same as before. They don''t do these things because they need to. They''re here because they sought something better, and they continue to do so because they couldn¡¯t stop. It''s not that the gods told them to do so, but they came close to the gods because of their pursuits."


    Ramin got lost in her thoughts for a moment.


    ¡®So the closest beings to the gods, the gods themselves, are they the same?''


    They ascended another tier, and a differentndscape came into view. As they approached, objects should have appeared closer andrger, but for some reason, they seemed farther away.


    "That''s only a rule of the terrestrial world.¡±


    On the second tier, there were people receiving military training, practicing swordsmanship, and shooting. The third tier was upied by Wizards, and the fourth tier housed many people gathering around what seemed like a smallke, but it turned out to be a mirror reflecting the terrestrial world.


    Soon, Hekab passed the fifth tier, which was an observatory, and began climbing up the sixth tier, which was shaped like a long triangr pyramid.


    "What''s above this?"


    "The gods are there."


    "...All of them?"


    ¡°Unfortunately, some will be absent due to the ongoing war.¡±


    "I don''t get why they''d be waiting for us."


    "If you want to be curious, so be it."


    "...I¡¯m saying this because we¡¯re almost there, but I think we¡¯re on different wavelengths.¡±


    Bion stared at Ramin and then looked upward toward where Hekab was heading. To Ramin, it seemed like Bion didn''t even understand what she meant.


    Ramin became nervous and saw the carriage¡¯s wheels pass over the edge of the tform after Hekab went up. Fortunately, nothing appeared right away. From the carriage, they saw what seemed to be tens of stairs.


    Hekab said, "This is as far as I can bring the carriage. From here, we must walk."


    Bion then said, "Follow behind me. Sairan and Hwee-Kyung first, and Ramin and Juran follow after.¡±


    Ramin put her hand to her pounding heart and slowly went up the stairs.


    ''What happens now?''


    If Hwee-Kyung had to face punishment just as she feared, Ramin thought that would be very sad.


    ''Could I help Sairan and save Hwee-Kyung?''


    The thought seemed absurd. She had just witnessed Night Sky rearranging the world. It was something that no mortal could ever even imitate, so challenging him would be unimaginable.


    ''But doing nothing would be wrong.''


    Hwee-Kyung had suffered enough, so suffering even more wouldn¡¯t be right.


    As Ramin looked back, Juran¡¯s concerned eyes suggested that he was thinking about something along the same vein. When their eyes met, Juran slightly nodded as if he¡¯d read Ramin¡¯s mind.


    ''With the three of us, maybe we could do it.''


    As they reached the top of the stairs, they saw a vast floor made of square, light-gray stones stretching into the distance. At the end of it, ten thrones lined up. Three were empty, while the other ones were upied.


    ¡°The four have arrived.¡±


    -Good work.


    The one who said this was the one who sat at the very end, an Elf. Their beauty that transcended species was apparent, even more so to Ramin, who was once Human and shared simr standards of beauty with Elves.


    ¡®It¡¯s the Dancing Shadow God.¡¯


    Ramin realized that all those who were seated were gods. Limitless God, who had ck skin and horns on their head, Bountiful Harvest, who wore a white dress, Binding God, who had a star-shaped head, Concealed Text God, who had their face covered, Overflowing God, who had a Goblin-like head.


    ¡®Andstly, Night Sky.¡¯


    Seated in the center, Night Sky said.


    -Hwee-Kyung.


    Hwee-Kyung, who was staring nkly, replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    As she awkwardly bowed, Night Sky said.


    -No need for that. I''m not interested in royal etiquette.


    "Oh, okay."


    -Do you know why I''ve called you?


    Hwee-Kyung said with a trembling voice, "For punishment, I assume."


    -Why do you think that?


    ¡°There are¡­many reasons.¡±


    -Exin.


    Hwee-Kyung replied, "I defied your will and tried to gain control over Automation forever. I also became a Vampire, taking lives from others to survive, and I was ultimately deceived by the Angry One. I was caught by that god and used your name to deceive many into a delusion.¡±


    -You are mistaken.


    Hwee-Kyung¡¯s eyes widened at those words.


    "Is there another sin?"


    -Youmitted no sin. Therefore, the assumption that I summoned you for punishment is wrong.


    Sung-Woon continued to say.


    -I called you to apologize.


    Ramin felt strange, having never imagined hearing such a word from a god, and it seemed the others felt the same.


    Hwee-Kyung asked, "Apologize?"


    Sung-Woon replied.


    -A child of a Human was needed to continue Automation. Thus, I sent a revtion to Sairan. But Sairan went above and beyond what I anticipated.


    Sairan walked next to Hwee-Kyung and bowed to her.


    "It was my fault. I couldn¡¯t bear the separation otherwise."


    -All of this wouldn¡¯t have happened if I hadn¡¯t sent the revtion in the first ce. Ultimately, my decision gave leverage to the Angry One. This was my mistake. Sairan, you merely made the best choice between a revtion given by God and the pain of separation.


    Hwee-Kyung slightly shook her head.


    "So in the end, my virtues..."


    -Hwee-Kyung, you are not virtueless. You fought for your lover and suffered for him. You also made the best choice you could make. I should have realized sooner. I neglected the minor feelings of those who believe in me amidst reading the changes in the world. This too is my mistake.


    ***


    "Why go to such lengths?"


    Jang-Wan shot back at Sung-Woon when he said he was going to apologize to Hwee-Kyung.


    "You''ve done worse before and didn¡¯t apologize for those. Though, I guess this time it could be seen as a special case.¡±


    "Exactly."


    "But will this help our strategy?"


    "In the long run it might."


    Jang-Wan looked Sung-Woon up and down. "Where did the person who said he¡¯d apologize go?"


    ¡°I mean indirectly.¡±


    "Indirectly."


    "Rather than feeling guilty about each individual while ying the game, it''s better to be at ease. After all, the game is a battle of mentality."


    Jang-Wan pointed at Sung-Woon. "Ah, that''s it, isn''t it? You don¡¯t genuinely want to apologize. You just want your peace of mind."


    "You might be right... But don¡¯t people apologize to find peace of mind?"


    "How would I know?"


    "Well, I guess you wouldn¡¯t know because you never apologize."


    "..."


    "I¡¯m not picking a fight."


    "I know."


    "I''m just pointing out a fact."


    "...That¡¯s even more annoying," Jang-Wan continued. "But what''s gotten into you?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "You could just ignore it and move on like always."


    Sung-Woon put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment.


    "It''s a hobby."


    "What?"


    "Like when RD floats in the bathtub, or Crampus drinks alcohol, or AR makes clothes with frills, or Wisdom tries to make aputer with rubber bands, I too am going to have a leisure life."


    Jang-Wan was taken aback. The only hobby Sung-Woon ever had was gaming, so it was good that he wanted to take on a hobby, but his new hobby was still essentially a game.


    ''Does he not understand why people have hobbies?''


    ***


    Sung-Woon continued.


    -The war in the terrestrial world is too dangerous and I couldn''t go down there myself, so I had no choice but to summon you. I never considered if you''d want my apology, but I did this because I can.


    "...That is unbelievable."


    -I''m sorry, Hwee-Kyung. Whether you ept my apology is your choice. I can''t change the painful times you went through.


    "It¡¯s okay. This is more than enough."


    Hwee-Kyung blinked to hold back her tears.


    Ramin witnessed a god apologizing to a person. It was an unforgettable sight. Now, she felt like she was beginning to understand the rtionship between gods and people. She had previously seen the gods as using people as mere tools, and she thought that they would just be discarded once they were no longer useful. However, a god had emotions toward a person. They were beings that could apologize. This meant that when a god pushed people into harsh trials, they would also feel pain. Gods knew pain like they did.


    ''Our world is moving towards a ce it must reach, even while enduring such pain.''


    Sung-Woon then said.


    -However...perhaps we can finallyplete something we couldn''t even begin long ago.


    "Pardon?"


    -Bion, begin.


    Bion deeply bowed to Sung-Woon and then stood up.


    "We will now begin the wedding ceremony of Sairan and Hwee-Kyung. Guests, please enter!"

 Chapter 200: Wishing Blessings Upon the Two

    Chapter 200: Wishing Blessings Upon the Two


    As Bion finished speaking, people began toe up from the stairs on the sides of where Ramin and her group were standing. Emerging on the right side were mainly Lizardmen.


    Bion pointed in that direction and said, "That¡¯s the groom''s party."


    From the left, a mix of various species were emerging.


    "And that¡¯s the bride''s party."


    Then, from behind where the gods were seated, messengers came pouring out. They were also a mix of various species in uniform, and among them were guardians of the pantheon that Ramin recognized.


    The messengers began toy out chairs andrge tables on the floor, and as the first row of messengers finished and left, another row of messengers with tes in both hands followed and began setting the tables. Some of the messengers seated the guests, some wrote down the guest list, and some began to write congrattory messages with brushes as tall as themselves for the wedding ording to the Pantheon''s tradition.


    Soon after, a group of messengers approached and said, "Bride, pleasee this way."


    "What? ...Me?"


    ¡°Preparations will take a while, so we should get going now. Please,e with us."


    Before Hwee-Kyung could say anything, the messengers pulled her arms and pushed her back to take her away.


    Then another group approached and said, "All of you, pleasee with us."


    Ramin could understand why Sairan had to go, but she couldn¡¯t understand why herself and Juran had to follow, so she asked, "Us too?"


    "You¡¯re not going to stay here like that, are you? Please,e along."


    Ramin looked down at her clothes. She was still in the disguise of aborer. Ramin and her group were then surrounded and escorted down the tform and through a door, into arge hall. However, from there, the messengers took Sairan and Juran somewhere along the corridor.


    Ramin was led to a small bath by a ty messenger.


    "...You want me to bathe?"


    "No, just stand still. We''ll do the bathing for you."


    "What?"


    Soon, more messengers appeared in the bath, and they held brushes, towels, buckets, and soap. Before Ramin could react, a messenger poured water from a bucket over her.


    "What are you doing?"


    "This is the sacred water of the Golden Bird Who Doesn¡¯t Fly. It heals wounds."


    "That''s not what I was asking.¡±


    "This is soap made by Limitless God themself. It smells of flowers."


    Then soap came flying into Ramin¡¯s face¡ªthat was how it seemed like for Ramin although the messenger was personally washing her. After a rather aggressive bath, the messengers dried an exhausted Ramin off, dressed her, and then led her back to the top of the tower where the wedding ceremony was taking ce. Juran, looking refreshed, greeted her with a smile.


    "You''ve arrived too, noonim."


    "...My nose is burning."


    "Oh, I think I inhaled some of the soap bubbles too."


    Suddenly, the sound of musical instruments filled the air, flower petals were scattered, and a feast was being set up for the wedding.


    While Ramin looked around, Juran said, "The couple hasn''t arrived yet."


    "I have no idea what''s happening."


    "Neither do I. Shall we find a ce to sit?"


    "Sure."


    Ramin and Juran headed towards the groom''s side first. Initially, everyone had been maintaining their manners as the gods were watching, but after a few drinks, half of them were standing and a few were resting their feet on the tables and drinking directly from the bottles. Avoiding that side, they moved toward a quieter spot where they could talk.


    Then a Lizardman stopped and talked to the two."Are you Ramin and Juran?"


    It was hard to determine a Lizardman''s gender at first nce, but thanks to their attire and specific scale patterns, Ramin was able to recognize who this Lizarman was.


    "...You''re Zaol, aren''t you?"


    "Yes... I''m the wife of Lakrak."


    "The first mathematician."


    "There were many before me who knew mathematics."


    "But none of them thought to teach others the way you did."


    Zaolughed.


    "Did you know Sairan was my messenger?"


    "No, I did not."


    "He was a sincere and smart boy, but he went unrewarded for a long time. I''m d that''s been corrected now. Thank you both for helping."


    As Ramin was rendered still at Zaol¡¯s unexpected words, Juran replied, "It''s an honor."


    Unable to find a seat among the Lizardmen, Ramin and Juran headed to the bride''s side. Among Humans dressed in the old-fashioned attire of Automation, Goblins in dark clothes upied a spot. The apparent Goblin leader stared at Ramin, and as they tried to simply walk past the Goblins, another Goblin came up to them.


    "Ramin, Juran. Our leader wishes to see you."


    "...Leader?"


    The Goblin pointed to the Goblin leader. The Goblin leader stood up and used signnguage.


    The subordinate Goblin tranted, ¡°Our leader has been protecting Hwee-Kyung for a long time. Then he helped Hwee-Kyung escape from ck Scale and risked his life with us. He has always regretted not being able to uphold his vow to protect her throughout his life."


    "...And?"


    "You have taken on our will and continued it, so he wants to express special gratitude for that."


    The leader then bowed deeply, a gesture that even Ramin could understand.


    The Goblin continued, "Our leader made a special request to the gods that when you need help, they would grant their assistance."


    "What?"


    "You may go now. There''s someone behind you looking for you."


    Just as the Goblin said, a Human man approached and stopped Juran.


    "You must be Juran and Ramin."


    Juran recognized the man instantly. ¡°I am Hwee Juran Muel, it is an honor to meet you, Gyo Joong.¡±


    It was Gyo Joong, Hwee-Kyung¡¯s second husband, a merchant of the Gyo family and a longtime friend of Hwee-Kyung.


    "No need for formal greetings. I''m just d to see that my descendant has survived these times of rough currents."


    "It''s been an eventful journey."


    "I''m grateful for your survival, but..."


    Gyo Joon turned to Ramin, "Thank you for finding Hwee-Kyung. I''m sorry to the two of you, but I always thought you would fail. I was preparing myself mentally, thinking I might never see Hwee-Kyung again."


    Ramin said, "Um, but Gyo Joong?"


    "What is it?"


    "Well...are you okay with this?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "This wedding."


    Gyo Joongughed at that remark. "Even though Hwee-Kyung didn''t want it, we had our wedding. Even though she didn''t smile, it was a proper ceremony. We shared a bed even though she didn''t love me. And when I should''ve been consoling her, she was the oneforting me."


    "Really?"


    "I loved Hwee-Kyung, but I knew that even after our marriage, I couldn''t have her heart, and she apologized for not giving me that. Ironically, she was the one pressured into the marriage by the four families."


    "..."


    "That''s the kind of person she is. I owe a lot to Hwee-Kyung, so with relief, I can celebrate this marriage from the bottom of my heart."


    Unable to find a seat and as they walked, Ramin said to Juran, "I feel strange."


    "Why?"


    "All throughout our journey, I thought I was being punished for the sins Imitted."


    "But?"


    "But now that I think of it, I keep hearing words of thanks."


    Juran simply summarized, "Sin is sin, and good deeds are good deeds. What we did¡ªthis might be presumptuous of me¡ªbut it was something that deserved gratitude."


    "...Do you think so?"


    "Of course."


    "...Maybe so."


    Ramin then turned around at the sudden cheers.


    "Groom, enter!"


    It was because Sairan Muel had arrived.


    Sairan was not wearing the Empire''s modernized ceremonial attire, but in a traditional groom''s outfit which was navy in color and from the era of the ck Scale Kingdom.


    Then an even louder cheer rang out.


    "Bride, enter!"


    Hwee-Kyung was also wearing a traditional bridal gown made of colorful silk.


    ording to the old aesthetic that longer and wider hems had more value, several messengers were holding up Hwee-Kyung''s dress so it wouldn''t drag on the ground, and a few of the messengers were still touching up Hwee-Kyung''s makeup.


    Hwee-Kyung looked around at the guests, and then stopped when her eyes met Sairan''s. Whether it was because of the Korean-style traditional makeup with red on the cheeks and forehead or the excited and festive mood, her face was flushed.


    Then the wedding ceremony began. Though they had already seen each other''s faces, in ordance with traditional wedding customs, they greeted each other behind a veil and shared a drink.


    Bion was overseeing many parts of the wedding. From a distance, Ramin saw the gods watching the wedding, talking among themselves in ways mortals couldn''t understand. It seemed that even the gods were excited.


    Amidst the loud chatter of the guests, someters entered. It was Lakrak and his warriors.


    One of the warriors already there said to Lakrak, "Lakrak, you¡¯rete! What happened to that guy with the cut ear?"


    "It was a tie again."


    "Really?"


    "But this time, I can me it on Sairan."


    A smile appeared on Sairan¡¯s face, who was nervous about making a mistake.


    Then even more guests lined up. At first, they seemed like a mixture of various species, but Ramin, with her unique sense that other species didn''t have, recognized them as her own kind.


    ¡®They¡¯re Vampires.¡¯


    Though they couldn¡¯t quite fit into the atmosphere, they talked with Hwee-Kyung.


    Cheers andughter went back and forth. Ramin felt the overwhelming joy and celebratory mood piling upyer uponyer.


    Soon after, the couple eventually stood facing Night Sky.


    Sung-Woon said.


    -Despite facing the most challenging trials for a long time, these two are standing together again. There''s no need for any more proof of their enduring love. I hereby bestow them my blessing.


    The giant space that was once empty was now filled with guests. Everyone shouted blessings, wishing them happiness.


    -Even when we leave, continue the after-party. Let everyone enjoy until they wish.


    Bion responded, ¡°Understood.¡±


    -Oh, and send those two back.


    "As you wish."


    Ramin reacted to the mention of two people.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Ramin thought she had certainly made eye contact with Night Sky.


    Bion then stomped their foot, and Ramin felt a sudden feeling of everything getting further away.


    ***


    "Open your eyes, Vampire."


    Ramin woke up due to the rather aggressive shaking of her head. The first thing she saw was a Garuda¡¯s face. More precisely, it was Mazdari.


    "...Huh?"


    Ramin looked at the wide ivory-colored leather surface behind Mazdari. It was the envelope of the airship.


    Ramin suddenly got up.


    "...Was it a dream?"


    "Don¡¯t be ridiculous." Mazdari rebuked.


    "You and Juran went to the pantheon. You fainted from the shock and had copsed in the vebor camp. So while you were unconscious, I brought you onto the Thunderstrider."


    Ramin then grabbed her head as she was slightly dizzy, and when she looked down at her clothes, she was able to confirm that it wasn''t a dream. She was wearing the ceremonial attire she had been wearing for the wedding.


    "Wait, what about Hwee-Kyung?"


    Mazdari replied, "Surely Night Sky wouldn¡¯t say that the living and dead couldn¡¯t coexist and kick her out, not after he went to the lengths to bring them together.¡±


    "Then what about us...?"


    "I don''t know yet. I only followed Night Sky¡¯s words and brought you here. There must be a reason."


    Ramin slightly shook her head.


    "But we''re in the middle of the Union Kingdom. Isn''t it dangerous toe here on the Thunderstrider? Oh, and there should beborers who converted... We should protect them."


    "It''s okay. A big battle just ended, and the Union Kingdom can''t focus only on this ce right now."


    "Howe?"


    Mazdari replied, "The revolution has begun."

 Chapter 201: The Priest Spy

    Chapter 201: The Priest Spy


    An Orc with red skin was sitting on a tform. The red skin, given as a blessing by the Angry One, was resistant to heat and burns, making it useful in this current war.


    In the army of the Angry One, it wasmon to see red-skinned Orcs carrying oil on their backs and using methrowers. Their infamous tactic was to rush into the enemy trenches and set everything on fire. Most of them were descendants of the red-skinned Orcs that the Angry One, Hegemonia, had used as their main force when they first entered the second continent. And among those red-skinned Orcs, the most famous warrior was the Angry One''s second apostle, Ankarde, known as the one who wore blood.


    Ankarde said, "It¡¯s unfortunate, Alma, that things turned out this way."


    Alma Alloy, the fifth apostle of the Angry One, stood in front of Ankarde and nodded.


    "If you wish to punish me, go ahead."


    "Hpmh, if the Angry One hasn''t done so, who am I to?"


    While sharpening the de of their favorite giant ax with a whetstone, Ankarde continued, "Things are gettingplicated."


    "Yes."


    "A rebellion?"


    Alma corrected, "They call it a revolution."


    "A revolution, huh."


    "At least that''s what they say."


    Ankarde shook their head as if they couldn''t understand.


    "This is ridiculous. If you''re defeated, shouldn''t you ept it?"


    "Even if it was their ancestors who lost and not them?"


    "Yes."


    Ankarde showed their teeth and growled.


    "I don''t care if you disagree. In my opinion, if you''re defeated, you remain defeated. eptance isn''t just a matter of honor. If they never ept it and keep charging, what will be of the world''s order?"


    "It would be chaotic."


    "Exactly." Ankarde borated their thoughts with hand gestures, "If the lowly covet the ces of the noble and ultimately take them, in the end, they just upy the noble''s position. Someone else will take their ce and be in the low ss. It''s all the same. Nothing changes."


    "..."


    "What if this fight goes on forever? If the lowly constantly battle to take the ce of the noble? This chaotic fight will consume everything that keeps the noble in their noble ces. Forests will burn, and rivers will dry up. If the lowly are too busy fighting to farm, where will foode from, and if they''re too caught up in strategizing to defeat the noble and don''t work in factories, who will make clothes and goods?"


    Alma sighed. "In the perspective of the Union Kingdom, you''re right. But we all live a mortal life."


    "So are you saying you agree with those lowly beings?"


    "Maybe. Their anger is justified."


    "So you''re siding with those tailless beings?"


    Alma squinted. "Not exactly."


    The Pantheon¡¯s attack began at the Rubeil vebor camp. Up until then, what had clearly been a card of the Angry One suddenly ended up in the hands of Night Sky, resulting in a critical blow. But both the Angry One and Alma believed it wouldn¡¯t be the end of things.


    ''They''re just as unprepared as we are.''


    It was true that the Pantheon had been preparing against the Fake God Strategy. However, the strategy of the Pantheon wasn''t about delivering one massive blow, but a series of smaller, more flexible strategies.


    ording to the Angry One, this was one of the Pantheon''s weaknesses.


    Alma recalled the Angry One''s words.


    "Here''s the thing, Alma. The Pantheon consists of many gods, and Night Sky, the leader, cannot ignore them all. Each of them holds autonomy. Even if Night Sky reviews every strategy, he can''t directly verify them all. Meaning, not every strategy is perfect."


    Therefore, Alma''s target was clear.


    ''Break the systematic connection between the strategies.''


    At first, Alma couldn¡¯t fully understand the Angry One''s words, but not anymore. When they unveiled the card of revolution as a counter to the Fake God Strategy, she thought things could get dangerous. But that wasn¡¯t the case. The revolution preparation hadn¡¯t been perfect.


    ''Of course. The raid on the Rubeil vebor camp was also an unexpected oue of Night Sky¡¯s n. Though it turned in Night Sky¡¯s favor, a single division of regr forces could easily deal with the ves of that mere vebor camp. So in desperation to make the most of the gains from the vebor camp, they had to reveal their card of an unprepared revolution.''


    The current state of the Union Kingdom was indeed serious. Within the hierarchy of the Union Kingdom, divided among the Full Tailed, Tailless, and the Half Tailed in between, the species in the Tailless ss began shouting for a revolution and took action. In the smaller territories where the central power didn¡¯t reach, serfs revolted and killed their lords, and in major cities that had big factories, the workers went on strike and began to quit.


    ''But this is just a fraction.''


    The Union Kingdom was divided into several kingdoms, and each had their own unique political situation and context, which made it hard for one school of ideology to spread entirely.


    ''Surely, the Pantheon would''ve wanted to y this card when they were perfectly prepared. That would maximize its effect. But they''re not there yet.''


    Of course, they had no choice but to hand over the Rubeil vebor camp, just as the Pantheon had intended. The battle of the great first apostles ended in a tie, but when the Angry One saw the situation of a revolution happening, they decided that a further fight would be meaningless in the grand scheme of things and told their first apostle Salkait to return, which allowed the ves in the Rubeilbor camp to survive.


    ¡®There are no immediate forces to deploy either¡­¡¯


    However, Alma did not consider the loss of a single vebor camp to be significant.


    Alma said to Ankarde, "By themand of the Angry One, measures to stop the revolution have already been put into ce."


    "Is that so?"


    Alma nodded. "Though it¡¯s called a revolution, the forces are all divided. Aside from a handful, they''re like bugs drawn to light. They might seem like powerful waves, but internally, they¡¯re too busy fighting amongst themselves."


    "I see."


    "We can''t ignore them. The revolution could pose a significant threat, but for the moment, it''s not that serious. We''re prepared. Now, the priority is...the war."


    In Alma''s view, the Angry One had the upper hand in the ongoing war against the Pantheon. The Angry One was after all a god of war. The only reason the Empire held against the Union Kingdom was because of the nation''s underlying strength.


    ''This revolution is just another one of the Empire''s minor tricks. There''s no need to be rmed.''


    Ankardeughed. "I see. So it¡¯s eventually up to me, right?"


    "Please."


    Ankarde raised their massive ax onto their shoulder. "Alright¡­it¡¯s time to get moving."


    ***


    Sarcho was a Bugbear. Bugbears, much like how Humans and Elves were perceived as distant rtives, were seen as distant rtives of Orcs. Resembling Orcs with their fierce appearances with massive jaws and uneven teeth, they had thick fur covering all parts of their bodies outside of their faces, giving them an advantage in cold climates.


    yers often judged them as a better starting choice than Orcs in colder areas; they were an average species without any special qualities.


    In the Union Kingdom, species like Orcs were regarded as Half Tailed, and despite them not being considered Full Tailed, the fact that the second apostle, Ankarde, was an Orc made their social standing rtively good. As a result, Bugbears, a Half Tailed species that was closer to the Full Tailed noble ss, encountered no significant barriers when moving up to influential societal roles, such as soldiers, merchants, or priests.


    In fact, Sarcho was a priest. However, Sarcho recently faced a problem. In this world where war never ended, Sarcho had a goal of living a peaceful life, but the night before, Sarcho was summoned by the high priest of Shubanel, the small city where they lived.


    The high priest, who was a Renard, sat Sarcho down and said, "Yesterday, a divine revtion came down to temples worldwide. Have you heard?"


    "...No, I haven''t heard."


    "Then have you heard about the rumors spreading across the continent that the Tailless are revolting?"


    "I believe I''ve seen that in the newspaper."


    "...There are some rebels in our city, Shubanel, as well."


    "Really?"


    The high priest said quietly, "In our city, there are those who belong to the so-called revolutionary faction."


    "Shouldn''t we arrest them immediately? What are the guards doing?"


    The high priest slightly waved their hand.


    "That''s the divine revtion from Alma. Apparently these revolutionaries wait until they have sufficient numbers to turn the city upside down, but if we try to arrest them before, we won''t be able to capture them all, and they will escape."


    "Then what...?"


    "So we need someone to go undercover to join them and find all of them."


    Even for Sarcho, who was known to be somewhat dull, it was clear what that meant. It meant for them to be a spy.


    Struggling to find words to decline immediately, Sarcho said, "Well, High Priest..."


    "Sarcho."


    "Y¡­yes."


    The high priest continued, "Alma Alloy said that such a task should be entrusted to faithful and trustworthy individuals. And that it should be a Tailless, or at least a Half Tailed. That''s why neither the guards, the military, or Fang are involved. Alma has left this work to us priests."


    "...I see."


    "You are the only suitable candidate in our temple, Sarcho."


    From then on, Sarcho tried to find a way to get out of this situation, but there was no changing the high priest''s mind.


    ''How did thingse to this?''


    After losing their father to war, Sarcho grew up with their siblings under the care of their mother, who had to earn money in a factory alone. Seeing their older siblings struggle, Sarcho decided to be a priest, as they always received favorable treatment. But if Sarcho didn''t follow the high priest''s order, their position as a priest could be on the line.


    ''Well, life can''t always be smooth sailing.''


    Even while thinking this, Sarcho heavily sighed.


    "Here you were, Priest."


    A Nix man approached Sarcho.


    "Oh, you must be..."


    "Yes, I am Garil. Thank you for agreeing to help."


    First, Sarcho got into contact with a Fang agent to confirm who the known revolutionaries in Shubanel were. Then Sarcho reached out to the revolutionaries, expressing their desire to assist the effort in any way possible. And as if they didn¡¯t suspect they had been caught by the Fang agents, the revolutionaries agreed to meet with Sarcho.


    ''To think a priest would be a spy, how ridiculous.''


    But ording to the high priest, it was likely that this revolutionary faction had been reached by the empire''s influence, and therefore, if a priest of the Angry One approached them, they would likely lower their guard, thinking the priest had converted. At least for now, that seemed to be the right assumption.


    "Follow me, this way,"


    As Garil led Sarcho down a back alley, Sarco followed, tense.


    ''They wouldn¡¯t know who I really am, would they?¡¯


    Garil grabbed the handle of the basement door in the alleyway and said, "It¡¯s here. Every revolutionary in the city has gathered after hearing you wereing."


    Garil opened the door. There was a staircase leading down, and Garil gestured to Sarcho to go down.


    ''Please let nothing go wrong.''


    Following the creaky wooden stairs, Sarcho went down into the basement. When Sarcho got to the bottom, surprise was the only possible reaction.

 Chapter 202: Moderate Revolution

    Chapter 202: Moderate Revolution


    Sarcho quickly nced around the basement and said, "Is this everyone?"


    "Pardon?"


    "I mean, the entire revolutionary faction..."


    "Ah, yes, this is all of us."


    There were seven of them, consisting of species in the Tailless ss, Humans, Elves, Halflings, Gnomes, and Dwarves. Judging by the clothes they had on, they seemed to havee here right after getting off work. Sarcho felt they could identify where each of them worked based on their appearance.


    ''The one with the smell of resin on their apron must be from a leather factory. The one with grease on their face probably works on gears. That person with a bunch of tools around their waist looks like an assembler. And the scent of sawdust...''


    They all looked like typicalborers, not threatening at all. While some looked at Sarcho uneasily, most greeted Sarcho with warm smiles, seemingly wanting to gain the favor of a priest.


    Sarcho was reminded of their mother, who had to work tirelessly while raising them and their siblings. Even though everyone here was in the Tailless ss, there were many among the Half Tailed who worked in factories.


    Sarcho thought.


    ''...Right. From their perspective, I''m an outsider. They won''t reveal everything at once. I''ll need to spend time getting close to them and get information.''


    Sarcho cleared their throat and asked, "So how did this gathering begin?"


    "Pardon?"


    Garil responded with a puzzled look.


    Sarcho btedly realized the question sounded intrusive.


    "Oh, what I meant was..."


    "I understand. You''re concerned if we might be a suspicious group, right?"


    At Garil¡¯s words, a female Dwarf curtly said, "I told you, we should''ve exined beforehand."


    "We can exin now."


    Feeling anxious, Sarcho said, "Well, you''re following the will of the Pantheon¡­"


    As soon as the Pantheon was mentioned, Garil quickly waved his hand.


    "Oh, goodness! Did you see us as apostates?"


    Then the others began to say one by one.


    "It''s understandable. Rumors have it that many famous revolutionaries from other cities are apostates."


    "I''ve heard the Empire''s Intelligence Agency directly incites it."


    "Especially in the old Garang Kingdom region, there are stories of sessful revolutions."


    Garil lightly knocked on the wall.


    "Quiet down, everyone. You''re worrying the priest."


    Sarcho asked, "So, you all have no rtion to such revolutionary factions?"


    Garil awkwardlyughed.


    "We can''t say our effort isn¡¯t connected to them at all. We did rise after hearing the sess of some of those revolutionary factions. However, we''re not apostates and have no intentions of bing one."


    "But in the end, you all n to gather people and start a revolution, don''t you?"


    "Well, yes...but the revolution as society perceives it and what we imagine are quite different."


    The society''s notion of a revolution consisted of things like criminals frombor camps rising against guards and taking their weapons to defy the Union Kingdom, local people storming into the lords¡¯ castles to murder the lords with spears, orborers setting their factories on fire saying they could no longer work.


    Garil said, "But we have no intentions of doing such. Setting fire to a factory? Even the thought itself is horrific. How would we work the next day?"


    "Garil works at a carpentry shop making chairs. Without him, everyone would have to eat and work standing up."


    Garilughed at the joke.


    In the somewhat rxed atmosphere, Sarcho said, "So what is it you all want...?"


    Garil raised his finger and replied, "Ah, we''re still working on that. With so many differing opinions, it''s hard toe to a consensus."


    Then Sarcho thought to himself.


    ¡®Of course.¡¯


    From what Sarcho knew, what the revolutionaries typically discussed was egalitarianism: the belief that all species should have equal rights and that one''s mere existence had value to be acknowledged. Egalitarianism stood against aristocratism, which argued that descendants inherently deserved the values and achievements of their ancestors.


    ''But even the Empire of Manners, ck Scale, hasn''t epted such radical thoughts entirely either.''


    Beyond this, the revolutionary factions had numerous and often extremist demands. There was word about them demanding the reigning emperor of the Union Kingdom to step down, and even for the temples of the Angry One to be burned down. Though the winds of revolution hadn''t yet reached Shubanel, a fairlyrgemercial city, everyone was concerned about the rumors that these revolutions elsewhere. And Sarcho was no exception.


    Sarcho asked, "How many demands do you have that it''s soplicated?"


    Aborer replied, "Well, for starters, we''d like our meal breaks to be twice as long."


    "...Meal breaks?"


    "Yes. Currently, we only get 15 minutes. Rushing to eat the provided meals means the break is over before you know it, and it''s even more troublesome to take a restroom break outside of that time..."


    The otherborers then began to chime in.


    "I''d also like a reduction of our working hours. I''ve been switched to the night shift and my days and nights have totally reversed. It''s been days since I''ve seen my child''s face."


    "Also, if one gets injured at work, thepensation should be increased. I came out because of my friend who, while working at an ironworks, got her hand caught and can no longer use it. Now she can''t find any other job and is on the streets trying to sell whatever she can scrape together, and she doesn¡¯t even have enough seed money¡­"


    Garil cleared his throat and interrupted, "And there''s the matter of wages."


    As Sarcho looked at Garil with interest, Garil began to exin. It wasn''t just the matter of the amount of wages. There was too big a difference between the profit a factory made and the amount the factory owner shared with the workers.


    The current city workers were descendants, 3rd or 4th generation, of the 1st generation farmers who moved to modernized cities to work. They were essentially the children of unsessfulbor families, burdened by the high costs of urban living. However, their earnings were barely enough to cover rent and necessities. Unable to umte assets, they found it impossible to move up the socialdder, having to work till death like another cog in the machine.


    Sarcho asked, "Have you tried speaking to the factory owners about this?"


    "Of course, but there arews that allow them to justy us off. I have a friend who wasid off and couldn¡¯t get jobs at other factories, so they beg for food now. With thew on the side of the factory owners, talking to them doesn''t do anything."


    "What about the mayor?"


    Garil gave an awkwardugh. "In these times, if people like us Tailless even go near the city hall, we''re dragged away by the guards. If we''re unlucky and get mistaken for radical revolutionaries, we could even be sent to vebor camps."


    From their conversation, it seemed these people were not aggressive revolutionaries, but rather those who tried to convince the powers that be through dialogue. And they seemed to call themselves moderate revolutionaries.


    "The hardliners would probably find it hard to convince anyone, and honestly, who would agree with them? So, we thought, let''s try to at least get our voices heard..."


    After hearing what they had to say, Sarcho was somewhat bewildered. The revolutionary factions were known to be apostates, ready to kill the Full Tailed nobles and sell the Union Kingdom to the Empire, but this didn''t seem to be the case.


    ''No, no. The High Priest said not to be swayed by any deception. Behind all this might be the conspiracy of the Devil.''


    Sarcho then said, "After hearing what you guys have to say, I feel somewhat relieved. However, there''s still something I''m curious about."


    "Curious about what¡­?"


    "There are revolutions happening in other cities as well, but isn¡¯t there someone who initiated all this? If it was just about seeing others do it and deciding to jump in, I''d expect you all to be more radical..."


    "Ah, I see what you''re saying."


    Sarcho thought they finally had a significant lead. If Sarcho returned without any gain after spying on the revolutionaries, Sarcho would be too ashamed to even face the high priest.


    Garil said, "The one friend I mentioned earlier who had beenid off from the factory, after they got fired and was sitting devastated on the roadside, a Lizardman approached them, and they had a conversation."


    "A Lizardman? Did your friend see the color of the Lizardman¡¯s scales?"


    "It was the middle of the night, so apparently they weren¡¯t sure about that. Anyway, thanks to the Lizardman¡¯s advice on how to raise our voices in a gentle way that everyone could ept, the people here agreed."


    Sarcho was puzzled. "Isn¡¯t that¡­the tale of the Wandering Lizardman?"


    "Haha. Exactly."


    It was one of the tales that had circted in the Union Kingdom for generations. When faced with hardship, a Lizardman wearing a hood would emerge from the shadows, assist, and then vanish. Not many truly believed that such a Lizardman really existed. There were also simr tales involving an Orc on roads or an Elf in the mountain.


    "Well, that was likely just a coincidence."


    Sarcho agreed.


    In fact, when Sarcho reported about this initial meeting to the high priest, the priestughed. The high priest was convinced that these individuals were surely plotting arger revolution and were cautious and deceiving Sarcho, and Sarcho also had some doubts.


    Sarcho supported this small gathering with the power and resources of the temple. Sarcho printed and funded the distribution of a booklet exining the moderate revolutionary faction, as well as helped them in not being caught by the officers. Of course, this information not only reached the officers, but also the temple and the Fang agents. However, since it was for the greater purpose of catching therger revolutionary forces, Sarcho''s actions were naturally allowed.


    Initially, Sarcho thought such a minor gathering wouldn''t be a significant issue, but its size grew day by day, at a pace that could be described as exponential. While the revolutionary faction started with a mere seven members in the first gathering, by about a monthter, dozens of revolutionary workers emerged in each factory. Roughly estimating, close to a thousand workers had joined the revolutionary faction.


    In response, the high priest acted as if it was all natural.


    "I knew it. That guy Garil was hiding the numbers of the revolutionaries."


    "You could see things that way, but isn''t it possible that the revolutionary booklets we printed with the temple''s money helped¡­?"


    The high priest insisted that it wasn¡¯t the case several times, but eventually said, "Hmph, well, even if that''s the case, it doesn''t matter. After all, we''ve identified those who would have be revolutionaries in the future, haven''t we?"


    Sarcho felt that the growth of the revolutionary faction was incredibly fast and wondered if in a few more months, all theborers in the city might join them.


    "Don''t worry, Sarcho. They''ve grown in number now, so they''ll act soon. All we have to do is catch them when they do."


    This turned out to be true.


    In the next meeting, Garil said to Sarcho, "Priest, it seems the time has finallye."


    ¡°The time?¡± Sarcho asked back.


    "The mayor is nning to give a speech in the square during the uing unity festival."


    Sarcho was nervous. The square was an open space, meaning anyone could approach the mayor. There was arge podium, so anyone could potentially shoot the mayor if they stood there.


    ''Security will be there, but if multiple attackers were present, that would be troublesome.''


    Sarcho said, "So it''s an assassination, right?"


    At that, Garilughed.


    "Oh my, Priest. Your joke is too much. What would make us different from the extremists then? If the mayor dies, who would govern our city?"


    "But isn''t that the best way to show your influence?"


    "If that was the case, we would''ve used the money you gave us to buy guns, not print booklets. We just need people to hear our voice and agree with us."


    "...Then what do you n on doing?"


    Garil responded, "When the timees, we can raise our voice and let the mayor know our intentions. They will surely listen!"


    What Garil was talking about was ultimately a demonstration. They would hold banners and pickets, loudly demanding higher wages or longer lunch breaks, but that was it.


    Even when Garil mentioned they needed money to produce these banners, Sarcho remained doubtful until the end. However, on the day of the unity festival, seeing the revolutionaries gather in the streets, Sarcho realized Garil was telling the truth.


    Having frequently visited the revolutionary''s hideout, Sarcho knew that their numbers and faces hadn''t changed. Moreover, there wasn''t even a single person carrying a sword, let alone guns. About 300 of them had taken to the street, not the entire faction, but certainly a number that would catch one''s attention.


    "Do you think it''ll work?"


    "Yes. We''ve written the messages big enough, so the mayor won''t miss them."


    The demonstration began before the official unity festival. Sarcho, using the excuse of wearing a priest''s robe, kept a fair distance from the demonstration and followed them from behind.


    ''In the end, the High Priest and the Fang agents have been fooled. All that effort and money for such a minor event.¡¯


    Sarcho had already informed the high priest about the protest. If things went ording to Sarcho''s expectations, they would voice their concerns to the mayor and would likely be dispersed by the nearby guards.


    ''I hope that at least some of Garil''s opinions will be considered during this process.''


    From what Sarcho had seen until now, Garil appeared to be a good young man. He was shy when speaking for himself, but when it came to others, his voice was louder than anyone else''s.


    While Sarcho held negative opinions about the revolutionaries, Sarcho still hoped that some of the demands made by Garil and his colleagues would be epted. Sarcho even nned to suggest the demands to the high priestter on.


    Then, a group of people approached the demonstrators. Sarcho noticed them from a distance.


    ''The guards are already here? That was quick.''


    But they weren''t guards. They were soldiers armed with guns.

 Chapter 203: Ember

    Chapter 203: Ember


    Seeing the armed soldiers, Sarcho thought.


    ''Oh, they called in the military to intimidate them.''


    Sarcho was aware of Garil''s n. Even if the guards were to interrupt them, they intended to raise their voices and make their stand. Deep down, Sarcho supported this, but with the soldiers now blocking the path to the square, even that seemed difficult to do.


    ''It''s unfortunate, but there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯


    If Garil was caught like this, he would face humiliation. He would face interrogation from the guards, and if unlucky, he could even be beaten. But eventually, since Sarcho had all the inside information, it would be revealed how powerless and weak these moderate revolutionaries truly were.


    ''Perhaps this will serve as an opportunity for the mayor or the factory owners to understand the current state ofbor. This might be a way too.''


    There was a chance public opinion could change. Sarcho knew several journalists who reported on the temple, so Sarcho could also subtly hint to them about the collective silence on this matter.


    ''Would things maybe then change a bit?''


    Of course, all of these were nothing but Sarcho¡¯s fantasies, fleeting and short-lived.


    The front line of soldiers knelt, taking aim, while the second line stood ready to shoot. The protesters then began to murmur amongst themselves.


    Sarcho believed that the soldiers wouldn''t open fire without trying to use words first to stop the protesters, and waited for a moment.


    Then, the officer who seemed to be inmand quickly raised and then lowered their sword.


    "Fire!"


    Transitioning from the era of ck gunpowder to the newly invented smokeless powder was indeed revolutionary. The progression from muzzle-loading firearms to breech-loading, and subsequently the introduction of cartridge cases, led to a groundbreaking improvement in firing rates, and this enhancement became even better upon encountering smokeless gunpowder.


    ck gunpowder inevitably produced smoke, which indicated the immense amount of impurities generated when the gunpowder ignited. These impurities not only caused smoke but also left residue inside the gun barrel, affecting both the firing rate and the firearm''s durability.


    Smokeless gunpowder produced a cleaner, purer explosion, and this meant that with the same amount, smokeless gunpowder provided a much stronger firepower than ck gunpowder. As a recement for ck gunpowder, smokeless gunpowder applied less pressure to the gun barrel, and the firearms were able to shoot faster and shoot more bullets. This made killing people more efficient.


    Bullets fired from automatic rifles struck the protesters directly. The first round of twenty magazines emptying alone resulted in tens of protesters falling, unable to get up again. After the deafening gunfire, screams filled the streets.


    The protesters began to run away, but they were still within the range of the automatic rifles. This time, the shots targeted their backs. As they screamed and ran, one of them shoved Sarcho, who stood there in shock. Sarcho then touched the priest''s robe and realized it was wet. It was soaked in blood. Sarcho tried to see the person who had pushed them when someone from an alleyway grabbed Sarcho¡¯s arm.


    "Hey you, Sarcho, what are you doing here?"


    It was the high priest, Khan. Khan was a short Renard, so Sarcho had to look down at Khan.


    "What happened? Are you hurt?"


    "No, no. It''s not my blood. It''s someone else''s."


    "You shouldn''t be in the middle of the protest, it¡¯s dangerous. I rushed here when I heard there was someone in a priest''s robes among the protesters. The soldiers wouldn''t have shot at a priest, but if you were caught in that stampede, it could''ve been bad."


    Sarcho, looking distressed, replied, "High Priest, what''s going on?"


    "What are you talking about?"


    "The soldiers, they''re shooting at people."


    Sarcho looked out to the street. Although the protesters had run away, there were many bodies lying on the road. Some were still alive, bleeding. As Sarcho tried to approach them, Khan didn¡¯t let go of Sarcho¡¯s hand.


    "Have you lost your mind?"


    "Pardon?"


    "They are all revolutionaries. The same revolutionaries you informed us about."


    Sarcho hesitated and then replied, "But they''re moderate revolutionaries, right? Didn''t I exin everything?"


    "Oh, young one, snap out of it. From the perspective of the Union Kingdom, whether they''re moderate or radical doesn''t matter. If they''re revolutionaries, they''re revolutionaries. What¡¯s the point of distinguishing between them?"


    "No, they''re just ordinary people. Please let me go, there are injured people over there."


    As Sarcho tried to leave the alley, Khan yanked Sarcho back by the hand. Soldiers began to move forward, distinguishing the living from the dead and detaining the survivors.


    Khan said, "If you stay here, there will be an ufortable misunderstanding. Come with me."


    "But..."


    "The soldiers will handle them."


    Sarcho hesitated and eventually followed Khan. Sarcho still trusted Khan, thinking this could all have been a terrible mistake.


    As they walked through the alley, Khan said, "So you think all revolutionaries are just ordinary people?"


    "Yes."


    "Alright. Maybe they are."


    "What do you mean?"


    "But how do you think things will turn out in the end?"


    "Pardon?"


    "People are creatures who don¡¯t know satisfaction. Once they achieve one thing, they''ll aim for another."


    "..."


    "Actually, because they''ve achieved something once, they''ll believe they can achieve even more. That''s greed for you. That''s the greed of those ordinary people."


    Once Khan was sure they were alone and unobserved in the narrow alley, Khan stopped and said to Sarcho, "Do you think this hasn''t happened in other cities?"


    "...Pardon?"


    "People differentiate between hardliner revolutionaries and moderate ones. Yes, there might be some extremists out there, Sarcho. Surely there are those misguided by the evil Empire and the Devil. But if the stories shared by the other high priests are true, most of the revolutionaries are moderates¡ªordinary people, just as you say."


    "Ordinary people¡­who have nothing to do with the Empire or the Devil?"


    "Yes. People who work all day and find joy in a cheap bottle of strong alcohol at night. Ordinary people who worry about feeding their children."


    When Sarcho couldn¡¯t say anything, Khan added, "Well, no, not ordinary, perhaps. They''re Tailless."


    "They''re all the same."


    "Don''t be stupid. How can everyone be the same? Are you, a Bugbear, the same as a hairless Human?"


    "But..."


    Khan waved their hand. "Sarcho, I''m not here to argue with you. I''m just stating facts. The atmosphere in the Union Kingdom is unusual. Ideas of equality and revolution are all too dangerous."


    "I''m aware."


    "No, you don''t fully understand. Ordinary people? Perhaps. But this moderate revolution, those moderates, might just be what the Empire and the Devil desire. Yes, I get where you''reing from. For now, they seem reasonable. Extending meal breaks,pensation for injuries, a slight pay raise. It all looks reasonable. But once those demands are granted, what then?"


    Khan pointed at Sarcho.


    "Then they''ll try to take what we have. If someone does less work and gets paid more, someone else has to work more and get paid less. For now, it''ll be the factory owners who suffer, but looking at the bigger picture, the whole world is interconnected. If the revolution seeds, we''ll eventually suffer as well. Are you ready to sacrifice it all?"


    Sarcho didn¡¯t reply.


    "So whether they''re moderates or not, we need to take out the roots of all revolutionaries. More precisely, not just the revolutionaries, but even those with the potential to be one. With that taken into consideration, our treatment of them isn¡¯t severe at all."


    As Sarcho remained silent, Khan slowly nodded, thinking Sarcho had epted everything.


    Khan gently patted Sarcho''s arm.


    "You didn¡¯t see the big picture because you are young. Yes,passion is a virtue of a priest. But don''t just blindly show it. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?"


    "...I understand."


    "Then go home and rest for today. No, take a good rest during the unification festival¡­ Oh, and I''ve heard that Fang wishes to reward you for sessfully carrying out the operation, so you can look forward to that."


    "Alright."


    Sarcho then turned around and began to walk away. However, Khan couldn''t guess the thoughts in Sarcho''s mind. Khan didn''t realize that the resignation they perceived in Sarcho was actually a spark igniting a me in Sarcho¡¯s heart. Khan was unaware that when Sarcho said they understood, it wasn''t an eptance of Khan''s perspective, but rather a new understanding of the world itself.


    By the time Sarcho returned to the revolutionary hideout, Fang agents had already swept through the ce. However, there were signs that those who had participated in the protests had possibly gathered there again. There were bloodstains.


    The front-page news the next day was about the mayor¡¯s speech during the unification festival. The incident with the revolutionaries was only covered on the fourth page, and even that was downyed, suggesting that a minor group nning a secret rebellion had been captured on the streets. There was also no mention of the number of deaths. But Sarcho wasn''t disappointed.


    Having gone deep undercover with the revolutionaries, Sarcho had made acquaintances with the active leaders. However, Sarcho couldn''t meet most of them anymore. Some had fled Shubanel, others were arrested and sent to the vebor camp just for being involved with the revolutionaries, while the rest who neither fled nor were captured avoided Sarcho because they knew of their betrayal and were scared.


    A few monthster, Fang and the Order of the Angry One had judged that the revolutionary faction waspletely washed from the city of Shubanel and stopped their investigations. Everyone associated with or resembling the revolutionaries had either been killed or dragged off to vebor camps.


    In the meantime, Sarcho was rewarded and awarded a valuable medal.


    The day after a brief newspaper article was published about Sarcho''s role in spying and exposing the revolutionaries, a Halfling woman stopped Sarcho in a dimly lit alleyway.


    "Are you Sarcho?"


    "Yes."


    The woman took out a gun and pointed it at Sarcho¡¯s chest.


    "I''m Dain. You killed my friend."


    "...What was your friend''s name?"


    "Garil."


    Sarcho looked at this small Halfling, Dain. One of her hands was missing. She was the friend that Garil had once mentioned, the one who had lost their hand while working at a factory.


    Sarcho raised both hands and asked, "Are you also a revolutionary?"


    "...What if I am?"


    "I was looking for revolutionaries. In this city, it''s so hard to find any revolutionaries that I thought they no longer existed."


    "I was in another city. But I returned when I heard about Garil''s death, to avenge my friend¡­ You were looking for revolutionaries? So you certainly must be one of the spies of Fang."


    Sarcho said, "I did not kill Garil."


    "I knew you would say that. But isn''t it true that he died because of you informing about them?"


    "Would this satisfy you?"


    "What?"


    Sarcho raised their head.


    "There were soldiers with guns and agents to track them down. There was a priest who supported all of those actions, and...a god who nned all of that. But to single me out and exclude all of them,ing after me and me alone¡ªisn¡¯t it because I am the only one you can kill?"


    Since Sarcho was right, Dain couldn''t deny it.


    Dain pulled the hammer of the gun and urged, "Shut up. Seems like you''re trying to buy time, but it''s useless. You¡¯re going to die here."


    "If you''re going to kill me, let me say one thing. I was looking for the revolutionaries not to betray them but to apologize. If given another chance, I wouldn¡¯t make the same mistakes."


    For some reason, Dain felt Sarcho''s words were truthful, but she couldn''tpletely believe Sarcho. More than anything, she didn''t believe that Sarcho saying such words would bring a chance to change anything.


    During the past few months, the mes of revolution seemed to be fading, and it didn¡¯t seem like there would be another revolution. Thinking so, Dain decided to take personal revenge rather than work for a greater cause.


    "You must be desperate to live while being held at gunpoint, but it''s toote."


    As Sarcho was about to say something, Dain pulled the trigger.


    Dain was about to check if Sarcho was dead, but she heard the sound of a policeman''s whistle from afar. While Dain¡¯s bullet had hit Sarcho''s chest, because it was winter, the thick winter coat Sarcho had been wearing softened the impact, and the bullet hit a rib causing fractures, but Sarcho survived.


    After seeing the news report of Sarcho being attacked, Dain thought she would soon be caught. However, reading the next paragraph in the newspaper, Dain doubted her eyes, Sarcho hadn¡¯t testified about her. Sarcho imed that they were shot by a robber, and that the robber stole Sarcho¡¯s wallet and ran away as a policeman came running toward them. And it seemed that the police believed the robber targeted Sarcho due to news about Sarcho receiving a reward.


    ''So the story about the revolutionaries...was true?''


    On the day Sarcho was discharged from the hospital, Sarcho met Dain again.


    Dain said to Sarcho, "I am not satisfied."


    "...With what?"


    "When I pointed the gun at you, you asked if I would be satisfied just by shooting you. Do you remember?¡±


    "Yes."


    Sarcho nodded.


    Dain then said, "Well, I am not satisfied, just by shooting you."

 Chapter 204: Even If We All Die

    Chapter 204: Even If We All Die


    Sarcho decided to meet up with Dain separately because although it wasn''t certain, they suspected that the Fang agents were suspicious of the true nature of the attack on Sarcho. So Sarcho believed it was necessary to act cautiously, and Dain agreed.


    They met again in a vagrant vige on the outskirts of the city. Groups of wanderers, or vagrants, had been there for a long time, and some even said all species had existed as vagrants since ancient civilizations. Apart from that, vagrants were always seen as outcasts and often suppressed for being perceived as threats. They mainly earned money by selling crafts or fortune-telling, or they were hired for one time physicalbor jobs.


    Among the buildings carelessly put up with wooden boards, Sarcho said, "Do you live here?"


    "Yes."


    Dain raised her right hand. "Because my hand is like this, there''s no ce that epts me, and I couldn''t afford rent."


    "I have money for you to find a ce in Shubanel."


    "That''s not why I called you."


    Embarrassed, Sarcho fell silent.


    Dain invited Sarcho into her shabby abode¡ªit might be too generous to even call it that. Only a thin board separated it from the neighboring house, and there was no distinction between the ceiling and the roof. The soil floor was also wet from the rain of the day before.


    "You said you want to help the revolutionaries, right? Properly this time?"


    "...Yes."


    "Do you have a n?"


    Sarcho replied, "How many revolutionaries are there in the city besides you?"


    Dain lightly tapped the table constructed with one leg and nails.


    "Be quiet. I can''t tell you until I trust youpletely."


    "...Alright."


    Seeing Sarcho''s disappointed face, Dain said, "I¡¯ll only say the situation isn''t good. We''re restructuring the revolutionaries¡¯work. Those previously involved are being watched by Fang, so they can''t be approached easily. I thought they would participate in the revolution again some day¡­but most are scared."


    "But there are people like you, Dain."


    "...Yes."


    Sarcho said, "I know some newspaper reporters. They have ess to the temple, and a few are close to me."


    "They wrote the articles about you, didn¡¯t they?"


    "The Order asionally receives revtions from the Angry One. Just as many reporterse and go as there are at the city hall.¡±


    "So?"


    Sarcho said, "I will tell them to write the truth."


    "The truth?"


    "That the revolutionaries are not rebels, but just factory workers among us..."


    Dain snorted. ¡°Do you think any of those reporters would care about that truth? You think they''d risk their lives for such a cause?"


    Sarcho was silent for a moment. "...I can threaten them."


    "What?"


    "Each newspaper is different, but for morning newspapers, the order goes to the printing house in the early morning. There aren''t many people at such printing houses. Recing one article isn''t impossible."


    "You think the guards will just let that happen?"


    As Sarcho reached into her pocket, Dain tensed up for a moment. What Sarcho pulled out was a crumpled piece of paper. She unfolded it to reveal a map of Shubanel with numbers and what appeared to be a route scribbled by Sarcho.


    Then Sarcho said, "The night patrol routes of the guards are fixed and almost always consistent. Not all, but some printing houses are on the outskirts of the city, mostly off the guards'' patrol routes. We should be cautious of the Fang agents, but ording to our high priest, most of them have left Shubanel because they believe the city to be cleared. I can even go alone."


    Dain nkly stared at Sarcho.


    "You were really going to do it, weren¡¯t you?"


    "Yes."


    Dain examined the map carefully while listening to Sarcho''s n. It wasn''t one backed up by nothing but enthusiasm. The map showed cold, calcted nning. It seemed doable.


    Dain then shook her head. "No."


    "No?"


    "Even if it''s sessful, we don''t know how the public will react. There will be immediate information control."


    As Sarsho lowered their head in disappointment, Dain added, "...But, ifbined with another n, it might be useful."


    "Another n?"


    "So far, sessful revolutions often had the Empire''s involvement. The most famous being the Rubeil vebor camp, which involved outside supporters from the Empire."


    Sarcho replied, "...I''d prefer not to rely on them if possible."


    "I¡¯ll say the same. Relying on external forces undermines the purity of the revolution. The more you lean on external forces, the more people will resist. Then the number of people willing to join the revolution would also decrease¡­ What I''m trying to say is, along with external support, the revolutionaries themselves must also be deeply invested and ready to act at any time."


    "You¡¯re talking about working on both the inside and outside."


    Dain nodded. "Yes. To do so, there must be an environment in which people can rally behind our cause. Simply informing people of the truth isn''t enough to move them. People need to be ready to ept that truth."


    "You''re talking about thework you mentioned earlier."


    "Exactly."


    "How do we...go about that?"


    Dain said, "...That''s the problem. We need to persuade each person, and we need to do it without being detected by those who oppose us¡­ We''ve already failed once, and we might fail again. A second failure might be the end."


    "...."


    "Do you think you can do it? It will be a thing of the past. You''ve already taken a bullet from me. I don''t think you''ve fulfilled your responsibility yet¡­but you don''t need to forcefully jump into this. That would rather bother us."


    Sarcho looked up. "Dain. A year ago, I never imagined I¡¯d be having this kind of conversation. But now I''m here. I''ve been wondering what changed me."


    "Was it Garil''s death that changed you? Sympathy? Or the truth that only you know and others don''t?"


    "All of it seems right. But there''s something that can''t be exined by sympathy and truth alone."


    "What is it?"


    Sarcho made an awkward smile. "I don''t really know. But I want to get involved to find out. If you and the revolutionaries agree, that is."


    Dain slightly nodded. She understood what Sarcho was saying. Even Dain didn''t know why she was doing all of this. This was not going to help her survive, nor was there any guarantee of happiness. It was no different from gamblers casting dice. Sometimes Dain thought this was just a struggle towards self-destruction, no different from suicide, but as Sarcho had said, there was something unexinable about it.


    "Okay,e along,rade."


    While Dain rallied the workers, Sarcho did what they could by strengthening personal rtionships with newspaper reporters, and at the same time, drawing out stories about crimes that were continuously overlooked within Shubanel. At first, everyone felt awkward or uneasy discussing it, but once they were full from delicious food and drunk from alcohol in a private setting, they spoke without filter. Through this, Sarcho learned about the criminal actsmitted by the nobles and factory owners. Sarcho was able to find out about the close rtionship between real estate prices in Shubanel, factory owners, and loan sharks.


    A reporter, drunk to the point that their nose was red, said, "I mean, Priest, listen. It''s easy to manage theints of the workers. First, let''s say you listen to some of the workers'' demands. Maybe reduce their working hours by an hour. But then, around the same time, nobles who own properties raise the rent. The cost of living bes tight, so workers borrow money from loan sharks. They can''t repay the debt, right?


    ¡°So a few workers who are in debt ask for a raise. Then the factory owners argue that they''ve already given what was asked for, and then the workers plead to increase their working hours. The factory owners get angry, asking why they are now reversing things back to how they were before, and make them work even more than before."


    Sarcho said, "Does nobody think that''s...a problem?"


    The reporter replied, "Those who should know, do know. They ain¡¯t called ves outright, but being aborer is no different from being a ve. In some respects, it''s even worse than being a ve. A ve has a direct rtionship with their owner. And the issue could be resolved by simply killing the owner.


    ¡°Aborer, on the other hand, is intertwined in the entire societal system, so killing one person won''t resolve anything. Think about it, if aborer kills a factory owner, does the factory disappear? Another factory owner would just purchase it. That''s all. ss used to be unstable in the past, but modern ss structures are way more solidified. They aren''t easily shaken."


    Such drinking sessions weren''t only beneficial for Sarcho. The next morning, the reporters would wake up with pounding headaches, vaguely recalling the conversations from the previous night. Then they would go in and out of the city hall, enjoy meals offered by the nobles and ept bribes from factory owners, and then they would asionally remember the things they had said.


    Some reporters grew ufortable around Sarcho due to the probing questions and avoided Sarcho. However, some genuinely enjoyed Sarcho''s drinking sessions. They pondered whether their alcohol-induced confessions were, in fact, their true innermost feelings, or articles they wanted to write but never did.


    Meanwhile, Sarcho continued the personal investigations into how the capitalists oppressed theborers and umted their illegal and hical fortunes. All this information was ryed to Dain, who then used it to rally workers.


    With Sarcho''s information being based on clear evidence rather than simple rumors, it more than convinced Dain''srades, but actually made them directly confront their future uncertainties and pains, enlightening them to the fact that the injustices inherent in the societal structure were not due to their personal failures.


    Dain''s challenge was to somehow calm and hide these rising mes from within. Now, the people hade to understand the injustices, question why they couldn''t live happily, recognize that there was no real difference between the Tailless and Full Tailed, and struggle with the uneptable idea that they suffered because of the defeats their Tailless ancestors faced.


    Print shop workers covertly printed pamphlets, newsboys handed out the pamphlets while selling newspapers, carpentry workshops made picket signs, textile mills snuck out extra fabrics, and dye factories smuggled out dyes.


    However, Dain was resolute that it wasn''t time to move yet. Even though herrades were eager to, they had to wait for the right moment to create arger impact. Sarcho also agreed. And there was another issue. Dain believed that it was dangerous for the previous revolutionary faction to gather as a single group, so she nned for individuals to create their own factions, and within those factions, further sub-factions would be formed.


    Due to this small organizational group structure, even within the revolutionary group, the exact number of true revolutionaries could not be precisely measured. Ultimately, they would only find out how big they had gotten when as many members as possible showed themselves on the appointed day. They did not pick a special event as before. Instead, they aimed for a typical day when the guards, Fang, and soldiers would be less vignt.


    The revolutionaries in small groups cautiously shared the date of action. Sarcho informed Dain through the central temple that miraculously, the date remained unknown to outsiders.


    Dain anxiously said, "Perhaps our numbers will be less than during the first protest."


    "Comrade, don''t worry. If we can show that those who regretted how things turned out back then can rise again, even if this protest turns into a failure, it provides hope that someone else will rise once more in the future. That alone has meaning."


    Dain agreed.


    On the morning of the D-day, Sarcho stood in the street aiming for a protest simr to before. Dressed in priestly robes, Sarcho held thergest picket sign possible.


    All races are equal.


    It was a sign with the banner of equality roughly written on it.


    The goal of this protest was to advocate for workers'' rights and equality, and just like before, they nned to march peacefully. Sarcho wore priestly attire, staking their status as a priest. This was to convey that the protesters were not apostates.


    An important point was that Sarcho themself had not yet found direct evidence to prove that the Angry One did not support equality.


    ''Perhaps our voices are too small for the Angry One to have noticed.''


    Then almost simultaneously, Dain appeared with herrades.


    The revolution is not over.


    Is a tail a right?


    Remember the blood of unification day.


    Each individual emerged with their own slogan written on their pickets and bands around their heads.


    Dain said, "Is this all for now?"


    "Let''s wait a little longer."


    At that moment, a familiar face came running to Dain.


    "Comrade Dain!"


    "What happened?"


    "People have mistakenly gathered at the square already."


    "What? There will be many people at the square... Call them here first."


    "No, you should go there yourself."


    Dain and Sarcho exchanged nces and quickly walked over there.


    There was a crowd gathered in the square. There were as many people as there had been during the unification day event.


    Dain then said with suspicion, "What is this? What''s going on?"


    "Comrade Dain, get it together. These people were all waiting for you. There were so many of them that they couldn''t gather on the streets, so they gathered here."


    As Dain and her group approached, the murmuring crowd saw her and lightly cheered. With a flushed face, Dain walked to the center of the square.


    Everyone had a booklet tucked into their shirt pockets. They were all members of the revolutionary faction.


    Someone mumbled, "There must be over 5,000 people."


    "5,000? Are you kidding? Even if only half of this square is filled, that''s 10,000!"


    Sarcho then said, concerned, "With so many gathered...what should we do,rade?"


    "For now, it''s a good thing. We should move to the city hall square as nned, but first, have the people focus.¡±


    Dain, who was taken aback for a moment, regained herposure and shouted from the podium, "Fellow workers! Nice to see you. My name is Dain. I lost my hand in a factory ident and was thrown out since no factory would hire me. You may not all know me, but in one way or another, everyone might have a friend or acquaintance who has been through something simr. In that sense, we can all berades."


    Dain talked of the rights that workers inherently deserved, exined how the entire system was built upon the foundation of the aristocratic distinction between Full Tailed and Tailless, and revealed that the nation''s authorities had no intention of fixing such an unjust system.


    When Dain spoke, everyone stayed silent, and when she finished, they shouted in agreement.


    Dain then talked about the bloody suppression during the previous unification day protest.


    "That day, we failed. We lost manyrades, and so did I. This fact was hidden, and the city officials named them traitors, evil ones who clung to the Empire. But we know the truth."


    Dain stomped her foot.


    "That''s right. We know the truth. They were our friends, colleagues, husbands, wives, children, and parents. Yet they returned to us not only as a handful of blood, with their honor shattered. We lived on, keeping the truth suppressed even though we knew it."


    Sarcho saw some in the crowd shedding tears, while others red with clenched fists. Of course, they weren''t ring at Dain. They were ring at the soldiers who shot the unarmed protestors, or perhaps at their past selves, who had to suffer in silence.


    "But no more. We will no longer remain silent. We will reveal this truth to everyone."


    As soon as Dain finished her speech, leaflets were distributed. As nned by Sarcho, they were newspapers printed from the printing house. The front page of the newspaper had an article about the unification day protest and its behind-the-scenes story.


    There were several guards at a distance, but they didn''t dare approach. They hesitated, wondering what to do next.


    When Dain suggested moving from the central square to the city hall square, everyone agreed.


    Stepping down from the podium, Dain tapped Sarcho on the arm.


    "Lead the chant."


    "You mean¡­me?"


    "Your voice is loud. Do it."


    Sarcho looked hesitant.


    "H¡­how should I say it?"


    "You''re one of us. Say what needs to be said."


    "Oh, okay."


    Sarcho nodded, then rolled up their sleeves and walked forward. Although some murmured at the sight of Sarcho in priest''s robes, the simple fact that Sarcho stood next to Dain seemed to make them trust Sarcho.


    Sarcho shouted aloud, "All people are equal!"


    The crowd echoed, "ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL!"


    For Sarcho, it was an experience like no other. Sarcho wasn''t alone in this crowd. It wasn''t just Sarcho''s voice. It was everyone''s.


    Sarcho led the crowd and loudly chanted, "Tails are not rights!"


    "TAILS ARE NOT RIGHTS!"


    From the second and third floors, windows opened, and people looked down at the protesters. Some murmured among themselves, while others gestured for those inside toe and look at the protestors. Some were waving pamphlets, and Sarcho recognized them as the pamphlets of the revolutionary faction. Soon, a few people ran out from their homes.


    "Even if we all die!"


    "EVEN IF WE ALL DIE!"


    Sarcho shouted their throat raw, and tears welled up in Sarcho¡¯s eyes, threatening to fall.


    "The revolution does not end!"


    "THE REVOLUTION!¡±


    The crowd roared back.


    "DOES NOT! END!"

 Chapter 205: The Second Method

    Chapter 205: The Second Method


    The marching protesters filled the streets, and their chants echoed throughout the city. Many who initially didn¡¯t know about the revolutionary movement took interest, picked up and read the newspapers and pamphlets distributed by the protesters, or carefully observed the pickets they held.


    Then, the anticipated problem urred. The city guards blocked the path of the march. There were about thirty of them, all in uniform with their weapons at their waists.


    However, Dain said to Sarcho, "Just keep going. Continue chanting and don''t hesitate."


    Sarcho then raised their voice and did as Dain said. Though one of the guards shouted something at them, Sarcho didn''t even give the guard a nce and continued chanting. The voices of the guards were drowned out by the shouts of the protesters. A few guards even reached for their weapons, but they were held back by their colleagues. Eventually, they subtly stepped aside and away from the protestors.


    It urred to Sarcho then that this was the city¡¯s voice. It wasn''t just that the guards were intimidated by their numbers, but they realized the voice would not be suppressed.


    Still, Sarcho couldn''t bepletely at ease. The guards were nowhere near the top of their list of problems.


    Sarcho took a sip of water from the water sk and said, ¡°Comrade Dain, even if the guards can''t stop us, the soldiers will."


    "You know the closest military camp is half a day away. They''re not as prepared asst time."


    ¡°I know, but they''ll arrive in half a day."


    Dain anxiously said, "We should change our n."


    The initial n was that the gathered protesters would march to the central square, announcing their presence and nothing more. They intended to repeat such protests multiple times to make as many citizens aware of them and join the revolutionary faction, until the inevitable day where they got caught. However, their current number had greatly exceeded their expectations. It could be said that the entire city already knew of the revolutionary faction.


    Sarcho said, ¡°You mean more than leading the people to the city hall square?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sarcho shook their head. "But how? We''ve...never thought this far, have we?"


    Dain replied, ¡°You might think that. But there are two ways."


    "Two?"


    Dain began to exin the first method.


    The first method was simple, and Sarcho realized that Dain had suggested going to the city hall square for exactly that. Given the number of protesters, they had enough force to pressure the city hall. If the mayor appeared, Dain, who led the protesters, would negotiate. They''d demand immediate action on issues rted to egalitarianism and the workers'' rights, as well as assurances that the military would not intervene or retaliate against the revolutionariester.


    Then, as Dain exined the second method, Sarcho said, "...I hope the first method works."


    ¡°I hope so too.¡±


    Sarcho led the chant again, and the protesters marched towards the square in front of city hall. They passed a fountain park¡ªa masterpiece artist of the Union Kingdom created at the nobles¡¯mission, whichbined ssical beauty with modern elegance. Then they reached the city hall square. After seeing the group of protestors, a poor barricade was put into ce in front of the city hall.


    The enraged protesters immediately tried to get through it to enter the city hall, and one of the staff members peering out from a window with a gun in hand shouted loudly at them. As the protesters fought back by throwing stones, the staff member hid in fear, and the windows of the city hall began to shatter under the continuous barrage of stone-throwing.


    Then Dain yelled to try and calm the protesters, "Comrades of the revolution, listen!"


    As she went on top of the barricade to shout at the crowd, the protestors focused on her.


    "We could rush into the city hall now and force the mayor to give us the answers we want. But we won''t do that."


    The unexpected statement silenced the crowd and made them listen to her following words.


    "That would be a forced response. It''s their way, through threats and violence. We don''t want to be like them¡­ This is no titudes I¡¯m spouting. If we force them to speak, they''ll use it as an excuse and reverse thingster, just as they''ve always deceived us until now. The mayor themself, who represents them, muste out here and talk to us."


    At those words, one protester shouted in agreement, and the rest joined in with apuse.


    Dain then told the crowd that they would wait until noon. Afterward, otherrades started reading out their demands one by one and urged the mayor toe out.


    As Dain came down from the barricade, she said to Sarcho, "With this, we should be able to hold out till noon, or even until sunset."


    "...Do you think the mayor wille out to talk?"


    Dain anxiously looked at the city hall.


    "I''m not sure. It would be ideal if they did."


    "I sincerely hope so too. Otherwise, we..."


    Dain shook her head. "We still have time, so let''s not worry yet. More importantly, we need to make sure ourrades stay motivated until the mayor shows up. Can you help with that?"


    "Of course,rade."


    Dain began singing a workers'' songmonly sung in factories. The protesters quickly took to the song that was originally sung by farmers in the past. With the change in environment and circumstances, the lyrics had been adapted to fit factorybor, and while the song itself varied slightly depending on the region or factory, the rhythm and beat were very simr, which allowed the protestors to quickly catch on.


    Following this, Dain called the injured workers to share their stories on the makeshift stage. Each story of injustice and suffering caused tears for their fellowrades, or they would shout out in anger against the nobles and the wealthy. Many of these stories ended in cheers of encouragement, telling the person sharing their story to not give up, that they could do it, and that they were each others¡¯rades.


    The localborers distributed bread and a particrly moved noble opened their wine cer to the protesters. Wild boars were also dragged through the square with the sentiment that there was no better day to catch and eat them.


    Dain had initially perceived the gathering as simply spontaneous and believed that, if unlucky, the majority would disperse. However, as time passed, the crowd of protesters steadily grew. Although they had agreed to wait only until noon, when Dain suggested they wait until sunset, the crowd willingly said they would try to wait more.


    Sarcho thought that perhaps this could all be worth it in the end. Seeing such a unified group was somewhat intimidating for Sarcho as well. It felt as if they had transformed into one massive entity, which could lose control if something happened.


    ''If I feel overwhelmed being part of this, surely the mayor will feel the same. The mayor might be discussing which proposals to ept with the councilors. The world is about to change.''


    The protestors sat down, singing songs ofbor and put their arms around fellowrades they had met that day. Twilight began to set in, casting long shadows on the ground, and those who lit the street lights began to roam the streets.


    Then a boy wearing tattered clothes from the outskirts of the city rushed to the town square.


    ¡°Dain noona!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    The boy, catching his breath, replied, "The army is here. I''m not sure about the numbers¡­but just as you said, they appeared on the western horizon."


    Dain bit her lip, and Sarcho lowered their head.


    As Dain was about to go onto the stage, Sarcho said, "So...the second n?"


    "Yes.¡±


    Dain responded briefly and then shouted, "Comrades! There is sad news. It is very unfortunate that something like this happened.¡±


    Dain waited for the crowd to understand and then continued to say, "The mayor has consistently chosen silence, and instead of giving us the answer we sought, they responded differently. They have called in the army again. They intend to kill us."


    Then the faces of the protestors became dark. Those who had remained silent when Dain spoke also began to murmur among themselves.


    Dain said, "Just like they did during the unification day festival, they aim to kill all of us and act as if the revolution never happened. Just as ourrades have been forgotten by the people, they aim to do the same with us¡­ Will you ept this fate?"


    The crowd fell silent for a moment.


    Dain continued to say, "I¡¯m asking if you want to just die like this? Are we going to die like this?"


    At that exmation, everyone responded with their resolute answers.


    "We haven''t heard from the mayor yet. But will we just let this happen to us? Or will we show them what we¡¯ve got first? ...To endure, or to act?"


    "TO ACT!"


    Their voices ovepped, forming a massive echo.


    Dain said, "Are we going to run and stay silent? Or do we bleed and die today to fuel the ongoing revolution? Silence, or revolution?"


    "REVOLUTION!"


    Dain raised her fist.


    "Then let''s show those who ignored our ultimatum! Today, we will be remembered forever!"


    A massive cheer echoed through the city hall square.


    ***


    Eldar said, "It''s now unstoppable."


    "Yes," Sung-Woon replied.


    The two were in Eldar''s private quarters.


    Eldar''s space consisted of multiple rooms, and where the two of them were currently could be seen as Eldar''s living room. Overall, it resembled an open garden with an artificial sun, but uniquely, living trees grew into geometric shapes, forming chairs and tables, making the ce look like an extension of nature.


    When Sung-Woon suggested monitoring the protesters, Eldar willingly agreed.


    Eldar said, "But I still find it strange. Wouldn''t it be more effective if we directly led the protesters like Lunda or Jang-Wan? Those revolutionary forces have actually achieved results."


    Sung-Woon agreed. The winds of revolution were blowing, but Hegemonia''s response was top-notch. Such revolutions weremon events that took ce before entering the second half of the game of The Lost World. Many games ended even before reaching that point, but if one wanted to secure victory, the response to such revolutions had to be thorough. And the oue of such revolutions varied based on which side leaned more towards equality, enjoyment of disruptive gamey style, and the timeliness of the situation.

 Chapter 206: Revolutionary Army

    Chapter 206: Revolutionary Army


    In this instance, it leaned more towards egalitarianism and favored disruptive interference ys over directbat, and thanks to prior preparations, Sung-Woon''s Pantheon took the initiative to strike with a revolution at the given opportunity.


    There were various possible defensive responses in such a case. First, choosing to take no action wasmonly considered.


    If one were to simply sumb to the revolution, a modern societal structure could be established. However, the problem was that this process would cause significant difficulties internally. Beyond the simple system changes, issues would arise when crimes on a racial scale ur among hostile species, species bias emerges, an uncontroble new government is born, or when a country bes further divided.


    Sung-Woon knew Hegemonia¡¯s Union Kingdom wouldn''t choose to not take action.


    ¡®If they show even the slightest vulnerability, they know I would exploit the opening. Besides, Hegemonia rarely chose no action in their personal history as a yer.¡¯


    Sung-Woon personally believed that it was because Hegemonia didn¡¯t like losing. While taking no action was a strategy, showing no response to an opponent''s attack felt too much like a loss.


    As expected, Hegemonia used a counter-revolution strategy. Not only did they quickly identify internal revolutionaries, but they also singled out potential revolutionaries, reinforced ssism, and even at the risk of reduced productivity, immactely purged revolutionary forces. All of these were effective strategies, and they were indeed winning tactics.


    Revolutions typically brought out what was known as a paradigm shift. If one seeded in achieving such a shift, the world post-revolution would be the new norm, favoring nations with egalitarian tendencies. On the other hand, if the shift failed, then monarchists and ethnocentrists would gain power and advantage.


    Although it was like a tug of war, sparking a revolution didn¡¯t always guarantee an advantage. Therefore, choices were made flexibly, depending on ystyle, tactics, and in-game situations.


    However, Sung-Woon had a higher win rate when a match of The Lost World entered itstter phasepared to one stopped short at the early stages. When typical yers got overwhelmed by the number of variables, Sung-Woon consistently managed the game, maximizing the use of the pieces he had. Moreover, with real-time y and even forming alliances¡ªwhich he usually didn¡¯t do¡ªhe could pay more attention to such details.


    ¡®I''m confident in the revolutionary strategy.¡¯


    Once a strategy in a game was discovered, it tended to spread quickly. However, the strategy rted to revolutions was rtively recent as it was only discovered during thest month he yed The Lost World on earth, so even the top-ranked yers couldn''t precisely figure out what Sung-Woon was doing. Therefore, it wouldn''t be surprising if Hegemonia couldn''t respond to this strategy.


    Sung-Woon said, "That''s the strategy."


    "...That''s the strategy?"


    Sung-Woon leaned back in his chair and replied, "Just as not taking action in response to a revolution is a valid strategy, the side triggering the revolution can also choose not to act."


    "You mean, like leaving the protesters alone?"


    "Exactly."


    Eldar pursed their lips and got lost in thought.


    "But won''t Hegemonia''s apostles crush those protesters right away? It seems like Hegemonia is reluctant to use their Faith resources so they¡¯re sending their army for now, but even if the protestors get lucky and live somehow, I don¡¯t think Hegemonia would hold back then.¡±


    Sung-Woon smiled. "That would be perfect."


    "...Perfect? Why?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "Don''t worry. Hegemonia will never touch those revolutionaries. They might be thinking a lot, but in the end, they won''t put the thoughts into action."


    ***


    Sungwoon''s prediction was urate. Hegemonia was looking at the status window, contemting whether to summon the apostles or not.


    ''What should I do?''


    Revolutionary groups influenced by the Empire in other regions were already under attack. The only reason this was problematic was that other yers from the Pantheon were diligently defending them. However, Hegemonia couldn''t do anything about this revolutionary faction that was in front of their eyes.


    ''If I intervene here...''


    Hegemonia thought.


    ''...It would be denying a pure revolution ording to the will of god.''


    In The Lost World, revolutions were almost always manipted by a yer. Of course, when a massive revolution urred, smaller revolts often followed, and among them were those that naturally grew without any yer''s intervention. But if a yer defending the revolution tried to suppress it, the yer causing the revolution would quickly intervene. They would conjure divine miracles, deploy their creations for protection, and eventually sustain the effort through their apostles. Therefore, most revolutions were deemed corrupt by those who defended against them.


    Fortunately, these corrupt revolutions themselves gave the defending party a good logical defense. Followers would be taught to view the concept of revolution negatively,beling any individual dreaming of revolution as corrupted. Once this clear line was drawn, it usually became a battle ofpetence between two yers, and Hegemonia typically won.


    ¡®But pure revolutions aren¡¯t like that.¡¯


    Without intervention, a revolution would grow significantly. And once it got to this point, the attacking side would reveal themself as the one who caused the revolution.


    However, neither Sung-Woon nor anyone from the Pantheon had a hand in this particr revolution. This meant that they were pure revolutionaries.


    ¡®I can¡¯t directly destroy them with my power. Otherwise¡­¡¯


    Hegemonia furrowed their eyebrows under their horn helmet.


    ¡®Those among these pure revolutionaries who survive would be apostates.¡¯


    If it was a pure revolution organized by mortals, not tainted by another god, and if it was suppressed, then those who dream of revolution would no longer believe in the Angry One. Of course, Hegemonia believed they could handle it well. They were confident that they could eliminate all revolutionaries whether they were pure or not. However, this type of revolution was unpredictable in when it would end, and it was hard to control as a whole. If a seed of revolution was nted somewhere, there was a risk it would grow. And if the revolutionaries born from that seed all became apostates, it would be a horrible situation.


    ¡®If I were to rather follow the no action strategy, only the ruling system would change, while people¡¯s belief would remain the same. It might give Neb an advantage in the game, but the game wouldn''t end.¡¯


    Hegemonia slowly clenched and unclenched their right hand, and the gauntlet made a creaking noise.


    ¡®But if the pure revolutionaries survive by any chance, I''m doomed.¡¯


    Furthermore, among those revolutionaries was one of Hegemonia¡¯s priests. Unlike the revolutionaries led by the yers of the Pantheon, who already became apostates, it would be a bad choice that reduced the number of believers who still believed in Hegemonia.


    ¡®If I had discovered it a bit earlier...or if the force was a bit smaller... Why now of all times¡­¡¯


    Hegemonia thought that they might be lucky in a way since they almost impulsively eliminated the revolutionaries.


    ¡®Right, there''s still a chance.¡¯


    Hegemonia closed the window to summon their apostles.


    ¡®I just need to finish it without getting involved.¡¯


    Hegemonia looked at the army marching towards the city.


    ***


    When Sung-Woon finished exining, Eldar nodded.


    "I understand, but¡­there seems to be a problem in this situation."


    "Problem?"


    "Although it''s good that Hegemonia doesn''t interfere directly, The Lost World is a game that progresses on its own even without intervention.... If we don''t stop that army, it seems dangerous."


    Sung-Woon nodded. "It is dangerous. Things could just end this way."


    "What are you hoping for then?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "But modern times are approaching, aren''t they? The scale of violence an individual is capable of is bing bnced."


    ***


    Sarcho said, "Did you prepare all of this in advance?"


    "Many working in the factory are retired soldiers. I thought if we had guns, we could use them someday. Though I had hoped we wouldn''t have to."


    What Dain had prepared secretly without Sarcho knowing was a list of the gun stockpiles in the city. It wasn''t just a simple list, but one with the specific locations written down, and as soon as Dain decided on the second method, she quickly divided the protestors to raid police stations, weapon depots, and even ces selling hunting and self-defense firearms.


    While some ces handed over the weapons peacefully, most did not, and the protestors, using their numbers and pre-nned strategies, forcefully took the guns. During this process, the city''s guards either got disarmed or ran away. Then, they captured the city''s mayor, council members, influential nobles, and capitalists.


    Although Dain felt awkward leading, her unique charisma that made others follow her,bined with the preparations she had continuously made over time, made her something like apetentmander.


    Sarcho then said, "But we are short on guns. We might be fighting around the walls, but the enemy are trained soldiers while only some of us were former soldiers. Is this okay?"


    Dain replied, "Of course, we can''t just rely on guns,rade."


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    "We might have talked about dying memorably before, but we cannot afford to lose aftering this far. We should be a wildfire, not just embers."


    Dain hit Sarcho¡¯s chest with her only hand.


    "Do you understand what I''m saying? Ourrades didn''t have any weapons in their hands, yet this country killed them all. Of course, that alone wasn''t enough. But if we lose this time, I can''t guarantee that they won''t make the same mistake again."


    Sarcho slowly nodded. "I¡­understand."


    "Are you ready for whateveres?"


    "Yes."


    "No, don''t answer right away. Think about it," Dain continued. "Comrade, you''re a priest. Can you still fight for us even if your god rejects you?"


    Sarcho closed their eyes for a moment before looking up. Sarcho did not hear God''s voice.


    "I will fight. But I will not be an apostate."


    ¡°...¡±


    Sarcho and Dain locked eyes.


    "The Angry One is watching without taking sides. I believe that God''s will could be with us."


    Dain smiled. "Alright. Maybe that¡¯s true. I really hope¡­that¡¯s true."


    Then under Dain and Sarcho¡¯s leadership, the revolutionary protestors, who would now be called the revolutionary army, marched forward.

 Chapter 207: Wildfire

    Chapter 207: Wildfire


    Collegoton, where Shubanel was, was located at the northwest of the second continent. Once known as the Collegoton Dukedom, this region belonged to the nation created by the yer Ovenwave. The dukedom, which resisted the Union Kingdom to the end, waspletely dispersed after Ovenwave''s defeat, and traces of its past were hard to find.


    Any of the original species showing even a hint of rebellion were purged, and even the non-rebellious ones were migrated en masse to mix with other groups. The existing culture was annihted, and the former pce was broken down to its foundation to be rebuilt as another building in the style of the Union Kingdom. As a result, Collegoton, which resisted the longest on the second continent, ironically became the most like the Union Kingdom. Without a past history, it was entirely reassembled into new cities under the Union Kingdom''s guidance.


    Compared to other regions, Collegoton had a clear ss disparity. The most significant industrial city in the region, Shubanel, sessfully erased its historical nature with lots of industrial support. Therefore, the citizens of both Collegoton and Shubanel felt almost no connection with each other or with thend they lived on.


    ¡®Is that why?¡¯


    Sarcho looked at the revolutionary army moving efficiently under Dain''smand. Sarcho hadn''t expected things to be this sessful, so they sought the reasons for their victory.


    ¡®In other countries¡­no, even in different regions of the Union Kingdom, I''ve heard that long-standing grudges between species are quitemon. But the Union Kingdom didn''t want to leave behind even a handful of people harboring vengeance in thends they conquered, and that''s why our ancestors settled here.¡¯


    Sarcho thought.


    ¡®Thanks to that, we held no particr grudge against the Union Kingdom. We even managed to ept their unfairness and injustices. But that unfair pressure intensified¡­and when we relearn our anger, its power was focused on one simple direction. That focused, united force is what led to our current situation.¡¯


    Of course, Sarcho knew that it would be a little premature to conclude the revolution as a sess.


    Dain called Sarcho.


    "Sarcho, it seems the battle at the gates has begun."


    "So it begins."


    "Do you remember everything I told you?"


    "Yes."


    From what Sarcho could see, Dain seemed to have been preparing for this battle for a long time. In fact, among Dain''srades, Rolz was a former military officer who now worked as aborer. Despite being a Tailless, Rolz graduated from the military academy and even served on the frontlines, but they were dishonorably discharged due to their attempt to report corruption and got falsely used instead. Usually, as a former officer, one would expect excellent societal treatment, but the continuous attacks from the Full Tailed-driven military society meant that the jobs Rolz could now get were no different from ordinary Tailless people.


    Dain said, "The Union Kingdom''s army will surely regret letting go of such apetent officer."


    "I hope for the same."


    ording to the strategy, the battle fought near the gates was not very important. Using only a small number of revolutionary soldiers, simply pointing their guns from the walls was enough for resistance.


    The Collegoton regional forces were, after all, the army that protected Collegoton, and they couldn''t urately grasp the size of the revolutionary army; if there were other options, they would think that breaking down the fortress would be excessive. Above all, because they underestimated the speed, size, and equipment level of the revolutionary army, they came only with infantry units without any significant military transportation vehicles, so they weren''t prepared with cannons powerful enough to break down the fortress.


    "They¡¯ll eventually go around."


    If the number of revolutionaries at the west gate was fewer than expected, the regional forces would likely attempt to go around the main force and strike from behind, judging that the revolutionaries wouldn¡¯t be able to properly defend the other gates with their limited numbers. The remaining options would then be the south and east gates, but the east gate wouldn¡¯t be ideal due to its distance and its narrow size.


    ¡°Above all, if they think the south gate is unguarded, won''t they simplye through it?"


    The revolutionary army intended to leave the south gate empty. This meant the Collegoton regional forces would definitely pass through, and that was exactly what the revolutionaries wanted.


    In past wars, fighting on top of fortress walls had been advantageous. Most of the main forces used closebat weapons like swords and spears, and even ranged weapons like bows and crossbows shot in a trajectory, so taking the higher ground was advantageous. However, after firearms were made, specifically automatic rifles, some of those advantages no longer applied. Automatic rifles fired in direct lines, and considering their range, a few meters of height didn¡¯t provide much advantage. Of course, walls and sandbags could block bullets, but not grenades or mortars. So considering the small number of revolutionaries, fighting along the walls wasn¡¯t necessarily an advantage.


    "ording to Comrade Rolz, what we really need is a strategy of deception."


    The only advantage the revolutionaries currently had over the Collegoton regional forces was information. The regional forces could have known about the number of revolutionary protestors and guns in the city, but the exact number of the revolutionary army would be harder to figure out. Moreover, they probably weren''t aware that the revolutionaries had nearly taken over the entire city. The first thing the revolutionary army had done after capturing the nobility was taking over the carrier pigeon nest.


    Sarcho stood up with a gun. "I''ll be on my way now,rade."


    Dain didn¡¯t say anything else and just nodded.


    Sarcho''s task was both the most important and the most dangerous in this operation. As the Collegoton regional forces entered the city, they would be met with raining bullets. This was to make Collegoton¡¯s regional forces believe they were ambushed.


    ''The moment you think you''ve figured out your enemy, isn''t that when you''re most vulnerable?''


    With that thought in mind, Sarcho ran toward the south gate; gunfires could be heard, suggesting that the fight had already begun.


    Then Sarcho saw buildings of three to four stories. These buildings, built by the previous generation, were constructed by the Full Tailed tribes who never forgot their roots, sticking to their longstanding tradition. The buildings had a beautiful aesthetic with whitewashed walls and exposed wooden structures. Though modern stone architecture had now overshadowed them, leading to fewer of these wooden buildings being built, many nobles still preferred the style.


    As Sarcho walked between those buildings, a group of people came running toward Sarcho. They were the revolutionary forces armed with guns.


    "Ah, you''re the priest who was besiderade Dain, right?"


    "My name is Sarcho. I''ll be thest to leave."


    "Are you taking on that role?"


    "Yes."


    "I hope you make it out safely. We¡¯re thest ones on this side. We get the work done. Once the bait is taken...you know the drill, right?"


    Sarcho nodded.


    After the revolutionaries left, Sarcho entered a nearby building, set down the bag they had been carrying on their back, and looked out into the street through a window. As the sound of gunfire was getting closer, Sarcho lit thentern they were holding.


    "Over here! Run!"


    "Do you think it''ll go as nned?"


    "Worry about that after we escape!"


    Before Sarcho could talk to them, arge group of about a hundred revolutionaries ran down the street. Some were carrying woundedrades, while others supported limping people. At a nce, the oue of the battle didn''t seem good.


    Then the gunfire stopped.


    Sarcho waited longer.


    Dain''s strategy was to lure the Collegoton regional army to this wooden buildingplex located in the southern region. This area could be described as the old town of Shubanel, and because of that, the streets were narrow. Moreover, tall buildings were ideal for ambushing and attacking the enemy.


    As long as the regional forces didn¡¯t know how much of the city the revolutionaries had taken control of, they would chase the revolutionaries when spotting them, and all these predictions ended up proven true.


    ''Once the Collegoton regional army fully enters this woodenplex, the operation can reach its end.''


    And someone needed to stay until the end. It was a dangerous job. It wasn''t necessarily a guaranteed death, but for the sess of the operation, someone brave and responsible enough to act when the regional army was right in front of them was required. That was why Sarcho volunteered.


    ''I was the one who brought down the city''s first revolution. Even if I contributed to the second revolution, I can''t be forgiven.''


    Footsteps echoed in the quiet street. Sarcho peered out of the window. It was the Collegoton regional army, dressed in blue uniforms. Perhaps suspecting hidden revolutionaries, they advanced while maintaining a distance from one another and on high alert.


    Sarcho held their breath and quietly waited for the right moment.


    ¡°...It doesn¡¯t seem like anyone¡¯s around here.¡±


    "Right? Why is there no one? Even though it''s evening, it shouldn''t be this quiet..."


    Sarcho lit the object that they had carried in their bag and ran out the building¡¯s back door. Sarcho ran so fast that even though it was a short distance from the door, they were out of breath.


    ''What? Why isn''t anything happening?''


    Sarcho turned to look at the direction they came from.


    ''Could it be¡­a dud?''


    Just as that thought crossed Sarcho¡¯s mind, the dynamite in Sarcho''s bag exploded. Pushed by the massive shockwave, Sarcho ran again. One wooden building copsed due to the first explosion. ming debris shot out and struck the buildings across the street. While wooden structures easily burned down in high temperature mes, the buildings burned even faster because of the oil that the revolutionaries had spread inside them while driving out the upants.


    When the fire started by Sarcho''s detonation was confirmed, other revolutionaries, who had been waiting around the wooden vige, also started fires. The southern part of Shubanel began to burn. What the revolutionaries had prepared was a fire attack.


    ***


    Screams of the Collegoton regional army echoed amid the fire.


    "There''s fire everywhere! We can''t control it!"


    The initial explosion wasn''t a particrly powerful attack. It was an excellent ambush, but considering the number of the entire regional army that had entered the city, it wasn¡¯t enough.


    However, theirmanding officer was caught in it, resulting in the chain ofmand being disrupted. The regional army began to run in the opposite direction of the explosion, only to see mesing at them from all sides. Morale plummeted as soldiers ran away into narrow alleys to escape. Surely, staying in the middle of the street would allow them to avoid getting caught in the mes, but species with fur got more terrified by the scent of their own fur getting scorched.


    The old and aged wooden buildings responded quickly to the wavering mes from across the street. As the building burned, ck smoke filled the sky. Soldiers were already dropping to the ground from inhaling too much smoke.


    Then a first lieutenant, who had automatically takenmand, shouted, "Run along the path!"


    Only the buildings were on fire, so the first lieutenant had judged that if they stuck to and followed the path, they could avoid the mes. The soldiers of the Collegoton regional army advanced, following the first lieutenant, but waiting at the end of the road were the muzzles of the revolutionaries'' guns, set up behind barricades, ready to attack.


    Dain shouted, "Fire!"

 Chapter 208: Shubanel Declaration

    Chapter 208: Shubanel Deration


    Once emerging from the mes, the Collegoton regional forces were immediately met with the bullets the revolutionary army fired. The regional forces couldn''t even put up a fight. The majority of the soldiers were killed on the spot, some retreated back into the ming streets to escape, while others dropped their weapons and surrendered.


    The fight between the Collegoton regional army and the revolutionary army in Shubanel ended in victory for the revolutionaries. This wasn''t simply a battle where a smaller force defeated arger one. In the old city center created by the Full Tailed ss, defeating a military force that fortified the ss society was greatly symbolic for the people.


    Sarcho said to Dain, "Did you intend for all of this to happen?"


    "Of course," Dain replied. "A slum would have been more fitting than a wooden residential area. The streets there are moreplicated. But to seed in this operation, we would need to evacuate the residents. There are many in the slum who can''t even properly care for themselves...so wouldn''t it be better to burn the wealthy district instead?"


    Sarcho had no choice but to agree. When the revolutionaries'' victory and their full control over the city became known, the attitudes of the captured mayor and nobles changed dramatically.


    The Danly Union Kingdom was at war, but in regions like Collegoton, where past histories were cleanly erased, the regional army''s power wasn''t that strong. The regional army was primarily organized to suppress small-scale rebellions within species groups, so there weren''t any ns put into ce for the regional armies to cooperate, build a front line, or take over each other''s positions.


    The mayor assumed that it would be a long time before the next troops arrived, considering the defeat of the first round of the Collegoton regional army and the capture of the carrier pigeons¡¯ nest.


    The revolutionarymand, centered around Dain, pressured the mayor to agree not only to the initial proposed conditions, but also to an additional deration.


    The revolutionarymand recognized the mayor''s authority to govern Shubanel on behalf of the emperor of the Union Kingdom and therefore, they insisted that the mayor also approve this deration on behalf of the nation''s head of state. Upon reading the content, the mayor trembled with fear, but themand showed no signs ofpromise. In the end, when themand intended to take the mayor''s family as hostages to threaten the mayor, it was Sarcho who managed to persuade the mayor.


    Sarcho said, "Even if you sign this, the emperor won''t kill you."


    The mayor, who was a Gnoll, said with drooping ears, "I¡­I know that too. The emperor will surely know I was threatened. Apart from that, I''ll face some punishment, but I''m not afraid. Yes, I''m even prepared for death."


    "Then what are you afraid of?"


    The mayor replied, "Whates after death, what else?"


    What the mayor feared was the Angry One. The Union Kingdom was established by none other than the Angry One, and the current state of the Union Kingdom was also ording to the will of the Angry One. Therefore, the creation of this ss-based society must also be in ordance with their will.


    It was known that the afterlife of the Angry One was a harsh ce. Sinners had to endlesslybor to atone for their sins. Naturally, those who defied the god¡¯s will would face the harshest punishments.


    Sarcho said, "Then I would receive the greatest punishment."


    "Aren''t you afraid of the Angry One?"


    "I am," Sarcho replied. "But if this really goes against God''s will, then the Angry One''s de would sever my head right now, before I even make it to the afterlife."


    Sarcho hit their chest that was beneath the priestly robes. "Don''t you understand? This is the will of God. The Angry One always spoke of struggle, and this is that struggle."


    Sarcho, who was a priest themself, thought this theology was nonsense to the point that Sarcho was feeling humiliated, but it was enough to sway the mayor¡¯s heart.


    The mayor then signed a deration that began with:


    First, all beings, whether they have tails or not, are equal, and this is an innate right that can¡¯t be taken away by another. Equality means...


    The Shubanel Agreement, or Shubanel Deration, made by the revolutionarymand and the mayor spread throughout the region of Collegoton, along with the news of the revolution in Shubanel.


    Events that followed were just as intense as the revolutionary battles in Shubanel. Compared to Collegoton¡¯s regional army that attacked Shubanel, which was merely a battalion, the entire regional army was a regiment. While the regional forces were spread across important locations in Collegoton, the unusual movements in Shubanel were already known, which prompted themander of the regional army to gather the army together.


    However, this time, the revolutionary army did not prepare for battle, and that was because of the Shubanel Deration.


    The sess of the revolution in Shubanel and themon sympathy expressed through the deration caused an explosive response across the entire Collegoton region. Volunteers for the rebellion and those wanting to join the revolutionary army poured from the surrounding areas.


    Given that the regional army had only previously faced small-scale rebels, they were unprepared to have a war against Shubanel, and as time progressed and they observed the situation, the revolutionary army grew in size and soon outmatched the regional forces.


    Once the revolutionaries were armed with weapons produced in Shubanel''s munitions factories, it became extremely difficult for the Collegoton regional army to execute any operation on their own. Of course, themander of the regional army considered coborating with regional armies from other areas, but the revolutionarymand acted quickly.


    The revolutionarymand used the Shubanel Deration as a basis, iming they had established a revolutionary government, received from the mayor. They persuaded the Collegoton regional forces to agree to this revolution. Although it was essentially a threat, the regional forces, unable to immediately get help from other regional forces, surrendered to the revolutionary army.


    The Collegoton regional forces were disbanded and reorganized under the revolutionary army. Now, the revolutionary army had a force big enough to rival and win against standalone regional forces, and the Shubanel Deration spread beyond Collegoton to the entire Union Kingdom.


    The revolutionarymand began to rule over Shubanel and Collegoton as proxies. They established a revised constitution, set up a temporary revolutionary assembly, and personally punished those who should have been punished but had been spared due to their noble status.


    For some, it was a terrifying period, but for others, it was a time of liberation from oppression. Volunteer vigntes ensured the city''s functions didn''t stop and maintained peace during the night, and workers who didn''t directly participate in the revolutionary army began working in improved conditions. In each factory, new worker unions were established to represent the workers'' voice, wages increased, and rest hours extended. Wages that were unpaid werepensated, and workers who had been fired got their jobs back. These worker unions promised to continuously improve the working environment.


    ***


    At Hegemonia''s castle¡­


    "...Therefore, the revolution that began in Shubanel in the Collegoton region is causing the most significant ripple effect."


    The description of the Shubanel revolution, following the Rubail revolution in the east and the Df revolution in the south, ended.


    In the case of the Rubail revolution, it started from a notorious vebor camp. The god known as the One Who Stands Behind from this camp turned out to be the Devil of the Empire, Night Sky, and the god received great response. Until now, the so-called Devil, a moniker given by the Union Kingdom, was now being treated as the only savior to those who had been persecuted. Of course, Hegemonia and Alma knew more about this than anyone else.


    The characteristics of the Df revolution were a bit different. ves, who were traded by ve traders, became the main force, and it was widely known that they were mainly supported by the Empire''s intelligence agency. In fact, there were rumors of an intelligence agent who had been undercover as a ve. Their arguments had a strong egalitarian tendency.


    In the case of the Shubanel revolution, neither the Devil nor the Empire was involved. It arose from workers demanding improvements to their working conditions, and the aggressive response pretty much added fuel to the fire.


    When the fifth apostle, Alma Alloy, finished speaking, Hegemonia, who was looking at the screen in front of them, nodded. It wasn''t a particrly meaningful report.


    Alma had been granted some power from Hegemonia, which was the ability to control the system window, and if there was something really urgent and important tomunicate, she could inform Hegemonia through such controls.


    However, Hegemonia was already reviewing the tasks they could do themself, and at the same time, wanted to hear solutions from the apostles about the current chaos.


    The only one not in a rush to go to the battlefield was Alma.


    Hegemonia said, "What should we do, Alma?"


    Alma pondered before replying, "We can''t just leave Collegoton as it is. If you cannot show your power directly, we need to unite the regional armies of the Union Kingdom."


    "But the regional armies in the east and south are facing other revolutionary troops in their regions. Even if we somehow gather the northwestern regional army, could we defeat the revolution in Collegoton?"


    "If I takemand, we will definitely..."


    Hegemonia shook their head. "Unless they are influenced by the Devil''s power, we can''t get involved."


    "They too are influenced by the Devil''s power. They just haven''t abandoned the name of the Angry One..."


    "You''re wrong, Alma."


    "Pardon?"


    With a hint of frustration, Hegemonia said, "They would have done the same without a god, so whether or not the Devil is there has no bearing. If they even slightly sense my involvement, they''ll turn against me and cling on to that Devil. And that''s exactly what the Devil wants."


    Although Alma couldn¡¯t really understand, she had no choice but to ept the god''s words.


    Alma said, "However, the winds of revolution won''t only harm our Union Kingdom."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I''ve heard that news from the Union Kingdom is spreading to other continents. If the hearts of revolution truly aren''t caused by the Devil, then not only the Ronante-Oroban alliance, but also the ck Scale Empire will be affected."


    As Hegemonia raised their head to look at Alma, Alma felt like she had finally grabbed Hegemonia¡¯s attention and continued, "The Empire tries to practice so-called egalitarianism, but it''s not much different from our Union Kingdom. Although it has reduced, there are many Lizardman nobles..."


    "I''m aware of that information. Get to the point."


    "Right. If we use the Fang agents currently operating in the Empire and cultivate a revolutionary force with them, we can surely strike a blow to the empire."


    Hegemonia shook their head. "It''s unavoidable that you gette news since you only have limited power, but not anticipating this was your misjudgement."


    "Pardon?"


    "Just a while ago, this was published in a newspaper from Orazen of the Empire."


    Hegemonia casually reached out, creating a newspaper out of thin air, grabbed it, and threw it toward Alma.


    Alma picked the newspaper up.


    His Majesty the Emperor has proimed a parliamentary system.


    Is the wave of egalitarianism also hitting the empire?

 Chapter 209: The Method Already Known

    Chapter 209: The Method Already Known


    The republic system was not unfamiliar to either the Union Kingdom or the Empire.


    When yers followed the build called Greece, there were instances where they adopted the system of a republic from the start to win over various species. While there was no trace of this on the third continent, remnants could be found in cities on the first and second continents.


    Furthermore, some cities in both the Union Kingdom and the Empire already followed a system simr to republicanism. For example, in Shubanel, there was a parliamentary system, and the power was with the elected mayor. However, this was not themonly referred democratic republicanism, but an oligarchic republic where the eligibility to be elected as a member of parliament or a mayor was restricted to nobles.


    Of course, the parliamentary system announced by the emperor of the Empire was on a national scale, which hinted at a democratic republic. Even though there were still royal and noble families, the idea now was to elect representatives even from ordinary people to form a parliament that would lead the nation. The fact that this announcement came from the emperor''s mouth, and not from the so-called revolutionaries, was resonant.


    Alma Alloy thought to herself.


    ''It''s something that can''t ever be done in the Union Kingdom.''


    The Union Kingdom was divided into many lords, their kings, a king among kings which was effectively the emperor, and other differentiated city-states. For example, Collegoton had no specific king, and Shubanel operated under the most modern power structure with an existing mayor. So even if the emperor suddenly dered republicanism, so long as the kings, lords, each city''s mayor, ind lords, and viceroys rejected, only thend owned by the emperor would be converted into a republic.


    On the other hand, in the case of the Empire, the emperor was effectively ruling all thend in his name and had influence over all regions of the Empire. If the emperor wished so, appointed officials and administrators couldn''t oppose.


    Hegemonia briefly summarized the information that came into eyesight to exin to Alma what future the Empire''s emperor envisioned. From what Alma saw, the shift had been postponed for a time when the public would ept it, but there were evident signs of long-term research and contemtion. It seemed as if the Empire had initially been waiting for a revolution to ur someday.


    Of course, to Hegemonia, this wasn''t anything odd. While the precise details couldn¡¯t be found in the game The Lost World, in general, it was a model political system that maintained an empire''s structure while bearing the resonance of the revolution.


    ''Revolutionaries prefer a presidential system over a parliamentary system, but if the emperor deres he will ept a cab, the public will also ept it positively. Moreover, there have been manypetent figures among the emperors of the Empire throughout history, and the current emperor holds a position loved by most of the imperial citizens. It''s realistic to establish a parliament with the emperor as a nominal supreme power.''


    While Hegemonia was thinking, Alma bowed her head.


    "I apologize, O Angry One."


    ¡°For what?¡±


    "... I can''t seem to find a way to navigate the current situation."


    Hegemonia snorted. Hegemonia hadn''t really expected much from their apostles. No matter how outstanding an apostle might be, it would be difficult for them to y out the gamepared to an experienced yer.


    There were areas where Hegemonia themself had been overconfident. In the early stages of the war with Neb, Hegemonia believed themself to be an unbreakable, massive force, while Neb, within their alliance structure called the Pantheon, could be divided somehow. However, despite various strategies, no cracks appeared within the alliance. In fact, as time passed, the Union Kingdom, which Hegemonia thought they had full control over, began to divide. The consequences of the actions they had taken in the past were now turning against themself.


    ''In hindsight, I should have seen thising. It''s a natural progression.''


    Most of Hegemonia''s apostles were more physical than strategic, except Alma, who had a bit more tactical abilities.


    Hegemonia said, "Enough."


    "...Pardon?"


    "I have a n."


    As Alma looked up, Hegemonia continued, "Night Sky¡¯s strategy was something I hadn¡¯t thought of. He caused all this trouble just with the simple truth that people fight for themselves to get out of oppression, even without using his power.¡±


    At first, Hegemonia thought the tactics Neb had employed were surprising, but on second thought, they weren''t.


    Hegemonia, like Neb, wasn''t particrly knowledgeable about Earth''s history. The knowledge needed when ying The Lost World was learned from The Lost World itself. Even without a deep understanding of Earth''s history, in The Lost World, many species resisted against their oppressor species. Most of these revolts failed without yer intervention, but some caused significant trouble for the yers, and with the right circumstances, even led to yer defeats.


    ''In the end, it was a method I already knew.''


    With this perspective, Hegemonia had an idea.


    "Night Sky realized that oppressed people will eventually rise up¡­ But when ites to people, I also know one crucial fact."


    Alma looked puzzled.


    "Alma."


    "Yes?"


    As Alma responded, Hegemonia asked, "Do you know what happens when the powerless gain power?"


    ***


    Sarcho had to move quickly.


    What was important was the doctrine issue. The Angry One¡¯s answer regarding the revolution was almost theoretical. It was that the apostates couldn¡¯t be tolerated. And rebellion by these apostates was evidence of being swayed by the power of the Devil.


    Most priests, even though they believed that God didn''t clearly oppose the revolution, argued that such actions were wrong. Discussing this with the troubled priests, Sarcho concluded that this revolution was different from the revolutions of Rubeil and Df. Sarcho said that if the Angry One truly opposed this revolution, divine punishment would be given. However, such an event didn''t ur, and Sarcho''s words gained power.


    Perhaps because of this, unlike the revolutions of Rubeil and Df, which were met with opposition by local species, the revolution of Shubanel was more easily epted. But it couldn¡¯t be said that everything was good.


    Sarcho asked Dain, a member of themand, "What did you just say?"


    "I''m trying to get in contact Rubeil." Dain added, "I''d also like to contact Df, who has a greatly expanded force, but they are too far. Though Rubeil is somewhat distant, we should be able to establish a united front."


    Sarcho shook their head. "No."


    "Sarcho."


    "They are apostates. They follow the Devil''s will."


    "I know that too," Dain replied. "But outside of Collegoton, regional armies are starting to gather. Considering our revolutionary army''s numbers and armament, they won''t easily charge at us for the time being. But if we can''t expand our forces outside of Collegoton, we won''t be able to grow our army, whereas the regional armies can rapidly expand by simply mobilizing their reserved forces. When the timees, they''ll push and advance. We need allies."


    At those words, Sarcho said, "Dain, I''m not speaking out of emotion. To be more specific, it''s not even because I''m a priest."


    "Then?"


    "If my guess is correct, the reason the Angry One hasn''t sent an apostle to burn us is because we aren¡¯t apostates yet."


    Dain looked at Sarcho. "So the moment we be apostates, will the Angry One give us divine punishment?"


    "Perhaps."


    "But simrly, the Devil Night Sky might also help us, right?"


    "That''s quite a disrespectful thing to say."


    Dainughed. "Alright, I''ll reconsider that part."


    Though Sarcho was relieved for now, Dain''s use of the word ¡®reconsider¡¯ bothered them.


    "Dain."


    "Yes?"


    "From what I heard from Garil, you heard about the revolutions from someone else.¡±


    Dain nodded.


    "Yes, it was a Lizardman."


    "I just wondered, could they possibly have been an intelligence agent from the Empire?"


    To Sarcho, when it came to Lizardmen, the Empire¡¯s ck-scaled Lizardmen came to mind first than the green-scaled Lizardmen from the Union Kingdom.


    However, Dain frowned.


    "You¡¯re joking, right? That guy was truly a wanderer. Their clothing was a bit exotic, but that''s how wanderers are. Besides, they were quite old. You usually can¡¯t easily tell with Lizardmen, but you can tell with theck of shine on their scales or the dullness in their pupils, right? More importantly, they didn''t try to instigate me."


    "Then what?"


    "It was just an old story."


    "An old story?"


    Dain shrugged and said, "Just the kind of old story anyone could hear. There was a Lizardman tribe dominated by arge Frogman tribe... That''s how the story starts. They were tormented but eventually got help from another tribe. But when they came to their senses, they regretted that if they had acted with more courage earlier, they could have shaken off the domination sooner. It was quite a didactic tale. But it was helpful for me. After all, this is how things turned out."


    With all that said, Sarcho didn''t find anything particrly suspicious.


    Dain continued, "Regardless, if we don¡¯t form an alliance with other revolutionaries, we need toe up with another strategy."


    "Do you have a way?"


    "Well, it''s not that I don''t." Dain borated, "First, even though we''re revolutionaries, there are many confused people. The noble ss is especially uncooperative to say the least. Some believe this is only a passing phase. They think the massive Union Kingdom is like a candle that could go out with a puff."


    "That won''t be the case."


    "That''s why we need something beyond the Shubanel Deration to unite our purposes."


    Sarcho agreed.


    Even though they were in the Tailless ss, they weren¡¯t a single species. While they could be said to look simr, their sentiments and cultures were different, which caused conflicts.


    "And we''re short on resources. Money, of course, but even though the revolutionary army is temporarily managing various resources, it''s unstable like this. We need a way to manage all capital, resources, andnd issues."


    "Certainly, in the long run."


    "The biggest issue is the troops. Currently, our revolutionary army consists only of those who volunteered. In reality,pared to the poption of Collegoton, it''s only slightly more than the regional army''s number. We need a basis for some conscription."


    "There seem to be more problems than I thought. It won''t be easy to find a solution to all of these issues."


    Sarcho thought Dain would bring up the matter of forming alliances again. However, the answer Dain had prepared was something Sarcho hadn''t expected.


    "We''ll establish an independent country in Collegoton, centered around the revolutionary army."

 Chapter 210: Republic

    Chapter 210: Republic


    The revolutionary forces, including Shubanel, united to proim the Independent Republic of Collegoton.


    Naturally, there was opposition. Most of the general opposition came from the Full Tailed, those who belonged to a higher social ss, but this reaction was expected, so the revolutionary army managed to suppress it effectively.


    Within the Collegoton region, before dering the republic, the revolutionary army had cracked down on weapon smuggling, confiscated firearms from professions like hunters and all privately owned weapons from the nobility. Therefore, even with the resistance, they could control the situation through force. However, that wasn''t the end of the issue.


    There was also resistance from the lower sses, the Half Tailed and Tailless. Although these groups didn''t act violently like the Full Tailed, they protested in the form of demonstrations, simr to the initial actions of the revolutionary army, or madeints at the former Shubanel city hall, which served as the temporary assembly for the republic.


    Dain said, "I don''t understand. We gave them freedom. Why are they behaving this way?"


    Sarcho sighed. "Here''s what I think,rade Dain."


    "What is it?"


    "People are afraid of change."


    "Afraid of change?"


    "Yes. Even if it''s a change in a positive direction, there¡¯s no way for them to know that yet. The future of the Independent Republic of Collegoton is uncertain. We could seed in bing independent, but we could also be attacked and erased by the Union Kingdom."


    Dain didn''t deny this. She had ambitions, but she wasn''t lost in idealism.


    Sarcho continued, "So they''d prefer a stable life like before. Moreover, we never sought their consent. Surely, among them, some benefited from the Full Tailed and exploited their fellow Tailless, and in the case of the Republic copsing, they might want to leave a good impression on the Union Kingdom by showing they had resisted."


    "Yes, I understand.¡±


    As Dain silently looked at a small group of protestors outside the assembly building, Sarcho said, "But we shouldn''t harm them."


    Dain looked at Sarcho, wondering, "Why?"


    "With their limited numbers and no weapons, there¡¯s not much they will be able to do."


    "But they oppose our Republic. Over time, they might side with the Union Kingdom."


    Sarcho stroked their chin and said, "Hmm, we can control that extent. We can usepetent individuals from the revolutionary army to face the Union Kingdom''s Fangs."


    "Is there a reason why we need to go that far?"


    Sarcho said, "Comrade, isn''t that the world we wanted to create?"


    Dain blinked.


    Sarcho continued to say, "We dered that all species should have equal rights. But now there are criteria other than species, such as who started the revolution first and who didn''t. We can''t create a hierarchy based on that either. We have to at least let them have their say. We stand on thend we longed for. We can''t ruin it with our own hands."


    Dain closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. "You''re right. I should consider that approach."


    Dain, who was themander of the revolutionary army and temporary head of the provisional government of the Independent Republic of Collegoton, established an information office. This was simr to the Empire''s intelligence agency and Fang of the Union Kingdom, a counter-intelligence agency. Their primary role, as suggested by Sarcho, was to identify and disrupt the Fangs from the Union Kingdom operating within Collegoton. This information office was led by a retired Human soldier named Rolz, who had yed a significant role in the first battle of the revolutionary army.


    Dain quickly proceeded with the tasks necessary for the revolutionary army. While the promation of the independent republic blocked imports and exports with the Union Kingdom, this led to a rise in smugglers. Collegoton, which was on the western coast of the second continent, had foreign ships approaching while being wary of the Union Kingdom. Maintaining this trade route was crucial for the citizens of Collegoton.


    Moreover, in response to the Union Kingdom''s regional armies that were gathering continuously, a state of emergency was dered, increasing conscription and working hours. Dain, Sarcho, and everyone in the revolutionary government recognized the irony in their actions, but they all agreed that they couldn''t simply sumb to the authority of the Union Kingdom.


    "We mustplete these tasks," Sarcho said. "So when the government, formed by people''s votes, isunched, there will be less bacsh. We bear the sin and move forward."


    Then the official election day was announced, and candidates were epted. Sarcho, a rtively radical revolutionary, believed that members of the provisional government shouldn''t be a candidate, but Dain and most members of the temporary government were more concerned about something else.


    "ording to Rolz, traces of Fangs are being found all over Collegoton. There have actually been several battles, and some were captured, but considering the strength of the Union Kingdom, they won''t leave this election be," Dain said.


    Sarcho couldn''t overlook this fact. If the newly elected government had spies of the Union Kingdom as president and upied the majority of the parliament, that would be the end of Collegoton.


    Since the new government''s president and parliament held all the power, there would be no way to counter them even as the previous revolutionary government. If the parliament were to criminalize the actions of the revolutionary government and push for punishment, there would be no way to stop it. In such a case, Collegoton would lose the momentum of the revolution and fall back into the hands of the Union Kingdom.


    Moreover, even though some people were resisting the revolutionary government, major cities like Shubanel, including the revolutionary army, were based on workers and still supported the revolutionary government. Therefore, key members of the revolutionary government were popr, making it highly probable that they would be main members of parliament.


    "I know it¡¯s not fair, but if we end up forming the parliament, it''s because the people support us to that extent. That''s also their freedom after all."


    Sarcho agreed. Despite Sarcho declining several suggestions afterward, there were discussions indicating that the popr priest Sarcho must be elected as a member to meet the desired number of parliament members the revolutionary government wanted. After much urging and persuasion from many of the otherrades, Sarcho eventually agreed to run in the elections.


    Every time the regional forces of the Union Kingdom moved and whenever there were rumors of Fang agents carrying out operations, the newspapers were filled with such ominous news, making the people anxious. However, in other sections of the newspaper, articles were written about newly announced candidates, what they had done in the past, and what they intended to do in the future.


    Due to the absence of established electionws, there were instances where a candidate from the same district would not only condemn their opponent outright, but also resort to threats. There were even outrageous incidents where local criminals were bribed into attempting kidnappings. But at the same time, in every district, one could easily find individuals loudly raising their voices for their own election, passionately expressing their future visions and intentions.


    The citizens of Collegoton weren¡¯t the only ones seeing such scenes for the first time. Countries from all around the world showed great interest in the first election following the establishment of the very first republic, and journalists from ces far away could be seen arriving just in time for the election day.


    The election results were a sweeping victory for the revolutionary faction from the revolutionary government. Dain rose as the first president, while Sarcho was elected as a representative for one of the districts in Shubanel. The so-called Revolutionary Party, consisting of members from the previous revolutionary government, upied 80% of the parliamentary seats, and this dominance overpowered other parties, such as the Full Tailed Party formed by former nobles and the Anti-Revolutionary Party, which didn''t support republicanism itself.


    Although the situation was chaotic and precarious, hope for the future developed in people''s hearts.


    ***


    Sarcho pulled out the graphite that they had wedged into the hinge of their office door.


    The newborn government of Collegoton was weighed down by burdens, but it was managing to lead the country. However, after the election, terrorist activities that seemed to be the work of the Full Tailed Party or the Anti-Revolution Party were urring.


    Because of this, the Collegoton information office had warned the members of the parliament to be cautious and provided them with basic training. Thanks to this, Sarcho had ced graphite in the hinge of their office door so that if someone intruded, the graphite would break, allowing them to know from outside the door.


    Without any suspicion, Sarcho grabbed the door handle and entered their office. After entering, Sarcho noticed a shadow sitting in their chair and reflexively reached into their coat.


    "Stop. If you don''t want to get hurt."


    Sarcho stood still for a moment to allow their eyes to adjust to the darkness. The office was dark, but there were gas lights turned on outside the window, so as time passed, Sarcho was able to find the figure in the dark.


    "That mask is..."


    At Sarcho¡¯s reaction, the person wearing the red mask nodded.


    "Yes, I am a Fang of the Angry One."


    "..."


    "Your information office agents are pathetic. cing graphite in the door hinge? Is that a joke? Did you think that would stop us?"


    Sarcho noticed the pistol the red masked person was holding was pointed at them.


    Sarcho said, "You sneak into Shubanel unnoticed and want to debate the skills of our information office agents? Hm, I guess that could be a good point. Or, let''s change the conversation. Maybe you coulde into our information office and train our agents. What do you think about that?"


    The person wearing the red mask listened quietly to Sarcho¡¯s words, and thenughed.


    "It seems you need that kind of wit to beat the Full Tailed and be a member."


    Sarcho took their hand out of their coat and walked forward to stand in front of the Fang agent.


    "What is it that you want? If you wanted to kill me, you would have already pulled the trigger."


    "That¡¯s right. I''m not here to kill you."


    The person in the red mask put their gun down.


    "I just wanted to have a little chat."


    Sarcho lightly clenched and unclenched their fist.


    ''That¡¯s not a good sign.''


    Perhaps getting shot would''ve been better. If the person in the red mask truly was a Fang agent, then having Sarcho alive would be more valuable in taking down the future Independent Republic of Collegoton.


    It was also toote for Sarcho to defy now, but perhaps there could still be a way to turn the tables on the opponent.


    Sarcho said, "You could have requested a meeting with a member anytime."


    "It would be problematic if others know."


    "Is that so?"


    "Especially the Revolutionary Party you¡¯re a part of. Because they would want to ensure that what I know doesn''t reach you somehow."


    Sarcho became interested and asked, "What are you talking about?"


    The person in the red mask replied, "Your president is trying to make contact with the Rubeil revolutionaries. Were you aware of that?"

 Chapter 211: No Interference

    Chapter 211: No Interference


    At the entrance of the Pantheon, upon entering the massive doors, a tall staircase was immediately there, and from it, hallways branched out to either side. From each hallway rose another staircase, and from each staircase, more hallways split again... In this way, staircases and corridors were geometrically stacked, reaching dozens of meters up to the ceiling.


    But of course, the gods who resided in the Pantheon could instantly move to any location they wished, which made these architectural features merely for show.


    "...If it wasn¡¯t only for show, then climbing these stairs would have been a tiring task," said Sairan Muel.


    Hwee-Kyung squinted and looked up and down the entrance of the Pantheon. The Pantheon¡¯s messengers seemed to be in a rush, hurriedly navigating the stairs and corridors while carrying items or loudly receiving orders from superiors. It was a chaotic scene.


    "...It still looks tiring.¡±


    "Hm."


    Sairan seemed bewildered for a moment.


    "In truth, they aren''t that busy."


    A ty messenger hurriedly passed in front of Sairan and Hwee-Kyung and suddenly tripped over vigorously. Their beak had been open from running, but as they fell, the lower part of their beak snapped shut.


    Hwee-Kyung went over and helped the tty up.


    "Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine, ma''am! Thank you! I must go!"


    With that, the ty dusted off their body, picked up the things they had been carrying, and dashed off again.


    "They seem busy."


    "Well...that¡¯s because that''s their job. They find fulfillment in a busy workday. If they were really busy, they would have used dragonflies."


    "Dragonflies?"


    "Yes, dragonflies."


    Sairan made a slight wave of his hand in the air.


    Suddenly, two dragonflies emerged from some corridor and approached Sairan and Hwee-Kyung. To Hwee-Kyung, they looked enormous because their wings spanned the length of her arms. The two dragonflies then each flew behind Sairan and Hwee-Kyung, attaching themselves to their backs and pping their wings.


    The two of them slowly lifted off the ground, hovering a few centimeters above. Sairan could feel the vigorous fluttering of the dragonfly attached to him.


    "When in a hurry, everyone uses dragonflies."


    "Sairan, wait. I missed the moment to be surprised."


    "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s too early to be surprised."


    Sairan took Hwee-Kyung''s hand and pulled.


    They soared through the air, navigating as if their own bodies had wings, and entered one of the many corridors. The ceilings in the Pantheon were so high that flying wasn''t a problem at all.


    After flying past a few messengers, they paused in front of a door. The two dragonflies, havingpleted their task, set the two people down and flew away.


    As Sairan looked at Hwee-Kyung, Hwee-Kyung said, "I think I understand why the messengers don''t use dragonflies."


    "Why?"


    "...It''s too embarrassing."


    "I knew you''d like it."


    "I didn¡¯t say I liked it, I said it¡¯s embarrassing. Everyone stares."


    Sairan shrugged and opened the door. Floating in the air was a sphere, and on the sphere, four shapes were drawn, which everyone could tell was the appearance of the world. In front of the sphere was a donut-shaped table with chairs, set up so that those seated could look up at the sphere.


    Hwee-Kyung looked around. "Is it just us?"


    "I think all the others are all too busy, so... Oh, no, nevermind."


    "Oh, I didn''t see because they were too small."


    Sairan lightly hit Hwee-Kyung''s chin with his tail. Hwee-Kyung red at him. This Lizard, though upright and good-mannered, sometimes was impolite toward hispanion.


    Sairan said, "It''s been a while...Overflowing God."


    Overflowing God, the yer Jang-Wan, looked up.


    Hwee-Kyung felt slightly tense at the sight.


    The lion mask covering Jang-Wan''s face had a tendency to be intimidating to mortals, simr to species with fierce-looking faces like Trolls, Rakshasas, or Goblins.


    Furthermore, all yers possessed a passive skill called Presence, which grew proportionately with their Faith level and tranted to interpersonal influence to all mortals.


    "Sairan, and Hwee-Kyung? ...Sit anywhere you''d like."


    Hwee-Kyung took a seat nervously, while Sairan did so in a casual manner.


    Then Jang-Wan said, "...There was a minor battle on the fourth continent. The scale wasn''t that significant, but it seemed rted to a coastal battle on the eastern side of the third continent, so the other gods and apostles went to look into it."


    This was what the yers referred to as the third conference room.


    While the first conference room was typically for the yers only, the third one had a simr function but a different number of seats. It was a ce where the research members¡ªa name given by the apostles and yers for mortalspetent enough to be admitted into the Pantheon¡ªgathered and shared their opinions.


    "Night Sky mentioned that your task, Hwee-Kyung, is to address a leakage issue. I¡¯m assuming Sairan must have briefly exined to you, but gods can influence causality based on mortals'' beliefs, but this faith, quantified as Faith resources, is being consumed with unclear causes. When Faith resources are being consumed without the interference of gods, that means there''s a leak somewhere. Although we''ve resolved much of the issue, some still remain..."


    While exining, Jang-Wan paused, looking at Hwee-Kyung and Sairan, and lowered her head.


    "I''ve been rambling on my own again, haven¡¯t I."


    Hwee-Kyung was taken aback. ¡°Oh, no. Not at all.¡±


    "Did you two have a good rest?"


    Hwee-Kyung and Sairan exchanged nces for a moment.


    After their wedding, Sung-Woon had given them a long vacation.


    Although they could only visit the Prairie of Beginnings, the upper world, and the Pantheon, that alone included diverse realms that one couldn''t fully explore in an entire mortal lifetime, so it was more than enough for Hwee-Kyung to enjoy the journey.


    As Hwee-Kyung talked about the trip, Jang-Wan chimed in. Hwee-Kyung wondered if the battle amongst the gods was emergent, but Jang-Wan''s reaction eased those concerns.


    Wrapping up the topic of the trip, Hwee-Kyung said, "But Overflowing God¡­¡±


    "...?"


    "You share some resemnce to Night Sky."


    "..."


    As Jang-Wan remained silent for a moment, Hwee-Kyung whispered to Sairan, "Sairan, I think I misspoke."


    "Hwee-Kyung, you''ve been saying inappropriate things since a while ago."


    Jang-Wan lightly waved her hand, "Let''s forget about that and move on to the matter at hand."


    "Alright."


    Jang-Wan said, "Have you heard about the revolution?"


    Sairan replied, "While it''s not part of my duty, I heard about it long ago. Oh, but I''m unfamiliar with the current continental situation, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re talking about."


    Jang-Wan nodded.


    She then gave a brief overview of the situation on the second continent. The Pantheon had observed several revolutions, but only about two were sessful. In the midst of this, Night Sky, by not interfering in one that seeded, indirectly made it a revolution that, while not protected by the Pantheon, remained free from the Angry One¡¯s interference.


    "The third revolution is what''s important."


    Hwee-Kyung thought to herself.


    ''A sophisticated game board is created, but the fate of the board depends on a single piece that moves by itself and can''t be touched. Why does this feel familiar?''


    Jang-Wan added, "However, there''s been a recentplication."


    "...What do you mean byplication?"


    "A republic has been established."


    The concept of a republic was already known, so both Hwee-Kyung and Sairan understood easily. But Hwee-Kyung then tilted her head as if she was slightly confused.


    "Isn''t the ultimate goal of the current revolution to establish a republic? That means said goal has been reached, so it doesn''t necessarily seem like something bad."


    "Not exactly," Jang-Wan replied. "When a revolution happens, it inevitably gathers a crowd. And with that crowdes power. And what would happen with that power?"


    As Sairan looked at Hwee-Kyung, Hwee-Kyung just shook her head.


    Jangwan answered, "It corrupts."


    "It corrupts...you say?"


    "Yes. That''s the nature of the effect power has on people. Just as it''s natural to resist unfair pressure, power that umtes inevitably corrupts."


    Though Jang-Wan was talking based on her experience in the game The Lost World, she didn¡¯t find the need to mention that because with The Lost World bing more than a mere game, those experiences were practically truths.


    Jang-Wan continued, "That''s why we hoped the revolution wouldn''te together into a single force. If the leadership of the revolution remained vague, the state of the revolution couldst longer. This would also increase the revolutionary momentum. On the other hand, if a country is established, energy is spent on internal foundations rather than on external matters, and that in itself is a disadvantage."


    Hwee-Kyung understood Jang-Wan''s point. A non-interfered revolution essentially meant chaotic energy, and having such energy within the Union Kingdom was threatening. But now that this revolution had been named the Independent Republic of Collegoton, that energy would gradually get isted and reduced.


    "Did it naturally happen this way? Or..."


    "I believe it''s close to something that urred without interference. It''s just bad luck. However..."


    "However?"


    "If things have reached this point, it''s hard to predict what will happen next. Even if the Angry One can''t directly interfere, there are plenty who willingly serve the Angry One, and so, there will also be those who act for the Angry One indirectly."


    The Independent Republic of Collegoton, to begin with, was too far from the Empire while being inside the Union Kingdom, so they were bound to be influenced by the Union Kingdom.


    Hwee-Kyung asked, "Oh, but..."


    "Speak."


    "What does this have to do with the leakage problem we were assigned?"


    ***


    In Sarcho''s parliamentary office, Sarcho repeated the words the person in red mask had said with a trembling voice, "So, Comrade Dain...is trying to contact Rubeil?"


    "Yes."


    The Rubeil revolutionary faction was one of the major pro-Empire revolutionary factions.


    ''No, not just a simple pro-Empire faction. To be precise...''


    They could be seen as a direct faction of Night Sky. It was known that the Rubeil vebor camp and other revolutionary factions influenced by it had all apostatized to Night Sky¡¯s Pantheon.


    Sarcho shook their head. "That''s nonsense. Our nation has already decided to honor the Angry One as our state religion."


    "It may have been decided, but is it set in stone?"


    Sarcho furrowed their eyebrows.


    Just as the person in the red mask stated, it wasn''t a finalized decision. The Collegoton government was currentlyying down the foundations of the nation, and establishing a state religion was also part of that process.


    "But the state religion is more or less decided..."


    The ruling revolutionary party, of course, and even opposition parties like the Full-Tailed Party and the Anti-Revolution Party, surprisingly agreed on the choice of state religion. It wasn''t set in stone yet, but there was no room for further debate.


    "Have you ever met a member outside of the parliament?"


    "...No. I''ve been busytely."


    "What about factions within the Revolutionary Party?"


    "I see your intention is to divide us."


    The person in the red mask shook their head. "You''re being excluded."

 Chapter 212: From a Distant Memory

    Chapter 212: From a Distant Memory


    Sarcho tried to deny those words, but deep down, they knew there was some truth to it.


    The number of times Sarcho met with people from the previous revolutionary group, the revolutionary army, had decreased. Of course, apart from that, Sarcho had been meeting with the citizens of Shubanel more frequently to gather their opinions, so Sarcho didn''t find it odd.


    ''But if what this person says is true...''


    The red masked person said, "If you''re curious about the truth, go to the address written here tomorrow. It would be best to move discreetly."


    The red masked person then left a note on Sarcho''s desk.


    Sarcho asked, "...What do you want? Why are you giving me this information¡­"


    "Whyplicate things?"


    The person in the red mask stood up.


    "I work for the Union Kingdom. The Union Kingdom is the yground of the Angry One. I hope things go as they wish. And you are their priest."


    The red masked person pointed at Sarcho.


    "In fact, you and I follow the same will."


    Sarcho denied, "...There¡¯s no way."


    "Whether that''s true or not is something to figure outter. Isn''t it?"


    Then the red masked person tapped on the note on the desk and left the room.


    Sarcho noticed the red masked person had a thick, long tail.


    ''Are they a Lizardman?''


    As the red masked person exited the room with a clicking sound, Sarcho pulled out the gun from their pocket and kicked open the door. However, there was no sign of the Fang agent who just left in the corridor.


    Returning to their seat, Sarcho hesitated for a moment before picking up the note the red masked person had left.


    The next day, Sarcho went to the address written on the note. It was an old factory located on the outskirts of Shubanel.


    Through a brief investigation, Sarcho learned about the factory''s history. Thetest owner of the factory was imprisoned due to a newly establishedw. Their assets were confiscated, machinery was sold, and the factory was left empty.


    ''I won¡¯t have to worry about hiding.''


    Sarcho climbed up the factory''s exterior wall and looked inside through the broken roof.


    There were already several people gathered inside, and Sarcho noticed antern covered with cloth on one side to prevent light from leaking out.


    ''Wait, that person is...''


    Sarcho recognized a familiar face. They hadn¡¯t been elected as an assembly member, but they were one of therades Sarcho had worked with until the revolutionary army days. They had originally been running with Dain, buttely, they hadn''t been seen as often.


    ''...No way.''


    As Sarcho was feeling suspicious, more people walked into the factory. They were hooded, making it impossible to see their faces, but one stood out because of the antlers on their head.


    ''...!''


    As far as Sarcho knew, there was only one person with such antlers in the vast continent.


    Hwee Juran Muel. He was a key figure in the Rubeil revolutionary faction. Hwee Juran Muel was known to be a member of a prestigious family in the Empire, a Wizard from the Wizard Tower, a priest of the Devil, and even the disciple of the notorious third apostle. The antlers were also famous as evidence of a curse, which contained an evil spirit. Juran, who had freed Rubeil, exerted influence in the Union Kingdom with the active support of the Pantheon.


    ''Such a big shot came all the way here?''


    Sarcho tried to listen in on the conversation. Sarcho was too far away to hear much, but words about timing, location, and it being toote allowed Sarcho to guess what they were talking about.


    ''Was the red masked person telling the truth?''


    Sarcho decided to leave the factory first. Sarcho tried to think calmly, but it wasn''t easy.


    ''All this must be the actions of a few, right?''


    However, before leaving the factory, Sarcho recognized a few more faces hidden in the darkness. Some were current assembly members.


    Considering the size of the gathering, even assuming it was only a portion of the revolutionary faction, it was far from an insignificant number.


    ''There¡¯s no way Dain wouldn¡¯t know about this.''


    Dain held the position of president but was still themander of the revolutionary army.


    Given that the revolutionary army and the information office were guarding the national border, high-level authority would be needed to secretly contact the Rubeil revolutionary faction.


    ''Especially to bring in someone like Juran.''


    It was a dangerous move.


    Sarcho looked up at the sky. Sarcho couldn''t be sure if the fist of the Angry One woulde crashing down on Shubanel any moment.


    Sarcho contemted meeting Dain immediately. While it wasmon sense to follow various procedures due to her official position, Sarcho felt the urge to disregard them this time.


    The presidential residence used an annex of the old city hall, which had a secret passage built in case of emergencies. Only a few, including Sarcho and Dain, knew about this passage, which had been discovered when a former mayor used it to escape. If Sarcho wanted to, Sarcho could use this secret passage connected to the sewer to meet Dain.


    ''But...''


    Even though Sarcho didn''t know what Dain was thinking, Sarcho couldn''t ignore the order they had created together.


    ''Alright. I''ll request a meeting at dawn. Surely I''ve misunderstood something.''


    Turning away, Sarcho headed for their parliamentary office.


    It waste in the evening, so the building was almost empty, and Sarcho felt a simr feeling as the previous night.


    ''Something feels off.''


    First, Sarcho checked the hinge. The thin graphite was still in ce. Normally, Sarcho would check it and then enter the office, but Sarcho had learned from the previous night''s events.


    Sarcho pulled out a small mirror to inspect under the handle. If no one had turned the handle while Sarcho was away, the gel-like wound ointment Sarcho had applied should still be there.


    ''...Hm?''


    After checking with the mirror and carefully swiping under the handle with the back of their hand, nothing came off.


    ''...Was it that red masked person? No, no.''


    The one who hadmented on the graphite in the hinge wouldn''t be fooled by such a simple trick.


    ''It''s someone else.''


    Sarcho first took out their pistol, checked the ammunition, then cautiously looked around the corridor and went back down.


    Then Sarcho followed the official procedure. They went to the security office and exined their situation.


    Sarcho exined that they felt someone else was in their office, asked if anyone had been in the office, and if not, if they could contact the military for such a situation. Since no one had entered Sarcho''s office, they contacted the military, and soon military engineers with various equipment came to find Sarcho.


    Sarcho felt some regret, wondering if their actions were a bit excessive given that someone might have simply wiped off the ointment from the handle, mistaking it for another office.


    Because of recent increased threats, the engineer officer chose not to enter directly through the door but instead go in through a window from the office next to Sarcho''s.


    Sarcho was about to feel embarrassed; if a bomb hadn¡¯t been found in the office, that was.


    The explosive was intricately set up to go off the moment Sarcho opened the office door. If Sarcho had opened the door without caution as usual, they would have been caught in the explosion.


    While the engineers disarmed the explosive, Sarcho had to go directly to the revolutionary army information office to write a brief report. This part was a bit challenging for Sarcho.


    "Have you seen any suspicious people recently?"


    "No."


    "Have you received any threats through the mail?"


    "No."


    "Has anyone tried to approach you in a familiar manner?"


    "No."


    Sarcho felt ufortable as they believed they weren''t good at lying, but fortunately, the investigator seemed distracted by the found explosive and didn''t seem to notice Sarcho''s difort.


    "You''ve been through a lot. Our information office agents will escort you home."


    "Thank you."


    "The recent terror attack seems to be the work of opposition movements like the Full-Tailed Party or the Anti-Revolutionary Party. Especially since you were known to be a hardline revolutionaryrade..."


    Sarcho nodded slightly. "There are more than a handful of people who hold grudges against me."


    Sarcho¡¯s escorts were an Elf and a Human.


    The Elf agent said to Sarcho, "Hello, Assemblyman Sarcho. My name is Phils. I''ve admired you for a long time. Would it be alright if I ask you a few questions as we head to your residence?"


    "Yes, feel free to ask."


    Sarcho preferred a more rxed atmosphere over feeling like receiving special treatment, being escorted by escorts on both sides.


    As they walked, Phils said, "Being a priest of the order of the Angry One, you would naturally support the Angry One in the national religion matter, right?"


    "Of course," Sarcho responded. "Not just because I am a priest, but because I believe it is the way to protect everyone."


    Phils nodded. For a moment, Phils talked about their family. They discussed what gift would be suitable for Phils''s younger cousin, who was about to enter school, whether the academic standard was eptable, and if there was a possibility of studying abroad if rtions improved with the Union Kingdom in the future.


    After Sarcho briefly shared their thoughts, there was a short silence before Phils spoke again.


    "Oh, from what I''ve heard, you¡¯ve been around since the start of the revolutionary activities, right?"


    "Yes, that''s right."


    "With Comrade Dain?"


    "Yes, Dain was very passionate, and I couldn''t quite keep up with her."


    Phils nodded again and continued, "But from what I know, you started your work even before Comrade Dain began her revolutionary activities."


    Sarcho then stopped walking, and both Phils and the other agent stopped behind.


    Phils said, "Thought I wouldn''t know?"


    "..."


    "Everyone involved then died, and there was no focus on a single priest in the inner workings of the incident, so it could have been forgotten forever. But ording to our information office''s investigations, you were responsible for massacring our revolutionaryrades as a spy of the Union Kingdom."


    "..."


    "My brother was among those who died."


    Sarcho took a deep breath.


    ''Right. This was a sin I had to pay for someday. The day Dain shot at my chest, I should have died, but I lived a little longer because there were things left to do.''


    Sarcho, settling their emotions, said, "I¡¯m sorry."


    ¡°I don¡¯t need an apology. I don¡¯t know for what reason you joined the revolutionariester, but our information office doesn¡¯t trust you. We don¡¯t intend to leave you in our country because you could side with the Union Kingdom at any time.¡±


    "I have no such intention..."


    "Shut up!"


    Phils kicked Sarcho in the back of the knee. As Sarcho fell to one knee, Phils and the other agent lifted Sarcho back up.


    Phils said, "If you follow quietly, we''ll end this painlessly."


    Sarcho moved forward with a heaviness in their steps that they had never felt before in their life. However, after a few steps, Sarcho had to stop.


    "Huh..."


    Someone, illuminated by the moonlight, sighed in the middle of the road. It was the same red masked person Sarcho had seen the day before.


    However, due to the pipe in their mouth, the mask rested slightly on the top of their head.


    Phils asked, "Who are you?"


    The person in the red mask replied, "Well, well. I warned you to be careful, but it seems you''re a bit dull-headed."


    Sarcho realized that those words weren''t directed at the intelligence agents by their side, but at Sarcho.


    Sarcho asked, "...What?"


    The one in the red mask continued.


    "By that foolish face of yours, I can tell that you trust people too much. You don''t know how to choose who to associate with."


    "What?"


    "Well, what else would an elder be there for? They are there to try and guide those who are lost or on the wrong path towards the right way."


    As the strange person continued to speak cryptically, Phils made the first move.


    Phils pulled a throwing dagger from their inner pocket and threw it at the red masked person. The knife flew straight and embedded itself in the red mask''s forehead. However, the red mask had already been removed, and it was falling to the ground.


    ''When did they move?''


    The Lizardman, with dark, shadow-like scales, dusted off their pipe.


    "Are you good at throwing knives?"


    Phils and the other agent drew their swords and guns and approached the red mask person, leaving Sarcho behind.


    Phils said, "You must be a Fang agent. Have youe to rescue Sarcho?"


    The Lizardman drew their sword with a smirk. "It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to bepared with those amateurs after mimicking them so well."


    Sparks-like electric mes ran along the Lizardman¡¯s de.

 Chapter 213: The Old Storyteller

    Chapter 213: The Old Storyteller


    When Phils and the other agent raised their guns at the Lizardman, Sarcho thought that there would be no real fight. And Sarcho''s assumption was correct. Only the victor was different from the one Sarcho had in mind.


    Before the triggers were pulled, the Lizardman charged forward, swinging their sword, and two streaks of lightning struck the two agents. The electric currents were weak, only producing a faint crackling sound, but they were enough to immobilize the two.


    The Lizardman then slid smoothly and shed both agents¡¯ throats in order, and the depth of the cuts suggested the de had passed between their neck bones.


    Sarcho asked, "...Who are you?"


    The Lizardman replied, "Are you asking what I do? Or are you asking for my name?"


    "Both."


    The Lizardman sheathed their sword and said, "It''s tricky. If I tell you what I do, you might find it hard to ept, and if I tell you my name, you probably won''t recognize it."


    Sarcho instinctively brushed the tip of their fur out of anxiety.


    "I need to know what you do to understand why you helped me, and I need to know your name to thank the person who saved me, don''t I?"


    The Lizardman then habitually took out a tobo pipe and filled it with herbs, igniting it with a spark from their fingertips. They took a long draw from the pipe and exhaled the smoke.


    "Ever heard of the Wandering Lizardman?"


    "What? That''s just a folk tale..."


    "That''s what ismonly believed. Not all stories about the Wandering Lizardman are about me. But some of them are. For instance, there''s the tale where I told old stories to a one-handed Halfling."


    Sarcho took a deep breath.


    ''A character from a tale is standing in front of me?''


    The Lizardman said, "By the way, my name is Owen."


    ***


    Sarcho followed Owen into the back alleys of Shubanel.


    "Perhaps due to the revolution, some houses became vacant."


    "I''ve heard that some nobles left Shubanel after the revolution. There are ongoing investigations into the vacant houses, but it seems they''re a bit busy..."


    "In that case, it should be alright to borrow them for a while."


    The house Owen had invited Sarcho into was on the third floor of a building. It appeared that no one had set foot inside recently, as the floor was covered in dust.


    Then Owen sat down on a chair by the window and said, "Although I have a guest, regrettably, I don¡¯t have much to offer. I do have some jerky. Would you like some?"


    "No, thank you. Rather, I have something I want to ask. Actually...I have many questions."


    Owen took a piece of jerky from his pocket and bit into it.


    He said while chewing, "I guess the night might grow long. Go ahead and ask."


    Sarcho took a moment to think. Sarcho was curious about many things, but they wanted to ask the most important question first.


    "...Are you, indeed, one of the chosen ones?"


    Even though Sarcho had never been part of a war, they could never fail to recognize the lightning Owen used. The infamy of the followers of the Devil Night Sky, known as the chosen ones, was well-spread even in Shubanel, the farthest ce from the battlefield.


    These chosen ones, treated somewhat as saints, had been killers for the Devil since the time of Apostle Lakrak, burning enemies on the front lines with lightning. It was also said that on stormy nights, soldiers who had encountered the chosen ones on a battlefield and were fortunate to survive would go mad and plead for forgiveness from the Devil.


    Owen responded, "Yes."


    Even though it was an obvious fact, hearing confirmation from the person himself made it hard for Sarcho to breathe.


    "Then, being a follower of the Devil...why did you save me?"


    "Hm."


    Owen scratched his chin. "Those words seem a bit misleading, young friend."


    Sarcho didn''t answer and looked at Owen with a suspicious gaze.


    Owen continued, "I didn''t save you as a follower of the Blue Insect God. Of course, I still follow his will, but, um, how should I put this..."


    After contemting, Owen nodded slightly. "Oh, right. Aren''t you a friend of Dain?"


    "I prefer the termrade, but yes."


    "Then you must''ve heard the story I told Dain."


    "Oh, yes I have."


    "That''s my story."


    The story of the Lizardman tribe suffering under the Frogman tribe. Sarcho remembered the story, but shook their head.


    "We have been out of that tribal life for nearly 300 years. There might still be such tribes somewhere, but I took it as an old tale."


    "That''s right. You''re correct."


    "What?"


    "It being nearly 300 years ago and it being an old tale, both are correct."


    Sarcho''s expression slowly changed from suspicion to surprise.


    "Are you saying you''ve been alive since then?"


    "Yes. What age do you think I appear to be?"


    Sarcho observed Owen, who was illuminated by the moonlight. It was generally challenging to guess the age of other species, especially Lizardmen, who didn''t exhibit visible signs of aging.


    "I can''t tell."


    "I''m 298 this year."


    Sarcho shook their head. "But...but Lizardmen, no matter how long they live, usually die by the age of 80. Even species with long lifespans like Elves rarely live beyond 120."


    "There are always exceptions."


    "No one can live that long."


    "Are you certain about that?"


    Sarcho couldn''t immediately respond.


    Owen continued, "In a world full of forces we can''t understand?"


    Sarcho understood the meaning behind those words.


    Owen exined, "Originally, I was a wanderer. Even in my old age, I couldn''t settle. So I decided to travel as far as possible before my time came to an end. Crossing the ocean, which was then the edge of my known world, I arrived at this continent."


    Owen took out another piece of jerky and chewed on it.


    "Life was pretty much the same everywhere. The divine revtions I once received stoppeding, and I wandered aimlessly. Then, I discovered an ancient relic. After navigating through trivial traps, a small ss bottle was at the end. Thirsty as I was, I drank what was inside. Hm..."


    Owenughed.


    "For about 30 years, I just thought it was water. I believed living a long life was just part of my fate, but as I aged, my vitality never decreased, rainy days no longer made my limbs ache, and they regained the strength from my youth. My mind also became clearer, brighter. As time went by, I realized the only significant event I could trace it back to was emptying that bottle."


    Sarcho, somewhat taken aback and skeptical, asked, "Can you prove it?"


    Owen shrugged.


    "If I prove it, would you be able to confirm it? King Lakrak always began his game of Go from the center. Even when told it was a losing strategy, he''d stubbornly say it was just a game and he''d y as he pleased. The funny thing is, he still managed to beat me several times, even though I consider myself a decent yer."


    Sarcho decided to simply believe him. "I understand that aftering to thisnd, you could no longer sense the Devil''s will. But why did you save me?"


    Owen replied, "You might not know, but in ck Scale, I was known as a storyteller."


    "A storyteller?"


    "I wandered around, telling tales in exchange for meals. Of course, not just any story. The story I told Dain was my own, and the Lizardman who helped me in that story was Lakrak."


    "...I see."


    Sarcho suddenly realized why the story seemed familiar. Being a priest, Sarcho was educated about the Devil and their followers, and Sarcho remembered a simr tale from the era of when the order of the Night Sky religion was getting established.


    Owen continued to say, "I owe a debt to Lakrak, to the god, and to those who had to die because Icked courage. When King Lakrak saved me, I thought to dedicate my life...but perhaps my sins were so immense that I am still alive."


    Sarcho sensed the emotional numbness and fatigue in Owen over the long years he had lived. This elderly Lizardman seemed to deal with any situation withposure and humility. However, that didn''t mean he didn¡¯t have any feelings at all. Even so, his resilience, builtyer byyer over the years, was something that mere passage of time couldn''t break down.


    "...But I don''t believe in your god. I believe in the Angry One."


    "I know. But haven''t I already mentioned? Our interests align."


    "Wasn''t that when you were disguised as a Fang agent?"


    From Sarcho''s understanding, that was the case. Naturally, the Fang agents would also believe in the Angry One, so they would oppose Dain joining hands with the Rubeil revolutionary faction.


    But if that Fang agent was actually this elderly Lizardman and he still followed Night Sky, it would be a different story. Wouldn''t the Lizardman want the Independent Republic of Collegoton to worship Night Sky?


    "Not exactly," Owen denied. "If the Rubeil revolutionary faction gets in touch with the Independent Republic of Collegoton, they might gain the protection of Night Sky, but it would also provide the Angry One a reason to intervene directly. Of course, Night Sky would then thwart the Angry One as always. But in the meantime, the ones who would suffer are yourrades living in this city. Isn''t that so?"


    Sarcho nodded slowly. "...You''re right."


    "That¡¯s why our intentions match. It''s not about religion. It''s about how we can ensure more people survive."


    Sarcho asked, "...Is that your intention? Ensuring more people survive?"


    Owen briefly looked out the window.


    "It''s hard to put it that simply. What''s the point of life if it''s merely about existing? Ideally, one should live freely and happily. For that, sometimes one needs to risk everything they have, and there''s no rule against risking one''s life for it."


    "...."


    "But not everyone can be entrusted with such a task. Nor can we force those who do not wish that. So all I did was find someone suitable for the job and kindle their desire. Those who were prepared and just needed a nudge in the right direction. You understand what I''m saying?"


    Sarcho replied, "...But I don''t understand. Didn''t you interrupt the grand will of the Devil by preventing the Rubeil revolutionary faction from entering Collegoton?"


    Owen nodded like he also found that usible now that he heard it. "But there''s an old saying."


    "An old saying?"


    Owen said, "Among the warriors of the ck Scale Tribe, some would defy the chief''s orders if they deemed it necessary."

 Chapter 214: A People Problem

    Chapter 214: A People Problem


    Sarcho didn¡¯t seem to fully understand.


    "Do you mean that defying the will of God is the way to follow them?"


    Without saying anything, Owen only smiled.


    Sarcho thought for a moment. It didn''t entirely seem like nonsense. While gods appeared almost omnipotent, they weren¡¯t.


    ''What foolish thoughts.¡¯


    Sarcho traced the emblem of the Angry One on their chest, but still, the thoughts lingered, and they couldn¡¯t help following them.


    ''The Angry One says we must all fight with our lives, but also to prosper our descendants. If everyone truly risked their lives, there would be no prosperity. There''s always a contradiction. Priests like us must find the bnce.''


    Sarcho said, "Even if it ultimately aligns with your god¡¯s will, you defied them initially, helping both me and the Angry One, assuming there truly was no other intent."


    "There is no other intent. So I guess you could see it that way."


    "In that case, I owe you an immeasurable debt. Not just for saving my life."


    "Life?"


    Owen pped softly.


    "Ah, you consider them as two separate things, don¡¯t you?"


    "Pardon?"


    "I gave you information about the Independent Republic of Collegoton''s Revolutionary Party trying to get in contact with the revolutionary faction in Rubeil, and I saved your life. You see them as two separate issues."


    "Is it not?"


    "Not at all. Both stem from the same problem. You seem less smart than I thought."


    Sarcho decided to not take it personally.


    "Please exin."


    Owen said, "The one who targeted your life was the republic''s information office."


    "I know. It''s the aftermath of my past actions."


    "Your past as a spy of the Union Kingdom? Hmm, that might be a problem that needs addressing someday, but not this time."


    "Didn''t you hear the entire conversation?"


    "That intelligence agent might have said so, but how did the agent know about it? Although they said they investigated, they didn''t say how they found out."


    Owen tapped the window frame where he sat.


    "Meaning, someone released information to have you killed."


    "...Who?"


    "Dain wouldn¡¯t be the only one who knows the truth about you."


    "There would be more who are suspicious, and somerades definitely know. To increase the number of revolutionaryrades, I had to contact those rted to the members of the first revolution."


    "Among them, who is in the information office?"


    Sarcho thought for a moment.


    "...Rolz?"


    "You''ve finally got it."


    Sarcho furrowed their eyebrows. Sarcho knew Rolz well. When the second revolutionary party was formed by Dain and Sarcho, Rolz was recruited by Dain. Rolz was a retired Human officer and waspetent enough to be an officer as a Tailless ss. But Rolz wasn''t justpetent. Rolz was a passionate revolutionary supporter, and during the formation of the revolutionary army, they ventured into risky battles just like Sarcho did. No one doubted their devotion.


    "There¡¯s no way Rolz would do that."


    "Why? Because Rolz is a truerade?"


    "Yes."


    "They would do anything for the revolutionary, so Rolz wouldn''t threaten you, a revolutionary member?"


    "That''s right."


    "But you''re wrong. You''re seeing people too one-sidedly. Rolz wanted to kill you for the revolution."


    Sarcho dusted off the fur on their head out of habit. For Bugbears, flicking dust or water off their fur was a reflex, simr in meaning to a human shaking their head in disbelief.


    "That''s nonsense."


    Owen snorted.


    "ept it, youngster. You didn¡¯t almost die because of your past mistakes. For people like Rolz, you were merely an obstacle stopping the consolidation with another revolutionary faction. The Independent Republic of Collegoton may be filled with hope, but a little look outside reveals numerous problems.


    ¡°Just because you aren¡¯t subject to the power of the Angry One doesn''t mean you''re guaranteed survival. The Union Kingdom is a powerful country, isn¡¯t it? They''re at war with the Empire beyond their borders and internally disrupted by revolutions, but there''s no immediate copse in sight."


    "...Is that what you think too? That I should die for the revolutionary party?"


    "Me?" Owen replied, "Of course not. If I did, why would I have saved you?"


    Owen continued, "You must survive for the revolution."


    Sarcho said, "I have no strength. I''m neither smart nor wise like otherrades. Unlike Dain, I don''t have the charm to influence someone, and I''m nowhere near as strategic as Rolz."


    "What a foolish thing to say."


    "What?"


    "Do you think all those people followed only Dain and herrades?"


    "Yes, I have no strengths."


    "No, you know how to discern."


    Sarcho asked, "Discern?"


    "Knowing what''s right and what''s wrong. In modern terms, knowing justice."


    "Everyone knows what justice is."


    "No, they don''t. They''ve only heard of it. Seeing a fisherman doesn''t mean you know how to fish, does it? Seeing a printing press doesn''t mean you know how to print. To say you know something, shouldn''t you have at least tried it? You know what justice is and have acted upon it. People who were unaware of justice wandered, and then they followed you when they saw you."


    Sarcho tried to refute, but hesitated. After hesitating a few times, Sarcho simply closed their mouth. Sarcho couldn''t fully agree with Owen''s words, but they couldn''t immediately find a counterargument.


    Sarcho said, "Elder, I am too burdened with sins...to be righteous."


    "Who isn''t? Or..." Owen said, "Are you afraid of being called a hypocrite?"


    Hearing that question, Sarcho admitted the truth of it.


    Sarcho realized that even if their tarnished reputation didn''t represent them correctly, it was okay. That wasn''t the important thing.


    "...If Rolz truly thinks that way, we need to stop them."


    "Even if the revolutionaries lose to the Union government?"


    Sarcho said, "When armies of people sh, it''s a result of human actions. But when divine armies sh, it goes beyond human fate. Above all, countless people who could have lived will die."


    A battlefield where people fought was brutal, but a battle where gods intervened was iparably destructive. Countless lives were crushed under the feet of giant guardians like ants, and just as many were plucked out by the disasters caused by apostles.


    The value of life would be equivalent to dust, reced by fanatical sacrifices to the gods.


    Sarcho added, "And I don''t think the revolutionaries will lose."


    Owen then said nomittally, "Well, we¡¯ll see about that."


    "Do you think Dain is also part of this n?"


    "I don''t think so. Dain created the information office, but because she trusted Rolz, she didn¡¯t control it properly."


    "There''s still hope. Then I should go to Dain..."


    Owen waved his hand, "That would be dangerous."


    "Oh, right."


    "The intelligence agents are already close to Dain under the pretext of guarding her, so do you think you would be able to approach her? They wanted to kill you. There''s nothing that says they won''t do the same to Dain."


    "What do you suggest then? What should I do?"


    Sarcho recalled the scene of this old Lizardman facing the intelligence officers. He seemed old, but he wasn''t really old. He was armed with surprising skills and technology, so who knew what other powers he had at his disposal.


    ''Should I suggest killing Rolz? Or should I say we need to meet the Rubeil revolutionaries first?''


    Both seemed usible. If it were this Lizardman, Sarcho believed that he would be able to assassinate the intelligence officers and their leader, Rolz, on his own if Sarcho somehow managed to lure Rolz out.


    As a result, there would likely be absence in the information office, and there would be difficulties in securing human resources. However, it was better than allowing thisnd to be a yground for the gods.


    Alternatively, they could first meet the Rubeil revolutionaries.


    ''It would be nice if we could resolve it through conversing, but if not...''


    If a terrorist act urred against a major figure like Hwee Juran Muel, the rtionship between the Independent Republic of Collegoton and the Rubeil Revolutionary Party would significantly get worse. Then, naturally, the negotiations would be stopped, just as Owen and Sarcho intended.


    Though Sarcho didn''t love the idea of resorting to such violence, Sarcho knew they might have to.


    "First off..." Owen said, "Do what you originally intended to do."


    "...Pardon?"


    "You were going to establish a state religion in the assembly, right? You wanted to either leave it undetermined or keep it as the order of the Angry One."


    "That is true¡­but I can''t determine that on my own."


    "Don''t people trust you?"


    "Not everyone."


    "Then make it everyone."


    Reading Sarcho''s tense look and wild imaginations, Owen added, "Without resorting to unthinkable tricks you''ve never tried before, start with what you can do."


    ***


    After Owen vanished, saying that at this rate he would be discovered by his disciples and that he needed to move, Sarcho did as Owen had advised.


    Fortunately, it seemed that the loss of two agents was a significant blow to the information office, as they didn''t directly approach Sarcho again, and by Sarcho¡¯s own initiative, they mobilized security forces to provide protection for themself.


    Meanwhile, Sarcho also tried to sway people''s hearts as Owen had suggested. Initially, Sarcho used simple logic. Sarcho argued that if they joined hands with the revolutionaries influenced by the Devil, they would face severe punishment, a perspective that any priest affiliated with the order of the Angry One would naturally say. However, this argument didn''t work that well.


    To start with, Collegoton had always been the least faithful in the entire Union Kingdom. It made sense as their ancestors were immigrants who left their distant homnds or those who lost their roots, simply attending the rites of the order of the Angry One as a city custom, believing in the Angry One just because.


    For the immediate moment, they wouldn''t betray the faith they held for a long time, but considering substantial benefits through the Ruebeil Revolutionary Party and the peculiar ability of Night Sky to convert apostates, prospects didn¡¯t seem bright.


    ''Trying to move people with the sh of two religions...seems impossible.''


    Therefore, Sarcho introduced a new card. It was secrism. They needed to separate religion from life, and the battle of the gods shouldn''t interfere with human conflicts. This new concept intrigued many, and only then did they start to listen to Sarcho.


    Sarcho grabbed onto this new opportunity.


    ''Now I have to talk about how terrifying the gods are.''


    About that, Sarcho knew better than anyone else.


    On the day of the unity festival when everyone wore ck robes, Sarcho had to deliver amemorative speech, but Sarcho began their speech in a way no one expected.


    "Two years ago, on Unity Day, I hold greater responsibility than anyone for the 817 lives lost."


    And with that, Sarcho''s confession began. Sarcho revealed specific details of capturing the revolutionaries and how the Fang agents of the Union Kingdom and the priests of the order were intertwined with that matter. Sarcho also stated that it wasn''t merely part of the Union Kingdom''s revolutionary hunt, but a revtion from the Angry One.


    ''By telling this story alone, there will be those who will turn against the order of the Angry One.''


    Sarcho defended the Angry One by saying that it must have been an inevitable act on the Angry One''s part to counteract the terrifying Devil. Therefore, the fundamental issue was that people were being used in the gods'' conflicts, and people should get out of those fights and resolve people problems instead. Only then would the same tragedies be avoided.


    "...With that, I will conclude mymemorative speech."


    The crowd was silent, and Sarcho closed their eyes for a moment and waited.


    Sarcho believed that they could be dragged off the stage or hit with stones the next instant. However, when Sarcho opened their eyes, they heard the sound of apuse.

 Chapter 215: Because They Died That Day

    Chapter 215: Because They Died That Day


    Sarcho, under the pretext of confessing their crimes, had security personnel positioned below the tform and was immediately imprisoned. The Independent Republic of Collegoton''s court decided to proceed with a criminal punishment, and a trial took ce.


    Sarcho believed they were paying a price they rightly owed.


    Although Sarcho didn¡¯t know much about thew, the republic''s legal system naturally followed the Union Kingdom''sws. So by Sarcho''s own estimation, the charges of conspiring with an enemy nation like the Union Kingdom warranted nothing short of being hung.


    However, an unexpected situation urred. Sarcho had assumed they wouldn''t get a chance to defend themself in a military court, but a Dwarfwyer Sarcho had never met before stepped forward to represent them.


    In response to Sarcho¡¯s surprise, the Dwarfwyer said, "It''s not just me who''s willing to defend you. After seeing the article about you, everywyer in Collegoton wanted the opportunity to represent you. I am merely their representative."


    "I have no money."


    "Everyone knew that when they volunteered."


    The trial began. The prosecutor argued for a death penalty, stating that Sarcho had aided in the deaths of countlessrades and had shown allegiance to the enemy Union Kingdom. The first trial sided with the prosecutor.


    Sarcho epted this as expected, but the Dwarfwyer, proposing a different strategy, said, "We''ll try to dy the trial using a few loopholes."


    "Is there a need to do that?"


    "As time goes by, things will go in our favor,¡± the Dwarfwyer said. "It might not feel that way to you, but outside this courtroom, there''s a movement going on to save you."


    "There¡¯s no way."


    "There''s talk of a hearing being conducted because of you. Although the president might not attend, there are otherrades who were aware of your situation."


    "I just feel sorry for putting them in such trouble."


    "No. They see this as an opportunity to save you. Reporters from all over the world, not just Collegoton, are interested in the hearing. Even the Empire is said to be paying heed."


    "...That can''t be."


    Sarcho expressed doubt at thewyer''s words, believing that if they were true, they couldn''t allow the country to fall into chaos. However, from the start, there wasn''t much Sarcho could do.


    Thewyer did what they had to do on their own. As a result, the verdict was overturned in the second trial. The Dwarfwyer had argued that crimesmitted before the founding of the Collegoton country couldn''t be retroactively judged by today¡¯sw. epting this argument, a dramatic verdict of not guilty was delivered. However, the prosecution immediately appealed.


    During the course of events, the defendingwyer changed. Instead of the Dwarf, an Elfwyer came to visit Sarcho.


    "Where''s the otherwyer?"


    "They were injured in a car ident. Fortunately, it''s not severe, but it seems they won''t be able to take on the defense for a while."


    "How did that happen...?"


    The Elfwyer lowered their voice and whispered, "There are rumors that the information office was involved."


    "...Oh, darn it."


    "Moreover, there''s talk that they''re indiscriminately leaking information about you to the prosecution. Fortunately, your record is so clean that the prosecution is somewhat baffled..."


    As Sarcho couldn¡¯t respond to any of those words, the Elfwyer said, "But there is nothing to worry about. They can''t make any bold moves. Since the hearing, interest in this case has skyrocketed. Everyone''s focusing on secrism. If this case wraps up well, you''ll have another trial."


    "Pardon?"


    "Your speech is being printed and sold without permission. Some people are even selling it for money. Naturally, you should receive royalties from the printed materials, shouldn''t you?"


    "No...what¡­"


    On the final day of the trial, the Elfwyer said to Sarcho as they entered the court, "Today''s trial might be a bit noisy."


    "What? For what reason?"


    "A protest is permitted in front of the court."


    As the trial began, the voices of the crowd outside echoed faintly into the courtroom. Although it was very quiet, Sarcho could make out their words.


    "Free Sarcho!"


    "We forgive Sarcho!¡±


    The prosecutor argued that even though it was before the founding of Collegoton, as core members of the Shubanel revolutionary faction were involved, and there was a n to form a revolutionary government, crimesmitted by the faction should also be punished.


    In response, the Elfwyer questioned whether, under the perspective, that Sarcho had contributed to the founding of the bounty to pay for the crimes Sarcho hadmitted.


    "If Sarcho hadn''t rejoined the revolutionary faction, we wouldn''t even be having this trial. Sarcho had always intended to confess this fact, a fact they could''ve buried forever. If we are to punish crimes before the founding of the Independent Republic of Collegoton, then surely their achievements from before should also be recognized."


    The Elfwyer added further evidence in favor of Sarcho. Despite holding a position in parliament, Sarcho had very little money. The reason was that apart from minimal living expenses, Sarcho donated everything to a fund supporting the families of the initial revolutionary victims, and thewyer pointed out that Sarcho had apologized to the families, informing them of the truth, and some had even forgiven Sarcho.


    The judgment took some time. In the final verdict, Sarcho was sentenced to 20 years of hardbor.


    Even though Sarcho had deceived the predecessor of the government, the revolutionary faction, causing the deaths of many, it was acknowledged that Sarcho themself had not fully grasped the cruelty of the Union government and had continuously shown regret and remorse after the fact.


    The Elfwyer apologized to Sarcho with a pale face, but Sarcho shook their head.


    "How can you be sorry for something that was beyond even my wildest imaginations?"


    While Sarcho was surprised that their sentence wasn''t death, Sarcho scolded themself for being happy on the inside.


    ''No matter how much I risked my life or repented, in the end, I just wanted to live.''


    On the day Sarcho was transported from Shubanel to the reformation facility, for the first time, Sarcho looked out at the massive crowd rallying for them.


    "You saved us!"


    "Sarcho is innocent!"


    "The revolution isn''t over!"


    "We forgive you!"


    Various voices poured out as Sarcho left Shubanel. Sarcho hoped to survive long enough to see a transformed republic in the far future.


    "...That was definitely what I thought then."


    A few monthster, Sarcho returned to Shubanel. Back in court without being detained, Sarcho met someone in the reception room. It was Dain.


    "It''s a special pardon."


    "...A special pardon?"


    "It''s a pardon granted by the president''s authority. It was dyed because of the legitive process."


    Sarcho asked, "So you''re saying the legition changed for me?"


    "Yes."


    "There must''ve been¡­a lot of opposition, right?"


    Dain agreed. "Yes, initially. However, the information office''s operations were exposed. An insider from within revealed connections with the prosecutors, and journalists fully dissected it. Comrade Rolz, who orchestrated everything, is now in the prison cell you once were. Their first trial will be held soon."


    Sarcho shook their head in disbelief.


    "What about the people? There must be many out there wishing for my death in that facility."


    "There probably will be some who feel that way, but this is a republic. Just because some think that way doesn''t mean it will happen. Everything follows a procedure, and radical ideas find it hard to surpass that procedure."


    "But the information office tried to join hands with the Rubeil revolutionary faction. There must have been quite a few people who supported that.¡±


    Dain replied, "That n fell through, thanks to your speech."


    "Really?"


    "While you were in prison and the reform facility, the second most mentioned word in the newspapers was secrism," Dain exined. ¡°If you think about it, it''s obvious. People are bound to be exhausted. They had been at war for over 80 years. People can¡¯t keep fighting for long even if they believe the Empire is doomed.


    ¡°The painfulbor we had to endure was, after all, because of the war. We were all born during the war, so we wouldn¡¯t know, but records showed that life wasn''t as tough before it. If there are those who want to fight¡­let them. But not everyone needs to.¡±


    Sarcho agreed.


    Once they became an independent nation, they didn''t need to follow the path of the Union Kingdom. The relentless wars ravaging the Union Kingdom were all because of the Empire, and the root cause of that war was the gods'' fight. However, if the gods even implicitly allowed secrism, people would naturally follow secrism.


    "By the way, what''s the first most frequently mentioned word in the newspaper?"


    "It''s you...the name of ourrade, Sarcho."


    "...I''m embarrassed."


    Dain said, "There''s nothing to worry about. Many people have forgiven you. There''s also a story going around."


    "What story?"


    Dain continued, "Someone learned of Sarcho¡¯s role as a spy and tried to assassinate them. But Sarcho said to go ahead as Sarcho regretted their actions. The person didn''t believe Sarcho, thinking it was some trick to survive the threat. But Sarcho neither dodged nor resisted and took the bullet. So, it meant Sarcho was sincere."


    Sarcho felt a strange feeling. It felt like hearing someone else''s story about an event they were involved in.


    Sarcho could imagine how others would perceive that story.


    Dain added, "So people say that on that day, the spy Sarcho of the Union Kingdom died, and only our great revolutionaryrade Sarcho remained."


    ***


    Sarcho couldn''t immediately return to their position in parliament, but was recognized as a senior member of the Revolutionary Party. Moreover, many sought out Sarcho. Journalists from the Independent Republic of Collegoton and international journalists wanted to meet Sarcho, schrs wanted personal appointments, and they even received invitations from the distant Empire.


    While Sarcho tried their best to meet as many people as they could, they declined offers that took too much time, saying that the nation''s matters were too urgent for them to leave their position.


    The conflict between the revolutionary army and the regional armies of the Union Kingdom were gradually easing. Secrism breathed new life into the revolution. Apart from the revolution incited by the Empire''s sympathizers, those who were uncertain of their position started adopting the concept Sarcho introduced. Those who feared divine punishment joined the revolution, and the authorities who tried to oppress based on apostasy began to be pushed back by the revolutionary wave.


    When the wave of the second revolution hit, the regional armies of the Union Kingdom had to focus on the revolutions in various areas rather than the stationary revolutionary army.


    Moreover, the front lines bordering the Empire were suffering. ording to rumors from the Union Kingdom, despite them somehow enduring its internal revolutions, the Union Kingdom was now beginning to show signs of defeat.


    As Sarcho looked at the world map hanging at the entrance of the parliament, they became lost in thought about how the global situation would change in the future, how the Independent Republic of Collegoton should respond, and most importantly, what they themself should do, as unintentionally, many people listened attentively whenever Sarcho spoke.


    However, separate from these concerns, Sarcho felt a sense of unease when they arrived at their office. Out of habit, Sarcho checked the hinge and found the graphite broken. The ointment from the doorknob was also wiped off.


    There clearly had been an intruder, but it wouldn¡¯t have been the wandering Lizardman Sarcho had already met, and the information office was unlikely to be responsible since most of the staff had been reced.


    ''And if it were Fang agents from the Union Kingdom, they wouldn''t attempt such a naive intrusion. Then who...?''


    While thinking this, Sarcho heard voices conversing inside.


    ''Did I leave the door open? Maybe it''s not intruders but secretaries...''


    With a sense of caution, Sarcho drew their gun and opened the door.


    "...Why did you barge in so abruptly?"


    "It¡¯s my fault again, isn¡¯t it?"


    "This time it''s definitely your fault... Huh?"


    There were two people. The first one who spoke was a male Frogman, and the one who replied appeared to be a female Human. Both faces were unfamiliar to Sarcho.


    Sarcho quickly raised their gun, but even though the Human female seemed to have only just noticed Sarcho, she already had a sword in her hand.


    ''Did I see wrong? Did she already have her sword out?''


    But Sarcho thought there was no way a sword could block bullets, so they believed they had the upper hand.


    Sarcho then said, "Who are you?"


    The Human and Frogman looked at each other.


    The Frogman then looked at Sarcho and said, "We''re not here to threaten you."


    "Then?"


    "We are looking for a Lizardman called Owen."

 Chapter 216: Countless Leaks

    Chapter 216: Countless Leaks


    In the first conference room of the pantheon, Eldar finished a brief presentation on the podium.


    "...This evidence confirms that Owen, who was a priest of ck Scale, is still alive."


    After a brief silence, Wisdom said, "Remarkable, Neb. I knew about the strategy of letting each entity unfold their potential without direct intervention, but I didn''t expect it to go this far."


    Crampusmented, "Is it an off-the-record tactic? Or a mastermind''s y? Indeed, when ites to pulling strings from behind, no one does it better."


    Jang-Wan asked, "How did you do it? Moving things your way without lifting a finger? Is it some sort of superpower?"


    Then Sung-Woon replied somewhat hesitantly, "I wasn''t aware either."


    "...."


    "It''s been 200 years since thest confirmation. Wouldn''t one typically assume he was dead by now?"


    "...."


    "Why is he still alive? Does anyone know?"


    Lim Chun-Sik then tapped their temples and said, "What''s that thing...there''s that ancient relic item, you know..."


    Eldar responded, "The Elixir of Immortality?"


    "Yes, that."


    The potion, sought by many including Earth''s Qin Shi Huang, granted eternal life, and it was a real thing that existed in The Lost World. It didn''t prevent aging or death entirely, but just the fact that it could significantly extend life made it immensely valuable. If discovered by civilizations capable of tranting ancientnguages, such a potion could drastically alter the course of the game.


    Countless mortal rulers dove headlong into the battle to obtain the Elixir of Immortality. It was an item that yers quite favored because if theirpetent king character didn''t die, they could advance their civilization much faster.


    ''For example, if Kyle Lak Orazon had consumed the potion, the game might have already ended by now.''


    Of course, Sung-Woon didn¡¯t really consider it a shame. Looking back on the game, there were always moments where a fortunate turn could end things. If only a different choice had been made, they could have ended things, but at that time, theycked the information. They had done their best, so they shouldn¡¯t get lost in regret and nostalgia for the good old days, unless time could be rewound.


    ''Anyway...''


    Sung-Woon said, "The Elixir of Immortality. Drinking it would double one''s lifespan. But even if a Lizardman lived exceptionally long, it would only be about 80 years. And back when Owen was born, the average lifespan wasn''t even 60 years."


    AR1026 covered half her face with a fan and said, "He was Neb''s priest... Perhaps, among the Small Areas and Domains Neb has, some might have an effect on the health, stamina, and lifespan of a priest¡­?"


    Sung-Woon agreed. The Small Areas and Domains that a yer possessed exerted a slight influence on their followers, while they had a considerably potent effect on their priests. For example, many species had an innate level of disgust towards bugs, but there wasn''t a priest in the Pantheon who still retained such disgust.


    Of course, for some abilities, their exact effects could be unclear. For example, if a yer had the Small Area: Livestock, the act of eating and raising these livestock itself seemed to have a positive effect, but yers'' analyses showed only a subtle difference in variancepared to groups that didn''t.


    ''Although it''s subtle, it''s somewhat convincing.''


    Among yers, there was a consensus that the increased lifespan of mortals based on the game''s progress couldn''t solely be attributed to the advancements in sanitation and medicine.


    "So roughly, he would live an additional 10 to 20 years. Assuming Owen''s lifespan is 80 years, adding 80 years from the potion, and another 20 years from being a priest and various Small Areas, that''s about 180 years in total. But Owen is almost 300 years old. There¡¯s a significant discrepancy.¡±


    Then Wisdom said, "Hold on, Neb. What about thinking in a different direction?"


    "A different direction?"


    Wisdom''s head slowly turned. "Here, there are entirely different aspects than when ying the game The Lost World. With the detailed timeline, we can delve into the nitty-gritty the game didn''t support. Because of that, we''ve discovered many things different from the game."


    "So you''re saying..."


    "Yes," Wisdom replied. "What we thought were bugs or errors in the game might have been happening more frequently. There would be a reason, but parts that weren''t systemically exined. If we attribute those inexplicable reasons to just because, then Owen is just living longer."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "That''s ame exnation."


    Lunda raised her hand and said, "Another exnation."


    "Let''s hear it."


    "You could think this way. If one lived for about 180 years, perhaps they could just continue to live even longer after that. Apart from Elves, haven''t we never seen a species living for about 180 years when they don¡¯t usually have a long life? ...Why are you looking at me with such a pitying expression?"


    "I''m wearing a mask, how can you see my expression?"


    "When we''ve been together this long, expressions are visible even with a mask on."


    Sung-Woon sighed. "Well, leaving that aside¡­Jang-Wan."


    "What?"


    "What about the leak issue?"


    As Jang-Wan walked forward, Eldar walked back to their seat.


    Jang-Wan said, "We did talk about Owen, but it''s also rted to our current discussion."


    "Of course it would be."


    "What you had in mind might be rted in a slightly different way."


    "...?"


    Jang-Wan continued, "As we expected, upon Hwee-Kyung¡¯s return, a significant portion of the leakage problem was resolved. However, it wasn''t aplete resolution."


    "There''s the issue with Owen."


    "Even taking Owen into consideration doesn¡¯t exin the full story. In fact, inparison to Hwee-Kyung, Owen''s portion of the leakage isn''t that significant because Hwee-Kyung had to constantly demonstrate miracles. On the other hand, Owen isn¡¯t that proactive in using his abilities. Probably because he has to burn herbs to recover his stamina when using the chosen one''s power."


    "So, it''s all up in the air."


    Jang-Wan shook her head at Sung-Woon¡¯s words.


    "Not exactly. It''s rted to what Wisdom said. While not to the extent of Hwee-Kyung or Owen, characters like Hwee-Kyung or Owen..."


    Jang-Wan unfolded the world map floating in mid-air. All four continents filled the screen. When Jang-Wan flicked her fingers, red dots appeared here and there.


    "They''re scattered everywhere. These dots represent high-ranking priest individuals that were once under the influence of yers but were forgotten. Some of them are creations, meaning guardians."


    Crampus then said, "Ah, so that''s why you asked about itst time?"


    "Right."


    Jang-Wan had checked with each of the yers in the Pantheon for individuals that had once been under their influence but they had lost track of. And among them, some could be found in the Afterlife, the Prairie of Beginnings, and the pantheon, but others couldn''t be located.


    "Some of them might have changed or abandoned their faith, but some of them..."


    "Still follow the gods?"


    "Right."


    Sung-Woon said, "I don''t really understand. I did make the mistake twice with Hwee-Kyung and Owen, but as an individual that yers pay direct attention to, can you really forget about them? Especially for creations, I don¡¯t think it makes sense.¡±


    Wisdom said, "I agree. It''s impossible to control every individual, but losing a high priest and especially a creation made by the yer seems almost impossible."


    Jang-Wan shrugged. Then she turned to the other yers. Sung-Woon and Wisdom also looked around at them, and none of them would meet their eyes.


    Jang-Wan said, "You get it now? Not everyone is like you two."


    Sung-Woon said, "Lunda, exin it in a way that makes sense."


    "Why are you asking me?"


    "You''re the most careless among us, aren''t you?"


    Lunda hesitated, "So, about my Mapdet, Fiu..."


    "Mapdet? It''s a divine beast, isn''t it?"


    In The Lost World, a Mapdet was a cute divine beast that looked like a Mongoose. They were a righteous creature that judged evil, which was amon characteristic among many divine beasts, making them not particrly special.


    However, a divine beast was still a divine beast. If one seeded in making it follow a god, not only did it not require the maintenance cost of Faith points, but it also served as a kind of Faith point farm that could earn Faith resources.


    "You made the divine beast follow you and then lost it?"


    "Well, I didn''t tell you because I knew you''d reprimand me like this."


    Lunda could sense the heavy mood underneath Sung-Woon''s mask.


    Sung-Woon then said, "Alright. Go on."


    After the yers confessed and Sung-Woon reprimanded them, Sung-Woon said, "...Indeed."


    Lunda looked displeased. "Indeed what? Regretting forming an alliance with us?"


    "...No, I didn''t say that."


    "Then what?"


    "I think I now understand why we encountered the leakage issue we often experienced in The Lost World."


    Of course, this was something they couldn''t know when they were ying The Lost World because people didn¡¯t look so closely at their gamey. But now, as they directly investigated the leakage issue, they could see it.


    ''People make lots of mistakes.''


    Sung-Woon said to Jang-Wan, "This isn''t the end of the presentation, is it?"


    "Of course not." Jang-Wan continued to say, "I''ve mainly entrusted it to Hwee-Kyung and Sairan, and they are using resources avable on the ground to track them."


    ***


    And Ramin Solost Muel was one of those trackers.


    "We know you met Owen, so don''t lie."


    Sarcho stroked their chin with the hand not holding the gun. "You people are from the Empire, aren''t you?"


    "That''s right."


    Sarcho said, "Then I cannot speak of Owen''s whereabouts. Owen is my friend, and I can¡¯t put him in danger.¡±


    In Sarcho''s opinion, there was only one reason the Empire was after Owen. Because Owen did not follow the will of the god directly.


    In fact, it was due to Owen¡¯s advice that the negotiations between the Independent Republic of Collegoton and the Rubeil revolutionary faction failed. So Sarcho thought they must resent Owen.


    However, Ramin made an unexpected move. She sheathed the sword she had in her hand.


    Sarcho then asked, "...What are you doing?"


    Ramin replied, "If you im to be a friend of Owen, then I cannot threaten you with a sword."


    "Why?"


    "Because Owen is my teacher.


    "What?"


    Ramin continued, "Owen taught me the ways of the sword. Not just the sword, but he also taught me how to live. I''m still an imperfect person though.¡±


    Gorgota Falu, who was next to her, then said, "...Why are you suddenly reflecting on yourself in front of someone pointing a gun at you?"


    "Ah, I have a sentimental side. You know that, right?"


    "I''ve never thought of you that way..."


    "Really?"


    "Have you ever cried while watching a y or reading a book?"


    "...Huh?"


    Sarcho lowered the gun because they felt that there was no longer any significant meaning to pointing the gun at the uninvited guests.


    Sarcho said, "Alright, I''ll trust you. Why are you chasing Owen?"


    Ramin replied, "We asked first, didn''t we? Do you know where Owen went?"


    "I do.¡±


    "Where did he go?"


    Sarcho hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth as it didn¡¯t seem to matter.


    "He went to the port. He intended to head to the western continent."

 Chapter 217: The Inventor of Pollivia

    Chapter 217: The Inventor of Pollivia


    Ramin asked back, "The western continent?"


    "Yes."


    What Sarcho referred to as the western continent was the first continent.


    Ramin tried to recall information about the western continent. Thergest country on the western continent was the Ronante-Oroban Alliance. The two giants that once divided the western continent had united to stand against the Union Kingdom. Apart from that, manyrge and small countries were under the influence of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance.


    Compared to thepletely unified third continent under the rule of the Emperor of ck Scale, the second continent where the lords still had disputes but couldn''t move under the name of the Emperor of the Union Kingdom, and the fourth continent which was rtively stable politically except for being a battleground between the Empire and the Union Kingdom, the first continent still had its unstable areas.


    Although the Ronante-Oroban Alliance practically ruled the first continent, their control wasn''t as strong as that in the second or third continent. Therefore, from time to time, they had to deploy troops within the continent to suppress rebellion, preventing them from projecting their forces outside the continent.


    ''It might still be a better ce to livepared to the Empire or the Union Kingdom. Even if a war breaks out, it won''t be as big as the ones between the Empire and the Union Kingdom.''


    The Ronante-Oroban Alliance wasn''t on good terms with either the Empire or the Union Kingdom. They were currently at war with the Empire, but not as intensely as with the Union Kingdom. This war had recently begun and was not full-scale, and there had been a long period of peace before it. They had once gone to war against the Union Kingdom, but were not at war now.


    Ramin asked, "Why did Teacher go to the western continent?"


    "I''m not sure. But he mentioned he has a friend there."


    "So he hasn''t stepped foot into the Empire for such a long time, but he was active in the western continent?"


    "...That''s what he said, but I really don''t know much about it."


    Ramin awkwardly replied, "I''m sorry... Do you have any other information?"


    "I¡¯m not sure. I''ve been in the reformation facility until recently, and I''ve only spoken to Owen once in thest six months."


    Ramin looked back at Gorgota.


    "Is this information enough?"


    "The gods are helping us, so wouldn¡¯t it be fine? Moreover, the Empire''s intelligence agency is working in the Ronante-Oroban Alliance. Recently, influenced by the Union Kingdom, revolutionary factions have also emerged."


    "Then let''s move."


    As Ramin and Gorgota were about to leave, Sarcho asked, "Is that really all?"


    Ramin turned around. "Pardon?"


    "...I thought that if someone from the Empire met me, they wouldn''t leave me alone."


    "Well, there must be people who think unfavorably. Secrism? Not following the will of the gods? In the old days, it was even said that it was more sinful than being a simple apostate.¡± Ramin added, "But not me. Nor this person."


    "Really?"


    "Our master wasn''t like that either, was he?"


    Without waiting for Sarcho''s reply, the two walked out.


    ***


    Hegemonia red at the system window.


    Inside were two yers. At first nce, the one on the left looked like a Garuda, but it wasn''t a Garuda because they didn''t have wings.


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t necessary to look at their back to figure out the yer wasn¡¯t a Garuda; their appearance differed clearly enough. They had a yellow beak, and an elongatedb of a hue simr to red plumage. It was a rooster.


    On the other hand, the yer on the right did not resemble a living creature. Where their head should have been, there was a round mono-eye emitting a red light. With pistons in ce of muscles, circr motors that smoothly connected the joints, and exposed hoses covered by steel tes, they took the shape of a robot.


    "So, what do you say about our proposal, Hegemonia?"


    Hegemonia replied, "Don''t rush me, chicken head."


    "I''m not a chicken head, I''m Male Chicken."


    "That''s even weirder. Change your yer ID."


    "I''ve been Male Chicken since forever. If I had to change it, I''d change my appearance."


    "Just keep it then."


    The mono-eye said, "Do you not like our proposal?"


    Hegemonia responded, "Of course I don''t, robot head."


    "My yer ID is dimir."


    "That''s too long."


    "...¡¯Robot head¡¯ has the same number of sybles though."


    "Shut up."


    Hegemonia let out mes from within their steel helmet. "Think about it. Why should I ally with you? If it¡¯s not for the Empire, you guys would be wiped out in 3 years."


    Male Chicken replied, "We don¡¯t feel great about it either, but both our Ronante-Oroban Alliance and your Union Kingdom aren''t in good positions. To prevent the Empire from winning as it is, we need to join forces."


    "No, I feel even worse about this."


    "Are you a grade schooler or what?"


    dimir said, "Hegemonia, despite what you said, we know you''re neither foolish nor easily swayed by emotions. That''s why we¡¯re suggesting this. Besides, the alliance we propose is just a temporary one, not a true alliance."


    Hegemonia thought for a moment.


    ''What would Neb think about this?¡¯


    The Ronante-Oroban Alliance had been one country for decades; its name remained abination of two nations due to the internal conflict that persisted between them.


    ''Most importantly, they''re weak.''


    After a prolonged war, the two countries, Ronante and Oroban, formed an alliance and became the dominating nation of the first Continent.


    However, the Molsa Kingdom and Sordem Kingdom were still countries ruled by yers, and due to the countless small nations in between their territories, they couldn''t properly strategize and conquer the two kingdoms.


    "Even though we¡¯ve reached the midpoint, you haven''t secured your own continent."


    As Hegemonia mumbled, dimir countered, "...Usually, yers find it difficult to conquer a continent even by the game''s end, let alone its midpoint. The presence of non-yer nations, unaffected by yers'' influence, scattered all around is a typical scenario."


    "An average yer means a yer who''s not good."


    "That''s a bit harsh. We''re just a bit unlucky in this game, but that doesn''t mean we''re at a level to be spoken down to..."


    Then Male Chicken said to dimir, "Enough. Forget the alliance negotiations. Didn''t I tell you? We can''t form an alliance with Hegemonia."


    "...I knew that much, but..."


    Hegemoniaughed and said, "Enough with the act. Are you nning to say that you should propose an alliance to Neb next? If you try to act that out or even simply request a Whisper Conversation, the Empire will have taken over the 1st continent in a few years.¡±


    Male Chicken and dimir didn¡¯t say anything because Hegemonia had hit the nail on the head. They had hoped to make Hegemonia anxious any way possible, but Hegemonia remained calm.


    "I don''t need an alliance, but you guys could be useful."


    dimir asked, "What does that mean?"


    "I mean I¡¯ll use you as subordinates."


    Male Chicken raged. "Do we look like sitting ducks to you?"


    Hegemonia almostughed at the unexpected pun, but held back given the serious situation.


    "Don''t you think the concept of an alliance is unreasonable? That I should have an equal say with you? But it¡¯s different if I givemands, and you unconditionally follow them. I''d ept that."


    Male Chicken replied, "Forget it. Just drop it."


    However, dimir stood still and stayed silent.


    dimir then said, "Then? Do you think we can win?"


    "What?"


    "I asked if we can beat the Empire, Neb, if we join you as subordinates rather than allies."


    Hegemonia replied, "I don''t know."


    "You don''t know?"


    Hegemonia coldly said, "The Union Kingdom is in a significant crisis. The primary front, the fourth continent, is gradually being pushed back. An apostle has died, and there''s not enough Faith resources for resurrection. There''s a continuous power vacuum. Moreover, there''s internal hardships due to the revolutionaries. There''s likely going to be significant turmoil as we transition to a parliamentary system, all due to the established hierarchy from way back. We''re falling behind the Empire in every aspect."


    Hegemonia added, "Plus, I have to consider the possibility that you might stab me in the back. Alliances tend to fall apart that way."


    dimir looked at Male Chicken.


    "We should ept this alliance."


    "It''s not an alliance, it''s you being subordinates..."


    Male Chicken interrupted Hegemonia and said, "Why, when Hegemonia hasn''t even assured us victory?"


    "If Hegemonia had said we could win, we would have naturally thought they were just bluffing. We would have believed that this prideful person is putting on a show for onest time. But they¡¯re being realistic about their situation, aren¡¯t they?"


    "Umm...!"


    "It feels like a gamble worth taking."


    Hegemonia was annoyed. "Who are you to judge me?"


    Male Chicken closed their eyes briefly and then opened them.


    "Alright. Rather than handing Neb the victory, it''s worth a shot."


    dimir said, "There, that''s our decision. We''ll join as your subordinates."


    Hegemoniaughed. "Good. Round 2 begins."


    ***


    Pollivia, a city-state located in the southwest of the first continent, was one of the leading port cities on the continent. It was built over an ancient city half-submerged in the sea, and it was the final destination for ships from the second continent and the Empire west of the continent.


    Naturallymercial, the city benefitted from rich fisheries and was connected by roads and recently by trains, making it a transport hub. But Pollivia¡¯s key feature was its neutrality.


    It bordered the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, but its mayors were elected through parliamentary votes. Additionally, despite the recent winds of revolution sweeping the continent and the world, Pollivia had long been electing its mayors and representatives through votes, so they were mostly unaffected.


    And it was the same with secrism. People could freely choose their religion, and though very rare, there were those who did not have any.


    For a long time, Pollivia, which mediated conflicts between the first and second continents, was a city where many wanted to settle down. If they had the money, that was.


    "Get lost, beggar."


    After being kicked, the Xolotl named Simo rolled on the ground.


    Simo murmured, "The sun...it''s scorching."


    While they were momentarily lost in thoughts, an Orc passing by kicked them again. As they were an Xolotl with a small body, Simo rolled again.


    The Orc nced back and said, "Sorry about that!"


    Having just been evicted from their room for not paying rent, Simo hurriedly collected their belongings and got up. It wasn''t the time to feel sad. If Simo stayed down in the middle of the street, Simo could get run over by a car.


    The Xolotl species was categorized as distant rtives of the Frogmen. However, because of their different appearances, no one thought there was any rtion. Compared to the Frogmen who had medium sized bodies, Xolotls were small, and they had white skin with exposed pinkish gills on either side of their heads. Xolotls were essentially bipedal axolotls.


    Of course, there were fiercer looking ck Xolotls, but Simo wasn''t one of them.


    Simo dusted themself off and reapplied the Delluba ointment on their head. This ointment, which helped aquatic species live outside water, was essential for both Frogmen and Xolotls.


    But the ointment was running out.


    "...I''m doomed."


    If needed, Simo could potentially return to their homnd, the swamp, but Simo didn¡¯t really want to do that.


    As with many aquatic creatures, their homnd seemed untouched by the influences of civilization.


    "I can never go back."


    Simo was an inventor. Their bag was filled with all sorts of inventions and prototypes, so much so that from behind, it looked like the bag was walking by itself.


    "Even if I die here...!"


    Trying to minimize their exposure to the sun, Simo walked with their head down until they saw a shadow and stopped to look up. Simo wondered if they had hit a wall. However, when Simo raised their head, what they saw was a Lizardman with ck scales.


    "It''s been a while, little inventor."


    Simo blinked and said, "...Teacher Owen?"

 Chapter 218: Courage, Electricity, Money

    Chapter 218: Courage, Electricity, Money


    Simo said, "I''m not a little kid. I''m over thirty."


    "Sure."


    To Simo, Owen seemed like a good person, but he wasn''t different from other taller species in some respects.


    Simo thought about arguing further, but decided to change the topic in the end.


    "Teacher, why have youe to Pollivia?"


    "I do have other business, but the main reason was to meet you."


    "Me?"


    Owen replied, "It''s been about 10 years since west met, hasn''t it? I was curious about the progress of your research."


    Simo avoided Owen''s gaze.


    "It''s not going so well..."


    "Hmm." Owen scratched his chin and said, "I''d like to see for myself if possible."


    "Out here in the streets?"


    "Where are you living now?"


    "Well, until just now, I was staying in this building."


    "But not anymore?"


    "Haha...correct."


    Owen said, "Let''s head to the room I''m staying in. We can catch up there."


    ¡°Alright, if you say so..."


    The first time Simo met Owen was also in the streets.


    The streets at Pollivia flowed with great sums of untapped money and were home to wealthy targets, so it naturally attracted many seeking that wealth. There were simple street thugs and beggars, but also vendors selling food and individuals who had learned poor magic from somewhere.


    What Simo had been selling were various machines they had invented. Technically speaking, science and technology weren''t as popr as magic. However, while people saw magic as spectacle, not many could actually do it, so their interest in magic didn¡¯t run deep.


    Technology, on the other hand, was different. Anyone could handle science and technology. So even though it was less mysterious than magic, people were deeply interested in it because they believed it could benefit both them and others.


    Of course, Simo initially created machines to advertise the mineral water they brought from their hometown in a more eye-catching way, but they found a talent in it, and merchants and other technicians sometimes bought their inventions.


    In Pollivia, such street inventors weremon, and Simo was one of them. However, the invention Simo was demonstrating at that time didn''t gain much attention from the general public. Therefore, when a Lizardman approached and started asking various questions, it was inevitable for Simo to feel a sense of closeness.


    "This thing isn''t popr?"


    "Oh, yes. I had my doubts, but as expected."


    "You knew it wouldn''t be?"


    "Indeed."


    The invention Simo had made at that time appeared crude at first nce. It consisted of a thin tungsten rod with copper wire wound around both ends, trailing back and coiling around a metal rod. When a piece of paper was brought close to the tungsten rod, a spark ignited the paper.


    "Because it¡¯s electricity." Simo awkwardly smiled. "You don''t often see the chosen ones of the Empire, but if you visit the Empire, you might see them from afar, and if you''re unlucky, you might even encounter them on the battlefield. Compared to their thunderbolts powered by the Devil, this kind of electricity seems...pretty insignificant."


    Simo continued as if to defend themself.


    "Of course, there were those who showed interest. Some even asked if it was possible to produce arger amount of electricity. I decided to call this coiled copper wire a battery, and I said that if the battery wasrge enough, it might be possible to generate greater electricity. But once they learned roughly how much it would cost and that the battery would be consumed, they just shook their heads and left. They said it would be better to hire a chosen one in some way if it was that big, heavy, and expensive."


    "Hmm."


    Despite Simo''s self-deprecating words, Owen didn''t leave.


    "Interesting."


    "...Is it?"


    "It reminds me of a story my friend told me."


    "What kind of story..."


    The story Owen recalled was about the power of electricity. When Owen was still with the ck Scale Tribe, and even afterwards, the ways in which the chosen ones used their God-given electricity weren¡¯t very diverse. However, Zaol, Lakrak''spanion, believed there was something more to electric current.


    Owen didn''t have a specific idea in mind, but he still remembered Zaol''s words.


    Simo said, "...Well, that''s an interesting thought. I think that electricity can be produced through other forces, stored in specific objects, and its power can be transferred¡­ But I''m not certain yet. I''m not a student of any university so I don''t have the privilege to read other people''s research, and I don''t have enough money to conduct research on my own."


    Owen asked, "If things go as you think, what kind of object do you think you could create? For example, gunpowder led to the creation of guns. Do you think something simr could happen with inventions utilizing electricity?"


    Simo replied shyly, "...Things would change."


    "Huh?"


    "The world would change."


    That day, Owen heard about Simo''s vision of the future. To Owen, it seemed somewhat far-fetched.


    If even half of what was said came to be true, empires like the Ronante-Ororban Alliance would copse. Because once the era of electricity arrived, there would be no more need for kings, nobles, or sorrowful wars.


    Above all, electricity belonged to Night Sky. People who did not follow the Pantheon wouldn¡¯t agree, but at least Owen believed so.


    Though Simo followed the main religion of the continent, Meteor of the Red Spot, as taught by their parents, to Owen, Simo seemed like a devoted follower of Night Sky.


    Owen, guided by God¡¯s will, helped the Xolotl, an unfortunate species.


    After revealing that he was a chosen one, he assisted Simo in researching electricity and even gave away most of what little wealth he had.


    So Simo regarded Owen as their teacher and spent a brief time with him. Simo converted without much hesitation. Though Simo was interested in Night Sky, they felt more attachment to the Folded Wing Golden Bird.


    Both were primarily believed in by technologists, however, while Night Sky was associated with academic achievements, the Folded Wing Golden Bird was followed by those considered inventors.


    Not long after, Owen''s wanderlust prevented him from staying in one ce, so he left with a promise to return...and today, they met again.


    Upon arriving at Owen''s lodgings, Simo said awkwardly, "There hasn''t been much change since you left¡­ People really aren''t interested in electricity."


    "A star, before it rises, may shine but remain unseen."


    "That''s very profound, teacher!"


    "So, what''s the issue?"


    Simo avoided Owen¡¯s gaze as he got straight to the crux of the matter, but still decided to speak up.


    "... It''s money, after all."


    "Money."


    "I worked diligently in the direction you pointed me to, refining and researching, and if there were simr technologies or inventions, I hired people to bring them to Pollivia. But because of this, the money you gave me quickly ran out. And without money..."


    "Hmm."


    Owen reviewed Simo''s research. Simo, not being the best at exining things and being a schr of another field, often used their own terminology, so Owen couldn''t fully understand what they were saying, but still, it was the direction Owen had hoped for. The light bulb especially appeared promising as it could clearly demonstrate the utility of electricity to others.


    "Can¡¯t you just sell these?"


    "People prefer oilmps and gas lights. They question where such a thing would be used."


    "But as long as the ss doesn''t break, it won''t go out even if water is poured on it."


    "...That''s a good sales strategy. I should note that down."


    Simo jotted down Owen''s suggestion in their notebook.


    Owen said, "Hmm, in my opinion, the inventions have no issues."


    "Really? Then what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    "What youck is courage."


    "What does courage have to do with electricity and money?"


    "Follow me."


    Owen led Simo to the front of a massive tradingpany.


    The Pallet family was renowned in Pollivia, and there was no one who didn¡¯t know their name.


    Simo looked at Owen. "...Why are we here?"


    "If you want money, go where the money is. Why search for money in the streets where you try to save even pennies over a simple skewer?"


    "You''re not wrong, but Teacher... Wait, Teacher. Just a moment please. Please stop! Teacher¡­?¡±


    With his shoulders open wide, Owen confidently walked into the tradingpany. An hourter, the two of them were thrown out.


    "Get lost, beggars!"


    The atmosphere seemed fine when they entered. Given thepany''s size, there were many individuals like Owen, looking for investors. There was an established procedure, allowing them to showcase their inventions to higher-ups in thepany.


    However, the person in charge was greatly disappointed after seeing the invention, and once it was discovered that Simo was a street inventor and notorious seller of fake medicine, they were immediately kicked out.


    Simo lowered their head in shame.


    "I''m sorry, teacher. I tried to make money by selling some medicine..."


    "Hmm, it''s not entirely your fault. We all have to make a living. And while it may not be beneficial for the body, it isn¡¯t harmful either. if someone took it believing it was good, it might not be fake medicine after all." Owen reasoned.


    "...What do we do now?"


    Owen replied, "I was wrong. We need a change in our tactics."


    "...Tactics, you say?¡±


    ¡°Simo, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Owen lowered his head and whispered something to Simo. After hearing what Owen said, Simo staggered back in shock.


    "Teacher! That¡¯s real fraud!¡±


    "You''ve already sold fake medicine, so what''s the difference?"


    "If we get caught, it won''t just end with jail!¡±


    Owen had never experienced imprisonment, so it was a concern that didn¡¯t really get to him.


    "Then we better hurry."


    Owen headed to another tradingpany, Itimo Trading. Established by the famous Elf merchant Theone Itimo, this trading post was the secondrgest in Pollivia despite it being a branch office.


    Simo was the only one entering through the main door this time. Owen sneaked in through a window when no one was looking. Simo checked on Owen and sighed, but Owen easily held onto the window sill and moved inside silently.


    Just like at the Pallet Trading Company, there was already a process in ce, so Simo waited in the waiting room until they could meet the representative.


    The Elf representative asked, "What item have you brought?"


    Simo replied, "Hmm, I''m not quite sure what to call it exactly. It''s very mysterious and...dangerous."


    "Is it a weapon?"


    "It''s not only destructive. It''s filled with enough potential that could change the world."


    "...Well, let''s see it first then."


    Simo pulled out the item. It was the same invention Owen had first seen about ten years ago. Although now Simo had developed a more refined prototype of battery with a cleaner design, Simo kept this item for memory sake. Simo was the kind of person who couldn''t easily discard items they possessed.


    As Simo put on gloves, they said, "It''s a power-generating device, though it hasn¡¯t been specifically decided where and how it would be used yet. It needs to be handled very carefully."


    "Yes, yes."


    The representative looked uninterested.


    Given the number of street inventors, there must have been many fraudsters as well.


    Simo then picked up their invention.


    Zap!


    A shing current swirled around the device and heated the air around it.


    The representative, startled, fell backward in their chair and mumbled while getting up, "Oh¡­oh my. That is unbelievable."


    And it was. Hidden in a corner of the ceiling, Owen was exerting the chosen one''s power into the invention that Simo was presenting.

 Chapter 219: The Great Inventor

    Chapter 219: The Great Inventor


    The representative asked Simo, "What on earth¡­is that?"


    Simo exined the principle of electricity generation. Though Simo''s words were based on a few assumptions that they hadn''t yet fully verified, theoretically, they were all true.


    Simo suppressed their racing heart.


    ''But it''s obviously impossible for this much electricity toe from a battery of this size...''


    Simo nced at the ceiling.


    Then, with simple curiosity, the representative followed Simo''s gaze and looked up.


    The ceiling was empty. Owen, who had shot electricity toward the battery that Simo was holding earlier, had already hidden himself without a sound.


    It was a truly astonishing skill, but Simo was too anxious that this scam might be discovered to admire it.


    The representative said, "It''s really...a miraculous invention."


    "Ah, yes. Well¡­I guess it kind of is."


    "It¡¯s difficult for me to decide the amount to invest immediately. If possible, I''d like to show it to the higher-ups... Could you give me some time?"


    Simo took a deep breath. It was just as Owen had predicted. Because they had pulled off such a big scam, it had be a matter too difficult for a regr employee of thepany to handle.


    "Alright. But I urgently need money, so..."


    "How much do you need?"


    Simo named an amount, and the person in charge promptly wrote up the paperwork.


    Simo had set up a future meeting with the representative, received the money, and walked out of thepany building.


    Owen was already waiting outside.


    "Things went well, I see. How much did you get?"


    "...Enough to eat and stay in a hotel for a year while doing research."


    Owen had suggested Simo name a high price saying that if the amount was rejected, they could always lower it, and Simo had done just that.


    However, the representative had handed over the money, asking if that all would be enough, then sent Simo off with the money saying that Simo would be back anyway.


    Owen said, "Should we have asked for more?"


    Simo didn¡¯t seem to have heard Owen''s words and said, "W¡­what do I do?"


    "What are you talking about?"


    "That I''ve gone from a medicine seller to a fraudster?"


    "That''s unfortunate."


    "Why do you speak of it as if it''s someone else''s business?"


    Owenughed while patting Simo on the back.


    "You always are an amusing little inventor."


    "This isn¡¯t amusing."


    "First, get a good rest in the hotel. You''ll find it amusing then."


    Simo had mentioned staying in a hotel as an example but hadn''t really nned to go to one. Nevertheless, Owen, thinking Simo had worked hard, took Simo to thergest hotel in Pollivia.


    While it wasn''t thergest room, Owen brought Simo where they wouldn¡¯t have dared to go alone and said, "Rest here and continue your research. If there''s something hard to get, I''ll get it, and for minor errands, the hotel staff will do it for you."


    Simo shook their head.


    "The Itimo family will want to see another demonstration though."


    "Of course, I''ll assist you then as well."


    "But we can''t rely on that forever, can we? No matter how impressive the invention is, I can''t showcase it on my own. The shy device is your ability, not my invention."


    Owen replied, "Do you think that shiness is truly important?"


    "The representative lent me money after seeing it."


    "No, I mean, do you find it important? What did you call it again? Scientifically?¡±


    Simo frowned.


    "It''s extravagant, but not necessarily useful. If you want to kill someone, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just shoot them?"


    Owen said, "That''s exactly it. The vision you described of a society using electricity is more impressive than what I showed. You''ll achieve something greater than my little trick. And if peopleter say it''s a lie, just show them something even better. Understand?"


    Simo realized what Owen was trying to say.


    Perhaps Owen was right. But there was a problem.


    "I might fail. It might just be...a deluded dream of mine."


    Owen smiled. "I trust you. I have a good eye for people."


    Simo was too exhausted to reply.


    Simo worked hard to ensure they wouldn''t be a fraudster any longer.


    ''I won''t need to borrow teacher Owen''s electricity next time. One scam is enough.''


    There was plenty to say in Simo¡¯s defense. In reality, discharging electricity into the atmosphere was an unnecessary waste of energy, and the visible fanfare didn''t necessarily corrte with its practical use. This argument waspelling enough.


    ''But to achieve that, I need to show something more spectacr.''


    The world already had rubber-powered generators, arcane power, and steam engines as ways to produce and utilize energy.


    ''But the strength of electricity...is that it can go far.¡¯


    Devices like rubber-powered winders, arcane-powered machines, and steam engines that could store energy but only generate power in a short distance. Take the rubber-powered winders as an example, it involved winding rubber using a water wheel under a waterfall.


    Through the engineers'' efforts, they had almost reached automation, but the issue was that they had to transport devices like winders on carriages or trains to use it elsewhere.


    ¡®Electricity doesn¡¯t require that.¡¯


    This energy called electricity just needed a long wire. By moving along this wire, there was no need to wait anxiously for the device to be wound up again once its energy was all used, nor was there a need to manually wind the rubber.


    There was no need to even mention that the arcane-powered machines that required wizards to directly handle, and the steam engines that consumed a lot of coal, or thetest technology, the internalbustion engines, couldn''t ovee their respective limitations.


    No matter how many gears the machines utilized to transfer power, in the end, all the energy was consumed in turning the gears themselves.


    ¡®The old technologies won''t disappear, but they''ll all be used to generate electricity.¡¯


    Simo searched for electrical wires with low resistance, improved capacitors, and made ns for transformers. They also rented a warehouse and called in technicians based in Pollivia, who were schrs of Jeya but were interested in temporarily assisting Simo, and Simo also referred to thetest research materials that Owen had brought from Vaseniol.


    However, it was a challenging task. What Simo intended to design was not merely about lighting a bulb, but an entire system to generate and supply electricity. But there were difficulties in producing the crucial power generator.


    The prototypes Simo had created so far did not show as much efficiency as they had anticipated, which made it hard to find any particr advantages over existing machines.


    ¡®I¡¯m almost there though...!¡¯


    On a particrly exhausting night in the warehouse, Simo had a dream. In the dream, someone stood by the power generator Simo had created.


    ¡®They¡¯re¡­short.¡¯


    It wasn''t surprising as there were many species as short as the Xolotls such as Kobolds, Dwarfs, Halflings, Pangolins...but their figure differed from those species.


    This person had a rtively plump body with a broad beak.


    ¡°...A ty?¡±


    The ty, who didn¡¯t seem to have heard Simo mumbling to themself, was carefully examining Simo¡¯s generator. Simo shot up and rushed to the ty when they reached out to touch it.


    "Wait, don''t touch it!"


    Only then did the ty turn and look at Simo.


    The ty said, "This is a terrible design."


    "What?"


    "But with a few tweaks, it could be improved."


    "Who are you?"


    Without answering, the ty quickly began loosening and tightening screws with a wrench.


    "I told you not to touch it!"


    Simo hurriedly ran to stop the ty, but for some reason, despite the warehouse not being veryrge, Simo couldn''t reach the ty.


    Moreover, the ty seemed to have finished working on it in an instant and slid the wrench into the front pocket of their work attire, dusting off their hands.


    "It''s done now. I would prefer to take it all apart entirely and start over, but I guess this is the extent of causality permitted..."


    "...Causality?"


    While gasping for breath, Simo looked at the ty. Simo had recognized the ty¡¯s appearance a bitte. The ty wore work clothes that covered their whole body to protect their fur, and in their leather apron, there were tools needed for building or repairing machines. Above all, this ty had their signature goggles over their eyes.


    With a trembling voice, Simo asked, "C¡­could you possibly be...?"


    "Oh, do you know me?"


    The ty looked at Simo, embarrassed.


    "...Toolbo?"


    He was a famous genius inventor of the former Fabirang Union, which was now part of the ck Scale Empire. As the creator of the Helix Wings and the rubber genius who made lonely nights more bearable, he was admired by all inventors. He was the eighth apostle of the Pantheon, the madman Toolbo.


    Toolbo put their goggles back on and said, "The prayer of an inventor reached the Folded Wing Golden Bird. I came to help you at their call. I didn¡¯t fix too much."


    "I¡­it''s an honor!"


    "While I am bound by causality, you can express your will freely. So do not be disheartened by anything.¡±


    "...Alright!"


    Toolbo walked out of the warehouse where it was bright.


    When Simo turned around, there seemed to be something huge moving...and then Simo woke up from their dream.


    Simo rubbed their eyes.


    "...Was it a silly dream?"


    Waking up in the warehouse groggily, Simo walked over to the power equipment.


    At a nce, Simo noticed right away that the problem that had stumped them for so long was suddenly resolved.


    "It wasn¡¯t¡­a dream?"


    ***


    When Simo demonstrated their invention again to the Itimo household, many were disappointed because they didn¡¯t see the brilliant burst of electricity that was said in rumors, and only one representative had witnessed.


    What Simo showed was a connected wire, a shining light bulb, and a power generator that made a noisy sound as it operated.


    Simo simply exined, "That was just a treat for the eyes to get the initial investment. I won''t do such a thing in the future. It''s too dangerous and merely wasteful. Oh, and it seems the representative might have exaggerated a bit. The electricity wasn''t that strong."


    The Elf representative present at the time wanted to refute, but couldn''t respond to Simo''s confident statement. Simo had quite a silver tongue for a medicine peddler as long as they weren¡¯t taken off guard.


    However, the representative wasn''t the only one dissatisfied.


    "Isn''t this machine too noisy?"


    "We could just produce light with candles."


    "Connecting that long wire... Was it called a power line? It seems like a waste to have to connect it too."


    Simo had anticipated these reactions.


    ''Right, one can think that way. But all it takes is to change the mind of just one person.''


    The one Simo was looking at was the head of the household, Philina Itimo.


    Philina seemed to ponder for a moment and then stood up. The other members of thepany thought her answer was obvious, but what Philina said waspletely different from what most of thepany anticipated.


    "Provide this inventor with as many people,nd, and money as they want."


    "Pardon?"


    Philina approached Simo and said, "And Simo, is it?"


    "Oh, yes."


    "Follow me. A nk check won''t be enough to buy that device. Let''s discuss shares."


    ***


    [The world has begun being supplied with ¡®electricity¡¯.]


    [Current generator producing country: Pollivia]


    [Current generator patent holder: Simo]

 Chapter 220: Showdown

    Chapter 220: Showdown


    "...Isn''t this absurd?"


    Jang-Wan grumbled after seeing the World Message window.


    The country indicated for generator production was Pollivia, not the ck Scale Empire. Therefore, the Empire was technically behind the other nations.


    "We invested so much to make the Empire thend with the greatest intellect, but why didn''t it originate from here?"


    Sung-Woon disagreed. "It''s possible."


    "Also, we even have the spirit of demonic magic that uses electricity, don¡¯t we?¡±


    "Sometimes, the things you desire most or are closest to are hardest to obtain."


    Ironically, Sung-Woon understood why it happened. The chosen ones of the Empire all used electricity, so it could be hard for them to think about using electricity in another way. To the people of the Empire, electricity was the power of God, and even the smart and wise people perceived it more as a weapon than a form of energy.


    Additionally, there were many other forms of power that could be used instead. Even though the internalbustion engine, which showed remarkable output, was introduced, its distribution was slow because alternatives already existed in the market.


    ''It''s a bitte, but it''s out now, so it doesn''t matter.''


    With the start of electricity distribution, it was inevitable for there to be various reactions to the distribution rights and speed.


    ''Right now, it may be perceived just as a means of transferring energy, but...''


    However, there were many geniuses in the world besides Simo.


    ''Electricmunication, telephones,puters... The world will truly enter the modern age.''


    Sung-Woon said, "Even if thend is unrted to us, the inventor Simo is our follower. Plus, the investor belongs to the Empire."


    Jang-Wan lightly hit the desk. "But at this rate, it''ll be taken away. It''s right in the middle of enemy territory, isn''t it?"


    There wasn''t much information exchanged among the yers, but it was understood that the Ronante-Oroban Alliance had allied with the Union Kingdom.


    Of course, the Empire was already at war with the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, but the fact that the two enemy countries, albeit temporarily, formed an alliance was concerning. The easing of tensions between the Alliance and the Union Kingdom meant that defense forces could be moved, which would make the Empire''s war harder. Moreover, apostles of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance were beginning toe out of hiding.


    "...The Alliance''s army is smaller than the Union Kingdom¡¯s, but it''s still nothing to sneeze at."


    "The sea blockade has already begun. The Empire''s economy could run on the domestic markets of the two continents, but if it continues like this..."


    "They''ll take electricity."


    For now, the patent holder was Simo, who followed the Pantheon, but it wouldn''t be strange if it was taken away in some way. Even though Pollivia itself was a neutral country, its border was shared with the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, and the sea closer to Pollivia belonged to the Union Kingdom.


    Sung-Woon said, "However, it won''t be easy to forcefully invade Pollivia."


    "Why?"


    "Because the countries supporting Pollivia aren¡¯t the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, but the smaller neighboring nations."


    Currently, on the first continent, the Ronante-Oroban Alliance had thergest territory, but it was just slightly over half of the continent atrge.


    "They might be the dominant power in the first continent, but they don''t haveplete control over it."


    "Come to think of it, there are other yers too."


    "I wouldn''t count on them."


    "Because they''re micro yers?"


    "Exactly."


    In The Lost World, as the game progressed to itster stages, there were people who continued ying without a specific goal. Major yers with vast territories found it difficult to mobilize armies for smaller territories. On the other hand, yers with smaller territories found it easier to concentrate their forces and defend. Therefore, major yers ignored the minor ones and yed on. Those minor yers either got out or sought alliances with the biggest forces to gain some victory points. This type of y was called micro y.


    "I haven¡¯t talked to them directly, but both are typical micro yers. They formed unions with neighboring countries diplomatically and are moving in a way that doesn''t get on the nerves of the major yers, Male Chicken and dimir."


    "What about the possibility of forming an alliance with them?"


    "Well, they are further west than the Alliance, so if our Empirends on the first continent, they''d be the first to be affected. Their railway system isn''t well-developed, so they can''t rely on the Alliance for support. If we catch the two and advance, we could gain more XP points."


    Jang-Wan pondered and said, "Then what if they propose an alliance to us instead?"


    "We''ll have to think about it. If they are already with the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, we''d be backstabbed. And on top of that, there¡¯s no reason for us to request an alliance first. Leaving the center of the continent as a buffer zone isn''t an entirely bad idea. There¡¯s no need to worry about either the Alliance''s navy or army."


    The central ind of the first continent was ruled by Ronante, and the southeast coast was ruled by Oroban. Combined, they formed the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, so they had distinct army and navy systems.


    There was a symbolic figure called Heavenly King, a descendant of the royal families of both Ronante and Oroban. However, after merging, the king failed to prevent local nobilities from gaining power, and as a result, the Heavenly King was reduced to a symbolic figure. Afterwards, the local nobles of Ronante were in charge of the Alliance''s army, while the local nobles of Oroban were responsible for the Alliance''s navy. While the different sses of nobility held significant officer positions in both the army and the navy, the two nations became unified, but they continued to be at odds with each other.


    ''And that probably is because Male Chicken and dimir didn''t trust each other that much.''


    Due to this, the Alliance''s army was immediately tied up with other smaller countries, and for the Empire, they only had to deal with the alliance''s navy.


    "So it¡¯s better to leave the small countries on the first continent as a neutral area rather than forming an unstable alliance with them?"


    "Sometimes, an ufortable rtionship can be a good one. As long as there are small countries, the army is unlikely to move, using them as an excuse, and the navy won''t engage in a significant battle if they think the army isn''t at a disadvantage."


    It wasn''t a mere spection. The Empire was currently investing the most resources in reconnaissance in the world, so they had reliable information.


    However, Jang-Wan seemed dissatisfied with Sung-Woon''s reasoning.


    "Let¡¯s say that¡¯s true for the war right now. What about the electricity then?"


    If they lost the patent rights and failed to obtain the technology until it wasmercialized, they would fall behind in many areas.


    While the Empire had magicalmunication, it wasn''t an all-round problem solver. Even in the Empire, Wizards were limited, and among them, very few were useful in real wars or operations.


    Moreover, the war remained unresolved even when the Empire had a technological advantage, so leaving the opponent to gain a short-term benefit was a risk itself.


    ''At some point, we''ll be able to acquire the technology and rapidly develop it in the Empire. But even before that timees, the Union Kingdom might gain momentum again.''


    It might be a different story with other yers, but Hegemonia could do it.


    Hegemonia directly participated in wars using Divine Control when needed. They often used the skill as amander, but sometimes as an infantry to assassinate the enemy''s key person, as a military engineer to destroy bridges, or as artillery to hit the target precisely. The mortal Hegemonia had assumed control over pulled off moves in battle that seemed like miracles. They turned a devastating defeat into a revived army, and what seemed like a lost battle into a victory.


    ''Have they gained more finesse? They seem much stronger than when ying the game.''


    Sung-Woon had to acknowledge Hegemonia''s ability to find such victories. Hegemonia was undoubtedly a god of war. But of course, Sung-Woon had the skill to turn Hegemonia''s brilliancy on a broader game board into minor victories, and with near-perfect management, he effectively countered those miraculous victories.


    Sung-Woon said, "There''s a way."


    "A way?"


    "It''s theoretical, but it''s a method I''ve actually used before."


    "Exin it."


    Sung-Woon did so.


    After listening to the entire exnation, Jang-Wan asked as if in disbelief, "...Are you being serious right now? Is that possible?"


    "It hasn''t been tried in rank matches, but it''s a possible method. There''s no reason it won''t work here."


    "¡­Hmm."


    "If you''re reluctant, I won''t insist you do it."


    Jang-Wan sighed and said, "Someone else has to do it anyway, right? I''ll do it."


    "Well, on second thought, I don''t really want to bother my cousin."


    Jang-Wan grumbled, "You suggested it to me because you trust me more than others, right?"


    "Yes."


    What Sung-Woon proposed wasn''t just something easily epted due to being in the same alliance. A stronger connection, perhaps one outside the game, seemed necessary for Sung-Woon to trust the person who would do it. Fortunately, although their rtionship wasn''t that strong, they were rted by blood.


    "Then I''ll do it."


    Jang-Wan tapped her chest with her thumb.


    "The sacrificialmb."


    ***


    With a screen in between, Hegemonia and Sung-Woon were facing each other.


    Hegemonia asked, "What scheme are you plotting now?"


    "Do you know that a generator has been invented?"


    "Is that what this is about?"


    Hegemonia crossed their arms and looked ted.


    "You won''t be able toy a hand on it."


    "Technically, since the inventor of the generator, Simo, is my follower, I''ve already got a hand on it. And one of our apostles was also involved in its creation."


    "¡­Uh...um. Fine! Even better. I''ll make good use of the generator you gave me."


    "How do you n to? If you try to move your army into Pollivia, you''ll have to go to war with the smaller nations of the first continent."


    "Ah, well, yes. I don''t n to mobilize the army. But..."


    Hegemonia suddenly stopped talking. "Wait, why should I tell you?"


    "If you don''t want to, then don''t."


    "Don¡¯t rile me up and just get to the point."


    Sung-Woon said, "We''ve fought each other for a long time. Originally, we would have had a more morous battle with bigger stakes, but because of what''s at stake in this game, there were some slower parts."


    "Yes, so?"


    "It was difficult to take such risks when our battles were even. But now, I want to solidify my advantage and win the war, and you''re looking for an opportunity to turn the situation around, right?"


    Hegemonia got lost in their thoughts as they spected about Sung-Woon¡¯s intent.


    ''At this rate, I''ll get the generator and be the first to handle electricity. That way, I can somewhatpensate for the losses from the revolution. And Neb would want to stop that at all costs.''


    Sung-Woon said, "If you''re so confident, how about a showdown after such a long time?"


    "A showdown?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "I''m talking about a Contradicting Prophecy."

 Chapter 221: Old Man鈥檚 Wisdom

    Chapter 221: Old Man¡¯s Wisdom


    In The Lost World, the system called prophecy was a quest given to the yer themself. They set a goal, and if the yer''s civilization achieved that goal, the yer would receive additional rewards based on how challenging the prophecy was to fulfill.


    For example, if a yer wanted to explore a new region A, they would make a prophecy to their priest individual B, saying ''B will go to A''. During this process, the yer could guide B to A, but there was no guarantee that it would happen.


    If the prophecy failed, the yer wouldn''t receive any rewards, and the fact that the words of the god were wrong would spread, making it more difficult to collect Faith resources. On the other hand, if the prophecy was sessful, they would prove the words of the god were true and receive additional rewards for fulfilling their prophecy.


    Making prophecies and earning rewards like this was one of the primary ways to gain Faith points in The Lost World.


    However, this alone might not suffice, especially when two yers needed to resolve a conflict due to conflicting interests. Thus, the system allowed for Contradicting Prophecy.


    For example, if yers A and B both wanted to possess a specific entity C, they could ce contradictory prophecies against each other with the intention of definitively oveing the opponent during their dispute over the ownership of C. If two contradictory prophecies such as ''yer A will own C'' and ''yer B will own C'' were made, only one prophecy could be fulfilled. Therefore, the other yer would not only fail to possess C, but also receive a penalty for the failed prophecy.


    These Contradicting Prophecies were frequently used by yers. yers usually had to engage in individual battles, so they couldn''t drag out a single battle for too long, nor could they let the opponent easily take some benefit. So if they needed more definite results, Contradicting Prophecies would be applied.


    ''I have no reason to refuse.''


    At the moment, Hegemonia was at a disadvantage, but if they could somehow steal electricity, Hegemonia could regain their status.


    ''But when looking beyond that...''


    There were no guarantees. After the modern era, many people would be secr and skeptical about the religious wars of the past. No matter how confident one was in war, it would be meaningless if they didn''t even get the opportunity to wage it.


    ''Given the suggestion, Neb must be feeling impatient too.''


    More precisely, Hegemonia thought that Neb''s other subordinates would be dissatisfied even if Neb wasn¡¯t.


    For about 80 years, there hadn''t been significant changes to the borders, but now they were starting to gain a chance to win. Because of this, it would be painful for them if Hegemonia took the upper hand back.


    Hegemonia said, "...Let''s discuss it first. If we were to make a Contradicting Prophecy, what would it be about?"


    Sung-Woon seemed to think about it for a moment and then said, "How about the patent rights?"


    "Don''t you already have it?"


    "So, how about in three months, we see who owns it then?"


    Hegemonia felt relieved on the inside.


    ''Does he want to avoid battle?''


    Battle was Hegemonia''s specialty and main strategy, so it would only be natural to assume Neb wanted to avoid one.


    ''But just because there isn¡¯t a battle doesn''t mean I''m at a disadvantage. He hasn''t fully grasped my strength.''


    Hegemonia thought it was okay to fight over the patent rights. In fact, that could even be the better option.


    ''If abat situation arises, I''ll have to bring out my apostles. If a conflict of that magnitude happens...''


    Despite their continuous victories in battles, Hegemonia, like Neb, had to avoid major fights. Hegemonia didn''t think Neb had simply given up on all battles, but nevertheless, Neb wasn''t overly concerned with each individual loss.


    The Neb Hegemonia knew was capable of matching Hegemonia in battlemand when being focused enough.


    ''More than anything, I''m outnumbered in terms of apostles.''


    Hegemonia had seven apostles, whereas the number of apostles Sung-Woon had, as far as Hegemonia could tell, was nine.


    Hegemonia could use Divine Control, or in urgent situations, Hierophany, but considering the rate of Faith consumption, it wasn''t the best strategy.


    ''In the end, it''s all about the apostles.''


    Therefore, Hegemonia wanted to maintain their number of apostles until the final battle.


    ''But I can''t reveal too much to Neb.''


    Hegemonia said to Neb, "I prefer something simpler. How about who takes over Pollivia?"


    "Wouldn''t that be too disadvantageous for us? It''s quite far from us, and we have to get through the Alliance¡¯s fleets."


    "Hmm."


    "How about you just give us that?"


    "Well, the current holder of the patent rights is also part of the Empire."


    "But you¡¯re much closer when you consider the distance, aren¡¯t you?"


    Hegemonia responded with slight reluctance, "Alright, I ept. Patent rights, in three months."


    "Then I''ll open the prophecy window. Verify and agree."


    "Will do."


    Hegemonia smiled on the inside.


    ''This¡­ I would win.''


    ***


    In Pollivia was the mansion of the Pallet family.


    In Pollivia, there existed a prejudice that Orcs were savage and simply foolish, but if their family name was Pallet, people discarded that bias and respected the Orcs. Even among Orcs, those who descended from the Pallet bloodline were no less clever and wise than any other species. In moments of decision, they were well-known for demonstrating an Orc-like intuition in choosing what would benefit their family.


    Publically, the Pallet family was known to not support any specific religion. However, that wasn''t true. Dealing with various merchants in a neutral country, it was a mere precaution to avoid antagonizing other traders, but within their mansion, they had a private shrine.


    Sitting in that shrine right now was the second child of the house, Bianto Pallet.


    Historically, the eldest child of the Pallet family would inherit the position of the minor lord, while the second would manage the shrine as a secret priest. This secret had been passed down for nearly two centuries, and no one had discovered it.


    While praying in the shrine, Bianto lifted their head and opened their eyes.


    The family head, Bulko Pallet asked after the wait, "...What happened?"


    "Lord, this might be the most important moment in our family''s history."


    Bianto turned to look at Bulko. "The Angry One spoke to me directly.¡±.


    The religion that the Pallet bloodline secretly followed was the Order of the Angry One.


    ***


    "A naval blockade?" asked Simo.


    Philina Itimo, the head of the Itimo family, not only assured Simo of various support but also made a new proposition. She suggested continuing the research in the Empire.


    Pollivia was a hub for traders worldwide with its gathering of the century''s best technologists, so it was a prime location for inventions. However, considering the Wizard Tower, which was known as the pinnacle of the arcane, Vaseniol, the sanctuary of intellectuals, and Orazen, the city known as the fruit of ancient civilization, Simo was always ready to leave Pollivia at any moment.


    Above all, Simo had received assistance from the eighth apostle Toolbo. Despite Simo¡¯s initial doubt about how a religion could help with invention, they ended up bing an avid fan of Toolbo and forgetting their initial reluctance.


    Philina also mentioned arranging transportation, but there was an issue.


    "The intensifying war between the Ronante-Oroban Alliance and the ck Scale Empire makes sea travel difficult. Even if it''s not a military ship, the Alliance''s navy would likely detain and inspect it.¡±


    "What about air travel?"


    "It''s a bit better, but all of the Empire''s airships have joined the war. There won''t be any regr continental flights for a while, and our family''s airships are on the opposite side of the continent¡­so it would take some time."


    Since it was an unavoidable situation, Simo epted it.


    Owen, who was with Simo under disguise as their assistant, said, "This isn''t good."


    "Indeed... It would have been good if we could immediately go to the Empire. But we should be able to goter, right?"


    "That''s not the case."


    "Pardon? What do you mean, Teacher?"


    When Simo called Owen ¡®teacher¡¯, Philina looked puzzled.


    Owen then said, "There are several bad signs. You got help from an apostle, the long-feuding Union Kingdom and the two allied countries are gearing up to fight the Empire, and the path to the Empire was cut off, as if the world revolves around us."


    "...Uh, they all seem like possible coincidences."


    "It''d be nice if true, but being cautious won''t hurt. If I''m right, call it an old man''s wisdom."


    Owen thumbed his chin for a moment and then said to Philina, "Philina, was it?"


    "Yes?"


    Philina, considering Owen as Simo¡¯s assistant, thought about how to treat him and then decided to treat him appropriately by his age.


    "Do you have something to say, sir?"


    "There''s one thing I''d like to ask..."


    "Yes."


    "I''m quite ignorant about such matters, but hypothetically, if your family is attacked in Pollivia, what kind of form do you think it would take?"


    Philina thought it was a strange question, but responded as best she could.


    "...Well, depending on the enemy, they might try to steal our long-standing clients first. If that doesn''t work, they might try to bankrupt us."


    "And then?"


    "They might bribe the city officials? They might try to levy unfair taxes on our traded goods or even confiscate them."


    "Go on."


    "Well, there are criminal organizations in Pollivia. If they resort to such wicked means, they might even hire such organizations. That''s all thates to mind for now."


    Owen let out a sigh of relief.


    Philina was bewildered, unable to follow Owen''s thoughts.


    Owen then said, "Thankfully, it seems this old man might have a role to y in helping."


    "A role in helping?"


    "Though it might not seem like it, I''m confident with physical tasks."


    Simo looked unbothered, as if it were obvious, and Philina shook her head.


    "Um, but the things I mentioned have a slim chance of happening."


    "Why do you think that?"


    Philina replied to Owen¡¯s question. The middle-aged Elf trusted her experience in leading her family.


    "This isn''t a battlefield between the Empire and the Union kingdom. Pollivia is a peaceful ce, and such fights end up causing harm to oneself. While there are other tradingpanies that are hostile to us and those we don''t look favorably upon, they typically avoid doing harm for their own sake."


    Owen nodded slowly as if he understood.


    "But it seems you''ve lived only in peaceful times on a peacefulnd."


    "Pardon?"


    Owen said, "Some people willingly shed their own blood just to see the blood of others."


    "...?"


    "They believe it''s a path in service of their god."


    Suddenly, the door burst open.


    The running secretary then said to Philina, "Ma''am, there''s a problem! Our business partner, Sahil Industries, has..."


    As Philina''s face turned pale, Owen stood up.


    "It seems that things are getting busy here, so we should get going."


    "I''m sorry. I''ll call someone to escort you out."


    "I know the way out. Let''s go, Simo."


    As they walked out of the reception room, Simo asked, "Uh, is something...going wrong?"


    "Do you think that would be the case, little inventor?" Owen saidughing, "Do you think this old man would stand by and watch if that was the case?"

 Chapter 222: Value More Important Than Money

    Chapter 222: Value More Important Than Money


    The citizens of Pollivia had thought there was no other way to describe what was happening in the city except the word ¡®war¡¯. On the surface, it didn''t seem like a big issue. Pollivia during the day still seemed rtively safe, and there was no indication that it would get worse.


    Pickpocketing had been on a rage, but in Pollivia, pickpocketing was a kind of business. Bad pickpockets got caught and beaten, but if one didn''t notice their pockets and bags being emptied, it was considered their own fault. Moreover, these pickpockets mainly targeted foreigners who were unaware of Pollivia''s pickpocketing culture, so some even said it was amercial activity for the benefit of Pollivia.


    The night scene hadn''t changed much either.


    In onemercial district was Pollivia''s famous adult entertainment district. Travelers, merchants from other regions, Pollivia''s politicians, and members of criminal organizations could often be seen there. But for the citizens of Pollivia, this was also considered a form of order. For them, the sight of the city built over the sea, reflecting itsmerce, was no different from the regr dealings they observed.


    The war wasn''t visible. At first, apple prices dropped. Then, prices for some fruits imported from other countries fell as well. As time went by, prices for various food items, raw materials, and raw materials for medicines followed. Everyone thought it was good that prices were dropping.


    People in bars believed it was because of the war between the ck Scale Empire and the Ronante-Oraban Alliance. They thought that merchants trying to supply war materials were blocked by a naval blockade and, therefore, many goods wereing ind.


    "But if there''s a naval blockade, shouldn''t the prices of imperial goods increase?"


    That was right. Even the Alliance wouldn''t be able topletely block off the whole ocean between the first and third continents. So even though a small amount of the Empire¡¯s goods asionally came across the continent, given the poor rail connections and other transportation means, there were pretty much no Empire goods in Pollivia.


    The reason for the drop in prices was simple. It was because someone was importing more goods. Even during wartime, the two major powers that were the Ronante-Oraban Alliance and the Danly Union Kingdom had more than enough goods to bring to a small city-state like Pollivia.


    As time went on, it became clear who was fighting whom. On one side were Pollivia''srgest Pallet Trading Company and its many associates, and on the other side was the Itimo Trading Company and its allies. Bothpanies drastically reduced prices to maintain a monopoly on the goods the other was importing.


    The newspapers started reporting daily on the conflict between the twopanies, calling the long-established Pallet the traditionalist and the Itimo, filled with foreign forces from the Empire and other countries, the foreign faction. This became the subject of people''s gossip, and in the back alleys, bets were openly made on how much the prices of certain items would drop.


    Citizens, and even the two tradingpanies, didn''t know what the oue of their battle would bring.


    By the time a month passed, all the shops lining three of the alleys had closed, five factories shut their doors, and both the self-employed andborers had be beggars. People who couldn''t pay their debts to loan sharks were found dead, and conversely, loan sharks and their people were shot for not collecting the debts and received brutal punishment, ending up in trash bins in the back alleys.


    The two tradingpanies maintained a monopoly over several types of food and raw materials by winning against each other, but, on the contrary, continued to ce orders to win over other products, resulting in shortages. Several items were removed from restaurant menus, bicycle production was stopped, and leather clothing became scarce.


    Every day, public safety worsened; when an assemblyman who had looked after the Itimo family was found assassinated, both the market and the city council urged reconciliation between the two families, but neither side took the initiative.


    For the first week, Philina Itimo, the head of the Itimo family, didn''t fully understand what was happening. At first, she thought it was for profit. This kind of battle between tradingpanies was routine. This time, it was just elerated, and nothing seemed new. But when the Pallet Trading Company took drastic steps, the Itimo Company had to follow.


    As time went on, the actions of the Pallet Company seemed more irrational than just for profit. Certain products had many alternatives, making it difficult to maintain a monopolistic position in the market, and there was no reason for intensepetition because of the potential emergence of new technologies. However, the Pallet Company invested unconditionally, just to push the Itimo Company out.


    ''All this? Why?''


    Even if the Pallets were to push Itimos out of Pollivia, that dominance would be temporary. Despite the war andck of help, there were many in the Empire who could aid the Itimo family, and even if they didn''t, merchants from the Union Kingdom and the Alliance always eyed opportunities in Pollivia.


    ''If we suffer this much damage from such a cutthroatpetition, we''ll eventually end up giving everything to external forces. What''s the point in that? Pallet?''


    Responding to Philina Itimo''s question wasn''t a member of the Pallet family, but an elderly Lizardman named Owen, who imed to be the assistant of Simo, the inventor Philina had recently contracted with.


    "There are values more important than money.¡±


    Philina said, "There are no such values.¡±


    "I don''t intend to change your mind, but you''re Philina Itimo, and Bulko Pallet might think differently, don''t you think?"


    "They are no different from me."


    "No, they are different."


    After saying this, Owen produced a small statue. It was of the image of the Angry One, who had shown themself only once during the climax of the continental unification war. The interesting part was its size¡ªsmall enough to be held with one hand, but its heavy weight suggested it was made of pure gold.


    "I retrieved it from the hidden room of the Pallet family."


    "...I can''t believe it."


    "I can''t prove it to you. But with something this valuable, you should be able to find a way to confirm it yourself."


    Philina was skeptical, but she epted it. The mere act of handing such a gold piece to Philina, who was known for her materialism, was convincing enough.


    In fact, Philina thought there was something suspicious. The golden statue of the Angry One was intricately made, yet there was no trace of its maker. This meant that it was secretly crafted and stored.


    Philina leaked information about the golden statue, and the Pallet family was the first to react to the rumors. Owen''s words had been true.


    Philina then went to find Owen.


    "How did you find it?"


    "Over the years, I''ve picked up a few skills."


    "...But sir, I don''t quite understand. What do they hope to gain from this? Does the Angry One wish for our downfall?"


    "No."


    "Then what do you think they want?"


    In truth, even Owen was puzzled about this.


    ''Why were they targeting the Itimo Trading Company and not Simo?''


    By now, Owen realized electricity was significant enough for the gods to make it a matter of dispute. But then, the ones who should be the center of the conflict should be Simo, the one who had the knowledge. So Owen had been keen on protecting Simo since a threat was detected, but there had been no significant threats to Simo so far.


    ''Am I missing something?''


    With this thought, Owen decided to help the Itimo family a bit since they had a contract with Simo. In Owen''s view, Simo''s invention could be sold to any merchant or any rich person, so he didn''t think it mattered much who bought Simo''s invention. But the fact that they were the first to recognize the value of Simo''s invention and were from the Empire made him care. Otherwise, Owen would have considered taking Simo and leaving Pollivia.


    Owen said, "I believe Simo is the one that is important here."


    "Oh, the inventor?"


    "The gods seem to ce great importance on electricity."


    Philina shook her head.


    "Isn''t the patent the most important then?"


    "What''s that?"


    "Um, sir, you seem to have forgotten that Simo is an inventor. Are you familiar with patents?"


    "No."


    Philina briefly exined patents and patent rights. After hearing that it was a way to recognize ownership over an invention, Owen looked puzzled.


    "But wouldn''t what''s in Simo''s head still remain?"


    "True. But a patent can be bought and sold, and it can also be transferred to someone else. This concept is recognized not just in Pollivia, but also by the Alliance, the Union Kingdom, and even the Empire."


    Philina continued to say to Owen, who had a somewhat dissatisfied expression, "If what you say is correct, then what they want might be the patent rted to electricity, which will exin their actions. Just before we hit rock bottom, when we start selling everything we can, we''d have to put up the patent rights as well. That''s what they''re after."


    Owen, who seemed to be thinking, then said, "But in my opinion, what''s more important than the rights is the person who makes it."


    Owen knew Philina wouldn''t agree. She had already said that nothing is more important than money.


    ''Protecting a person without any help is a tough job, but it''s not impossible. I have experience after all.''


    But to his surprise, Philina said something unexpected. "I agree with you, sir."


    "Didn''t you say nothing is more important than money?"


    "You can''t buy a person with money, right? That''s why you buy patent rights instead."


    "I thought you''d agree with the concept of very."


    "Even if it seems like that, whenever there''s a religious ceremony, I always sit at the head seat. I donate the most money after all." Philina said. "There are already several rumors going around saying that the Itimo family will fall. It might be true. The traditionalists have been building rtionships with the regional lords for a long time, while we received support from the Empire, which is now at war. But I''ll believe what you say."


    "Will you?"


    "Yes. If I have to choose between the patent rights and Simo at a certain moment, I will choose Simo."


    "Oh?"


    "Because, surely, Simo wille up with an even more impressive invention."


    "...."


    For some reason, Owen felt like he had read between Philina''s lines, but he wasn''t entirely displeased.


    ***


    The battles weren''t only happening in Pollivia. It wasn''t just a simple battle between soldiers, neither was it creations versus creations or apostles against apostles. The gods themselves were getting involved.


    This could be seen as something unusual because direct involvement in wars was a direct vition of the principle of causality, and therefore, vast amounts of Faith resources would be consumed. But despite such consumption, the war between the two gods was seen as a critical issue that required direct intervention.


    On the other hand, there were cases where the causality was perceived as unclear or not evident.


    For example, to fix the falling price of apples in Pollivia, an orchard could be burned down by making a lightning bolt strike from a clear sky. While this was a direct invasion on fruit farms, inparison to a war where one of the gods could win and change the world, it was just a trivial disaster. It didn¡¯t make a significant impact on the fate of the world.


    To freeze the prices of raw materials, they could also copse a mine with an earthquake, burying all the miners. With the miners dead, the mine would be abandoned, and the town that depended on that mine''s resources would copse. Yet the destruction of a small miningmunity was trivial whenpared to the fate of the world.


    Of course, this was a deception. The fate of the world responded sensitively to the wars of gods, but was oblivious and indifferent to Contradicting Prophecies or market maniptions. The amount of Faith resources needed to vite causality was also not extensively consumed. It was truly an act of a god.


    While carefully examining how certain events would influence the battles in Pollivia, there were repeated instances of setting a small group or area on fire or burying it just for what''s called a patent, which even in a mortal¡¯s point of view, could be more precious than a person¡¯s life.


    Beep beep.


    Sung-Woon opened his eyes to the notification supported by the add-on. It signaled that the consumed Faith resources had reached the requirement for the next action.


    ''The next move should be...''


    Looking down at the map, Sung-Woon noticed a message popping up at the bottom of the screen.


    ''Finally...''


    What Sung-Woon saw was a World Message, and¡­


    [yer ''Neb'' has obtained the right to challenge the Large Area: Sky.]


    A personal message asking for his response followed.


    [Do you want to challenge the Large Area?]


    [Yes / No]

 Chapter 223: Challenger of a Large Area

    Chapter 223: Challenger of a Large Area


    The most basic Large Areas were seven in total, which could be put into three categories: the three Large Areas of nature, the two Large Areas of yin and yang, and the two Large Areas of life.


    Among them, the three Large Areas of nature, sky,nd, and sea, were mostmonly seen in the game of The Lost World and were considered powerful Large Areas.


    The other four Large Areas were not only difficult to acquire, but the two Large Areas of yin and yang had clear weaknesses, and the two Large Areas of life could greatly change the game''s dynamics, so they weren''t favored.


    ''...The power to change the board.''


    If Sung-Woon was to give the Large Areas a concise description, that was what he would say.


    Large Areas truly had the power to shake the game. But their power wasn''t just inherently strong.


    ''If one simply assesses the win rate upon obtaining a certain domain...naturally, Unique Domains like Domain: War would rank high. After all, they aren''t domainsmonly encountered in the game.''


    On the other hand, if yers yed The Lost World without any issues and reached theter part of the game, they earned the right to challenge a Large Area.


    ''Exceed the Divine level 31, obtain over 48 Small Areas, and push 12 of the Small Areas past level 10.''


    The conditions to acquire a Large Area were simple, but achieving them wasn''t necessarily easy.


    Passing Divine level 31 meant surpassing level 11 of Semi-Deity status, level 21 of Lesser-Deity status, and only then was a yer truly considered a Deity.


    To Sung-Woon, it seemed like a simple setting and nothing more, but he could tell the creator¡¯s intention behind the system, thinking one needed this level of ability to be called a proper god.


    The difficulty curve made a drastic jump at level 11, and the incline was even more extreme past level 21. If one lost a war, died in a Divine Control state, lost an apostle, or something else along the same vein, it would be difficult to even reach higher 20s in theter half of the game.


    ''Plus, obtaining 48 Small Areas means getting two thirds of the total 64 Small Areas.''


    While one could naturally acquire many Small Areas, without constantly searching for fiends in ancient ruins or killing other yers, it was hard to reach the required number.


    Another difficulty was that 12 of these Small Areas had to exceed level 10.


    ''If you don¡¯t pay attention, you end up continuously using the Small Areas you heavily invested in at the beginning of the game.''


    If it weren''t for Sung-Woon¡¯s fight with Hegemonia through the Contradicting Prophecy, he wouldn''t have had as many opportunities to use arge number of Small Areas as he did now, either.


    ''I would have acquired it, eventually.''


    Obtaining a Large Area was an essential task, but it didn''t necessarily need to be rushed. Even if one hurried to earn the right to challenge a Large Area from the start of the game, due to the mentioned difficulties, the ordeal wouldn¡¯t be easy, and the acquisition wasn¡¯t guaranteed. What one would get was not the Large Area itself, but the right to challenge the Large Area.


    ''It was only natural to get the sky domain over the others this time.''


    Gaining the right to challenge one of the seven Large Areas depended on meeting certain criteria. However, the exact Large Area they would challenge was a result of various factors influenced by the yer''s past gamey.


    For example, the first Small Area that Sung-Woon acquired was Small Area: Insects, which seemed unrted to Large Area of the sky. However, in Sung-Woon¡¯s first tribe, Sung-Woon had deeply valued a Lizardman who knew constetions, and he had encouraged the spread of the knowledge within the tribe. This tendency yed a role in advancing astronomy, and the mortals who believed in Sung-Woon began to explore various scientific knowledge.


    Furthermore, Sung-Woon had sessfully subjugated a spirit of Demonic Magic that handled electricity. Within the, the clearest way to see electromaism was through the sky. In the sky, there was thunder and lightning created by the movement of atmospheric charges, and auroras formed when the sun''s sma particles rubbed against the''s maic field. Electricity, to some extent, was an attribute of the sky.


    Sung-Woon also enlisted a Garuda with wings and ty who made the Helix Wings as his apostles. Through winged insects and birds, he spied on his enemies as if through the eyes of a god. He had more observatories and airships than any other nation. Many stars were connected and named constetions with their own stories, and his symbol was a blue butterfly with wings.


    ¡®Things didn''t go too wrong.¡¯


    Everything had gone ording to Sung-Woon''s n.


    ¡®But challenging a Large Area at this point¡­¡¯


    Sung-Woon got lost in thought for a moment.


    ¡®It could be risky.¡¯


    Unlike other Domains, one didn''t simply earn a Large Area by meeting the conditions. The moment one challenged a Large Area, they were set as the challenger and was made known to all yers.


    ¡®A challenger for a Large Domain needs a vast amount of Faith resources.¡¯


    Gathering Faith resources was a typical activity for yers, but the amount was the challenge.


    ¡®...The Faith points required to invest in a Large Area are one million.¡¯


    It was the maximum capacity of Faith points at Divine level 31, so one had to stop using Faith points until it was filled to capacity.


    While it would be fine in the short term, based on Sung-Woon''s calctions, with the current rate of resource replenishment, he''d have to do nothing for four days, and that alone wouldn¡¯t be enough, so he would also have to recall his creations currently deployed on the battlefield that were continuously consuming faith resources.


    ¡®When the scale changes, the quality does too.¡¯


    A Large Area required only a definite amount of level and resources. However, if that amount was immense, both the approach to reaching that level and the method of gathering those resources would change.


    ¡®I can''t do nothing for four days. Hegemonia will surely take the opportunity and invade.¡¯


    Ideally, even if the gods of the Pantheon did nothing, there were apostles to provide a minimum level of defense. Furthermore, the Pantheon had more apostles, so they would be able to face the enemy''s apostles and the rest of their forces. However, Sung-Woon didn''t think so carelessly.


    ¡®Hegemonia would achieve overwhelming results with even just an army of mortals. Even if I managed to disguise it well, I can¡¯t assume that Hegemonia wouldn''t notice.¡¯


    Yet he also couldn''t drag things out while trying to obtain the Large Area. Once other yers became aware, they would continuously torment Sung-Woon and the Pantheon to prevent them from gathering Faith points. If he made mistakes in his strategic choices, he¡¯d constantly be pressured, and he could then possibly witness his opponents challenging a Large Area as well. In such a case, the gap they had barely created through y would narrow.


    ¡®Well, the silver lining is that we¡¯ve already stabilized the situation before I challenged a Large Domain.¡¯


    Originally, as the game approached itster stages, it was rare for two massive powers to fight each other. In The Lost World, it was tough for each faction to cleanly conquer a continent, and since yers had simr ratings in the ranks, chaos often urred. In such individual battles, when someone challenged a Large Area, the other yers often cooperated to attack the challenger.


    The Empire was already facing all the other yers, though, so there was no particr surprise to be wary of.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s not necessarily a good thing either.¡¯


    In some ways, Sung-Woon was at risk. In Sung-Woon¡¯s perspective, it seemed that Hegemonia would also soon challenge a Large Area. He suspected that the Large Area Hegemonia would challenge would be Large Area: Land.


    Until yers challenged a Large Area, their civilizations had to survive against nature. But if they could obtain one of the three Large Areas of nature, they could evoke massive natural disasters that they couldn''t before. Nature, though only partially, would then be an ally instead of an enemy.


    ¡®Hegemonia would take this as a chance.¡¯


    It made sense. Sung-Woon was currently fighting Hegemonia through a Contradicting Prophecy, and this prophecy was bound to have a more fatal impact on each yer.


    ¡®If I lose this Contradicting Prophecy, almost 300,000 Faith resources would be transferred to Hegemonia. The exact calctions are challenging, but my level would possibly go down.¡¯


    The yers of the Pantheon shared a single Faith resource. If the 300,000 Faith resources were transferred, they would need to pull back many creations on the battlefield, and support through a Domain''s power would be difficult. Just as they had feared, this would enable Hegemonia to gain momentum.


    With the emergence of the challenge for a Large Area, it wouldn''t just end there. It would be harder for Sung-Woon to challenge a Large Area, while Hegemonia would be one step closer. The hierarchical rtionship could potentially be overturned.


    "...Hmm."


    Sung-Woon carefully reviewed what they had assessed earlier. After confirming there were no issues, Sung-Woon clicked ''Yes'' on the message box asking about the challenge to the Large Area.


    ***


    At Pollivia, the unseen war was reaching its end. No, this war was no longer unseen.


    Three months ago, the alley that was once chaotic but vibrant had be eerie, begging beggars and street robbers hid knives in their clothes, and people sprawled on the streets smoking drugs. A woman, clutching a found piece of bread, walked hurriedly, frequently ncing around with anxiety. Paired security forces ambled along, but they appeared to have no particr purpose in mind.


    Pirates, whose employer remained unknown, had stolen from the ships in Pollivia. Ships that were once anchored there began to avoid the mysterious happenings in Pollivia and left. Rumors spread quickly, and ships started to unload their goods at other ports.


    With goods no longering in, the quality of life drastically decreased. Quick-witted merchants and nobles fled to their vis or homes in other nations, and without employers, many workers lost their jobs.


    The Itimo and Pallet families bribed each other''s factory workers. They started strikes under the guise of revolutionaries and broke machinery. Then more people found themselves on the streets.


    Taking advantage of the security vacuum, criminal organizations took charge. They began collecting protection money from the remaining shops under the pretext of looking out for them. Those who couldn''t leave paid the fee, but due to the scarcity of goods and the declining value of currency, these criminal organizations were not satisfied.


    Is Pollivia drowning like this?


    On the first floor of a department store closed due to arson, a Troll Oreldin, the leader of the Rusty Brass Coin Gang, nced at a newspaper and stomped on it with their foot.


    "Hmph."


    A subordinate Dwarf then said to Oreldin, "Boss, do you think he¡¯ll reallye?"


    "He will."


    The Rusty Brass Coin Gang had a long-standing rtionship with the Pallet family. The Pallet family would provide them with insider information on security forces and sensitive news from the council, or help in reducing sentences and in return, when they needed dirty work done, they''d use the Rusty Brass Coin Gang.


    However, for the past few months, things hadn''t been going smoothly. The rival Itimo family seemed to have hired an impressive mercenary. The Rusty Brass Coin Gang had failed several missions and had faced the wrath of the Pallet family.


    Then, by chance, they found a weakness of the mercenary.


    "Untie me right now. When Teacher Owenes, you''ll all die. This is yourst chance to live."


    It was the Xolotl, Simo, who always apanied the mercenary.


    Oreldin had managed to kidnap Simo after a significant amount of bleeding and at a great cost. Many of their men had fallen to the mercenary, but Oreldin believed that now that they had lured him to a deserted department store, they held the upper hand.


    Moreover, they hadn¡¯t simply called the mercenary.


    "Do you really think he will bring the contract?"


    "If we are right, then he will."


    What the Pallet family desired was the patent agreement of the Itimo family. Oreldin had demanded the agreement in exchange for the hostage, and the mercenary hadplied.


    Oreldin was waiting for the mercenary with their men.


    Oreldin said, "The fellow used a sword, and some strange magic too. But in a ce full of junk like this, you can''t really fight with that method."


    One of the subordinates replied, "But the others are worried. The building''s inside is dark and open¡­ What if someone shoots from afar?"


    "You fool. If someone shoots, won''t we notice immediately? Besides, we also have guns, don¡¯t we?"


    Moreover, Oreldin was confident. From the lessons learned from confronting the mercenary multiple times, they recognized the importance of reconnaissance. Beyond the unseen darkness, their men were watching for any sign of the Lizardman mercenary.


    Oreldin looked around and said, "Dozens of us against one Lizardman, and you speak such nonsense. Make sure that Xolotl doesn''t escape."


    "...."


    Oreldin felt something strange. The subordinates who had briefly gone to check out front hadn''t returned, and the idle chatter of the other subordinates had suddenly gone silent. Even the subordinate right behind them had suddenly stopped talking.


    Hit with an ominous feeling, Oreldin turned around. "Why aren''t you answering?"


    The Dwarf subordinate Oreldin just talked to had an arrow stuck in their forehead and was copsing to the ground.


    "Oh my."


    Oreldin looked up.


    Next to the Xolotl, Owen was aiming a bow at Oreldin.


    "...A bow?"


    Owen tsked as if he thought they were pathetic and then released the bowstring.

 Chapter 224: Result of the Prophecy

    Chapter 224: Result of the Prophecy


    "You didn''t expect a bow?"


    Owen sighed as he looked at Oreldin, who had been killed by an arrow to the forehead.


    "Well, I guess nowadays, the number of people who know how to shoot a bow is decreasing."


    Owen quickly released the bowstring and went to Simo.


    Simo looked at Owen with admiring eyes.


    "You''re incredible, Teacher!"


    "Hmm, archery is indeed a skill worth praising."


    Normally, Owen would have modestly said that it was a skill learned over a long life, but given Owen had responded with a happy smile, Simo thought archery must be very difficult to learn.


    Owen untied Simo, who was tied to a pir.


    "Are you hurt?"


    "No. Thank you foring to save me. How can I ever repay this grace..."


    "Oh, you are my grace.¡± Owen continued to say, "You don''t know how dearly God cherishes you. You''re currently at the center of the world."


    The Xolotl, Simo shook her head. "Surely not."


    "At least that''s how I and the Itimo family see it. So..."


    Simo noticed Owen''s expression darken and was taken aback. It was rare for Owen to lose hisposure in any situation. He would probablyugh off even a dagger wound and then burn the assant to a crisp.


    "...So, whatever happens for your sake, don''t feel too guilty. It''s all something we want to do."


    "Teacher, what''s happening?"


    Owen paused before replying, "Your limbs might be numb, but can you move?"


    "Yes."


    "Then we should hurry."


    Owen led Simo to the Itimo Trade Company. As they approached the Itimo Trade Company, gunshots began to echo. Even Simo, who had never seen someone shoot a gun before, had adapted to the sound of gunfire due to the fights over the past three months. But usually, there would only be a few shots.


    Ratatatatat...!


    The sound of automatic gunfire tore through the air, echoing between the stone buildings, piercing Owen¡¯s and Simo''s ears with sharp sonic booms. Though one would expect a brief stop for reloading after such extensive firing, there was no pause as the next fire followed. On top of that, the roar of a grenade explosion was roared.


    Tense, Simo followed Owen, and when they got closer to their destination, they began to hear people screaming.


    Owen said, "It would be nice if there was a safe ce in this city, but for now, my side seems to be the safest. So try to stay close behind me."


    "Teacher, what''s going on?"


    "It''s a war."


    "A war? The Unseen War?"


    The battle between the Pallet and Itimo families had been called the Unseen War and captured the interest of many.


    "But now, that battle has be a visible war. A real war."


    Owen briefly exined what had happened while Simo was being held. Philina Itimo had put up a good fight against the Pallet family.


    Being a natural-born merchant and inheriting the bloodline, the Itimos had experience dealing with merchants from various continents and countries. This experience led her to lead the overseas faction without being greatly overshadowed by the traditional faction.


    However, behind the Pallet family, there weren''t just angry individuals, but also the Union Kingdom. Due to the naval blockade of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, the Itimo family couldn''t receive assistance from the Empire, while the Pallet family had secretly been receiving aid from the Union Kingdom. Because of this, the bnce of power between the two factions started to tilt as time passed.


    The mistake was discovered around then. A small amount of contraband had entered the Pallet family, but Philina Itimo didn''t pay much attention to it. Although it was secretly transferred, it wasn''t a significant amount to threaten the Itimos¡¯ business. Moreover, the fact that the goods directly entered the family instead of other warehouses meant it wasn''t a harmful product, so it wasn''t taken seriously in the Unseen War. That was Philina Itimo''s miscalction.


    "They had to. They were weapons for a real war."


    Philina had never thought they would end up using real weapons to fight, even at the very end, and not by borrowing the hands of other criminal organizations, but by the two families directly.


    Owen didn''t jump to call her naive. Owen didn''t know much about money and economics, so he hadn''t anticipated that an event like the Unseen War would cause such a decline in Pollivia¡¯s security.


    ¡®It''s as if the god of war is really watching over them.¡¯


    Owen said, "And as you were kidnapped, the attack began."


    "What? Then..."


    "It was a diversion within a diversion."


    From the beginning, the Pallet family didn''t expect that the Rusty Brass Coin Gang would be able to obtain a patent agreement. For the Pallet family, it was enough as long as they could get Owen, the mercenary, out of the picture through Simo.


    "And their strategy was a sess."


    Owen couldn''t weigh between the Itimo family and Simo, so he acted immediately. However, Philina Itimo didn''t hold Owen back.


    "Please go."


    ¡°Will you be okay?¡±


    "Didn¡¯t you make a promise? Between the family and Simo, if one had to be chosen, you said you would choose Simo. It''s rather fortunate."


    "Fortunate?"


    "Now that the time to prove that promise hase, perhaps you could climb to the top of the Tower of Trial.¡±


    Owenughed bitterly. "I likely won¡¯t even be able to climb half of the tower with this."


    "...."


    "So hold on. I¡¯ll be back soon."


    However, it took time to strategize against the Rusty Brass Coin Gang. Although he sessfully rescued Simo without a scratch, he had to fight very cautiously for that.


    "Is the entrance...already breached?"


    At the entrance of the Itimo Trading Company building, various pieces of furniture, which seemed to have been piled up to create a barricade, looked like they had been sted and were scattered and burning. And around there, Orcs that appeared to be from the Pallet family were standing, seemingly concerned about potential reinforcements.


    Dealing with them was easy, but it seemed difficult to do so without making a noise. The Orcs were aiming their guns, ready to fire at any moment. If even a single bullet was fired while Owen was dealing with them, the enemies inside the building would likely swarm out.


    "It¡¯ll be difficult to go through the front."


    Although the situation didn''t look good, Owen didn''t think it was all bad. If the fight had already ended, then there wouldn''t be any members of the Pallet family left.


    Having frequentlye and gone to the Itimo Trading Company, Owen knew of a route that he could climb. After hiding Simo, Owen discreetly passed the Pallet family''s soldiers and entered thepany building. Upon entering the meeting room at the top floor, he saw Philina Itimo and a few family members trying to fend off enemies below the tower with their scarce,ckluster firearms. By then, gunshots had be infrequent, and only noisy shouts from below the tower were heard.


    As Owen approached, Philina, who got startled, quickly aimed her gun at him, only to hurriedly lower it.


    "...How did you get here?"


    "I arrived toote. It seems challenging now, shouldn''t we retreat?"


    "All the employees were sent out. Those here are family members or those who have pledged their lives to the family. So we haven''t lost many lives. At least not yet."


    "Then we must protect those lives."


    Philina said, "Didn''t you rescue Miss Simo? Then it''s okay. We will stand with the family..."


    Owen replied, "I assure you. Your sacrifices can be repaid. But if Simo continues her research, she will need all of you, won''t she?"


    "...Actually, I heard you first visited the Pallet family. If there''s money to support Simo, doesn''t it not matter who ites from?¡±


    Owen blinked, as if asking what she meant.


    "That was the case back then, but not anymore. Don''t you understand fate? We''ve helped each other and risked our lives. How could I disregard that? Now I realize we can''t do without you all."


    After thinking for a moment, Philina said, "...How exactly did you get in? I can''t think of any escape route."


    Owen smiled. "Living long enough teaches you such tricks."


    ***


    "Really?"


    Hegemonia, who was watching the screen, abruptly stood up from their throne.


    On the screen, the Orcs of the Pallet family were shown opening the locked door and entering the meeting room. Important documents were scattered across the room, including the patent contract.


    By this point, the effectiveness of such a patent contract seemed questionable. The Pallet family had vited countlessws in Pollivia, and their future was uncertain. At the moment, Pollivia''sw enforcement was at its weakest, but with the end of the two families'' war, Pollivia had already prepared to receive aid from neighboring countries. If Hegemonia¡¯s intel was correct, foreign troops would be entering in a few days to sweep away the Pallet family.


    Even if the Pallet family were to survive, attacking a fellow tradepany with guns would never gain any merchant''s approval. They were no different from a criminal organization now. The Pallet family was essentially finished.


    However, this was none of Hegemonia''s concern.


    "Now the prophecyes true."


    Bulko Pallet, the head of the Pallet family, picked up the contract.


    [¡®Prophecy: The Pallet family acquires the generator patent.'' has been fulfilled.]


    [One of the prophecies of the Contradicting Prophecy hase true¡­]


    [The achiever of the prophecy is yer ''Hegemonia''.]


    Hegemonia realized they were more excited than they anticipated.


    ''...Of course.''


    Hegemonia couldn¡¯t help but feel a touch of bitterness.


    The Union Kingdom had many victories against the Empire, but those victories didn''t result in winning the war. They constantly faced partial defeats, and topensate for each, another victory was needed. Therefore, all these past victories were merely offsetting the negatives rather than adding positives.


    ''But this is clearly an addition.''


    One yer fell, and another rose. This was the inevitable result of the Contradicting Prophecy, and with Hegemonia''s victory, Neb''s downfall was decided.


    ''And this is perhaps the most crucial turning point in this game.''


    Beyond leading the distribution of electricity, the capability to push Neb, who was close to acquiring a Large Area, far away was killing two birds with one stone.


    ¡®Good. Now after finding andpletely destroying the remaining forces, the patent rights will be sent to the Union Kingdom and¡­¡¯


    As Hegemonia''s excitement from the victory cooled, they noticed a message window appearing at the edge of their screen.


    ¡®What is this? Is it a Whisper Conversation from Neb, infuriated by the conversion of an unseen war to a visible one?¡¯


    With that thought, Hegemonia checked the message. However, reading it made Hegemonia sink down in disbelief.


    "...How?"


    It was a World Message.


    [The yer ''Neb'' has acquired Large Area: Sky.]


    [Now, the sky above everyone''s head belongs to the yer ''Neb''.]

 Chapter 225: Incomplete Game

    Chapter 225: Iplete Game


    Sung-Woon stood at the top of the pantheon, which was on top of the triangr altar. Apart from Sung-Woon, no one else was there. Sung-Woon waited while briefly looking at the stars above.


    Then in front of Sung-Woon, a World Message appeared.


    [The yer ''Neb'' has acquired Large Area: Sky.]


    [Now, the sky above everyone''s head...belongs to the yer ''Neb''.]


    Unlike other high-ranked yers, Sung-Woon knew precisely which Large Area he would challenge and when. But the important part was how he would seize that Large Area when the time came without getting disturbed.


    ''Of course, it''s all a means to defeat Hegemonia...''


    But Hegemonia, despite their many shes, was so formidable that Sung-Woon couldn¡¯t give a decisive blow. Therefore, Sung-Woon needed to use every means avable during the y of The Lost World, and a Large Area was one of those means.


    ''That''s why what I had been preparing for wasn''t the generator patent, but the Large Area.''


    Sung-Woon expected interference when acquiring the Large Area, so he had to find the shortest route to ovee this interference. That was when the invention of the generator urred, and Owen appeared.


    Sung-Woon had predicted the emergence of electricity but hadn''t predicted that it would be now. The use of electricity and the invention of the generator were mere coincidences.


    Eventually, he also managed to find Owen, who had been hiding and showed up beside the inventor in Pollivia, and Owen provided the spark for all of Sung-Woon''s ideas.


    ''From the beginning, I could think of at least ten ways to defeat Hegemonia.''


    The momentum of the current revolution and the spreading of secrists couldn''t be broken by the Union Kingdom.


    It would be tough to overthrow them now, but if Sung-Woon strategically targeted their vulnerabilities, he could defeat them in the long run. And the same was true for the Unseen War.


    For example, while the naval blockade made it difficult for the Empire to directly support Pollivia, the revolutionary factions within the Union Kingdom had sufficiently established their political system, allowing them to support the Itimo family of Pollivia.


    And while the gods of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance didn¡¯t seem to know yet, seeds of division had already been nted. To address the leakage issue, wanderers like Owen, who followed the will of the Pantheon but stepped outside of it, were fighting lonely battles without the help of the gods.


    In terms of the game of Go, the power struggle continued where moves had already been yed.


    ¡®...Though I''m not sure where that part went wrong.¡¯


    Sung-Woon thought it was concerning that there were many uncontrolled individuals.


    ¡®Is it because of Lakrak¡¯s stance in the beginning?¡¯


    Regardless, they were assisting Sung-Woon and the Pantheon.


    However, Sung-Woon didn''t feel the need to invest more resources in Pollivia than necessary. There was no need to unnecessarily show their cards to Hegemonia, or Hegemonia¡¯s allies, Male Chicken, and dimir¡ªespecially since Owen alone could aplish Sung-Woon''s goals.


    Sung-Woon''s goal was to lose in the battle of the Contradicting Prophecy with Hegemonia. Of course, purposely losing and getting caught would be problematic, so Sung-Woon acted as best as he could, but kept some cards hidden.


    Sung-Woon''s act also had other purposes.


    ¡®In order to challenge a Large Area, I had to raise the level of my Small Areas after all. It''s better to use it for this act than for pointless XP farming.¡¯


    As expected, Sung-Woon was defeated. Though he lost the patent rights, the Pallet family who took them probably couldn''t utilize the patent properly, and most traders would prevent the Pallet family from rising. There was also the council of Pollivia. If Pollivia stabilized, the Pallet family would bear all responsibilities.


    When Hegemonia realized that Sung-Woon had been challenging the Large Area, they went as far as they could to seed in the Contradicting Prophecy.


    ¡®Then the patent mighte back. Or Simo, the one Owen protected, might create an improved generator.¡¯


    Either way, despite the defeat in the system''s Contradicting Prophecy, Sung-Woon didn''t really lose in the Unseen War among mortals.


    ¡®After all, the person who creates the patent is more important than the patent itself.¡¯


    Then someone approached Sung-Woon from behind. It was Wisdom.


    "Neb, I brought it."


    Saying so, Wisdom gave Sung-Woon the item he had in his hand.


    Sung-Woon briefly looked at it and replied, "Great work."


    "Hmm, it doesn''t seem like we did much in this matter."


    "Just a courteous statement."


    "I was just being humble too."


    Both of themughed awkwardly.


    Then Wisdom said he would wait downstairs and left, and Sung-Woon epted the iing video call.


    Sung-Woon expected loud yelling, but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    "Neb."


    Hegemonia came up on the screen.


    Hegemonia didn¡¯t even look at Sung-Woon; their head was lowered.


    "...Exin to me what happened."


    But the mes inside Hegemonia¡¯s helmet, which signified their emotions to Sung-Woon, were burning brighter than ever.


    Sung-Woon calmly said, "About what?"


    Hegemonia raised their head. "How did you lose the Contradicting Prophecy and still acquire the Large Area?"


    Sung-Woon thought he heard Hegemonia grinding their teeth.


    When Sung-Woon didn¡¯t give an answer, Hegemonia continued to say, "If you lost the Contradicting Prophecy, you would have lost your Faith resources and XP points. If my calctions were right, I thought your level might even drop. How did you manage to fill up to a million Faith points in such circumstances? It''s impossible, isn''t it?"


    Sung-Woon calmly replied, "You know this game isn''t perfect, right?"


    Hegemonia asked, "...It isn¡¯t perfect?"


    "I mean...we''re using this game system well, but it wasn''t made by a perfect being, so there are ws. I''m not just talking about an imbnce between game elements, but there are gaps in the system itself."


    "For example?"


    "Your cross-continent y might be one."


    If it were the real world, the early civilization of the Union Kingdom would be deemed ridiculous. Hegemonia had moved their tribe continuously westward, crossing two continents. And in addition to the third continent, in the past, there werends of the Union Kingdom on the first continent, so in reality, the Union Kingdom had once imed all four continents as its territory.


    But this cross-continent y wasn''t Hegemonia''s unique strategy. In The Lost World, when encountering a species a yer had never encountered before, an event called sh of Civilizations would ur, granting them a significant amount of XP points. Therefore, taking the risk of crossing continents early in the game to interact with multiple yers could give a yer an advantage over others.


    It might be a loss for mortals, but in the game system, it was a gain. Of course, such cross-continent y wasn¡¯t always rmended, and it disrupted the power bnce of other yers, making it a very risky gamble.


    Hegemonia was confident, having sessfully executed the cross-continent y.


    "So? Are you saying you did something simr?"


    "Yes. I exploited a loophole in the Contradicting Prophecy that I''ve been bothered by for a long time."


    "Exin."


    Of course, Sung-Woon didn''t necessarily have to exin to Hegemonia, but he wouldn¡¯t suffer any loss by doing it.


    ¡®I have to think about the future.¡¯


    Then Sung-Woon lifted up the item he had received from Wisdom and said, ¡°This is a hint.¡±


    Hegemonia immediately recognized it.


    "...It''s a vassal statue, isn''t it?"


    "Yes."


    When a yer died, they were transformed into an item called a vassal statue.


    Sung-Woon received a vassal statue from Wisdom that he hadn''t possessed before.


    "Whose is that... Wait. Right. Understood. Shit. Why didn''t I think of that? So it was a Layered Prophecy?"


    Sung-Woon looked down at the vassal statue of Jang-Wan that he was holding. It wasn''t surprising that Hegemonia hadn''t thought of it.


    The y known as the Layered Prophecy was already known in The Lost World from the start. It involved making another Contradicting Prophecy about an existing Contradicting Prophecy for benefits.


    First, Sung-Woon and Hegemonia made a Contradicting Prophecy. The prophecy was about who would take the patent rights. At that time, Jang-Wan, ying the sacrifice role, came out from the Pantheon. Then, as nned, Jang-Wan made Contradicting Prophecies with each yer of the Pantheon, excluding Sung-Woon.


    The second Contradicting Prophecy was about whether Neb or Hegemonia would win the Contradicting Prophecy duel. At this point, the sacrificial Jang-Wan bet on Neb''s victory, while each individual in the Pantheon bet on Hegemonia''s victory.


    ¡®It was possible to bet on the side that I would win and I would actually do so, but there was no need to waste unnecessary resources for the showdown since excess Faith points were meaningless.¡¯


    In the end, Sung-Woon lost, and with Hegemonia''s victory, Sung-Woon lost nearly 200,000 Faith points. Additionally, Jang-Wan also lost close to 150,000 Faith points from her loss against the eight Pantheon yers.


    Even with the loss of 200,000 Faith points, Sung-Woon still had enough to fill the limit of one million based on his Faith level. It was also the amount of Faith points needed to acquire a Large Area.


    ¡®Some yers said the Layered Prophecy was a game error since a yer can''t hold the amount of resources that appeared out of nowhere. But it''s not. The resources lost by the loser of a Contradicting Prophecy and the resources gained by the winner might seem equal, but the resources of the loser don''t transfer to the winner.¡¯


    In reality, the total amount Jang-Wan withdrew from the Pantheon was only about 70,000. Due to the eight losses, Jang-Wan''s XP points decreased, and her level dropped from level 24 to below level 1, so she turned into a vassal. Jang-Wan''s statue naturally entered the Pantheon, and Wisdom handed it back to Sung-Woon.


    This was a y that wasn¡¯t possible in rank matches. If an alliance was formed, yers would have to stay together; no one would y the sacrificial role as it was uncertain whether unfamiliar yers would keep a promise to free one from bing a vassal. The process to release a vassal wasplex and required significant resources, so even if a promise was made, it was hard to fulfill.


    Such Layered Prophecies were called entertainment y and were asionally used among streamers or yers who yed with a specific concept in mind, with no regard for loss or victory, but even that trend faded and was forgotten.


    Rankers constantly adapted to the changing meta, so they didn''t pay attention to outdated entertainment ys.


    ¡®And when intoxicated with victory, one''s perspective tends to narrow.¡¯


    Hegemonia''s mes had noticeably weakened.


    "It was a¡­Layered Prophecy...? How did they ept the role of being the sacrificialmb? Did you threaten them?"


    "No, it was a request."


    "No¡­No one would ept such a request."


    "That would be the case if we didn¡¯t know each other."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    It seemed Hegemonia didn''t understand Sung-Woon''s words.


    Sung-Woon ced the vassal statue in his inventory.


    ''Hating me means they know me just as much to do so.''


    But Sung-Woon thought there was no need to say that much.


    There was another way for Sung-Woon. He could have won the Contradicting Prophecy. He could have brought wanderers like Owen to Pollivia or broken the naval blockade with force. After all, the two-sided war was just an extension of what the Empire had been doing all along.


    He could have contacted Owen to somehow rescue Simo as Owen certainly had the capability to do so.


    There were also ideas suggested by Wisdom and Lim Chun-Sik. However, none of those ideas were sufficient to obtain the Large Area directly, so Sung-Woon chose the Layered Prophecy.


    ***


    Hegemonia was devastated. The defeat at the moment they believed they had won, especially knowing they had been tricked by a strategy they were already aware of, left them dizzy.


    ''If ites to this...''


    Hegemonia quickly grasped the situation.


    They had managed to fend off the Empire''s offense and the boiling civil war within the Union Kingdom, but now that wasn¡¯t possible.


    Large Areas had many advantages, but in terms of battle, it allowed for the easy use of natural disasters that previously required immense Faith points to cause. Having a Large Area meant having the capacity to interfere with causality.


    ''...But it''s not over yet.''


    Hegemonia sorted out their thoughts, and after enduring numerous defeats throughout this game, they clearly acknowledged one major mistake they made this time.


    ¡®It was stupid. I should''ve yed to my strengths from the start, but I got caught up in a ystyle that didn¡¯t suit me because of Neb.¡¯


    And they became stronger.


    ¡®I''ve seen victory when I was in an even more inferior situation. There''s always a way to turn things around.¡¯


    They knew the odds were lower, but Hegemonia was a gambler at heart, and they knew it. Hegemonia was in second ce because they had bet on those low odds and won games.


    Hegemonia threw off their horned helmet. As their long hair fluttered, Hegemonia brushed it aside.


    "You surely don''t think it''s over, do you?"


    For the first time, Sung-Woon saw the face inside Hegemonia''s helmet. It was a woman. Her eyes were deep, and her gaze was fierce. She bared her teeth as if she would bite someone right then and there, then bit her lower lip.


    "The real war hasn''t even started."


    Seeing Hegemonia''s face, Sung-Woon was silent for a moment, but he soon replied, "Bring it on."

 Chapter 226: Real Name

    Chapter 226: Real Name


    At the top of the Itimo Trade Company, Bulko Pallet, the head of the Pallet family, tucked the generator patent right into their inner pocket and said, "Has everyone escaped?"


    Another Orc replied, "Yes. There''s no one hiding."


    Bulko looked at the Orcs of the family. The sight of them holding weapons seemed out of ce. Though they had been secretly trained within the family, many had never held a gun in their lives before. A good number of them had been injured or killed during the counterattack by the Itimo family. While orcs were suited for military roles, the Pallet family had always kept a distance from such affairs. But now, they held weapons and saw bloodshed.


    Their ancestors would have deplored this, but Bulko didn¡¯t think there was another way.


    ''Perhaps this is the fate of following the Angry one.''


    Given how things have turned out, the Pallet family found it difficult to continue their activities in Pollivia.


    ''The Angry One will not abandon us, and we¡¯ve made preparations to operate outside Pollivia, but...''


    Even though that was the case, the sacrifices made to obtain just one patent right seemed too great. If it hadn''t been a religious war, the profit-driven Bulko would never have taken these steps.


    ''But now we must look toward the profits again.''


    Bulko said, "The war is not over yet."


    The Orcs of the Pallet family calmly epted Bulko¡¯s words.


    "To gain greater benefits from the patent rights we possess, we must deal with the inventor of the Itimo family. Hurry."


    "...Yes!"


    The Orcs from the Pallet family quickly went down.


    It was already known that the Itimo family had started moving towards the west gate of Pollivia. While they knew about a mysterious mercenary within the Itimo family, mortals died when they were shot no matter how skilled they were. The Union Kingdom had even managed to kill several dragons in their war with the Empire.


    ¡®How great can he be? If we exterminate the Itimo family like this, the Pallet family can surely recover no matter what.¡¯


    More than anything, having abandoned everything to follow the Angry One''s wishes ensured that they wouldn¡¯t face punishment in the afterlife.


    ''We need to prepare to escape once the Itimo family is dealt with... Huh?''


    Bulko Pallet, from the top of the tower, noticed a massive shadow casting over their face.


    "...H¡­how can this be?"


    ***


    "They keep chasing after us."


    Philina Itimo replied to Owen, "We''re not far from the carriage. If we continue this way..."


    Owen shook his head. "They already know we''re heading for the western gate. There aren''t many of them, but we need time to break through."


    "We canbine our strengths."


    "Hmm... Maybe it''s time we split up."


    "What?"


    Owen, who had been looking down the alley, turned to face the Elves of the Itimo family and the Xolotl Simo. "Little inventor, follow these kind Elves."


    "What about you, teacher?"


    "If we fight at the western gate, it''ll only give the pursuers more time to surround us. Someone needs to buy time."


    "But..."


    "Think rationally," Owen said. "Fighting our way out together might be an option, but it might not save us much time. On the other hand, this alley is narrow. If we can block and fend off thoseing this way, they''ll either be trapped here or have to take a detour, giving us more time. Do you understand what I''m saying?"


    Philina replied, "You''re logical like a scientist and savvy about profit like a merchant."


    "I guess I''ve learned a thing or two from being around you all."


    Philina grabbed Simo''s wrist and said, "We''ll take Simo with us. We wish you luck, Wandering Lizardman."


    Owen, surprised by the unexpected title, raised an eyebrow.


    "Who wouldn¡¯t think of the legends when by your side?" Simo added, "Teacher, please be careful!"


    Owenughed, "See you again."


    After ensuring that Simo and Philina¡¯s group had left safely, Owen felt a moment of relief.


    As Owen waited while lighting a cigar, he soon spotted Orcs from the Pallet family. There were only six in sight, but Owen sensed a lot more hiding in the shadows. They knew Owen was there and were aiming to attack him from afar.


    ¡®Individually, they''re nothing special.¡¯


    Owen believed that if he were to fight the Orcs with only cold weapons, he could easily face all of them. None of them were proficient with a sword or spear. However, he did not let his guard down.


    ''Now, those firearms are dangerous. Even the weakest soldier with poor skills could face the best warrior.''


    The Orc leader leading the chase recognized Owen. "Lizardman! Finally, I see your face!"


    Owen flicked the ash from his cigar with his finger.


    "Huh... You¡¯ve alle pouring out because youck confidence in your skills. If you value your lives, turn back now. There¡¯s no need to say thank you for sparing your lives."


    The leader retained an Orc-like quality and got angry in an instant.


    "This time, I''ll get that lizardman... Huh?"


    The Orc''s gaze shifted to the sky. And Owen, who was about to wield his sword, did the same. A massive shadow covered them from above.


    The Orc leader murmured, "An airship?"


    The airship floated much lower than its usual altitude, almost grazing the tall buildings of Pollivia. It seemed as if it would have crashed if it hadn''t stopped.


    Owen thought.


    ''... It stopped?''


    Then a gunshot echoed.


    Bang!


    The sound of the gunshot came from above. Owen saw an Orc fall.


    The Orc leader quickly realized what was happening. "An...airship! The airship is attacking us!"


    The Orc group tried to find cover, but there wasn''t much to shield them from the sky.


    Owen carefully observed the railing of the airship, but no one was aiming a gun at him.


    The Orc leader quickly made a decision.


    "Take out that lizardman first! Pass through this alley to get out of the airship''s range!"


    "Charge!"


    Dodging a hail of bullets, the Orcs screamed in unison.


    Owen dodged the shots the Orcs made at him and waited for the Orcs to charge at him.


    "...Teacher!¡±


    "Hm?" Someone shouted as they jumped from the airship.


    The airship was still roughly thirty meters in the sky even though it was flying low, yet the jump was unmistakably intentional.


    The figurended directly on the Orc leader''s back, then rolled back and got up. The startled Orcs aimed and fired, but the figure drew a sword and deflected the bullets. Then with a half-turn, they shed the throats of the Orcs armed with guns. Soldiers then descended from the airship on ropes, shooting at the Orcs.


    The Orcs, who were neither soldiers nor warriors in the first ce, btedly realized the seriousness of their situation and ran away.


    The person who had jumped from the airship walked toward Owen and pulled back their hood as they entered the dark alley.


    "Teacher!"


    It was the Vampire, Ramin Solost Muel.


    Owen said, "Huh, it seems I''ve been caught up to."


    ***


    At the outdoor training ground of the pantheon, with the tall, tower-like building in view, was where the countless souls of mortals underwent physical training after reaching the pantheon.


    There weren''t specific guidelines, but the trainees varied depending on the division. Even though they all followed the teachings of the Pantheon, they were divided based on which god they worshiped, which region they followed, their species, and most importantly, when they started believing in the god.


    For example, many believed it made little sense for modern-trained soldiers to undergo the same training as the ancient warriors of ck Scale. Of course, through cross-training, they could measure each other''s skills, familiarize themselves with each other''s weapons, or learn newbat methods, but typically, they were divided into several groups.


    Among them, the highest spot in the outdoor training ground undoubtedly belonged to the Lizardman warriors with ck scales.


    The Cockatoo warriors, who could be summoned by Apostle Lakrak, weren''t just regr fighters. They were a unit meant to counter creations or apostles and potentially face Hierophanies in the future.


    Despite their reputation for continuous self-training, they clearly had moments of rest.


    A Lizardman warrior said, "...The real names of the gods?"


    "Yes," another lizardman warrior replied, "The real names that the gods possess."


    After the mention of the true names of the gods, the gathered Lizardmen who were sitting down looked puzzled. Then, the Lizardman warriors began sharing what they knew.


    "Oh, Night Sky was originally called the Blue Insect God."


    "Doesn''t everyone know that?"


    "I heard that kids these days don''t."


    "Really?"


    "That''s not his real name."


    "Before that, he was called the Nameless Beetle God."


    "Don''t all the warriors here know that?"


    "That''s also not his true name."


    "Then what exactly is his real name?"


    The Lizardman who brought up the topic cleared their throat and said, "I don''t know the real name of Night Sky yet, but I found out the real name of Bountiful Harvest."


    "What is it?"


    "It¡¯s Lunda," the Lizardman imed with dramatic aplomb, but the other Lizardmen''s reactions were lukewarm. It was just a ''I guess so'' kind of response.


    "That''s hard to pronounce."


    "I think I''ve heard it before too. I remember Limitless God calling Bountiful Harvest that namest time."


    "Oh, so...real names refer to the names the gods call each other?"


    The Cockatoo warriors were among the individuals who had been in the pantheon the longest, giving them numerous opportunities to interact with the gods. Although it didn''t hold significant meaning in the pantheon, these warriors often acted as guards.


    From their conversation, it was evident that they knew quite a bit about these real names. Then, a shadow approached from behind.


    "What are you folks discussing?"


    "Oh, Tatar. We were talking about real names."


    "Real names?"


    As the Lizardmen exined, Tatar nodded.


    "Ah, the names the gods use for each other. I think I roughly know all of them."


    "Oh, then do you, by any chance, know the real name of Night Sky?"


    "Indeed, I do."


    "Then..."


    Tatarughed and replied, "However, the gods don''t seem to appreciate being called by those names in front of us, so do you really need to know those names?"


    "...Oh."


    "It''s fine if you happened to overhear it, but if we keep this up, the gods might feel ufortable."


    As Tatar said this, the other Lizardmen warriors agreed. They med the warrior who first brought up the topic of real names, and the warrior protested that it was just out of curiosity.


    As they departed to resume their training, Tatar watched them with content.


    Then a familiar person came up to Tatar.


    "Lakrak?"


    Unlike the other Lizardmen, Lakrak wore simple attire and was unarmed.


    "What were you discussing?"


    "They were talking about the real names of the gods."


    "Oh¡­ What''s that?"


    Tatar exined again.


    "So, for Night Sky, Neb is his real name?"


    "ording to them, yes."


    Lakrak chuckled as if he found something about it funny.


    "Why do youugh?"


    "Well, that god has a different real name."

 Chapter 227: The Apostle Meeting

    Chapter 227: The Apostle Meeting


    Tatar was going to ask something, but Lakrak was quicker.


    "So the gods haven''t left the sanctuary yet."


    "Yes, that seems to be the case."


    Tatar looked at the pantheon.


    Inside the pantheon, there were many spaces. Some were closed off even to the highest of mortals, the Apostles. They were mainly the personal rooms of each god or the first and second conference rooms, and even in such cases, if one was appointed as a messenger of a god or sought permission, they could enter. However, that wasn¡¯t the case with the sanctuary.


    While the external training ground outside was vast and spacious, there were particr spaces inside that were even bigger than the entire pantheon building as seen from the outside, like the third conference room. The indoor training grounds were also vast because they were used by guardians whose sizes were measured in tens of meters, making even the horizon appear faint. The inside wasrger than the outside, so to speak.


    Those who had even a slight glimpse of the sanctuary said it wasrger than any other space in the pantheon. There were hardly any apostles who had ever entered.


    Therefore, there were only many rumors about the sanctuary, but the apostles who could have had some insight kept it to themselves.


    ''It¡¯s the same for Lakrak.''


    To warrior Tatar, even though they were in a spot to be confident that they were closer to the gods than anyone, the distance between them and the gods still seemed far.


    ''Of course, gods like the Folded Wing Golden Bird or Dancing Shadow God do converse with mortals like us, but...''


    Whether it was a difference in divine status or just the personality of each god, Night Sky rarely spoke unless it was with an apostle. While other gods had hundreds or just a few messengers apanying them, Night Sky never brought anyone along.


    Tatar naturally felt a bit envious knowing that Lakrak was aware of Night Sky¡¯s, no, Neb''s real name.


    ''Then it should be okay to ask this much.''


    Tatar said, "While it may be as disrespectful as those guys to ask, what are the gods doing inside the sanctuary?"


    Lakrak looked at Tatar like he was surprised by the question.


    Lakrak replied, "It''s not disrespectful to ask."


    "...Then?"


    "However, I don''t even know what the sanctuary is precisely for."


    "Um, but I''ve seen you follow Night Sky into it before."


    "That''s the thing, even after entering, I couldn''t understand its purpose." Lakrak continued, "It''s a massive room, as huge as the indoor training grounds used by the guardians. But the room is packed with square boxes."


    "Is that all?"


    "When I went in, that''s what I saw. I waited near the entrance, and when I tried to touch a box, Night Sky told me not to, saying it would break."


    "...."


    Tatar understood. Lakrak had never been particrly good with what one might call advanced technology. Fortunately for Lakrak, he didn''t need such things.


    ''Is it something formed from thebined knowledge of high schrs and the gods? I''m not sure.''


    Lakrak said, "Maybe if Zaol, Star Catcher, or the second apostle went in, they might have figured something out."


    "But not you, Lakrak."


    Lakrakughed and patted Tatar''s shoulder. "One doesn''t need to be curious about everything, right? The matter at hand is what''s important."


    "You''re right."


    Lakrak and Tatar shared a brief conversation. Even though they had known each other for a long time and seemingly wouldn''t have much to talk about, once they started talking, there was a lot to say. Stories of battles from their lives were always a favorite topic. As warriors, they often discussed how they could''ve achieved better results in a fight or what they would¡¯ve done if they went back. There were some new topics as well.


    Both had children, and some of their descendants had also followed them into the afterlife. Many of them were ordinary and content with their ce, so they didn''t bother with the effort of climbing the Tower of Trial. However, some did decide to climb the tower to see the faces of their ancestors, perhaps due to the influence of their bloodline.


    Recently, one of Tatar''s descendants had ascended, but they were an artist who yed musical instruments, not a soldier, and they didn''t even know about their ancestor, Tatar.


    Lakrak reasoned that whether it was fighting, studying, or art, they all boiled down to mastering a skill, so he easily understood and epted that. Tatar was also convinced by Lakrak''s words. Finding the flow in the midst of war and following the rhythm when reading music were both about mastering a skill.


    As their conversation reached a pleasant point, and they began discussing finishing up their training early to go have a drink, a Lizardman messenger approached the two.


    "What is it?"


    "The gods havee out from the sanctuary. They''re summoning all the Apostles."


    Lakrak said, "I guess we''ll have to have a drink another time."


    "Whenever you want."


    ***


    At the third conference room, the highest seats in the room were empty. These seats were reserved for the gods, the yers. Below them, a circr table was designated for the apostles.


    In fact, these seating arrangements were often disregarded when used by the yers themselves. They were mindful of their hierarchy but couldn''t always remember the many intricate rules, especially when efficiency came into y.


    However, in the absence of gods, the apostles had a tendency to respect those traditions. They would always leave the highest seats empty and fill the seats below first.


    Just entering the room was the third apostle, Mazdari.


    "We see each other again, Mazdari.¡±


    The first apostle, Lakrak, greeted Mazdari.


    Mazdari gave him a brief nod and walked to his seat.


    "Many seats are empty."


    "The second apostle seems quite busytely."


    "I''ve heard about that. But such a low attendance rate..."


    Then, from the opposite side, a ty waved his arms above the table and said, "I''m here too! That makes it half the attendance!"


    It was the apostle of the Folded Wing Golden Bird, the eighth apostle and the great inventor, madman Toolbo.


    The eye-catching ty had a plump body and goggles on his eyes, and initially, Mazdari had underestimated him. However, after fighting together on the battlefield, Mazdari''s perspective changed. Once, after Mazdari saved Toolbo''s life, Toolbo shared an idea for an airship and even gifted it to Mazdari.


    Due to Toolbo''s small physique as a ty, the chairs and table were too big for him. Even when raising his arms over his head, he could barely reach above the table.


    Mazdari responded, "I apologize."


    Mazdari, who had be more gentle with age, refrained from saying that he didn¡¯t see Toolbo because he was small.


    "But how are the three of us half the attendance?"


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because¡­¡±


    Before Toolbo could answer, a Satyr woman appeared from the corner with a cushion.


    "You''re here, Mazdari."


    "Ah, Keiju."


    It was Apostle Keiju, the fifth apostle, an apostle of Crampus, also known as the Harvester. Keiju could be called an orthodox warrior, who followed in the footsteps of Lakrak. Born to poor farmers, she led a volunteer army against the Union Kingdom troops during the early days of war. With her innate strength and primal instincts, Keiju''s weapon, arge scythe, had be a symbol of Danyum.


    She lifted Toolbo by the nape of his neck, ced the cushion beneath him, and set him back down.


    Toolbo replied, "Thanks, Keiju!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    Lakrak, Mazdari himself, Keiju, and Toolbo were present. Considering the two apostles who couldn¡¯t fill the other seats due to some circumstances, they upied five seats in total.


    Mazdari then said to Lakrak, "Whom are we waiting for?"


    "Night Sky wille."


    "Is that so?"


    "But most apostles agreed to attend, so let''s wait a bit more."


    Before Lakrak could finish speaking, a loud noise came from beyond the room''s entrance. It was the sound of a salute.


    "In the third conference room, Obin Mabru enters!"


    "Enters!"


    With a click, the door opened.


    Dressed in the Empire¡¯s military uniform, a Renard, Obin Mabru, stepped in. Despite being a Renard, which resembled foxes with bushy fur, their face was full of scars and injuries. One of their canine teeth Renards took pride in was broken, and their left eye had lost its color.


    Behind them, the Renard military band yed an officer''s entrance song.


    Obin saluted as they entered, and Lakrak stood up and slightly saluted back.


    The military band then closed the door.


    Obin, the sixth apostle, an apostle of Lunda known to the others as Special Forces, took off their beret and made a bitter smile.


    "I apologize, Lakrak, for making you put up with this military charade every time."


    "It¡¯s fine, I enjoy it."


    About 50 years ago, when the war with the Union Kingdom almost escted into an all-out war, Obin was the soldier who miraculously forced the enemy troops to retreat. They were nicknamed Special Forces, but back then, Obin was just an ordinary conscript. Obin¡¯s unbelievable sacrifice and heroic struggles became well-known throughout the Empire through novels and dramas, so there wasn¡¯t anyone who didn¡¯t know Obin. Being highly revered by enemies and the Empire alike, Obin''s poprity remained high even in the Afterlife, and other apostles adapted ordingly.


    Renards also had small physiques, but unlike Toolbo, Obin skillfully brought a cushion for themself and sat down.


    Meanwhile, a smallmotion sounded from outside the door.


    "Seems the next person has arrived," Keiju said.


    "Is it the seventh Apostle? Or Ninth?¡±


    As the door opened, a massive shadow appeared.


    Mazdari said, "It''s the seventh."


    They were dressed neatly and wore a military uniform simr to Obin''s. However, they were a giant close to 3 meters in height, an Ogre.


    "It''s been a while, everyone."


    It was the seventh apostle, an apostle of the yer Lim Chun-Sik, and known as the suprememander, Dordol.


    After Lim Chun-Sik became a vassal because of Sung-Woon, the Ogres dispersed and lived in the northern part of the third continent. However, even after living for over a hundred years, the Ogres that were descendants of the bloodline of the tribal chief from that time, Kajin, still possessed high intelligence. It was this intelligence that kept them undiscovered in ck Scale. And when their god returned, members of the bloodline joined the Empire alongside their god.


    Dordol had a smaller physiquepared to other Ogres, but their size wasn¡¯t the surprising part. Dordol was shrewd, was able to calcte things quickly, and more importantly, had a deep understanding of strategy and tactics. Despite theirrge body, themanders on the field were more interested in Dordol¡¯s mind than their physical strength, and Dordol quickly ascended to highermands and eventually to the general staff,rgely due to their numerous victories.


    After the death of Vasen, the old emperor Kyle, his brother, was the one who appointed Dordol as the suprememander. While there was significant opposition to this from the pce, which had still been dominated by Lizardmen at the time, Kyle believed Dordol would prove their worth in war, and Dordol did not disappoint. Under Dordol¡¯s leadership, they sessfully defended the fourth continent during the offensive against Vaseniol and pushed the enemy back to the south. Since then, Vaseniol hadn¡¯t been attacked again.


    Lakrak said, "Our suprememander is always busy, so it''s inevitable that we rarely see you."


    "That''s an overstatement. There are many other excellentmanders here."


    Mazdari said, "So, the ones left to arrive are the ninth¡­and fourth apostles. But neither of them have shown their faces until now, always providing some excuse."


    Suddenly, someone walked out from the back of the conference room. Caught off guard by the sudden presence, everyone turned their heads and stood up. It was Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon said, "Both of them wille today."


    He then snapped his fingers lightly. At his gesture, mes shot up from the center of the conference room.

 Chapter 228: Resurrected One

    Chapter 228: Resurrected One


    Therge me would have engulfed everyone if the conference room wasn¡¯t so big.


    -Night Sky!


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t even move when arge beak emerged from the mes.


    If one wasn¡¯t using Hierophany, it was impossible to inflict harm upon a god inside the pantheon, and¡­


    "...How rude!¡±


    The Harvester Keiju jumped in, grabbing the beak, followed by the special force''s Obin Mabru, who went for the neck behind the beak.


    The blue me receded slightly to reveal the shape of a bird, but the me didn''t extinguish. It came from the bird¡¯s body.


    The restrained Phoenix Aruna eximed.


    -Let go of me! Mortal!


    Obin replied, "Then stay still, Aruna."


    -But that guy¡­! No one can summon me against my will! Not even a god!


    Sung-Woon walked to a higher seat than the apostles and paid no attention to Aruna.


    Mazdari said, "Isn''t that because you always make excuses and don¡¯te when called, Aruna?"


    -I¡¯m busy!


    "Without any task, how can you be busy?"


    Aruna, who was also called Firebird, was a divine beast.


    There were other captured divine beasts in the pantheon, but only Aruna had risen to the rank of apostle, and the reason was simple: Aruna was powerful.


    Typical divine beasts had a variety of abilities, making it difficult to gauge their strength based solely on the parameter of raw power. But there were exceptions.


    The Phoenix was a strong divine beast in The Lost World. There were two main reasons yers considered the Phoenix strong. First, true to its name, it didn''t die, which meant it would be viable as a tank. Second, it was burning in mes, so simply being nearby would inflict DOT[1]. In other words, merely being alive allowed it to deal damage.


    The blue mes of the Phoenix, especially, could determine what it burned and not burned, allowing it to operate alongside allies. It also had wings, so it moved quickly. Although it was currently in a reduced size, its wingspan could reach up to a hundred meters, making itrge enough to wrestle with smaller dragons.


    Unlike other divine beasts whose abilities varied by individual, the consensus among yers was that the Phoenix was generally worth having as an ally. Sung-Woon didn''t necessarily agree, but when Aruna was discovered, both Lunda and Eldar, and even RD, Crampus, Solongos, and Jang-Wan wanted to actively use Aruna. Given that a significant number of the Pantheon¡¯s members were in favor, Sung-Woon conceded.


    ¡®But perhaps it would have been better not to ept it after all.¡¯


    Aruna didn¡¯t have a very good personality.


    Officially, the yer Solongos was in charge of Aruna, but he didn''t handle it properly. Everyone praised Aruna for being cool, but after all the admiration, it was Sung-Woon who was responsible for its care. For some reason, he felt like a parent whose children had adopted a cute puppy but was left to feed it and clean up after it in their children¡¯s stead.


    ¡®Why do I feel like this¡­¡¯


    Sung-Woon thought that yers favored the Phoenix not just for its strength but because of its coolness. It wasn¡¯t cool because it was strong, but it was said to be strong because it was cool.


    ¡®Still...considering its capabilities, its unpleasant temperament is tolerable.¡¯


    Had it beenpletely useless, Sung-Woon would have disregarded the opinions of other yers.


    Aruna shook off Keiju¡¯s hands around its beak and Obin¡¯s grip around its neck, raising its head.


    -Even Dragons pay their respects to me!


    "That¡¯s not the case here, so restrain yourself."


    Mazdari raised his staff. The tattoo on Mazdari''s right hand, which controlled gravity, resonated with the sentence on his staff, and Aruna''s head was mmed to the ground.


    -What the! How dare you!


    As Aruna charged at Mazdari this time, Keiju and Obin rushed to knock it over again.


    -Kugh!


    Lakrakughed heartily watching Aruna wrestle with the other apostles, while Toolbo looked at Aruna with eyes full of admiration.


    Amidst the chaos, Dordol said, "Night Sky, did you not summon the fourth apostle?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "The fourth apostle is already on their way."


    When Sung-Woon pointed to the door, it slowly opened. A Troll who pushed both doors open and entered.


    Lakrak lightly waved his hand. "It''s been a while, Redin."


    It was Wisdom¡¯s apostle, Redin BR Oser. Wisdom''s first apostle, Redin, had died and was revived by expending arge amount of Faith resources.


    "It¡¯s a waste of resources, Neb."


    Wisdom had been against reviving Redin. Redin''s resurrection took ce not long after the war with the Union Kingdom began. At the time, after designating Mazdari as an apostle, there was talk of a shortage of apostles, and Wisdom agreed to that point. However, he was against reviving Redin.


    "I know that there isn¡¯t anyone capable of bing an apostle right now. Most of the divine beasts we have conciliated are not suitable. But wasn''t the general opinion that the resurrection of an apostle, considering the resources spent, isn''t very beneficial?"


    "I know."


    Once an apostle died, they stayed dead. However, a yer could expend quite a lot of resources to resurrect an apostle. Still, resurrecting an apostle wasn''t amonly preferred method.


    ¡°Apostles rely on their achievements and reputation for strength. However, an apostle who has lost once and died¡­¡±


    ¡°Lose that much honor.¡±


    People did not particrly favor a defeated entity. The victor was the role model, worthy of emtion. The defeated was not so.


    "Even if we resurrect Redin, he''ll probablye back with a faulty skill, won''t he?"


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    "You like theories, so I¡¯ll present you with a different one."


    Wisdomplied easily. "Alright."


    "The Lost World game we yed was only a year old. Many yed it, but due to the vast amount of game data, many parts remained unexined."


    "Indeed."


    "So not many yers had used an apostle tagged with resurrection. Bad stories about them spread, and after using them once or twice, many felt they weren''t that great."


    "You''re suggesting that it hasn''t been well-researched."


    "Exactly."


    "So, Neb, are you saying you''ve done some research?"


    Sung-Woon said, "Not precisely my research. I came across a research post that seemed usible."


    The post Sung-Woon had read went something like this:


    Apostles, once resurrected, inevitably face a penalty due to thebel of being resurrected. However, the mere fact that the defeated could be given another chance had a positive effect on the overall faith.


    "So, while the resurrected Apostle carries a penalty, overall it''s beneficial?"


    "While I don¡¯t find it highly credible due to the limited number of tests, I do find it valid. There''s a loss of prior skills due to defeat, but it also allows for a new history to be made. It''s not entirely disadvantageous for the individual."


    "...There seems to be more."


    Sung-Woon got to the point.


    "There are people who hope for that."


    On the third continent, the battles between Sung-Woon and other gods were as historically grand as those against evil. Among them, Wisdom, who had a significant influence, still had many followers. Even after all nations unified under the name of the ck Scale Empire, in Asbestos, which was Wisdom''s territory, there were people who honored Redin.


    "That''s on you, Neb. Couldn''t you have settled it properly?"


    Sung-Woon could have done so.


    Wisdom didn''t seem overly attached or sentimental about his past territories.


    "Had I done so, opposition would have been severe. By leaving it be, I significantly reduced the number of rebels. It worked to my advantage."


    "...So now, by reviving Redin, you intend topletely unify the superficial believers?"


    "It seems logical to me."


    The war was escting, and the hero who had lost in the past was being resurrected to protect his territory and the people living on it. Although he had been an enemy in the past, he now stood side by side with the apostle who had be an ally.


    Wisdom said, "...Alright. It seems like there might be another motive, but..."


    "There isn''t."


    "Then let''s proceed as you wish."


    And so, Redin was resurrected. It was done at the ancient fortress of the Asbestos Country. Wisdom exined everything directly to Redin and made him understand.


    "I once thought you were my mistake."


    Redin replied that he agreed with that statement.


    "But that was my mistake."


    When Redin, still a devoted follower of Wisdom, denied this, Wisdom methodically exined. The reasons he listed were no different from the reasons he had lost to Sung-Woon.


    "I avoided looking at you because I didn''t want to face my mistakes. But I was wrong. Only after seeing you did I realize. To me, you were the best knight."


    Redin knelt before Wisdom. "I will prove that statement true."


    If Lakrak opposed the apostles and Mazdari created variables, Redin was the linchpin of the army.


    Redin, invoking his past glory, dashed across the battlefield with his old knights, destroying every obstacle, proving Wisdom''s words.


    Rumors swirled eerily throughout the Union Kingdom that the Red Knights of the old Danly United Kingdom had been resurrected to defend the Empire.


    Entering the conference room, the Enemy Knight Redin casually nodded and walked in.


    Redin said, "I don''t have much time to be here. Bounda has temporarily retreated, but there''s word that Lai ising."


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Lakrak said while stroking his chin.


    "With Redin''s absence...shouldn''t we be sending Gordius then?"


    Dordol said, "Gordius hasn''t recovered from thest battle, as far as I know."


    "Then what?"


    To Lakrak''s question, Toolbo eagerly raised his hand. "This time it should be me!"


    Dordol ignored him and replied, "Earlier, based on the prophecy from Concealed Text God, there was talk of using Divine Control to reinforce our strength."


    "What about the Angry One?"


    "She doesn''t seem to be focusing on the battlefield for now."


    Sung-Woon interrupted the conversation and said, "Other gods besides Bountiful Harvest will be paying attention to the immediate battle, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±


    The apostles looked up at Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon then said, "We need to prepare for defense."


    Mazdari asked, "Defense¡­you say?"


    "Yes. It involves you, Mazdari."


    The immediate battle might be even, but the overall status of the game tilted significantly. If the opponent wasn''t Hegemonia, they could confidently y at a more rxed pace. Given such circumstances, the apostles looked perplexed that Sung-Woon would mention defense.


    ''It¡¯s only natural because they are not yers.''


    Any decent yer would have a rough idea about the actions and intentions of the opposing yer in such a situation. Builds and strategies were all about executing pre-decided actions based on the situation.


    ''And in this situation, the strategies Hegemonia could choose are limited.''


    There was the simple option of an all-out war, but they were essentially already in such a fight. They could engage in a holy war with the majority of their avable forces, leaving only a minimal number behind, but the Empire''s size would make it hard to decide on a specific target to attack.


    ''But then switching to micro y to strategize for the future? While it would be possible, the chances of winning would hit rock bottom, and it doesn''t seem like a method suited for Hegemonia.''


    Excluding strategies that didn''t fit the situation or trivial entertainment tactics, there was only one method left.


    Sung-Woon said, "The Angry One intends to seal magic."


    1. Damage over time. ?

 Chapter 229: Right Now

    Chapter 229: Right Now


    In The Lost World, there were elements called the Ten Ancient Relics. These were known to have particrly significant influence among the ancient relics, but to Sung-Woon, it felt like they were just convenientlyid out.


    ''The three most popr castles might be one thing, but things like the Embedded Tower and the Great Wall are pretty useless.''


    The Ten Ancient Relics consisted of four towers, three castles, two walls, and one path, and Sung-Woon first saw these relics in a YouTube video that exined them. However, to Sung-Woon, it felt as though some of the relics, which seemed significantly less important during gamey, were included just to make up the numbers.


    For example, one of the two walls, the Great Wall, was a structure without any particr significance. Typically, it appeared in the Lost World as an ancient wall, spanning about a third of a continent, but had no other special characteristics. In the early stages of the game, borders would be formed on either side, but by the mid-game, it was used as a quarry, and by the end of the game, it became insignificant and only known for its name.


    On the other hand, the three castles were deemed very valuable, and among them, Automation and Moving Castle were possessed by the Empire.


    ''And...''


    The most impactful of the ancient relics in the game was the path called the Rasdasil Ruins. yers usually referred to it as the ruined road or ruined path, and its significance was not so much for its actual utility, but for the role it yed.


    ''The Rasdasil Ruins is the source of magic.''


    If yers in The Lost World consistently investigated ancient relics, their characters would discover the existence of the Rasdasil Ruins through various information found in other ruins. Another method was to train Wizards. Even if the Wizards didn''t know much about the relics, at least one archmage would be able to track the existence and location of the Rasdasil Ruins.


    ording to records on ancient relics, the Rasdasil Ruins was where magic was born.


    ''What was the lore[1] again? I¡¯m pretty sure Eldar would know...but I think it was something like the ce where schrs from the distant past created magic even before the ancient gods appeared.¡¯


    Sung-Woon didn''t know the details, but when it came to the functions of the Rasdasil Ruins in the game, he knew better than anyone else.


    The overall appearance of the Rasdasil Ruins was made up of ancient stone buildings, and in the center was a massive sinkhole with a diameter exceeding 300 meters. Even though it was called a sinkhole, it wasn''t a sinkhole that naturally urred, and its walls were inscribed with numerous spells that seemed to have umted over generations. The Rasdasil Ruins itself was essentially magic that created magic.


    The Rasdasil Ruins were considered a path because of the spiral pathway that sloped down to the abyss, and interestingly, it was still unproven what was on the floor of the abyss.


    However, there wasn''t a need to go all the way to the bottom to understand the Rasdasil Ruins. If the massive hole in the Rasdasil copsed, specifically if the edge broke by more than a third, its function would be lost.


    ''In other words...magic would disappear.''


    yers of The Lost World called this a magic seal. In the game, the magic seal was one of the key factors that determined the mid tote stages. If the damage was minimal, it could be repaired, but if it was damaged up to a third, no matter how it was restored like before, magic couldn''t be revived.


    If the Rasdasil Ruins copsed, magic would disappear from the world. All Wizards would lose their magic, objects created by magic would fall or crumble, those who had extended their lives with magic would die, and no matter how they drew magic circles and chanted spells that used to work, nothing would happen. The yers who despised the existence of magic typically caused these magic sealing events.


    Even if yers didn''t get full support from Wizards like Sung-Woon, it wasmon y to employ a few Wizards as court Wizards to their benefit. However, if one was harmed by the technology and equipment produced by Wizards and magic, especially if the benefits they gained from magic weren''t great, the magic seal was an essential rite of passage.


    ''Because as technology advances closer to modern times, the synergy between magic and technology increases.''


    Before entering modern civilization, magic had to be sealed for a proper fight to take ce. However, for Hegemonia at this time, sealing magic was an even more serious matter.


    Sung-Woon had obtained magic through his Unique Domain. Due to this, a significant number of Wizards were assisting the ck Scale Empire, and the Wizards'' use of magic had a strong influence on raising Sung-Woon''s Faith and XP points.


    ''...Thanks to that, being called the Devil seems to be a demerit though.''


    One of the reasons he could fight on par with the God of War was because Sung-Woon had magic.


    ''But if magic disappeared...''


    A significant proportion of war weapons, as well as arge part of the current ck Scale technological civilization, was influenced by magic, big and small.


    ''Even optimistically speaking, if magic disappeared, about a quarter of the functions would probably stop.''


    The disappearance of a certain technology wasn¡¯t a simple loss. The disappearance itself would bring chaos. They would need to somehow use avable resources to fill the void, and in that process, technical and social problems would erupt simultaneously. There was also the issue of Sung-Woon being seen as the God of Magic in terms of faith.


    ''If Hegemonia seeds in sealing magic, it would be like giving a strong signal that she made a blow on the God of Magic.''


    That alone wouldn''t guarantee failure. Even if such a thing happened, Sung-Woon believed he could defeat Hegemonia.


    ''But for Hegemonia, it would be a cost-effective move. There''s no reason not to make the attack even though she knows we will take countermeasures.''


    Mazdari said, "That¡¯s fortunate though, since we are on the defensive."


    Sung-Woon thought the same.


    The Rasdasil Ruins could potentially appear on any continent. But fortunately enough, it was located on the third continent in this reality.


    The Ogre Dordol said, "But the Rasdasil Ruins is located in the northeastern part of the Empire. Due to the mountain ranges, supply routes are challenging, and defending the area is difficult. On the other hand, attacks from the first continent can freely utilize the sea. If an invasion force were tond, it would be hard to fend them off. The distance from the northeastern coast to the Rasdasil Ruins is only a day''s journey."


    Lakrak said, "What''s currently at the Rasdasil Ruins?"


    Dordol continued to say, "There are ten dispatched Wizards from the Magic Tower, about a hundred researchers from Vaseniol, a battalion of escorting troops, and one local division."


    "Is the division fully staffed?"


    "It''s at reduced strength."


    "What''s the level of the defensive facilities?"


    "There are a few coastal defense bases from twenty years ago, but they would struggle against advanced artillery fire."


    Lakrak looked up at Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon understood what Lakrak was getting at and immediately said, "While it''s not confirmed, given the many hidden areas, it seems they''re already preparing troops. We can''t determine their exact number and speed."


    Lakrak then said to Dordol, "We need to hurry."


    "We should check for aerial infiltration first. If we assume they moved right after our operation, they might already be close."


    Lakrak pointed out, "We also have to consider the possibility of a two-front strategy."


    "Where do you think they''re going to target?"


    "Orazen."


    Dordol furrowed their eyebrows. "That''s too far away."


    Mazdari added, "Not Maganen, but Orazen?"


    Lakrak said, "If the Union Kingdom''snding force is arge troop, it''s possible. Should they attack the eastern coastline all at once, we might have no choice but to defend the ruins with only the local division."


    Dordol said, "The enemy''s main force is in the south."


    "It was until now."


    "If they move troops from there, the Union Kingdom would essentially be giving up on the fourth continent."


    "Then we should move south to benefit. While nting our g and dealing with local resistance, the third continent will be attacked. But if we give up the benefits, we''ll lose too much if we lose the Rasdasil Ruins."


    "We can turn the troops around."


    "Our route is longer. We have no port in the southern part of the fourth continent. We would have to transport as much as possible, but we would be slower than the enemies. If we are even an hourte, we¡¯re justte. My estimate is...about half a day''s difference."


    "Did you calcte it?"


    "No."


    Dordol pulled out a fountain pen and did the calctions.


    A few secondster, Dordol said, "...That seems to be the difference. You''re right."


    "There¡¯s also the Ronante-Oroban Alliance."


    "Considering our route, defending with that many troops would be difficult. We would have to abandon the Rasdasil Ruins and pass the defensive line. If we prepare for the magic seal now..."


    "No, there should be more stones we can use. Mazdari, you should talk to the emperor. Are there still Faith points left?"


    While the apostles were talking, Sung-Woon checked the time through the system.


    Then he said to Lakrak, "The strategy should be nned within an hour."


    "Do we have any support?"


    "For the time being, all other gods except me will move for base defense and disturbance. I''ll inform you about the avable guardianster."


    "Hmm, alright."


    "And..."


    Sung-Woon slightly leaned forward, looking down at the apostles.


    "Obin, Toolbo, Aruna."


    "Yes!"


    "Yes?"


    -What?


    Lakrak, Mazdari, and Redin seemed to already know what was going on and ignored the three apostles, continuing their meeting.


    Sung-Woon said, "As Dordol predicted, the airship fleet is approaching. And as already said, Rasdasil Ruins have too few troops stationed there, and the defenses are below standard. You three have to defend it. Go."


    Sung-Woon didn''t give them a chance to respond or refuse.


    When Sung-Woon snapped his fingers, Obin Mabru, Madman Toolbo, and Phoenix Aruna vanished.


    ***


    The so-called special forces apostle, Obin, realized they were falling. They couldn''t tell how high they were in the sky, seeing only clouds below. The air also felt thin and cold.


    ''Night Sky has a harsh sense of humor!''


    Obin bnced themself in mid-air and looked around.


    "Aaaahhh!"


    Piercing through the rough air friction and letting out a hearty scream was a ty. Obin reduced the air resistance and approached the ty to grab him.


    "Oh my!"


    "Toolbo! It¡¯s me."


    "O¡­Obin?"


    Obin checked Toolbo and used their legs to hold the ty by the chest, then they pulled a cord from the bag.


    Pop!


    Obin felt a strong pull on their shoulders. It was the parachute from Obin''srge all-purpose military equipment deploying. It was always said that Obin''s gear had everything needed for the right ce at the right time. It had be one of Obin''s skills. Obin didn''t find it strange. They were somewhat obsessive, and it was true that they always carried necessary items with them.


    "Why are you so scared? You ride faster things."


    "But flying in the sky is terrifying."


    "Even with a beak?"


    "Huh?"


    Obin looked around.


    ''ording to what Night Sky said, Aruna should be around here too...''


    Obin and Toolbo descended through the clouds.


    ''We¡¯ve fallen for a while, so it might not be clouds, but fog.''


    However, it was different from what Obin thought. As they descended below the clouds, a newndscape emerged.


    Toolbo shouted first, "Oh, that''s...!"


    "It¡¯s just as he said."


    Dozens of airships could be seen below Obin and Toolbo. The airships had a white background with ck and red geometric symbols that symbolized the Angry One. It was the airborne fleet of the Union Kingdom.


    1. A lore in a game refers to the backstory, history, or exnation of an element within the game. ?

 Chapter 230: Vengeful Spirit

    Chapter 230: Vengeful Spirit


    Obin Mabru looked down at the fleet of airships and said, "I was thinking they hade incredibly fast... It makes sense now."


    Generally, the airships of the Union Kingdom were slower than those of the Empire. Although both followed simr technological trajectories, the Empire''s elite airship models had wizards onboard.


    However, some airships from the Union Kingdom were much faster than those of the Empire, with some even surpassing the speeds of the Thunderstrider when Mazdari wasn¡¯t onboard.


    "That''s the fourth fleet of the Union Kingdom."


    While the first to third fleets of the Union Kingdom were typical naval fleets, the fourth fleet was different. It was a high-mobility fleet, designed to cope with constantly changing front lines due to the interventions of guardians or apostles. To give high maneuverability to the airship, it required corresponding power, and the power source the fourth fleet utilized was unique. Instead of adding special technology, the airships were made so that creature creations could pull them. Due to this, every airship in the fourth fleet was led by a massive Eel swimming in the sky.


    Madman Toolbo looked at the Eels and tightly closed his eyes while saying, "Oh my! Aren''t those the creatures Mazdari struggled to deal with?"


    "These ones are much smaller. From what I know, other than swiftly swimming in the sky, they don''t possess any significant abilities."


    "Then is it safe? Can we get closer to see?"


    "Not really. They could swallow us whole in one bite."


    The fourth fleet was smaller in sizepared to other fleets, but Obin noticed an increase in the number of airships.


    "Those big ones are likely transport ships."


    "How many people do you think are inside?"


    "If we''re talking about soldiers with smaller physiques, around 300 strong per ship. With eight ships, it''s close to a brigade."


    "...Hmm."


    "But apart from the transport ships, facing the Union Kingdom''s air force, including the destroyers andmand ships, won''t be easy."


    Toolbo looked like he was about to cry. "What do we do now?"


    "As always, shouldn''t we?"


    Obin drew their short sword.


    Toolbo, unaware of his fate, looked up at Obin with wide eyes. "...Huh?"


    "Land on the deck."


    "What?"


    Obin then released the legs that had been holding onto Toolbo. Toolbo screamed as he fell, and then bounced up and down as he fell onto the envelope of the airship.


    On the airship, there were no guards on lookout, but another airship had already spotted Obin and Toolbo and was sending g signals.


    Then, Obin skillfully maneuvered the parachute line to stick close to the side of the airship and cut the line of the parachute.


    Ping!


    Obin slid down the ropes connecting the envelope and the body of the ship and rolled onto the deck in a practiced fall.


    "...?"


    This destroyer ship had just received signals from the neighboring ship to send guards up to the envelope, and it seemed they had just started summoning their guards. Before Obin stood about ten heavily armed soldiers.


    "Darn."


    Someone shouted from the deck, "Intruder!"


    "It''s an enemy!"


    "Where did hee from?"


    The air force soldiers aimed their rifles at Obin. Memories of the fortress raid during the mid-phase of the war against the Union Kingdom, where Obin first made a name for themself, came flooding back.


    As a lower-rank soldier who had been conscripted, Obin was positioned on the front lines. With the Empire''s front lines expanding after several losses in battles, even people from the third continent were being conscripted. In a trench where mortars would fall when hiding and machine gun bullets rained when standing, Obin charged with their squad.


    Obin was lucky. Obin managed to charge up to the fortress they were facing and even entered its corridor. But in another sense, Obin was also unlucky. When they slipped into the enemy''s bunker, none of their squad members, let alone the entire unit, had advanced as far as Obin had. They were annihted while advancing.


    ¡®If I retreat now, I''ll be shot in the back. But can I kill all the enemies inside the bunker?¡¯


    Given the bunker was likely to contain a battalion-sized force, Obin had no other options. Obin prepared for hand-to-handbat and charged in.


    Obin was discovered by the Empire¡¯s army the next day.


    The bombardment from the bunker had ceased, indicating that the Empire¡¯s troops had somehow managed to sessfully advance.


    ¡®Even back then and now, I don''t think I have any exceptional talent. Being small in stature as a Renard, I could sneak up and take someone out with a knife. I diligently wielded grenades, throwing them wherever I could. Before encountering the enemy, I always checked if my magazine was jammed or if there were spare bullets. I was lucky too. One officer who pointed a pistol at me ended up throwing it at me because it was a nk shell.¡¯


    Of course, all those skills were crucial in conquering the bunker. Obin ended up capturing the bunker alone. That day, Obin was promoted by two ranks and awarded three medals.


    Due to this feat, Obin, known as the Master of Hand-to-Hand Combat, was invincible in the story that made them an apostle.


    "It''s time to get to work."


    ***


    "My legs can''t reach!"


    Toolbo came to his senses and had to struggle with the ropedder in order to descend from the airship''s envelope.


    Both the Empire and the Union Kingdom used items that werepatible for any species. However, unlike the detail-oriented Empire, the Union Kingdom didn''t seem to consider the tys, a rather short-statured species with shorter arms and legs. In fact, the average height of the species in the Union Kingdom were a bit taller.


    "How are tys like me supposed to use adder with such wide steps?"


    Toolbo grumbled as he painstakingly made his way down the ropedder.


    On the deck, alternating sounds of gunfire, shouts, and explosions could already be heard, intermittently interrupted by screams.


    "Ah! It''s a vengeful spirit!"


    "Do something about that fire-fox!"


    "Get down!"


    Toolbo hastily came down on the deck. By the time Toolbo arrived, the chaos had already calmed down.


    On the deck covered in blood, ash, and bodies, Obin walked over to Toolbo,


    "Oh, you got down faster than I thought."


    "Well¡­Thedder rungs are too wide."


    "I know. It''s typical of those Union Kingdom folks."


    Obin continued to say, "I''m about to head below deck. Dr. Tulbo, please gather any necessary items here first."


    "D¡­do you not need me to help?¡±


    "It''s fine."


    For some reason, to Toolbo, Obin''s smiling face seemed to suggest, ¡®Please stay out of the way.¡¯


    Toolbo sighed. He felt like he didn''t fit in with the apostles. The apostles of the Pantheon were all strong and outstanding, without a single weak link. From Lakrak, the first apostle known as the Thunder Dragon Emperor, to the powerful wizard Mazdari, who could turn the earth inside out, to Redin, the knight who became the symbol of the Empire''s doctrine of charge¡­ They were all strong and cool.


    ''...But I''m just a ty.''


    Though the tys weren''t particrly despised, in the equality-driven Empire, there were those who couldn''t help butugh when seeing a ty. In his lifetime, Tulbo had asked why, and they simply said they looked funny.


    ''I can''t help the way I was born.''


    Toolbo then said, "Did Aruna leave?"


    Obin replied, "I don¡¯t think so. Even Aruna wouldn''t reject a direct order from Night Sky. Aruna must have some reasons."


    "Okay..."


    Obin grabbed Toolbo''s shoulder and said, "In my opinion, the sess of this operation depends on you, Dr. Toolbo."


    "Haha, surely not."


    "I truly believe so. I''ve cleared the way to the ship''s bridge. There would beplicated machinery there, and I''ll leave you with my all-purpose military gear. So you can proceed with your great inventions as usual."


    "Oh, okay."


    "I''ll go clear the deck below."


    As Obin saluted, Toolbo awkwardly returned the salute. Although Obin became an apostle before Toolbo, Tulbo had been born earlier and joined the Pantheon first, so it wasn''t odd.


    ''Obin really is a true soldier.''


    As Obin jumped down to the deck below, explosions and screams resumed.


    Toolbo looked around the deck, hurriedly entered the bridge, and started pulling out various items.


    One of the benefits of bing an apostle was that he became stronger.


    Toolbo quickly disassembled the machinery and control room mechanisms and threw them onto the deck.


    The name Machine Dismantler stemmed from Toolbo''s past, where he had broken numerous machines discovered in ancient ruins.


    ''Hmm...what should I create? We need to bring down these flying ships before they reach the Empire''snd. So then...''


    As Toolbo pondered, he felt a sudden sense of unease and looked up. Without him noticing, another Union Kingdom''s airship had approached.


    Toolbo panicked for a moment, then gathered the machines and invented a parabolic reflector. It was an invention that didn¡¯t exist in the world until just now, which Toolbo created.


    ''With this, I should be able to hear distant sounds.''


    Toolbo aimed the parabolic reflector at the airship beside.


    "Annihtion! It''s a massacre! I see nothing but blood and bodies!"


    "Where did the vengeful spirit go?"


    "I don''t see the ghost on the deck! But..."


    "But...?"


    The following words were closer to a scream. "Ahhh! It''s the mad ty!"


    "Mad ty? ...Could it be?"


    "Yes! It''s the ty!"


    "Create distance! Prepare to fire all ship cannons...!"


    Hearing that, Toolbo looked back at the ship.


    "Oh no, it''s amand ship!"


    The cannon below themand ship started to aim at Toolbo.


    "Oh dear, what do I do now?"


    Just then, when Toolbo was panicking, themand ship that had been ascending suddenly shot up even higher. Upon closer look, Toolbo saw that something was happening at the forefront of the ship.


    "...Hmm?"


    The Sky Eel leading themand ship was startled and shot up. This caused the soldiers on the deck to be flung out and fall from the sky.


    Following the Sky Eel was a massive Phoenix. The Phoenix Aruna swiftly chased the Sky Eel and tore its neck with its beak.


    As the Sky Eel couldn''t stay in the sky any longer, themand ship, unable to bear its weight, began a slow descent. Whether aiming at Aruna or Toolbo, the ship''s cannon shots all missed their mark.


    The Phoenix Aruna caught up with the airship Toolbo was on and said.


    -You foolish ty!


    ¡°Aruna!¡±


    -What are you doing? Get on with your task! Why do you think Night Sky sent you?


    "I¡­I''m sorry."


    -Hurry up!


    Feeling Aruna''s irritation, Toolbo hurriedly began to work on his invention, a Great Invention.


    ***


    "It was a firebird!"


    "There were three apostles?"


    The fourth fleet admiral bared his teeth.


    "What about Lai?"


    "We haven''t made contact yet..."


    "Enough!"


    The admiral looked around at the mess inside the bridge and said, "Did we disconnect from the Sky Eel?"


    There was a small explosion from the front of the ship, then a soldier came running.


    "We''ve disconnected the Sky Eel!"


    The descendingmander ship seemed to have avoided the fate of crashing.


    "Notify the entire fleet again! Tell them not to wait for orders and bring that ship down!"


    "Yes sir!"


    Themunications officer on each ship, responsible for rying signals between ships, acted quickly.


    "We''re regaining bnce and altitude."


    "As soon as we level out, check the deck!"


    Themand ship''s speed had decreased considerably, but through a telescope, they could easily observe the apostles from the Empire aboard the airship.


    "...There''s something."


    The admiral snapped at the lookout''s vague statement. "Don''t just say something. Exin!"


    "...It''s a machine."


    "And?"


    "It appears to have legs."


    "Legs? And what''s on top?"


    "A triangle...no, a cone. The cone-shaped...it''s rotating...wait."


    The lookout hesitated as if they were uncertain about what they were seeing.


    "What is it?"


    "It seems like¡­it''s turning towards us...as if watching..."


    Frustrated, the admiral snatched the lookout''s telescope, and the moment they took it, the lookout muttered, "I¡­it¡¯sing."


    ***


    Boom!


    It sounded like the deck was destroyed.


    From below the ship''s bow, Obin, having just killed thest soldier, raised their head.


    "Oh, has it begun?"


    ***


    "Phew, it''s all set."


    Satisfied, Toolbo climbed onto his invention.


    The sturdy legs on the deck were the essence of this invention. These legs resembled that of a Rabbit, but the body on top of these legs was the cockpit.


    Toolbo climbed up and sat in the cockpit.


    "...Shall we begin?"


    Toolbo thought about waiting for Obin as Obin liked his inventions, but he was scared of Aruna¡¯s ire, so he decided to operate the machine immediately. He could show off the invention to Obin after the battle.


    Atop this rabbit-like machine was a cone-shaped, spiral-grooved drill instead of a head. When Toolbo pulled a lever, the drill began to whirl fiercely.


    Essentially, what Toolbo had created with his skill was a robot with two legs and a drill for a head.


    As Toolbo controlled the robot, the robot twisted its body and faced the distantmand ship. It then folded its legs, as if it was about to spring out at any time.


    Toolbo slid his goggles over his eyes.


    "Okay, let''s go! Hop No. 3!"


    Toolbo pushed the lever. Hop No. 3''s legs extended and kicked off the deck.


    Rocketing into the sky, Hop No. 3''s drill aimed straight for the Union Kingdom''smand ship

 Chapter 231: Dragon of Radiance

    Chapter 231: Dragon of Radiance


    Evaluating great figures of a nation objectively within that nation was difficult. Because of this, there had been discussions about whether Madman Toolbo was indeed a great inventor just like the tys stated within the Empire, and especially in the Fabirang imperial territory.


    While it was true that Toolbo had produced numerous inventions, many of these inventionscked value, and there had been discussions suggesting that Toolbo himself might not have possessed superior engineering knowledge.


    However, contrary to outsiders'' perspectives, the people of the Empire, specifically the tys of Fabirang imperial territory, had known Toolbo well. Many of the inventions credited to Toolbo had originated from his ideas, but were technically imperfect, and other technicians of other species had refined andpleted them.


    Yet Toolbo was a beloved figure. The future Toolbo had aspired was beautiful, and he had wanted to bring happiness to people. Toolbo, the eighth apostle of the Pantheon, represented all engineers and technicians, and the Empire''s engineers and technicians had noints about being represented by a ty with goggles. Therefore, Toolbo possessed the ability of the Great Invention, which allowed him to create anything he desired.


    "Turn! Hop No. 3!"


    In the air, Hop No. 3''s drill spun fiercely.


    Whirrrr¡­!


    Hop No. 3 plunged its drill head directly into the lower part of themand ship of the Union Kingdom''s fourth fleet. Facing the tremendous torque that could turn even solid rock into rubble, wooden airships would simply turn to dust.


    "Two lower turrets destroyed!"


    "The hull has been pierced!"


    "From the holes in the ship, supplies are¡­!"


    Panicked voices came from themand ship''smunication center.


    The admiral, in shock, said, "Enough damage reports! First, find out where that mad ty is!"


    However, contrary to the admiral''s expectations, the answer to their demand did note from themunication center, but from the observer next to them.


    "S¡­something from under the deck¡­!"


    Before the observer could finish, the drill appeared.


    The drill tore through the wooden deck as if devouring it, and Hop No. 3 revealed itself, cing one of its massive hind legs on the deck.


    A staff officer beside them said, "We need to evacuate!"


    "Darn it¡­!"


    Themand center attempted to hurriedly move out, but Toolbo, still holding the parabolic reflector, detected themand center''s movement.


    "Jump up! Hop No. 3!"


    Right after Toolbo decided the direction, he pushed the lever as hard as he could.


    The powerful output from the legs of Hop No. 3 made the massive airship, with a load capacity of 60 tons, shake heavily. While themand Toolbo made was a simple jump, Hop No. 3 firmly stomped on the solid deck and essentially shot up. A straight trajectory, without forming a parab, sharply pierced the bridge of themand ship.


    Through the lenses of his goggles, Toolbo observed the darkness as he shattered the bridge, the bright light as Hop No. 3''s drill pierced the hull, and the clearness of sunlight pouring from above the dispersed clouds soon after.


    Then, at the peak of Hop No. 3''s arc, Toolbo looked at themand ship. The burningmand ship was clearly falling.


    "As expected, the Hop robot was the answer!"


    While there were various methods to counter the airships, Toolbo believed that simply removing helium from the airship''s hull would easily defeat them. Therefore, he modified the Hop robot, which was initially designed for excavation, by reducing its weight and significantly enhancing its leaping ability.


    ¡®Alright, then¡­¡¯


    Then a thought struck Toolbo.


    "...Huh?"


    Hop No. 3 was in mid-air. After passing its peak, Hop No. 3 began to slowly descend, then elerated.


    "Aaahhhh!"


    Toolbo screamed as he and Hop No. 3 plummeted. However, they didn¡¯t fall for long. Toolbo saw a blue me and heard a rattle.


    -What are you doing?


    "Aruna!"


    The Phoenix Aruna held one of Hop No. 3''s legs and began to circle slowly.


    The airships, trying to capture Aruna as it flew above them, circled and sent soldiers up from their decks, but all their attempts were slow and clumsy.


    Aruna said.


    -I have a matter to attend to.


    "Are you trying to¡­get out of all this?"


    -No.


    "Oh, well... But as far as I know, birds excrete while flying..."


    Without a word, Aruna hovered and shook Hop No. 3. Toolbo, who became dizzy, gagged.


    -Now''s not the time for jokes, Toolbo.


    "...It wasn''t a joke, but what''s the matter?"


    -They wouldn''t have sent an airship fleet without any protection.


    "Huh? But currently, I don''t see any guardians or apostles..."


    -They''re there. I just diverted them for a moment¡­ Here theye.


    Aruna flew fast.


    A beam of light cut through the clouds, aiming for where Aruna had been.


    The intense heat heated the air, and even Toolbo was able to feel it.


    "That''s...."


    Toolbo removed his goggles and looked beyond the clouds.


    The creature was long. However, due to its serpent-like motion through the air, its exact length was hard to gauge at first nce. But it was well known¡ªnot only in the Union Kingdom, which it belonged to, but also in the Empire and even to the Pantheon.


    Its body spanned just under 500 meters. At first nce, it resembled a snake. However, slightly below its head were front legs, and around the middle of its body were a pair of hind legs. Its tail was incredibly long, ounting for about half its total length. Its entire body was covered in pale green scales, and it had amber eyes with a bright yellow hue. On its head, it had various branching horns. In one of its front ws, it held a massive crystal inscribed withyers of magical symbols.


    It was the third apostle of the Angry One, and a traitor among the Dragons.


    "Is that Lai of Radiance?"


    Aruna murmured.


    -I nned to join you immediately after being transported by Night Sky, but I saw that creature from afar. I decided it would be more advantageous to buy some time.


    "...Damn."


    The Empire''ste capturing of the divine beast Aruna was in fact a response to the Union Kingdom''s acquisition of Lai. Contrary to Sung-Woon¡¯s belief that it was hard to find Dragons, there were quite a few Dragons on thisnd. Many of these Dragons from the second continent tried to block the Angry One, but failed. However, it wasn''t because the Dragons were weak.


    A Dragon was enticed by the power and strength shown by the Angry One, Hegemonia, and this Dragon betrayed its kin and became an apostle of the Union Kingdom.


    That didn''t mean Lai was the weakest among Dragons. Lai was the third apostle, but excluding the Angry One herself and Salkait, it was regarded as the strongest. Given that it flew in the sky and used breath magic, with the current level of technology, there was no way to counter it from the ground, and therefore it was perceived as an enemy that had to be faced with more caution than Salkait.


    ''That''s why he sent three of us.''


    Aruna looked at Lai and made the blue mes re brilliantly.


    -Toolbo, there''s no need to worry.


    "Pardon?"


    -From what Night Sky said, our goal is to stop this Union Kingdom fleet, not to stop that creature.


    "Oh, right."


    -I''ll buy us some time. In the meantime, destroy the fleet.


    "Understood!"


    With that, Aruna hurled Hop No. 3rd downward. Aruna had thrown Toolbo at the airship right below, and Toolbo activated the drill and pierced through the envelope.


    ''This isn''t good.''


    Aruna knew that, in reality, it was weaker than Lai. In terms of physical strength, the size difference was evident, and Lai¡¯s breath magic was considered stronger than that of any Dragon seen before. There were other apostles better suited to face Lai.


    ''Lakrak, Redin, and even Keiju would have been better candidates than the three of us here...''


    Of course, Aruna understood Night Sky''s intentions. The goal was not to defeat Lai, but to block the fleet.


    ''This isn''t a good ce for a decisive battle.''


    If anyone were to critically injure Lai, the Angry One would certainly not stand idly by. She would send other creations and apostles to save Lai at any cost, and the Pantheon would do the same. The gods referred to such intensified, all-out battles as decisive battles.


    ''Yes, as long as I hit and run well...''


    Thinking this, Aruna, who attempted to circle by Lai¡¯s side, heard Lai''s voice.


    -You seem lost in thought, Sparrow.


    -Ha, I was just thinking where to begin eating your head.


    -Hmph


    Lai was easily caught in Aruna¡¯s provocation, but Aruna wondered if provoking it had been wise as Lai began to spit out a breath spell immediately. It was a beam of light shot at the speed of light, and one had to anticipate it to dodge.


    -Damn it!


    Of the consecutives shots, the third hit the tip of Aruna¡¯s wing directly, making Aruna wobble. Lai didn''t miss this chance.


    -Die.


    A beam from Lai''s mouth struck Aruna''s head.


    -....


    There was a moment of silence as the headless Aruna plummeted.


    Prating severalyers of clouds, Lai kept looking at Aruna¡¯s falling body with fading mes.


    Lai murmured.


    -...Annoying one.


    With that, a blue me rose from the clouds.


    -Try and kill me as many times as you want!


    The resurrected Phoenix eximed.


    -For I am truly immortal!


    ***


    "Shit, is that Lai?"


    From the bridge, made a mess by Toolbo tearing apart all sorts of machine parts, the sixth apostle of the Pantheon, Obin Mabru, watched the battle between Lai and Aruna through a telescope.


    "You¡¯ve made something interesting again this time, Toolbo.¡±


    Toolbo was hopping between airships and destroying everything. Themand ship had already copsed, so themand line also broke down. Only now were the airships widening their distance, but that wasn''t enough.


    ''But they aren''t entirely brainless.''


    Though being attacked recklessly by Toolbo, the fleet''s goal wasn''t to attack with the fleet itself.


    ''More importantly, their role is likely to escort the transport ships.''


    The transport ships were distancing themselves considerably so that Hop No. 3 wouldn''t reach them.


    ''Considering it now seems difficult for Toolbo''s robot to reach them with its leaps, and Aruna seems preupied fighting Lai...I should handle it.''


    Obin observed the bridge. Though almost nothing remained to control the airship, paradoxically, it made it easier for Obin to find what they sought.


    ''Even though flying the airship isn''t possible, there must be a way on the bridge to control the Sky Eels that pull the ship.''


    Obin knew that creations like the Sky Eels, which the gods produced in bulk, had little intelligence so that they could be made easily.


    When Obin pulled a lever from the floor, they noticed the rope tied to the Sky Eel turn sharply to the left.


    ''Ah, it''s like reins for a horse.''


    Although it was Obin¡¯s first time doing this, due to tales of their skillfulness in any situation, Obin adapted quickly. After aligning the direction, Obin carried the all-purpose military bag on their back and walked onto the half-demolished deck.


    "I¡¯ll give you a good gift.¡±


    The wartime hero of the Empire, known as the most wicked in the Union Kingdom, began to recreate the feats that made them infamous.


    ***


    At the same time, on the bridge of the targeted transport ship, they also saw Obin.


    "There''s an upied airship approaching from the front; identification is yet to be confirmed."


    "Then are Toolbo and Aruna the only enemy apostles?"


    "N¡­no, there''s someone else."


    "Who?"


    "One confirmed passenger..."


    The lookout shouted, "...It''s the Bombing Horse, Obin!"

 Chapter 232: Fight of the Sky

    Chapter 232: Fight of the Sky


    ¡®I have no useless weapons.¡¯


    The apostles Lakrak, Redin, and Keiju had mythical levels of power. The other apostles also had outstanding strategies or amazing abilities, while Obin thought themself didn''t belong to either category.


    Although Obin had risen quickly in the ranks of the apostles, in terms of generations, Obin belonged to the more modern time. For example, Toolbo became an apostle only after his death, once the war was in full swing.


    Obin believed they had benefited from technological advancements. Monsters that ancestors had to face with spears no longer posed a significant threat. There were guns and bombs. It wasn''t just monsters. When it rained, they fixed rising riverbanks and even broke solid underground rocks. With the power of civilization, such tasks weren''t difficult.


    Though these mighty weapons were eventually pointed at one another, and among their enemies were guardians and apostles, who were challenging to confront as mortals.


    Obin Mabru looked down at the explosive in their hand.


    ¡®It''s all thanks to this.¡¯


    Being a soldier, Obin was used to the smell of gunpowder, and during the peak of wars, when retreating, Obin often had to execute operations alone. To achieve maximum efficiency by themself, they needed literal explosive power. So it was natural that Obin would handle bombs.


    ¡®Well, of course, watching the mes is also fun.¡¯


    As Obin continued their tasks on the deck, there was a heated exchange in the cockpit of a transport ship that had just spotted them.


    "Don''t let the apostle get close to the transport ship!" The captain of the transport ship shouted.


    However, the fleet responsible for protecting the transport ship was either crashing from attacks by Hop No. 3 or trying to maintain a distance to avoid it. The transport ships had no weaponry so that they could amodate as many soldiers, making it difficult for them to bring down enemies. Moreover, while it was uncertain how many bombs were aboard the ship, if the bombs went off at the center of the group of transport sheeps, it would cause significant damage.


    The transport ships, in disarray, tried tomunicate orders, but signals got mixed. With themand ship down, no other strategies seemed avable.


    An adjutant said to the captain, "There''s no other way here. We have to avoid them."


    "If we do, the ships behind us might collide with them. Due to thepromisedmand system, some ships may not be aware of the situation."


    "Then what should we do?"


    The captain momentarily stared at the warship Obin was on with a stiff face.


    "...Sacrifice one of our transport ships to buy time. We have Lai with us."


    "Captain?"


    "...We are the lead transport ship. Signalman, send g signals to the rear transport ships."


    At the captain''smand, both the adjutant and signalman remained silent for a moment.


    It could be said it was an unreasonable order. The transport ships were not only carrying air forces, but also soldiers set to march on the continent across the ocean. To save lives, the captain''s logic was right, but to win the war, it was an impossible decision. Someone had to make the ultimate sacrifice.


    "Yes, sir!" The signalman saluted.


    Soon, everyone on the ship moved efficiently for their final task. On the other hand, Obin was aware that one of the Union Kingdom''s transport ships was advancing for a heroic deed.


    ''In reality, they''re just like us.''


    Perhaps that''s why the warsted so long.


    While Obin believed and followed Bountiful Harvest''s teachings, Obin also received guidance from the main god Night Sky. ording to Night Sky, although everyone had the same intention, misunderstandings and thinking of each other as different fueled this terrible war.


    ''But that''s the nature of the world. It''s inevitable.''


    Obin pulled something that was in a disassembled state out from the all-purpose military bag.


    Obin couldn''t bepared to the madman Toolbo, who was a great inventor, but imitating a military engineer was something Obin could do as well. When Obin tightened the screws and hammered in nails, a single-seat Helix Wing was constructed.


    ''If a tragedy is bound to happen, it must end as soon as possible.''


    Obin pressed a button on the machine they had set up on the deck. Because the single-seat Helix Wing couldn''t generate lift on its own, Obin checked the approaching transport ship and ran across the deck. As the auxiliary wings on both sides caught the wind, Obin felt themself be weightless. Obin hid inside the clouds and circled around the transport fleet.


    Obin looked at their wristwatch.


    ''Is it now?''


    When nothing happened, Obin alternated between looking at the warship they had left and their watch.


    ''Was the connection wrong? There''s still distance between the warship and transport ship, so if I move quickly again...''


    While Obin was thinking this, a loud explosion erupted.


    ...!


    Tinnitus rang in Obin¡¯s head, and due to the following red sh, Obin had to shut their eyes tightly. Considering the gunpowder and shells that had been on the original warship, and the explosives Obin had densely packed into the broken deck, it was an expected result.


    The warship with explosives scattered down as unrecognizable charred remains beneath the mes, and the massive fire also burned the front of the transport ship that was near the explosion.


    ''As expected, the impact wasn''t strong enough to affect all the transport ships.''


    Obin thought it didn''t matter. Obin had anticipated that things wouldn''t be easy if the enemies scattered. It was an inevitable situation as long as Toolbo was brilliantly active. So Obin intended to deceive their enemies through a dazzling explosion.


    ''The moment people believe they''ve ovee a crisis due to someone''s noble sacrifice is the moment we aim for.''


    People were most vulnerable when they believed they had ovee a crisis.


    Obin approached the transport ship on the far right of the fleet.


    Then, before the guard on the ship could detect them, they sniped the guard from the Helix Wing and slid onto the deck.


    ''My nicknames also have some use.''


    Known by morous nicknames like the Vengeful Spirit and the Bombing Horse, Obin was recognized as a war hero within the Empire. Among the apostles, Obin was best known for infiltration and assassination, and unfortunately, these skills were not yet recognized by the enemies through any nicknames. Thanks to Obin''s proficiency, the Union Kingdom was still unaware that Obin was behind many assassination incidents.


    ''After all, capturing a trench alone and being called a Vengeful Spirit, or hiding bombs and detonating them, are only possible when maintaining a low profile.''


    Holding a single dagger, Obin walked into the bridge. It only took a few minutes to silently clear it out.


    Through themunication console, Obin instructed themunicator, "Make urgent contact with each transport ship''s captain. Check if there are any other threats, if they need assistance, and if there are any disruptions in future operations. Communicate with each ship."


    After themunicator''s acknowledgement, Obin said, "Each team, listen up. There will be an important meeting on the bridge. No one is allowed to enter or exit until 1800. That''s all."


    Responses came from the tech and supply teams, and then Obin began setting up more explosives from the bridge.


    ''This time, I''ll really blow them all up in one go.''


    But not everything went smoothly. As the transport fleet gathered, Obin saw a huge pale green body outside the window. Obin stopped setting up the explosives and pressed themself against the wall.


    -This is suspicious. I''m sure I saw the damn bug sneaking in here.


    It was Lai. Circling the ship, Lai looked at the deck and the airship.


    -The captain of this ship,e out and respond.


    Without any reaction, Obin paused to think.


    ''What happened to Aruna?''


    Obin took out a portable telescope and looked out the window. From afar, Obin saw Aruna trapped inside a translucent icosahedron. It was magic. Being a divine beast like Aruna, physical strength alone could dispel the magic, so the barrier was cracking as Aruna pounded against it with her beak. Still, it looked difficult for her to break free immediately.


    ''The explosion I caused drew attention.''


    Lai then said.


    -By the name of Lai, the third Apostle of the Union Kingdom, Imand. From this moment on, the highestmand of this ship is transferred to me. All personnel not on assignment, check the bridge.


    From the all-purpose military bag, Obin was about to grab the machine gun and sighed.


    ''Even if I block it, it''s meaningless. In that case...''


    Obin looked back at the explosives they had filled the bridge with.


    ''I need to fill more explosives and wait for the other transport ships to get closer. But there''s no time to wait for that. On the other hand, if I detonate it now, I can hurt Lai.''


    Obin didn''t think they could kill Lai, but if they could hurt Lai, perhaps Aruna and Toolbo could shoot down the remaining airships.


    ''But they could break in any moment now, so there''s no time to set a timer. I have to detonate it now.''


    Even though Obin was an apostle, unless they had the body of a Dragon or a divine beast, it would be hard to withstand such an explosion. There would be an exception if there were tales of Obin surviving such attacks, but Obin didn''t have such an ability.


    ''Once again, let''s create a magnificent ze...''


    Just as Obin reached for the lighter on their chest, a sharp engine roar tore through the air.


    "...Chaaarge!"


    It was Hop No. 3 and Toolbo.


    Hop No. 3 charged toward Lai''s head.


    It seemed almost impossible given the distance, but Obin didn¡¯t think too much about it.


    ''I got too caught up ying hero alone.''


    Pulling out the machine gun, Obin kicked open the bridge door. Soldiers rushing toward the bridge fell as they were hit by Obin''s bullets.


    Meanwhile, Lai snarled at Hop No. 3, which was climbing up its back.


    -You damn hybrid¡­!


    Though Lai had the tough skin of a Dragon, scales flew off and blood spurted as the spinning drill made contact. Lai tried shaking it off and even bit at Hop No. 3, but the machine clung tight with its wed feet, continuing its crawl up Lai¡¯s back, tearing up blood vessels and making blood gush out.


    -How dare you!


    Lai''s crystals glowed, and sharp magical bars appeared out of thin air. The heated bars aimed at Toolbo, but then Lai was shot by a machine gun from the transport ship, and its magic concentration wavered, the magical bars shattering.


    Turning around, Lai saw Obin, who had dominated the deck. Though Obin hadn''t caused too much damage to Lai, they had sessfully disrupted its concentration.


    -You pests!


    Lai began reaching toward the ship''s deck. However, it was stopped short again.


    -You¡¯re the pest!


    A massive blue me grabbed Lai by the neck and mmed it into the transport ship. The Dragon''s head pierced through the side of the hull.


    Though Lai tried to fight back against Hop No. 3 and Aruna, the blow to its head seemed to have dazed it.


    ''Now''s the time!''


    Obin, havinge back to their senses, ran back toward the bridge.


    With Lai''s head lodged in, there could have been a chance to kill Lai.


    As Obin reached for the lighter in their pocket, preparing to light it and open the bridge''s door, Obin heard a voice.


    -Good work, Obin.


    It was the familiar voice they had heard earlier.


    -...Night Sky?


    -It''s a good idea, but there''s no need to be a hero again.


    Obin didn''t immediately understand what that meant.


    -Because you¡¯re already a hero.


    Suddenly, a massive gust of wind blew. The wind wrapped around Obin, as well as Toolbo and Aruna, who were fighting against Lai. Then the wind pulled them high up into the sky. The smell of gunpowder and blood, corpses and rifles, the shattered transport ship and its white envelope, the sign of the Union Kingdom, and the long pale-green Dragon, all became mere specks from their elevated perspective. It happened all in an instant.


    Under normal circumstances, their skin would have been torn off, and they would have lost consciousness due to the pressure, but for the three apostles, it felt just like a warm summer breeze.


    Then, Lai, who looked in confusion at the sudden disappearance of its enemies and the now ownerless oil lighter, got caught in the strong wind, twirled around, and hurled back down into the midst of the explosives.


    An explosion followed.

 Chapter 233: If the Sky is an Enemy

    Chapter 233: If the Sky is an Enemy


    Obin Mabru thought the explosive power would surely not be enough. However, it was directed in a clear direction.


    ¡®...Wind!¡¯


    The mes from the explosion didn¡¯t spread from a center point in a spherical manner. Instead, the fire spread sharply, leading to fragments of the airship dancing in the mes. The fragments spread out wide like tree roots and reached the entire fleet. The explosive power was so well-directed that even the furthest transport ship was affected.


    Toolbo looked at what happened and said, "S¡­scientifically this is an impossible coincidence!"


    That meant it wasn''t a coincidence.


    Each transport ship caught fire, and mes spread on the hulls, making holes bigger.


    The ground wasn''t visible yet.


    ''Did it annihte them?''


    However, perhaps because the explosion didn''t focus on one point and spread out instead, Lai, who was falling down in the air, could be seen moving. Then Aruna growled and prepared to p its wings again.


    Sung-Woon said to the three apostles.


    -Come back.


    Of course, the three apostles were moved by Sung-Woon¡¯s will without even being able to refuse.


    ***


    Even though a yer possessed a Large Area, they couldn¡¯t exert their power in an enemy¡¯s capital. The power obtained in The Lost World didn''t necessarily lead to inevitable victory, and as one moved further from their territory, more Faith points would be consumed to exert the power. But in one''s own territory, such limitations lessened, and they could perform literal miracles.


    In fact, while the three apostles¡ªObin, Toolbo, and Aruna¡ªwere intercepting the ambush of the fourth fleet of the Union Kingdom, a miracle was taking ce on the frontline of the fourth continent.


    Not everyone knew about the Large Area: Sky that Sung-Woon had acquired, so soldiers on the frontline did not fully understand the approaching storm clouds.


    "These aren''t the storm clouds of this season..."


    The low-hanging clouds began pouring rain over the Union Kingdom''s camp instead of the inhabited region between the trenches.


    The Union Kingdom''s camp had already received a retreat order, but many artillery units remained for dying operations. Since the Empire¡¯s army was nearby, and it was night and the soldiers were tired, themand waited for the brief shower to pass. However, the pouring rain became increasingly intense and did not stop even after an hour.


    When the water rose up to the soldiers'' ankles in the trench, the army began to panic. The Angry One urgently issued a retreat order, but due to the pouring rain that resembled a never-ending pouring of buckets, even transmitting themand was problematic.


    Before two hours passed, the water inside the trenches reached waist height, and the thickly stacked barriers and fortifications turned to mud and washed away.


    Following Dordol''s orders, the advancing artillery of the Empire began bombardment.


    Returning fire was already impossible. The bores of cannons werepletely filled with water, and the panicking soldiers'' guns were caked with mud. The noise was so deafening that even nearby voices were hard to hear, and soldiers floundered about, trying to escape the sudden ordeal.


    Three hourster, the trenches transformed into mud that made it difficult to even move, and the remaining soldiers with enough energy to move disregarded orders and ran toward the rear to escape the flood. In the fully-filled trenches, hands sporadically emerged, grabbing the ankles of fleeing soldiers, and some tripped over protruding cannon mouths. Soldiers who managed to get up were overpowered by the subsequent wave of water and fell over again.


    The next clear morning, the Empire''s engineers had toy bridges to cross the transformed swampy trenches.


    After the three apostles had nearly destroyed the enemy fleet, Sung-Woon had intervened; it was because the fleet was that close to the third continent.


    When Hop No. 3 was being made, Sung-Woon could have given some support, but intervening too early would mean missing out on the chance to damage Lai, or some part of the ships could survive. Most importantly, once apostles were sent, they had to be trusted.


    ¡®That¡¯s how trust is proven.¡¯


    Of course, Sung-Woon also did it to conserve Faith points.


    After Sung-Woon destroyed the fleet and Hegemonia retrieved the wounded Lai, the Union Kingdom''s ambush was stopped short.


    Sung-Woon then continued to push the front line on the fourth continent. When territory expanded enough tofortably use the Large Area, retreating enemies were chased with heavy rain, blizzards, and lightning. The countermeasures to slow the enemies became useless, and the Union Kingdom''s side pulled back so quickly they abandoned vast amounts of war material. Thanks to this, the Empire was able to advance fast.


    It was all due to the meeting''s oue.


    Both the apostles and yers believed it best for Sung-Woon to actively intervene in the biggest frontline.


    "Neb, with your current abilities, you shouldn''t have any problem pushing the frontline. Even if Hegemonia intentionally gives it up, if we seed in driving the Union Kingdom out of the fourth continent, the gains we make arerger, even in the worst-case scenario where magic is sealed and Orazen is attacked,¡± Wisdom had said.


    Sung-Woon agreed, but had a different perspective.


    "I don''t expect an event like Orazen''s fall, but we can''t afford the sealing of magic either."


    "We''d appreciate more trust in us for that part. We''ll block everything, so don''t worry."


    If the entirety of the Union Kingdom''s naval fleet mobilized, it had been a consistent opinion that it would be virtually impossible to block allndings. The eastern coast of the third continent was so vast that even for the Empire, blocking a few major routes fornding had been a challenging task.


    There was another challenge as well.


    "What about the Ronante-Oroban Alliance?" asked Sung-Woon.


    The Alliance was also a significant enemy. Until recently, they had been at war too, but now they were on the same front as the Union Kingdom, making things much moreplicated.


    "We¡¯re thinking of following the n. Is there a problem?"


    As Wisdom said so, Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "Honestly, I think that side will be trivial."


    "If it''s ording to the n, that is."


    Sung-Woon was worried about another issue.


    ''But maybe...''


    ***


    On the northwestern end of the first continent was the military expeditionary base, Hareun Port. Due to the recent winds of revolution on the first continent, it had be the Empire''s territory.


    Although it was an expeditionary base, one would be hard-pressed to call itrge. Even all the revolutionary forcesbined were only enough to make one battalion, and the rest of the revolutionaries were fighting big and small battles within the territory of Ronante-Oroban.


    It was fortunate that the winds of revolution hadn''t died down, but the atmosphere at the expeditionary base headquarters wasn''t good. This was because the Alliance''s army was currently marching toward Hareun.


    Hareun, although not arge city, was an important military base. During the war between the Union Kingdom and the Ronante-Oroban Alliance against the Empire, the Union Kingdom had decided to move through the southern sea, while the Alliance had chosen to attack the Empire through the northern route.


    The reason was that the Union Kingdom could use the port of the fourth continent as a supply base by passing through the south, and the Alliance could use the Saijin Archipgo, located between the third and first continents, as their supply base. For this, the northwestern city of Hareun, connected by railway, was needed.


    The n of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance was for transport ships to depart from Hareun, pass through the Saijin Archipgo, and then attack the western coast of the third continent.


    However, due to the naval blockade, Hareun wasn¡¯t able to receive much support from the Empire. The advancing enemy forces had a vanguard of one division, and eventually, those at Hareun would have to face the entire army of the Alliance. The Hareun revolutionary forces and the Empire¡¯s expeditionary forces that had arrived before the naval blockade had resolved themselves to fight back.


    Without any prior notice, the meeting where the leadership affirmed their resolve was interrupted by two people entering themand control room. They were wearing the Empire¡¯s military uniforms, but their faces were unfamiliar at first. However, someone had seen them from a distance before.


    "...All rise!"


    As the basemander saluted, the Ogre in front returned the salute.


    "You''ve worked hard."


    "Not at all, Commander Dordol. But why would the apostlese to such a ce..."


    The eighth apostle of the Pantheon, Dordol, said, "From this moment, I, Apostle Dordol, take the highestmand of the Hareun expedition base. And...everyone, sit."


    Since there was no chair for Ogres in themand room, the lowest-ranking officer left without hesitating before Dordol could even stop them.


    Dordol sighed softly.


    Behind Dordol, the fifth apostle of the Pantheon, Keiju the Satyr, said, "We''ve been ordered to guard the expedition base, following the will of the Pantheon."


    "Pardon, sir?"


    "But that alone won''t be enough."


    Dordol finished for Keiju, "In addition, we¡¯re going to go on a conquest of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance. A so-called preemptive strike."


    "...Pardon?"


    Dordol continued, "Let me say this first. The naval blockade will continue, but that''s because the Empire, the Pantheon, wants it to."


    "Why so?"


    "To give the Ronante-Oroban Alliance...no, rather, to give the Oroban navy a chance to exert their power."


    The basemander, a Hobgoblin, made a puzzled face.


    "I don''t understand. Why should we suffer to give our enemy an opportunity?"


    "Don''t say we suffer. The Empire''s navy did engage with the Oroban navy a few times and lost, but what the enemy burned were all old, decoy ships with no one on board. And there must have been orders here on the first continent to avoidbat as much as possible."


    "...That is correct. But even if there''s no actual loss, our defeat affects morale."


    Dordol said, "Do you know that the Ronante-Oroban Alliance is the two countries of Ronante and Oroban merged?"


    Although it seemed like an irrelevant remark, the basemander nodded.


    "Yes sir. I also know that the Ronante Kingdom has a strong army ind, while the Oroban Kingdom has a powerful navy along its coastline."


    Due to this, with the formation of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, there were ims that the first continent would be unrivaled with the strongest army and navy.


    Dordol said, "That''s their weakness. The reason we gave them a chance is precisely that."


    The basemander still didn''t fully understand, and it seemed the other officers in themand felt the same.


    Dordol subtly scratched their temple. "Well, I¡¯ll exin this part againter."


    The Nix staff officer of the Empire next to them said, "Sir, for whatever reason, if the enemy''s naval blockade isn''t lifted, advancing into the territory of the Ronante-Oraban Alliance will be challenging. Our forces only have the strength of one battalion, and our equipment is severelycking..."


    "I''m aware," Dordol replied curtly. "Isn''t that why we''re here?"


    Dordol proved their confidence.


    ***


    Two dayster, the Hareun base annihted an enemy division in a battle against the vanguard of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance.


    There were only three minor injuries reported at the Hareun base.

 Chapter 234: Correction

    Chapter 234: Correction


    "Why on earth!" said a Human male while staring down at the table. "That navy that smells like fish is making significant progress, while we can''t even put that tiny piece ofnd into our hands!"


    He was Aidan Roden, the suprememander of the Ronante army.


    Although their homnd was called the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, the armymand boldly dered themselves descendants of Ronante.


    No one in themand was responding to this man dressed in a gray-brown uniform, and it was understandable.


    ording to the intelligence agents and reconnaissance troops, the number of garrison troops at Hareun base was just about at the regiment level. Their equipment was even worse. They had a decent amount of mortars and howitzers, but not a single tank or armored infantry.


    On the other hand, the Ronante army division was a fully equipped,plete unit. It was a unit hastily gathered with the intention of destroying the Empire¡¯s base before they could prepare, but they could not operate with arge number of troops due to Hareun being a small city. Regardless, the result was a crushing defeat.


    Even before this, the Oroban navy and the Emperor''s family had been treating the Ronante army quite disdainfully. The Ronante-Oroban Alliance was unable to conquer other countries on the first continent primarily because the Empire and the Union Kingdom, the two other major nations, were at war at the time. The two nations were fighting across three continents, involving other nations on the first continent as well, causing the Ronante-Oroban Alliance to be tossed around and merely biding their time, unable to find the right moment to conquer the continent.


    Unlike the Oroban navy, which could me the two countries for invading and upying various seas, the Ronante army appeared to be dragging their feet. The Oroban navy even used political machinations, criticizing the Ronante army and utilizing the royal family, which nominally held the highest authority, but still, the Ronante army was unable to move. There were quite a few countries that provided support from behind the scenes, ensuring that the Ronante army could not proceed with the continental conquest, whether it was for the Empire or the Union Kingdom.


    Numerically, the Ronante army could overwhelm them, but with the introduction of airships, hot-air balloons, tanks, and armored infantry into warfare, the exchange rate of weapons was not favorable. While an attack wasn¡¯t impossible, if the Ronante army achieved victory with poor exchange rates, they would still feel uneasy as long as the Oroban navy maintained its military strength.


    The Ronante-Oroban Alliance was maintained by the bnce between the army and the navy, and this power struggle was also a fight between two yers seeking to take the lead in a single country.


    The Ronante army would question the Oroban navy why they didn¡¯t seize the coastline first, to which the navy would retort that it was because the army didn¡¯t capture the port first, and this pattern would repeat. If the Ronante army managed to capture a target, somewhat forcefully, the navy would leisurely sail in, using supplies as bait to demand a share of the harvests of victory.


    As this cycle continued, there was no longer any meaning for Ronante to advance, and just as signs of civil war were emerging, a fight broke out with the Union Kingdom, leading to a dramatic reconciliation. Of course, the army and navy held longstanding grudges against each other.


    In the midst of this, when it seemed that the Empire was going to take control, the two yers of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance hurriedly formed an alliance with Hegemonia.


    The first thing that the Ronante navy did was to dominate the ocean between their alliance and the Empire. Due to the Empire''s passive approach on that front, the navy was able to achieve consecutive victories and sessfully constructed a supply base at the Saijin Archipgo, a major strategic point.


    However, there were problems. One issue was the remaining forces of the Empire stationed on the Saijin Archipgo. Although they gave up on confronting the naval forces within artillery range, they hid in the dense forests on the archipgo and attacked the navy¡¯s supply base using guerri tactics. Even when naval forces were gathered and deployed for a counterattack, they often failed to locate the enemy or suffered losses against small groups of the Empire¡¯s troops. As the navy started to exhaust their ground forces for operations onnd, the Oroban navy eventually decided to abandon their suppression operation and intended to pass the responsibility onto the Ronante army.


    That, however, came with another problem. In the case of the first continent, while the northeast was under the control of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, the majority of the southwest was a mix of various kingdoms. This meant that they could not head straight to the third continent from the western coast. To establish supply lines, they had to choose between the north and south routes, but as the Union Kingdom preemptively imed the southern route due to its proximity to the fourth continent and other reasons, the Alliance''s supply line was limited to the north. And at the northern tip of this route was the Hareun base.


    From the perspective of the Oroban navy, they hoped that the Ronante army would quickly capture the Hareun base, establish a transportation route, connect the supply lines, and then clear out the remaining Empire forces on the Saijin Archipgo. However, as they failed to capture Hareun quickly, rumors started to circte within the navy.


    "Are these guys dragging their feet on purpose?"


    There were other supply routes that existed, but the supply lines were so long that resources were depleted during transit, and they were asionally attacked by the Empire¡¯s naval vessels that appeared out of nowhere, adding to the uncertainty and instability.


    As the Ronante army¡¯s capture of the Hareun base slowed down, the Oroban navy''s main forces at the Saijin Archipgo were gradually bing worn out. From the perspective of the Oroban navy, in addition to continuing their string of victories, they could have thought that the Ronante army was taking their time on purpose, as a form of revenge for past grievances.


    However, from the perspective of the Ronante army, there was no proper channel for them to rify their situation. Both groups officially served the Emperor of the Alliance and reported to him, but other than that, they typically understood each other''s intentions through spies nted in each other¡¯s groups, bribery, and intelligence activities.


    Sung-Woon realized that something was going wrong with the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, starting from its name.


    "A two-member alliance is difficult," he said during a meeting to discuss how to respond to the Ronante-Oroban Alliance.


    Wisdom asked, "Even if it''s a true alliance in every sense?"


    "Yes. Perhaps that¡¯s even more problematic.¡±


    "Why do you think so?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "First of all, it¡¯s funny that they¡¯ve simplybined the names of Ronante and Oroban after merging. It means neither side has managed to take the lead. Conversely, it also means that they will have to continue fighting for dominance in the future."


    "Indeed."


    "If it''s not an alliance supported by the system, but just a verbal one, it would be over as soon as someone betrays the other or breaks the alliance first. However, they are not even capable of doing that."


    Wisdom said, "Now that I think about it, it''s definitely true. But why has it be like that?"


    "They got scared and hesitated. They were standing in front of a fight over who would dominate the continent, but they couldn''t go beyond that. Usually, taking the offense is considered disadvantageous, so they just kept building up their barriers against each other. However, they then realized that we and Hegemonia had taken control of our respective continent. They were afraid that the expected tripartite structure would turn into a bipartite one before it could even form, so they hurriedly formed an alliance."


    In simple terms, theycked skill.


    Sung-Woon said, "Those guys should not be tooplicated to deal with. However..."


    "Is there another problem?"


    "No, never mind." Sung-Woon stayed silent for a moment and then said, "Anyway, the method is simple."


    "What are you nning to do?"


    "I''m going to sow discord between them."


    Wisdom then said with a tone of uncertainty, "I think it''s the right decision...but in this situation, if we propose an alliance or show any kind of favor, they will naturally be suspicious. And that suspicion will feel like an external threat, potentially making their rtionship even stronger. Isn''t it risky?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "It doesn''t necessarily have to be done that way."


    The method Sung-Woon had thought of for a long time while observing the Ronante-Oroban Alliance was a simple one.


    "We just have to beat one of them."


    And Sung-Woon did just that. He decided to fake a defeat against the Oroban navy while continuously achieving victory against the Ronante army. Of course, achieving real victories was not as easy as faking defeats, but the two gods of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance were too worried about their apostles getting hurt and couldn''t fully deploy them, meanwhile, the Pantheon was able to confidently deploy theirs.


    ''Male Chicken and dimir, those two must be the type to save their potions until they are almost dead in an RPG game.''


    Dordol and Keiju secretly went into the Hareun base and led the troops to victory. More than just strategy and strength, both apostles were war heroes like Obin, possessing skills to maximize the morale and abilities of their soldiers.


    On the other hand, the Ronante army, constantly second-guessing if this was some kind of trap, kept losing battle after battle. They couldn''t advance but were instead retreating.


    Upon realizing this fact, dimir, who controlled the Oroban navy, had no choice but to express their anger at Male Chicken, who controlled the Ronante army.


    "Look at this, it doesn¡¯t make any sense. What are you doing?"


    Male Chicken had his ownints as well.


    ¡°What are you doing yourself? If the alliance is struggling, shouldn''t you divert troops and provide support?¡±


    "Don''t talk nonsense. It''s just a tiny port town, isn''t it? Does it make sense that even with all the army forces deployed, you can''t upy it? To begin with, where have you ced your apostles on the battlefield? Are you keeping them to make soupter?"


    "Whole army forces, you say! The ind soldiers are spread out, blocking the revolutionary army. Even when your navy was leisurely spending time on the sea, it was my army that was doing the work."


    "That''s not true. The reason we are maintaining the situation somewhat is because my navy has blockaded the sea."


    "I can say the same thing. How about I pull out all the ind troops right now? Starting from the old Oroban region, it would be interesting to see."


    A round of argument somehow came to a calm. However, after the quarrel, cold suspicion took the ce of anger in dimir''s mind.


    ¡®Pull back my naval forces? And give up the territory while doing so? Is this guy possibly...on the side of the Empire?¡¯


    dimir thought that while it would require some tricky methods, it was a possible scenario if Male Chicken had enough trust in the yers of the Empire and the Pantheon. Such suspicion was also conveyed to the priests in their territory, exacerbating the conflict between the Oroban navy and the Ronante army.


    In this situation, Hegemonia was the most distressed. Hegemonia was nning to attack the eastern coast of the third continent simultaneously with the Ronante-Orroban Alliance, but the Alliance had not sent a signal even after the preparations of the Union Kingdom werepleted.


    First, Hegemonia requested a Whisper Conversation with dimir.


    "What the hell are you guys doing?"


    Taken aback by the harsh greeting, dimir hesitated before answering, "Is that you, Hegemonia? Actually, there were circumstances."


    After hearing dimir¡¯s exnation and umting doubts about Male Chicken, Hegemonia nodded.


    "...Ah, I see. So that''s how it is." Deciding on something, Hegemonia said, "I want to help you."


    "Really? But we are still fighting the Empire in other ces, and we also have to prepare the expeditionary force."


    "I am busy, but I just can¡¯t stand by and watch." Hegemonia continued, "Are all your apostles in the capital now?"


    "That¡¯s right. They are protecting the Emperor."


    "I will send my apostle to you. They will exin what''s going on."


    "Why not exin yourself now?"


    Hegemonia furrowed her eyebrows as if she was bored. "As I said, I am busy."


    dimir awkwardly nodded.


    "Oh, okay I''ll also inform Male Chicken."


    After enough time had passed for someone to travel from the territory of the Union Kingdom to the capital of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, Hegemonia¡¯s apostle appeared. But there was not just one of them.


    "...Three?"


    Male Chicken muttered, "Did all of them have toe just to talk?¡±


    "It seems they are allied forces. With three apostles from Hegemonia, of course we could win,"


    Leading the way was Salkait, the first apostle of Hegemonia. The experienced Gnoll walked straight into the emperor''s pce as if it was their own home. Following Salkait were two other apostles, Bounda the Goblin, ranked sixth, and Aruega Rob, a Werewolf and the seventh apostle. Bounda, known as the Destroyer, possessed a somewhat unique rationale, while Aruega Rob was a descendant of the Evil God that had appeared on the first continent.


    The emperor, having already heard the news, sat on his throne high above, looking down at Salkait. He weed Salcait with open arms.


    "Wee..."


    However, he couldn''t finish his sentence. Salkait had picked up a pebble from somewhere and threw it at the emperor''s head.


    Thump!


    The emperor, whose face was now unrecognizable, fell from the throne and rolled down the stairs, eventually copsing at Salkait¡¯s feet.


    While Male Chicken''s mouth hung open in shock, dimir quickly contacted Hegemonia.


    ¡°What are you doing! Hegemonia!¡±


    While dmir asked that question, the three apostles of Hegemonia began to indiscriminately kill the people inside the pce.


    ¡°What am I doing? I''m correcting a mistake.¡±


    The apostles of Male Chicken and dimir, who were originally supposed to protect the emperor, stepped forward to face Hegemonia¡¯s apostles. Each of the yers had two apostles. Male Chicken had won over two divine beasts as his apostles, while dimir had made their own creations as apostles.


    Both Male Chicken and dimir had no doubt that their apostles, which they dearly cared for, were strong. However, Hegemonia seemed uninterested in their apostles.


    "I thought you two might be of some...use. So, I waited, thinking no news is good news. But seeing you dilly-dallying, making excuses, and doing nothing, I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. Neb hasn¡¯t even made a proper move yet, and I can already see the future unfolding. You quarrel amongst yourselves, holding me back, while I be indecisive, and then, absurdly, I get struck down by Neb. That''s¡­"


    Hegemonia paused for a moment, then continued, "...not the ending I want."


    Hegemonia red at the two yers.


    "Instead, you¡¯d be better off as my XP points."


    As soon as Hegemonia finished speaking, Salkait swung their hammer onto the pce floor.


    ***


    A few hourster, above the ruins of what was once the capital of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, Hegemonia looked at the World Message in front of her.


    [yer ''Hegemonia'' has earned the right to challenge Large Area: Land.]

 Chapter 235: Toward Rasdasil

    Chapter 235: Toward Rasdasil


    [The yer ''Hegemonia'' has earned the right to challenge Large Area: Land.]


    Crampus, who was sitting in the first conference room, murmured, "What? How did this happen?"


    Sitting beside him, Eldar mumbled, "Ah, I wondered if it would happen, but I guess it really did."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Didn¡¯t you see it written on the situation board today?"


    From a certain point in time, the yers in the Pantheon started calling their act of sitting in the conference room and monitoring the world as situation duty, and they started naming other things ordingly. For example, the notice board that one would check before entering situation duty, which contained the main instructions for that day, was called the situation board. The first conference room was also more poprly referred to as themand and control room.


    When Crampus responded with a look of confusion, Eldar controlled the system interface and continued to say, ¡°It said Hegemonia could get the opportunity to challenge a Large Area, and to check on Arengart if she did.¡±


    Eldar then pressed a button, and thendscape of Arengart, the capital of the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, appeared on the screen. Seeing this, Crampus, Eldar, and Solongos, who were all on situation duty, let out short sighs.


    Eldar checked the system window and said, "...We''ve lost a lot of our reconnaissance resources."


    "Did Hegemonia attack? Arengart? Weren''t they in an alliance?"


    Someone walked into the conference room. "They were in an alliance."


    It was Sung-Woon.


    Walking in, Sung-Woon looked at the scene of Arengart that Eldar had disyed and continued to say, "Our strategy did work out. Hegemonia no longer trusted Male Chicken and dimir."


    "She didn¡¯t trust them? Did she think those two would betray her?"


    "No, it¡¯s not that. She didn¡¯t believe in their capabilities. She was certain that those two would be of no use to her, so sheunched a surprise attack."


    "But, hyung-nim[1]."


    Sung-Woon turned to look at Solongos.


    Sung-Woon had been somewhat taken aback by this form of address, but since he had told Solongos to call him whatever he wanted, it was awkward for Sung-Woon to say something and correct him now. So eventually, Sung-Woon had be a hyung-nim to Solongos.


    "What is it?"


    "As far as I know, weren''t there four apostles of Male Chicken and dimir in Arengart? On the other hand, if the results of our continuous monitoring weren¡¯t wrong, only three apostles of Hegemonia had left their posts until now..."


    Sung-Woon said, "That¡¯s not particrly surprising though. Not all apostles are the same."


    While it was understandable to hide apostles at strategic points due to their value, it wasn''t necessarily a good y. Apostles grew not just through their own experiences, but also through externally recognized achievements. Even Lakrak had be much stronger since bing an apostle. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t very useful to hide apostles like Male Chicken and dimir had hidden theirs in the depths of the capital pce.


    ¡®Moreover, rather than selecting a heroic individual and designating them as an apostle, making creations or divine beasts into apostles is also not rmended. They might have good initial stats, but they tend to have a lower potential for growth.¡¯


    People loved stories about heroes. That¡¯s why they kept adding more stories to them. In contrast, creations or divine beasts were somewhatplete stories, so they couldn¡¯t provide much more in terms of storytelling.


    Crampus asked, "So what happens to Male Chicken and dimir now? Did they be vassals?"


    Sung-Woon checked the system interface and said, "Uh...wait, here we go. I just checked the calctions Wisdom sent me. They¡¯ve dropped to around level 10, mid-low range, due to the massive hit, but it seems like both of them will survive."


    If they had used Hierophany and did their best to fight back and died, they could have be vassals.


    ''So they didn''t give it their all, or they thought they couldn¡¯t win anyway. Well, it was probably the right decision.''


    Compared to Sung-Woon and Hegemonia, both Male Chicken and dimir had continued a rtively unfavorable y. However, Sung-Woon thought that it didn¡¯t necessarily have to be viewed that way. Now Sung-Woon¡¯s Pantheon and Hegemonia would engage in a much bigger battle, and one of them was bound to lose.


    ''Even when that timees, Male Chicken and dimir will be alive.''


    The yer who gained power then would most likely be the winner, but there was a chance that it wouldn¡¯t be true. Although it was a low probability at the current stage of civilization, there was a chance to aim for a draw from both parties.


    ''It might be disparaged as micro y, but in the end, the longer you survive, the more possibilities you see.''


    Sung-Woon said, "...Well, still, the Ronante-Oroban Alliance is almost neutralized now. Even if we don¡¯t control them, they''ll be burdened to suppress the rebels scattered everywhere, and now that Arengart has been destroyed in the fight between the apostles, they won¡¯t be able to block secrism from happening.¡±


    There was also another possibility.


    "Male Chicken and dimir will have it harder. There is a chance that the Ronante army and the Oroban navy will seize this crisis as an opportunity to form a stronger alliance, but if secrism strengthens, the divided forces will increasingly advocate for separatism. The emperor, the symbol of the alliance, is already dead, and there are other countries on the first continent that are hostile to the Ronante-Oroban Alliance."


    Eldar said, "Then we should focus on Hegemonia."


    "Right." Sung-Woon nodded. "If we just protect magic like this, we can win."


    ***


    The course of the war between the ck Scale Empire and the Danly Union Kingdom aligned almost exactly with what Sung-Woon and the yers from Pantheon had discussed.


    The entire Oroban Navy had escaped from the Saijin Archipgo, allowing the remaining Empire¡¯s forces hiding within the archipgo to seed in their surprise attack.


    The Empire''s navy had hardly suffered any damage from the Oroban Navy in the first ce, so they easily captured the Saijin Archipgo, established it as one of the Empire¡¯s bases, andpletely dominated the seas between the first and third continents.


    Therefore, for the Union Kingdom, all routes directly leading to the Rasdasil Ruins for the magic seal were removed, except for the sea routes.


    Unlike wars on Earth, where one could give up if they anticipated or sustained heavy damage, wars in The Lost World only ended when the yers gave up. For Hegemonia, however, it was over once all of her ships were destroyed.


    No matter how many ground troops the Union Kingdom had, if they could not set foot on the third continent, all those troops would be useless. Therefore, Hegemonia, wanting to protect the sea routes from the fourth and second continents to the western coast of the third continent, could not choose a full-frontal war.


    The Empire had a broader range to defend, but they had arger total naval force, so even for Hegemonia, there was no guarantee she would benefit from a naval battle. But that didn¡¯t mean the future looked bright either.


    Adopting a strategy to minimize damage, the Empire¡¯s navy gradually wore down the navy of the Union Kingdom.


    Wisdom said, "Then we might be considering a longer war than we thought. They could aim to seize a far-end harbor like Maganen before our Empire¡¯s army joins and continuously transport troops."


    Sung-Woon said, "That''s a possibility, but..."


    Sung-Woon pointed north of Maganen on the map.


    Wisdom mumbled, "dion?"


    However, Sung-Woon''s hand kept moving. His finger traversed rough mountains and terrains, eventually crossing over the eastern mountain range before stopping at Rasdasil.


    Wisdom then said as if he couldn¡¯t understand, "With the current fleet, they would be able to transport troops several times while protecting the transport ships. Wouldn¡¯t they first need to establish an expedition base afternding?"


    "That would make sense."


    "Are you saying they would go to Rasdasil directly? On thend our fleet is protecting? Of course, it''s not a perfect defense line, but we have done better than expected. Hegemonia was dyed, whereas we were faster."


    "Right. If Hegemoniands troops on the coast of Rasdasil, it wouldn¡¯t be bad for us."


    A considerable amount of troops from the Empire were currently stationed in southern cities like Maganen on the Empire¡¯s penins because the area was the closest to the Union Kingdom. Therefore, if the Union Kingdom¡¯s fleet was tond in Rasdasil, they would have to relinquish the upied territory without any means to resist.


    ¡®But that''s all there is to it.¡¯


    At first nce, it seemed risky, but by now, the hidden fleets in front of Rasdasil had been revealed, and coastal fortresses had been constructed. While many troops were located beyond the mountains, there were no longer issues of impassable roads in the Empire due to the harsh terrain as the roads had been thoroughly cleared. Therefore, if a bit of time could be bought at the Rasdasil coast, massive troop assemblies could be quickly redirected there.


    Moreover, if the Union Kingdom was to unload troops in Rasdasil, their supply lines wouldn¡¯t be secure since the naval forces of the Empire in other regions wouldn''t just stand by and watch. For Hegemonia to attack Rasdasil would be like cing a stone inside the enemy''s territory in a game of Go.


    "Then should we reassign troops to dion now?"


    Sung-Woon shook his head. "No, it would be more troublesome if we ended up giving away port cities like Maganan."


    Hegemonia had been using Faith points to conceal the locations of her main forces. While there were no other options apart from the eastern coast, it was still a question sure exactly where they would appear.


    "Even so, you think they wille to Rasdasil?"


    "Yes."


    "Why do you think that?"


    Sung-Woon thought about it for a moment and then slowly said, "Because that''s what I would do.¡±


    ¡°Howe?¡±


    "If one follows the standard procedure, it would lead to death from starvation. So even if the probability of losing is higher, I would think that it''s better to bet on the side where there is still a chance of winning left."


    "I don''t understand."


    Sung-Woon said, "If you think you can win all the uing battles, you might think this way."


    In any battle, win. Then, even if surrounded, even if supplies are cut off, even if ced in a disadvantageous situation, it wouldn''t matter.


    "Neb, I''m not sure if you''re underestimating us or if you''re saying Hegemonia is underestimating us."


    Sung-Woon shook his head. "It''s neither. You can''t win a game with that kind of mindset¡­ Hegemonia has enough confidence. She¡¯s gathered strong apostles, obtained the Unique Domain: War, and the quality of her troops are quite good. Moreover, having had to y the game in a fragmented manner up until now, if she thinks she can concentrate solely on one point and fight just one battle...she would undoubtedly believe that she is certain to win."


    Wisdom stayed silent for a moment.


    "When you put it that way, I understand."


    That was when it happened. Lunda, who was in the first conference room, contacted Sung-Woon.


    "The Union Kingdom''s fleet has appeared. Here are the coordinates."


    A location marked with a red dot appeared.


    It was the southeastern sea of the third continent. The fleet, which had already passed the Southern Archipgo from afar, continued to head north.


    "The fleet was discovered a little while ago. Even if we are to draw their path, it might not be urate, but it''s certain that the route used by the Union Kingdom¡¯s fleet is..."


    Lunda said, "Rasdasil. The fleet is heading to the open sea in front of Rasdasil."


    Sung-Woon and Wisdom looked at each other. In fact, Sung-Woon still didn''t know where to focus his gaze on Wisdom''s star-shaped head, but anyway, something simr to emotions wasmunicated between them.


    And then, as if they had coordinated their actions, they quickly controlled the system window. They issued revtions through their assigned priests to move the troops. The chain priests of each unit received the revtion in various forms depending on the god they followed. A swarm of red butterflies danced ording to well-known rules, tubifex wriggled out of pockets to form letters, and the rough wind meaningfully arranged the leaves.


    The chain priests read the revtions and informed themanders of each unit. Themanders hurriedly gathered the troops and ordered them to go to Rasdasil.


    Meanwhile, the Empire¡¯s fleet in front of Rasdasil began preparations to face the enemy, and the coastal fortresses stopped expansion and switched to reinforcement work.


    While makingmands, Wisdom said, "By the way, the answer from the sanctuary hasn''te down yet, is that okay? It seemed like you really wanted to confirm it this time."


    Sung-Woon replied, "Well, if it''s something I didn''t expect, I need to wait, but in the case of Hegemonia, it seems I was a bit faster."


    Wisdom quietlyughed. "That''s also true."


    ***


    A few dayster, on the eastern coast of the third continent, the fleet of the Union Kingdom appeared in the open sea in front of dion.


    1. Korean term used by males to address an older male than themself ?

 Chapter 236: Two Castles

    Chapter 236: Two Castles


    The Empire''s gship, World Watcher, was thergest airship in the world. Due to its tremendous mass, its flight speed was lower, making it seemingly worthless as a gship for an air fleet whenpared to conventional airships. Regardless, the flying gship held value in its ability to observe the entire battlefield from a rtively safe distance.


    Apostle Dordol, who was aboard the World Watcher, looked down on the battlefield. The fleet of the Union Kingdom was not yet visible beyond the horizon. However, airships assigned to reconnaissance were constantly transmitting news, and the transmitted information themunications officers received was being gathered by the staff officers.


    The enemy would enter the firing range of the Empire''s artillery in a few minutes, but there was concern that the reconnaissance airships could be exposed to the enemy''s air force.


    Dordol said, "In thest battle, the enemy''s fourth mobile fleet was destroyed. Since there are restrictions on the enemy''s mobility, operate the reconnaissance airships without threatening the enemy''s air force."


    The staff officers voiced affirmatives and began to assess the specific threats from the Union Kingdom''s aerial power.


    Below the World Watcher, at an altitude of about 200 meters, was the first fleet, the core of the Empire''s fleet.


    Along this sea route leading to the front of Rasdasil, various types of ships that seemed to illustrate the history of the Empire''s fleet were lined up. The ship at the very back was a wooden ship. Such wooden ships were not particrly helpful in battle, but had value as supply andmunication ships. Although they could seem outdated, these wooden ships were more actively used by the Union Kingdom.


    The Empire hadn¡¯t precisely identified the Union Kingdom''s fleet, but it was assumed that quite a number of wooden ships were being used as transport ships. Unlike ships with iron hulls, the wooden ships were light and incorporated the engines of steamships, which meant that if they caught the wind right, they could reach quite a high speed, making them worthy transport ships despite the risk of severe damage if hit.


    Of course, for both the Empire and the Union Kingdom''s fleets, the main strength of the fleets was still the irond ships that used steam engines. Ironds emerged alongside the development of steam engines, and although the initial engines were not advanced enough to make them faster than wooden ships, they were valuable for their ability to move at a stable speed without being affected by the wind.


    Later models of ironds, which added magic or rubber power to steam power,pensated for the slow speed, and they grew to the size of traditional wooden ships, acquired carrying capacity, and sessfully reced the wooden ships after a transitional period.


    The Empire''s first fleet consisted of these more modern ironds. Some of the famous ships were sorge that they could bepared to the World Watcher, used abination of three types of power, and were equipped withrge and powerful cannons.


    The war patterns over the decades between the Empire, the Union Kingdom, and the Ronante-Oroban navy resembled the historical rtionship between knights and armor.


    At first, weapons crafted from carved stones were enough for people. However, as they began to wrap themselves in leather, the necessity for des made of metal emerged, and to counter these metal des, people started wearing armor also made of metal. Afterward, to pierce through that armor, cold weapons becamerger, which led to the armor bing thicker in turn. Due to all this, before the invention of firearms, it wasmon to have gigantic weapons that required both hands to wield, paired with thick steel armor.


    The development of battleships followed a simr trajectory. However, while the armor of a battleship was made of steel tes around the ship, the weapons were cannons.


    As the Alchemist Tower copsed, gunpowder weapons that developed simultaneously demonstrated their formidable power in ship-to-ship battles, and over time, they exponentially increased both in the size of the cannons and their firing range.


    Ships were ssified into three categories, the Abomination ships which were made long ago, therger Fiend ships capable of withstanding stronger cannonballs and carrying even bigger cannons, and the gigantic Divine Beast battleships which were constructed within thest ten years.


    Among them, the Divine Beast-ss battleship had as many as three main guns capable of sinking a battleship of the same ss in a single blow. The cannons were densely arranged to a point where the deck was almost invisible,pensating for uracy, and even anti-aircraft guns were installed to intercept aerial forces such as airships and Dragon Knights, making it a moving fortress on its own.


    "Commander, in one minute, the enemies will enter the effective firing range of our Divine Beast battleship¡¯s main guns.¡±


    At the staff officer¡¯s words, Dordol momentarily looked down at the map with the fleet models ced on it. The giant shadow of an Ogre covered the map.


    "What about the aerial situation?"


    "No observations yet.¡±


    Dordol then thought for a moment. A minute was more than enough time, and Dordol was not just the Emperor of the Empire, but also the representative of the Pantheon¡ªmore precisely, the proxy of Night Sky¡ªin this position. They couldn¡¯t afford to make any careless decisions.


    ''Have they be cautious because their mobile fleet was annihted? But there¡¯s something that can¡¯t be exined by that alone.''


    Based on the discussions between the staff officers, several possibilities presented themselves in Dordol¡¯s mind. Some were easily manageable, but others were not. Even the Union Kingdom couldn¡¯t be perfect in every operation. In fact, their huge size could make them clumsy and slow. However, there was a possibility that additional military forces, which the Empire had not ounted for, had been added because the Empire itself possessed military power that the Union Kingdom was unaware of.


    ''But even if it''s the worst variable...''


    Dordol thought.


    ''The are no ws in the Empire¡¯s preparations.''


    After making a decision, Dordol said, "Operate only the minimum number of reconnaissance ships necessary to confirm the hits of the cannons."


    "Yes, sir."


    While having arger number of reconnaissance ships could buy time to respond if the enemy¡¯s aerial forces revealed themselves, keeping only the minimum forces meant that if they couldn¡¯t avoid in time, the reconnaissance ships would be rendered powerless. Command was a continuous series of choices, and within such choices, sacrifices were inevitable.


    ''May the starlight guide us.''


    Considering their faith in the Pantheon, the remaining reconnaissance ships would willingly ept their roles, but Dordol''s heart always ached. Due to the prejudices against ogres, Dordol¡¯s gigantic stature, and their position asmander of all operations, Dordol was widely known to be indifferent, and not many people knew what they felt and thought on the inside. In fact, there were those who said that it was precisely because Dordol was an Ogre who took life lightly that they were able to be in this position,bining the blessings they received from the Pantheon with their own talents.


    However, Dordol also followed the will of the Pantheon. Those who didn¡¯t know the value of sacrifice wouldn¡¯t know how to handle it.


    ¡°As the enemy¡¯s reconnaissance ships are dyed, the distance from the main gun of the Fiend-ss battleship is extended.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The staff officers quickly conveyed the orders to themunication officers.


    All of the higher-rankingmunication officers in the Empire were Wizards, so they reported orders through tubifex. The speed of theirmunication was simr to that of the Union Kingdom, but in terms of specificity and amount of information, there was noparison.


    Minutester, within the unifiedmand structure, the main guns of the Divine Beast-ss and Fiend-ss battleships from the first, third, and fourth fleets of the Empire spit out fire. Most of the shells flew for kilometers before falling between the ships of the Union Kingdom.


    The Divine Beast-ss and Fiend-ss ships of the Union Kingdoms slowly turned their gun turrets.


    "All first shots missed!"


    Getting a hit on the first shot was something for the gunners to wish for, not something amander should hope.


    The observation values from the reconnaissance ships were transmitted to each ship, the angles were immediately corrected, and the second set of main guns, which had not fired before, were now fired.


    "One Abomination-ss destroyed! Two Fiend-sses heavily damaged! ...One Divine Beast-ss heavily damaged!"


    However, the expressions on the staff officers'' faces did not brighten. The war had just started, and with the first firing over, it was now the enemy''s turn to fire.


    As expected, shells started raining down from the enemy battleships. Shells that fell close to the first fleet created massive waves, soaring even higher than the bridges of the battleships.


    "Move.¡±


    As the cannon fire continued, the fleet slowly moved backward. While the Union Kingdom had more ships in total, most of them were transport ships in the back. In terms of battleships, the Empire had slightly more, and with the enemy¡¯s reconnaissance ships not showing themselves, maintaining the range of the main guns was advantageous for the Empire.


    ''But we can''t keep retreating.''


    The goal of the Empire was to prevent the enemy fleet from reaching the coast of Rasdasil, so continuous retreat was meaningless.


    In fact, the Union Kingdom seemed to be aware of this and was rapidly approaching despite taking damage. Moreover, if the Empire¡¯s fleet stopped, it would be possible to observe the fleet on the horizon from the bridge, allowing for more urate firing. From this point on, they could maintain the same level of engagement as the Empire.


    Dordol focused their mind. The apostles were part of a kind of mentalwork connecting to the Pantheon, and the gods had the ability to use what they called Whispers.


    -Aruna, have you confirmed the situation?


    The ninth apostle, Aruna, replied from the distant sky.


    -Don¡¯t rush me! I''m almost there.


    Aruna utilized her quick maneuverability to circle around the fleet of the Union Kingdom.


    There could have been some reluctance to use an apostle as a reconnaissance resource, and indeed, Aruna initially did not like it very much, but she was the only one in the Empire with the right set of skills. Over time, Aruna hade to understand and ept the providence of the Pantheon, which valued functionality over status.


    Aruna, who soared through the clouds, paused for a moment after spotting something between them.


    -...I see it.


    Dordol said.


    -Is it the thing we were worried about?


    -Yes.


    Aruna replied.


    -It''s the Sky Castle.


    ***


    At the same time, Sung-Woon also checked the presence of the Sky Castle in front of Rasdasil through Aruna''s eyes.


    Sounds of disappointment came from the yers behind him.


    Lim Chun-Sik said, ¡°Is that bitch crazy?¡±


    Emotionally, Sung-Woon agreed with Lim Chun-Sik¡¯s extreme remark.


    The Sky Castle was known as one of the Ten Ancient Ruins most frequently mentioned by yers. It was one of the three castles with the highest strategic value, and Sung-Woon agreed with this evaluation.


    The Sky Castle was literally a floating castle. It had a giant, floating foundation beneath it, which spanned about two kilometers in diameter. When civilization was at a lower level, the Sky Castle simply floated in the air. However, as civilization advanced, it could be equipped with wings or various other power sources, allowing it to move, at least slowly.


    Strictly speaking, yers considered the Sky Castle to be a superior form of the Moving Castle. Being a vast piece ofnd, even bigger than the Moving Castle, it could house various infrastructure facilities or bring together major institutions of the Union Kingdom, and when needed, the Sky Castle could be moved to perform necessary tasks. Moreover, it had the advantage of being safe from enemy attacks as it was located 300 meters above the ground.


    Additionally, the Union Kingdom had made Sky Castle its capital.


    "Who brings their capital to a war?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "That just shows how desperate she is. In fact, you could even consider it a good thing. The war could drag on quite a bit after this battle at Rasdasil, but if we manage to take down their capital, we would achieve an immediate victory over Hegemonia."


    Sung-Woon remained calm, and Lim Chun-Sik, as well as the other yers, did not raise any objections because they had somewhat anticipated that Hegemonia could bring the Sky Castle to the battlefield. However, most yers had thought it would serve as a mid-point supply base at most rather than actually participating in the battle.


    Sung-Woon then said, "Until now, everything is going as we anticipated it, isn''t it?"


    At those words, AR1026 looked at the screen and said, "Yes, that''s right. Our reinforcements have also revealed themselves just now.¡±


    Sung-Woon turned around. ¡°They arrived quicker than expected.¡±


    "What are the orders?"


    "Let''s surprise them as well. Fire."


    ***


    In the crampedmand room, the Pangolins were huddled together, sitting down.


    "We just got a message from a Wizardmunication officer!"


    "What does Commander Dordol say?"


    "They say to raise the angle of the cannons."


    Themunication officer handed over a piece of paper, and the basemander nodded.


    "Got it. Inform the cannon artillery."


    As themunication officer ran out, a staff officer asked, "Isn''t the angle too high?"


    "Don''t worry. We''ve already been informed."


    "Oh, could it be..."


    "Yes. It seems to be the floating Sky Castle. This actually works out better..."


    Loud siren noises came from outside themand room. The base''s main cannons were getting ready.


    Themander muttered, "Our cannons are huge and heavy, but useless if they can''t hit the target... However, if it¡¯s the Sky Castle, we could hit it even with our eyes closed."


    The Pangolinmander looked out the window.


    The steel barrel, thirty meters in length, was being lifted toward the sky. A cannon of this size would be impossible to operate on a normal battleship. Even if it was somehow attached to a ship, the ship would sink from the recoil as soon as a shell was fired.


    Fortunately, what this Pangolinmander was in charge of was not a ship.


    A loud voice came from the cannon.


    "5 seconds to fire from the Moving Castle¡¯s cannon, the Unrivaled!"


    As the countdown started, tension flowed throughout the Moving Castle.


    "Fire!"


    Some excited Pangolins cheered along.


    The cannon spewed fire, and an enormous shell soared out of the barrel. ck smoke rose, and the Moving Castle shook violently from the cannon''s recoil. However, the Moving Castle, standing on the water, used its legs to brace itself and absorbed the shock with the help of the water''s surface.


    In this era of giant cannons, thergest cannon in the world belonged not to any battleship, but the Empire''s Moving Castle.


    For this attack, the Moving Castle left the fourth continent, searched for and stepped across the regions at lower sea-level, and reached the third continent.


    Waves created by the Moving Castle spread out far into the distance.


    ***


    Approximately thirty kilometers away was the Sky Castle, and from an unseen rear, a shell the size of a house smashed into the Sky Castle¡¯s base.

 Chapter 237: Infiltration

    Chapter 237: Infiltration


    -Did it hit the target?


    Aruna, who had been looking at the Sky Castle, responded to Dordol¡¯s question.


    -It did.


    -Where did it hit?


    -The rear...so it hit the ground on the south side.


    -That means...


    -There wasn¡¯t much damage.


    The Sky Castle was a castle on top of a giant rock foundation that stretched 2 kilometers wide. So even though the Moving Castle had a gigantic cannon, it would be useless if it couldn¡¯t strike the right target. Of course, just being able to hit the Sky Castle was a significant achievement.


    The Sky Castle functioned as the capital of the Union Kingdom, meaning the Emperor who ruled the Union Kingdom was there.


    Aruna, who was observing the Sky Castle from a distance, continued talking to Dordol.


    -It¡¯s like we''ve stirred up a ho''s nest.


    It was exactly as she said.


    Above the floating rock foundation in the sky, dozens of Dragon Knights, who had been waiting underground in preparation for an attack, flew up as soon as the bombardment hit. It wasn''t just the Sky Castle. Movement was also observed from the fleet of airships of the Union Kingdom, which were flying alongside the Sky Castle.


    Aruna thought to herself.


    ¡®They have arge force... With that number, they must be a reconnaissance team. But it will be difficult for them to discover the Moving Castle located tens of kilometers behind. They may be able to figure it out without discovering it though.¡¯


    Firstly, it was good that Aruna had detected the Sky Castle and sessfully struck it with the Moving Castle to raise an rm. However, this was only strategically beneficial.


    ''Oh no.''


    Half of the Dragon Knights that had flown out of the ground had discovered Aruna and wereing toward her. However, the Dragon Knights weren¡¯t the ones making Aruna tense. What caught Aruna¡¯s attention was Lai, wriggling and revealing itself behind the Sky Castle.


    -Now we''ll finally see the showdown, Firebird.


    Aruna started flying in avoidance without responding. It was because Lai had opened its mouth to cast a breath spell.


    ***


    When Dordol looked from afar from the World Watcher, a streak of light pierced through the sky.


    While Aruna was busy fighting Lai, Dordol also focused on their own tasks.


    "...Just as our Pantheon had predicted, the Sky Castle has revealed itself."


    As Dordol disclosed the location revealed by Apostle Aruna, the staff officers re-examined the data. However, there was a contingency n in ce.


    "The air fleet is ready.¡±


    Dordol nodded.


    "All flying fleets go to battle."


    Following Dordol''smand, themunicators repeated the orders, simultaneously contacting all five of the Empire''s flying fleets. Then, hundreds of airships revealed themselves above the World Watcher, ascending into the sky.


    ''This is our best shot.''


    Even without the predictions from the Pantheon, Dordol could guess that the Union Kingdom would attack with all avable forces. The problem was that once the Sky Castle started moving, there was no physical way to block its advance. Considering the size of the Sky Castle''s base, it was essentially a floating mountain, and even with all the Empire''s forces mobilized, stopping it would be impossible.


    ''Then, we have to make it stop by itself.''


    Information about the Sky Castle was top secret within the Union Kingdom, but the Empire had some knowledge about it as well.


    Once the Sky Castle, propelled by hundreds of Helix Wings, started moving, even if all the Helix Wings were stopped, its massive mass would allow it to travel several kilometers solely due to inertia.


    ''The Sky Castle would not have entered inertial flight yet.''


    However, with the fleet sailing towards the Rasdasil coast, if things continued as they were, the Sky Castle would soon reach Rasdasil through inertial flight alone. The worst-case scenario would be the Sky Castle reaching the center of the Rasdasil Ruins.


    ''If we can capture the Sky Castle and put it into reverse thrust, we can stop its flight.''


    The Sky Castle was designed to hang propellers, such as Helix Wings, in all directions below its base, allowing it to propel itself and perform reverse thrust to stop its inertial flight. Therefore, if they could enter the Sky Castle and control it to initiate reverse thrust, they could prevent it from reaching Rasdasil.


    ''...But it won''t be easy.''


    It was as Dordol expected. Dordol looked out at the firing naval fleet, then looked down at themand center located one level below their position, and finally at themunicators below that. The Sky Castle was not yet visible, but as time passed, the enemy would start to appear from the giant bridge window of the World Watcher.


    "From the reconnaissance ships, sight of the Sky Castle confirmed. Apostle Aruna, Apostle Lai in a fierce battle."


    The Sky Castle, standing on solid ground just five kilometers away and with a base asrge as the Moving Castle itself capable of absorbing recoil, had a massive cannon mounted on it.


    "...The frontmost reconnaissance ship is no longer in contact¡­ Crash confirmed from other reconnaissance ships."


    "Have the returning reconnaissance ships turn back. Observe the Sky Castle from a safe distance until the fleet arrives."


    Dordol¡¯s orders were passed down through the staff, specifying the exact ships, distance, and observation targets.


    Anothermunicator shouted to Dordol, "Confirmation of gunfire from the Sky Castle''s lower cannons."


    "Where?"


    "We are confirming..."


    Boom!


    A bang echoed, loud and clear even from over 200 meters above, and spouts of water shot up between the fleet. It was certainly not cannon fire from the ships.


    "It''s the fixed turret at the lower part of the Sky Castle. Increase the fleet''s speed to get out of its range."


    Following themand, four shots in session brought about massive water columns soaring over each battleship. Fortunately, none of the battleships were hit this time, but if even one shot hit, the targeted battleship could have sunk instantly, even if it was Fiend-ss.


    The fixed turret hanging beneath the Sky Castle was a bombing turret intended to hit ground targets. While smaller in sizepared to the Moving Castle¡¯s main cannons, there were five of them, and they had a faster reloading speed due to their smaller size.


    The Sky Castle''s second fire split the Abomination-ss battleship in half.


    "...Damn."


    Dordol sent down a small, fast airship as a rescue vessel. However, the battleship was already sinking rapidly, so hope of sessful rescue was slim.


    ''The sixth fleet hasn¡¯t arrived yet. Until then, it will be difficult to actively engage in naval battle against the enemies powered by the Angry One. On the other hand, the Sky Castle is slowly but steadily advancing... Ultimately, it seems difficult to block off the enemies at sea.''


    Just then, a familiar voice reached Dordol.


    -You seem busy.


    Dordol asked.


    -...Night Sky?


    -Leave the attacks on the Sky Castle to Mazdari.


    Since it had been decided that they would have dualmand in the event of the Sky Castle¡¯s appearance, Dordol readily epted the order.


    -Understood.


    Night Sky said.


    -The Angry One has put everything on the line¡­ Keep in mind the scenario where we can''t stop the Sky Castle.


    -Alright.


    As Dordol answered, they saw the shadow of the Sky Castle appearing in the distance.


    ***


    On another airship, the Thunderstrider. Unlike the World Watcher, which showed its massiveness with impressive force, Mazdari''s Thunderstrider aimed to fulfill its passengers'' goals even in extreme environments by utilizing abination of various power sources.


    Currently, the Thunderstrider was floating above the sea in front of Rasdasil, at a height of roughly three kilometers high.


    The passengers aboard the Thunderstrider were aware that a fierce battle was going on below, but all they could see were white clouds.


    Behind the railing of the ship, three people wearing parachutes stood.


    Mazdari, who was below the railing, said, "Is everything ready?"


    One person raised her hand. She looked Human, but she was actually a Vampire, and her name was Ramin Solost Muel.


    "What is it? Speak quickly."


    "Why are we the only ones going?"


    "Night Sky said that a small number attracts less attention."


    "Then why not the true elite, the Apostles..."


    "The Apostles...they stand out in the eyes of the gods."


    This was true. The existence of an apostle could be easily discovered by yers due to the slight differences in effects. It wouldn''t matter if the front line was incredibly long and the yers couldn''t take it all in at a nce, but in a concentrated battle like the current situation, infiltrating with an apostle was meaningless.


    Ramin was surprised, and so was the Frogman Gorgota Falu, who was standing beside her.


    "Wait, so Mazdari, you''re not going either?"


    "I¡¯m goingter. I have a duty to protect the Empire''s aerial fleet. In a little while, the Empire''s fleet will encounter the Union Kingdom¡¯s fleet, and a fierce battle will break out."


    "But..."


    "Gorgota. You have the most important role in this mission. If the follow-up engineering troops fail to enter, you are the only person I can trust to operate the reverse propulsion device."


    Gorgota looked at the people standing on either side of them and sighed.


    "Why are you sighing after looking at our faces? You''re the expert, right? Teacher and I are amateurs."


    "I didn¡¯t know anything about it until a few days ago. We''ve all looked at the same things and studied the same material, so why do you two not understand?"


    "Teacher, this person is bad mouthing you."


    Owen, who was standing on Gorgota¡¯s right,ughed.


    "You shouldn''t be criticizing our ipetence, but instead, be proud that you arepetent."


    "Elder...that''s not what I meant..."


    As the conversation dragged on, Mazdari red at thest person.


    Owen smiled and said, "Oh, I have no questions."


    Mazdari sighed in relief. "Sounds good, Elder. Now, everyone get ready... Wait."


    Mazdari briefly furrowed his eyebrows, then habitually brought his hand to his ear, as if listening to something.


    "Oh, yes. I will do that."


    After those few whispered words, Mazdari told the three people, "Everyone, turn around."


    Ramin turned around but looked back suspiciously.


    "That''s Whispering, right?"


    "Oh, you know about this too?"


    "Hwee-Kyung exined it to me once."


    "Making things unnecessarilyplicated."


    "...."


    As Mazdari changed the topic, Ramin¡¯s curiosity spiked.


    "Who were you talking to and what about?"


    Mazdari said nothing and grabbed the parachute bag Ramin was carrying, doing something to it. Seeing this, Gorgota and Owen looked at each other, then took off their parachute bags and put them down below the railing. Disturbed by their iprehensible actions, Ramin tried to turn around to look at Mazdari.


    "W¡­wait, what are you doing?"


    After lightly tampering with Ramin''s parachute bag, Mazdari said, "Night Sky said you don''t need parachutes. They are noticeable, so he told you to take them off and descend."


    "...What?"


    "You''re obviously going to grumble about it, so I helped you out. Be thankful."


    "What did you say?"


    Then Mazdari pushed Ramin.


    Ramin felt a lightness on her back. It was only natural for her to feel so. The parachute bag, with its shoulder straps cut off, was getting further away, held in Mazdari''s hand.


    Ramin shouted something toward Mazdari. Gorgota, who was falling behind her, said something to Ramin in shock. Ramin couldn''t hear exactly because of the wind, but she could guess what Gorgota had said just by looking at the shape of their mouth.


    "That''s sphemy!"


    Below the three falling people, the Sky Castle could be seen.

 Chapter 238: Cursed Siblings

    Chapter 238: Cursed Siblings


    Ramin thought that proper conversation was impossible in the situation of falling through the air, so she silently looked down. With the round horizon in view, the Sky Castle was gradually getting closer, along with the airship fleet surrounding it and the naval fleet below that.


    Water columns continued to shoot up around the fleet due to the Empire''s bombardment.


    ¡®Is it that way considering the direction the Sky Castle is moving?¡¯


    Ramin was free-falling and then stabilized herself. At first, she thought she would be able to spin her body, but she realized that spreading her arms out slightly reduced her speed, while tucking her limbs in increased it. Once she had her direction, she could head toward the Sky Castle.


    ¡®Now it¡¯s bing clearer.¡¯


    Fortunately, the faster she fell, the more concrete the expanse of the Sky Castle appeared, making it seem unlikely that she would fall into the sea.


    The Sky Castle itself was still utilizing the skeleton built in ancient times. The tall tower, reaching approximately 200 meters, had a streamlined shape that spiraled upwards from the outside with a staircase. It was an ancient architectural style not found in the Union Kingdom, the Empire, or even in ces like the Ronante-Oroban Alliance.


    The problem was that the original Sky Castle essentially did not function as a castle since it only had the spiral staircase and nothing else inside, so it was just a giant piece ofnd floating in the sky. Later, the Union Kingdom filled the inside of the tower, and it became a structure that went up along the spiral staircase.


    The lowest tier of the tower had the rough stone construction of the initial architecture from when the Sky Castle was discovered. Afterwards, upright stone walls were built while mimicking the ancient style, which then transitioned to the opulent structure constructed during the prosperous times in praise of the gods while uniting the second continent, and was eventually concluded with a simple, pragmatic style due to the prolonged war with the Empire.


    The end of the spiral staircase in the tower was still empty, and it seemed reserved for the future the Union Kingdom had yet to reach.


    ¡®Wait, if I jump straight to the top of that fortress, can I immediately face and kill the emperor?¡¯


    Originally, the castle surrounding this spiral tower was divided into sections with a few walls, forming concentric circles, known to be constructed for nobles essing the spiral tower and soldiers protecting the city. However, its interior was currently empty. Instead, the fortified city had anti-aircraft guns installed on the rooftops of buildings, and the few people walking around were all wearing monochromatic military uniforms instead of full-dress uniforms.


    Perhaps due to the small size and high speed of the three falling figures, the scouts of the Union Kingdom seemed not to have noticed them.


    However, Ramin decided to abandon the goal of assassinating the emperor. Even if she managed to do it, the armies of the Union Kingdom wouldn¡¯t stop. If she could stop the Sky Castle, on the other hand, she could stop the Union Kingdom''s forces.


    ¡®...Okay, but¡­¡¯


    Ramin felt a sudden rush as she realized how close she was to the Sky Castle, prompting a bted sense of doubt.


    ¡®...How do Ind?¡¯


    She steadied her body. Next to a building that looked like a stable, there was arge tree, which she thought could help absorb the impact of the fall, but after reconsidering, she realized her speed was far too fast.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    She could hardlyprehend thest few tens of meters because the ground approached much faster than she had anticipated.


    Tap.


    Ramin doubted her ears, and then looked down at her feet. Solid ground was supporting her.


    "...?"


    Just before touching the ground, Ramin felt a strong gust of wind surrounding her entire body, turning her around and cing her upright on the ground.


    From behind the bewildered Ramin, Gorgota, who seemed nauseous from the unpleasant experience of falling, and Owen, who looked dubious about the entire descent, approached.


    Owen said,


    "Is there really a need to get an alternation of joy and sorrow over a miracle orchestrated by God?"


    "Well, I guess..."


    "From what I sawing down, it seems like we should head in that direction."


    Gorgota, still dizzy, shook their head and said, "Umm... It would be best to take that side alley."


    "Even though we would have to go around?¡±


    "Right before wended, it seemed like we were spotted. I¡¯m not sure if they couldn''t quite make out what we were, or if they just didn¡¯t have time to fire the anti-aircraft guns, but they didn¡¯t shoot. However, a small reconnaissance team was moving toward the spot where Ramin fell."


    Ramin and Owen agreed. This was somewhat an anticipated response.


    The Danly Union Kingdom was not a trivial nation, it was a major powerparable to the ck Scale Empire. Even though they had invaded at the speed of a free fall, it could be recognized as a suspicious movement; it was simply less likely for an incident of this scale to attract the attention of a god. But if a fight broke out, and the scale of the battle increased, it would draw the attention of the Angry One, and consequently, the probability of sessfullypleting the mission would decrease.


    The three individuals quickly made their way through a narrow path along the stone wall and then slipped into the alleyways. The Sky Castle was designed with intruders in mind, so while it appeared to be an ordinary city, its structure was entangled like a maze. Even irregr dismantling and rebuilding of the walls were done to deceive the Empire¡¯s effort in scouting, and this was possible because the interior of the Sky Castle was not a living space for ordinary citizens.


    Nevertheless, the three were able to obtain the most recent map. However, due to itsplexity, neither Ramin nor Owen could fully understand it. If there was anything fortunate about the situation, it was that among the three, there was an agent who had proficient skills in such learning.


    "When viewed from above, the tunnels and passages were confusing, but now that we''ve passed through them directly, I remember where we are¡­ It''s this way."


    As Gorgota took the lead and ran ahead, Owen closely listened for the noise of the enemy scouts and located their positions in the shadows, allowing them to reach the edge of the Sky Castle without any particr interference.


    The edge of the Sky Castle had gigantic Helix Wings attached to it that were the size of a house, and in front of the Helix Wings, there was a control station, shaped like a bunker.


    Gorgota said, "Now, here''s the problem. As far as I know, a standard Union Kingdom bunker would have at least one machine gun. But given the size, there could be two or even more. And there¡¯s an open ground between us and the bunker."


    "That''s true. Then one of us could draw their attention while..."


    At that moment, a streak of lightning flew parallel to the ground and struck the bunker.


    Boom!


    Right after the sh of light seeped into the bunker and disappeared, smoke billowed out from the open gun port of the bunker.


    Gorgota and Ramin looked at Owen with stunned looks on their faces.


    Owen, while burning some herbs, said, "We need to hurry. When do you n to bypass those giant Helix Wings? Right now, it''s more important to work quickly than to work safely."


    Gorgota, who had been lying in the bushes, got up and dusted off their clothes. "...You''re right, elder. The scout team will arrive soon anyway, so stealth isn¡¯t the priority. We need to reverse the Helix Wings as quickly as possible."


    "Then let''s hurry."


    Gorgota took the lead into the bunker, and the control device was immediately revealed. Since the structure was simple, Gorgota was able to teach Ramin and Owen the basics of propulsion.


    Once the reverse thrust waspleted through the control device, the final crucial step was to destroy the propulsion device to ensure it stayed operational.


    After exining, Gorgota said, "It would be best to split up here. We need to reverse at least five or more of these Helix Wings for the reverse thrust."


    Since the propellers were attached to the edge of the Sky Castle, they had to split into two groups, one for each side.


    Owen said, "I should move alone. It seems my student hasn''t fully understood the exnation yet. She''s never been good with machines since the old days."


    "Why would you say such a thing? You¡¯re making me embarrassed."


    "Did you understand it?"


    "Well, no... But Teacher, you don''t know it well either, do you? Like me, you didn¡¯t study it..."


    Owen shook his head. "You little rascal, I learn quickly just by looking, so I''mzy, but you¡¯re justzy because you want to bezy."


    Ramin didn¡¯t have aeback for that and avoided Owen''s gaze. Gorgota tried to mediate the situation in the least awkward way possible.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll go left.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Be careful.¡±


    "Yes, good luck."


    Ramin said, "Alright, let''s finish the job much faster than Teacher and tten his nose... Oh, wait. This expression doesn''t work with Lizardmen."


    "Disregarding the fact that a disciple is boldly confronting their teacher, I suppose it''s just an expression and it''s okay."


    However, contrary to what Ramin had thought, she and Gorgota couldn''t finish the job much faster. Firstly, they had encountered a reconnaissance team.


    "Intruder!"


    The defense forces of the Union Kingdom were running on top of the wall, so they could easily spot Ramin and Gorgota.


    After Ramin and Gorgota hid behind a stone wall for a moment, Gorgota, caught off guard, said, "What should we do?"


    Ramin calmly replied, "It seems like they''ve only discovered me so far. So it would be better if I stay here to buy some time and divert the attention of the Angry One."


    The words shouldn¡¯t be uttered with suchposure for someone who knew what it meant to bear the scrutiny of a god. Being noticed by the god of a hostile nation and religion meant that one could die soon or, if not worse, meet a miserable fate and perish in agony. The gods executed anything mercilessly for the values they were after.


    However, Gorgota thought that Ramin''s judgment was the most rational.


    "Okay, let''s do that."


    "Can you enter the bunker alone?"


    "If it''s not in a safe way, there are quite a few ways to get in."


    Ramin nodded.


    "Then I will run into that inner passage, and you pass through when I do."


    Gorgota agreed.


    As Ramin ran, a hail of gunfire followed, and Gorgota also sprinted.


    Ramin, receiving the full attention of the Sky Castle''s defense soldiers, hid in the passage.


    ''...Is it done?''


    However, the Sky Castle''s defense soldiers were the true elite of the Union Kingdom. Moreover, they always assumed the possibility of the Sky Castle being attacked and were prepared to counterattack the intruders along the most optimal paths. In other words, Ramin faced an ambush by another group of defense soldiers.


    "Fire!"


    From an unexpected angle inside the passage where she thought no one was present, defense soldiers appeared and opened fire.


    Ramin reflexively moved her and ran. She drew her sword and sliced through the bullets shot directly at her. The shards, even after being sliced, maintained their speed as they grazed past both sides of Ramin''s ears.


    In the next moment, as she sliced through another bullet, Ramin angled her sword even more. This time, the split bullets rode the back of the sword, curving up as they passed Ramin.


    ¡®¡­I¡¯m gonna get hit¡¯


    Even though Ramin was extremely quick, she was no match for a bullet, which had surpassed the speed of sound. However, at the moment Ramin was prepared for pain to hit, several bullets merely grazed past her.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    Ramin quickly drew her sword and subdued her enemies faster than they could pull their triggers once she got into range. Then she checked her body.


    ¡®¡­I wasn''t hit by a single bullet?¡¯


    But she had no time to be puzzled. Around the bent path, a woman appeared. Judging by her silhouette, she seemed to be Human or a Nix. She was wearing a military uniform, but oddly enough, she was unarmed.


    "Is she a civilian?"


    Even in doubt, Ramin still kept her sword pointed at the woman.


    The woman said from the darkness, "There¡¯s a...rotten smell."


    "A rotten smell?"


    "My nose is pretty good."


    Ramin sniffed around her shoulder anxiously.


    "¡­It shouldn¡¯t be that bad."


    "...."


    The woman acted as if she didn¡¯t hear Ramin''s words and continued to say, "Just because you mingle with the living doesn''t mean you can be one of them. Cursed sibling."


    "Cursed sibling? So are you also a Vampire?"


    The woman chuckled while bending over. Then, just when Ramin thought that she would spring up, she bent down further instead, cing her hands on the ground with her shoulders and back rising. Her body was transforming.


    "...Huh?¡±


    Ramin was well aware of the only species that could transform their bodies. They weren¡¯t Vampires, but in some aspects, they could be considered rted. Like Vampires, they were known as a species born from the ancient times, from an Evil God.


    ''...A Werewolf!''

 Chapter 239: Werewolf of Calamity

    Chapter 239: Werewolf of Cmity


    Before she even realized what was happening, Ramin''s body had already reacted to the danger. Her de darted out and struck down on the back of the Werewolf''s lowered head. However, the de stopped going in with a ng. The Werewolf, havingpleted its transformation, had shed its Human disguise, revealing its true form covered in stiff fur.


    Just as the yer °XWoo bbitè¤swem ssik had appeared with the Vampires on the third continent, an unknown yer known as ?bwel dyuksÁô? in the first continent had appeared with the Werewolves. However, while most species could be turned into Vampires, Werewolves could only be transmitted among what yersmonly referred to as humanoid species, such as Humans, Elves, and Dwarfs. Due to a quick response and joint effort from various nations, the spread of the Werewolf transformation was stopped.


    The Werewolves of the first continent ended up in a simr situation to the Vampires in the Empire. Although they did not need to drink the blood of others like Vampires did, the inherent violent and bestial nature of Werewolves were considered just as dangerous. After the death of the evil god, they scattered in all directions, with some even going to the second continent.


    The Union Kingdom also had its share of racial discrimination, but their standards were different from other nations. The Angry One closely monitored the power of the Werewolves, promising to take them in if they could prove their worth despite their violent nature.


    ''And the Werewolf in front of me is probably the result of that promise.''


    The Werewolf¡¯s face came into Ramin¡¯s view, its densely packed teeth revealed as it growled. The Werewolf was holding Ramin''s sword in one hand, and the de was caught between its ws.


    "Is this all? Vampire of the Empire?"


    The difference in strength was difficult for Ramin to ept as she was using both hands while the Werewolf was using just one. Deciding to give up on a battle of raw power, Ramin immediately moved one hand to draw her next sword. Or at least, she tried to.


    Thud!


    Ramin''s body soared through the air, feeling like she had been hit by a tree trunk. She smashed through the stone ceiling of the path and eventually crashed back down to the ground.


    ''...What? What just happened?''


    Although she had reflexively taken a defensive stance, her forearm was throbbing, and her back was stinging. Something was broken or cracked. The pain arrived btedly, and Ramin swallowed a groan. She had been hit by the Werewolf¡¯s fist.


    ''Even for a Werewolf, this level of strength is...''


    Ramin quickly rolled to her feet. The ceiling she had smashed into burst apart, and debris poured down again. The Werewolf leapt up from its position, revealing its true form under the sunlight.


    Seeing its silver pelt, Ramin realized its identity.


    "...The Werewolf of Cmity?"


    The silver Werewolf, now more than twice its original size, walked on two legs towards her.


    The Werewolf said, "Yes, I am Aruega Rob, the seventh apostle of the Angry One."


    Ramin btedly felt bile rising from the back of her throat.


    Aruega Rob, a descendant of the evil god, led the pack of Werewolves to the second continent and subjugated themself to the Angry One, bing the king of Werewolves.


    ''So I was discovered after all?''


    Even while directlymanding numerous troops, the Angry One had not missed the intruder in the Sky Castle. However, managing the troops directly would be burdensome, so they had sent a delegate. Sending an apostle to catch an intruder could seem excessive, but for the Angry One, it was a way to ensure maximum safety.


    ''I can¡¯t believe I have to face an apostle.''


    Ramin thought that facing an apostle alone was impossible, unless Owen was there.


    ''No, I need to think differently. The presence of an apostle here means that the enemy''s forces are poorly bnced. If I risk my life and hold off as much as possible...''


    She had to risk her life and endure. She had no other choice.


    Aruega was an apostle of the Union Kingdom, but Ramin had heard of their reputation. This Werewolf had once entered a small nation that refused entry to their pack in the Union Kingdom and captured the royal castle in a single night. Although they had been wounded, they also killed a Dragon alone. All of this was their achievements while they were alive.


    ''A person like me is no match.''


    Ramin felt a chill down her spine. It was a feeling she had gotten used to now.


    The expansion of her field of vision when standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down below, was a stimtion that seemed to uncover something deeper and darker than just thendscape before her. It was the feeling of preparing for death.


    ''This is thest feeling felt by those who wished to sacrifice themselves in the Pantheon.''


    Ramin embraced that feeling.


    Drawing her second sword, she said, "Come at me, you..."


    She searched for the right phrase to provoke the Werewolf.


    "Puppy."


    "...Puppy."


    Aruega seemed momentarily taken aback and confused, visible even on their wolfish face, but after a brief moment of contemtion, they seemed to take it as an insult as Ramin intended.


    "...Ha, I won''t waste much time on something like you."


    Aruega charged at her.


    ''Fast. Very fast, but...''


    Ramin squinted.


    ''I can see it.''


    Ramin couldn''t match Aruega in speed and power, but she could predict their movements from the revealed shape of their body and the movement of their muscles. The moment she dodged two attacks in session, with Aruega swinging both front paws alternately, Ramin drove her knee into Aruega''s jaw, whose attention was momentarily scattered due to guarding against the sword.


    ''It¡¯s heavy...!''


    It felt like she was lifting a boulder.


    However, Ramin had another ability to add to her insufficient strength.


    ¡­Pzzzt!


    The moment Ramin''s knee struck Aruega''s jaw, an electric spark crackled, as if it was piercing through Aruega''s jaw and skull.


    Aruega''s eyes widened from the pain.


    "...How dare you!"


    However, even after receiving the electric shock, Aruega did not go even a little stiff like Ramin had expected. Aruega, supporting themself on both front paws, propelled themself into the air, tucking in their abdomen and gathering both legs. It was an entirely unexpected and strange movement.


    The Werewolf''s two legs kicked up, striking Ramin in the chest.


    ''...I can''t breathe!''


    The air was forcibly expelled from her lungs, and it was so painful that she wondered if her chest had split open, adding to the damage she had received from the first attack. Ramin''s body soared tens of meters into the air before hitting the ground and rolling several times backward. Lying on her back and looking up at the sky, Ramin barely managed to lift her head.


    Aruega then made a single leap andnded right in front of Ramin.


    Thump!


    ''I''m going to die this way.''


    Ramin tried to raise her body, but suddenly she coughed, and blood and vomit poured out. Her chest was wet with her own expelled blood.


    Aruega, brushing their burnt jaw with their paw, said, "That was surprising...but is that all? It''s interesting you''re still alive. Vampires are indeed resilient."


    Aruega walked closer, saying, "I¡¯ll put an end to your pain."


    Enduring the intense pain, Ramin lifted her upper body, but her legs wouldn''t move. To be precise, it seemed like the muscles or tendons around her abdomen were damaged.


    ''I can still fight, can''t I? Get up!''


    Ramin muttered to herself, forcing her eyes open, which were closing for some reason. That''s when Ramin saw the trembling air at one side of her field of view. Something was moving.


    ''What is that?''


    At first, it was too small to notice, but as she looked closely, it was rapidly cutting through the clouds, approaching at an incredible speed, and it was aiming precisely at Aruega''s back, closing the distance.


    ''Could it be...''


    Ramin realized one thing. Just as the Angry One had watched her, the Pantheon was also watching her.


    ''It started when we fell from the sky.''


    They had jumped without parachutes, but the strong wind had gently caught the three of them, setting them softly on top of the Sky Fortress.


    ''Then they deflected the bullets.''


    It all happened too quickly for her toprehend, but when she encountered the ambush, Ramin hadn¡¯t been hit by a single bullet. It was hard to think of it as mere coincidence. Some sort of power was present around Ramin.


    ''And as Sky Castle gets closer to the Rasdasil Ruins and thend of the Empire, that power is getting stronger.''


    It was just as she had thought.


    Now, the third miracle of the Pantheon was ready for Ramin.


    As Ramin anticipated what was about to happen and a smile appeared on her lips, Aruega said, "What''s so funny?"


    Ramin slightly shook her head.


    Aruega Ignored Ramin''s attitude and attempted to approach her, but suddenly, their animalistic instincts told them to turn around.


    Turning one''s back to an enemy while in battle, especially as a warrior of the Angry One, was a foolish act. However, Aruega was a Werewolf, they trusted their own nature, and it was that trust that had brought them to the position of an apostle.


    "...?"


    What Aruega saw was a sharp lead bullet¡ªnothing noteworthy save for the fact that it was almost one meter in diameter.


    "...!"


    There was no time to dodge it. Aruega reflexively extended both front paws to block it, and Ramin couldn¡¯t see what happened next.


    Boom!


    Aruega disappeared from Ramin''s sight along with the warhead, and all that followed was a shower of debris, the friction heat created by the warhead, and the noise made by the atmosphere split open in its wake.


    Ramin lifted her body to look at the spot where the warhead had hit Aruega. Dust was rising between theplicated stone walls of the Sky Castle.


    ¡®The Moving Castle¡¯s artillery, it was this powerful.¡¯


    ***


    Lunda asked, "Did it hit them?"


    "It did."


    The uracy of the cannonball fired from the Moving Castle¡¯s artillery was poor. However, the shell soared into the sky, catching the wind and crossing the atmosphere. In other words, if the sky could be controlled, it could be decided where and how to hit the cannon.


    Sung-Woon, having gained the Large Area: Sky, realigned the path of the wind for the warhead fired from the Moving Castle, and then sent the Moving Castle¡¯s warhead directly toward the enemy who warranted most caution, the apostle of Hegemonia.


    A weapon that could intercept an apostle in any way had great strategic value.


    "Are they dead?"


    "I hope they are."


    Sung-Woon adjusted other parts of the battlefield for a moment, expecting the dust to settle.


    Lunda, who was watching Sung-Woon¡¯s screen beside him, said, ¡°They didn¡¯t die. There''s still time until the next warhead from the Moving Castle arrives."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "It doesn''t matter."


    ***


    Under the demolition, Aruega Rob, with dust and blood all over their beautiful silver fur, raised themself up. In the process of blocking and avoiding the giant warhead, which was as big as their upper body, their left shoulder had been torn from friction, exposing raw flesh. However, Aruega Rob blew their nose and cleared the blood from their nostrils, and then went up onto a nearby watchtower. From there, they spotted Ramin.


    Ramin also saw Aruega and adjusted her grip on her sword.


    ¡®They definitely received a strong hit. Judging by the extent of damage, Aruega is much worse off. If they weren¡¯t an Apostle, they would surely be dead.¡¯


    But the situation didn¡¯t seem favorable to Ramin. Aruega¡¯s wounds were healing due to the natural healing abilities of a Werewolf and the power of an apostle. Moreover, an apostle could exert all of their strength even to the moment they took theirst breath, which wasn¡¯t the case for Ramin.


    ¡®Maybe this can be finished off with the next shell. But to do that, I have to stay alive on this Sky Castle until then.¡¯


    Although Aruega didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of running away, it appeared that they nned to quickly kill Ramin and then escape from the next shell.


    Once their torn shoulder had somewhat healed, Aruega leapt the tens of meters to where Ramin was.


    Thud!


    Aruega licked their lips and said, "You had something to rely on."


    "Do you n to stay like this when your head could be torn off and fly away next time?"


    "Do you think I''ll be here until then?"


    Ramin actually wanted to agree with Aruega¡¯s words. She didn¡¯t have much confidence.


    ''But I have no choice but to try.''


    Just as the two were about to start fighting again, a voice came from Ramin''s left.


    "Ramin Solost Muel, look this way."


    There was a group of Goblins lightly armed with weapons and dressed in ck clothes.

 Chapter 240: Second Plan

    Chapter 240: Second n


    Both Ramin and Aruega Rob stopped for a moment, seeing about ten Goblins appear out of nowhere without any prior notice.


    ¡®Goblins?¡¯


    Even though their faces were covered, it was evident from their small stature and pointed ears, simr to those of Elves, that they were Goblins.


    However, Ramin couldn¡¯t remember having any Goblin acquaintances, so she had to think for a moment about who they could be. Then, noticing one of the Goblins using signnguage, she quickly remembered.


    "Ah, you are from Hwee-Kyung''s..."


    Aruega Rob looked back and forth between Ramin and the group of Goblins.


    One of the Goblins tranted for the Goblin using signnguage.


    "''Do you remember our promise to repay the favor for saving Hwee-Kyung at the pantheon?¡¯ the boss says."


    "Ah."


    Ramin recalled seeing the Goblins at the pantheon during Hwee-Kyung and Sairan''s wedding ceremony. She had also heard about them from Hwee-Kyung. They had met at Automation and had developed a connection, and the Goblins protected her.


    They considered Ramin having fulfilled their duty to save Hwee-Kyung on their behalf and had boldly reported to Night Sky, earning the right to interfere with thew of causality, a right even the gods respected.


    The Goblins all drew their weapons at once. There were scythes, daggers, throwing knives, and small crossbows. They were all assassination weapons.


    The Goblin boss, who had not yet drawn a weapon, used signnguage before pulling out a longsword as tall as themself.


    Their subordinate said, "''I havee to keep that promise,'' said the boss."


    Aruega Rob said, "So in the end, you are just remnants of the Empire? Let me take care of this rascal first, and then I''ll face you."


    With that, Aruega charged straight at Ramin. Just then, an arrow shot at Aruega''s eye from the opposite side where the Goblins were standing. Aruega had to momentarily pause their advance to avoid it.


    ''...This is my opening!''


    Though the distance between them was one Aruega could have closed in an instant with their physical abilities, it wasn''t the same for Ramin. However, Ramin had the power of a chosen one. Extending her sword, she unleashed a bolt of lightning. The lightning, appearing like an extended de, scraped across the ground and reached Aruega¡¯s feet.


    "...!"


    Aruega growled, attempting to dodge Ramin¡¯s de. However, the Goblins were already on the move. A throwing knife embedded itself into Aruega¡¯s foot.


    "...This is nothing!"


    In the moment when Ramin''s lightning and the Goblins, armed with their weapons, surrounded Aruega, Aruega stomped their foot.


    Thud!


    The ground shook, causing Ramin''s body to sway, and the ground sank down.


    ''Am I falling?''


    Ramin tried to maintain her bnce by dropping down to the ground and rolling.


    Arge hole appeared where Aruega had been standing. It was only about the height of a person, but it seemed like one of the many underground tunnels installed inside the Sky Castle.


    A Goblin sprung up from the hole, and before they couldnd on the ground, Aruega leaped up, revealing themself again.


    "Annoying little creatures causing a nuisance..."


    As Aruega continued speaking, they furrowed their eyebrows fiercely, turned around, and swung their front ws.


    The Goblin boss, who had been stabbing Aruega in the back with a sword, flipped backwards, sliding andnding smoothly.


    The chief signed something in signnguage, and their subordinate tranted again.


    "''It¡¯s difficult for our weapons to inflict any fatal wounds. Attack when an opportunityes.'' said the chief."


    Aruega growled as they looked at the Goblins surrounding themself.


    "Goblins, not even enough for a mouthful..."


    Ramin spat out a mouthful of blood and walked forward.


    The boss followed her and signed something. The subordinates followed behind.


    "''Prove it.''" The interpreter said. "...said the chief."


    ***


    Even amidst the hectic situation, with themanders issuing urgent orders and directly leading on critical matters, Dordol still caught the words of the staff officer clearly.


    "...We are starting to see the Rasdasil shoreline."


    Dordol turned northwest, toward Rasdasil. Just as the staff officer had said, the Rasdasil shoreline was beginning toe into view. In this battle, seeing the Rasdasil shoreline wasn¡¯t a bad thing. In fact, it was good.


    Since the whereabouts of the Union Kingdom were unknown, the fortress at Rasdasil''s shore had to be hastily constructed. However, despite being hastily built, the condition of the fortress was excellent. The fortress, which seemed to be hastily made by pouring concrete into a mold, wasrge and sturdy, even whenpared to the old fortresses that the Empire took pride in. Moreover, the fortress was filled with cannons, which had been diligently transported and mounted in preparation for the Empire''s airships to join the battlefield.


    If they could lure the enemy forces within the firing range of the coastal cannons, they could inflict significant damage on the enemy troops.


    ''However...''


    Despite the fierce battle, the situation was not entirely favorable. They were fighting from a great distance, and each fleet was moving, resulting in a lower uracy rate for the artillery fire.


    Although there weren¡¯t evident signs of direct intervention like the God of War was showing, the gods of the Pantheon were already making partial adjustments. Despite this, they weren¡¯t achieving clear results, which was evidence of the formidable power of the Angry One.


    The army under the influence of the Angry One possessed distinct advantages in war. Even cowards, when killing enemies, lost their fear and gained the courage to charge into gunfire, and even the dull-witted became sharper when it came to killing the enemy.


    About this, the Empire¡¯s schrsmented that the army of the Angry One became a war machine. Even the gentle, after wearing military uniform of the Union Kingdom and receiving orders, operated functionally as if their consciousness had vanished. Some thought they were hypnotized or enchanted by God. However, that was not really the case.


    There was an indescribable power, and no one doubted that it was from a god. Even Dordol asionally found it difficult to understand how the Empire was holding its ground and now gaining the upper hand in the overall situation against the Union Kingdom.


    The Empire had many cowards. Generally, if ten percent of a unit''s members died, the unit would begin to lose its functionality. In a squad of ten, if one was wounded, one would need to check the wound, two would need to escort them, and four would need to provide covering fire by taking turns. The remaining members would include unitmander, meaning thest member of the unit would be a freshly trained private, incapable of carrying out the preceding tasks.


    The difference was significant whenpared to the army of the Angry One, which maintained morale and continued to fight even when twenty percent of the troops were lost, and over thirty percent in decisive battles.


    Dordol had urate statistical data and checked it every time the war researchers updated their tables of statistics. The facts were bing more urate and the numbers were steeply rising. Someday, the army of the Angry One could be an army where nine could die, but the tenth would not give up.


    Despite these circumstances, the Empire¡¯s army frequently won. Of course, Dordol was well aware that it was Night Sky¡¯s power to create a strategy of avoiding war altogether or ensuring a clear victory, even against an opponent influenced by the Angry One. However, there were parts that this alone couldn¡¯t exin.


    There were cowards in the Empire that were unimaginable in the Union Kingdom, but there were also the bravest of the brave. They weren¡¯t born for war, nor blessed by the God of War, yet they aplished such feats.


    ''Is there something even the God of War is missing?''


    The war researchers debated this fact. Perhaps this war itself was a process of confirming whether, in conducting war, there was a need for something more than just the capability of war machines.


    The answer was beyond Dordol, but Dordol naturally leaned toward believing there was something else.


    ''Our fleet has already entered the firing range of the coastal cannons.''


    The Union¡¯s fleet could pause outside the range of the coastal cannons, but Dordol believed they were more likely to charge in without stopping.


    ''In that case, we will have to fight hard, even if it means sacrificing our fleet.''


    The goal of the fleet was to annihte the enemy transport fleet attempting tond at Rasdasil, so they had to be willing to sustain some damage. The closer the fleets got to each other, the more mutual damage would increase.


    The Empire had the support of the coastal cannons, and when considering the information ryed about the airship battles in the sky from Mazdari, the exchange rate was not bad.


    ¡®...But is that enough?¡¯


    It was difficult to find ws in the strategy itself. Since the Empire¡¯s fleet still had a trick up their sleeve, there was a possibility of annihting the transport fleet provided the Union Kingdom didn''t show a significant move.


    ¡®But no one can know what the Angry One has hidden. Is this all? Or...?¡¯


    ***


    In the pantheon in the third conference room, the yers seated around a circr table were checking their status windows, giving orders, and informing each other of the situation.


    The priests of the Empire were following a centralmand named the World Watcher, but on the other hand, they were also conveying iprehensible and detailed instructions directly from the gods or apostles to the nearbymanders.


    Such instructions were shared among the yers, and they were typically minor things that even the apostlesmanding on the field didn¡¯t need to know, but they were orders that could save the unit receiving them.


    For example, if the angle of a cannon from one of the Union Kingdom''s battleships was adjusted, the yers would first confirm it, then identify the point where the shell wouldnd, and order the battleship at risk of being sunk by that cannon fire to move a few tens of meters.


    Such maniption was undoubtedly inefficient considering the amount of Faith points consumed, but it was a necessary micro-control in a battle that must be won.


    While everyone was busy, Wisdom, who was lost in thought for a moment, stopped his spinning head.


    "Can we stop thending with this?"


    Sung-Woon, who was looking down at the Sky Castle, raised his head.


    "Are you curious about what I think?"


    "Yes."


    "In my opinion..." After a moment of contemtion, Sung-Woon said, "I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work."


    "I thought so."


    Lunda, who had been listening quietly, suddenly mmed the table and said, "We''re working hard here, so why say something so discouraging?"


    "Even if it doesn¡¯t work out, we should still do our best."


    "What kind of best are we talking about? Like a school sports team coach telling their team to do their best in the remaining games even though they''re sure to be eliminated in the regional preliminaries? Weren''t we supposed to be able to stop it?"


    "Why is your example so specific?"


    "Anyway."


    Wisdom interrupted, "I''m also curious about the reason. Hegemonia doesn¡¯t seem to have any other cards up her sleeve. There''s no sign of a decisive battle either. Is there a problem on the Sky Castle¡¯s end?"


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "No. The propulsion engines just started...five of them have started spinning. Given the distance, we should be able to stop the Sky Castle before it reaches the shore."


    "With that distance, even Large Area: Sky would be able to manifest its full power, and it might even be possible to erase everything on the surface of the Sky Castle."


    Among the Large Areas, the three nature domains each possessed powerful miracles. Large Area: Sea held thergest category, while Large Area: Land held the greatest power, but the Large Area: Sky was no lesser than the other two. Especially in terms of the variety and concentration of power, Large Area: Sky undoubtedly stood out.


    "That''s right."


    "Then is there another problem?"


    Sung-Woon crossed his arms and replied, "For now, that part is out of our hands."


    "Out of our hands?"


    "If I exin, you''ll understand why it''s out of our hands. What I''m worried about is something else."


    "Something else?"


    Sung-Woon said,


    "Hegemonia is hardly using any Faith points."


    Lunda asked back, "...Really? Is that so? But how does that matter? Isn''t it better for us if she doesn''t use her Faith points?"


    Sung-Woon ignored Lunda and looked toward Wisdom.


    Wisdom said, "Is that so? Is that what Hegemonia is aiming for?"


    "You guys always leave me out and act like you know everything. It''s annoying."


    RD, who was beside them, chuckled.


    "You don¡¯t know either, why are youughing?"


    RD¡¯s expression turned gloomy, but they watched Sung-Woon and Wisdom¡¯s conversation with interest.


    Sung-Woon waved his hand.


    "Everyone knows about it. Since Hegemonia can challenge the Large Area now, if she umtes Faith points, she can obtain it."


    "...Oh."


    Lim Chun-Sik, who was interested in the conversation, urgently said, "Hey, wait. So, you¡¯re saying that Hegemonia is trying to obtain Large Area: Land and use it to destroy the Rasdasil Ruins?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "No way. How can she gather that much Faith in such a short war?"


    "It¡¯s precisely because it¡¯s a short war."


    With the one word that Sung-Woon emphasized, Lim Chun-Sik looked stricken.


    Hegemonia possessed the Unique Domain: War, which meant she could satisfy her need for Faith resources just by being in war.


    Sung-Woon borated, "I''ve calcted it, and it¡¯s possible. It will be tight, but she can manage if theynd and fight onnd, and if all the apostles appear on the frontline, she will reach enough Faith points. So...Hegemonia has two ns. One is through her own army. The other is to obtain Large Area through the progression of the war, and then create an earthquake to bring down the Rasdasil Ruins."


    Eldar carefully said, "Excuse my impudence, but..."


    "Say it."


    "Even if it¡¯s a Large Area, they would still need to be close to their own territory to exert enough power to destroy the ruins, wouldn''t they¡­?"


    Sung-Woon shrugged. "That''s probably why they brought it."


    "Pardon?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "The Sky Castle.¡±

 Chapter 241: What the Gods Want

    Chapter 241: What the Gods Want


    Crampus got up and, as if picking a quarrel, said to Sung-Woon, ¡°Why are you just telling us that now?¡±


    "I only had my suspicions before, and just recently became certain."


    "Why didn''t you tell us when you were suspicious?"


    "What else could we have done?"


    It was as Sung-Woon had said.


    If they didn''t go to war, they would simply be handing over the Rasdasil Ruins to Hegemonia. If war broke out, Hegemonia would be able to challenge a Large Area and then destroy the Rasdasil Ruins.


    Realizing this, Crampus sat back down.


    Wisdom then said, "We need to think of a strategy."


    "That''s true. But unlike before, there doesn''t seem to be any special method avable."


    "Really?"


    Sung-Woon said, "The best option right now is to force Hegemonia to use her Faith points while fighting, and that''s something we''ve been doing all along."


    "Couldn''t we pressure Hegemonia more aggressively?"


    "For example?"


    Wisdom suggested, "What if we use more of our Faith points?"


    "It''s the same for us, but the Union Kingdom already has a modernized fleet. Without something on the level of Large Area: Sea, we can¡¯t expect significant depletion with minor miracles like Small Area: Waves."


    Of course, there was power in a certain domain that was worth pinning hopes on.


    ''The Unique Domain: Magic, for example.''


    Due to his training of the Wizards, Sung-Woon''s Unique Domain: Magic had reached a level sufficient for use, but he was reluctant to actively use it.


    After opening the system window of the Unique Domain: Magic and checking the list of skills, the following characters appeared.


    [°X??Ô¹?? ô§? Áô??å¦?æ ??ô§?? ????? ?????????????.]


    [Áô???? ??? Àô ??? Áô??å¦?Áô?????.]


    ''...What am I supposed to do with this?''


    Clearly, there was something in this Unique Domain that even Sung-Woon couldn''t understand, and he could only know it by using it.


    Sung-Woon thought that obtaining such a tricky domain would likely result in a good oue, considering how well such domains were regarded in The Lost World. However, Sung-Woon was not one to rely on gambling. If the odds were low, there had to be a significant expectation of value, and without even being able to calcte that, it was something Sung-Woon was against.


    ''We can fight well enough without having to rely on such power for now.''


    Wisdom said, "But we have Large Area: Sky, don''t we?"


    "Yes. Indeed, if theye as far as the coast, which is considered our territory, it would allow us efficiency that wouldn¡¯t be disappointing. We¡¯ll have to use it soon, anyway."


    "Are you saying that¡¯s not enough?"


    After considering how to minimize the shock to the other yers, Sung-Woon said, "Using Large Area: Sky will indeed produce better results than not using it at all. But unfortunately, even that won¡¯t get us the oue we want."


    Wisdom''s head lightly spun from side to side.


    "Come to think of it, didn''t you say that we couldn''t stop Hegemonia''snding?"


    Sung-Woon nodded. "Right. Hegemonia has raised the stakes, so we must respond in kind."


    ***


    Lai of radiance tore off Aruna''s head with its massive jaws.


    Aruna¡¯s blue mes zed around its mouth and scorched its scales, but Lai didn¡¯t care.


    -Dying...


    Next, Lai grabbed Aruna''s wings, tore them off, and threw them into the air. While holding onto Aruna, Lai nced down at its own front feet, ckened by the fire, and then back at Aruna''s crumbled remains.


    The divine beast''s body, losing its will, fell and was swept up in blue mes, gathering into a single point. From that point of blue me, two wings sprouted and fluttered, and a long neck stretched out. It was Aruna, resurrected.


    -Resurrecting... Aren''t you tired of it?


    Aruna spun rapidly around Lai, while Lai¡¯s gaze followed.


    Arunaughed.


    -Aren¡¯t you tired of breathing?


    -Hmm...?


    Aruna fell and then soared, pping its wings dazzlingly.


    When a Phoenix died and resurrected, they were able to regte the temperature of the fire emanating from its body. No winged creature could perform aerobatic flights like a Phoenix.


    -Death and rebirth are integral to the physiology of my species. How could that be tiresome?


    Lai looked down at the battlefield. To Lai, the fight between the airships seemed tedious.


    Each airship equipped with cannons and machine guns approached the enemy vessel, simultaneously striving for a higher altitude to avoid being caught from behind due to their fewer cannon batteries. Because of this, the airships appeared to rise in a spiral, as if dancing. The falling airships descended slowly due to the helium-filled gasbags, resembling disturbed water in a fishbowl causing the sand to settle.


    ''Pathetic mortals.''


    Lai was among the most formidable of the Angry One¡¯s apostles.


    Apart from a few apostles who were unfavorable matchups for Lai and the first apostle, who had attained the highest rank, there was no apostle stronger than Lai, and Lai itself was confident about that.


    ''And yet, do you think this is right, O Angry One?''


    Lai, who asked this question alone, realized that the Angry One was right.


    Even Lai, a Dragon, found it difficult to know the heart of the Angry One, asionally finding them a bit shallow and unreliable. Yet the Angry One had clearly always pursued a value and had never been wrong in achieving it.


    Lai knew the name of that value.


    ''Was it victory?''


    Lai understood its meaning, but the victory that the gods dealt with seemed to differ slightly from the victories against an enemy as Lai knew it. To the gods, victory was simple and clear, and they regarded the countless byproducts such as wealth, honor, pride, and power as useless. For that victory, the fate of the world that Lai had pondered for thousands of years, the distant history of the gods, and even the beings of the devildom were trivial and worthless.


    Lai, unlike other Dragons, was enchanted by that victory. That was why Lai was here at this ce.


    As Lai momentarily looked down at the Sky Castle, Aruna, who noticed something, shouted.


    -Look! The Sky Castle ising to a stop. It''s toote to elerate now.


    -...Indeed.


    Aruna was right. Lai saw the Helix Wings turning from the direction the Sky Castle was heading to.


    Lai looked at Aruna.


    -But it doesn''t matter.


    -...What?


    Lai captured the roaming Aruna with magical hands through a secret chant.


    -¡­!


    Lai focused and shaped the hands. Instantly, the hands tore Aruna into dozens of pieces.


    ''Is this still not enough to kill it?''


    The torn mes, though slower than before, swirled and rbined.


    ''However, it should be possible to lose the annoyance for a while.''


    With that thought, Lai flew toward the Sky Castle.


    ***


    "Lai ising!"


    At the Goblin''s words, Ramin merely nced.


    Fortunately, Lai seemed to have no interest in the fight on the Sky Castle, merely passing by overhead.


    Aruega Robughed cynically.


    "That damn worm. It saw everything yet just passed by?"


    "You usually don''t get along?"


    "It''s inevitable. I killed that brat''s grandkid."


    Ramin couldn''t take those words as a mere bluff. Having fought Aruega for over twenty minutes, she fully understood what it meant to battle one who had in a Dragon.


    Sshes of blood surrounded them.


    Most of the Goblins had gone back. ording to the Goblin boss, if one suffered too much pain or got injured, they could no longer maintain their physical form and had to return to the pantheon.


    Ramin felt a familiar fatigue.


    ''But I need to get it together. The Empire could fall, and without it, there would be no peaceful afterlife to rest my head.¡¯


    It seemed strange to Ramin that, despite the presence of so many heroes in the Prairie of Beginnings and the pantheon, the living had the power to decide their fate. However, if it was an unchangeable fact, it had to be epted.


    Aruega said, "Haha, your arm is dangling, Vampire."


    It was a valid observation, evening from an enemy.


    Ramin used her right arm to lift her left and bit her sleeve. Her left shoulder, severely torn by Aruega''s ws, was in bad shape.


    "''Aren''t you limping as well, Werewolf?''...said the boss."


    It was the boss¡¯s interpreter who said this.


    The Goblin interpretery sprawling on the ground, having lost both legs. The only Goblin standing on two feet was the boss.


    Aruega was also in bad shape, apparently because they had gone beyond the limit of their regenerative abilities, and their recovery was slow.


    At the moment when they were facing each other, ready to move, a sharp lightning bolt shot toward Aruega. Aruega had seemingly noticed before the lightning struck and leaped aside, growling at the newly emerged figure.


    Ramin recognized who it was.


    ¡°Teacher!¡±


    Owen was also drenched in blood, but moved lightly on his feet, a cigarette hanging from his lips.


    "You''ve been working hard, Ramin."


    Aruega said, "Ha, resorting to outnumbering me, is it? Well, that''s the way of the weak. But winning is... Hm."


    Aruega¡¯s ears perked up and then pped.


    "Hmm¡­ Unfortunate."


    Aruega looked toward the Sky Castle.


    Ramin, supporting her left arm with her right, said, "Are you running away?"


    "Yes."


    Aruega replied, "For victory."


    Leaving those words behind, Aruega left.


    "...They¡¯re really just leaving like this?"


    It was puzzling, but a relief for Ramin. Ramin had lost too much blood that she didn¡¯t have enough strength to stay standing anymore.


    The boss approached Ramin and Owen and signed something. Ramin reflexively looked for the interpreter, but they were no longer there. They had returned to the pantheon.


    "...Oh."


    Owen said, "This friend says they should go back now. They¡¯re happy they could repay the favor."


    "Oh, no, it''s me who owes my life, boss."


    The boss made a sign that even Ramin could understand as a final gesture. They showed their palm and waved. Ramin mirrored the gesture.


    After the boss left, Owen attended to Ramin''s wounds, and Ramin, who had slumped down, asked, "What about the thrusters?"


    "I''ve done my part."


    "Just your part then...?"


    Owen shook his head. "I didn''t know what your side was like, so I did two more. And that Frogman seemed to have done their job."


    "Ah. So seven in total?"


    It was more than expected. There wouldn¡¯t be a shortage.


    Ramin felt relieved, but for some reason, Owen¡¯s expression remained grave.


    "What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    "It might be that our efforts were in vain."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Don''t you feel it?"


    Owen ced his hand on the ground and swept across it.


    "The power of the Sky Castle has been shut off. By our enemies themselves. The Sky Castle is tilting."


    Ramin didn¡¯t seem to fully understand and asked, "What does that mean?"


    The one who answered her question was Gorgota Falu, who appeared btedly.


    "Elder! It''s as you said!" Gorgota ran up to Ramin and Owen, eximing, "The Sky Castle is crashing toward the Rasdasil coast!"

 Chapter 242: Stone Projectile from Thousands of Years Ago

    Chapter 242: Stone Projectile from Thousands of Years Ago


    The Sky Castle¡¯s descent was more urately observed from the outside than from the Sky Castle itself.


    From the bridge of the World Watcher, Dordol could also see the situation.


    "...Did they aim for this?"


    Dordol quickly talked to Keiju of the Rasdasil coastal fortress.


    -Keiju...?


    Keiju, who had climbed on top of the fortress''s artillery to visually survey the coastline, answered.


    -Dordol? The coastal fortress''s artillery is ready to fire. I can also see the Empire¡¯s navy moving up north.


    -That''s not it.


    -Then what?


    Keiju and Dordol, who had faced each other on the same battlefield even before bing apostles, had no need for formalities.


    Dordol replied.


    -We need to evacuate the coastal fortress and retreat right now.


    -What do you mean?


    Keiju countered.


    -I don''t know what''s going to happen, but if we empty this fortress, we can''t stop the enemies fromnding. Not at all.


    -That''s true.


    Dordol continued.


    -But it may as well have happened already. Then we should minimize the damage.


    -It may as well have happened already? The fortress is solid.


    -No, it won¡¯t be¡­ Look to the eastern sky, Keiju.


    Keiju looked up.


    Then, retracting her doubtful attitude toward Dordol''s words just moments ago, she immediately ordered a retreat for the entire fortress. It was an order to leave everything behind, even the fortress''s supplies, carrying only minimal personal firearms.


    Above the eastern sky of the Rasdasil coast, the Sky Castle was slowly descending.


    ***


    Alma Alloy stood in front of the slowly dying power source of the Sky Castle. This power source, shaped like a donut, was located deep in the foundation of the Sky Castle. Emitting a faint light, it consisted of tens of thousands of parts, each different in shape. It was a sophisticated machine, but without the knowledge of mysticism, it was logically impossible to understand how this power source kept the Sky Castle floating. In fact, the Mystics of the Union Kingdom could only partially utilize the power source of the Sky Castle, andcked the capability to apply the technologies used here elsewhere.


    Around the fifth apostle of the Angry One, Alma Alloy, Mystics of the Union Kingdom in white uniforms were moving busily.


    The Union Kingdom prohibited the use of magic unless it was specially permitted as they viewed it as the peculiar powers of the Devil. However, this did not mean that they neglected the exploration and research of magic and ancient relics.


    The Mystics of the Union Kingdom were essentially Wizards that didn¡¯t use magic. For a long time, the Mystics hade to understand ancient technology and the principles of magic to find a way to stop the Sky Castle from floating.


    Alma said, "Are we truly falling?"


    The chief mystic replied, "Yes, everything is going as expected. In a few minutes, the Sky Castle will settle above the Rasdasil coastal fortress."


    It wasn''t a free fall. The power of the Sky Castle hadn''t beenpletely extinguished. Due to this, the fall was being maintained at a moderate speed, which was enough to bring the results the Union Kingdom expected.


    The chief mystic said, "Let''s move out now. The Sky Castle will notpletely shatter, but..."


    When the Angry One firstmanded Alma to crash the Sky Castle, Alma had naively opposed the order. Of course, Alma now thought the Angry One''s n was beautiful. Everything fit together as if it had been prearranged.


    Even if the Empire tried to stop it, the Sky Castle, with its mass alone, would slide across the sea to Rasdasil. Then, as if to show off, the Sky Castle would drop and destroy the Empire¡¯s coastal fortress. With the coastal fortress destroyed, the Union Kingdom¡¯s battleships could push back the Empire¡¯s battleships, giving their transport fleets time to dock at the shore.


    ''The Empire has spent much time fortifying the coastal fortress, and beyond it toward the Rasdasil Ruins, there are only hastily prepared trench defenses.''


    The Empire had enough time to evacuate the soldiers from the coastal fortress, but the Union Kingdom also had a n in ce for that. The Sky Castle''s surface and underground passages contained areas cushioned with Doodooba rubber, sophisticatedly calcted to withstand the impact of the castle''s fall.


    Nonbatants would evacuate on escape airships before the Sky Castle crashed, while a massive force equivalent to two legions was already present inside the Sky Castle. Alma was confident that this force had not been fully ounted for by the Empire, nor by the Empire''s Pantheon. They would descend from the Sky Castle and march directly toward the Rasdasil Ruins. The controlled descent of the Sky Castle was for this very reason.


    ''But the capital of the Union Kingdom...will crumble.''


    Although some spaces had been prepared for a crash, most of the buildings and facilities making up the Sky Castle would bear the full impact of it. The Mystics estimated that, with the current level of technology, the probability of the Sky Castle rising again after such an impact was about twenty percent.


    Even if they won this war, the Union Kingdom would have to ept significant damage from losing their capital.


    ''...If only we win this war.''


    Alma said, "I¡¯m going to get going. There isn''t much time left until the crash, and there appears to be arge number of people remaining. I don¡¯t believe this current area is equipped with buffering facilities.¡±


    "We still do not fully understand the power source of the Sky Castle. ording to our theories, ancient artifacts sometimes rebooted themselves before beingpletely destroyed, and there is a possibility that this Sky Castle may also regain its power just before the crash. We must leave a minimal crew behind."


    The implication of these words was clear. Without buffering facilities, they would bear the full impact of the crash. Unless incredibly fortunate, many Mystics would die. However, Alma felt no sentimentality. If she had allowed herself such feelings, she wouldn¡¯t have been in her current position.


    Passing by the chief mystic, she made her way along the corridor to the prepared airship.


    ¡°I wish you luck.¡±


    ¡°Victory to the Angry One.¡±


    ***


    Airships rose from the falling Sky Castle.


    On one side were the transport ships of the Union Kingdom, hidden behind the fortress, on the other were the Empire''s airships led by the Thunderstrider. While Ramin and her group were busy with the engines, thete-arriving troops were now departing.


    Ramin, standing aboard the Thunderstrider, looked down.


    "The wind is blowing.¡±


    Indeed, as she said, a strong wind continuously blew at the merely rising airship''s railing, flipping Ramin''s hood and tousling her hair.


    "I guess after all, such arge boulder is falling..."


    Owen, who was standing beside her, shook his head.


    "That''s not it."


    "Pardon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that Night Sky is watching.¡±


    Gorgota, who was listening alongside Ramin, did not immediately grasp the meaning. But a noticeable change urred. Winds began to violently whirl above the surface of the Sky Castle, sweeping up debris and forming visible whirlwinds. The whirlwind grew in the area it covered. It was clear to anyone that this was no ordinary wind.


    "But how can it do anything against such a massivendmass¡­"


    Owen clucked his tongue and said, "Have patience and wait. You''ll see what Night Sky can do."


    Ramin, who was about to retort, understood the meaning behind Owen''s words.


    The vast wind they initially saw was just one of many whirlwinds toe. Pirs of currents sprang high into the sky, fiercely spinning and eroding the surface of the Sky Castle.


    It wasn''t just the top of the Sky Castle. Whirlwinds carrying seawater began to rise from the Rasdasil coast, and waves pummeled the sandy shores. Like pirs supporting it, they gnawed away at the bottom of the Sky Castle, and the friction of the air alone caused the edges of the terrain that made up the castle to crumble and fall into the sea. Along with it, one of the massive propellers attached to the edge plummeted into the water, causing a great ssh.


    The whirlwinds, as if possessed by clear evil, scraped the surface of the Sky Castle and closed in on the btedly departing airships, crumpling them like paper. Thunder and lightning began to strike, setting fire to everything above the surface of the castle. The wind breathed life to the mes, which burned with arrogance, scorching thend. Yet it seemed insufficient.


    The Sky Castle was like a massive piece ofnd hurled by the Angry One. Having floated in the air for thousands of years, the castle now seemed to exist solely to be flung to the ground, as if it had been created for that purpose alone.


    "Brace for impact!"


    The shout of Ploy Tansen, the captain of the Thunderstrider, prompted those on the deck to grab the nearby railings.


    The Sky Castle crashed into the Empire''s coastal fortress.


    To Ramin, the sight was so alien that it felt as if the Sky Castle was being absorbed into the earth without any friction, as if it would vanish into thend itself.


    But contrary to Ramin''s illusion, from the point of contact between the Sky Castle and the coastal fortress, soil and debris shot up. The rising dust temporarily obscured the Sky Castle.


    A high priest ran up to Ploy and said something.


    Ploy nodded and then shouted, "Night Skymands, we set course for the Rasdasil Ruins!"


    Ramin, aboard the Thunderstrider, watched the whirlwinds sway.


    ***


    In a narrow and dark ce, a corridor of cold iron so well sealed that not a single ray of light escaped, a member of the Empire¡¯s navy walked down the way and opened a door. The Troll corporal, who had a good physique, immediately saluted after opening the door.


    "Sir Toolbo, our fleet will soon arrive at the seas in front of Rasdasil!"


    Toolbo, the eighth apostle of the Pantheon, looked up from the work he was focused on and turned around.


    Removing his goggles, Toolbo asked the corporal, "Really? What happened to the coastal fortress?"


    "...Unfortunately, the fortress waspletely destroyed by the falling Sky Castle."


    "Oh, that is unfortunate."


    "But fortunately, most of the personnel inside the fortress were able to escape."


    "...The gods must be greatly troubled."


    "Which is why they may be looking forward to our remarkable efforts, is what I think."


    At those words, Toolbo smiled. "Hm! You''re right. It would be troubling if we did not y our part."


    After saying so, Toolbo nodded and then spoke into the inte connected directly to the ship''s bridge.


    "Captain!"


    It wasn¡¯t amon way of using the inte, but nobody was going to question an apostle''s method.


    The captain soon replied, "Yes, Toolbo sir."


    "Are we still far from striking the enemy?"


    "We''re almost upon them. In about ten minutes, we will be positioned right underneath the enemy fleet."


    Toolbo nodded as if pleased with the response.


    "Good. Then let''s go up to the surface at that time. I have to show the enemies what I''ve prepared for them."


    "Yes, understood."


    Toolbo ended themunication satisfied.


    The ship Toolbo was on was no ordinary battleship. It had been constructed in a secret shipyard located in the Empire''s underwater caves, and few within the Empire even knew of its existence. Toolbo referred to this ship, capable of submerging and navigating unseen beneath the surface, as a submarine.

 Chapter 243: Variable Creator

    Chapter 243: Variable Creator


    The fifth Apostle of the Angry One, Alma Alloy, looked down at the Rasdasil coast from an airship.


    It was a risky move. The whirlwind of the Devil, Night Sky, had chased right up to the tail of the airship Alma was on, but soon distanced itself. If it wasn¡¯t for the power of the Angry One concealing Alma''s presence, the whirlwind would have engulfed her.


    As an Apostle, she could have survived the whirlwind, but she, Alma thought, would no doubt turn into a poor state.


    ''It has happened as the Angry One willed.''


    The Empire''s coastal fortress had beenpletely destroyed. The way to the Rasdasil Ruinsy wide open. The fleet''s bombardment had beenunched toward the shore. To the south of the beach, the concrete emcements, poured and stacked in severalyers, were now unrecognizable. On top of them sat the Sky Castle. Now a massive hill had formed from the copsed terrain, and upon it, buildings that had symbolized the history and civilization of the Union Kingdom turned to ruins.


    Above the ruins, Night Sky''s whirlwinds stirred as ifshing out in frustration.


    ''But the Devil doesn''t move on emotion.''


    Night Sky seemed to have realized that the Sky Castle contained interior structures that could absorb the impact. Though it wasn¡¯t clear, it was possible that some precautions were necessary.


    Normally, arge-scale aerial attack would have begun, but because of the whirlwinds created by Night Sky, the legions under the Sky Castle were unable to reveal themselves.


    ''Ankarde inside had said that most of the forces have withstood the fall of the Sky Castle. So far, things have gone as we expected.''


    However, the whirlwind continued to excavate the ground as if searching for something hidden.


    The legion trapped in the Sky Castle had to escape through narrow passages, so if their position were exposed, they could suffer tremendous damage.


    ''Besides, Ankarde is impatient. It wouldn''t be surprising if they burst out at any moment. If only we could distract Night Sky''s gaze, even for a moment...''


    Alma turned toward the Union Kingdom''s fleet. The Empire''s fleet was engaged in close-range artillerybat. Without the support fire from the coastal fortress, the battle seemed nearly the same as it had been until now. The only difference was that the distance had closed and both sides had slowed down, allowing for more urate fire and in turn resulting in severe damage to each other.


    ''The numbers are few, but has the tide of battle turned slightly to our favor? The Union Kingdom seems to be pushing back the Empire''s warships.''


    It had to be so. The Empire''s warships had not only the Union Kingdom''s warships as targets. The Empire''s primary goal was the Union Kingdom''s transport ships, and while targeting the distant transport vessels, the Empire''s warships could be seen sinking from the closer Union Kingdom''s main guns.


    ''If the transport fleet seeds in docking at the coast this way...''


    From close to the shore, Night Sky''s power would begin to take effect, and significant damage would be inevitable, but no god could manage the entirety of several kilometers of coastline.


    The Angry One had anticipated a twenty to thirty percent loss at the coast.


    ¡®If that''s the case, we could reach the Rasdasil Ruins with roughly double the number of our enemies.¡¯


    The path to the Rasdasil Ruins was set up with hastily fortified posts, and a considerable number of the Empire''s forces were encamped, but with greater numbers and more equipment on the Union Kingdom¡¯s side, it was a fight worth taking on. Moreover, the deeper they pushed into the ruins, the more they could avoid the cannon fire that harassed the Union Kingdom.


    ¡®After that¡­¡¯


    What would follow was hard for Alma to predict urately as well. The number of apostles already involved inmand on both the Union Kingdom and the Empire''s sides weren¡¯t few, but there were still those who had not revealed themselves. It was impossible to consider every possibility.


    Alma turned and said to the staff officers, "Move the transport fleet further to the north."


    One of the staff officers asked, "But doing so would expose us more to the enemy battleship''s bombardment from the north."


    "That''s true. But there are the Devil''s whirlwinds to the south. It''s better to face the enemy''s battleships than have our army caught in the whirlwinds."


    The staff officer immediately understood and ryed the message through amunication officer.


    A sacrifice of such degree was eptable if it meant gaining control of the expansive coastline by pushing the Empire¡¯s fleet further north.


    "Urgent news!"


    As themunication officer came up to the bridge where the staff officers were, all eyes snapped to themunication officer.


    Themunication officer said, "The transport ships at the rear have been sunk."


    At the entrance to the bridge, a staff officer said, "Did youe all the way up here just to tell us that?"


    Another staff officer added, "The Pantheon has been guiding the enemy''s cannon fire. It may seem odd, but attacks more precise than expected could happen."


    Themunication officer shook their head.


    "That''s not it. The sunk transport ships were at the very rear of the fleet, still out of reach of the enemy''s artillery."


    "They''re being sunk? What''s the exact number?"


    "I..."


    Themunication officer hesitated before saying, "The distance is too far, and initially there was confusion among the othermunication officers, so we don''t have an exact number. All our airship fleets are currently engaged with the enemy''s airship fleet, so there''s no one to properly transmit information through signal gs."


    Alma slightly furrowed her eyebrows.


    Compared to the Empire, which used magic, signal gs could be considered primitive. The Union Kingdom was bridging the gap with their capabilities, but problems could still arise at critical moments.


    Alma stepped in and said, "Turn the gship around. I''ll check it myself. What''s the location, officer?"


    Alma had also thought, like the staff officer, that themunication officer''s mistake or a series of coincidental events were to me.


    The Empire''s strategy was not to wage a war of annihtion between fleets but rather to somehow block the transport ships, so dividing the fleet to attack from the rear would be, in fact, a dangerous move.


    ''If there had been such forces, we would have noticed beforehand.''


    However, Alma had to ept the possibility that her thinking could be wrong.


    ¡­Thud!


    Without any warning, the spine of a Fiend-ss battleship got bent and then split in two. Though no screams could be heard, the sight of the marines hurriedly preparing lifeboats in a panic could be seen.


    And it was no isted incident happening to one or two ships. The sinking ships were reserve battleships intended for unforeseen enemies, but the next in line were the transport ships. Particrly at risk were the transport ships at the rear, some of which were gigantic wooden vessels from a previous era,parable to the current Divine Beast-ss warships. ording to the original n, these ships were to enter Rasdasil after ensuring the coast was secure, but now the battleships meant to protect them were disappearing as well.


    There was an even greater problem. The sentries couldn¡¯t hide their confusion.


    "The enemy battleships are nowhere to be seen!"


    Alma was aware of this as well.


    ''Could they have fired from beyond the horizon? But no cannonballs were seen...?''


    Alma called the Angry One at once.


    The Angry One immediately eximed in thenguage of the gods.


    -Fuck!


    Although Alma did not know the exact meaning, she had heard the phrase several times before and knew it was an expression of anger.


    The Angry One, Hegemonia, said.


    -That''s a submarine.


    -A submarine...you say?


    Hegemonia, ready to take a hit to her Faith points, exined.


    -It''s a ship capable of navigating underwater without sinking. It ispletely sealed to prevent flooding and uses torpedoes that can be fired underwater to target and sink the underside of battleships.


    -...Oh.


    Alma understood two things at once. The Angry One seemed to have prior knowledge of technologies before they existed, and this too appeared to be one such piece of knowledge of the gods. The second realization was more bewildering. There was no readily avable method of response with current technology.


    Hegemonia said.


    -...I will create a creature creation as a countermeasure.


    -Alright.


    -Suffer the losses if you must, butnd as many troops on the coast as possible. That¡¯s all.


    With that, Hegemonia cut off the Whisper Conversation with Alma.


    Even when the enemy''s technological superiority meant that their own forces had no immediate technical countermeasures, a yer, through the power of creation, could make it possible.


    In The Lost World, oveing such technological disparities through creations wasmon and normal, and naturally, there were temte creations in existence to counter submarines. Hegemonia was able to figure out the technical level of the Empire''s submarines and could create a counteracting creation in a matter of minutes.


    ¡®...However.¡¯


    To do so, Faith points had to be used. Hegemonia considered the amount of Faith resources that would be produced through the war and the amount of Faith that would be consumed by this creation.


    ¡®It will be a close call.¡¯


    With that, Hegemonia began assembling the appearance of the creation and added abilities. A secret weapon like submarines was manageable.


    After all, Hegemonia herself had gathered troops within the Sky Castle. Such a strategy wasmon in battles of this scale. They were not elements that couldpletely turn the tide of war. Only those with inadequate skill would be thrown into disarray and fail to respond properly.


    That was the situation. For now, everything was still okay. However, if such variables continued to umte, Hegemonia''s second n could fall apart.


    ¡®For now, it¡¯s still within the margin of error.¡¯


    But if another outlier arose, and problems began among the apostles themselves, the second n could be unattainable.


    Hegemoniapleted the creation after meticulous observation.


    However, Hegemonia also had an intuition that this wouldn¡¯t be thest variable Neb produced.


    ***


    On the transport ship of the Union Kingdom, which was on the rolling seas, the coast of Rasdasil was visible in the distance.


    This wooden transport ship had been a line-of-battle ship equipped with over a hundred cannons up until a few decades ago. But as times changed, the heavy armaments were stripped away, and it was refitted with steam engines and paddle wheels and repurposed as a transport ship. Being arge vessel that had once carried heavy war machinery, it had no issues fulfilling the role of a transport ship.


    "There''s a shadow under the water on the port side!"


    The transport ship made a swift turn, tilting over dramatically.


    The marines aboard, and even the army soldiers inside the ship who couldn''t see the sight, were greatly buzzing. The presence of submarines firing unseen torpedoes and blowing up the underside of ships as they passed beneath felt like a supernatural phenomenon.


    "The torpedoes are too fast! We can''t evade them!"


    "Everyone brace for impact!"


    As the captain''s voice filled with fear, in an instant, a massive tentacle emerged and grabbed the torpedo.


    The tentacle hurled the torpedo, and as the torpedo drew arge arc through the air, it exploded upon re-entry into the sea surface due to the impact.


    A voice came from beneath the water''s surface.


    -I am Viek, guardian of the Angry One. I shall stand against this treacherous technology beneath the waters, so let the transport ships advance.


    Cheers erupted in response.


    Viek had a spiral-shaped shell, and from outside that shell, numerous tentacles extended, resembling some kind of ammonite. Thebination of tentacles capable of swift underwater movement and snagging torpedoes, along with a hard shell able to withstand torpedo attacks and ramming assaults, made it a favored creation temte among the users of The Lost World as an anti-submarine force.


    The Guardian Viek soared and rammed into the Empire¡¯s submarine at the very front. Due to the lower level of technology, the submarine''s bulkheads crumpled, allowing seawater to start seeping in. Compared to the current creaking technology, Viek, who moved flexibly and swiftly, could indeed be called a submarine hunter.


    "Indeed, is it as Night Sky said?"


    Although it was a faint voice, Viek''s sensitive sonar organs, capable of detecting radio waves, picked up the words. Strangely, the voice came from below Viek, who had plunged deep into the sea to hunt for submarines.


    -...Who is there?


    "Oh, did it hear my voice? Anyway, it''s just as Night Sky described. A hard shell and numerous tentacles. As expected.¡±


    Before Viek could ask again, a bright light shone on Viek.


    Viek, having a sensitive vision adapted for seeing in the dark, was temporarily blinded.


    "...Here we go!"


    Something surged from beneath the surface. It was what wasmonly referred to as walking armor. Walking armor was a two-legged weapon, made of Doodooba rubber and magical mechanismsbined. Often found in ancient ruins and subsequently produced by the Empire and other nations in their own ways, this weapon had be one of the standard forces in the world despite not being as effective as tank-like forces. However, if the target was a massive creature creation, Abomination, or a fiend, it could counter with strong power and massive ded weapons.


    -But in the water...?


    Viek, who had received a knowledge module known as General Knowledge 2.0 from Hegemonia, had never before encountered a walking armor underwater. Moreover, it was nearly nine meters tall, which wasrge for a machine, far bigger than the typical four meter walking armors.


    Regaining sight btedly, Viek tried to turn toward the walking armor, which was only faintly visible beyond the light.


    At the center of the walking armor was a window made of ss, through which the cockpit was clearly visible. In that cockpit sat a ty, Madman Toolbo.


    "Take this! My fist!"


    The drill on the left arm of the walking armor rotated and drilled into Viek''s shell.

 Chapter 244: Countering

    Chapter 244: Countering


    Viek hastily escaped, but the rotating drill left a mark.


    -What, this can''t be...!


    However, Toolbo didn''t give Viek any chance to panic. Although it was a minor damage, the impact that pierced the shell inflicted damage on Viek, creating a definite gap.


    Sung-Woon knew well that Hegemonia used what were called temtes among the yers of The Lost World, which were pre-made forms of creations.


    In fact, temtes were always excellent. The yers of The Lost World spoke of the presence of the best destructors, annihtors, and parasites in most of the temtes, and Sung-Woon acknowledged the fact as well.


    Even at this moment, Sung-Woon was confident that Hegemonia''s creations were superior to those of the average creation, even surpassing the Pantheon¡¯s. After all, temtes were not just part of the system. They were the most popr among the creations crafted by numerous yers through the Creature Creation Helper asset, and especially those known for their exceptional versatility over long-term use.


    For victory, the less efficient creations were discarded by the yers, and only the outstanding ones were chosen. Of course, the rankings changed somewhat with the game''s meta, but Hegemonia had always selected the best temte for each situation. Her gamey was wless.


    ''That¡¯s probably why. There¡¯s no mistake.¡¯


    Sung-Woon thought that Hegemonia would have been furious if she had heard this. For some reason, Sung-Woon felt as though he could hear Hegemonia''s voice.


    ''She would surely say it''s all nonsense.''


    But it wasn''t really the case. There were many yers who, although not as skilled as Sung-Woon, yed simrly to him: counter y. When the opponent always made the best choice, it was only natural to be able to respond to it.


    Even the best creations had their counters. Despite being strong, damage on the creation¡¯s exterior could not be reversed, and although swift, it wasn¡¯t free to change direction at will, and the many tentacles meant that each one''s strength was insufficient. Living beings always had physical limits, and in the physical world, perfection didn¡¯t exist.


    Sung-Woon could instantly think of what kind of temte creation Hegemonia would use. Like Hegemonia, he could¡¯ve created a counter-creation, but there was a better way¡ªfor among the apostles of the Pantheon, there was one with the ability to create, just like a yer.


    As soon as Sung-Woon spoke of the enemy that would appear, Madman Toolbo immediately came up with an idea. Sung-Woon was more than satisfied. Toolbo¡¯s invention was not only functional, but also looked cool.


    ¡°Urgh!¡±


    Toolbo energetically pulled two levers in the cockpit. Then the walking armor''s gigantic right hand clutched Viek''s tentacles. Although the cluster of tentacles were slippery, they couldn¡¯t escape the grip of the rubber-coated palms of the walking armor made of Doodooba rubber.


    Viek sensed its end was near.


    -This, this can''t be...!


    "...It can! Take the fist of Big Thing No. 1!"


    Once again, the drill on the left arm rotated vigorously, drilling into Viek''s shell. Blood foam and shattered shell entwined in the whirlwind created by the drill.


    ''Is it over?''


    Sung-Woon affirmed Hegemonia''s tactic. Hegemonia yed rtively proper. For a higher win rate, she always chose a guaranteed method. If judged by probability alone, Hegemonia''s win rate should have been higher.


    However, the meta of the game¡ªthe trend of tactics or builds, that was¡ªchanged daily. While someone was choosing a strategy with the highest probability already known, another would be searching for a way to counter that strategy. Of course, Sung-Woon agreed that counter-y was just a theoretical concept.


    In reality, there were as many people who created opposing strategies, unforeseen strategies, and absurd strategies as those who followed the meta, and except for one counter-y, all were devoured by the meta.


    ''Not following the meta is foolish.''


    Hegemonia seemed to have the ability to reproduce the meta most perfectly among such yers. She had quick situational assessment and decision-making, was skilled in multitasking, and was unbeaten in small-scale tactics. If everyone used the same strategy, Hegemonia could trump all with her skills.


    Honestly, even Sung-Woon thought Hegemonia would have the advantage if he fought in exactly the same way as Hegemonia. Yet precisely because of that, Sung-Woon thought it was meaningful to seek out independent counter-ys.


    Numerous yers created their unique ys that ignored the meta, but it was these unconventional strategies that eventually changed the meta and won against the top yers who followed it.


    Sung-Woon willingly took on what some would call foolish challenges, and therefore shaved down his potentially higher win rate, just like other yers who created unique ys. However, unlike other yers, Sung-Woon had the ability to turn iplete strategies intoplete ones, and even with the blow his win rates suffered, he remained in first ce.


    Screws spewed out from the back of the walking armor that Toolbo was in, propelling it above the water''s surface. Then Toolbo leaped onto the wooden deck of the transport ship that had briefly been protected by Viek.


    Thud!


    With the disappearance of their guardian and the sudden appearance of a giant walking armor, the marines of the Union Kingdom on the deck fell silent for a moment.


    "...It''s the enemy! Fire!"


    Bullets started to pour like rain.


    Toolbo''s walking armor, Big Thing No. 1, swept the deck with its rotating drill, but as the raining bullets intensified, Toolbo shielded the cockpit and hesitated.


    The soldiers of the Union Kingdom, who had been waiting inside the transport ship, had rushed up.


    "Well, a drill has its limits..."


    Just then, light shed between the clouds above.


    Toolbo''s eyes sparkled as he caught sight of it.


    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±


    Something massive¡ªa hunk of metal, it seemed¡ªdropped onto the wooden transport ship.


    Thud!


    It was so heavy that the fall itself rocked the behemoth ship, causing the soldiers of the Union Kingdom who stood on the railing to tumble outward.


    Seizing the moment of ceasefire, Toolbo, with his walking armor, picked up the fallen mass of metal and lifted it high. It was a sword. A giant sword almost ten meters long, nearly as tall as the walking armor itself.


    "I¡¯ll show you why this guy is called Big Thing!"


    With that, Toolbo brought down the massive sword with the right arm of Big One onto the deck.


    ***


    Fortunately, on the coast of Rasdasil, the capital of the Union Kingdom was sacrificed, and the most threatening line of defense, the coastal fortress, had been destroyed. However, the Union Kingdom''snding forces were far from safe.


    The naval bombardment between the countries continued, and from afar, the artillery fire from the Empire''s trenches hadn¡¯t stopped, either. Fortunately, due to the distance, the barrage was light, but it was not so insignificant that one could just stand by and wait. Moreover, the southern coast, where the Sky Castle had fallen, was filled with swirling whirlwinds that never seemed to stop.


    ''That''s where Ankarde should be.''


    Goblin Bounda, the sixth Apostle of the Angry One, squinted at the Sky Castle, when suddenly, they saw the transport ships on the horizon, which had been deemed safe, starting to sink unexpectedly.


    ''What a mess.''


    To concentrate, Bounda shook their head and then pushed forward the soldiers, who came only up to their chest, encouraging them.


    "What are you doing? Run! You''ll die if you stay here!"


    Then, as if in response, or perhaps as if one of the gods of the Pantheon had indeed aimed for Bounda, a cannon shell plummeted down.


    "Get down!"


    Bounda''s eyes widened as they swung their six-sided club powerfully in a direction where there was nothing.


    ng!


    The cannon shell, struck by Bounda''s club, had its internal mechanism disced by the impact and exploded mid-air before it could travel more than ten meters. Seeing that, Boundaughed loudly.


    "If you''re not dead, run!"


    Thending forces¡¯ goal was to reach beneath the western hills, which could provide some cover from the howitzers. Without time to regroup and just enough time to catch their breath, the following troops, tanks, and walking armor advanced, causing them to head straight for the Empire''s trenches.


    ¡®But if we still have this much force intact¡­¡¯


    Bounda had considered the thought and then concluded it as pointless. The one engaging in war was the Angry One. To Bounda, it was enough to simply embody that rage of the Angry One.


    In The Lost World, the Goblin species was regarded as a type of Troll, much like the Rakshasas. These species, being lumped together with others, sharedmon traits in that they wererge in stature, strong, and their faces appeared somewhat brutish.


    However, just as the Trolls had their rough aspects, and the Rakshasas their cruelty, the Goblins had their own characteristic traits. Goblins were less prone to fear and anxiety. This made them appear as though they had trouble controlling their emotions, and they were often seenughing. Hegemonia liked Goblins because of these aspects.


    That resulted in Goblins being among the species that remained with their units until the end of the war, not because they were particrly violent or cruel, but because they were less sensitive to those emotions.


    And among Goblins, Bounda was particrly unusual. Rather than being less prone to fear and anxiety, they found a kind of pleasure in such situations and did not hesitate to throw themself into scenarios others would find repulsive. Of course, there were other individuals like Bounda, so this was not surprising. However, Bounda was exceptional in that they could throw themself into such situations and stille out unharmed.


    If Sung-Woon used Toolbo to break or overturn the board, then Bounda was the variable creator for Hegemonia.


    It was then that Bounda heard an explosion.


    Boom¡­!


    From the western hill where the Union Kingdom''snding forces had run to, an explosion urred, sending up ck smoke. Debris of ck earth and stones, along with what used to be part of thending forces, fell on Bounda''s body.


    "...What the!"


    As all the forces of the Union Kingdom hesitated, Bounda did a triple jump through the air. Having soared tens of meters, Boundanded and crouched down at the explosion site, spotting a soldier fleeing from the source of the explosion.


    Then Bounda grabbed the soldier by their cor and asked, "What happened?"


    "I¡­it''s an ambush!"


    "Hm!"


    Leaving the soldier behind, Bounda plunged into the area still spewing smoke. After crossing a small hill, Bounda saw a group of the Empire¡¯s soldiers hidden behind a pile of rocks. They all seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of the Angry One¡¯s apostle.


    "You''re a special forces unit!"


    Their attire made them immediately recognizable.


    Like the Union Kingdom, the Empire maintained special forces for rear infiltration and particr battles, different from regr soldiers.


    After seeing Bounda, the Empire''s trained soldiers scattered.


    ¡°That¡¯s useless!¡±


    Bounda swung their club with the intent to smash their heads one by one. But with the sudden bullets flying towards their eyes, Bounda had to close their eyes and shield themself from the shots with one hand.


    Then Bounda heard a voice in the brief moment.


    "I''ll take care of this one! Proceed with the operation quickly!"


    Bounds then opened their eyes and recognized the silhouette.


    "Hm, you¡¯re the old fox, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The sixth apostle, Special Forces Obin Mabru, aimed their rifle and said, "It''s been a while, big guy."

 Chapter 245: Heads in Front of the Gun Barrel

    Chapter 245: Heads in Front of the Gun Barrel


    The apostle of the Angry One, Bounda, and the apostle of the Pantheon, Obin Mabru, could be said to have a deep connection. Though Bounda had be an apostle much earlier, they consistently faced each other after the war between the Empire and the Union Kingdom began.


    Bounda considered themself often victorious, but it was difficult to publicize this fact. Obin always made strategic choices that, while they could lead to personal defeat, could lead to victory inrger battles, or otherwise benefit the Empire in some other way.


    Bounda didn¡¯t like this. Bounda thought that even if they hadn''t met the Angry One first and instead had met Night Sky, they wouldn''t have been able to join them. The world of the Pantheon, or Night Sky, sometimes withheld the honors that rightfully belonged to the victors and also often omitted the humiliations that the defeated should endure. Moreover, despite not always being victorious, Obin was always hailed as a hero.


    Bounda saw this as unfair.


    "This time, I''ll really turn you into mush."


    Obin shook their head.


    "That''s why you are considered foolish."


    As Bounda swung their club, Obin pulled the trigger.


    ***


    "Bounda and Obin are facing off."


    "Is it going as we predicted?"


    The yers of the Pantheon murmured while continuing to watch the system window.


    Sung-Woon nodded. "How about the coast?"


    Solongos replied to Sung-Woon''s question, "Yes, hyung-nim. They arepletely disoriented."


    It was as Solongos had said. The forces that had tried to gather on the western hill had to disperse because of Obin and their special forces¡¯ efforts, and soon after, there was no way to avoid the bombardment due to the ongoing fight between Bounda and Obin.


    Although each unit had its ownmander and thus did not show signs of disintegration even without Bounda, there seemed to be no way to avoid the ensuing bombardment from the Empire.


    Sung-Woon said, "However, the troops will move soon. Let me know immediately if you see anything."


    "Okay."


    Sung-Woon looked at the map.


    ''Now, what will you do, Hegemonia?''


    There were two options.


    One was to avoid the bombardment by advancing north along the coast to go around it. Since the terrain started with the western hill, offering changes in elevation that could block the shells, it was possible to reduce damage to the troops. Although the rear of the transport fleet was being utterly ravaged by Madman Toolbo and the Empire''s submarine fleet, there were still manynding forces to join the battlefield. For maximizing thebat power of the forces, it was reasonable for each unit to secure a position and attack the Empire''s front line simultaneously.


    ''The other option is...''


    Solongos said, "Hyun-nim, thending army is on the move!"


    "Where to?"


    "They are advancing straight towards our trench!"


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    ''As expected.''


    While it might seem like a challenging n, a frontal breakthrough was also an option. The number of the currentlynded army was smaller than that of the Empire''s forces in the trenches. However, there might not be another opportunity than now. The units that had been at the coastal fortress were still in disarray, not yet having properly positioned themselves in the trenches in front of the Rasdasil Ruins.


    Moreover, after the loss of the coastal fortress, the Empire¡¯s army was hastily reinforcing their posts in the trench. Even if thending forces could minimize damage by going around, the difficulty of the attack could increase proportionally over time.


    Most importantly, in a war fought with firearms, if the frontline could be formed immediately, there could be an opportunity to receive additional support through follow-up forces or to extend the length of the frontler.


    Above all, it was clear that Hegemonia had the confidence to win a battle even with fewer troops. It was understandable.


    The coastal fortress, which would have been the biggest obstacle, had fallen, and it was only natural to assume that Sung-Woon had used a considerable amount of Faith points to engage the troops of the Sky Castle, which was also true.


    ''But isn''t this too arrogant?''


    The two ns of attacking the Rasdasil Ruins directly, as well as filling Faith points through the war to obtain the Large Area: Land and then destroying the ruins seemed to be based on overconfidence to Sung-Woon.


    ''Or is it not actually overconfidence?''


    Sung-Woon pondered for a moment, but soon the next phase of the battle unfolded in his mind. His attack on the Union Kingdom''s forces of the Sky Castle through the whirlwinds was not meaningless. There was clearly something he had to wait for.


    As Sung-Woon gently pushed his hand over the system window, the whirlwinds covering the Sky Castle gradually faded and soon disappeared.


    ***


    "The whirlwinds have stopped!"


    In the underground of the Sky Castle, the second apostle of the Angry One andmander of the ambush forces, the Orc Ankarde, thought that there must be no further dy.


    The Angry Onemanded all the Union Kingdom''s forces standing on dry ground to advance.


    The ambush forces intended to strike the rear of the Empire¡¯s forces fleeing from the coastal fortress in the first ce.


    ''I didn''t know we would waste so much time.''


    With the whirlwinds that were blocking the paths disappeared, they had to hurry and join thending forces.


    ¡®It might be a trap of some sort, but there''s no other choice now. Staying here until all our allies are taken down would only result in being defeated in detail. Even if the whirlwind of Night Sky reappears, we must get out of here.¡¯


    Ankardemanded, "All troops, advance."


    Upon Ankarde''smand, the military engineering unit that had been waiting underground in the Sky Castle blew up the blocked entrance, opening the way.


    mes and smoke briefly rose from various parts of the Sky Castle, and then the forces of the Union Kingdom began to pour out.


    The soldiers of the Union Kingdom, finally seeing the light, did not care about their ruined capital. They slid down the hill that was once the Sky Castle toward the Rasdasil Ruins.


    Boom!


    However, one of the toons of the Union Kingdom¡¯s army turned into light and dust and vanished.


    A soldier who had narrowly escaped in the rear saw a shadow fall just before the explosion and thought to look up.


    "Up there!"


    But those words soon became theirst. A bomb fell upon the soldier''s head and caused arge explosion.


    Ankarde looked up. Hovering high above was the Empire¡¯s airship.


    ''Did the Empire still have aerial forces left?''


    That was what Ankarde thought while observing the airship, only to realize that wasn''t the case.


    The state of the airships was not good. Some had damage to their gasbags, statues on the prow had fallen off, and some even had fires on their hulls. The number of air forces on board was so small that some ships appeared like ghost ships. Yet, despite this, the airships seemed still capable of staying in the air.


    ''Airships that have already seenbat... I see.''


    Ankarde understood immediately.


    The Empire¡¯s airships now bombing the ground were those that had survived after battling the airships guarding the Sky Castle.


    With the airships at such a high altitude, there was no way to attack them.


    Ankarde concentrated and whispered to the chief of staff, Alma Alloy.


    -An airship fleet has appeared on the enemy coastal fortress. What''s going on?


    The reply came soon.


    -My apologies, Ankarde...!


    The whisper conversation was unstable.


    -Our fleet has been defeated in the aerialbat as themand range expanded.


    -Are we being attacked?"


    -The attacks by the Phoenix Aruna and the Wizard Mazdari are continuing.


    -...Focus on the battle. I will do what I must.


    -Understood.


    Ankarde growled.


    ''Have we reached a limit?''


    It seemed inevitable. The Pantheon had more troops, apostles, and even more gods. Furthermore, the Angry One was refraining from using Faith points so as to challenge the Large Area.


    However, Ankarde knew this was the god¡¯s first experience of such a predicament.


    When the Angry One first reached the second continent, the Gnolls were treated as invaders, receiving attacks from the entire continent.


    Enduring all thosebined assaults and dominating the entire continent was the Union Kingdom and the Angry One.


    ''This time too, I risk all I have.''


    Ankarde shouted to the troops crouching to avoid the explosions, "You cowards! Rush toward the explosion!"


    Ankarde then grabbed a soldier by their cor and pushed them down below the Sky Castle.


    "Stick your heads out in front of the gun barrels! We all die today! The way to Rasdasil is the way to Devil''s Mountain! The one who survived the longest will be guaranteed by me, Apostle Ankarde, to take the ce at the very bottom of the mountain and suffer eternally!"


    The Union Kingdom''s army charged toward the explosions.


    ***


    The battle had begun.


    In front of the trench, a Troll soldier from the Union Kingdom charged most courageously. Regrettably, this era''s war was not a favorable environment for a species like the Trolls. The Empire''s bullets rained down on the Troll, who made an easy target. One bullet hit their left forearm, another in the chest. Yet the Troll soldier attempted to take another step.


    Then, a high-caliber sniper bullet struck the Troll''s jaw. The Troll died before they could even fall.


    The kill was done by the Empire''s designated sniper Nix, and they sought the next target. The closest was a small-statured Goblin soldier. After aligning the target, sight, and rangefinder in a line, the sniper exhaled all their breath and gently pulled the trigger with the first joint of their index finger toward their chest.


    The designated sniper Nix, satisfied with having killed the Goblin soldier, suddenly found their vision ckened amidst the shock of something bearing down on them.


    The one who killed the Nix was a Hobgoblin grenadier of the Union Kingdom.


    Holding a grenadeuncher, the Hobgoblin grenadier said to a toon leader crouching in a small pit in front of the Empire''s trench, "It seems the designated sniper is dead."


    "What about the machine gunner?"


    "They aren¡¯t visible at this battery. If the Empire has solidified their defenses at the front, there could be ces without machine guns on this side."


    "Could it be so?"


    The Orc toon leader fell into a moment of contemtion. The Empire''s mortars, not far but within sight, had their angles raised to the max, ready to crush the Union Kingdom''s forces in front of them. With the barrage of fire that seemed hot enough to melt the barrels, there wasn''t much time to think.


    "Fix bays and grab grenades. We advance to the trenches as is."


    "Yes sir!"


    At the Orc toon leader''s call to charge, all troops simultaneously rose from the pit and rushed toward the Empire''s trenches.


    Then the Orc toon leader, running and firing their rifle inbat stance, realized their judgment had been a mistake.


    The Empire''s Satyr machine gunner had lifted a machine gun battery that was hidden on the trench floor. It was not hidden intentionally. In fact, the supply of machine guns had been dyed and had only been deployed btedly. However, it was set up just in time.


    As the machine gun zed, members of the Union Kingdom''s squad tumbled and rolled on the ground. The nearby Halfling assistant gunner quickly reced the overheated barrel and aligned the belt-fed magazine to avoid tangling. But no matter how superior the quality of the Empire''s military supplies were, machinery tended to malfunction at unexpected moments.


    "Malfunction!" As a misfire jammed the machine gun, the Halfling assistant gunner hurriedly shouted.


    Then the Halfling noticed the Satyr machine gunner''s expression filled with horror, and reflexively, they looked beyond the battery.


    A Siege Golem,rge as a house, had already reached them. It attempted to smash the machine gun battery with its massive stone fist. A machine gun alone couldn¡¯t hope to do more than dy such an enemy in the first ce.


    Sensing their encroaching death, the Halfling assistant gunner tightly shut their eyes.


    Just then, a golden spear flew in and pierced the heart of the Angry One''s Siege Golem, where its core was located.

 Chapter 246: To the Red Land

    Chapter 246: To the Red Land


    The owner of the golden spear immediately jumped in, kicking the Siege Golem with both feet and retrieving the spear.


    The feet of the Siege Golem, weighing tens of tons, momentarily lifted off the ground before crashing down. The sight of cold weaponsbined with a martial art from several generations ago was enough to make not only the Empire, but even the forces of the Union Kingdom momentarily stop their attacks and watch.


    The Lizardman in golden armor came walking, twirling his spear with ease, and his presence alone dominated the battlefield.


    Someone among the Empire''s soldiers eximed, "The Dragon King has arrived!"


    The one who held the spear was Lakrak.


    A roar of cheers erupted along the front lines, loud enough to drown out the gunshots.


    Lakrak, standing on top of the fallen Siege Golem, extended his spear toward the army of the Union Kingdom without a word. The Empire¡¯s soldiers crouching in the trenches to stop the Union Kingdom''s army saw Lizardmen in golden armor rushing forward, leaping over the trenches on giant Cockatoos.


    Yur, a warrior of massive stature, brought Anakse to Lakrak and handed over the reins. The two exchanged words, and the Empire''s soldiers saw Lakrakugh heartily. It was as if a legend had returned.


    Lakrak dered, "Warriors, listen!"


    The Lizardmen, deflecting bullets with their shields or ncing them off helmets and armor, stood their ground, serving momentarily as living shields for the Empire''s soldiers behind them. They only turned their heads to look at Lakrak.


    "Night Sky has prophesied that this day, when the Angry One from the Union Kingdom is defeated, will be a day of celebration in the future. So today marks the first day of the festival! Who among you wishes to miss out?"


    Tatar said, "I have never even seen our usually reserved second-inmand miss a drinking session."


    Then Sairan Muel coughed and said, "I am only aware of manners."


    "Ha, the most excellent drinker who even sits at the table with His Majesty speaks so."


    The warriorsughed heartily.


    It didn¡¯t feel like a battlefield. A mysterious vitality filled all the soldiers.


    "Today, I will get drunk on the tears and blood of the Angry One. Those who wish to join the feast, follow me!"


    Lakrak spurred the nk of Anakse. Together with their king, the warriors charged out. Themander in the trench raised the unit g high.


    "The one who clears the path is with us! Hold the defense line!"


    Lakrak and the warriors aimed for the giant guardians, tanks, and walking armors, which had been too much for the Empire''s insufficient firepower to handle. The warriors smashed through the guardians of the Angry One, shattering tanks and walking armors as they advanced, and behind them, the remaining infantry were annihted by the Empire''s bullets. However, their momentum did not reach the end of the coast.


    "...Lakrak!"


    Something plunged from the sky, crashing down with a thunderous impact.


    Even the walking armors of the Union Kingdom and the formidable warriors of Lakrak¡¯s were repelled by the massive reverberation, as Lakrak twisted Anakse¡¯s reigns. Lakrak hurled his spear in midair and then charged toward someone.


    "The day of the decisive battle hase! ...Salkait!"


    Salkait, the first apostle of the Angry One,ughed and stood up.


    "The day has finally arrived, Lakrak. Today, we shall stake our lives."


    Lakrak simply smiled without a reply and spurred Anakse¡¯s nk once more.


    Now called a divine bird rather than a monstrous bird, Anakse let out a piercing cry and then, with a step, became faster than any other creature, nearly approaching the speed of sound with its second burst, and by the third, it had be faster than sound itself.


    In an instant, Lakrak and Anakse turned into a streak of lightning and crashed into Salkait.


    ¡­Boom!


    Suddenly, the sky and earth split, creating fissures. The lightning-drawn crack rose into the sky, and the earth''s fissure widened slightly, crumbling inside.


    "The two apostles are shing! All units, detour!"


    Themand was given, but it was not an advantageous one for the Union Kingdom. Due to Lakrak taking the battleground for his duel with Salkait, the areas where the Union Kingdom could attack were narrowed. This favored the Empire in the artillery warfare since they were now on the defense.


    Of course, Salkait wouldn¡¯t just watch this unfold, but the Union Kingdom, unable to stop their attacks, had to suffer the consequences first.


    "...Now, to the rednd."


    Someone recited the prayer of the order of the Angry One and plunged into the barrage of fire.


    ***


    Alma Alloy assessed the situation while the gship was crashing. None of the fronts were doing well. At the very end of the transport fleet, which could be considered the rear guard, Madman Toolbo and the submarine fleet were attacking.


    The Angry One had deployed a creation, but it was killed by Toolbo''s walking armor, and instead of creating more creature creations, the Angry One turned some of the existing fleet around to face the submarines. However, none of the battleships had proper weapons to counter submarines.


    Already, about a dozen ships had sunk without much resistance, and the soldiers were trying desperately to swim to the shore. But those who had thrown away their guns to avoid sinking wouldn¡¯t be able to fight properly even if they reached the shore.


    They were losing the naval battle they had thought they had the upper-hand in with the emergence of the submarine.


    The Empire had entrusted the attack on the transport ships to their submarine fleet and engaged in a battle with the Union Kingdom¡¯s ships. Moreover, as some of the Union Kingdom¡¯s ships broke away to protect their transports, the tide of the battle was turning.


    ¡®If it continues like this, the artillery fire from the Union Kingdom''s fleet will be directed toward the coast when their numbers are further reduced.¡¯


    Even without this concern, the situation on the Rasdasil coast wasn¡¯t very good. They had destroyed the coastal fortress with great momentum, but the dys Night Sky had brought about with whirlwinds and the Union Kingdom¡¯s subsequent defeat in aerialbat had led to continuous bombardment from the Empire¡¯s airships.


    ¡®That reminds me, the fight in the sky is¡­¡¯


    Originally, after the fall of the Sky Castle, Lai had nned to assist Ankarde and advance together. However, the Apostles Aruna and Mazdari were a problem.


    Mounted on Aruna, Mazdari gained mobility and persistently tormented Lait, who failed to protect the fleet of airships. Lai itself had not yet suffered significant damage, but amand for Lai to descend to the ground would be unwise. If Lai were toe down, Mazdari would follow, and to Alma''s eyes, both held simr destructive powers.


    Apostle Aruegaplied with themand of the Angry One and took a detour, while Apostle Bounda faced Apostle Obin, who was targeting the rear. Conversely, Apostle Ankarde, while attempting to enter the trenches, was blocked by Apostle Redin BR Oser.


    The oues of those two battles were unclear, but in the current situation, merely maintaining a stalemate offered little hope. By far, the most significant battle was the one between Apostle Salkait and Apostle Lakrak. This battle that would be mythologized in the distant future was such that even soldiers armed with modern weapons couldn¡¯t approach properly.


    ¡®...At this rate.¡¯


    Defeat seemed inevitable.


    Alma felt a surge of embarrassment at the fact that such a thought had urred to her, but as the Angry One''s adviser, she reminded herself to assess the situation realistically.


    ¡®...I must report this.¡¯


    Not far away, the Empire''s gship, World Watcher, was flying. However, it seemed that they weren¡¯t greatly concerned by the gship.


    Although Alma had never faced Dordol in person, she felt she could read their thoughts well. Despite the rtivelyrge size and slow speed of the World Watcher, it seemed in a hurry to drop its huge payload of bombs, stocked for such asions, on the heads of the Union Kingdom¡¯s forces. A choice Alma herself would have made.


    Their situation was not much better than the Union Kingdom''s gship, but the critical difference was that instead of crashing, it was still flying. A damaged airship could be repaired, but a crashing one couldn¡¯t.


    Alma Alloy called her God.


    -O Angry One...


    -Don¡¯t say anything for a moment.


    Hegemonia paused briefly. Then she replied.


    -I know what you want to say. I will change the course of the battle within ten minutes. Launch a general offensive with the Apostles.


    -...Understood.


    Despite the absurdity of the deration to reverse the unfavorable situation in just ten minutes, Alma neither denied nor doubted those words. If the Angry One said it was possible, it was. However, the implication of that fact made her heart ache.


    -We will win this war.


    -...It will be as you wish.


    The Angry One began to move.


    ***


    At the rear of the battlefield, aboard a Fiend-ss battleship tasked with bringing down the submarine, an Ogre burst into the main gun control room. The Ogre was merely a private, and they had no special expertise in operating the main gun. However, when the Ogre opened their eyes and mouth, the personnel in the gun control room hurriedly stepped aside.


    "By the name of the Angry One, Imand, step aside."


    There was no way the soldiers of the Union Kingdom wouldn¡¯t recognize who it was. This Ogre private was possessed by divine fire, eyes were filled with burning mes.


    Hegemonia, who used Divine Control to assume the body of the Ogre private, operated the main gun and fired it straightaway. The captain on the bridge was startled by the unauthorized fire, but after seeing where the shell hit, they stayed silent. The shell hit precisely on Toolbo''s walking armor that had just leaped above the water''s surface. It was a miracle.


    Hegemonia left the body of the Ogre private and turned her gaze toward the coast. Then, she entered the body of a Gnoll corporal closest to her own apostle, the Goblin Bounda. Hegemonia, now in the Gnoll''s body, dashed forward and struck a powerful blow to the Bombing Horse Obin Mabru, whom Bounda was facing. It was a speed neither of the Apostles could match.


    Assuming control over the Gnoll, Hegemonia looked up to pursue Obin, who had been sent flying.


    "Bounda."


    "...How could the Angry One be here?"


    "It would be wise to distance yourself from me."


    "...?"


    When Bounda gave them a puzzled look, the Gnoll showed the time bomb wrapped around their arm. Obin Mabru had put it around their arm when the attack hit.


    Bounda nodded and ran away, while the Gnoll pulled out a dagger from their chest and swiftly cut off their own arm and threw it.


    However, before the arm could fly far, the time bomb exploded, engulfing the Gnoll.


    ''...Did it luckily explode just after I got out?''


    Hegemonia furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, and then turned to observe the battlefield where Ankarde and Redin BR Oser were fighting.


    ''Because of his knights, the Troll apostle is hard to harm with the strength of body alone even with Divine Control.''


    The situation in the Sky Castle was simr. There were currently no soldiers from the Union Kingdom in the sky. While she could use Divine Control on Lai, it would be better for Lai to fight on its own.


    ''Then...''


    Hegemonia decided to turn the tide of battle. First, she entered the body of a sniper Kobold holding a sniper rifle. Then she immediately deactivated Divine Control.


    ''...60 seconds. 59 seconds. 58 seconds...''


    After deactivating the skill, there was a 60-second dy.


    Hegemonia thought that 60 seconds was enough time to aplish what needed to be done, and indeed, it was done ording to her will.


    The sniper took aim with the gun, first targeting the Empire¡¯s walking armor, which was most annoying. With the fire of a single bullet, the projectile burrowed into the gap of the walking armor''s body, bounced off the internal armor, and finally embedded itself in the neck of the pilot.


    After confirming the walking armor''s copse, Hegemonia reloaded the bolt-action sniper rifle. Next was the machine gunner stationed in the trench. Just one shot neutralized the machine gun nest, stopped a tank in its tracks, and took out a squad leader.


    In just 60 seconds, after performing miracles, the Kobold felt the god within them depart their body and was immediately hit by a shell falling from above, killed. Such events were unfolding all over the battlefield.


    Hegemonia became part of the special forces, prating enemy lines and seizing a trench, became an engineer, detonating bombs to carve new paths, and then controlled a walking armor, turning other walking armors of the Empire into scrap metal.


    And just as she had said so herself, before ten minutes had passed, the tide of the battle had indeed begun to tilt in favor of the Union Kingdom.


    ***


    Even so, the Pantheon wasn¡¯t demoralized.


    Wisdom said, "So, she did use it after all."


    "Yes,¡± Sung-Woon agreed. "With Hegemonia starting to consume faith, the second n hase to an end. Hegemonia can no longer challenge the Large Area."


    Then Sung-Woon got up from his seat and said, "If we just hold on, it¡¯ll be our victory."

 Chapter 247: Close to a Miracle

    Chapter 247: Close to a Miracle


    "It doesn''t seem like we can be wholly optimistic about it," Crampus said. "We¡¯ve put in over 50% of our total Faith points. Moreover, our return on investment is lesspared to that of Hegemonia."


    Lim Chun-Sik agreed with Crampus. "Now, look. Hegemonia has been using Faith points for Divine Control. The skill consumes a lot of Faith points, though not as much as Hierophany. Even so, Hegemonia has only spent 20% while moving around on a minute-by-minute basis."


    Lunda raised her hand and said, "I have an idea."


    When their attention shifted to her, Lunda said, "What if we kill Hegemonia as soon as she assumes control over a body?¡±


    AR1026 countered, "...If that were possible, we would have already done it. There¡¯s no rhyme or reason to the way Hegemonia uses Divine Control. We can guess the general location, but we haven''t narrowed it down to any specific individual."


    "But the ones who are used for Divine Control make remarkable moves."


    "It''s already toote for us to deal with it when we spot it."


    "I know that, but if only we can specify the range, we can aim with cannon fire or airship bombing."


    "If she knows she¡¯s being targeted, she won''t use Divine Control there."


    Sung-Woon put both his hands on the table and tapped it with the tip of his fingers.


    "It''s not impossible.¡±


    Wisdom agreed, "I''m not sure if I''ve followed Neb''s thoughts correctly, but from what I can see, if we control the overall situation to some extent, we might be able to lead Hegemonia to a specific location."


    "Right."


    "Who''s going to do it? Are you going to do it yourself, or shall I?"


    Sung-Woon shook his head. "If Wisdom or I do it, it will be too noticeable since it¡¯ll be too sophisticated. Let RD and Eldar do it."


    The two yers didn¡¯t look too good when their names were mentioned, but withoutint, they carried out the task Sung-Woon had instructed them to do.


    "Next, it would be good if we can deliver a clear blow on Hegemonia, even if we suffer immediate losses."


    "What do you mean by ¡®even if it means taking losses¡­¡¯"


    Sung-Woon pondered for a moment and then said, "Leave only up to 9% of the Faith points in the Pantheon. You can use the rest."


    Wisdom replied, ¡°We can use the Sanctuary."


    "It seems that''s the only way to stand against Hegemonia."


    Lim Chun-Sik said, "Hey, wait a minute. Let¡¯s say that¡¯s fine for Hegemonia, but what about the rear?"


    The yers were almost precisely aware of the number of forces the Union Kingdom could deploy. However, the numbers were definitelycking when it came to the special forces. This implied the possibility of Hegemonia attempting to enter the rear.


    Sung-Woon replied, "That will probably be alright."


    "Probably?"


    "Then, let''s say definitely." Sung-Woon, brushing off the question, then said, "We can hold them off until the evening with a dying operation, even given the current momentum of the Union Kingdom. Take care of things while I''m gone."


    Wisdom said, "You talk as if you''re going somewhere."


    "That¡¯s right. That''s why I stood up."


    The yers looked at Sung-Woon.


    Lunda asked, "Where are you going?"


    Sung-Woon answered, "It depends on the situation, but sooner orter, Hegemonia wille to the Rasdasil Ruins.¡±


    "Are you expecting her to use Hierophany?¡±


    "Yes." Sung-Woon nodded. "I will catch Hegemonia myself."


    ***


    "Are you alright?"


    Hearing the worried voice, Ramin Solost Muel opened her eyes. Ramin tried to hurriedly get up, but groaned in pain and fell back down again. When she looked up, Gorgota Falu was there.


    "Your condition isn¡¯t good. Some of the wounds are serious. I actually didn''t expect you to regain consciousness so soon."


    Ramin said with her eyes closed, "Where am I? What is this ce?"


    "You''re at the Rasdasil Ruins. It''s the very rear of the battlefield."


    Ramin somewhat grasped the situation. The sound of artillery fire came from afar, and lightning shed in the eastern sky, which seemed to be the entrance of the tent.


    As Ramin looked around while lying down, Gorgota said, "Please, stay lying down. We''re waiting for a transport airship to take the wounded to Orazen."


    "I''m not thirsty."


    "Blood had been transfused."


    "Because of me?"


    "There are other Vampire soldiers as well."


    Ramin shook her head and managed to sit up. The tears and cuts on her body screamed in pain, and Ramin felt her consciousness fading, but soon rity returned.


    "Maybe it''s because I drank the blood, I feel alright. It seems the wounds have closed up a bit."


    "Really?"


    "What makes you question me like you know about Vampires better?"


    Gorgota shook their head, but still helped Ramin get dressed and supported her as she tried to stand up.


    "What about the sword?"


    "Why are you looking for the sword?" Gorgota asked, but handed the sword to Ramin while doing so.


    Ramin drew the sword, taking a stance and swinging it lightly.


    Even the simplest movement brought sharp pain, so she was bluffing a little, but still, it wasn''t to the extent that she couldn''t move her body at all. And whether it was because she had drank blood or not, a strange vitality flowed through her.


    Ramin asked, "What''s the situation with the war?"


    "It was going well until a short while ago. Given how desperate the ground staff headquarters has be, it seems the situation has worsened."


    Ramin nodded as if she had anticipated this.


    "Even if this is the rear, isn''t it dangerous here? This is the Angry One¡¯s target."


    "Well, it might just be a temporary change in the situation. The tide of war does not turn that quickly."


    ¡°They threw away the city in the sky that all the continents envied, didn''t they? For the Empire, it''s like throwing away Orazen. It''s like a swordsman giving up the arm that wields the sword."


    Ramin closed one eye and checked the damage to the de as she said, "If they¡¯ve given up that much, they¡¯d show a matching fighting spirit."


    "You¡¯re saying they¡¯ll be greedy?"


    "It''s more certainty than greed. How could you offer your arm without the belief that you could drive the sword into your opponent''s heart?"


    Gorgota¡¯s argument was cut short by the sound of gunfireing from outside the tent.


    A soldier rushed towards the ground staff headquarters, shouting, "The enemy! From the west!"


    It waspletely opposite to the direction from which the enemy was advancing.


    Ramin and Gorgota exchanged nces and ran toward the west.


    ***


    Though it seemed nearly impossible for the enemy to appear from that position, in The Lost World, no strategy was truly impossible.


    Canine,posed of the most experienced of special forces operatives, the most elite of Fang, as well as priests of the Angry One, were able to surround the Empire''s reconnaissance with physical abilities impossible for mortals with the help of God¡¯s power. And leading them was Aruega Rob, the seventh apostle of the Angry One, whom the yers of the Pantheon believed had exited the battlefield due to injuries from the fight with Ramin.


    Although Aruega too was a mess from the fight, their condition was better than that of Ramin, who was wrapped in bandages from head to toe.


    Aruega clicked their tongue as they confirmed that one of the Canine agents had been detected by the Empire¡¯s scout.


    "Even though it''s the rear, they were on guard this far out?"


    They couldn¡¯t afford to be disheartened. While the situation had turned in favor of the Union Kingdom, it also meant that the Angry One could no longer challenge the Large Area.


    Even if the improved war situation failed to breach the Empire''s defenses, from the Union Kingdom''s perspective, Aruerga''s mission would be thest card to destroy the Rasdasil Ruins.


    "Since we''ve been discovered, we attack as nned. Are all units ready?"


    The Canines affirmed with silence. Dressed in ck clothes, they entered the Rasdasil Ruins.


    ***


    ''They¡¯ve entered.''


    Hegemonia confirmed that Aruega Rob and the Canines had entered the staff headquarters in the Rasdasil Ruins. The distance from the rear defense line to the center of the Rasdasil Ruins was just about a kilometer. Soon, using Divine Control on one of the Canine agents could also be an option.


    In 60 seconds, she wouldn¡¯t be able to destroy the Rasdasil Ruins, but given enough time without interference, she would have the power to do so.


    The reason Hegemonia could perform near-miraculous feats even when inside the bodies of ordinary soldiers was that her level 31 tranted to incredible stats when she took over a soldier''s body. With nearly perfect control over the physical body, the understanding of the hardness and strength of various materials, recognition of vector directions, and the intuition to understand the diverse emotions and behavioral patterns of all kinds of life forms automatically followed, making it not so difficult for Hegemonia to perform miracles through the bodies of individual soldiers.


    The problem was the high risk of being easily detected by the yers of the Pantheon if she approached too closely. The Angry One was a god, but so were the enemies.


    To kill a being possessed through Divine Control with the power of a Domain alone would require a considerable amount of Faith points, but if subjected to such a counter, Hegemonia too would suffer tremendous damage.


    While not as severe as a death while using Hierophany, dying while using Divine Control was not without significant penalties. It would undoubtedly lead to a drop in level and a reduction in the total amount of Faith points. The overall war capability would diminish.


    Hegemonia moving around using Divine Control to turn the tide of war was risky in itself.


    ''Therefore, it''s okay to be as cautious as possible. There''s no need to take unnecessary risks.''


    Aruega and the Canines¡¯ entry into the rear was one of her tricks. Hegemonia judged that she could win the war if they steadily advanced, breaking through the defenses. There could be a need to exert her power directly when only thest step remained, but that time had yet toe.


    Hegemonia squinted and observed the ensuing battle.


    ''Are they retreating?''


    The edge of the Empire''s defensive line was pulling back before properly responding to the Union Kingdom''s army. It was near the battles between Apostles like Salkait, Lakrak, Ankarde, and Redin, where it wasn''t easy for the Union Kingdom''s army to enter, yet they were turning their troops around.


    ''Are they nning to conserve their forces and put up a more solid defense from the rear?''


    That didn''t quite make sense, but the war wasn¡¯t being waged by Neb in the Pantheon alone.


    ''There could be wed decisions.''


    At first, she had doubts, but after looking again, she became greedy. If they managed to properly break through that retreating defensive line, they could create an absolutely advantageous situation.


    ''...Then.''


    Hegemonia, who woke up as an Orc private, took a stance as if to jump into the battlefield. But due to an irritating sensation tickling the back of her head, she waspelled to look behind first. The Orc=Hegemonia turned around.


    ***


    The Sanctuary, a particr room in the pantheon, was vast, but filled with boxes that made noisy sounds. The boxes were densely interconnected with wires, emitting light and beeping sounds.


    At the center of the Sanctuary sat a Lizardman. His name was known to anyone and everyone in the Empire, and currently, no one was by their side. Even his siblings, who were said to be on good terms with him, weren¡¯t in their seats now.


    The Lizardman''s gaze was fixed on a neatly spread square-shaped monitor screen, upon which Korean chess pieces, Go stones, and dice were scattered about randomly. Some chess pieces were not typically used in regr games, the Go stones each had names, and the dice ranged from 4-sided to 20-sided.


    After much contemtion, the Lizardman nodded as if they realized something and picked up one of the Korean chess pieces, moving it to one side of the screen.


    "Checkmate!"

 Chapter 248: Second Apostle

    Chapter 248: Second Apostle


    Physically killing a body that a god was controlling with Divine Control was extremely difficult. A simple stab with a sword or a shot from a bow wouldn¡¯t even make them blink, and a cannonball, which could turn a person into mush, would only damage the garments, which would be left untouched by divine power.


    Most war weapons were efficient. Bullets didn¡¯t need to be faster than they already were, and guns were at their current size because if they were anyrger, they would be inconvenient to carry. To topple something tougher, bigger weapons were necessary, and only a fraction of the forces would carry such weapons.


    Tanks and walking armors were no different. Tanks only needed to be sturdy enough to protect their upants from bullets that could kill a person, and walking armors only needed to be strong enough to face creature creations of the gods.


    Of course, these massive entities had evolved to have stronger weapons and harder armor, but they didn¡¯t require destruction beyond a certain level. Even heavy weaponry meant to kill multiple people didn''t need to be stronger. Therefore, it was a difficult task to inflict damage on a Divine Control body with these physical weapons.


    ''However...''


    Hegemonia turned and looked at the cannonball the size of an Orc''s body heading straight towards her.


    ''...In the Lost World, weapons that could harm apostles and gods are used.''


    Hegemonia recognized the projectile with her elerated thought permitted by her Divinity level. It was a shell fired from the Empire''s super-sized artillery.


    ''I thought the bombardment had stopped, but have they actually gotten close enough to fire shells this far into the coast in the meantime?''


    Hegemonia checked how much time she had left before she would leave this Orc¡¯s body.


    ''56 seconds.''


    That was quite a long time. If possible, just leaving the Orc''s body would minimize damage. Unfortunately, she wouldn¡¯t be quick enough to make it. While Divinity levels elerated the thinking capacity of the gods, there was a certain limit to physical ability and force.


    ''I¡¯ll have to take that shell head-on.''


    Hegemonia wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about the shell itself. It could easily prate the Orc¡¯s original body, and any tank or walking armor in the Empire or the Union Kingdom would be pierced in one go. After all, those weren¡¯t even the intended target of that artillery in the first ce.


    It only caused minimal damage to the Union Kingdom''s Sky Castle, but given the size, even thergest Fiend-ss battleship could be destroyed with a single bombardment.


    ''But still, it doesn''t have the power to kill a Divine Control body.''


    Hegemonia was aware that the Werewolf Apostle Aruega had been wounded by shelling from Sung-Woon. It was undoubtedly a dangerous weapon. However, Hegemonia, now a Divine Control body, possessed even stronger physical abilities than the Werewolf Apostle Aruega.


    To inflict damage on a Divine Control body, the weapon would also need to possess a simr level of Divinity¡ªthere was a clear division between those with Divinity and those without. Only a handful of relics made in the distant past, creations of the gods, the apostles of said gods, weapons used by apostles, and the powerful Hierophany bodies through which the gods would manifest directly had Divinity.


    Additionally, Divinity came with levels of hierarchy, making it challenging for beings of lower Divinity to fight with those of higher Divinity. To stand against a god, one needed to possess at least the Divinity of an apostle.


    But the puzzling part was something else.


    ''How did they shoot so urately?''


    Hegemonia knew that Neb, Sung-Woon, could use his power of wind to correct the trajectory to hit a target. But to do that, a prerequisite condition had to be fulfilled: he had to know in advance where the target of Hegemonia¡¯s Divine Control was.


    It took only a few seconds for Hegemonia to use Divine Control on the Orc, and the cannonball, tracing an arc through the air, would have been fired dozens of seconds before.


    ''Was it just good luck?''


    Hegemonia couldn¡¯t think of any other exnation. A chance urrence, a stroke of luck.


    ''Is that all...?''


    Hegemonia couldn¡¯t imagine anything more than that. Then she stopped thinking about the cannonball.


    ''Alright, catch the cannonball with both hands and then m it into the ground. That should reduce it to a level of damage that this Orc''s body can absorb. Using the recoil, I couldunch into the opposite battlefront. Then the stance would be...''


    Continuing with such thoughts, Hegemonia moved, manipting every involuntary muscle and nerve fiber in the Orc''s body to fight the ideal battle she envisioned. However, Hegemonia btedly detected an odd silhouette, a faint outline on the approaching cannonball.


    ''...Could it be?''


    It was evidence that the cannonball was enveloped with Divinity.


    ***


    The Great Emperor of Heaven''s Mandate, Kyle Lak Orazen, had died of illness. At forty-three, it was considered a rather early death.


    At the time when the war with the Union Kingdom began and life was bing increasingly difficult for the citizens of the capital, Orazen, there were many investigations into whether an assassin could have infiltrated the city.


    However, the yers already knew. Kyle had been born with a weak heart, and even with the advances made in medical technology, a timely diagnosis, let alone treatment, was impossible. The yers merely observed from above as the mortals busied themselves, allowing time for Kyle''s death to be epted.


    Of course, there were yers who thought differently. Wisdom questioned why they didn''t take drastic measures to extend Kyle''s life.


    "Neb, although it''s difficult now, if we had started 40 years ago when Kyle was first found, by now it might have been possible to perform a heart transnt surgery."


    "Then we wouldn¡¯t have even been able to dream about unification in the third continent. All Faith points would have had to be invested in technological advancement."


    "That''s true. But isn¡¯t Kyle too exceptional of an individual? If he had lived, he might have changed the worldter on. Just imagine if Kyle had lived another 20 years, no, just 10 more years. We would have seen him defeat the Union Kingdom, don¡¯t you think?"


    Sung-Woon calmly agreed with that fact. Wisdom wasn''t wrong. Even though Kyle became king with Sung-Woon¡¯s help, with someone with such capability on the throne, one might have thought it was a sure victory in a typical game of The Lost World.


    "But that''s if we disregard the variables. From my perspective at the time, given Kyle and the circumstances surrounding him, as well as the position of the Empire, it wasn''t appropriate to attempt such a gamble. Even if the initial ability is high, how much it can increase is another matter."


    yers could see abilities but couldn''t know how much a specific individual could grow. yers referred to this as growth potential, and individuals like Lakrak, Hwee-Kyung, and Kyle could be said to have high growth potential. Therefore, if one could control an individual, they would do so with the hope that they had high growth potential. Sung-Woon was on the luckier side.


    Wisdom, while acknowledging the reality Sung-Woon faced, shook his head.


    "Still, it''s unfortunate. Even though he could act as an Apostle, when influencing the earth from the pantheon, thew of causality can¡¯t be ignored. I can¡¯t believe that the legacy of this genius ising to an end like this."


    Sung-Woon asked back puzzled, "Who said it''s ending?"


    Wisdom¡¯s head began to spin.


    "...Hm?"


    As Sung-Woon said, Kyle¡¯s death didn¡¯t put an end to the Empire''s growth through Kyle. Of course, Wisdom was right that direct involvement was difficult. Even if Kyle disyed tremendous scientific knowledge, remarkable ideas, and talent in various capabilities, when Kylr intervened with the world of living, thew of causality couldn¡¯t be ignored, and Faith points would be consumed.


    However, Sung-Woon knew of a different approach.


    "Wisdom."


    "What is it?"


    "Do you think this world isn¡¯t a game?"


    "Is that a philosophical question? A simted universe? Not exactly my field. Notpletely unrted though."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    Wisdom was knowledgeable, and when he spoke his thoughts, he would use the appropriate terminology from the academic circles, which Sung-Woon himself was unaware of.


    "I''m not sure about that. But listen to this thought of mine."


    "What are you trying to say?"


    Sung-Woon said, "What do you think is the decisive factor that separates the world we are in now from The Lost World that was a game?"


    "There are too many to say for sure. For one, the flow of time isn''t omitted, and every detail can be looked at and controlled..."


    "But theoretically, you could make such a game on Earth too, couldn''t you?"


    "Are you talking about virtual or alternate realities? The multiverse? ...I wouldn''t say it''s impossible."


    "Yet this world doesn''t seem to be a game."


    "One could see it as a game depending on the perspective...but, well, not me, Neb. I am convinced that this world is real and all the life here exists without a doubt."


    Neb nodded.


    "Returning to the question, in my opinion, there''s one decisive factor."


    Sung-Woon paused and then said, "If this world were a game, it couldn''t be replicated."


    "So it¡¯s about a simted universe. Why do you think that?"


    "I believe it''s a matter of capacity."


    Wisdom''s turning head stopped. "That''s right, Neb. Everything exists as data. And even a theoretical quantumputer would have to be incrediblyrge to incorporate such an immense amount of data. It will depend on theputing power, but it seems right to consider it impossible."


    "Therefore, I¡¯m trying to prove something."


    "What is it?"


    Sung-Woon said, "The fact that this world is, indeed, a game."


    "...Hmm. How so?"


    "We are gods, and we can create whatever we want. If we need more space, we simply expand it, and if we need basic elemental matters, we can just make it. Hence, this game could indeed be recreated."


    "However..."


    Sung-Woon pointed at Wisdom''s head with his index finger.


    "That''s exactly it, Wisdom. Capacity. If we simted the same world and it operated without any issues, sustaining this world, then it''s likely that this world is some sort of a game, isn''t it? Scientifically, it doesn''t make sense to withstand such enormous capacity. It would vite physicalws."


    "As you said, it wouldn''t be proven as such. But more importantly...the act of creating doesn''t happen without consumption. Above all, precious Faith points are expended."


    "I know that."


    "It seems like an extraordinarily interesting challenge, but I¡¯m puzzled as to how proving this would help us win in this game."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "It¡¯s actually the opposite. In fact, whether the world is a game or not is an irrelevant issue. What I¡¯m getting at is the advantage we gain when we are able to simte the world."


    "What kind of advantage?"


    Sung-Woon hesitated for a moment as if he hadn''t expected Wisdom to ask such a question.


    "Are you really asking because you don¡¯t know?"


    "Hm?"


    "Imagine we''ve run countless games to progress to this point. Then we see what happens next. That''s foresight. Or we can practice what we need to do beforehand. That''s prediction."


    "Ah."


    "For example, with enemies on all fronts of the Empire like now, we don''t know where someone will appear. Therefore, we need to reinforce our defenses on all fronts. But if we know where someone will appear, we can prepare adequately with a smaller force."


    Wisdom slowly said, "To be able to read all possible scenarios¡­that could happen in the future, is what you¡¯re saying."


    "If it''s possible, that is."


    Wisdom sighed, which wasn¡¯t like him.


    "It''s not an easy task, Neb."


    "I''m saying this to you knowing you are a programmer."


    "Just to clear up any possible misunderstanding, being a programmer doesn''t mean I know everything aboutputers. I only have theoretical knowledge when ites to hardware."


    "Oh, really?"


    "And the task you mentioned isn''t even my area of expertise."


    Sung-Woon said, "We don¡¯t need perfect replication. Ultimately, we would want the level of real reality, but we don¡¯t need to go that far as long as we reach a level that makes it useful. Something like The Lost World we yed is sufficient. Even if many elements are omitted, the overall trajectory will be simr. We''re not looking for future technologies. Rather, our era''s technology would be enough."


    Wisdom shook his head. "That too is difficult."


    "There are countless schrs."


    "Yes, somedayputers will be made. But it''s still going to take a lot of time."


    "What about within 50 years?"


    "It''s impossible. I would advise that expending Faith points on it wouldn''t be productive."


    Sung-Woon shrugged and said, "It might be possible."


    Sung-Woon pointed through the monitor at Kyle Lak Orazen, who was waking up in the Prairie of Beginnings.


    "Because we have a genius."

 Chapter 249: A Gap

    Chapter 249: A Gap


    After Kyle Lak Orazen died, he became an Apostle. On thest day of the funeral, the appearance of Apostle Kyle allowed the citizens of the Empire to finallypose themselves and rise again.


    Kyle then faced Lakrak at the entrance of the pantheon. Apostle Kyle looked younger than he had in life, so his outside appearance was more youthful than the middle-aged Lakrak. Despite not being fit from constant physical activities like Lakrak was, the difference in stature made them look like an adult and a child from afar.


    Kyle bowed before looking up. "I greet you, Thunder Dragon Emperor Lakrak."


    "Let''s not do that. There were no such formalities when I was around."


    "¡­Um, understood."


    "Besides, we know each other, don''t we?"


    "Yes."


    During the war with the Union Kingdom, Lakrak had often revealed himself and had previously encountered Kyle, who personallymanded on the battlefield.


    Leading Kyle, who was summoned by Night Sky, Lakrak said, "Moreover, Night Sky doesn¡¯t really care for petty formalities."


    "I thought that might be the case."


    "Hm¡­" Lakrak paused to think for a moment and said, "It may go even further than you expect. Even if Night Sky says something surprising, don''t be startled. Nevertheless, it will be a pleasant conversation since He is a good being."


    "What would Night Sky say?"


    Upon hearing the question, Lakrak crossed his arms and tilted his head to think.


    "...What should I say? He might ask you if you canplete a task that seems impossible. For example, do you remember when I defeated the five guardians of the Angry One?"


    "Of course." Kyle nodded and replied, "You were a great help at that time, Lakrak. Your efforts are why we could fight on equal footing with the Union Kingdom."


    "Enough with the ttery. Anyway, Night Sky asked at the time, ''Can you fight and defeat those beings?''"


    "So you said it was possible?"


    "No, I said it wasn''t." Lakrak added, "But He told me to just do it anyway, iming it was possible."


    "¡­I see."


    "And I did it."


    Lakrak grasped Kyle''s shoulder and said, "The lesson here is simple."


    "I understand. Night Sky knows us better than we know ourselves, right?"


    Lakrak blinked several times, as if surprised by Kyle''s interpretation.


    "No, what I mean is, when told to do something, you do it."


    "Oh."


    Lakrakughed heartily and opened the door, pushing Kyle, who was somewhat speechless, forward.


    "I hope you have a good conversation. You won''t regret it."


    The room he entered wouldter be known as the Sanctuary, and in the middle of it was Night Sky, Sung-Woon.


    Despite having lived most of his life as a king and an emperor, Kyle felt that Night Sky¡¯s presence was greater than that. Kyle had the thought that it might not be originating from Night Sky himself. Kyle had a theory that there existed a sort of power, something that could be called divinity, among creations, Apostles, and divine beings, which exerted influence over those without divinity.


    However, after seeing Sung-Woon, Kyle thought that might not be the case.


    "With respect, I greet Night Sky."


    Kyle, unusually tense, waited for Sung-Woon''s response.


    "There¡¯s no need for such formalities. A simple greeting will suffice from now on."


    "Yes, I understand."


    "That manner of speaking as well."


    "Yes."


    Resting his chin on his hand, Sung-Woon quickly moved on to the main topic.


    "Do you think you can create the machine I am portraying?"


    "...Pardon?"


    What Neb showed was aputer. Of course, exining what aputer was required several steps, especially since, at the time of Kyle''s death, even electricity hadn''t been fully understood. They would have to start with primitive calctors first.


    The concept involved two states of change, which could be called 0 and 1, being recorded, and that logic circuits capable of reading this information were being collected. Once these logic circuits reached a certain quantity, they could aplish even more astonishing feats. In fact, it was theorized that this world could also be nothing more than fragments of informationbined. Perhaps it would be possible to capture the essence of the world with that machine.


    After Sung-Woon finished with the exnation, Kyle¡¯s expression had be dead serious.


    "That''s a veryplicated machine."


    "Do you think you can do it?"


    "To be honest, I don''t know."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "You''re wrong, Kyle. You can do it."


    Kyle couldn¡¯t help but recall Lakrak''s earlier words. When told to do something, he had to do it.


    The times that followed were anything but easy. Kyle first gathered schrs, met other gods, and began to learn about this artifact of the gods¡ªtheputer. The most significant and valuable help came undeniably from the Binding God, Wisdom. Kyle thought Wisdom could be ufortable with him due to their past conflicts in history, but the god held no such grudges.


    Wisdom fully supported Kyle and the group of schrs, and before a decade had passed, they created a primitive vacuum tubeputer, which could output answers to simple equations.


    Despite advancements in electromaism inside the pantheon, there was a certain dy in significant development, and it was only after another decade that electronicputers appeared.


    It wasn''t entirely beneficial for the yers to know the development ofputers since there were trials and errors in the process of reaching that point.


    From here, the pace elerated. The first electronicputer could perform addition and subtraction three times per second, but by the following year, it was capable of 60 calctions per second. Several teams split off to create different versions ofputers, and with clear goals and directions, more precise technological advancements followed.


    Due to the considerable size of theputers, a significant amount of Faith points was used in their creation. Once, yers, including Jang-Wan, argued that all of this was meaningless, and Sung-Woon seriously contemted it too, especially after a great battle with the Union Kingdom where theirck of total Faith points led to their failure in securing a decisive victory.


    However, Wisdom, who initially opposed the n, was the one to actively counter this argument. Although not as modern, theputer, which had shown a satisfactory level ofputing power, began to be developed in a downsized direction to reduce the consumption of Faith points, and around this time, the speed of development slowed again.


    Earth''s modernputers were the byproduct of various technologies. They were influenced by not only electromaism, but also various semiconductor technologies and even quantum mechanics, and even the schrs of the Pantheon had their limits. Scientific progress couldn¡¯t be sustained by an elite group alone.


    Nheless, after a long time, Kyle could finally say to Sung-Woon, "It''s not a certainty yet, but it seems we have achieved the basics of what you have requested."


    Theputer Kyle had created was quite close to modernputers. Wisdom, along with the schrs, invented a newputer programmingnguage, which also resembled the one he had used. The schrs called Wisdom''s programmingnguage the sacrednguage.


    This could be considered faster than any otherputer. Theputing device of small boxes filled an entire room. It was divided for heat dissipation, but was a massive singleputer called the Sanctuary, named after the space it was in.


    The Sanctuary was currently equipped with only one software. Whether moreputers like the Sanctuary would be created in the future was unknown, but the future had yet to arrive. Since the Sanctuary was made only for one feature, it required more effort from the schrs to change it.


    The software installed on the Sanctuary was named Lost World 2.0. This software didn¡¯t have elements of the real world that Sung-Woon had hoped for. Rather, Lost World 2.0 was almost an exact replica of Earth''s The Lost World.


    The yers remembered every element of The Lost World, and if there was a difference, the adjustments were made on purpose to reflect the various elements that had changed upon entering this world as well as the new elements. The fourth continent and the evil gods, unfamiliar species, and a few Unique Domains that had only been discovered this time were added.


    Additionally, Lost World 2.0 supported functions that the original did not support, which was setting up a world and a viewpoint and simting what could happen in that setting. This feature was the most crucial part of Lost World 2.0, and it had required the most effort. Lost World 2.0 could run up to 120,000 such simtions.


    Sung-Woon was able to confirm that Kyle had realized the basics of simtions. When a set of simtions were run to reflect the current world, the future that showed the highest match rate actually happened. A single simtion could achieve an 80 percent match rate, and increasing the number of simtions brought it close to 99 percent.


    The Pantheon had truly gained the power of foresight now.


    ''Of course, nothing can be perfect.''


    However, such massiveputations required amensurate amount of Faith points to be consumed. Just one simtion had Faith points drained by the percent, so Wisdom began to research whether the structure of theputer could be reced by something other than electricity.


    Of course, a better solution would have been to build their own power nt, but the Pantheon''s research group was preupied with the Sanctuary, and so progress on that front was not easily achieved. Moreover, certain resources consumed more Faith points, so there was no certainty on how much improving the generation method would help.


    Regardless, the existence of the Sanctuary was a decisive factor in the Pantheon''s victory over Hegemonia. Quite a few decisions originated from the Sanctuary; where the revolution would start, who the inventor of electricity would be, what Hegemonia''s strategy was, and what forces Hegemonia would bring to Rasdasil were discovered or reaffirmed.


    On the surface, the Pantheon seemed to be solely upied with opposing the Angry One, but internally, they were creating more stable achievements. And again, at themand of the Sung-Woon, the Sanctuary, having consumed a massive amount of power, had found out on which individual Hegemonia would use Divine Control.


    Just minutes before, the Pantheon''s second apostle, Kyle Lak Orazen, acquired a skill that lived up to his reputation.


    [The one who fulfills the will of the sky: Only under your directmand, attacks will be infused with the same Divinity as your current Divinity level.]


    And the Moving Castle¡¯s artillery was under Kyle''smand.


    ***


    Hegemonia couldn¡¯t have predicted all this.


    ''...Divinity in the artillery?''


    Even with the elerated thinking ability due to her Divinity, the actions taken by Sung-Woon and the Pantheon required too much imagination. The irrational and illogical fact of preemptively discovering the location of the body to be used for Divine Control and attacking it with Divinity-filled artillery. But still, Hegemonia didn¡¯t deny this fact.


    Hegemonia was unaware of the Pantheon''s Sanctuary, but she was aware of the second apostle, who rarely revealed himself. She always stayed cautious about him. She believed that the Pantheon was hiding something when they used less Faith points than Hegemonia expected. There was some gap in the movements of the Pantheon. Hegemonia knew this fact.


    ''Was that gap...this? For this very moment?''


    She hade to the realization, but she couldn''t respond.


    The projectile fired from the Moving Castle¡¯s artillery shattered the body of the Orc that Hegemonia was in.

 Chapter 250: The Angry One Comes

    Chapter 250: The Angry One Comes


    Ramin Solost Muel heard a massive roar not far away. There was a faint shockwave, yet one that seemed to shake the ground.


    ¡°Did something fall?¡±


    Beside her, Gorgota Falu fired their pistol in rapid session before taking cover and said, "It doesn''t seem like the time to worry about that."


    Alongside the soldiers of the Rasdasil Ruins base, Ramin, Gorgota, and Owen were holding off an attack from the Canine unit, who had attacked from the rear.


    The area, scattered randomly with white stones that were remnants of a past civilization, provided too many good positions to take cover from bullets. This was advantageous for dying time, but conversely, it made it difficult to prevent the enemies from nking and infiltrating.


    The Canine unit, taking advantage of the small number of soldiers defending the base, was skillfully moving from cover to cover by taking advantage of their agility, thus advancing while avoidingbat as much as possible. Given that most of the soldiers defending the base were not particrly skilled in hand-to-handbat, it was necessary to somehow stop the approach.


    Ramin grumbled, "When are the reinforcementsing?"


    Right next to her, Owen leisurely took a drag of his pipe even amidst the turmoil of war.


    Though it was necessary for using the power of the Chosen One, it still somehow seemed spiteful.


    Ramin said to her teacher, "Aren¡¯t you being tooid-back?"


    "What, do you think the enemies will drop dead if we''re busy?"


    He wasn''t wrong.


    Owen said, "By the way, Ramin, it doesn''t seem like you smoke herbs."


    "I get dizzy if I use too much power at once, so I only do it a little, but I do smoke herbs."


    While saying this, Ramin pulled out a thin paper rolled with herb leaves and put it in her mouth. As electricity red up at her fingertips, Ramin inhaled deeply. The rolled-up herb leaves began to burn from the end.


    "Oh, that''s a good method."


    "Your way is too old-fashioned, Teacher."


    After emptying their magazine, Gorgota reloaded and took cover again.


    Gorgota looked at the two and said, "...Are you two resting?"


    "No, Teacher said..."


    Gorgota interjected, "I saw a bad omen."


    "An omen?"


    Gorgota said, "There was a Werewolf with white fur among the Canine."


    "Could it be Aruega Rob?"


    "Yes, unlucky of us to see it again."


    "No."


    Owen peered around the corner to secure his view and said, "The unlucky one is that guy."


    Unsheathing his sword, he continued to say, "It would be wise to inform the unitmander. If ites close, I will confront that one."


    "Teacher?"


    "Will you be alright, Elder?"


    The enemy was an Apostle. Even Ramin, with her peculiar level of swordsmanship capable of deflecting bullets and des, couldn¡¯t stand against an Apostle.


    Owen said, "I thought I needed to prove that I still follow the will of Night Sky. This is an opportunity."


    Gorgota looked at Owen with aplex expression and then nodded.


    "Alright. Then Ramin and I should go assist the other units."


    Ramin asked, "We''re not going to help?"


    "Without reinforcements, it¡¯s going to be difficult to hold the enemy forces here with this unit alone. Besides, I''m not sure how much help I or you, who is injured, would be."


    Owen, flicking off the ash from his pipe, got up from his spot. "Let''s do that."


    After Ramin and Gorgota left, Owen picked up his bow. Looking past the corner, he could see the Canine agents quickly moving to hide behind cover, avoiding the Empire''s firepower.


    ''Are they hiding behind that pile of stones?''


    Owen thought guns were a splendid weapon. Even a child could take down a veteran warrior with one. But there were problems as well. Not even a veteran warrior would be able to get a bullet to do more than what the set amount of gunpowder produced. Bing proficient with firearms was about developing the ability to quickly understand and respond to situations, not about performing great feats with the gun itself.


    Owen nocked an arrow to the bowstring,


    ''And it¡¯s too linear.''


    As Owen lightly twisted the arrow and released the bowstring, what seemed like a straight trajectory began to curve, and the arrow entered an unseen space around the corner. The sound of the arrow flying was almost unheard amid the gunfire.


    But a Canine agent fell from behind the corner, a drooping arm peeking out. Owen confirmed the hit and nocked another arrow,


    ''One down.''


    ***


    "What about Hegemonia?"


    Responding to Wisdom''s question, Lunda answered, "She hasn''t shown up yet. She¡¯s not using Divine Control.


    At that, Crampus said, "Wait, this is the same as the Sanctuary had predicted. The Sanctuary had calcted that if Hegemonia was dealt such a blow, she wouldn¡¯t attempt to use Divine Control again."


    "What¡¯s the extent of Hegemonia''s damage?"


    Eldar replied, "Firstly, a level drop would have urred. ording to the Sanctuary''s predictions, she could have dropped from level 31 to as low as level 28, and the estimated loss is 30 percent of her stored Faith pointspared to the original amount."


    Sung-Woon had been confident that things would end up this way, but for Wisdom, it wasn¡¯t until now that he was certain that his evaluation of Hegemonia being able to challenge the Large Area waspletely broken. It had be impossible for Hegemonia to challenge a Large Area in a short period of time.


    Of course, it was difficult to say that Hegemonia''s power had plummeted drastically.


    While the death of an apostle could strike a blow to Hegemonia, a blow to Hegemonia wouldn''t particrly harm her apostles. This was because apostles always obtained separate resources of Faith points and achieved separate levels of Divinity.


    "It seems we''ve gained a significant advantage." It was Lim Chun-Sik who said so.


    Solongos chimed in, "However, hyung-nim, our oldest hyung-nim said we must never let our guard down."


    "I know that, you fool."


    Lim Chun-Sik grumbled in response.


    "But hey, that warmonger now has almost no options left to choose from. Moreover, she must be feeling a lot more impatient internally because if she hadn''t used Divine Control and merely poured out creations with the same amount of Faith points, she would¡¯ve been in a better situation than now."


    Of course, even if Hegemonia had done so, the Empire would have had measures in ce and would have been able to fend it off. The problem for Hegemoniay in the loss of 30 percent of the Faith points that could have been expended on strategy. Nevertheless, despite Hegemonia still having the advantage in numbers, since the Empire was nevercking in overall power and had achieved many tactical victories, the overall bnce of power could be considered favorable to the Empire.


    "...Right, we''ve gained a considerable advantage."


    Still, Wisdom didn¡¯t rush to assure victory.


    Initially, Hegemonia had breached the dam they hadboriously built up, and the current surged forth, but they managed to contain it well.


    ''Hegemonia is still dangerous.''


    Even in the game called The Lost World, or rather, in the history of the world Wisdom had observed, there had always been instances where a dominating position could bepletely overturned by minor mistakes and small failures. There was no guarantee that it wouldn¡¯t be the case this time.


    ''Neb has stepped away for a moment. The decisions that Neb would make must be made now.''


    Wisdom asked, "We still have Faith points left at our disposal outside of the 9 percent Neb requested us to set aside. Has the Sanctuary responded to the question we sent?"


    As if in reply to Wisdom''s words, a notification window popped up. It was sent by Kyle. The yers of the Pantheon, who were looking at various ces of the battlefield, also shifted their attention to the notification.


    [Kyle Lak Orazen: Sanctuary''s answer to the question raised from the Pantheon¡¯s meeting, ''The next move of the Angry One'' ¡ú]


    [Kyle Lak Orazen: Hierophany.]


    The moment Wisdom read thest word, mes erupted from the central screen that Wisdom had set up. What was disyed was in the middle of the battlefield, so it was unnatural for such an eruption of mes to ur. Yet none of the yers were surprised. It was a scenemonly seen in thetter part of the game of The Lost World.


    When a yer, whose Divinity level was in thete twenties, used Hierophany, their mere appearance would cause a natural disaster.


    AR1026 said, "You see. It''s Hegemonia''s Hierophany."


    ***


    There was a massive st, one that forced soldiers on the battlefield and apostles engaged in their fights to turn to look, even if just for a moment. A gigantic column of fire rose from the center of the battlefield, reaching up to the sky where the airships were. The spectacle could be seen from anywhere in Rasdasil.


    -Be afraid.


    A raspy voice reached the entire battlefield.


    Those engulfed by the mes, whether they were soldiers of the Empire or the Union Kingdom, turned into mere handfuls of ashes, swept up into the sky by the increasing air pressure.


    -All who bear sins, bow down.


    What emerged first from the mes were people wearing ck hoods. They held in one hand a brazier symbolizing the undying wrath of the Angry One, and in the other, each clutched their weapon, representing unrelenting retribution. These were the warriors of the Red Land who followed the Angry One even after death.Though they hadn¡¯t reached the status of Apostles, each had left behind achievements in their battles and had promised an eternal fight by the side of the Angry One after death.


    One of the warriors stepped out of the procession and shouted.


    -Realize the frailty of that vain illusion called courage.


    Along with those words, the bang of a bell being hit was heard. In the midst of the warriors who continued to march out in a line, a golden chariot was pulled forward.


    Attendants of the Angry One pulled the chariot themselves, revealing one by one the golden statues that symbolized the achievements of the Angry One. Above this grand procession chariot, which carried the history of the world, chanters climbed to sing praises of the aplishments of the Angry One.


    -Wherever they tread, the earth crumbles...


    Up in the sky, the Dragon knights, pride of the Union Kingdom, were seen in groups of sixteen, each pulling along Dragons bound in chains. All these Dragons, in by the Angry One, proved that even these mighty immortal creatures were nothing more than trivial beings in the face of God¡¯s power.


    -Wherever they leave their footprint, eternal mes ze¡­


    What was revealed was a gigantic horseshoe. The massive ck horse, with a shoulder height of 10 meters, had an indistinct silhouette due to its lush mane and the fur covering its hooves, and its eyes were not clearly visible. But there were few in the Union Kingdom, and even in the Empire, who didn¡¯t know the name of this horse. It was a divine beast¡ªa Gytrash, to be exact, which brought misfortune by its mere presence. And it was named Kazaha, the fourth Apostle of the Angry One.


    As Kazaha moved its hooves, a heavy tremor spread through the ground.


    -Your death hase.


    The mes slowly subsided, revealing the rider mounted on Kazaha. It was a giant who was in no wayckingpared to Kazaha¡¯s massive stature. They were a knight who seemed to have juste out from a st furnace, their te armor red-hot, wearing a horned helmet that soared to the skies, and within that helmet, real mes zed. It was the Angry One.


    The Angry One had appointed their own mount as an Apostle. As Kazaha trod, shaking the earth, the Angry One looked down upon the battlefield from their elevated position. Then they forcefully pulled at the reins on Kazaha. Kazaha lifted its front legs high and kicked out at the air in session.


    The Angry One drew their sword and swung it with all their might.


    -Destroy them!


    At themand of the Angry One, the frenzied army of the Union Kingdom attacked the forces of the Empire at once.

 Chapter 251: Myth of a New Era

    Chapter 251: Myth of a New Era


    The sun was setting in the sky while Sung-Woon quietly looked down at the battlefield.


    ''It¡¯s wellposed.''


    All the diverse powers Hegemonia had built up were now manifested in the form of Hegemonia¡¯s Hierophany. Firstly, she summoned the warriors that had died being called heroes using the most powerful Unique Domain: War.


    This method of summoning individuals from the yer¡¯s Afterlife wasmonly used. For example, in the case of Lakrak, a skill waster developed that allowed him to summon warriors who had fought alongside him. These individuals from the Afterlife could bring with them the power and abilities they developed while they were there; therefore, it was necessary to cultivate an environment in the Afterlife for growing one''s strength.


    ''Though they are carrying cold weapons, each one seems to be at the level of a walking armor.''


    Certainly, the Union Kingdom had many warriors who died during the continental unification, but more sacrifices were made during the war with the Empire, killed by guns and shells, so there were many armed with guns.


    ''Judging by the weapons, the technological level of their Afterlife seems quite high.''


    Those with guns were armed with mini-guns, anti-material sniper rifles, bazookas, and such. There were simr weapons, but their rate of fire, bullet speed, types of ammunition were all beyond what could be found in this era.


    As the barrels of the mini-guns heated up, the Empire''s soldiers fell like waves, tanks stopped in their tracks when hit by anti-material sniper rifles, and bazookas knocked down walking armors with a single hit.


    ''While we were building the Sanctuary, Hegemonia must have been busy running a weapon factory.''


    The various parts Hegemonia brought along were also noteworthy. Hegemonia had reserved quite a lot of parts for summoning, including quite a few golden statues. Apart from the value of these statues, they were themselves giving buffs to the surrounding soldiers of the Union Kingdom. And at the same time, guardians to protect them were lurking around. The gold chariots carrying the statues moved forward little by little as they pushed through the battlefield.


    Moreover, Dragon corpses the Dragon Knights pulled along as they circled around in the sky were like relic-level items, and judging by their processed state, they were simrly giving debuffs to individuals not from the Union Kingdom.


    ''That¡¯s overwhelming.''


    Sung-Woon judged that if all of Hegemonia''s summoned entities werebined, they would be formidable enough to confront the Rasdasil defense force. Armed with modern firearms, Hegemonia''s summoned entities, each bearing a low level of divinity, would continue to charge even after taking shell hits. In a hypothetical scenario, if an equal number of the Empire¡¯s troops without yer support faced them, they would be annihted without putting up a proper resistance.


    ''More importantly, that''s not the key part. Saying that she turned the scraps of Small Areas into buffs for minor gains means...''


    Sung-Woon slightly furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Hegemonia.


    ''Essentially, most of her skills were invested into her main body.''


    The power of the Hierophany body, which appeared when Hierophany was used, depended on the yer''s Divinity level and Domains. Therefore, by mixing Domains, the physical form of the body, the category of a skill, and capabilities of skills were determined, and unnecessary Small Areas were converted into XP points to raise skill levels.


    When these Small Areas were converted, depending on their relevance to the skill being created, they provided high or low XP points. When they provided low XP points, as Hegemonia demonstrated, they were used to summon entities that benefit surrounding beings.


    ''And that ck Horse, Kazaha, was a Gytrash, wasn¡¯t it?''


    Choosing one''s own mount as an Apostle could seem strange, especially in The Lost World, where Dragons are the obvious choice for a mount as the strongest creatures, not a horse¡ªdivine beast or not. However, to Sung-Woon, it seemed like an appropriate choice.


    Gytrash brought misfortune, a capability that could offset potential variables that could ur for Hegemonia. There was a simple reason the ability to offset variables was highly valued.


    ''If there are no variables, she believes she¡¯s guaranteed to win.''


    Although it was shameless, to Sung-Woon, it actually seemed like an excellent strategy.


    With the presence of a Gytrash, Hegemonia''s opponents lost the opportunity to use strategies that were high risk but also high return. They were limited to only certain approaches to face Hegemonia as she manifested as a Hierophany body. Furthermore, by being selected as an apostle, the Gytrash itself gained a Divinity level.


    Even though it wasn''t useful as a mount, the ck horse Kazaha, known for bringing dark clouds, was revered as one of the apostles, and with its separate Divinity level and Faith point consumption, it definitely was tactically useful. If need be, Hegemonia could even draw Faith points from her own apostle, thus serving as a kind of battery.


    ''Right, there was a time when selecting a Dragon as an apostle to ride around and demolishing enemy apostles and capitals in a Hierophany body was a popr build.''


    Known as the Destroyer God Build, it was a strategy where a yer invested everything in one Hierophany body and became a one-man army, wreaking havoc on battlefields. It was absurd, but not impossible. If the initial few battles were won and benefits secured, the game could be ended before reaching thete phase with proper firepower.


    ''Come to think of it, was it around that time?''


    Sung-Woon had been ying The Lost World since its official release, but Hegemonia wasn¡¯t seen in the early rankings. Monthster, when the Destroyer God Build became popr, Hegemonia appeared in the upper ranks. To Sung-Woon, it seemed that Hegemonia''s interest in The Lost World stemmed entirely from that build.


    Although he ignored Hegemonia whenever she acted like she knew him, Sung-Woon remembered their first encounter. At that time, Hegemonia had been on top of the Sky Castle led by two Dragons, having obtained Large Area: Light. She had as many as twenty apostles, all celestial giants that shot arrows conjured by Faith points. Each arrow was almost like a bunker buster, making it difficult to approach anywhere within their line of sight.


    And whenever an approach and attack were attempted, Hegemonia''s Hierophany body would appear and smash everything to pieces. As a result, two alliances, each spanning continents, were crushed, and Hegemonia¡¯s territory ascended to aplete hegemonic nation.


    Therefore, Sung-Woon gave up the surface and established the Kobold Underground Kingdom. Hegemonia was unaware of the numerous underground railways connecting countless citizens living in secret, nor did she know that they were secretly advancing scientific technology, generations ahead in developing nuclear technology, or that they had dug tunnels under Hegemonia''s major cities and nted nuclear bombs.


    The moment all the nuclear bombs detonated, Hegemonia, in her Hierophany body, was sealed without even a chance to fight back.


    ''She sent me a friend request right after that.''


    Of course, Sung-Woon didn''t ept the friend request. When a defeated yer sent a friend request, it was highly likely that they did so to hurl insults.


    Sung-Woon looked at the battle on the surface. With Hegemonia''s arrival, all fronts got reorganized around her. Hegemonia''s apostles gathered in one ce, as did those of the Pantheon.


    ''It won''t be easy.''


    The apostles of the Pantheon found it challenging even to get close to Hegemonia. The closest anyone got were Redin and Lakrak.


    Redin, with his knights, managed to damage some of Hegemonia''s golden chariots surrounding her and then charged toward Hegemonia. But Hegemonia, without even using a skill, cut down Redin from on top of Kazaha. Fortunately, Redin was saved by his knights, but lost an arm in the process.


    Mazdari and Lakrak didn''t miss the opening created by Redin. Mazdari''s magic summoned a mass of tentacles that entwined Kazaha, reaching up to Hegemonia''s ankles. Though the tentacles were scorched immediately due to the red-hot armor, even that brief moment allowed Lakrak''s arrow to hit Hegemonia. However, just before reaching Hegemonia, the arrow evaporated into mes.


    ''One average defensive skill.''


    Judging that the apostles alone couldn¡¯t stop her, the Pantheon, led by Wisdom, deployed powerful creations saved for critical situations. Among them, Sratis was at the top. This blue mantis-shaped monster, which had been around from the early part of the game with immense strength and consistently helped Sung-Woon, had now be a being even Dragons would fear. Its giant size of 55 meters was enough to make the forces of the Union Kingdom hesitate.


    Following that, the powerful insect creations Sung-Woon had been steadily producing began to hold back the Empire¡¯s defense line, stopping its continuous retreat.


    Sung-Woon remained still.


    ''Not yet.''


    The Empire''s soldiers, apostles, and creations were fighting valiantly, but the door to the Rasdasil Ruins was futilely opening. Sung-Woon focused on this sight. While the apostles of the Union Kingdom were clearing the way, now Hegemonia was taking the forefront as if they weren¡¯t sufficient enough.


    Kazaha, the fourth apostle, cleared the path just by stomping its hooves, and each swing of Hegemonia''s sword caused the creations to bleed and die.


    ''...A skill? Yes, it¡¯s a skill. Even with a high Divinity level, she shouldn¡¯t be able to cut something that tough easily. It might shatter, though.''


    Soon, the Empire''s apostles and creations began their counterattack.


    While Lai took the defensives, Keiju, who held a scythe, leaped into action as the magical barrier shattered. For a moment, it seemed that Keiju was engulfed in mes, but it was an illusion created by Mazdari, followed by Lakrak again charging with a spear in hand.


    However, Hegemonia¡¯s Hierophany body wasn¡¯t easily subdued by these god assassins. Using her sword, she deflected Lakrak''s spear and simultaneously struck down Keiju, who was aiming for her back.


    However, the Empire had a third attack prepared. Sratis, who had been crouching low, extended its body and lunged at Hegemonia with both legs. Hegemonia performed an impossible movement, as if she had an extra arm separate from the one already swung, striking at Sratis. As the sword that severed Sratis¡¯s arm hit the ground, it exploded, sending up a ck line of smoke.


    ''Ah, so she brought that skill? I was wondering why she gave up the mobility skill, but now I see.''


    After the explosion, the path between Hegemonia and the Rasdasil Ruins was wide open.


    The Empire''s apostles and creations quickly contacted the Pantheon, preparing for what might be theirst attack. The yers strategized and nned their next move. Despite the crisis, the Empire had almostpletely captured the Union Kingdom''s rear. Having already secured the skies, they had suppressed the Union Kingdom''s entire fleet, with the Empire''s warships beginning to turn their cannons toward the coast.


    The yers wished for just a bit more time, and the apostles and creations agreed to create that time.


    -Stop.


    Sung-Woon said to his creations, apostles, and the yers.


    -Let here.


    Various voices reached Sung-Woon. Sung-Woon ignored all of them. However, he didn''t repeat himself, nor did he need to. Silence was his answer, and soon, the opposition quieted.


    Reluctantly, the wounded beings slowly retreated.


    Wisdom, realizing Sung-Woon''s intention, brieflymented.


    -Let''s watch from a good spot.


    Sung-Woon checked the remaining amount of Faith points.


    ''About 9 percent? As promised.''


    In front of Hegemonia, rushing toward the Rasdasil Ruins, Sung-Woon used Hierophany.


    ***


    Eldar sped their hands together and closed their eyes in a prayer-like gesture.


    "Oh my, is this really okay? It has to be, right? Please let us win."


    Crampus looked at Eldar with a disdainful expression and said, "Who exactly are you praying to?"


    "Could you stop shaking your leg, please? I can¡¯t focus."


    Crampus cleared his throat.


    In reality, what happened next entirely depended on Sung-Woon.


    At that moment, RD turned to Wisdom and said, "Well, it''s hard to read Wisdom''s face, but after being together for so long, I¡¯d say he seems quite calm right now."


    Wisdom quickly admitted. The fact that Wisdom''s head was shaped like arge dodecahedron from the Kepler-Poinsot polyhedra was due to taste, not to have a poker face.


    "Didn''t everyone hear from Jang-Wan?"


    The yers looked at each other.


    Lunda, who spoke the most casually and thoughtlessly, said, "Her personality is a bit..."


    "A bit?"


    "...A bit like Neb, isn¡¯t she?"


    "That''s true."


    "No, this makes it sound like we''re talking behind her back. I know she''s a good person. It''s just hard to start a conversation with her because of her personality. And I always tell her to her face that she''s got a bad attitude."


    Wisdom spread his hands as if to show he understood. He didn''t even suggest that Lunda should be more careful with her words.


    Lunda then asked, "So, what got you so confident that you''re not tense?"


    Wisdom replied, "Oh, that? ording to Jang-Wan''s words, Neb is..."

 Chapter 252: If Sky and Land Fights

    Chapter 252: If Sky and Land Fights


    Even with the sound of thunder behind her, Ramin didn''t look back. She simply trusted her teacher, Owen, to handle the situation well.


    When the road came to a fork, Ramin said to Gorgota, "I''ll go this way."


    Without a response, Gorgota ran down the path Ramin didn''t choose.


    Shortly after, the situation in the rear changed drastically. When many Canines had gotten close enough, Ramin thought a fierce battle would take ce. However, the Canines had other ns. Having sessfully gotten near the Rasdasil Ruins with minimal damage, they decided to risk the harm and began sprinting full-force toward the ruins.


    Despite the sudden charge, the Empire''s defense forces sessfully reduced the number of Canines through counter-shooting, but those with enhanced physical abilities started breaking through the defense lines and ran forward.


    ''It''s an excellent choice.''


    If they engaged directly with the defense line, they could have been able to fight and even defeat the Empire''s forces, but they risked getting caught up by reinforcements that might have arrivedter. Instead of that, they decided it was better to run straight toward their objective.


    Moreover, the Rasdasil Ruins were filled with countless covers, and many obstaclesy between the ruins that needed to be leaped over. Even soldiers with ordinary physical abilities could take down Canines with bullets, but chasing them was a different story.


    ''That makes twelve.''


    Ramin tracked one Canine who had turned to run and swiftly killed them with her sword. A nearby agent startled and twisted their body, but Ramin threw her sword straight at them.


    ''Thirteen.''


    Ramin retrieved her sword from the Canine agent who had copsed after her de pierced through their forehead, and then she kept running without stopping.


    ''More can be caught. A bomb or two won''t be enough to destroy the Rasdasil Ruins.''


    However, there were more than just one or two enemies left. Although she thought she had caught many, Ramin saw quite a few Canine agents running under the darkening evening sky.


    She aimed her gun while running, but the running shadows quickly hid behind the next cover. Knowing that shooting into the air would only raise unnecessary alertness, Ramin continued running.


    ''It¡¯s still a relief.''


    Ramin wasn¡¯t able to memorize the map of the Sky Castle, but she had memorized the map of the Rasdasil Ruins. There existed shortcuts that wouldn¡¯t have been identified on maps drafted with collected intel alone.


    ''If I pass through this passage, I can intercept them.''


    Ramin jumped into a partially copsed underground passage and easily navigated through it with Vampire''s keen night vision. Her goal was to outpace the Canines and assassinate them one by one from the front. As she came out from underground, Ramin spotted a Canine agent about to pass by the underground tunnel.


    Ramin gave up on covert operation and increased her speed, which caused the Canine agent to discover her. Bleeding from her stitched wound, Ramin made a stab with her sword.


    The Canine agent, dodging the sword, lost their mask that was worn askew.


    Underneath the mask was a ck-scaled Lizardman, who muttered, "...How could there be such a fateful encounter?"


    "That''s my line."


    Ramin faced Del, the familiar Fang agent.


    In the narrow corridor, too tight for swinging swords or aiming rifles, Del drew a dagger and swung at Ramin, who also drew her dagger in reverse grip and blocked Del''s strike. However, Ramin read Del''s intention toote.


    "If I take you with me, my life won''t be a waste."


    Ramin realized that Del''s other hand held a grenade with the pin pulled.


    ''Oh no!''


    That was when it happened. The night sky was descending.


    ***


    There was an expression: the sky was close, which was strange since the sky was always above everyone. However, every being in the Rasdasil Ruins felt the night sky descending as if it could be touched. The constetions remained unchanged. However, the stars twinkled sequentially as if with intention, and those who could read them sensed the implication in their twinkling and shivered.


    -He¡¯sing.


    The sky was speaking.


    -The master of that infinite sky...


    What was thought to be the night sky was just a curtain shaped like it. As the curtain was drawn back, suddenly, a swarm of butterflies with blue wings covered the sky.


    -The ruler of beings with inverted flesh and bone...


    After the butterflies disappeared, parts of the pantheon was shown. The presence of a behemoth tower overlooking the world was overwhelming. The tower was filled with numerous acolytes who nced down below for a moment.


    -The leader of the Pantheon...


    But that too, was merely an illusion. Beyond another drawn-back curtain, a dark and deep abyss was revealed. A creature of the abyss, not of this world, peered into this world with pale eyes, its presence only partially illuminated by the light of this world.


    -The returner who wields forgotten powers...


    That was another illusion. What appeared next was the original night sky. But having seen the fragments of that other world, this was no longer the same sky. The darkness between the shining stars was a curtain of infinite possibilities.


    -Night Sky ising.


    Above the Rasdasil Ruins, Night Sky floated. This being, wearing a water buffalo''s skull over his head, was wrapped in a curtain darker than the night sky.


    Sung-Woon opened his eyes in his Hierophany body.


    ''So this is what it feels like.''


    It was his first time using Hierophany since the start of all these events. The sensation was distinctly different from just being a god.


    ''I can be attacked, and is it because I have stats? It feels simr to using Divine Control, strange, but not ufortable.''


    But there was no time to savor this unfamiliar sensation.


    Hegemonia, from the moment of Sung-Woon''s appearance, was charging at full speed on her apostle and mount, Kazaha.


    Sung-Woon floated in mid-air. Both his and Hegemonia''s Hierophany forms were roughly 10 meters.


    ''The size is more or less fixed by some rules.''


    The Lost World was a game, and yers always found the most optimized build. There were builds for development directions, but the same went for creating a Hierophany body, the avatar they directly controlled on the ground.


    Novices said that the bigger the Hierophany body, the better, but even with Divinity, one couldn''tpletely ignore physicalws. For example, a 100-meter-tall Hierophany body, almost invulnerable to most weapons, consumed unnecessarilyrge amounts of Faith points to sustain. And there was no need to aim for too small a size because not using the excellent physicality imbued with Divinity of an Hierophany body was also wasteful.


    Unless one intended to create a spellcaster, often using a variety of skills, the most optimal form in terms of thews of physics and efficiency in the game was around 10 meters.


    ''It¡¯s not just the body either.''


    Sung-Woon saw Hegemonia, now charging through the air,ing towards him. Though it seemed like a distance of hundreds of meters, Kazaha closed tens of meters with each stride, folding the ground literally. It was too fast for the eye.


    ''Skills are the same.''


    Though Hegemonia was still a hundred meters away, Sung-Woon drew his sword from his waist.


    ng!


    It was just the shing of des, but the light wave created at the moment of collision gouged the earth and pushed the sky. Hegemonia, who was believed to be approaching, had already passed Sung-Woon and was turning around in mid-air, soothing Kazaha.


    Neither yer was surprised by the way movements seemed to be cut short for the attack or the blocking of it.


    ''The Omit skill was always OP.''


    yers could create what theymonly called the Skip or Omit skill, which was abination of various Small Areas. Normally, every action had a preceding and a following action. For example, swinging a sword would have actions leading up to the swing and retrieving the sword afterward, and Skip could omit either the preceding or following action, or both.


    Hegemonia skipped the process of reaching Sung-Woon to attack him and also skipped the moment of creating distance to avoid a counterattack.


    Sung-Woon, watching Hegemonia wait for the next opportunity to attack, saw the scars left on the ground and sky from their brief contact.


    ''I understand the attack skill now. It was Space Cut.''


    This was also a skill frequently used by yers of The Lost World, able to strike regardless of the Divinity level. Sung-Woon knew it was an attack skill chosen by Hegemonia, who was aware of Sung-Woon''s higher Divinity level. However, it was a high-cost skill requiring many Small Areas and a lot of Faith points, so restrictions were necessary to make it manageable.


    ''Hegemonia''s restriction must be when cutting with a de.''


    The condition of the skill activating only when cutting with a de posed quite the challenge.


    Usually, yers preferred a surefire strategy of striking with Space Cut from a distance as soon as they saw their opponent, choosing to limit the number of times the skill can be used. Of course, this was meaningless if they couldn''t subdue the opponent within the limited number of uses.


    ''Given Hegemonia''s skills.''


    Hegemonia muttered.


    -You blocked the Space Cut? What did you use?


    -I don¡¯t know. Was it not you who made a bad swing?


    -Don''t joke. I saw you swing your sword.


    -Are you just going to keep watching?


    Hegemonia, while engaging in a psychological battle, approached Sung-Woon in a spiral.


    Sung-Woon thought.


    ''The third seemed like a defensive skill, but I''m not sure. And I have to guess if there''s a fourth.''


    There were often Hierophany bodies with five or more skills. However, Sung-Woon knew Hegemonia. She wasn''t a yer who would ignore the optimized builds developed by other yers. Using more than five skills would mean weaker skills. Three or four skills were the unspoken rule among The Lost World yers.


    Several earth-shattering exchanges followed. With each sh of swords, the sky was torn apart, and the earth crumbled.


    The gods'' battle was so fierce that the mortal beings couldn¡¯t even approach, so the Union Kingdom Army, which thought they had created a path, had to find a detour.


    This was fortunate for the Empire¡¯s Army. After regrouping, the apostles of the Empire plunged back into the battlefield, guided by the gods of the Pantheon. A battle thought to bepletely lost began to turn around.


    Meanwhile, sitting in themander''s position of the World Watcher, Dordol watched the gods'' battle from afar. This Ogre, who had to envision all possibilities, even considered the defeat of Night Sky, always preparing for the worst-case scenario.


    Again, the Angry One concealed themself.


    Suddenly, the sky filled with light, and the World Watcher shook violently. Even Dordol, an Ogre, nearly fell from the intense movement, but they quickly stood up.


    Then a lookout shouted, "Commander!"


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Night Sky is...!"


    The cross-section of space seemed to graze Night Sky, and then a blue neb burst out from the body. It was evident to anyone that it was a wound of a god.


    ***


    "He''s hit!"


    Saying this, Crampus mmed the desk.


    After several exchanges, Hegemonia''s attack had finally reached Sung-Woon. Even though it was a Space Cut, it wouldn''t defeat him in one hit, but it was clear there was an impact.


    "I knew it! Neb was a pro gamer? So what? Even if he was, what game did he y? Where''s the guarantee he''d win?"


    Despite Crampus''s outrage, Wisdom remained unshaken.


    Lunda then said from beside, "Well, if Neb was a pro gamer, he must have yed 4X games, right?"


    Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate. Derived from the X in each of these words, 4X games was also the genre The Lost World belonged to.


    Lim Chun-Sik then said, "Are there pro gamers for 4X games?"


    "Maybe? Could be..."


    "Or was it RTS he yed?"


    Real-Time Strategy Simtion. The biggest difference from general simtion games was its real-time nature. Quick thinking and decision-making were essential skills, not just in the game world of The Lost World, but in its reality too.


    AR1026 looked at Wisdom and then said, "Since Wisdom said he would have an advantage in Hierophany body fights, maybe it''s MOBA."


    A game genre that could be tranted as Multiyer Online Battle Arena. The requirement to grow abilities and fight with limited skills was somewhat simr to fights between Hierophany bodies.


    However, Wisdom didn¡¯t affirm any of the spections.


    "No answer yet. Think about it, and you''ll know."


    Crampus, in disbelief, said, "Is this a quiz?"


    "Shall I tell the answer?"


    "No, wait. If you''re going to say it, just wait¡­ Any hints?"


    Wisdom replied, "Neb hardly used this in The Lost World originally, but this time, he yed it well and almost always seeded."


    "Even if you say that, I''ve never seen Neb in the game. We were in different ranks."


    Eldar chimed in, "But he was famous in videos, right?"


    Famous gamey videos circted among the yers. Talented streamers had fought against Neb, and his exceptional y was well remembered by other yers.


    The yers didn''t struggle much to find the answer.


    "Now that I think about it, he was well-known for not chatting."


    "But this time, he was quite active."


    Thinking the answer hade out, Crampus said, "Ah, so it''s like psychological warfare?"


    "Exactly."


    "Even if that''s true...are there games like psychological games? There might be some, but would there be pros in such games?"


    "There are. Games close to applied psychology."


    "Like what?"


    Wisdom replied, "Fighting games."


    ***


    Sung-Woon''s blood covered the sky and then gradually disappeared.


    ''Is this leaving me with about 7 percent Faith points?''


    Initially, those watching the gods'' battle focused on Sung-Woon''s wound, but soon realized they had missed something more important.


    Hegemonia, along with Kazaha, seemed to be descending to the ground, then Hegemonia got off Kazaha. Only then did they see the cut on Kazaha''s neck, sustained by divine power, then its head fell to the ground.


    Hegemonia looked up at Sung-Woon.


    -...Neb!

 Chapter 253: Light of Pasa

    Chapter 253: Light of Pasa


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t give any response to Hegemonia¡¯s calling because he knew she wasn¡¯t actually addressing him. It was merely a rebuke.


    ''She must be wanting to ask how I did it.''


    In The Lost World, Skip was indeed a powerful skill. Because it required investment in Small Areas rted to wind and flow, using Skip meant giving up on movement skills that required simr Small Areas. Though Skip itself could be used as a movement skill, it was not considered efficient due to its rtively high Faith point consumption. Nevertheless, even taking into ount the sacrifice of a movement skill, Skip was a very powerful ability.


    ''In the game The Lost World, if used well, it was overwhelmingly powerful in fights between Hierophany bodies, and now, Skip is even more powerful.''


    When Hegemonia first used Skip, Sung-Woon couldn''t help but be surprised. Since everything but the moment of swinging the sword was skipped, it was pretty much impossible to defend against it or counterattack.


    ''If any other yer were in my ce, would they be able to block Hegemonia''s attack?''


    Other yers would also know about Skip and would likely choose it quite often. However, no one else had skillsparable to Hegemonia''s.


    ''Wisdom would prefer a mage over a fighter, which would actually be disadvantageous when facing a fighter. Only Lim Chun-Sik could perhaps stand a chance in terms ofbat capability, but it would still be insufficient. The rest are...''


    Sung-Woon recalled a few yers from the now non-existent Lost World who were as good as Hegemonia. Anyone less skilled would struggle against her, especially with Unique Domain: War in her possession.


    ''Even the swinging of a sword that isn¡¯t skipped takes only a moment. Observing and blocking it is impossible.''


    Despite this, Sung-Woon had managed to block Hegemonia''s attacks multiple times. Eventually, he counterattacked and killed Hegemonia''s horse.


    ''Not a significant loss of ability, but her mobility and Faith point efficiency rted to movement must have drastically decreased, and the troublesome ability of bringing about misfortune disappeared too.''


    Hegemonia walked slowly. The knight in red, heated armor passed between short trees of a few meters in height, and the heat alone set the surroundings ame. The path of the Angry One was all mes, and nothing but ashes remained in her wake.


    From afar, where others watched the battle of the gods, cries of grief over Kazaha''s death could be heard.


    Sung-Woon looked down at Hegemonia.


    ''What are you thinking, Hegemonia?''


    No matter how strong a Hierophany body waspared to mortal beings and how elerated thought processes understood received sensations, with the addition of Skip, predicting and blocking Hegemonia''s attack was impossible. Therefore, Sung-Woon had been blocking Hegemonia''s attack before seeing it.


    ''The attack after a leap would be the shortest distance, but she wouldn¡¯t do that.''


    Sung-Woon knew that Hegemonia still had plenty of Faith resources.


    Hegemonia disguised deep anger through her silence. But Sung-Woon knew Hegemonia well, especially her y style, perhaps even better than Hegemonia knew herself.


    ''You would be moreposed than anyone else right now.''


    This narrowed down the potential approaches for Hegemonia''s attack, especially those involving Skip and Space Cut. There were limited options for Hegemonia to inflict a substantial hit on Sung-Woon.


    ''...No, no. Hegemonia must be thinking she needs tond a solid hit on me to gain the upper hand. So, there''s no need to insist on a fatal attack.''


    Therefore, when Hegemonia disappeared using Skip, Sung-Woon immediately turned around. Hegemonia was right there. Instead of a Space Cut, Hegemonia, in closer proximity, was attempting to strike Sung-Woon down with her right fist.


    ''Right, this attack won¡¯t cause me much harm, but it will knock me to the ground. The move after that is clear. Even without using Skip, a Space Cut aimed at the ground from this distance would engulf me as I''m pinned down.''


    Thus, Sung-Woon had already anticipated this before Hegemonia appeared behind him. He caught Hegemonia''s right hand. Even though she was in a Hierophany body in armor, Sung-Woon knew Hegemonia was very surprised.


    -Got you.


    It was significant for one yer to catch the Hierophany body of another yer. Due to the interference between divinities, the captured Hierophany body could no longer use movement skills or Skip.


    When they were too close together, Hegemonia btedly switched to the sword in her other hand. Meanwhile, Sung-Woon had already thrust his sword in.


    -...!


    A light exploded. Due to the recoil of the massive explosion, Sung-Woon could only watch as he let go of Hegemonia, who was thrown away. But it didn''t matter. Hegemonia spewedva like an erupting volcano as she flew, which engulfed several buildings in the Rasdasil Ruins, and Hegemonia, falling, rolled mid-air to regain her posture. Then she blocked thevaing from herself with her hands.


    -This is....


    Sung-Woon realized that Hegemonia had recognized his skill for the first time.


    The skill Sung-Woon used was called Light of Pasa. It was superior to Space Cut in terms of destructive power and easier to create bybining various Small Areas. However, its higher cost and a critical w made it a less chosen option among yers.


    ''Light of Pasa is a good skill, but it always has a pre-dy. No wonder it''s not popr.''


    yers generally undervalued skills with dys, no matter if it was before or after, as they left one open to counterattacks. They offered high returns but were ultimately high-risk skills. Therefore, yers preferred Space Cut, which was a powerful attack skill that could be used instantly, despite Light of Pasa being stronger.


    Sung-Woon also typically preferred Space Cut, but this time it was different. The first reason was his desire to leave a strong impression on Hegemonia through unpredictability, and the second was his intention to maximize efficiency due to the limited remaining Faith points. As a result, Sung-Woon set contact as the condition for using Light of Pasa. This condition was more challenging than cutting with a sword, which involved using a tool.


    ''Even so, it can¡¯t end things in one strike.''


    Hegemonia had already skipped the recovery process.


    Sung-Woon thought while looking at Hegemonia.


    ''As expected, this is all quite simr to the game.''


    After bing a god, Sung-Woon learned about swords andbat with the abundant, unskippable time he had to live through. Of course, learning directly from someone could undermine the dignity of a god, so typically, Sung-Woon learned indirectly, or more precisely, he utilized all the scouting resources a god possessed and observed skilled swordsmanship instructors handling swords and fighters engaging inbat to learn their methods.


    If he were a mortal, his learning would have had limitations, but understanding and mimicking styles was not a significant task with a god''s capabilities. Furthermore, once he reached a certain level, he could even discuss topics rted to legendary warriors like Lakrak, which was an enjoyable experience for Sung-Woon. But as Sung-Woon learned more about such battles, he realized something was missing.


    ''After all, it''s a mortal''s fight.''


    Beings that bled died once all their blood was drained. However, gods, namely yers, weren''t the same. The spilled blood was proportional to the amount of Faith points that was consumed, and while they couldn''t bleed indefinitely, they wouldn¡¯t die from a stabbed heart or a split head.


    ''It''s no different from a game. There''s no fatal wound that could cost a life... It''s just that Faith points is the HP bar.''


    Hegemonia charged again. Faster and more intense than before. As Space Cut burst, space twisted, the view distorted, and light refracted, dyeing the world in previously unseen vibrant colors before slowly recovering from the edges.


    Hegemonia then said.


    -...Impossible!


    -What do you mean?


    In the next exchange, Hegemonia''s attack sliced off the edge of the Rasdasil Ruins. Sung-Woon recognized the closeness of the attack. Hegemonia was still conscious of her objective while fighting Sung-Woon.


    -No matter how much you use that skill, to such an extent...


    -That skill?


    -Don''t y dumb. You''re using Future Sight.


    Sung-Woon admired Hegemonia''s sharp inference.


    -I thought you didn''t know.


    -Nothing else would make sense.


    The skill Sung-Woon was using was known as Future Sight. As the name suggested, it read the future, but only a few seconds ahead at most.


    In the game The Lost World, it was merely the ability to see other yers'' immediate skill choices, movement directions, and windows showing the current location they were observing. Such reconnaissance skills weren¡¯t well-regarded. Even at a low level, there were cheaper ways to utilize reconnaissance, and yers felt that momentarily gaining specific information was not particrly useful.


    Compared to skills like Space Cut, which were unavoidable even when known, Future Sight seemed less useful. Of course, if the opponent had a hidden card, Future Sight could be valuable, but typically, there would be no significant secret till the endgame.


    But Sung-Woon wasn¡¯t aiming for that. His belief was that even if Future Sight was useless in The Lost World, it would be different now.


    -But then what do you mean by impossible? Seeing the future and countering it?


    -Even with Future Sight, it can''t be that specific. That''s why it''s impossible.


    Hegemonia was right.


    Despite some differences in bncing between The Lost World and this world, the essence was the same. Future Sight could only narrow down a few of the opponent''s intentions, not provide a clear picture of the future. For example, if Hegemonia was in front of him, Sung-Woon could learn that she would swing her sword, but not whether it woulde from above, below, or either side. Sung-Woon had to predict that himself.


    -But that''s enough. If I can reduce dozens of possibilities to just a few, I can block them.


    -Stop the nonsense!


    Hegemonia swung her sword, and Sung-Woon easily parried it. He had already seen the trajectory. It was so perfect that Sung-Woon could parry it perfectly.


    Hegemonia''s retort implied that if Sung-Woon had narrowed it down to a few possibilities, he should have been hit at least a few times out of the dozens of shes.


    Sung-Woon disagreed.


    ''I chose Future Sight over defensive skills because it''s closer to the game I used to y better.''


    With Future Sight, everything became simpler, and in turns, the rtionship between each situation and Sung-Woon''s actions became clearer. Things like light punches, grapples,bos, and finishers were just a systematic way of organizing information about how much risk they carried, which actions countered which, and which action was faster, making them easier to understand. Once that system was mastered, it wasn¡¯t impossible to counter every attack of the opponent.


    At least that was what Sung-Woon understood from his understanding of swordsmanship.


    ''If I had to criticize myself, revealing my Hierophany body first was a strategic mistake. It allowed her to see my pattern first.''


    Everything had its rhythm, matching not only the movement of the body, but also the cognitive abilities. Revealing a skill that was better hidden first and getting one''s behavior pattern read was a disadvantage.


    Now, Sung-Woon believed he had mostly figured out Hegemonia''s pattern.


    ''There''s more I want to confirm¡­but this is enough.''


    Sung-Woonunched his counterattack. His swordshed out several times.


    Hegemonia had to block the attacks while consuming her Divinity. Even without any specific skill used, a sword wielded by a god was a mass of divinity in itself.


    An apostle, not to mention a mortal, would be devastated, especially given Sung-Woon''s Divinity level.


    Hegemonia hesitated between closing in or widening the distance, and eventually retreated.


    Sung-Woon knew why.


    ''She thinks if she gets caught, she''ll face another strong attack.''


    But that was exactly what Sung-Woon meant to impress Hegemonia with when he made the attack. The memory of the damage taken when close made it easier for Sung-Woon to predict Hegemonia''s actions.


    ''Skip. But the pattern is too clear.''


    Hegemonia, too, was bing agitated by the relentless assault. Hegemonia appeared again, this time from Sung-Woon''s left where his field of vision didn''t reach, attempting to disrupt Sung-Woon''s offensive rhythm.


    ''Unfortunate, Hegemonia.''


    However, Sung-Woon''s sword swing was a feint. He wrapped his elbow around the wrist Hegemonia was swinging the sword with and drew a dagger with his right hand, plunging it into Hegemonia''s chest.


    ''We''ve fought too much for me to not know you.''


    A second Light of Pasa exploded in the air.

 Chapter 254: Hybrid

    Chapter 254: Hybrid


    On the grip of the dagger held by Sung-Woon''s Hierophany body, there were spikes that wouldn''t exist on a mortal''s weapon. The spikes, sharp enough to pierce the fingers and palms and almost touch the bones, made the dagger look like an artistic representation of absurdity, but Sung-Woon gripped it firmly.


    Although the dagger, unnamed by Sung-Woon, was created through consuming Faith points, it easily prated Sung-Woon''s own Hierophany body with the same Divinity level, causing blood to flow. Sung-Woon''s blood, like a scattered cluster of stars, seeped into a tube pierced through the middle of the spikes. This tube passed through a wider conduit inside the handle and then went through aplexwork of capiries branching out like tree limbs, leading to the surface of the dagger''s de.


    The de''s surface, dotted with microscopic holes, was already saturated with Sung-Woon''s blood from the moment he held the sword. Before the blood could drop from the de and disperse back into the form of a night sky, it was considered part of Sung-Woon''s body.


    Therefore, when the dagger prated Hegemonia''s body, Sung-Woon was considered touching Hegemonia''s insides rather than her hard exterior, and so, the light of annihtion, breaking existence, burst out from within Hegemonia.


    Whirrr¡­ Boom!


    Thin rays of light, directionless and pouring out, found their way through Hegemonia''s body and exploded.


    ***


    "Did he win?"


    To Lunda''s question, Wisdom replied, "No. While Light of Pasa is a powerful attack, Hegemonia likely still has a lot of Faith points left."


    The difference in both quantity and quality was greatpared to when the Divinity Level hovered around 20.


    "So how much more...?"


    "It would take about three more strikes like that. But it''s unlikely he cannd a perfect attack like this every time, so with each miss, the number of hits required will increase."


    Eldar said, "But so far, it''s been a one-sided fight. Even if it takes thirty times instead of three, it seems like he can win."


    "I''m not sure, but it seems like his skills are also advantageouslypatible."


    Wisdom agreed with Lunda''s observation.


    Even though Future Sight was not particrly meaningful unless one had quick reflexes and judgment like Sung-Woon, it could be considered a decent counter-skill to Skip.


    "But now I''m getting worried."


    "...Now?" Lunda asked.


    Wisdom, who had been calm when everyone else was worried, seemed to change his attitude as the situation turned in their favor.


    Wisdom said, "Hegemonia hasn''t shown all her skills yet."


    "But it''s the same for Neb."


    "Still, the risk in this fight isn''t small for Neb either. We didn''t expect Hegemonia to push this far. If Neb''s Hierophany body dies here, and the Rasdasil Ruins copse, we might start from a position simr to the Union Kingdom, which lost its capital."


    The Union Kingdom had lost its capital but had moved most of its institutions beforehand. Considering the symbolic value of a capital, they had made reasonable preparations.


    On the other hand, if Sung-Woon''s Hierophany body died, even though it wouldn''t mean outright defeat, the Pantheon would have to deal with a level drop, which could be even worse than Hegemonia''s, who had already lost levels. The battle was getting increasingly difficult.


    Crampus hurriedly stood up and pointed at the screen.


    "That''s...!"


    After the explosion of the Light of Pasa, the yers of the Pantheon had predicted where Hegemonia would fall. They thought Hegemonia would be thrown to the ground due to the massive recoil of the explosion. After the st, Hegemonia''s magma blood poured over the ruins, covering the ancient structures and creating dark smoke that clouded the sky. However, Hegemonia was not there.


    She appeared at Sung-Woon''s side.


    "...How?"


    As Lunda was taken aback, Lim Chun-Sik answered, "She skipped the after dy."


    "After dy?"


    Wisdom exined, "She erased the process of getting hit, crashing to the ground, and then getting up to rush at Sung-Woon with Skip."


    It was a very brief moment.


    Sung-Woon, too, anticipated Hegemonia to be pushed back and hadn''t taken any defensive action.


    Hegemonia seized that opportunity, and despite failing in herst two attempts, she punched again, and this time, she seeded.


    The punch sent Sung-Woon flying as if shot, crashing into the edge of the Rasdasil Ruins.


    Hegemonia skipped the distance to where Sung-Woon fell and drove her de down.


    Beeeeeeep!


    The plosive sound started as a thin, high-pitched shriek and gradually intensified. Space twisted where Hegemonia''s de passed, and the air screamed in agony. Soon, part of the ground copsed with a thunderous noise, covering everything.


    Sung-Woon''s blood, in the form of a night sky, burst out from the ground, revealing that Hegemonia''s attack had hit its mark.


    Short sighs of despair emerged from the Pantheon.


    But Hegemonia raised her head.


    -As expected.


    In the fissured earth resembling a spider''s web, Sung-Woon''s blood, evaporating through the crevices, was rising up and forming constetions.


    Standing there, Hegemonia looked up at the middle of the sky. There, Sung-Woon was floating majestically.


    A sigh of relief came from the Pantheon at the sight.


    Wisdom said, "It¡¯s Shedding."


    Typically, a Hierophany bodyprising three skill sets included one for attack, one for defense, and thest for movement. Shedding, although a movement skill, was closer to a defense or avoidance skill. Simr skills included Swap and Blink, all involving a shift in phase coordinates. They were basic movement skills, but what set Shedding apart was it left behind skin, a replica of oneself, at the original location during the movement.


    Lim Chun-Sik looked puzzled. "Why choose Shedding over Blink?"


    "I''m not exactly sure, but Shedding costs less than Blink, and it seems Sung-Woon set conditions to minimize its cost."


    "Conditions?"


    Wisdom pointed at Sung-Woon''s Hierophany body. A scorch mark from a fist, still glowing as if burning, remained above it. It was the mark of Hegemonia''s previous attack.


    "The first strike left a mark. So the skill was used to counter the second Space Cut. In other words...Neb set it to activate upon death."


    Lim Chun-Sik slowly nodded.


    "Ast-ditch escape, then."


    Another Space Cut wouldn''t annihte Sung-Woon''s Hierophany body, but a fatal blow would necessitate recovery, consuming Faith resources. Therefore, to avoid using up the remaining Faith points in body recovery after a fatal blow, Sung-Woon set the Shedding to trigger upon such an attack.


    Hegemonia seemed to already know all this. She then summoned her Small Areas that were rted to earth, rock, soil, and swamp, and extended a path toward Sung-Woon. The copsed earth rapidly moved at the call of the Angry One.


    As the path was halfway formed, Hegemonia, rushing up the incline toward Sung-Woon, skipped the entire process and struck down her sword right in front of Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon easily deflected the sword, but unlike before, Hegemonia didn''t retreat far.


    She raised the earth she created through her Small Areas under her feet in mid-air, then powerfully ran toward Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon blocked repeatedly but couldn''tnd a proper counterattack on Hegemonia. With each of Hegemonia''s attacks, it seemed as though new mountains of rock were rising.


    -I finally see it. I see what you''ve been looking at.


    Sung-Woon didn''t answer. He understood Hegemonia''s words.


    Hegemonia understood that her pattern was being read and therefore added a new, unconventional attack.


    ''Has she grown during the fight? What is she, a protagonist?''


    Moreover, by making each attack lighter rather than making wild swings with Space Cut like before, she seemed to be preparing for a longer battle.


    Sung-Woon also added new variables. Beyond merely shing swords, he drew Small Areas into the fight. When distance was created between them, around Sung-Woon''s body, circr concentric circles andplex letters and patterns filled the perimeter, glowing brightly.


    -...Magic!


    Though not as overwhelming as an Hierophany body''s power, it was enough to momentarily disrupt the flow.


    White cylindrical pirs aimed at Hegemonia, who broke through them with her body.


    Sung-Woon noticed this. The dense, cylindrical pirs made of magic sizzled and evaporated before even touching Hegemonia.


    ''A defensive skill. There are too many varieties to pinpoint what hers is from that disy alone.''


    Even though Sung-Woon''s magic didn''t harm Hegemonia, it didn''t matter. The brief dy allowed Sung-Woon to block Hegemonia''s sword strike and counterattack.


    Whirrr!


    Again, the ground surged, and magic poured. Lava flowed, and starlight painted the night sky.


    Sung-Woon''s empty skin rolled around, and Hegemonia shattered the water buffalo skull with her foot as she charged.


    Seeing this, Wisdom muttered, "Strange."


    "Strange how?"


    "Neb''s two confirmed skills don''t quite match an escape strategy. Escape skills are typically more Mage-like."


    In The Lost World, yersmonly set their skills to evade damage or fatal injuries at the moment of impact, and this skill set was somon it was referred to asst-ditch escape. While they could prevent the death of a Hierophany body and be activated at any time as long as Faith points remained, the downside was theirck of proactive use. This meant they were reactive, not proactive, only triggering in response when certain conditions were met.


    "Even considering Hegemonia''s Skip and her attacks being too fast to perceive, Neb could have used other methods of defensive skills like Time Barrier or offensive ones like Driving Fist to jab because they could lead to skillbinations. I thought Mage skills suited Neb more..."


    "But he''s winning, right? He''s using magic, so is it not a hybrid?"


    "No."


    As Lunda nkly stared at him, Wisdom added, "I¡¯d say his Hierophany body is a hybrid, but we can''t simply say he''s winning."


    Wisdom looked at Hegemonia. "It wasn¡¯t just Neb ying mind games. With three of Sung-Woon''s skills confirmed, Hegemonia will make a move."


    "But now..."


    "We can''t jump to conclusions."


    The yers of the Pantheon watched the y Sung-Woon executed.


    Sung-Woon had summoned dense white stone pirs, forming a circr pattern. These pirs were densely inscribed with ancientnguages, noticeable only to Wizards, serving as both a ritual and a massive magic circle for casting spells.


    It was only when Hegemonia stood in the middle of this magic circle that she realized the nature of the magic.


    -It¡¯s¡­Meteor Shower?


    Hegemonia looked up. Already, several concentric circles had formed in the sky to make one giant magic circle.


    The nearest magic circle in the sky acted as a shield. Known as Meteor, this shield served to reduce the damage of the magic. It was impossible to deactivate this shield and cast the spell at the same time, due to the principle of causal constraints.


    The damage of Meteor couldn¡¯t escape beyond this first magic circle. The role of the second magic circle was to slow down projectiles, also reducing damage like the first, as thews of causality didn¡¯t allow for excessive damage caused by this magic. The third magic circle also prevented the damage from shooting up into the sky. These three magic circles, rather than enhancing the damage from the spell, actually weakened it.


    The fourth magic circle supported the fifth one above, calcting and adjustingplex cosmic coordinates. And the fifth, thest magic circle, was a dimensional gate. The ce connected by this magic circle was not too far in cosmic terms. This gate was linked to the orbit of a ringed within the same star system as the Lost World.


    Normally, it was a grand miracle that would take a grand Wizard tens of days to aplish. But Sung-Woon was the god of magic.


    Ice and rock forming the rings of the passed through the dimensional gate, tearing through the''s atmosphere, and plummeted vertically.


    -...!


    A cosmic downpour, too fast for the eyes to follow, poured down in the targeted area.

 Chapter 255: Starry Night

    Chapter 255: Starry Night


    Giant ice rocks, traveling at kilometers per second, ignored various atmosphericyers and fell like rain.


    ''Since they''re ice chunks falling from the sky, could they be meteorologically ssified as hail?''


    Sung-Woon cast his gaze into the distance for a moment. Though there was some distance to the center of the Rasdasil Ruins, due to severalyers of protective magic circles that warded off the Meteor Shower spell, there seemed to be no significant impact on the outskirts.


    ''Fortunately, it doesn''t seem like the central part of the Rasdasil Ruins was affected, but...''


    Sung-Woon assessed the changes in the terrain brought about by the Meteor Shower.


    In just a few seconds, the area beneath where the ice rocks struck was clouded in dust and steam. The magic circles blocking the Meteor Shower were now starting to dissipate, but the alteredndscape was likely to remain for some time.


    However, these changes didn¡¯t block Sung-Woon''s vision. A Hierophany body''s sight exceeded human visible light, extending to infrared and ultraviolet, naturally corrected for Sung-Woon. Thendscape, as seen through this enhanced vision, showed that the ground where Hegemonia had been standing had sunk by about one hundred meters.


    ''I thought such an attack might impact a Hierophany body...''


    Sung-Woon clicked his tongue lightly.


    In his vision, Hegemonia remained unmoved as she was. It seemed to be a result of Sung-Woon¡¯s magic having no divinity despite him being the god of magic, as well as Hegemonia''s defensive skill, which had not yet been fully revealed.


    ''But this narrows it down a bit.''


    Therefore, Sung-Woon was not surprised when Hegemonia emerged from the pit, apanied by an aurora.


    ''Space Cut to sh through the barrier, Skip to close the distance...''


    A massive white stone pir shot from Sung-Woon''s hand. Though it appeared to be merely projecting mass, the outer surface of this summoned pir was densely inscribed with calctions that a typical Wizard would carefully inscribe during a ritual.


    The moment it came into contact with Hegemonia, the pir split, projecting the light created by that division in all directions. Typical division magic literally turned the target into dust, but Sung-Woon found such magic inefficient. Moreover, such pure magical forms would be ineffective against a Hierophany body sustained by divine power.


    With his understanding of nuclear fission, he knew that attempting to divide a target with division magic consumed too much causality. Magic, like divinity, always evolved to avoid causality constraints. Sung-Woon applied the division magic to the inanimate white stone pir, releasing all constraints imposed by causality while maintaining the massive explosion produced by nuclear fission. Although the uranium content inside the white pir wasn¡¯t substantial due to the limits of causality, it was enough for a localized nuclear strike.


    The first atomic nuclei copsed due to magic, and the energy created by fusion exploded in light, electromaic fields, and heat.


    ''As expected.''


    However, the light did not reach Hegemonia. The rays were twisted and absorbed by an invisible barrier surrounding Hegemonia, extinguished in the process.


    ''...Is it Entropy?''


    Sung-Woon identified it as Entropy, one of the Hierophany body skills in The Lost World. Although it was an excellent defensive skill that blocked various projectiles and attacks, it had a weakness¡ªit consumed Faith points with each attack it blocked, which essentially defeated the purpose of a defensive skill for a Hierophany body.


    Since a Hierophany body could recover as long as there were Faith points, even though Entropy consumed rtively less faith, with Faith points being used for both health and defense when a Hierophany body regenerated, Entropy¡¯s cost wasn¡¯t significantly lower to make it a better choice.


    But regardless, Entropy was a frequently used skill.


    -Realized it, have you?


    Hegemonia spoke and swung her sword, which Sung-Woon blocked. Five sessive sword strikes, all skipped, came almost simultaneously. Given the concerted attack was physically impossible to dodge, Sung-Woon took the hits.


    Sung-Woon''s dummy was ripped apart, and he reappeared at a distance from Hegemonia.


    Sung-Woon thought.


    ''There was a reason for stalling.''


    While Sung-Woon could predict Hegemonia''sbat moves, the overall actions didn''t quite make sense. Considering Hegemonia''s goal, defeating Sung-Woon''s Hierophany body was important, but the primary objective seemed to be invading the central part of the Rasdasil Ruins. Defeating Sung-Woon without copsing the Rasdasil Ruins wouldn¡¯t be a significant gain.


    ''But using that skill means...''


    A feature of Entropy was its ability to umte stacks. In The Lost World, certain types of skills required more than just consuming Faith points. No matter how high the Divinity level, how strong the Hierophany body, or how much Faith points remained, some skills couldn¡¯t be used. These types of skills required an additional resource beyond Divinity, known as stacks. Entropy could umte a stack called thermal energy each time it received an attack.


    The problem was that Sung-Woon couldn¡¯t prevent the umtion.


    ''Entropy stacks even if you do nothing.''


    And Sung-Woon believed he had a rough guess of thest skill Hegemonia would use.


    ''This is troublesome. Even knowing it, I can''t stop it.''


    Hegemonia raised her sword with both hands.


    -Even if you''ve realized it, it''s toote.


    mes burst through the gaps in Hegemonia''s armor. Her armor turned from red to white-hot, and her horned helmet followed suit. From the ashes where the mes burned and disappeared, a gigantic hand emerged.


    Inside the gauntlet around the hand,va flowed, and mes scorched the air, revealing the forearm and shoulder. The giant was enormous, towering over a hundred meters. As the mes fully engulfed it, the giant''s true form was revealed.


    The armor, now cooled to ck, creaked with every movement, making agonized screams from the dead struck by des and war cries from those bathed in blood. The exposed flesh, where the skin seemed torn away, was covered in flowingva. With death, the master of war remained in the form of a skull at the center of the head.


    The skull, entwined inva, kept swaying as if unable to discern the constantly changing situation of the battlefield and the cycle of life and death.


    ¡®Is it Avatar?¡¯


    The skill, known as Avatar or Incarnation, was a kind of transformation skill. While it was a transformation skill, this form went beyond the already formidable Hierophany body, shedding all physical limitations. Due to this, the size could grow to be manageable by the yer, bing almost impermeable to all physical weapons. Unless facing another Hierophany body, it was virtually impossible to fight.


    Most importantly, the form of the Incarnation reflected one of the yer''s chosen Domains. yers could select a few attributes for each Incarnation, but they had to follow existing temtes. Therefore, Sung-Woon immediately recognized what Hegemonia''s Incarnation represented after seeing it.


    ''It''s the Incarnation of war.''


    War itself lifted a sword. It was massive, about 300 meters in length, absurd even considering Hegemonia¡¯s size as an Incarnation.


    -Everything now...


    The speed of the sword swing was skipped.


    -Ends...!


    A crown on top of the head of the Incarnation of Hegemonia exploded in a cross of light. Being enveloped in it would render all resistance futile even for an apostle, but it was merely a signal for using a skill.


    -...Aaaahhhhh!


    From the space sliced open by the Incarnation of Hegemonia, countless soldiers poured out. Hegemonia had split space to create a connection to the Red Land, the Angry One¡¯s Afterlife. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of warriors of various species, either riding beasts or running on foot, rushed toward the Rasdasil Ruins.


    ''A Space Cut considering the summoning skill of the Incarnation of war.''


    Before Sung-Woon could react, Hegemonia¡¯s de struck. Sung-Woon''s dummy shattered, and he reappeared. But Hegemonia''s hand grabbed and burst Sung-Woon. Again, Sung-Woon emerged anew, and this time Hegemonia trampled him. The speed of omission was so fast it seemed as if war had countless arms.


    Sung-Woon counterattacked whenever possible, but war itself appeared to have mastered all battles and battlefields conceptually. Unable tond a significant blow, Sung-Woon checked his Faith points.


    ''Only three percent left?''


    A brief calction ran through Sung-Woon''s mind in a moment.


    Hegemonia, rtively tinypared to Sung-Woon, pointed the tip of her sword at him.


    -At the same time, I will slice through.


    All pre-movements were skipped. Sung-Woon knew ''at the same time'' meant not just himself, but also the Rasdasil Ruins behind him.


    -That''s a problem.


    Before Hegemonia''s de, which only knew slicing, could reach, Sung-Woon stabbed himself in the chest with a dagger. What Hegemonia sliced through was Sung-Woon''s empty shell.


    And Sung-Woon had already moved two kilometers behind in front of the Rasdasil Ruins, leaving his shell. Sung-Woon parried the btedly arriving Space Cut from Hegemonia with his sword. The Space Cut distorted at a close angle, grazing the center of the ruins.


    Countless armies poured towards the Rasdasil Ruins, and war closed the distance of the Red Land''s army''s path in just a few steps, eventually overtaking them.


    -Can''t block anymore!


    Hegemonia''s sword, rushing forward, soared up.


    Sung-Woon also used his fourth skill. His cloak slightly fluttered.


    Hegemonia failed to notice the flutter. She was simply bewildered that she couldn''t skip the sequence of swinging her sword.


    ''What''s this? It''s like...''


    It was like being caught. If held by another yer, one couldn¡¯t use Skip.


    The Incarnation of Hegemonia tried to activate Space Cut, but the de hardly moved. Hegemonia btedly realized that the sky was melting.


    -...This is?


    The sky slowly melted, gently rotated, and flowed. The spreading light was too beautiful. Then it was revealed that the melted sky was just a thin, delicate curtain. In its midst, a being wrapped in the curtain bowed, hood pressed down.


    -...Neb! This is...!


    -Incarnation.


    -But you didn¡¯t¡­


    -I did stack.


    The One Overshadowed by the Sky said,


    -My death and my blood became the offering.


    The One Who Sacrificed Oneself continued.


    -What to stack for bing an Incarnation is up to the yer.


    Hegemonia tried to shout.


    With a skill like Shedding, it was too easy a condition. It didn¡¯t even consume Faith points.


    But strangely, before she could speak and btedly realizing Sung-Woon had the skill Future Sight, Hegemonia heard the Preceding Viewer''s words.


    -So my Incarnation, other than holding you, has no power.


    Before War could retort about how that would even be useful then, the Purposeless One added.


    -And that''s enough.


    War, Hegemonia, realized three truths.


    If all the space above the ground was the sky, then Hegemonia herself was already in the arms of Sung-Woon, and not only Hegemonia but all beings on this earth would be the same, and the third was...


    But the One Who Makes Purpose said.


    -With what little Faith resources remain, it''s difficult to just defeat you. I must sweep away all the apostles and armies of the Angry One.


    Hegemonia felt her mind clearing up. Sung-Woon wanted not just to defeat Hegemonia herself, but aimed for a more perfect victory.


    Then the third truth dawned. Sung-Woon could use the Light of Pasa on anyone he came into contact with.


    -Oh.


    The stars twinkled.


    Constetions slowly moving in the night sky''s shimmered; heroes and greats of the past, those who were ordinary but memorable for their deeds, those who became lessons in other''s lives through unparalleled tragedies, those with sad and happy stories¡ªall lights that people thought were part of themselves¡ªtwinkled.


    The night sky spoke.


    -See you again.


    War was enveloped in light.

 Chapter 256: One Imperfect Empire

    Chapter 256: One Imperfect Empire


    Before the battle of the two gods ended, a small miracle urred in a corner of the Rasdasil Ruins.


    The storm caused by the fight of the two gods flung arge stone, which spun and struck Del''s shoulder. The pin of a grenade was pulled out, and it flew into the air.


    Ramin Solost Muel, with her extraordinary skills, threw a dagger at the grenade. It fell beside Del and didn¡¯t explode. The de had cut the grenade''s fuse.


    "Incredible..."


    Del, the Canine agent, was bewildered and attempted to stab Ramin, but Ramin acted first. She twisted Del''s forearm and bent the de toward Del''s chest.


    "Night Sky will win. Why not surrender?"


    Del''s eyes narrowed. "I always hated that certainty."


    "...Always?"


    "I was born in the Empire. So I know well about faith in Night Sky and the Pantheon."


    Del was strong enough to push the de away.


    Ramin had predicted this, so while Del was focused on pushing the de, Ramin quickly tripped Del off their feet. The moment Del¡¯s back hit the ground, the de slightly pierced Del''s chest and then was pushed back, but couldn¡¯t be pushed back further. Ramin was slowly driving the de in with the weight of her body.


    Ramin provoked Del to distract them. "I knew you were an apostate just by the color of your scales."


    "Apostate?" Del growled. "Both my parents were devout priests of Night Sky, stationed in a pioneering temple on a small ind of the southern continent. The ind still had savage indigenous tribes, and my parents volunteered to bring them to the Pantheon. But... huph!"


    As the de neared Del¡¯s chest again, Del took a deep breath and pushed Ramin off with theirst remaining strength.


    "But the temple was attacked and burned. Until thest moment, they cried out to the gods of the Pantheon, but no one helped. Night Sky''s help only exists in stories. Even when I was captured by those tribes and became a ve, until the armed merchant ships of the Union Kingdom came to the ind, I suffered, and Night Sky never once helped me."


    Ramin wanted to deny this because she had received countless help from Night Sky and the Pantheon. However, she realized that there could be people who hadn¡¯t received such help. In fact, believing that the gods could look after everyone could be a deception itself.


    Even the greatest gods couldn¡¯t care for everyone. Gods were wondrous beings, but they couldn¡¯tpletely correct the world''s injustices. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t surprising or strange that there were some who slipped through the fingers of gods. It was a natural urrence.


    Del said, "My apostasy...is justified."


    Ramin replied in a hoarse voice, "You¡¯re right."


    Despite agreeing, Ramin didn¡¯t stop herself from pushing the dagger further into Del''s chest. Del''s words and actions were valid, but Ramin had to stop them. It was her duty.


    "Unfortunate."


    Ramin¡¯s dagger prated Del''s chest.


    Del grimaced and clenched their teeth. As the de reached Del¡¯s heart, blood spurted from its sharp edge, and Del''s body lost its strength after the second pulse of their heart. It had been a prolonged struggle to push the de an inch in, yet it took not even the time of one breath for the rest of the de to disappear into Del''s chest. Then, the Light of Pasa enveloped the battlefield.


    ***


    [...Afterward, the battle briefly known as the Rasdasil Battle was recorded as one of the most intense battles fought in the narrowest area in history.


    Apostles from both the Empire and the Union Kingdom participated directly and indirectly, and ording to records by the priests involved in the war, almost all gods of the Pantheon interfered in the battlefield simultaneously. Since most battles were known to involve gods only partially, this battle showed its importance to the gods beyond what was visible to mortals.


    The battle that was seen was marvelous in itself. Thergest battles known to each continent took ce during the continental unification wars between the Empire and the Union Kingdom, but the Rasdasil Battle was the first witnessed fight between two Hierophanies, transcending to their essential forms, known as Incarnations. Even before the fight escted to a sh of Incarnations, it had been a colossal battle where mountains rose, peaks crumbled, and stars moved, beyond the reach of even apostles. But this was just a part of arger conflict.


    The Angry One, who manifested as War, brought forth an army from the underworld, and disyed a wonder capable of conquering not just the small area of the Rasdasil Ruins, but entire continents. However, even such a wonder copsed under the divine light brought about by Night Sky. Night Sky''s light swept away not only war incarnate, but also all the apostles of the Angry One.


    What was significant was not the Rasdasil Battle itself, but the world after it. The world, once divided between the Empire and the Union Kingdom, became one. The Union Kingdom dissolved back into its former kingdoms and fell under imperial rule. The separatists, who had been running a rebellion against the Union Kingdom, hadplicated feelings, but aside from a few separatists, everyone epted the Empire¡¯s rule, partly due to the Empire granting some autonomous rights to its territories.


    Many more changes urred. Thest emperor of the Union Kingdom was dethroned, and secrists and atheists gained prominence. The Empire and the Pantheon gained immense authority, but paradoxically existed as the sole authority that faced countless challenges.


    Among many challenges, two small countries in the eastern continent were noteworthy. Sodan Kingdom, a small nation on the eastern continent that the Empire confronted during its unification process, maintained an istionist policy despite the changing world. They resisted to the end, not joining the massive trend of the Empire.


    ording to descendants of Sodan Kingdom, their god, The Silent One, insisted on remaining a solitary entity, despite the Pantheon''s attempts of persuasion, iming that it was their duty to exist independently, regardless of the Pantheon''s good or evil.


    More interestingly, there was the Burein Republic, which had been a republic for a long time and, like the Empire, gathered those who shared their thoughts in various territories across continents. They called their guiding principlemunism.


    Their god, known as The Ever-Moving Machine God, denied private property and argued that all states and races should live in a fair and equal world. This ideology resonated with many, attracting followers regardless of nationality, age, or gender. Particrly, The Ever-Moving Machine God criticized the Pantheon, with its priests iming the Pantheon was the filthy offspring of capitalism and viins who oppressed the marginalized under the guise of freedom. The Pantheon did not deem that much of a response, but eventually, the Burein Republic met a simr fate to the Sodan Kingdom.


    However, there still existed a state not subjugated to the Empire¡ªthe ck Order. This nation, mainlyposed of Deep Ones, has consistently threatened the central continent since the time of the ck Scale Empire¡­]


    An amateur astronomer, a Kobold, Ion, read thements under the post titled Rasdasil Battle and the Subsequent World Situation.


    [Abail: Is the writer a priest of the Pantheon?]


    [StarNight: Enjoyed reading.]


    [BookRmendation: I¡¯m more curious about the Rasdasil Battle. Any book rmendations?]


    [GateOfTheDemonWorld: I rmend Defense of Rasdasil Ruins written by Dordol, the suprememander and apostle of the Pantheon during the battle.]


    [FirstPage: That one is too rigid for beginners. Try Operation Code: Red Land by Lupeni, a transport officer of the Union Kingdom. It''s dramatic and fun.]


    [PointyEars: This post seems a bit biased, but isn''t it mostly factual?]


    [Greenins: I also think with a bit more editing, it could even go into an encyclopedia.]


    [SpearOfTheEmpire: Why is the guy at the top picking a fight? Do they live in the Union Kingdom?]


    [Abail: Are you talking about me? Think logically. If gods are so great, why don''t they get me a job first?]


    [SpearOfTheEmpire: Do you think Night Sky has time to find jobs forzy people like you?]


    [Administrator: Abail and SpearOfTheEmpire, this is a warning. Abail, it''s your second warning, and a third will result in a ban.]


    [SpearOfTheEmpire: "Why me though?]


    [Administrator: It''s a warning for regional discrimination.]


    Ion clicked his tongue.


    ¡®What a mess.¡¯


    The World Dictionary History Forum was a space where interested individuals gathered in Sky Net¡ªan onlinework connecting the entire world¡ªto create an online encyclopedia. Due to the diverse mix of people from various countries and species, the level of writing found on the forum ranged from university lectures to market banter full of crudenguage.


    ¡®Still, it would be nice if even suchments were left.¡¯


    Ion exited the history forum and entered the astronomy forum he had visited earlier to check the post he had made. Ten people had read it, but no one hadmented. The title of the post was simple: Evidence that there are Two Moons.


    Ion clicked on the post intending to review his own writing. The content was straightforward. There were superficially known facts about the moon''s size and its gravitational pull. However, the tidal forces measured through actual observations produced values that seemed inconsistent with the knownposition of the moon.


    In simple terms, the moon was heavier than it appeared. It wasn¡¯t umon for the orbits of revolving satellites to match, and although the difference in values was not significant, the essence of the post was that there could be a second smaller moon behind the existing one.


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    Seeing noments on the post, Ion moved on to search for posts in other forums. The next forum Ion clicked on was the Conspiracy Theory forum.


    ***


    27 years after the conflict in Rasdasil, the number of yers in the Pantheon was now 25. Sung-Woon had revived all the yers that became vassals through Trial points and brought them into their fold.


    There were several reasons for this. Firstly, even if these yers opposed Sung-Woon and his allies, they couldn''t oppose him effectively due to systemic restrictions as members of the Pantheon. Reviving them also meant exerting influence, ensuring social stability by subjugating those who still remembered the gods who became vassals to the Pantheon. And there was, of course, the even more important reason.


    "You were just a college student?"


    "Yes."


    "You could think a bit more about it. Why do you think you came here?"


    "I don''t know, even if you say so..." In front of Sung-Woon, yer Ovenwave trailed off.


    Ovenwave was one of the yers who had opposed Hegemonia until the end, but wasn''t particrly skilled.


    Ovenwave said, "If I had to guess a reason..."


    "Go on."


    "Perhaps it''s because I like this game?"


    Sung-Woon, who thought for a moment, waved his hand dismissively.


    "Go now. We''ll talk moreter."


    "Oh, okay."


    As Ovenwave left, Eldar walked in, passing Ovenwave.


    "Any progress today¡­?"


    "None at all."


    "That''s troubling."


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "We have plenty of time."


    Sung-Woon''s reason for reviving the yers was straightforward. He aimed to gather information from the yers to understand why they had been brought into this game.


    The process was not easy. Reviving yers required trials, and to gather resources for these trials, undiscovered ancient ruins were needed. However, the number of ancient ruins was limited, and Sung-Woon had not yet managed to revive the three yers who had fallen most recently.


    Previously, such mysteries were less important tasks, but not anymore. The only nation yet to be subdued was The ck Order. In the original game of The Lost World, The ck Order would naturally have surrendered, but Sha-Cha, the evil god and ruler of The ck Order, stubbornly resisted from the deep sea.


    ''Sha-Cha, with just a bit more advancement in science and technology, we could capture you. But...''


    Sung-Woon was concerned about something else. Excluding two evil gods and three ordinary yers stored as vassal statues in his inventory, the total number of yers in the Pantheon was 24. Adding Sha-Cha should then bring the total yer count to 25. Yet the system screen Sung-Woon was looking at disyed a different number.


    [Current number of yers: 26.]


    And at the end of the yer list was a yer ID he had never seen before.


    [...


    °X???5?

 Chapter 257: The Fourth Enemy

    Chapter 257: The Fourth Enemy


    At the time of Hegemonia''s downfall, the atmosphere of the Pantheon was good. Though there was Jang-Wan¡¯s sacrifice in the process of acquiring the Large Area, and the damage to the Empire and the Pantheon itself was not insignificant, Hegemonia was the only enemy that posed a real sense of threat.


    Even 27 yearster, this fact hadn''t changed much. Since her fall, the Pantheon had faced three enemies. The first was a yer named Bolt, who was content with exerting influence over surrounding NPC nations from their small region. Sung-Woon referred to this yer as misaeng[1], but Crampus saw it differently.


    "They¡¯re a survivalist.¡±


    ¡°A survivalist?¡±


    ording to Crampus, on Earth, there were people who called themselves survivalists, who believed they should always be prepared for any crisis that mighte their way. This wasn''t just about keeping an umbre handy for rain. In extreme cases, these people would dig shelters in preparation for world-ending scenarios.


    "The yer isn¡¯t simply holding on because defeat isn¡¯t yet set in stone. Look at this data. The import volume of preserved food is abnormally highpared to exports. And what about weapons? They might not seem much from above, but there must be tunnels and bunkers prepared everywhere. What''s the use of fallout shelters before nuclear weapons are even developed? Practicality? You can''t think like that with survivalists. They prioritize such fantasies. We can easily win if we target that."


    Sung-Woon couldn''t help but ask Crampus about his unprecedented advice. "How do you know so well?"


    "Uh, well¡­ Who knows?"


    The Pantheon first proposed a conversation with yer Bolt. The Empire had virtually controlled almost all territories of the four major continents, leaving only a few small NPC states on the first and fourth continents and three yers. There was no need to even mention the NPC states, and Sung-Woon judged that even Sha-Cha¡¯s ck Order had almost no capacity to resist. Therefore, the two yers operating even smaller countries should have already surrendered in the original game. Although there wasn''t a specific rule for this, not doing so would have been branded as bad manners for unnecessarily dragging out y time.


    As a result of the conversation, Bolt dered they would never surrender. This was problematic. Sung-Woon and the Pantheon wanted to win this game, and in The Lost World, there was no rule that automatically dered one as the winner if there was arge enough gap between them and the opponent. There were such rules in games with fewer yers, but not in the regr game with a limit of 32 yers.


    "Why are they doing this?"


    Sung-Woon''s question was valid. Although the country that dominated the surrounding nations couldn''t be considered weak, it was far from being capable of fighting the entire world or even controlling a whole continent. Specifically, the nation upied less than three percent of the First Continent. Without even needing to mobilize the central army from the Second Continent, the forces already on the First Continent were more than enough for an invasion.


    Crampus answered Sung-Woon''s question. "Survivalists want to be thest ones standing."


    "Are they ying the game with different rules than me? In The Lost World, the goal is to be thest one winning, not just surviving."


    "Well¡­you could say that. Apart from the game rules, some people y for their own satisfaction."


    Crampus pointed to Eldar, who was busy eating sherbet from a distance, looking nothing like a god. As Eldar tilted their head and pointed at themself with a spoon, Sung-Woon nodded.


    "I get that, but what''s the benefit of surviving till the end?"


    "Precisely, they believe that someday, when the world ends and everything turns to wastnd, their values will reign supreme."


    "So, they''re people who only wish for world destruction."


    Sung-Woon understood. Then, he utilized all his wisdom to attack Bolt''s nation. The war, not fought with the full might of the Empire,sted longer than expected¡ªabout a week. Sung-Woon defeated yer Bolt¡¯s incarnation using Lakrak and the other apostles, and then Bolt turned into a vassal.


    After the war, Sung-Woon asked Crampus, "So you''re no longer a survivalist?"


    "No, I never was one. And in the hyper-connected society of modern civilization, survivalism is a natural trend. After all, civilization could copse at any time."


    "Hmm."


    "But I can''t just focus on preparing for a future that may or may note while failing to tackle the challenges right in front of me. I realized that rtively early."


    Unlike yer Bolt, who was not particrly strong or troublesome, yer Chistka gave off an ominous vibe from their ID itself. While Bolt''s influence over neighboring NPC nations was typical of a powerful country''s influence over smaller states, Chistka''s country was markedly different. yer Lim Chun-Sik called Chistka crazy, and Sung-Woon somewhat agreed.


    Unlike the revolutionary winds driven by the Empire on the Second Continent, Chistka''s republic had already been established and was aggressively interfering in the internal affairs of neighboring nations. Further scrutiny by the Pantheon revealed that beyond the country, a separate force led by yer Chistka was spread not just in the neighboring states but across the Second and Fourth Continents as well.


    Before the Pantheon could even contact Chistka, Chistka made the first move. It was a revolution, but not just any revolution. It was amunist revolution known as the Second Wind in the history of all continents. This revolution included workers who participated in the first revolution, making it not just a simple division, and its intent was clear.


    Rejecting liberal republicanism and capitalism, the ambition was to usher in a new era ruled by a single party. The beauty of thendscape sung by the Second Wind was such that more individuals were swept up in it than the Pantheon had anticipated.


    However, the Empire was solid. Sung-Woon acknowledged that ying the revolution card was effective and a method he often used, but he thought it needed finer adjustments. He believed that a certain level ofpromise and surrender would make it easier to gain the empathy and support of more people. The timing was also toote. This was partly a matter of Chistka''s capabilities as a yer.


    Although the Empire was somewhat shaken by the Second Wind, both from a military and an ideological standpoint, it managed to recover well. In particr, the assistance of AR1026, who had majored in political science, was significant.


    Ultimately, the final battle was a blitzkrieg surrounding Chistka''s nation on the First Continent. Before the end, Chistka, in their Hierophany body, challenged the Pantheon.


    -Are you going to do the same thing?


    Sung-Woon, using Divine Control to enter a small Goblin boy soldier''s body with Lim Chun-Sik behind him, asked, "The same thing?"


    -Capitalism.


    When Sung-Woon didn''t immediately respond, Chistka continued.


    -Are you going to go down the same path when you know how the 21st century ended?


    "...Uh, well, it wasn''t the end."


    -Resource shortages, religious conflicts, fascism, climate crisis. Everything was heading towards destruction, and we escaped. That was the end.


    Sung-Woon thought deeply about these words with sincerity.


    Then he said, "I don''t agree."


    Chistka, in their giant tank-like Hierophany body, spoke theirst words.


    -How unfortunate. I thought you might understand.


    The battle resumed, and it ended with yer Wisdom''s monomolecr wire tearing Chistka apart.


    Following this, the Pantheon had onest enemy left. The long-fought evil god, Sha-Cha. Although Sha-Cha''s ck Order had asional interactions with Sung-Woon, they shifted their stancepletely after the Empire''s unification of the continent. The Empire''s growth was too strong, despite the existence of another powerful nation, the Union Kingdom.


    As if proving its strength, the Empire did not copse even under the joint attack of the Union Kingdom and other nations, crushing all of Sha-Cha''s coastal forces, effectively blocking the ck Order''s influence on the continent. With no more ess to resources from the continent, the civilization level of the ck Order regressed. They could build ships, but could only rely on their own inds or piracy, unable to maintain a proper army.


    Had Sha-Cha not been an enemy, Sung-Woon would have liked to advise them.


    ¡®Don''t turn everyone into an enemy, even a fake alliance with the Empire would have been better. Then, you could have gained ind bases, increased the diversity of your nation, and developed in more diverse ways. Of course, the Empire would have been prepared, but you wouldn''t have been so powerless. There were more possibilities, after all.¡¯


    Regardless, Sha-Cha was a difficult enemy. The Deep Ones, the main speciesposing the ck Order, could survive not only in the sea, but also in the deep sea. Initially, this fact wasn''t considered significant, but it waster discovered that the Deep Ones were creating civilization-like living spaces in caves deep in the sea. Therefore, while it was easy to attack the Deep Ones at sea or through submarines, there were no means to attack those in the deep sea.


    Moreover, the Krakens, which would have been neutral monsters in the game of The Lost World, fell somewhat under their control. Krakens weren''t invincible against modernized firearms, but were troublesome since they could reside in the deep sea. So, what the Pantheon did was to monitor the ck Order''s waters and wait.


    During this time, the Empire directed human resources generated by the post-war baby boom and the countless surplus resources not consumed by war into development, enjoying unprecedented prosperity.


    Even after the war, the yers'' roles were not over. The gods led the development of each species and continent with their abilities. Electricity was distributed, airnes were invented,munication developed, all units were standardized and systematized, currency stabilized, and resources from wealthy areas poured into less developed regions. Within a few years, the poption increased by over twenty percent, deaths due to hunger dropped to four decimal ces, and basic education was provided equally to almost all regions.


    Then, the nuclear bomb was created. Despite debates within the Pantheon about manufacturing nuclear bombs, they agreed it was the most efficient way to kill the Krakens. After sufficient warnings to Sha-Cha, the first nuclear warhead named Calming the Fury of the Oceans hit Kraken No. 1 in the deep sea.


    Despite the Pantheon''s offer of surrender, the ck Orderunched all-out attacks on the coasts of the Third and Fourth continents, but were brutally defeated by the Empire''s modern weapons. The seas were somewhat contaminated with radiation, but it was not to a level that warranted concern, and the stable pressure of the deep sea meant it wasn''t a big problem.


    With the power of nuclear bombs proven, more clean and smaller nukes were dropped on the remaining Krakens and the suspected bases of the Deep Ones in the deep sea.


    More and more, Deep Ones lost their faith and dered surrender, including high-ranking cardinals of the ck Order. Sha-Cha, in a desperate move, gave up all inds and chose istion.


    Unfortunately, even several nuclear bombings on the suspectedst bases in the deep sea didn''t yield satisfactory results, and concerns about the dangers and fears of nuclear bombs, radiation contamination, and opposition statements from conscientious scientists, climatologists, and environmentalists poured out. The Empire had no choice but to stop the nuclear attacks.


    It was undoubtedly Sha-Cha''s intention, but at first, it seemed like a meaningless dy to Sung-Woon.


    ¡®In a few more years, submarines capable of deep-sea navigation will be built. Does all this matter?¡¯


    After some time, Sung-Woon realized that all this had meaning. One more yer was added to the yer list. °X???5?, the unknown yer Sung-Woon decided to call Jeolyo, was not found anywhere on the entire continent. Despite being clearly included in the total number of yers and appearing on the list, the yer Jeolyo didn¡¯t respond to Whisper Conversations. An unseen enemy was an enemy that couldn¡¯t be attacked, and if attacking wasn¡¯t possible, winning the game was impossible.


    This presented the Pantheon with a new problem. Even if they defeated Sha-Cha, could they defeat the newly emerged Jeolyo? And if they were lucky enough to defeat Jeolyo, would new yers keep appearing in this game? Then was the victory condition of defeating all enemies even achievable? And what did it mean to be a true god after victory?


    These questions wereplex, and no answers were found. Sung-Woon proposed a simple solution.


    "If we can''t find the answer with the people we have, we should gather people who might know the answer."


    The Pantheon gathered archaeologists, explorers, amateur historians, and anthropologists, giving them trials. They were tasked with discovering various ancient ruins that had not been found even as the game approached itster stages. These trials enabled yers to be found and resurrected, but they still didn¡¯t provide the answers.


    ¡®There''s something we''re missing.¡¯


    ***


    Kobold Ion skimmed through the Conspiracy Theory forum. There was nothing particrly interesting, but there was an urban legend frequently mentioned recently. The Parasite Spook. These parasites, known to be about the size of two knuckles of a pinky finger to half a forefinger, depending on the species, supposedly entered a person''s mouth or nose, ate their brain, and then impersonated them. It was a popr spooky story.


    The stories¡¯ protagonists often encountered family members, friends, or lovers who had been out of contact for days, acting strangely and saying things that didn''t make sense, creating a sense of unease. And as such people increased in their surroundings, the fear was that one of these beings might enter their own head next. This was the main plot.


    Of course, these parasites had a weakness. ording to different versions of the story, the parasites couldn''t eat spicy food. Secretly sprinkling spicy sauce on food and feeding it to someone close would force the parasite out of the body through the mouth or nose, ending the story.


    ¡®It''s always the same version. Reposting the same thing over and over.¡¯


    Ion grumbled while checking other posts. He noticed one post that had attracted a lot ofments, indicating some controversy. Ion clicked on it.


    [LiveKindly: Seriously, I''m a Vampire who''s lived over 150 years, okay?]


    [BlueButterfly: There they go again.]


    [MeowCat: LiveKindly, if you''ve lived over 150 years, then I''m Hwee-Kyung who''s lived over 200 years and ascended.]


    [LiveKindly: Hey MeowCat, where do you live?]


    1. The term ''misaeng'' is a Korean Go term used to refer to a stone that has not yet been imed, thus its life or death is undecided. ?

 Chapter 258: Meeting Caution

    Chapter 258: Meeting Caution


    The amateur astronomer, Kobold Ion, was well aware of the ID LiveKindly. A well-known figure in various forums for their fanatical dedication, they were known formitting to the role they invented for themself. ording to their own narrative, they were a Vampire who had lived for over 150 years, which was absurd.


    Up to 50 years ago, Vampires were not considered a mainstream species, even on the central continent where ck Scale was. And this Vampire imed to have lived in the western continent, where the Union Kingdom once existed, implying they survived both the species purge of Vampires and the unification wars.


    Recent research did suggest that Vampires could theoretically live very long, but 150 years was not an insignificant timespan. Simply put, a person''s life was like rolling a dice daily. If a high number came up, they would survive, and roll a one, and they died. The chances of rolling a one were high. For a Vampire, there was the species purge, and at that age, they would have experienced wars, if not, any other idents. Even though Vampires hardly aged, they could still fall ill. If not a fatal disease, umted minor illnesses could lead to weakness and fragility.


    ¡®I would have to do the math to be sure, but even for a Vampire, surviving to that age seems less likely than getting struck by lightning.¡¯


    Ion doubted they were really a Vampire. After Vampires became one of the mainstream species, massacres against them stopped, but Vampires still faced social discrimination and prejudice for their need to consume the blood of other species. While open discrimination had reduced due to consistent social movements advocating for their rights, it was widely believed that Vampires still faced prejudice in the shadows.


    Also, there was the concept of reproduction rights among Vampires. Since Vampires couldn¡¯t have children, they created other Vampires through a process called embracing, which involved biting someone''s neck and injecting a toxin into their bloodstream, but Vampire reproduction without official permission was strictly illegal. Reproduction rights were scarce, as Vampires needed to umte significant public merits to obtain them. Therefore, the probability of a real Vampire being among the youth frequenting Sky Net was extremely low.


    ¡®Whether this person is a Vampire or not isn''t even the important issue.¡¯


    Even if one were to ept all aspects rted to being a Vampire, there was another problem. This so-called Vampire imed not only to be a Master Swordsman, but also to be a secret teacher of Master Swordsmen.


    While gun possession was illegal in many parts of the Empire, many regions allow sword carrying for self-defense and environmental preservation, as there were ancient monsters in various ces. Sport swordsmanship using blunt swords was already an international sport.


    International swordsmanship organizations and the Swordsmanship Federation, which epassed realbat swordsmanship schools from all continents, granted the title of Master Swordsman to the highest-ranked instructors. There were less than twenty Master Swordsmen worldwide, renowned for their ability to slice bullets with their swords. It was unlikely that these Master Swordsmen would need a teacher.


    ¡®A bit too much exaggeration there.¡¯


    Even if that wasn''t the case, LiveKindly was known for posting fantastic stories about having met someone who died and went to the Pantheon, encountering apostles of the Pantheon, and even having conversations with the gods when they were bored. These tales often led to usations of sphemy from devout believers and criticism from secrists as being overly religious. However, since they didn''t cause major disturbances or use harshnguage, the administrators usually just temporarily banned them from the specific forum, after which LiveKindly would pop up again in some unrted forum.


    ¡®Now they just had to be in the Conspiracy Theory forum¡­¡¯


    Ion opened another window and checked the Fencing forum, where LiveKindly was usually active. There, Ion saw posts like so:


    [Please take away the 150-year-old Vampire Master Swordsman from our forum]


    [Nope, we don¡¯t ept returns]


    [They¡¯re on a 15-day ban]


    [Why?]


    [They got reported for fraud after giving unsolicited advice to someone trained by an actual Master Swordsman]


    Ionughed and returned to the Conspiracy Theory forum. The post by LiveKindly, passionately defending themself, was still getting the most views andments. In a way, the very existence of LiveKindly seemed like a conspiracy theory fitting for the forum.


    ¡®What else to read¡­¡¯


    Although Ion was interested in the Parasite Spook, the Conspiracy Theory forum was filled with intriguing posts. He particrly enjoyed those written by secrists.


    Secrism, especially active on the western continent where the former Union Kingdom was located, had developed significantly in recent decades. It was aprehensive field epassing religion, politics, philosophy, and ethics. While most supporters weren¡¯t schrs, they supported it for various reasons, and on the western continent, secrists were as numerous as those who believed in the Pantheon.


    After the Union Kingdom and its god, the Angry One, attacked the Rasdasil Ruins and failed to return after defeat, people were divided into roughly three groups at the sudden disappearance of their god.


    One group was the waiters for the Angry One. Even at that time, some gods of the central continent had returned, and their followers had received rewards. Especially since the Pantheon led by Night Sky had restored the gods previously vanished by the Angry One, there was heightened expectation for theireback. A significant portion, about one-fifth of the western continent''s poption, believed in their eventual glorious return. However, the number of waiters gradually decreased over time, with many moving to the other two groups.


    One of these groups was the followers of the Pantheon. If the Angry One was to return within the Pantheon, then faith in the Pantheon would be no different from faith in the Angry One. The Tailless species that experienced the revolution led by the Pantheon couldn¡¯t help but have a generally favorable view of it. The leaders of the Pantheon''s revolutionary faction, represented by Hwee Juran Muel, embraced the new religion without much difficulty, upying two-fifths of the western continent.


    The other two-fifths were secrists, who felt disillusioned by the gods'' battles, especially after the decisive battle at the Rasdasil Ruins. Though the strategic objective of the Rasdasil Ruins was known, it wasn''t directly rted to the lives of mortals. It was merely a goal for the victory of the gods.


    Despite the Empire''s generous and smooth post-war handling, many were fed up with all these battles, believing it was time to achieve everything solely with mortal effort. Revolutionary Sarcho, a representative figure of the secrists and the current chairman of the highest council on the western continent, raised doubts in their writings whether all of civilization was created for mortals or forcibly for the victory the gods spoke of. Many priests and schrsmented on this question, and it remained unresolved, but it was enough to provoke hidden secrists.


    Particrly, after a series of events on the western continent, the Empire failed to suppress the secrist revolutionaries, essentially allowing secrism. This was considered a victory for secrism against the Pantheon, uniting secrists outside the western continent. Although a minority suggested that even the existence of secrism could be the Pantheon''s intention, it was seen as spective. Who would nurture their own enemy?


    Ion also considered himself leaning closer to secrism.


    ¡®Look at those stars. Night Sky and his Lizardmen followers named them as they wished. But it''s been revealed that the universe is much wider and grander. Even though the Pantheon is great, it''s just a small part of the world.¡¯


    Of course, Ion didn''t entirely dislike the Pantheon, having grown up with stories of its heroes and apostles, and illustrations of Night Sky¡¯s creations, which somewhat influenced his dream of bing a scientist. In Ion''s hometown, Kamairu, there were still tin statues of Sratis and other guardians of Night Sky on his desk. Even though stic models weremon now, the tin statues from Ion¡¯s childhood were the best. One of them, a gold-ted Lakrak statue, was a limited edition and a subtle source of pride. Ion intended never to sell it, wishing to be buried with it when he died.


    Ion, after discussing various topics including serial posts about a mad swordsman killing people in the dark streets of Orazan, the dangers of posting secrets on Sky Net due to surveince by intelligence agencies, and a secrist''s post titled The World Might Just Be a Game, suddenly remembered his own post and returned to the Astronomy forum he had published the post in.


    "Huh?"


    The Kobold Ion, looking at the monitor, let out a short sound from his mouth. There were three newments on his post, Evidence of Two Moons. Ion briefly looked down at the neon-lit night streets of Orazan, took a sip of his strawberry-vored soda from the can, and scrolled down.


    [FineThreadOfBindingGod: It seems like the author might not fully understand, but the moon''s size and weight have already been verified. The im about discrepancies in tidal forces seems too exaggerated. Maybe reading other schrs'' work on this would be beneficial.]


    The firstment, while not a criticism, didn''t sit well with Ion. Ion felt annoyed by thementer''s assumption that his knowledge was lesser due to being an amateur astronomer and that he was merely echoing mainstream academic opinions, which he had already read extensively.


    ¡®Just because it''s not a mainstream opinion doesn''t mean it''s pseudo-science.¡¯


    Before responding, Ion decided to read the nextment, as Ion thought his reply could get long.


    ¡ºRedButterfly: Interesting, but shouldn¡¯t this be in the Conspiracy Theory forum?]


    Ion snorted and moved on to thestment.


    ¡ºOboren: I enjoyed reading your post ^^ Could you check your messages for a question?]


    Ion was momentarily taken aback. If this Oboren was the same as the one Ion knew, then it was a schr working with the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, a prominent figure in the field of astronomy.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t really be the Oboren¡­right?¡¯


    Ion reasoned that it was unlikely for someone to impersonate the schr. The knowledge and specifics necessary to convincingly pose as a schr would require thorough research and familiarity with astronomical journals, and moreover, there was no apparent reason for someone to impersonate a schr from a field that wasn¡¯t too popr.


    Ion cautiously checked the message.


    [Evidence of Two Moons was an interesting read. I am Lide Oboren from the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency. The topic you''ve posted is also under meticulous review by our agency. Your approach, especially the calctions using tidal force discrepancies, caught my interest, and felt it was worth sharing with our colleagues. However, I have some questions that aren¡¯t clear from just reading the post, and Sky Net isn''t the best ce for in-depth discussions. Would you be willing toe to the agency to present your findings? I would appreciate it.]


    ¡®M¡­me presenting at the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency?¡¯


    Before Ion could think more about it, Ion had eagerly replied that he would do so. Soon after, Ion received another message from Lide.


    [Thank you for your prompt response. It seems you haven''t registered as a member of the academic society yet, but I can help you contribute to the next issue of Night Sky Academic Journal. Let''s discuss the details over the phone. Here¡¯s my contact information¡­]


    Ion, who had been working a temporary job delivering food after graduation, quit his job immediately. The owner of the soup kitchen, though pretty sad, was genuinely happy for Ion after hearing he had achieved what they wanted to do.


    "Your efforts have paid off. It seems Night Sky himself has paved the way for you."


    Though Ion coughed awkwardly, he didn''t outright deny it in front of the owner.


    On the appointed day, Ion headed to a rundown building in Orazan, the city of self-reflection. Although the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency building Ion knew of was massive and located on the outskirts of Orazan, Ion learned that this building housed the publishing office for the Night Sky Academic Journal. Lide told Ion they had chosen this location for the convenience of transportation.


    Lide said through the phone, "The schrs of the agency prefer to meet here privately rather than at the official building.¡±


    Ion was happy as it seemed like an insider detail known only to the agency''s schrs.


    As the appointed time arrived, Ion checked his digital wristwatch and looked around the street. The meeting was scheduledte in the evening after the schrs finished their work, and the streets were mostly deserted.


    ¡®Has no one arrived yet?¡¯


    Then a Human, wearing a hat low on their face and a coat, approached Ion. Since they came directly toward Ion, Ion was sure this person was here to meet him. Although Lide was a woman and not a man, anyone could be sent to guide Ion.


    "Uh, are you...?"


    The man stopped a short distance away where having a conversation would be difficult.


    "Are you Ion Iolkaf?"


    "Yes, that''s me."


    The man then pulled out a gun from his coat.


    Ion froze at the sight of the gun. Ion reflexively raised his hands, and couldn''t even think about fleeing the spot.


    ¡®A robber? No, no, he knows my name¡­¡¯


    As Ion shut his eyes tight, a gunshot was heard.


    Bang!


    ¡­ng!


    The gunshot was followed by a strange metallic sound.


    Ion opened his eyes. A Human woman stood with her back to Ion, holding a sword.


    Ion, realizing he was unharmed, was surprised and asked, "W...what about the bullet?"


    Ramin Solost Muel replied, "Sliced."

 Chapter 259: The Sky鈥檚 Nest

    Chapter 259: The Sky¡¯s Nest


    Ion Iolkaf was bewildered by the events unfolding before him.


    Ion¡¯s hometown, Kamairu, was still known for its silk production, a regional specialty. While the world changed drastically every five or ten years, Kamairu had yet to see a single skyscraper. Therefore, Ion left the task of feeding mulberry leaves to silkworms and moved to the city of Orazen, seeking new opportunities.


    Sericulture was still a profitable business, as the fashion industry''s boom had kept silk a luxury product, despite the advent of polyester and factory-made fabrics. Ion¡¯s parents had hoped Ion would continue the family business, but they didn''t object when Ion expressed his desire to study. They even supported Ion.


    "It''s a joy that you''re interested in a noble field like astronomy. Although in the past, the Starcatcher..."


    Of course, Ion, being a secrist, wasn''t entirely pleased with such a form of support. Ion wanted to study science to prove that the world didn''t need gods, especially not ancient powers like magic. Ion believed that although the Pantheon and Night Sky had significantly influenced science and technology, the pious and romanticized portrayals of gods did not help the revtion of clear scientific truths.


    Upon arriving in the self-reflecting city of Orazen, Ion was amazed. Orazen, a fusion of the capital of ck Scale and the ancient region known as Automation, had be a vast metropolis. Automation, an ancient ruin and a key yer during the Rasdasil Ruins battle, was as valuable as the fallen and now restored Sky Castle of the former Union Kingdom.


    A unique feature of Automation was the automatons. The lords of Automation had always possessed the ability tomand these automatons, which were initially just mud dolls capable of basic tasks, primarily restoring the earthen Automation.


    However, archaeologists and Wizards discovered that Automation harbored a far greater power. It was programmable, and the mud dolls and earthen materials were nothing but basic input values. The lords, realizing the potential, began using more valuable materials to enhance Automations''s growth. After mud came wood, then stone, and eventually cement, and when Automation was being called Automation because of its self-evolving nature, modern materials like steel and concrete, which were still the best resources for architecture till present day, were used.


    With the active support of the capital, Orazen, the mixed-material dolls began building architectures with steel and concrete, transforming Orazen into a city of skyscrapers that couldn¡¯t be found anywhere else in the world.


    In such a metropolis, species from all over the world hade and settled down, and there wasn¡¯t a day when the city wasn¡¯t bustling with activities. Fashion trends spread from one end of the city to the other and disappeared within days, celebrities captivated everyone''s hearts before vanishing, organized crime thrived in the back alleys, and various old nobles and new entrepreneurspeted for power. Wizards plotted in the shadows, and apostles appeared to resolve incidents and then disappeared, making the city seem like a living organism.


    Ion, who enrolled in the Central Observatory College of Orazen, was astounded by all sorts of events he could never have imagined back in the countryside. Each day was filled with fascinating gossip, as well as plenty of amusements and things to do.


    With money sent from their parents in his hometown, Ion roamed clubs with new friends, indulged in drinking, got into disputes, woke up in police stations, and rushed to sses the next day. Ion got deeply involved in video games for months, received academic warnings, experienced intense love affairs and breakups, and eventually set off on a walking journey to the southern continent. After his vibrant youth, Ion graduated without achieving notable grades or writing a proper thesis like he had dreamed of. Central Observatory College of Orazen was never a trivial ce, so Ion''s level at the time of his graduation was not enough even to dream about penning a paper.


    Ion came to his senses right after graduation. Ion was unable to find a job or engage in serious academic pursuits. Not wanting to return to his hometown, Ion lived day by day, earning just enough for daily expenses. Ion knew that returning home meant he could take over the family business, so he wouldn¡¯t be leading a bad life per se, but Ion believed there was still a chance to achieve something. Ion then developed a genuine passion for astronomy btedly.


    The autobiographical work of Simo, known as the mother of electricity, helped Ion reaffirm his resolve. Simo, a great Xolotl inventor and engineer of the eastern continent, became famous for spreading electricity across the continent, starting out as a street inventor until she overcame numerous challenges and attracted investment.


    The war over the electric patent rights in Polivia seemed to favor the Union Kingdom, but with its defeat, the Itimo family, Simo''s patrons, took control. Electricity became the property of the Empire and the Pantheon, and Simo became known as a great inventor following in the footsteps of Madman Toolbo.


    Though in a different field, Simo''s story inspired Ion into action. During the day, Ion worked as a temporary delivery food worker riding a motorcycle, and at night, he refined his theories by reading papers on topics that interested himself. Of course, Ion also spent time on the World Dictionary Forum, but this was a better use of his timepared to before. Ion believed his encounter with a renowned schr like Lide Oboren was a result of such efforts.


    ¡®But was that not the case¡­?¡¯


    It was a dangerous situation, but as Ion¡¯s life was saved for now, Ion fell into thought. Ion couldn''t understand what was happening; what he knew was that he felt a sense of betrayal that his efforts were meaningless.


    "What are you doing? Get down!"


    Ramin quickly turned around and kicked Ion''s leg with lightning speed. Ion fell backward and thought, ¡®You told me to get down but immediately kicked me down!¡¯


    But Ramin''s judgment was correct. The assant, knowing he couldn''t hit both Ion and Ramin, set his pistol to rapid-fire. Ramin knew that in such situations, it wouldn¡¯t be wise to slice or deflect bullets, but if a pistol''s slide retreated repeatedly, it raised the muzzle.


    ¡®I know that model. Firing rapidly, the chance of hitting the target is higher. If the magazine is fully loaded, it''s seventeen shots.¡¯


    Ramin crouched down and charged at the assant. She rolled midway, and the assant aimed the gun, but Ramin was faster.


    Crack!


    Ramin''s de sliced diagonally across the assant''s hand, severing fingers and palm, which flew into the air along with the gun. The assant screamed in pain as Ramin''s kicknded on his jaw, knocking him unconscious. Ramin then untied a rope from her waist and tied up the assant''s severed hand to stop the bleeding.


    Then Ramin said into her walkie-talkie, "Situation over."


    Ion, stuttering, asked "Wh¡­who are you?"


    ¡°LiveRightly.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    "I thought I was somewhat famous, but you don''t know..."


    Ion couldn''t make the connection between Ramin and the notorious user of the World Dictionary Forum. It wasn''t something to boast about despite Ramin calling it fame, so it was natural for Ion not to make the connection.


    Realizing this, Ramin reluctantly took out her ID from her uniform pocket.


    Ion''s jaw dropped in surprise and murmured, "I¡­intelligence Agency?"


    ***


    At the Pantheon meeting, the issue at hand was acknowledged by Neb as an unknown and unknowable issue.


    "Let''s start from the beginning then."


    The world had beplex and immensely diverse. Even if all the vassal yers released by the Pantheon were mobilized, there were limits to the areas they could cover.


    "These are premises. The first is that a yer called Jeolyo exists. As long as we don''t question the system, this is an unshakeable fact."


    While the game and its rules were being shaken by the appearance of a nonexistent yer who could be called an evil god, it was hard to say that the system, the foundation of the game, was faltering. If the system was trusted, then the yer °X???5?, referred to as Jeolyo for simplicity¡¯s sake, certainly existed.


    "The second premise is that an evil god alwayses with a new species."


    In the cases of the Third Continent''s Jeol Woo-Bi, the First continent''s Bwel, and the southern ocean''s Sha-Cha, the evil gods that have appeared so far had alwayse with a new species. This wasn''t an absolute rule, but without this premise, finding Jeolyo would be too difficult. Abandoning this premise meant searching for a new methodology, so for now, this premise had to be maintained.


    "The third premise is that despite searching the whole world, we still haven''t found Jeolyo¡¯s species."


    Investigations into new species continued. Groups of explorers searched areas that hadn''t been thoroughly explored yet. However, even decades ago, there were virtually nonds people hadn¡¯t set foot on.


    The Pantheon had agreed that finding more such ancient relics, in search of means to release yers from their vassals, would be difficult.


    To this, Wisdom replied, "Neb, if we ept all these premises, that Jeolyo exists, Jeolyo''s species exists, and they haven''t been discovered in all observablends, then the conclusion is simple.¡±


    "Thanks for the quick response as always.¡±


    After a formal gesture of ''no problem'', Wisdom continued, "Jeolyo''s species must be one that can hide from our sight."


    "Systematically?"


    "Possibly."


    "Biologically?"


    "Possibly."


    Wisdom pondered for a moment and then muttered, "They might have surpassed what we think of as a species."


    "Imagination is needed here."


    The matter was now passed to the hands of the 23 yers, excluding Neb and Wisdom, densely packed in the first conference room. The yers each imagined what Jeolyo''s species could be. Most ideas were epted and added to the list of theories.


    After much discussion, Sung-Woon said, "Let''s find ways to uncover these hidden species. Any good ideas?"


    HumanTracker, with the unique upation of a private detective, drew attention among the yers. However, their reticence and preference for solitude meant that revealing their upation for the first time did not create much of a stir afterward.


    HumanTracker began to speak quietly, "There was once a chat app sold that imed to offerplete security. It couldn''t be installed on officially purchased smartphones, only on those sold in the ck market by the app''s manufacturer. Using the app left no trace on the server, so numerous criminals like drug dealers, human traffickers, and illegal arms dealers paid high fees to use it. The app was sold for about two years, and its manufacturer made a considerable profit. Do you know who made that app?"


    As the question was asked in a manner that made it clear an answer wasn¡¯t wanted, or perhaps because HumanTracker thought no one knew, they continued, "The manufacturer was Interpol. The police conducting international cooperative investigations had created and sold this smartphone app, leading to the arrest of many criminals with clear evidence¡­ Do you understand the lesson of this story?"


    Sung-Woonughed, "I like it."


    He then projected a screen.


    "We don''t have smartphones yet, but we do have a space for secretive conversations."


    Sung-Woon pointed to a building. In a massive building at the northern edge of the Third Continent was the world''srgest data center, designed to maintain Sky Nest, a vastwork connecting the world.


    Though it maintained neutrality given its global span, it was distinctively religious¡ªwhich was unfortunate for Ion, as there were still more scientists who were Pantheon followers than secr scientists in the world.


    Sung-Woon said, "So, let''s see if the Empire¡¯s Intelligence Agency can do what we want."

 Chapter 260: Listening to the Circumstances

    Chapter 260: Listening to the Circumstances


    In the darkness.


    [...Have we been discovered?]


    [Not yet. They probably can''t even imagine it.]


    [We''ve lost ¡ö and ¡ö¡ö¡ö, and ¡ö¡ö is in grave danger.]


    [But it''s not over yet. There''s still hope.]


    [That guy''s a monster. How did they manage to bring someone like that?]


    [Don''t be too afraid.]


    [I''m worried about you.]


    A brief silence.


    [...Wait until I send the signal.]


    [Alright. Stay safe until then.]


    ***


    Ion Iolkaf thought.


    ''It''s over.''


    Ion was currently at the headquarters of the Intelligence Agency, located in the vast inner pce of Orazen, the capital of the Empire.


    Since the end of the war with the Union Kingdom, the Intelligence Agency had reduced their notoriety by dessifying past confidential materials, but it was still not known for its virtuosity. Although the world had practically unified into one nation, it was a popr opinion that the social structure and sses had gone through many changes, especially in the past 20 years or so, that it resulted in the Intelligence Agency not bing weaker, but more covert and intricate.


    The Intelligence Agency was rumored to be so powerful that it didn''t even listen to the Emperor''smands, following only the direct orders from the Pantheon, which indicated the immense authority and influence that the agency wielded.


    Next to Ion, Ramin chattered. There was no telling if she was aware of Ion''s state of mind.


    "It looks like we''ll have some time. What should we do? Should we go to the basement first?"


    ¡°Oh no, the infamous underground torture chamber of the Intelligence Agency headquarters..."


    "Uh...our agency''s basement is actually a cafeteria. You haven''t eaten, right?"


    "Can I eat with my mouth?"


    "Mostly? ...Were Kobolds ever able to eat with other openings besides the mouth?"


    The Intelligence Agency''s basement was designed to allow people to take whatever they wanted on food trays prepared at mealtimes. Despite it being dawn, quite a few people were there. And contrary to expectations, the ce was bright, spacious, and clean, with excellent food, which would have made for a pleasant meal elsewhere. But Ion waspletely out of it, that if questioned, he wouldn¡¯t be able to say whether he was shoving food in his mouth or his nose.


    ''Oh no, is this myst supper?''


    Ramin, somewhat aware of how others viewed the Intelligence Agency, had made an effort to ease the tension. After eating, they even stopped by a famous tea franchise attached to the headquarters and went up with a cup each. However, when they entered the office with a good view, Ion looked as exhausted as someone who had been interrogated for days.


    "Did you scare someone again?" Gorgota Falu chided Ramin when they saw Ion¡¯s face.


    "No, not at all!"


    "Really?"


    "Of course."


    "You''re not just using the Intelligence Agency''s misconceptions to needlessly administer fear and intimidate, are you?"


    "How old do you think I am?"


    "You were doing just that until a few months ago."


    "People change."


    "If you weren''t like that, please don¡¯t change anymore."


    Gorgota Falum could be considered Ramin¡¯s long-time partner. Until a few years ago, Gorogta was active in the field, but now that they were no longer young, they were overseeing internal affairs. Although to a lesser extent than Lizardmen, Frogmen¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t urately reflect their age. Still, Gorgota¡¯srge build and the wrinkles on the neck would inform those familiar with the species their age.


    "Why does his face look like that if you didn''t scare him?"


    "It must be because it''s dawn."


    Gorgota waved their hand and gave up their seat to Ion.


    "Please, have a seat, Ion Iolkaf."


    "I''ll stand!"


    "Please sit."


    "Right, sorry!"


    Ion sat stiffly on a chair prepared for smaller species.


    Gorgota asked, "Do you know why you were brought to the Intelligence Agency, Ion?"


    "Ah, well...that is..."


    Ion, pondering, thought he hadn''t done anything bad enough to be brought to the Intelligence Agency. Ion may have lived his youth recklessly, but he hadn¡¯tmitted any crimes.


    ''...Well, there were some...''


    They were mostly minor offenses like public urination, loud disturbances, or brawls, usually resolved with a warning. Obviously, the problem must¡¯ve been rted to the assant he had recently encountered.


    "I don¡¯t know anything about that person!"


    "We know that too."


    "Pardon?"


    Gorgota shrugged and said, "It¡¯s well-known outside as well. Our Intelligence Agency has the capability to ess most information on Sky Net. Some people call it illegal surveince or eavesdropping but..."


    That sounded strange to Ion, as he had only seen such topics on the Conspiracy Theory forums.


    Ramin interjected and said, "It is illegal surveince. It¡¯s written in the Empire¡¯s Law not to do so."


    "For significant matters threatening the Empire, there are exceptions."


    "That''s too broad an interpretation."


    "Agent, you''re not going to spend all day debating this with me again, are you? Let''s leave what''s right to thewyers and politicians to decide¡­ Anyway, whether you talk about this matter or not, Ion, is not very important."


    "Oh, okay."


    "We are keeping an eye onmunities we consider important and are tracking the rtionships that form within them. And the person impersonating the schr Lide Oboren using the ID Oboren was someone we were particrly cautious of. They belonged to a radical secrist secret group called the Power of Reality. We were surprised when they suddenly made contact with you, as our observations showed no connection between you and such groups."


    "That''s right! I don''t know anything."


    Gorgota nodded.


    "Of course, we know that you are a secrist, or hold a view close to that. Secrism itself isn''t bad. You might not know, but the Pantheon and the gods don''t view secrism that negatively, and theologians and priests tend to have a positive view of it."


    "...Really?"


    "Regardless of that fact, secrists are obsessed with increasing their numbers, especially the secret organizations."


    Ion was aware of the radical secrists. Most secrists belonged to the moderate group or hadparatively conciliatory aspects, but some secrists insisted that the Pantheon must be overthrown immediately. The central, eastern, and southern continents were rtively okay, but in the western continent, where many people had memories of the Union Kingdom, priests were often killed orrge secrist radical groups were frequently taken down. In fact, these incidents seemed to be increasing.


    "So initially, we thought the Power of Reality was trying to recruit you, but that wasn''t the case. If it weren''t for the agent who was free at the time, your survival would have been difficult. We never thought you would be attacked."


    "Oh, thank you."


    Ion finally realized his life had been saved and nodded gratefully to Ramin.


    Ramin smiled and waved her hand.


    Gorgota said, "The actual problem is this... We don''t know why you were attacked."


    "Oh."


    "Do you really have no connection with the Power of Reality or other secrist groups?"


    "That¡¯s right.."


    "Think a little more before answering. Could there have been members of such groups around you, even if you didn''t contact them recently? We know you attended university and met many people. We can look into Sky Net and find out about your university department, and with a little more investigation we will know more about your surroundings, but we don''t know everything about you."


    "Right..."


    "We believe that even if you are a secrist, you distance yourself from those who intend to harm others in pursuing their beliefs. Could you help us?"


    Ion began to stutter as he talked. Ion really didn''t think of or suspect anyone like that. A senior''s words, or memories of close schoolmates, juniors, or professors making inuratements or mentioning such people came to mind. More than an interrogation, it was like reminiscing about school days, to the extent that Ramin even joined in, sharing her student days stories, until Gorgota intervened and stopped her.


    "Oh, um, I hope what I said won''t cause them any trouble..." Ion trailed off.


    "It doesn''t seem like it will. They sound like good people. We''ll browse through the records as usual, but I don''t think there will be any major issue."


    "That third person you dated didn''t seem too good, did they?" Ramin butted in.


    "Do we really need to bring up their dating history now? And in my opinion, Ion also had some faults."


    "Can we not talk about that?"


    Gorgota said, "Let''s approach this from a different angle. Have you ever done anything that might have attracted the attention of secrists?"


    "I''m not sure...."


    "Even a slight suspicion is fine."


    Ion hesitated before saying, "I''ve actually been thinking about something since earlier. Personally, I think it''s the most rational exnation."


    "Great, let¡¯s hear it."


    "It''s unfortunate that the person wasn''t Lide Oboren, but could they have disguised themself as Lide Oboren to meet people like me, I mean, those studying astronomy in non-mainstream fields, right?"


    "Uh..."


    "So, could it be that this secrist group called The Power of Reality was actually very interested in my research..."


    "Hmm."


    "...You don''t see it that way at all."


    Gorgota said calmly, "Honestly, we''re not experts in that field, but we don''t hold high regard for researchers who conduct studies without being affiliated with a formal institution."


    "Oh, right..."


    "You did graduate in the rted field but didn''t pursue postgraduate studies or work at any research institutions."


    "That''s right."


    "I''ve read your post, but itcked the coherence a typical thesis should have, with weak citations and too much subjectivity to be considered an objective research paper."


    "...I see."


    "So, it seems unlikely that..."


    Then, Ramin interrupted, "But isn''t that all we have?" Ramin continued, "My teacher always said to keep things as simple as possible. If we don''t know the exact details, we have to draw conclusions based on what we do know. Ion''s writing might not have been the best, but it could still have elicited a response."


    "Are you saying the moon''s mass being different from what we think holds significance for them?"


    "We don''t know that," Ramin replied, patting Ion on the shoulder. "Besides, I found it quite interesting to read. You write well. The sentences are rhetorical but powerful."


    Ion coughed awkwardly at the unexpectedpliment.


    Gorgota crossed their arms and swiveled their chair around to look out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Soon, Gorgota turned back around.


    "We''ll conduct an interrogation and other investigations, but approaching it from this angle doesn''t seem like a bad idea. The Intelligence Agency is always busy and short-handed, but..."


    "We have capable agents like me."


    "Let''s go with that. You take charge of this."


    "Yes, sir."


    "Do you have any ideas?"


    "We''ll use the method we often resort to."


    ¡°Ion, you''ll have to help us. Since you''ve quit your delivery job, you''ll have some time on your hands."


    "Huh? Me?"


    "I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be too displeased to help."


    It wasn''t just a matter of not being displeased. It was incredible luck.


    The next day, Ion and Ramin arrived at the very Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency headquarters that Ion had longed to visit.

 Chapter 261: Stirring Fate

    Chapter 261: Stirring Fate


    "My goodness, why am I here?"


    Ramin looked at Ion with content as Ion gazed around the main building of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency with wide eyes. Since Ramin had already exined sufficiently, Ion Iolkaf''s questions were merely exmations.


    Ramin''s idea was simple. If the secrist group the Power of Reality was indeed interested in Ion''s post, they would be worried of Ion¡¯s research bing widely known. Therefore, Ramin nned to visit research institutions like the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency and the Central Observatory College of Orazen to get Ion''s research some exposure.


    Even though secrism was spreading and Ion''s ideas had no practical value, considering the cause of the Empire and the Intelligence Agency, they would take it seriously and provide some support. Moreover, Ramin had enough connections to put such a n into action. Having survived for a long time had its advantages.


    Ramin arranged a meeting for Ion with the real Lide Oboren. Lide was a Yeti, simr to her cousin species, the Sasquatch. Both were tall and covered in thick fur. Like other species, civilized Yetis paid attention to fashion, so Lide¡¯s fur was well-groomed without any tangles or dirt, and she wore traditional essories. Ion also had a Sasquatch school junior who visited a hair salon weekly.


    Ion, who was a Kobold with no fur and was on the shorter side, always felt intimidated when meeting species so different from him. Lide, who seemed well aware of how her species was perceived in civilized society, greeted Ion with a soft and gentle voice.


    Surprisingly, Lide Oboren recognized Ion. "I remember you asking enthusiastic questions when I lectured at the Observatory College of Orazen, and even this paper is good. It needs some academic refinement, but the perspective is fresh. I know a professor interested in this topic, an expert in ancient astronomy. I can give you their contact information and rmend some papers if you like."


    Lide, a senior researcher, was positive about Ramin''s n.


    "I''m not sure if they''re really interested, but there will be an academic conference on rted topics. Just your invitation to the conference will attract attention."


    "Ah, a special invitation?"


    "Yes."


    Ion''s mouth dropped open. "A special invitation!"


    "Well, the invitation is just a formality... The presenters are already decided, so you won''t have a chance to present. Is that alright?"


    "Of course! It''s an honor!"


    The n proceeded as expected.


    Ramin was in charge of the security of the conference, which was promoted more extensively than its original scope. Those not interested wouldn''t find anything unusual, but if the Power of Reality was paying attention, they would surely be wary of Ion.


    But unfortunately for Ramin, nothing unusual happened. The conference proceeded as nned, and Ion, as instructed, did not make any conspicuous actions but quietly sat through it and returned. During the conference, the Intelligence Agency secretly monitored the attendees, but no suspicious or dangerous individuals appeared.


    After the conference, Ion said to Ramin at the back of the conference hall, "Nothing happened."


    "That''s good."


    "Weren''t you hoping for something to happen? Since you set a trap."


    "Well, just because I have my suspicions doesn''t necessarily mean that they''re guilty. Of course, I consider the Power of Reality a dangerous group and will continue to be vignt, but we shouldn''t prematurely conclude they''re guilty without them havingmitted further bad acts."


    Ion found this somewhat unexpected.


    Then suddenly, Ion asked, "By the way, is it true?"


    "Is what true?"


    "That you are active in the World Encyclopedia forum under the ID LiveKindly. I missed it when you first mentioned it..."


    "Ah, you finally recognize me!"


    "What''s that operation about?"


    "It''s just for fun."


    "You can¡¯t talk to me about it, can you?"


    "No, really, it''s just for fun... That''s why the higher-ups told me to please stop..."


    "Understood. I won''t mention it anywhere."


    Before parting, Ramin said, "By the way, good for you, Ion."


    "Me?"


    "Didn''t you have a good conversation with the schr Lide connected you with?"


    "Oh, yes."


    Ion was surprised himself, but he had finally attended the conference for real. The contact from the fake Lide somehow led to meeting the real Lide and an opportunity to shine a light on his modest research. The ancient astronomer agreed to review Ion¡¯s paper and told Ion to visit anytime, with Lide also guaranteeing all that to happen. Of course, more time was needed for the research to be ready for presentation, but if Ion was lucky, he could get into a research position somewhere. Not in Orazen, but another observatory could have someone working on simr research.


    "We''re looking into any details we may have neglected. We''re conducting interrogations too. The guy ims he didn''t know anything and was just doing as he was told, but maybe your involvement was just a coincidence or mistake."


    "I hope so."


    Ramin said, "I wish you luck."


    Knowing Ion''s job was in jeopardy, Lide''s connection helped Ion secure a research assistant position at the annex of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency. When Ion informed his parents back home, they were so happy they cried, making Ion realize how much he had worried the people around himself.


    Despite being extremely busy with the work, Ion had no time to focus on his research, but Ion found the job not bad at all. Above all, having be closer to Lide after the recent events, Ion found her to be a very pleasant person. She was kind, and her genuine dedication to her work in rocket physics was apparent.


    Ion got the chance to meet other schrs and learn various things, even considering changing his own major. Even more, Ion thought that these thoughts could even be the biggest change in his life.


    Though Ion and Lide had different hobbies, they shared a love for movies. They developed a routine of having dinner, watching a movie, and then discussing it over tea after work, which went on for quite some time. And one day, instead of a teahouse, they ended up in a bar.


    Lide grumbled about her research not yielding results, demanding superiors, and uncooperative subordinates. Ion, being from a differentb, listened from a third-person perspective and empathized as a friend.


    Lide turned to Ion and said, "You''re good atforting people."


    "People who want to beforted know how tofort others."


    "That''s true, but whether they do it or not is another matter. I think people who can say what others want to hear are good people."


    They walked out of the bar and strolled a bit. While the back alleys of Orazen city were rumored to be unsafe, that wasn¡¯t the case just a little outside the city center. Besides, not many people would dare to pick a fight with a Yeti.


    The two walked along the skywalk, separated from the road traffic below, and leaned against the railing. Despite being tipsy, Ion, light on his feet, agilely perched on the railing. They exchanged trivial jokes, then fell silent, their eyes meeting.


    Lide leaned forward first. Ion knew about these things well. Many species looked down on Kobolds, but Ion was confident. From here, he was much more adept than even stiff Ogres with theirrge size. But Ion felt the need to pause and reassess the situation.


    He raised his hand, "Hold on."


    "...Okay. I get it. I understand."


    As Lide easily gave up and took the beer can back to her mouth, Ion quickly grabbed her wrist.


    "No, whatever you''re thinking, that''s not it."


    "What do you think I''m thinking?"


    "You think I don''t like Lide Oboren as a person, right?"


    Lide slightly shook her head, grumbling, "You might not dislike Lide Oboren, the person, but you dislike Lide Oboren, the Yeti. Yetis are several sizesrger than Kobolds and have thick fur. You must think we don''t match."


    "Well, isn''t conspecific love a typical form of love?"


    "Isn''t interspecies love love?"


    Honestly speaking, many parts of society were heavily biased towards conspecific love, which involved dating, marrying, and having children with someone of the same species.


    However, there had been many changes over the past hundred years. Even in times when the tragic love story of Hwee-Kyung and Sairan was widely known, people often overcame species barriers in rtionships. Now, it wasmonly said that in current times, why would there be any obstacles in forming rtionships? Although more caution was needed, the mere difference itself couldn''t be considered a problem, and the youth of this era agreed. Ion was one of these modern young people.


    Ion spread out four fingers.


    "Ah, let''s start from there. I''ve had four lovers so far, all from different species."


    "Hmm. Continue."


    Ion folded one finger at a time. "The first, yes, was a Kobold, my hometown friend. You understand, right? Usually, the first love is from the same species. The second was a Renard, the third a ty, and the fourth a Goblin. They were all different, but..."


    "They had something inmon."


    "They were all small-statured species. Like me. Um, I believe you understand why I''m hesitant."


    "You don''t dislike Yeti Lide Oboren, but you dislike tall Lide Oboren?"


    "Oh, no, it''s not that I dislike it, I''m just¡­confused."


    "About what?"


    Ion cleared his throat and said, "Well, when kissing...the difference in the size of our mouths... I''m not sure how to..."


    Lide leaned against the railing, swept the fur from her eyes to meet his eyes, and said, "I''ll teach you."


    That day, Ion discovered that Lide was more adept than he had expected.


    ***


    "The revolutionary ising to Orazen."


    "Revolutionary?" Ion repeated what Lide had said. They were having lunch.


    Lide said, "Sarcho."


    "Oh."


    Ion followed Lide''s gaze to the television in one corner of the dining hall.


    The aged Bugbear, with stiffening facial fur that only entuated their fierce appearance, was known to everyone. As the chairman of the highest council of the western continent and a representative of secrists, Sarcho was a figure no one could be unaware of.


    Ranked third in the world hierarchy after the Emperor and the High Priest, Sarcho was more frequently seen in the media and was the most heated political topic. Sarcho had solidified their position with strong criticism of the Empire''s religious-centered social structure and theoretical works.


    Their vigor, undiminished even with age, made them one of the rare figures the Empire¡¯s royal family ufortably contended with. Some even said the royal family would rather deal with ten groups of minority species independence activists than confront Sarcho.


    Ion said, "It''s already time for the general election."


    "This time, it seems the issue of autonomy for the Empire¡¯s territories will be decided."


    "I hope Sarcho wins..."


    "It won''t be easy."


    Ion, after a few months of dating Lide, didn''t feel that much had changed in his life. Only the time spent with Lide had increased, but he was still doing menial tasks, and his research was slow.


    ''But isn''t this okay?''


    Looking back, the times he was passionate about something were periods of environmental and psychological instability. Once stability returned, the underlying anxiety dissipated, and grand ambitions felt unnecessary.


    While the future wasn''t brightly certain, if he continued working like this, he could secure a proper research position. His desired research would be challenging, but that seemed like a big ask. After all, wasn''t he just an average researcher?


    ''Right, this is enough.''


    But just because Ion thought so, didn''t mean everyone agreed.


    Whether it was how the universe functioned or how the gods yed with human fate, things were about to change.


    Lide returned to the main building of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Administration because she had remaining work to do. Ion, leaving after saying goodbye, suddenly realized he had Lide''s small handbag in his bag and went back to the main building. He decided to return it to her rather than wait until the next morning to avoid worrying her about its loss, and he was excited about the surprise visit.


    However, someone had arrived before him at the building. He heard Lide''s scream. Rushing to the entrance of the main building, Ion looked up the hallway. Large figures, appearing to be an Ogre and Troll, were covering Lide''s head with a ck mask and dragging her away.


    Ion, running and shouting, stopped as he recognized the person standing in the middle of the entrance. It was Ramin.


    "Long time no see, Ion."


    "Uh, Agent...? What''s happening? I don''t understand..."


    "Listen closely, it''s simple logic. You''re smart, Ion, you''ll get it. Listen carefully." Ramin exined, "I told you I''d use you as bait to catch the Power of Reality, but they didn''t show up at the conference. Then was it all a mistake?"


    "Isn''t that what we concluded?"


    "No. I didn''t think it was the Power of Reality, but someone else approached you. They didn''t try to kill you, rather they did the opposite. They gave you a job, gave you attention. They fulfilled what youcked, making you quit things they didn¡¯t want you to have. That was enough for them."


    Ion stuttered, "This¡­this can''t be..."


    "Until now, the information wasn''t enough. The approach to you was too cautious. We wouldn''t have known if we only looked at that."


    "You looked? Into me and Lide dating?"


    "Instead, we found information elsewhere. Lide Oboren is part of the Power of Reality and has clear criminal charges in her record. You''ll understand when I exin in detail. Anyway, Lide Oboren was not the person you were hoping for."


    "I don''t understand. I can''t believe it until I see it with my own eyes."


    Ramin furrowed her eyebrows, "Oh right, you need toe too."


    Suddenly, hands appeared from behind and covered Ion''s head with a ck mask.

 Chapter 262: Concealment, Cover, Disguise, Transformation

    Chapter 262: Concealment, Cover, Disguise, Transformation


    "It''s like a ghost if it''s invisible, right?"


    yers were gathered in the first conference room of the pantheon. Some seats were vacant, but there was a lot of interest in the topic being discussed, as it seemed they had found some clues.


    The one speaking from the podium was Lunda.


    "We don''t know whether to call them ghosts, wraiths, phantoms, or something else, but the idea is to collectively refer to a species that is invisible to the eye."


    Somewhat cute illustrations appeared on the screen, all imaginative depictions of ghosts, which the yers knew weren¡¯t particrly meaningful.


    Sung-Woon then asked, "Are they incorporal? Or is it like an invisible person, where physical contact is possible?"


    "If it''s to be considered a species, it must have a physical body, but perhaps it could exist as a non-material being, don¡¯t you think?"


    "Like magic?"


    "Right, like magic."


    Sung-Woon crossed his arms and pondered.


    "I''d rather we exclude magic."


    "Why?"


    "I don¡¯t think it''s being utilized properly, but I am, after all, the god of magic. If there were magical beings, they would be visible to me, even if not to other yers."


    "Maybe because there are too few of them...?"


    "I wish that were the case. If they are that few, we wouldn''t need to feel threatened. I''m not saying topletely discard the magical being hypothesis. Just that it should be a lower priority."


    "Okay, hold on..."


    Lunda paused, rubbing her temple and slyly opening one eye to look at those in the conference room who shared her opinion. Lunda was part of the so-called ghost species hypothesis group, suggesting that the species of the evil god Jeolyo, which the Pantheon had to find, could be a ghost or something simr. However, the suggestion to exclude magic seemed to weaken the support for the ghost hypothesis.


    "Without magic, it''s unexinable. If it''s not magical and doesn''t physically exist, then it doesn''t exist at all, right?"


    "Seems so. If they can''t be touched, they can''t interfere with us. It''s questionable whether they can even perceive us."


    "Alright. I''lle back with revisions."


    As Lunda stepped down, another yer came up to the podium.


    Without any pleasantries, the discussion started directly.


    "If what we''re looking for isn''t in front of us, it''s one of two things."


    A humanoid figure began to speak. They were somewhat small and slender. Matte ck cloths wrapped around them, and between these cloths, pale shadows seeped out.


    HumanTracker, appearing like a shadow crudely depicted by an impressionist painter, said in a husky voice, "Concealment or disguise."


    Sung-Woon nodded. "Go on."


    HumanTracker seemed to have the support of two factions.


    "You must know already, but concealment is about hiding. The problem is where they¡¯re hiding. If we assume they¡¯re already active and we haven''t found them, there''s only one ce they could be hiding."


    HumanTracker pointed to their head. "The head."


    "The head.¡±


    HumanTracker continued, "Ever read the manga Parasyte? No, it''s not a question. I thought it would be an easy exnation because the aliens in that work resemble what I''m trying to exin. In this manga, the aliens eat peoples¡¯ heads and then move around in their appearance."


    Since the yers seemed familiar with it, HumanTracker continued the exnation.


    "It''s not oundish to imagine. We can find simr things nearby. We have creations like Gordius, right? Even if not creations, parasitism is one of themon survival strategies in biology. Therefore, assuming some species are a parasitic species isn''t surprising. This hypothesis doesn''t involve some non-entity like a ghost, or bring in the existence of magic."


    Sung-Woon easily agreed.


    Then, HumanTracker described a hypothetical parasitic species with illustrations. This species resembled the embryonic form shared by various species that had evolved past the embryo stage and started to take on vertebrate forms.


    HumanTracker hypothesized that this was theplete mature form of the species. Once a host was chosen, the species would nt seeds through close contact like kissing, and these seeds would grow in the brain, increasing the species¡¯ numbers.


    ¡°Interesting," Sung-Woon added. "But there seems to be a specific problem..."


    Wisdom, who had been sitting quietly and not affiliated with any group, said, "If one individual nts seeds, does that mean this parasitic species is hermaphroditic?"


    "I do think there¡¯s the possibility that might not be the case, but..."


    "Considering the rtionships of many species, it''s difficult to see sessful seeding from a single interaction. Tobine more than one set of gic information, two members of the parasitic species and one host would be needed. And unless polyamory is normalized, in a civilized environment, that would be quite noticeable. We haven''t observed such a culture yet."


    "What if they are hermaphroditic?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "In that case, things would be easier. I don''t know much, but if a biological group has limited gic diversity, diseases spread easily. If we only find a few of the parasitic species, we could potentially create a disease targeting the unrecognized members of that species."


    Another god interjected, "Neb, I don¡¯t see that as realistic. The species in the Lost World aren¡¯t just made for the game. They are quite sophisticated. They can survive independently if dropped into different ecosystems. I don''t think they are hermaphroditic."


    Unfazed, HumanTracker soon continued, "...Then let''s talk about the second possibility. Disguise. If concealment is about hiding one''s appearance, disguise is about wearing the skin of something else. It''s not about the function but just mimicking the external appearance, so it doesn¡¯t need to be limited to the head."


    HumanTracker tapped their chest. "Right here, the body. If it''s hard to be a parasitic species, then just wear the skin of another species."


    "Wouldn''t that look awkward?"


    "If it''s a species specialized in such an act, even if it''s awkward, they should have the ability to appear natural. I got this idea from conspiracy theories."


    HumanTracker waved their hand over the screen, and an illustration of a t-faced reptilian species appeared.


    Lunda muttered, "Lizardmen? ...No, not quite."


    "They are called Reptilians," HumanTracker said. "The name isn''t important, nor the appearance. What matters is that there was a conspiracy theory on Earth that ancient reptilian aliens controlled humanity from behind the scenes. These Reptilians would wear Human skin and blend into society. Some people even imed that famous people were Reptilians and backed it up with ¡®evidence¡¯."


    Wisdom said from the back, "I still find it hard to believe. Biologically and chemically, maintaining a guise with just skin seems challenging. Even if there''s some other technology or mechanism for maintaining the skin, there¡¯s also another problem, like size. If the disguised species grows too big or too small, they would have to keep switching bodies frequently, like hermit crabs changing shells."


    "What if they were to maintain a constant size?"


    "A baby and an adult of the same size? That¡¯s physically impossible. Of course, some species, like the Kiwi doy eggs as big as themselves. Then..."


    Sung-Woon caught on and said, "...We should have found eggs by now. Even if they reproduce externally, if they are a threat to us, there should be breeding grounds somewhere. Of course, now that this has been mentioned, we might need to recheck potential locations, but I''m not very hopeful."


    HumanTracker fell silent for a moment, "...You''re right."


    They turned and began to converse quietly with yers who shared the same view.


    Sung-Woon then looked around at the yers and said, "Ghosts, parasites, disguises. All are valuable ideas, but none seem perfect. If there are no other opinions, I think we can end things here for today."


    yers began to rise from their seats without a formal end being dered.


    Just then, Eldar hesitantly raised their hand.


    "Neb, I have an idea that just came to me while listening..."


    "Great."


    "Can I speak from here? Standing there is a bit intimidating."


    "By all means."


    "It was suffocating as it felt like there were two Wisdoms."


    "That''s something you should¡¯ve said when they''re not around."


    The yersughed.


    Eldar said, "In my opinion, we almost have the answer today. It''s neither concealment, cover, nor disguise."


    "Then what?"


    "It¡¯s transformation."


    "Transformation?"


    Eldar exined, "Have you heard of Changelings?"


    "It sounds familiar."


    "A Changeling is a Fairy child that is swapped with a Human child, so the Fairy child grows up as a Human, and the Human child grows up among Fairies. It''s called being changelinged.''"


    "Is it an old tale?"


    "It''s a European folk tale. Simply put, I believe Fairies exist, and they have done changeling."


    "Then we need a magical exnation."


    "No, we don''t need magic to exin it." Eldar projected an image above themself. "What I''m thinking of as Fairies are beings that can transform into any species. They are the origin of everything."


    "Is that possible?"


    "I think it is. Recently, it''s been revealed that the gic information of species in the Lost World isn''t that different. There''s some variation, but they must have shared a simr environment at some point."


    This information was already somewhat revealed in the Lost World. It was unlikely that they all followed one evolutionary lineage, so it was thought that they must be rted to ancient gods in some way, but there was biological evidence that all species had influenced each other in one ecosystem.


    Sung-Woon said, "But the transformation part is hard to exin. They¡¯re more unlikely an existence than the reptilian-like species capable of disguise HumanTracker talked about. There are species like Werewolves that change their skeletons, but that¡¯s different."


    "Not exactly. They don''t transform during their growth phase, but during fertilization, that is, at the embryonic cell stage."


    "Oh, then that species..."


    Eldar nodded. "Yes. The Fairies I''m talking about are not a species with thumb-sized bodies and wings, but a species capable of breeding with all species. Therefore, they don''t have a true form of their own but borrow the appearance of other species."


    Sung-Woon thought for a moment.


    "It''s not the typical family structure of species we usually know. They wouldn''t feel a sense of belonging to the species they take the form of."


    In that case, they would naturally be absorbed into the respective species.


    "Yes, so if this Fairy species is to be assumed, they must form rtionships with other species. In the process, they would feel a sort of distinction. They would always be of a different species from their parents, and knowing that it should be impossible, they would gain their species identity in the process of reconciling with the fact."


    Sung-Woon said, "In that process, they would realize that they belong to the species of the evil god Jeolyo."


    "Yes."


    "If such a species exists."


    "Yes."


    Neb knew that the other yers were listening intently. Eldar''s idea seemed most usible, and most yers seemed to agree. Some yers looked like they wanted to object, but there was no strong counterargument.


    "How can we differentiate them?"


    "Gic testing. They might mimic gics, but it would surely differ from normal species."


    "They would surely be hard to detect."


    The technology existed, but not the infrastructure to conduct a census of all species.


    "What if we narrow it down?"


    Eldar pressed their lips together and said hesitantly, "If a child was born between different species, it would be a big topic, but we haven''t discovered any yet."


    "Most would be female. Species that reproduce externally don''t need to adhere to gender. But that only reduces it by half. Not enough."


    "They are unlikely to be found in a single-parent household. Even if it''s one household, they must belong to the same species. It would be noticeable."


    "...Ah." Eldar said, "So most of these Fairies would be..."


    ***


    At the Empire¡¯s Intelligence Agency interrogation room, Ion realized that the ce they had been brought to was not an interrogation room, but just an office.


    No windows, a small table with a brightmp, and just two chairs facing each other. The walls were rough gray, and the air felt stuffy. There was not enough information to determine the exact location.


    Ramin, using a magnifying ss, dug through documents and said to Ion, "Based on information from the Pantheon, we investigated Lide Oboren. Lide Oboren had several characteristics that could ssify her as a Fairy."


    "Because she''s female?"


    "No." Ramin nced at Ion. "Because she''s an orphan. Fairies have no choice but to leave their children in care facilities. It''s their fate to abandon them."


    "...Oh."


    "Further investigation into Lide''s past suggested something suspicious enough to warrant a more precise gic test. And ording to the results of that test..." Ramin continued, "Lide is a fairy."

 Chapter 263: Even if She鈥檚 a Fairy

    Chapter 263: Even if She¡¯s a Fairy


    "Alright, let''s just say Lide is that species," said Ion Iolkaf, leaning toward Ramin, forgetting where he was. "But can we say that itself is criminal or problematic?"


    "Lide is also part of the Power of Reality.''"


    "That in itself shouldn''t be a problem."


    "Publicly, that''s true, but that¡¯s not how it really is. While the Power of Reality is known to the public as just a part of the radical secrist groups, it''s internally more organized and secretive. And among those insiders, there are those with criminal charges, who hadmitted real crimes."


    "Shouldn''t that be known already?"


    Ramin responded, "Firstly, moderate secrists don''t want such tendencies to represent secrism. Many secrists believe it''s sufficient to have a temple in one''s heart, as Chairman Sarcho would say."


    "And the Empire?"


    "The Empire feels the same. You might not know the precise details due to distorted media reports, but the Pantheon never expressed that the increase in the number of secrists is a problem or a cause of discontent. A secrist is not an enemy of the Pantheon or the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, even if involved in actual crimes, they are quietly dealt with rather than publicly dered as enemies under the name of the Power of Reality. Making secrists an enemy across the Empire is not impossible¡­but the process could hurt many innocent people. Of course, internally, thorough investigations are being conducted, like now."


    Nervous, Ion drank from the stainless steel cup filled with water.


    "So Lide belongs to the radical part of the Power of Reality that causes problems?"


    "Those I call the Power of Reality members are all such people. Not the nobodies on Sky Net who say they support the Power of Reality."


    "What about the evidence?"


    Ramin said, "Lide has been attending secret meetings."


    "Lide is a researcher. She has no time for that."


    Ramin replied, "There was no need to find extra time. The Power of Reality is within the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency."


    Lids questioned back, "It¡¯s not just Lide?"


    "Right." Ramin showed a brief document. "It''s not just Lide. The astrophysicist Lide introduced you to, and others handling big and small tasks in the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, were part of the Power of Reality."


    "On what basis?"


    "If you look at the statistics, anyone would be suspicious. It''s astonishing why it wasn''t discovered until now, but a high percentage of people in the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency are from orphanages. Realistically, it doesn''t make sense. People from better environments, with better education, are more likely to work in better jobs."


    Ion asked out of pure curiosity, "Isn''t it strange?"


    "Pardon?"


    "The Power of Reality values secrism. But how can secrists use science to spread radical secrism? It would make more sense for them to be activists supporting those suffering due to religion, doing volunteer work, or bing politicians."


    "Then what do you think about the statistics showing many people actively involved with the Power of Reality?"


    Ion replied, "If you learn through academics, you inevitably be a secrist."


    Ramin was silent for a moment before saying, "The Intelligence Agency doesn''t think so."


    "What exactly did they do?"


    "That''s why we brought you here, Ion, to figure that out now. It might be an ufortable situation, but it won''t be too hard. Let''s start with a simple question. Let¡¯s see¡­ Do you remember your first meeting with Lide Oboren?"


    ***


    Ion underwent intense interrogations for four days, eachsting about fourteen hours. Although other interrogators, including a Troll and a huge Ogre, appeared, Ion understood that he was receiving fairly decent treatment. After all, Ion realized this case didn''t directly involve him in any actual incidents, nor was he a direct perpetrator of any crimes, so it made sense.


    Each time a finding of the investigation was revealed, Ion reacted strongly, but he also cooperated with the interrogation. He thought the interrogators seemed to have a decent opinion of him for these reasons.


    When Ion was finally released from what he assumed to be an internal location of the Intelligence Agency, he said to Ramin, "You''re just letting me go?"


    "The Intelligence Agency may not be kind, but it''s not that terrible. You¡¯ve seen the inside, right? Most are just civil servants, wondering what''s for lunch today. It''s just standard procedure. You''re a witness, after all. But we''ll keep in touch."


    "...Can I ask about the investigation?"


    Ramin rested her chin on her hand and said, "Honestly, I''m still not sure. It''s a bit chaotic, but you can return to your workce. Everything has been arranged."


    "Arranged?"


    "You''ve been on vacation. Well, you''ll get more leave. It''s okay to tell everyone about it, but I think it''s better for you to y it down, not for us but for your sake."


    "...Understood."


    Ion wondered how it was possible for so many people involved with the Power of Reality to be in the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, but once he returned, he understood. Familiar faces were missing, each having their reasons for not being present. Some were on a business trip for research, others had been urgently transferred or, like Ion, were on leave. The cover-up was so sophisticated that anyone not aware of the actual situation would believe it at face value, and many did.


    ¡®...Has reality really changed?¡¯


    Ion agreed with Ramin''s advice to downy his involvement with the Intelligence Agency. In this situation, if Ion revealed his investigation, no one would take him seriously. It would even create unease and anxiety among his colleagues as he would have to exin things. Although it seemed some were aware of the truth, it didn''t lead to any significant conversations.


    The Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, which should have felt emptier with people gone, quickly became busy again with new faces arriving for health check-ups ording to the Empire¡¯s standards, bringing about new news. However, Ion felt a clear void. Even after a month, Lide hadn''t returned. Visiting Lide''s house had be part of Ion''s routine. Ion thought this was strange himself.


    ¡®Isn''t this dangerous? Shouldn''t I distance myself from someone the state has marked as a dissident?¡¯


    But he didn''t like that thought and soon found a reason for it.


    ¡®Lide deceived me? Not telling me something isn''t deception. The Intelligence Agency thought Lide approached me with a purpose, but they found nothing. Even if...if it''s true¡­¡¯


    Ion gathered various flyers and notices stuck to Lide''s front door, thinking, ¡®...So what if Lide is a Fairy?¡¯


    His feelings remained unchanged. He liked Lide for being a Yeti, but he also liked the non-Yeti aspects. The species wasn''t that important to him.


    "Um, hey, little friend, can you show me the way?"


    While taking detours on his way home, anticipating potential surveince, Ion met an elderly Renard carrying a bundle. It wasmon for smaller species to help each other out. Taller species weren''t necessarily unkind, but they tended to be indifferent to things that didn''t fall within their line of sight.


    When Ion approached, the elderly Renard asked for the location of the bus stop. Ion picked up the Renard''s luggage, and they walked together. At the bus stop, as Ion was about to leave, the elderly Renard thanked him and grasped his hand, slipping a small note into it.


    ¡¯...Huh?¡¯


    Ion had several choices at this moment. He could have dropped the note in confusion, looked around for the Intelligence Agency agents possibly following him, or politely returned the note to the Renard¡¯s hand, indicating he didn''t want to be involved. However, Ion held onto the note, bade the Renard farewell, and then tucked the note into his pocket.


    Ion then returned home through his usual route, entered an empty room stripped of any objects that might be bugged, and read the note only by moonlight.


    [Greetings,rade Ion. I do not know how this note will reach you, but if you are reading this, it pleases me.]


    Ion read on, holding his breath.


    [I am Junya, a member of the Power of Reality, an organization known as thest stronghold of secrists. You may wonder why I suddenly handed this note to you, but we are aware that you were taken to the intelligence agency for unjust questioning. We don''t know the exact details, but we have a general idea of what happened. You probably believed the information provided by the Intelligence Agency and shared information with them as your duty as a citizen of the Empire. Even if you harboredints or made malicious criticisms about us, we do not me you. We just want to share something with you that we believe you will be curious about.]


    Upon reading the next sentences, Ion felt warmth spread through his body.


    [Fairies are in danger. The situation is not good. The Empire¡ªprecisely speaking, the Pantheon¡ªdoes not favor the evil god and its species. Just look at the current state of Werewolves, Vampires, and Deep Ones. The Empire and the Intelligence Agency, clearly more powerful than us, have caught up with the safety margin we barely maintained to protect ourselves. The Empire has secretly established inspection agencies to root out Fairies, examining all those who are suspicious under the guise of health checks.]


    Ion swallowed hard.


    [However, we, the Power of Reality, as ast resort, seek to help at least the Fairies escape. It won''t be easy, as there is nond uncontrolled by the Empire. But in the wilderness of the eastern continent and on the western continent, there are bases of secrists associated with Chairman Sarcho, ces where the Empire finds it difficult to interfere politically and socially. Although our grand operation has failed, if we can manage to escape, we could at least save Fairies.]


    Ion realized the intention behind this note and why it was given to him.


    [We need help. All of our people are under the surveince of the Intelligence Agency. You might not know, but with the Agency focusing extensively on the Power of Reality, someone like you, an outsider, has attracted less scrutiny. We are not depending on your beliefs but simply stating that there''s perhaps onest chance to help someone you have a rtionship with. If you wish to help us,e to the following ce at the following time. We''ll be waiting.]


    The note ended, mentioning a time and ce.


    Ion checked it.


    ''It''s a busy day.''


    The date was the day Chairman Sarcho was set to arrive in Orazen. However, the location specified was Owadel Station, a secluded subway station in Orazen, far from the central square where Sarcho''s street speech was to take ce. Sarcho, fond of public speaking in squares like in their youth, sought to speak wherever they went.


    Ion remembered hearing that there was a considerable tussle between the western continentwmakers and the royal family to prevent Sarcho from speaking at Orazen¡¯s central square during this visit.


    ¡®The problem is how much I should believe this¡­¡¯


    With no one to discuss it with, Ion had to think for himself, something he had rarely done before. He spent his days ordinarily, drawing no one''s attention, and after much thought even until dawn of the day of, he got ready and headed out.


    ¡®I can''t just do nothing.¡¯


    Ion felt he had changed from the past. Swept up in many events and changes, he felt he had be more proactive. And the catalyst for all these changes was Lide.


    ¡®Is this also a kind of secr enlightenment?¡¯


    Perhaps it was.


    The Owadel Station was bustling. Being a transfer station and unusually crowded that day, Ion thought it would be difficult for anyone to follow him¡ªif they were¡ªconsidering the small stature of his Kobold species.


    While waiting inside Owadel Station, someone bumped into Ion and left a briefcase at his feet.


    "Get on the next train."


    As the person who brushed past Ion disappeared too quickly to even identify their species, Ion was momentarily stunned, as if under a spell. However, he was not so bewildered as to ignore the instruction given. Ion first followed the instruction by picking up the bag and boarding the train.


    Line 3 from Owadel ran high enough to pass by the buildings of Orazen, allowing Ion to bask in sunlight streaming between the forest of buildings as the train left the station.


    ''Okay, what''s next? Should I check the bag?''


    Ion thought about sneakily checking the bag, but then he heard a voice that made his heart feel like it stopped.


    "Huh?"


    Ion turned toward the voice.


    "What brings you here, Ion?"


    Ramin, recognizing him, was staring directly at him.

 Chapter 264: Pray

    Chapter 264: Pray


    ''Alright, this is definitely...just a coincidence.¡¯


    At least that was what he thought at the moment he saw Ramin''s face.


    To be precise, Ion didn''t even know the full name of Ramin Solost Muel. To Ion Iolkaf, the agent in front of him definitely seemedpetent and impressive, but there was something slightlycking for an Intelligence Agency agent.


    It was the fact that she openly showed her emotions and didn''t seem to try to deceive people. Even during the interrogation at the spy agency, that was the case. Particrly, there was a noticeable difference in the temperature of conversations with other agents and with Ramin. Of course, this could be Ramin''s strength, but not at this moment. To Ion, Ramin genuinely seemed surprised.


    Ion''s mind raced. Orazen was a huge city, but Ion had lived there long enough. Ion didn''t live near Owadel Station and it wasn¡¯t within his areas of activities, which was why Ramin was surprised, but he could find plenty of justifications for why he was at Owadel Station.


    ''...Alright, I can do this.¡¯


    Ion made the excuse, "I stopped by the Owadel library on my way to the Space Agency. I have some work to finish.¡±


    "Ah, I see. Even on the weekend."


    Before Ramin could probe further, Ion asked her a question. "And you, agent, why are you on this train¡­?"


    "I''m also here for work. Even though it''s the weekend."


    "Because of Chairman Sarcho?"


    ¡°Well, yes. They¡¯re the person in the world getting the most attention right now. Consequently, every agency the Empire can mobilize is being mobilized. The Intelligence Agency is no exception."


    Ion nodded. He couldn''t let his guard down yet, but he thought that Ramin could really just be riding the train.


    ''The problem is, since I said I was going to the Space Agency, I have to keep riding the train with her....''


    He had seeded in bringing the bag onto the train as the person iming to be from the Power of Reality had instructed, but he didn''t know what to do next. Surely, someone would approach him at the station as before, but if someone unaware of the situation approached him, Ramin could discover it.


    As Ion was thinking about how to get away from Ramin, Ramin said, "By the way, I''ve been meaning to check on you."


    "I''ll visit anytime."


    "No, it''s not about the inquiry rted to the Power of Reality as that''s almost finished. It''s more of a personal professional matter."


    "That''s a strange thing to say. A personal professional matter."


    Looking out the window, Ramin said, "You had a research project you were working on when we first met, didn''t you?"


    "On the moon¡¯s gravity? The possibility that the moon is heavier than we thought? It''s hard to call it research. It was just a hobby-level article. When I looked for more data, the materials I found were insufficient.¡±


    "Really?" Ramin squinted one eye. "There is no clear evidence, but there are several circumstances.¡±


    "Go on."


    "We talked about how there were many Fairies affiliated with the Power of Reality within the Space Agency, right? The important question is why those people were part of said agency rather than more important institutions."


    "I think you¡¯ve mentioned thisst time. I still stand by what I said then. Secrists choose science over gods. It''s not strange to see a high percentage of them there."


    "That could be one way to interpret it, but there''s another possibility. Are you familiar with the saying, ''The world is just a yground for the gods''?"


    Ion knew it. It was amon saying among secrists, started by an unknown source. It questioned the difference between the concept of victory as valued by gods and victory on a yground.


    As Ion nodded, Ramin continued, "The key point is, even though the Fairies are secrists, they are actually a species that follow the evil god. Even without religious preaching, the evil god and the Pantheon are inherently at odds. So, it''s reasonable to suspect that some intentions of the Fairies would be against the Pantheon."


    "You mean developing science for the Empire is helpful for the evil god? If the evil god really wanted that, wouldn''t it be better to join the ck Order? Although, I know the ck Order is getting hammered somewhere deep in the ocean with nuclear bombs."


    Ramin shook her head. "I didn''t say the Fairies were advancing science."


    "Then what?"


    In a lowered voice, Ramin said, "If they are in positions to influence the development of technology, they could derail important research or lead it in worthless directions. The Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency is a ce where this could happen, and the Fairies within it held the positions to do so."


    Caught off guard, Ion quickly replied, "But all of them were dedicated to their research."


    "Things can always be like that on the surface, right?"


    "I''ve seen their research myself."


    Even as he said this, Ion thought that if Ramin questioned his ability to discern the true value of the research when he never even truly studied before, he wouldn''t have much to respond. Fortunately, Ramin didn''t attack his argument in that way.


    "Maybe. They might have already known that their research wouldn''t be much help to the Empire."


    Summing up Ramin''s words, Ion said, "You''re suggesting the Fairies were purposely underperforming?"


    "Yes."


    "...Even if what you''re saying is entirely correct, isn''t there a problem? Such underperformance might have urred to some degree, but proving it would be really hard. If everyone just believed their research was more valuable than the others'', others would have no choice but to believe that."


    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you that question.¡±


    "Pardon?"


    Ramin said to Ion, "About your research on the moon¡¯s gravity. What if Lide had approached you to interfere with your moon gravity research?"


    There was a strange silence. The train was always quiet, but he came to a stunned realization at Ramin¡¯s words, feeling slightly lightheaded.


    Ramin continued, "After meeting Lide, your research hasn¡¯t progressed much, has it? As you said, it might not have been a great study, but the perspective of a schr who has been in that field longer would be different from yours. You were also ambushed once. The reason is still unknown, but if the purpose was to make you stop your research, it would exin it sufficiently.


    ¡°Moreover, the astrophysicist Lide introduced to you is not affiliated with the Power of Reality, but their reputation isn¡¯t good. They¡¯re an outcast in the academic world due to careless research, just content with maintaining their professorship¡­ Are you listening?"


    Ion lifted his head, "Oh, yes."


    ¡°I know it''s not exactly what you''d want to hear."


    "Yes, but...I mean..."


    ¡°I¡¯m only telling you because it''s just a suspicion and there''s no concrete way to confirm it. To prove it, you''d have to diligently research and demonstrate the results, which could be beneficial to the Empire, and that''s why the evil god and Fairies might have tried to stop it."


    Ion sighed and asked, "Can you tell me one thing?"


    "About what?"


    "How is Lide doing?"


    Ramin''s eyes circled upwards, then settled. She seemed to be choosing her words, which made Ion''s heart sink, but what she ended up saying was more hopeful than expected.


    "Honestly, all the Fairies affiliated with the Power of Reality are uncooperative. We haven''t gotten much information, and the investigation seems to stagnate¡­ But you might find somefort in this."


    "Comfort?"


    "It''s hard to pressure them further. The world is organic. There are people who say that even the Power of Reality, or even people worse than secrists, have fundamental rights that need to be respected everywhere."


    "I thought the Intelligence Agency was above such logic."


    Ramin smiled with her eyes. "But still below the Pantheon."


    "So the gods wish it to be so?"


    "Yes. The world is still chaotic, but not as bad as a few decades ago. If there''s no such enemy, there can be more leniency."


    Ion thought that Ramin''s honesty in showing her emotions was her weakness, but now he wasn''t sure. He couldn''t determine if Lide had truly deceived him, but Ramin''s words and attitude seemed genuine.


    Junya, who imed to be part of the Power of Reality, spoke of a great crisis falling upon the Fairies, but there was a chance it wasn''t true.


    Ion said, "Um¡­I have something to tell you."


    He revealed everything about the elder who gave him the note, the person who called themself Junya in the note, the circumstances that led him to board the train, and the bag in his hand.


    Ramin appeared truly unaware.


    "Uh, hold on, what did I have to do in these kinds of situations again?"


    "...Should you consult your superiors? Or check the bag first?"


    "Oh, right."


    Ramin pointed at an Elf sitting in the train, who had been ncing their way and suddenly copsed. Someone screamed.


    "...Magic?"


    "Something like that."


    As Ramin gestured, the Elf was dragged across the floor as if an invisible hand was pulling them.


    ¡°I was wondering why this person had been following you.¡±


    The Elf reached into their pocket, and a gun popped out. Everyone else in the train instinctively dropped to the floor. But before the Elf could pull the trigger, the gun flew out of their hand, spun in the air, andnded in Ramin''s hand. Ramin disassembled the gun without looking at it and tossed the parts on the floor.


    Ramin stepped on the Elf''s chest and demanded, "Who are you?"


    The Elf smirked, "It''s toote. You won''t be able to deal with that bomb."


    Ramin and Ion exchanged nces, then looked at the bag in Ion''s hand.


    "A¡­a bomb?!"


    The Elf continued, "I knew it would end like this. You''ll spill everything to the Intelligence Agency."


    Ramin examined the bag, listening and examining it carefully. When Ion tried to hand it over, Ramin shook her head.


    "Hold onto it. It might be rigged to explode if you let go. And it seems there''s a clock inside."


    "If we get off at the next station..."


    Ion, who was talking, clicked his tongue. This is an express train and wouldn''t stop for a while.


    Ramin calmly said, "The target must be Central Park."


    "Where Sarcho, the Chairman, is giving a speech today?"


    "Yes, they must be in the middle of it right now. Although we''ll pass Central Park, it''s far enough that direct damage would be difficult to cause."


    "No, why would the Power of Reality target Chairman Sarcho..."


    "To the public, the Power of Reality isn''t known tomit acts of this magnitude, so they could me an assassination or an attempt of it against Sarcho on the fanatical followers of the Pantheon. Plus, Sarcho isn''t really closely associated with the Power of Reality. If they were to die, the Power of Reality would probably be grateful."


    The Elf lying on the floorughed. "You¡¯re well-informed. But this train is already under control. You can''t get off this train...ack!"


    The moment Ramin flicked her finger, the Elf bit their tongue and passed out. Ion saw a small spark fly from the Elf''s head.


    "Talkative, really."


    Though Ion felt better seeing the Elf who had been tailing him copsed, the situation remained unchanged.


    He asked Ramin, "W¡­what do we do now?"


    "What can we do? If the train is under control, it won''t stop at the next station, and since the bag might explode if you let go of the handle, you can''t throw it out. Of course, there''s a method of throwing you out with the bag, but you might release the bag in fear."


    "S¡­should I brace myself?"


    "Taking responsibility for one''s actions, that''s a good attitude. But the path to Central Park is all buildings. No matter what we do, there will be casualties."


    Ion was relieved Ramin didn''t immediately throw him out of the window but still had questions.


    "Then what do we do?"


    Ramin said, "In times like this...all we can do is pray."


    As she actually sped her hands and closed her eyes, Ion almost loosened his grip enough to drop the bag.


    Ion didn''t fully understand why secrists had increased in number. The increase was simply because the Empire had too many people to support, and miracles caused by the gods were too infrequently observed. Even so, the Empire was always under the watch of the Pantheon.


    ¡°...!¡±


    Suddenly, an impossible whirlwind swirled inside the train, and Ion was flung out of the train.

 Chapter 265: The Way to Peek at the Sky

    Chapter 265: The Way to Peek at the Sky


    Ion Iolkaf felt an immense and overwhelming force enveloping, pushing, and pulling his body. It was a god. There was no other way to describe the situation than that.


    As he was flung out of the train, the windows shattered, but not a single shard touched him. He didn¡¯t so much crash through the window but float out, as if sliding down a slide. Instinctively, he clutched the handle of the bag he was holding and hugged it, remembering Ramin''s warning that it could explode if released. However, the winds gathered around his hand, subtly guiding him to let go without saying a word.


    -It¡¯s okay to let go.


    Ion hesitated, but eventually trusted this force and let go of the handle. The moment he did, he began to fall, while the bag with the bomb soared upward at a much faster rate. In just over two seconds, the bag ascended higher than any building in Orazen and exploded.


    Boom!


    The explosion lit up the sky.


    ¡®...I¡¯m alive.¡¯


    However, the god was not as kind after the explosion. Unlike the gentle uplift before, Ion was roughly thrown back into the train, rolling on the floor and hitting his head on a seat, getting a bump where he was hit.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    As Ion shook his head to regain his senses and looked up, Ramin was standing there.


    "As expected, God doesn''t seem to favor secrists much.¡±


    "If that were true, they would have let it explode. Their apparent unkindness might just be because they were a bit busy," Ramin replied, looking out the window.


    It wasn''t just Ion''s bag. Numerous bombs prepared by the Power of Reality for that day were being detected and catapulted into the air by the eyes of the Intelligence Agency and the Pantheon, exploding.


    ***


    "Things are done here. How''s the situation in the south?"


    "It''s done here too.¡±


    The gods of the Pantheon discussed the situation regarding the bomb disposal in each of their assigned areas. They were already aware of the n to assassinate Sarcho to expand the influence of secrists andunch a political attack against the Pantheon. Cases like Ion''s, uncovered through the Sky Network, were just a fraction of the whole.


    Interpreting the vast amount of information that surfaced, discerning its uracy, and dealing with misinformation required significant time and manpower, but it wasn¡¯t an impossible challenge.


    Sung-Woon also finished his assigned area by snatching the bag from Ion and throwing him back into the train.


    ¡®It was better not to prevent it in advance,¡¯ Sung-Woon thought, seeing a psychological battle with the invisible evil god, Jeolyo.


    The information revealed on Sky Net was so vast thatprehending all of it was a struggle. Much of the information seemed false, created not only by secrist groups, known as the Power of Reality, but also by the regr users of Sky Net themselves. It seemed like Jeolyo was familiar with this kind of multi-esswork.


    ¡®Well, if there were nuclear weapons in ancient times, it wouldn''t be strange if something like the inte existed.¡¯


    Therefore, Sung-Woon pretended that the Intelligence Agency was panicking without a clue, while actually being on the right track. At the same time, another task was underway. To Sung-Woon, Jeolyo seemed to be ying the game with a real objective, aiming for victory. Therefore, he ignored all the irrelevant stories found on Sky Net.


    Instead, he focused on what Jeolyo could do to harm the Pantheon and the Empire, what activities would be suitable for such purposes, and secretly sifted through Sky Net for information about these activities, and this was the result.


    ¡®If tracked earlier, they would have withdrawn, making it harder to discern their true intentions.¡¯


    If a preemptive response had been taken, it could have made the opponent''s actions more restrained, but it was uncertain whether it would bring any real benefit since the purpose of the opponent would have remained unknown. So, the tactic was to pretend to be slightly affected while infiltrating deeply.


    There were precarious situations, but in reality, the yers already had deep-rootedworks, including Sky Net, various priests, and upationalworks, which they could observe. The existence of the Intelligence Agency was just the visible part of theworks managed and interfered with by the yers.


    ¡®Still, there are parts that I can¡¯t seem to understand fully¡­¡¯


    Sung-Woon looked closely at Ion getting up in the subway, rubbing the bump on his forehead. It was a normal Kobold youth, average in abilities, full of vitality but easily discouraged, yet he got up again. While not set in stone yet, there was a possibility.


    ¡®It''ll work out.¡¯


    Sung-Woon said to Crampus, "What about the central square?"


    "Our special forces arrived just in time.¡±


    Sung-Woon switched the screen. The central square of Orazen was revealed. Although it was called the central square, it was more like a park with wide walkways. In the background, the rebuilt imperial pce was visible, and thendscaped forest was a beautiful spot the capital boasted of. This square was actually connected to the central park, so some people didn''t call it by a special name. In the middle of the central square, it looked like there had been an explosion, with dust everywhere.


    A Renard, a species that resembled Foxes, and their greatest hero, Obin Mabru, reappeared, folding their poncho. Then Sarcho, the Bugbear chairman of the western continent who was physicallyrger than Obin, emerged from Obin''s poncho, coughing continuously. When Obin said something to Sarcho, Sarcho nodded repeatedly.


    Then, gunfire erupted, and several bullets rained down on the tform where the two were standing. Obin lightly flipped Sarcho over and fired two shots from a handgun into the dusty air, which seemed enough to silence the next round of gunfire. Obin gestured downward to Sarcho, urging Sarcho to stick close behind and descended from the tform.


    While the general public was frantically fleeing, a few brave reporters captured the scene with their cameras.


    ¡®Could have made a better scene, but¡­¡¯


    There was no need to overdo it, as there was no need to make everyone bow their heads to the Pantheon or follow them with deep faith. That would only cause unnecessary rigidity.


    ¡®Even for that Kobold, that¡¯s the case.¡¯


    Sung-Woon promptly began to investigate incidents urring in unchecked areas. There were no unresolved cases.


    ***


    A few dayster, Ion received a note.


    [LiveKindly: Hope you are well. I was out of my depth that day too. You must have seen the news, but it seems things have been resolved.


    There were some injuries, but they were minor. The Power of Reality spread rumors that the Pantheon fanatics tried to assassinate Chairman Sarcho, but thanks to the cooperation between the Pantheon and Chairman Sarcho, that rumor was quickly dispelled.


    Even if you hadn¡¯t said anything, Night Sky was watching, so I guess things would have been fine, but I think if you hadn''t trusted me and told me, it could have been a big problem. Or maybe not, since Night Sky sees the bigger picture. But isn''t it better to believe you can change something, rather than everything being predetermined? ...Is that sacrilegious to say?


    It might be hard to believe, but I consider myself a secrist. I don''t believe the gods know and decide everything. They too have things they don''t know and can''t do. Having lived so long, I know this now. I just wanted to say that secrism isn''t just about opposing the gods.


    Maybe think of the gods as ordinary people. They have amazing powers but aren''tpletely skilled in handling them. The miserable events in history caused by gods are the result of that. They have no right to do so, but I don''t think it''s fair to see them as always leading us in a bad direction intentionally.


    So, how about finding your own path?


    P.S.: The answer to the question you were eager to know.


    That fairy wasn¡¯t directly involved in this incident.]


    Ion felt relieved when he read thest sentence, but thought the note was somewhat perplexing overall.


    ¡®My own path?¡¯


    Ion pondered for a moment, then minimized the Sky Net window on his operating system. That brought the many documents he had organized into view.


    ¡®Looking at them again, they seem clearer.¡¯


    Ion was able topare materials that had been neglected or misunderstood in the past and examine them from a new perspective.


    He went to work as usual, returned home, and sat at hisputer to recheck, review, and revise various documents. By the time the third draft waspleted, it was worthy of being called a thesis, and a weekter, with the fourth draft, the logic seemed wless to him.


    ¡®Well, this is it for me, I guess.¡¯


    Despite the possibility of problems, Ion, having stayed up all night, rubbed his eyes and took the article to the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency. He made several copies there and left them in the offices of staff who had previously expressed interest in his research, then started his day''s work.


    Ion received a phone call about 30 minutes before lunchtime.


    "Administration Division 2, Ion Iolkaf speaking. How can I help..."


    "It''s Saijin. Where are you?"


    "Excuse me?"


    Ion knew only one person named Saijin, and they were not particrly close, just acquainted. Saijin Shat was a female Dwarf and the director of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency.


    "Where are you?"


    Ion responded, "You called the office, didn''t you?"


    "Come to the main conference room on the first floor right now."


    Ion, baffled by the high-ranking official''s summon, entered the conference room, wondering what errand he was being sent on.


    The conference room was quiet. Saijin was sitting at the head of the table, and around her were schrs, whose names he recognized. They were looking intently at thepiled documents. Some of them were quietly discussing among themselves.


    Saijin asked as if angry, "Did you write this?"


    She pointed to a stack of papers at the end of the table, which the schrs were reading.


    Ion checked and nodded. "Ah, yes."


    That was a bigger stack than what he had copied in the morning.


    Saijin nodded and sighed. "Anyway, since I''ve called you, take a look. I should go to the pce to see His Majesty now. Or should I go to the Intelligence Agency? Would that be faster in this case? There''s no proper procedure in this country. Our ancestors surely..."


    Grumbling, Saijin walked out of the conference room.


    Ion watched her m the door and leave, then awkwardly turned to the schrs.


    "Um, what''s this all about¡­"


    Yolruka, a Gnoll, five years younger than Ion and head of the Astronomical Observation Division at the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, said, "Sir, I have a question about your recent study, Using Tidal Variations to Compare Lunar Mass.¡±


    "Oh, please speak freely."


    "I already am."


    ¡°...Right. But, I don''t think all these people are here¡­just to discuss my paper, are they? Is the question long? I have work to finish in the administrative division by lunchtime."


    Yolruka slightly furrowed their eyebrows. "You can''t leave here today."


    "Pardon?"


    "The Pantheon has read your thesis. Not just the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, but the Empire, no, the whole world''s fate hangs on this. If your thesis is true..."


    Yolruka spoke on behalf of the other schrs.


    Only then did Ion realize the impact of his paper.


    "...It means that behind our moon, the evil god of a second moon is threatening us."


    ***


    Beyond the sky, above that darkness where the Pantheon¡¯s power did not reach, a silver moon looked down upon the Avartin¡ªa forgotten world divided into four continents. But on Avartin''s moon, only ruins remained. Ancient beings had traveled from Avartin to its moon, Yonda, but that was it. Their civilization ultimately copsed.


    However, behind Yonda''s shadow, a second moon called Loom, was in a different state. Someone on Loom sighed.


    -We''ve been discovered.

 Chapter 266: Avartin, Yonda, Loom

    Chapter 266: Avartin, Yonda, Loom


    The pantheon''s Grand Library housed all the books of Avartin and more. The top of the towering height wasn¡¯t visible even if one looked up, and the bookshelves filled six diverging paths.


    There was no need to worry about how to reach the books on the high shelves, as each shelf level had corridors anddders. Therefore, those reading and transporting books looked more like climbers than librarians, errand runners, or schrs. They searched for books on the desired shelves, checked them, and then scanned the library''s upper, lower, left, and right areas to determine where the next book they needed was located, then descendeddders or leaped to the opposite corridor. If a book was too far, there were Dragonflies to turn to.


    This library was not radially symmetrical but irregrly extended ording to the major ssification of each book. The highest shelf level in the library could only be interfered with by gods, and the level under the major ssification of Earth was inessible to mortals.


    Sung-Woon pulled a poetry book from the Earth section and then put it back. It was a collection of poems restored from memory by one of the yers. Although called a library, all the books were maintained by a system that indexed their form, allowing for searching even down to each page''s sentences. He returned the poetry book not only because it was uninteresting, but because the person he was waiting for arrived sooner than expected.


    "A second moon has been known as a possibility already," Jerome, a yer, approached saying this.


    Jerome was the leader of one of the small groups among the yers, but that fact wasn''t very important. yers usually got together with those of simr tastes or personalities, and they often told Sung-Woon about such gatherings as an excuse to meet. Most yers were members of several groups, sometimes three or four, and some held the title of group leader in several of them.


    Sung-Woon himself was a member of groups like nt and Animal Care, Programming Study, and Game Production clubs. He was also the leader of the most-subscribed Comprehensive Martial Arts group and a traditional board game group named Go Lovers that yed games like Go. He was someone with very few hobbies in the Pantheon.


    Jerome appeared to be made of several books. Where his forehead should be was two wide hardcovers showing its spines, his nose protruded, with a mustache of unfolded book bindings, and his hair and beard were white pages hanging down. In other words, Jerome looked like an old man made of books.


    Jerome was the leader of the Old Content Restoration Team, Avartin''s ssical Literature Group, and the Ancient History Research Group of Avartin.


    Sung-Woon, knowing that Ion Iolkaf had proven the existence of a second moon, sought someone in the yermunity who could have information about it and that was why Jerome soon arrived.


    "Was there a civilization on the moon?"


    "It seems so to us."


    "Why didn''t I know? Well, um, we''re not that close, but Eldar was also part of that...setting otaku group, right? Eldar would have tipped me off first. I hardly noticed that setting."


    "Avartin''s Ancient History Research Group."


    "Yes, that one."


    Jerome stroked his beard, which was essentially turning pages of a book.


    "Hmm, the ancient history of Avartin is a mix of myth, legend, and actual events, so it''s hard to know for sure. In our research group, when we consult Avartin-rted materials, they appear in the system window within ovepping brackets, so we usually call them ¡®ovepping bracket materials.'' Most of these materials mix reality and mythology in their descriptions. And that part is the same today. People, when they see a miracle, can feel it''s exaggerated even if it''s factual. Conversely, even when exaggerated, we might think it''s just the use of a Domain''s power, or maybe magic, or perhaps technology we don''t know of."


    "So it''s hard to distinguish."


    "Yes. That''s why even if we talked about the existence of a second moon, we thought it was just symbolic."


    Sung-Woon asked while turning his head, "The problem is that we still haven''t observed it, right?"


    The power of the Pantheon extended only a bit beyond the atmosphere of the Lost World, the Avartin. Beyond that point, the system of the Pantheon didn''t work. The miracles of various Domains only functioned within Avartin''s atmosphere, but beyond a certain height, the gods'' powers didn''t reach.


    ''That reminds me of myst game with Hegemonia.''


    At that time, Sung-Woon had used a loophole. He hadunched satellites into orbit and attacked Hegemonia with projection weapons from there. Although it wasn''t that novel a tactic at that time, it was a move that targeted Hegemonia''s weakness, leading to her defeat.


    yers believed that their powers reached every corner of the Lost World, but in reality, there were clear limits. Of course, such limits hadn¡¯t been a significant issue until now. yers hadn''t been interested in anything outside Avartin to begin with.


    ''Because the enemy was always on the''s surface.''


    Sung-Woon asked, "So what is this second moon?"


    Jerome replied, "What is the second moon... The sun signifies the world and life, and the moon¡ªthe first moon Yonda, to be more precise¡ªsignifies cycles and flow. So, it aligns with our general understanding. A receives energy from the sun, so it signifies life, and the moon orbits Avartin regrly, signifying cycles. However, such interpretations also imbue mystery, making them feel more symbolic. That¡¯s why we thought the second moon would be simr."


    "What does the second moon signify?"


    "Apocalypse."


    Sung-Woon nodded as if interested. "It''s bound to seem symbolic."


    "Looking past mysticism and symbolism now, Loom was one of the old gods'' ultimate weapons. It had so many capabilities that our research group just thought it symbolized abination of apocalyptic powers."


    "Like the powers of Domains held by yers?"


    "Exactly."


    "The second moon, Loom, is that significant?"


    "It effectively ended a war."


    Sung-Woon recalled the general setting of The Lost World. The origins of the world were so ancient that they were unknown. Like the creation myths on Earth, it was aplex mix of who created whom or who was born from whom, and it was unclear what was true. The stories varied by species and even within the same species, depending on the region, so even the yers hardly knew these ancient tales. The Avartin¡¯s Ancient History Research Groupbeled these as ancient myths¡ªsomething that existed in the past but also mythical.


    Then at some point, beings known as old gods appeared. Of course, when they first emerged, they were simply called gods, and they were the beings referred to in the creation myths and ancient myths. Whether they had always existed but hidden their presence, or merely borrowed that title upon their appearance, was unknown.


    These old gods and the numerous species coexisted well, reaching a peak in civilization.


    ''I heard that scientific development was incredibly slow then.''


    Due to reliance on the gods'' powers, there was little interest in technological advancement like science. Sung-Woon thought they would have lived well even without such advancements.


    Instead, they developed art and culture, mediated conflicts between species, and formed alliances beyond national boundaries. Of course, there were significant wars during this period, and rtions among the old gods were not always good. This erasted for about tens of thousands of years.


    yers spected that themonnguage, almost ovepping among different species, originated from this period. Themonnguage operated by phic rules that could epass species with vocal cords as well as those like the Astasidias, who had separate vocal mechanisms. It was sophisticated enough to urately convey the meanings of even the most detailednguages.


    ''Compared to Earth, it''s impressive, but if there was no thought of going beyond the...''


    Additionally, if the old gods only had abilities simr to the yers, or even somewhat simr, they wouldn''t have felt the need to use them. They just passed the long ages without the need to develop their abilities further. If a problem arose, it was solved with the power of the gods.


    ''Couldn¡¯t that also be a form of peace?''


    In the setting, this was referred to as the Age of the Old Gods. Tens of thousands of years, almost an eternity for the individuals living through it. ording to various scientific evidence, the life expectancy of the species was simr then as it was now.


    However, Avartin was not eternally peaceful. Magic appeared. There was no record of how, why, or for what reason it emerged. The appearance of magic left more records than the entire tens of thousands of years of the Age of the Old Gods. Even though these were called ancient relics, they were rtively recent inparison, but still overwhelmingly numerous.


    Those who could use magic weren¡¯t powerful enough to oppose the gods, but they formed their independent groups, not following the gods, and instead followed something other than the old gods. ording to the setting, this was the precursor to the evil gods.


    ¡®The world starts to get twisted from the emergence of ancient evil.''


    The ancient evil, namely the evil gods, attempted to take over the world ruled by the old gods. The evil gods seduced numerous species, conqueredmunities, and, for some reason, the old gods were defenseless against them.


    The legacy of peace that hadsted for tens of thousands of years began to crumble. The world was not overwhelmingly dominated but was swept into conflict, and the old gods had to live the remaining time without the certainty of victory in the future. The gods then realized they could only oppose the evil gods in another way.


    ''That''s when they turned to science.''


    The foundation for technological civilization was already in ce, and perhaps because of that, the rate of development was as rapid as the development brought about by the yers. A that had spent tens of thousands of years at a medieval level of technology developed scientific and technological advancements in just a few hundred years.


    The aspects where the gods'' powers fell short werepensated for, and there was no longer deficiency in opposing the evil gods. Therefore, they put an end to the war that hadsted for hundreds of years.


    "So, Loom was the ultimate weapon that ended that war?"


    "Yes. It was more of a huge artificial satellite than a spaceship. It could fire some kind of beam and alsounch interceptors."


    "But it seems hard to believe that such a thing was made in just a few hundred years. Even just to reach the moon..."


    "Ah, I should have mentioned that." Jerome said. "In the past, the gods'' range of influence was not limited to the''s atmosphere, but extended to the moon. So by using the gods'' powers well, they could send entities to the moon. It wasn''tmon, so it''s not well-documented, and as I said earlier, we thought it was just a symbolic scene, but if it wasn''t... Maybe the old gods gradually moved resources and people to the moon without the evil gods noticing andpleted Loom there."


    "So it was built as a secret weapon from the start?"


    "Yes."


    Sung-Woon was convinced. While the fight with the evil gods on the drew attention, the weapon was built in a ce the evil gods couldn''t detect, a ssic backstab. Since it was intended as a secret weapon, it wasn¡¯t strange that it had remained undiscovered until now.


    Jerome continued, "It seems they were very cautious. Among the ancient relics, you find weird resources like lunar stones, right? They probably dug up the back of the moon and transported it here. So outside of research materials, yers only find nonsensical, useless resources when exploring ancient ruins."


    But even if the mass was somehow matched, a huge artificial structure like the second moon, called Loom, could¡¯ve been discovered as observation methods became more precise, like Ion Iolkaf had found.


    "I have two questions."


    "Okay."


    "One is about history. If the old gods won the war, why did they disappear?"


    Jerome shook his head. "I don''t know. Maybe the world became too devastated after the use of the second moon? It''s said they destroyed all civilizations and buildings to prevent the evil gods from using them, maybe they just wanted to give up. Then they summoned us as the rebuilders of the next civilization."


    "But then the ancient evil reappeared?"


    "Perhaps?"


    This wasn¡¯t a satisfying answer. It felt iplete and vague.


    ''Anyway, that''s not the most important thing right now.''


    Sung-Woon waved his hand dismissively. "Here¡¯s my next question. I hope you have an answer..."


    "I''m all prepared. You can expect a good one."


    "If the second moon, Loom, is now in the hands of the evil gods,"


    "Yes?"


    "Why aren''t they using it against us right away?"


    Jerome raised his index finger. "That''s the question I was expecting. The answer is causality."


    "Causality."


    "Just like we yers couldn¡¯t directly ry our scientific knowledge to the entities, the second moon, Loom, exists outside causality."


    "You¡¯re saying it''s a thing beyond the current level of science and civilization."


    Sung-Woon understood immediately. If it was outside causality, to bring it within causality, a significant amount of Faith points would need to be used.


    "I don¡¯t know how much Faith points they have, but it must be difficult for them right now."


    "They?"


    "Jeolyo, we discovered, ismanding the Fairy species. But if what you say is true, there''s another one. It''s just not listed in the yer list because they exist outside causality."


    "Ah, that makes sense. Hmm, even with two yers, it would be difficult. Including Sha-Cha, that makes three, and the ck Order''s poption has decreased too much."


    Jerome nodded.


    Sung-Woon hoped Jerome would say, ''So there''s no need to worry.'' But Jerome didn''t say that.


    "But isn¡¯t there another way to ovee causality?"


    "What way?"


    Jerome shrugged and said, "Unlike decades ago, downloading the music of an Orc rapper active on Sky Net is not a vition of causality anymore. If our scientific technology has caught up that much, they could cross causality with much less Faith points than needed."


    "Sounds like aplex calction."


    "Not necessarily. The answer is always in the history books,¡± Jerome said this while rummaging through notes he seemed to have written himself. "Of course, it''s not very clear. It''s a calction. But there are a few indicators of the level of scientific and technological achievement of the old gods¡¯ civilization at the end of the ancient war. When our civilization reaches that level, we can say we''re at the same level of causality as then."


    "Even if we stop developing?"


    "Stopping isn''t enough. Even if it doesn''t improve qualitatively, it expands quantitatively. To prevent the intervention of our evil gods, we need to reverse the development, not just stop it."


    Sung-Woon realized that wouldn''t be possible anymore. Even if the level of civilization was literally reversed, if the evil gods gathered Divinity faster, they would eventually face the second moon.


    ''We¡¯ll have to deal with it before Loom shows itself.''


    Sung-Woon asked, "Alright, the Empire hasunched several rockets beyond orbit and has experimental satellites. But right now, we can''t even reach the moon, let alone fight a giant structure on the dark side of the moon. How much time do we have?"


    Jerome slowly stroked his beard and answered calmly, "Three years and three months."

 Chapter 267: Moon-Facing Plan

    <h4>Chapter 267: Moon-Facing n</h4>


    At the airport, Ion Iolkaf began to wonder if all these were really what he had wanted.


    <i>''Did I really want this? Truly?''</i>


    However, Ion''s dissatisfaction was not very important. After Ion''s paper spread, independent of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency¡¯s actions, Ion ended up lecturing his theory not only to astronomers around the world, but also to scientists directly or indirectly affiliated with the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency. His goal was not merely to exin his theory.


    Apanying Ion was an Ogre named Mando Hwae-Sa from the Intelligence Agency, who had once interrogated Ion under Ramin. Mando, roughly 2.8 meters tall, which was ordinary for an Ogre, had a huge physique formed by modern weight training, giving off an intimidating presence as if they were armed with a deadly weapon. If Ion had anything to hide during the interrogation, he would have spilled everything at the sight of Mando''s face.


    <i>''Wait, I really did spill everything. Was it because of this Ogre?''</i>


    Mando often talked about their body.


    "People think Ogres are just big and fat. Of course, I embrace that body type too. Even our ancestor, the great Hwang Hwae-Sa, achieved great feats with a physique like that. But that''s just a tiny part of the potential Ogres have. Precisely, it''s the potential itself. When I realized Ogres have thick bones and muscles that build well, I thought I should build my body. And after building it, I thought I should find the best ce to use it."


    "You really found an excellent job."


    "Exactly. And as long as I''m apanying you, the importance of my job rises as much as the importance of what you are doing. So please, show a bit more enthusiasm."


    Ion''s role was not just to simply exin a theory. If that were all, there would be no reason for Ion to travel the world. People wanted Ion to persuade them.


    There were too many ces intertwined with the Empire''s interests and countless representatives of such ces. In the case of the western continent¡¯s parliament, which was most antagonistic to the Empire, the centrist Inner Circle luckily somewhat epted Ion¡¯s theory, thanks to the assassination attempt on Sarcho. However, disagreement with the Outer Circle, consisting of nobles from the former Union Kingdom and other factions, was natural.


    "I don''t understand why each one of them wants a one-on-one exnation. Even though they''re told the world is ending."


    The story of the second moon, Loom, had already spread all over Sky Net. The Empire could have stopped the spread of the story, but they let it be, neither confirming nor denying it openly. However, the fact that Ion''s paper was true and that its publication was being left alone in itself was a message of confirmation.


    <i>''Isn''t that an even stronger message?''</i>


    Based on the data from ancient relics, assuming a vague and uncertain threat would plunge people into confusion. Instead, the Empire pointed to the most clear-cut fact that something existed behind the moon. Chaos diminished, and suspicion focused.


    In addition, the Empire silentlyunched dozens of projects. A capitalist group called the Fifth Waterwheel took action, and the Empire''s internal funding and emergency taxation measures quickly passed in the parliament. Everyone knew that this was not the natural course of events, but rather something done not by human effort.


    With the Pantheon in motion, people cautiously explored the possibility that the second moon could be real. Without the help of the central government of the Empire, various factions started their investigations into the matter, and all answers ultimately relied on Ion''s paper.


    If Ion''s paper was true, then the Empire''s movements were real, and so was the danger. Then there was no reason to engage in a power struggle with the central government of the Empire or the Pantheon. An urgent exnation was needed across various imperial territories about the possible existence of the second moon, Loom, and the Empire''s future response.


    Mando said, "The Empire possesses a stronger potential. Just like an Ogre''s body."


    "What?"


    "We could have hardened our bodies with weight training, saying ''This darn b is so annoying.'' After building enough muscle, we could have reduced fat by controlling our diet to make the muscles stand out. But we didn''t. We just left it as it is."


    "Are you using a metaphor? I never really paid attention in literature ss..."


    Mandoughed heartily. "These diforts, though seemingly inconvenient and worthless at the moment, will eventually be the strength of the Empire. The Empire is currently building its body. And you, Ion, are one of the strongest tendons holding up the Empire''s heaviest weight."


    Ion nodded, not fully understanding but epting the idea.


    Ion traveled between the east, south, and west continents, meeting many people. He met with Gnoll royalty from the Union Kingdom, Orc aristocrats, self-made Elf capitalists, Goblin leaders of regional collective farms who had broken away from past revolutions, a Frogmanmander of the revolutionary army still proiming the revolution unfinished, a Human tribal leader of an ancient tribe that rejected civilization, and an extremist environmentalist Troll organization leader. They held significant power even within imperial territories and still doubted whether they couldpletely trust the Empire.


    Ion didn¡¯t believe he could persuade all these people either. Even if all the Empire''s power was united, he wasn''t sure if it could stop what they called the second moon, Loom. Nevertheless, he believed he could do only what was within his power.


    <i>''Mando cheered me on, but what can''t be helped, can''t be helped. I''ll do as much as I can.''</i>


    Moreover, Ion still considered himself a secrist. The continuation of the war between evil gods and gods was not a pleasant story. Therefore, Ion stuck to exining only what he could, namely the scientific theory. He exined the previously known theory, sought agreement, and then showed what problems were in the calctions and what actual figures were derived.


    Only afterwards did the Intelligence Agency add evidence of the second moon collected from around the world as an appendix, and unfortunately, the Empire had not yet sent rockets to the moon''s orbit or directly photographed Loom. Despite this, everyone changed their minds after listening to Ion.


    A Gnoll royal said, "Your wordsck the conviction and expectations shown by the priests of the Pantheon. I believe you."


    An Elf capitalist stated, "Alright. We''ll proceed with all the projects requested by the central government."


    A Goblin leader said, "You''re not here to harass us, that''s for certain. We''ll cooperate in relocating the farmnds."


    The Frogmanmander said, "A logical exnation. Our corps will propose an indefinite ceasefire to the Empire until progress in moon research is made."


    The Human tribal chiefmented, "Everything falls into ce, wise friend. At least we''re not enemies, and I can grant your request."


    The Troll organization leader asked, "It''s not a lie, is it?"


    Energy surged through the Empire''s stiffened veins, filling the dry spots like blood. At least to Ion''s eyes, that seemed the case.


    In just a few months, resources and people that had been immovable without the central government''s direct involvement began to volunteer their support. There had been only five rocketunches so far, but blueprints for rocketunch pads were being shared and constructed everywhere, and buildings were literally created at an astonishing speed by divine power.


    It wasn''t just the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency that was on the move. The Empire¡¯s military began reorganizing itself to face Loom. The innovative reform, known as Moon-Facing, continued, and what this massive n meant exactly and how it would be revealed was known only to the gods. Since everyone was just looking at the framework of the grand n, there was ack of certainty, but there was a sense of being part of something greater.


    <i>''What kind of sensation is this?''</i>


    Ion couldn¡¯t find a precise answer and returned to the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency afterpleting his global tour. Of course, Ion no longer worked in the same administrative division after returning. He moved with the Astronomical Observation Division, busily managing the schedule andunch angles of rocketunch pads around the world, as well as controlling risks through observations of other celestial bodies and asteroids.


    Several rockets had already beenunched. It was for the purpose of utilizing a satellitemunicationwork, and the global distribution of this satellitework and the mobile phones using it almost came into being simultaneously. Ion, holding an object he had never thought of until a few months ago, sensed the movement of the world as people became ustomed to using it within just a month. People weren¡¯t fully aware, but the world was undergoing a literal technological explosion.


    Additionally, something strange happened.


    "You know, agent, I''ve been seeing you quite often these days."


    "Oh, Ion. Hello. Yes, because of that work."


    Ramin from the Intelligence Agency was frequently spotted within the Aerospace Agency. Ramin would greet Ion and then hastily disappear down the opposite end of the corridor, leaving Ion feeling somewhat disappointed. However, after learning the whole story, Ion forgave Ramin.


    Ion had the opportunity to meet with astronaut candidates who would travel on the manned spacecraft attached to the rocket. These astronaut candidates were the ones who wouldmunicate directly with the central control room on the ground and were naturally people Ion would have to be familiar with. They had already passed several tests to be astronaut candidates within the Aerospace Agency.


    Ion was disqualified due to hiscking physical fitness and congenital vascr disorder, but he wasn''t too disappointed. Being on the first manned spacecraft was an honor, but also dangerous.


    Therefore, when he saw Ramin among those astronaut candidates, he was first taken aback.


    "Why are you here?"


    "...Tell me about it."


    Ion couldn''t contain his curiosity and searched for Ramin in the astronaut candidates list. Ramin''s personnel file was thick enough to provokeughter and had many redacted parts, absurd to the extent of being ridiculous. Nevertheless, Ramin had more than enough qualifications to be selected as an astronaut candidate, adorned with degrees in various fields. While not quite meeting the mark in essential areas like physics, mathematics, and programming, Ramin scored higher than anyone in the aspects the Aerospace Agency most expected from an astronaut.


    [The candidate has demonstrated superior skills in the most dire situations, including ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö, and therefore can be trusted tomand the spacecraft and other astronauts. Attachment: Pantheon sanctity registration, ...the Chosen One.]


    After flipping through thest page, Ion said to Ramin, "Did you know? There were only two rmenders."


    "Oh, really? I thought I needed three."


    "But you passed. Your rmenders are the Emperor and the head of the Intelligence Agency."


    "Ah, Gorgota, such a pain."


    Ion wondered if the Aerospace Agency could handle someone who spoke so casually of the head of the Intelligence Agency, but he decided not to mention it and just moved on.


    Six months after Ion''s paper presentation, an unmanned rocket wasunched toward the moon, and in the live footage, arge and gloomy shadow was discovered behind the first moon.


    ***


    As busy as the Empire was, the Pantheon was equally busy. Every imaginable n emerged, got scrapped, and reemerged. Several ns were urgently approved, modified to fit the Empire''s circumstances, and implemented. But clearly, that alone was insufficient.


    Sung-Woon, saying everyone was overworking, dered that if there was no set schedule, yers should take a break and individually contemte their best answers. Thanks to this, Jerome was repeatedly reviewing in a corner of the library, searching for ancient relics that could hold the key to solving this predicament. He wasn¡¯tpletely without clues and somewhat hoped that what he was looking for could turn out to be the answer.


    <i>''It''s like a quiz show. An impossible question has been thrown, and everyone is asked to find their own solution. It¡¯s as if he knows the answer himself.''</i>


    Like Sung-Woon also would, Jerome remembered Sung-Woon''s reaction when he had talked about the second moon.


    "So we have about 3 years and 3 months left?" Sung-Woon''s muttering had ended with, "That¡¯s more than enough time."

 Chapter 268: No Dogs Allowed

    <h4>Chapter 268: No Dogs Allowed</h4>


    Inside the banquet hall at the pantheon, someone said, "Dogs aren¡¯t allowed."


    It was Jang-Wan. "Of course, monkeys and cats aren¡¯t allowed either."


    As Sung-Woon reached for the system window to search for a list of all animals, Jang-Wan gestured toward the translucent window.


    "What are you doing?"


    "If dogs, monkeys, and cats aren''t allowed, we need to look for other animals."


    "No other animals are allowed either. There''s no Laika in Avartin, alright?"


    A considerable time had passed since Jang-Wan, who had sacrificed herself in order for Sung-Woon to challenge the Large Area, had returned. As the first to be resurrected, Jang-Wan often provoked Sung-Woon. Sung-Woon didn''t mind. Apart from willingly sacrificing for the Pantheon, Sung-Woon believed Jang-Wan had the right to do so.


    Sung-Woon said, "But someone has to get on the rocket. In the end, highly trained astronauts have to."


    "I know that."


    "And before those astronauts ride it, the rocket''s safety has to be checked, but there are limits to justunching unmanned spacecraft."


    "I know that too."


    "Before carrying an intellectual being, carrying a non-intellectual one first seems to me like a better idea."


    Jang-Wan shook the lion mask she was wearing. "That''s not true."


    The second moon, Loom, had been discovered behind the first moon, Yonda. Loom was captured on video, transmitted in real-time, and this footage, thoughcking in fidelity, spread around the world.


    It was a sight worthy of being called a second moon. It was dark and shadowed, captured when the sun hadn''t risen, so the specific details were unknown, but even from its silhouette, its dignified presence was apparent. It was about one-tenth the size of the moon. Loom, docked on a giant crater on the dark side of the first moon, almost resembled the pupil of a giant eye.


    The technical analysis team concluded that the entire surface of Loom was artificial, and eventually, it was concluded that Loom itself was a massive artificial structure. The moonstone from the crater dug to dock the first moon seemed to have been moved to the Avartin to offset the mass of Loom.


    Closer imaging could have provided more information, but unfortunately, the first unmanned rocket could only achieve that much. It was then destroyed by an attack from Loom. Therefore, despite the sessful rocketunch, it was agreed that there was a need tounch the next rocket sooner.


    On the Pantheon¡¯s side, they had only just discovered the opponent, while the opponent already possessed the means of attack and was merely waiting for causality to rise. Therefore, ideas for a manned rocket, more precisely a manned spacecraft that could operate various devices and respond to the opponent''s attacks, were proposed from various ces, and the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency sought to realize these ideas.


    In this process, the necessity for a bio-organism rocket, preceding a manned rocket, emerged, which was a natural step to verify its safety before actual people would board. And Jang-Wan opposed this.


    "Do you think that''s so important?" Sung-Woon asked cryptically.


    Unable to see the face under the mask, Jang-Wan replied angrily, "It is important."


    "The most important task of all?"


    "Not necessarily."


    "Then what?"


    Pointing with the tip of her finger at Sung-Woon, Jang-Wan said, "But not doing it when you can is a sin. We''re not just winning. We cany a better foundation and win on that. I''m not just talking about ethics or morality. If there''s leeway, we naturally should do it because it will give us an upper hand in the next fight."


    Jang-Wan''s mention of leeway caused a stir among the yers who were listening. Some doubted the existence of such leeway at the moment.


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯tment on it. "Surely you didn¡¯t say that without any alternative in mind."


    "Oh, of course not."


    "And the alternative is?"


    "Obviously, a Sacrificial Lamb."


    That somewhat convinced the other yers. Initially thought to be just a tantrum, Jang-Wan hade up with a good idea. Sung-Woon also understood Jang-Wan''s point. A Sacrificial Lamb referred to a creation by a yer that served the role of a sacrifice. It wasn¡¯t a particrly popr role for a creature creation, hard to find except in the early game.


    The role of a Sacrificial Lamb was simple. In the early game, at the primitive tribal stage of civilization, a tribe could struggle to find prey worthy of offering to the gods. In such cases, yers created a Sacrificial Lamb to be hunted and offered as a sacrifice.


    <i>''Though the amount of Faith points gained by doing so is very little...''</i>


    Even though it was somewhat inefficient, it wasn¡¯t done for only increasing Faith points. In situations like drought, disaster, or extreme environments, such sacrifices strengthened tribal unity and produced other by-products from the food and the corpse of the Sacrificial Lamb.


    However, as civilization advanced, there was no reason to adopt the tactic, so yers of The Lost World generally agreed there was no need to make a valuable creation into a Sacrificial Lamb. Especially in theter stages of the game, the role was almost nonexistent, leading some yers to forget their existence altogether.


    Jang-Wan said, "But we, the Pantheon, and the Empire, even in thiste stage of the game, still have a Sacrificial Lamb, don''t we? That''s where I got the idea."


    "That''s true."


    Sung-Woon judged that such a Sacrificial Lamb could be used more effectively even in thetter stages of the game. Environmentalism, like secrism, was one of the major factors that could trip yers up in theter stages of the game.


    <i>''It''s not just a stumbling block.''</i>


    Ignoring environmentalism and rushing into nuclear warfare enhancement, elerating the extinction of nts and animals and environmental disasters like climate crises led to a mutually destructive meta. A copsing environment from a certain point, like a domino effect, was not something to idly watch given the resulting decrease in food resources due to diseases, radioactive fallout, shrinking living areas due to rising sea levels, and extinction of certain species due to ongoing warming.


    Even in such an environment, someone could secure victory with difficulty, but such a victory hardly increased the yer¡¯s rating. Therefore, yers typically chose a sustainable route that moderately damaged the environment while not being overly constrained by environmentalism.


    Because of this, Sung-Woon brought a Sacrificial Lamb as a key element to ovee environmentalism in this game. Animal experimentation was an inevitableponent in advancing science at a certain level of civilization, but if such a problem was confined to a god''s creation unrted to other environments, it could work.


    <i>''I was influenced by the perfect vegan strategy too.''</i>


    There was a strategy that once became an issue among yers of The Lost World. It was a high-concept strategy about how far civilization could be maintained with all entities being vegetarian, even eating only fallen fruits or seeds, ensuring no one was harmed. It was feasible in a nonpetitive scenario usingplex in-game mechanisms.


    Sung-Woon thought it was impossible in apetitive situation but worth considering, and managed to appease environmentally conscious yers who were chronically dissatisfied with the Pantheon by attaching a rare breeding skill to the Sacrificial Lamb creation. Had the evil gods existed as the masterminds, dealing with aggressive secrists and eco-terrorists would have required more interventions.


    Even at the current moment, a strangely shaped creation, Sepi, neither a dog nor a pig nor a guinea pig nor a chimpanzee, was being sacrificed in theboratory under the Pantheon''s ritual, feeling the joy of sacrifice of its own will, without pain.


    <i>''Although the number of experiments can''t be dramatically increased due to the limit on the number of individuals, it''s more gically simr to people. In the end, reducing one risk factor is a benefit.''</i>


    Sung-Woon said, "But the problem isn¡¯t resolved."


    "Why do you think so?"


    "The continuously cloned Sepi, our Sacrificial Lamb, may be less ethically repulsive, but...that''s exactly the point..." Sung-Woon continued somewhat hesitantly, "It''s too unintelligent."


    It had enough intelligence to understand its situation and would willingly offer itself due to religious longing and will, but whether it could be trained to a certain extent like dogs or monkeys for rocket experiments was doubtful.


    Jang-Wan said, "That''s why we''ll use something other than Sepi as well."


    "Something other than Sepi? What else would youunch?"


    "Not someone else. We put Sepi in the spacecraft and then <i>we</i> go into Sepi."


    The shocking statement caused someone among the yers to cough suddenly.


    Sung-Woon replied, "We use Divine Control on Sepi in the spacecraft?"


    "Yes. Then there¡¯s no problem with intelligence. The moment we use Divine Control on Sepi, it bes the smartest creature on the."


    "Even though our current Faith resources and Divinity level are satisfactory, why risk losing Faith points..."


    "We won''t lose it." Jang-Wan brought up a system window she had readied. "Even if a yer goes into the fragile body of Sepi, the spacecraft will be operable until the very end. I¡¯ve done the calctions. With the current Faith level of the Pantheon, even if the rocketpletely disintegrates, Sepi, being used for Divine Control, won''t die. Of course, if the rocket explodes, there''s nothing we can do...."


    Sung-Woon and the other yers were deep in thought.


    Sung-Woon soon spoke up and said, "Alright, interesting... Should we draw lots to decide who will go into Sepi?"


    The will of the Pantheon was conveyed to the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, which then spread the news worldwide.


    [The gods have borrowed the noblest of bodies.]


    The rocket experimentmenced without dy, and the finest Sepis from around the globe were selected and brought to the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency for testing. The Sepis selected were publicized worldwide through photographs. Sepi dolls were sold, and people raised Sepis as livestock, while interviews with strong environmentalists who criticized the ecology of Sepis, their appearance, likes and dislikes, and the technologies sustained by Sepi''s sacrifice spread.


    Despite some opposition, the news that the gods themselves would use Sepi''s body for the experiment ignited the Aerospace Agency''s determination. Rocket engineers vowed not to sacrifice even a single Sepi, and ideas for Sepi''s revival poured out like a storm.


    <i>''Not even making them die?''</i>


    Sung-Woon thought it was an unexpected turn of events, but refrained from intervening. It was all positive. If Sepi, with its fragile body, could survive, then surely people could too. It was all a procedure for what came next.


    The first bio-organism rocketunch was immediately prepared, and Jang-Wan volunteered to go into the first Sepi.


    In the cramped cockpit designed for Sepi, Jang-Wan thought, <i>''We have different souls, but at least as of right now we are one.''</i>


    Jang-Wan''s monologue was met with a euphoric response from Sepi''s body, as if burning in divine joy. Jang-Wan consciously avoided this sensation, feeling sad for this innocent creature.


    Sepi,cking a properrynx, executed the procedures required by the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency in sequence through a Sepi-specific input-output device under Jang-Wan¡¯s control. However, the rocket was still unstable. The engineers werepetent but too busy and exhausted, and there were probabilistic ws not even the gods had detected.


    [System malfunction. Experiment halted.]


    Sepi=Jang-Wan felt the heat as the rocket''s thermal engines exploded, and the floor erupted.


    <i>''I can endure this.''</i>


    It was hot but not painfully so. The Faith level of the Pantheon had already reduced much of the physical damage caused by the explosion. The interior of the rocket was destroyed, but it wasn¡¯t the worst-case scenario. At least Sepi''s body hadn''t been flung through the rocket''s interior and out into space. If that had happened, Sepi would have died the moment Jang-Wan disengaged the Divine Control skill.


    A message appeared on thest remaining window in front of the control panel.


    [Thank you for your efforts, Overflowing God. The rocket is now transitioning to a distress recovery phase.]


    [May the gods bless this pitiful life.]


    Jang-Wan hesitated. If she maintained Divine Control and stayed in Sepi''s body, she could save Sepi. That would appear miraculous.


    <i>''But it would dramatically consume Faith points. The ground is too far away.''</i>


    Of course, Jang-Wan believed she had that authority. If Sung-Woon alone used up all of the Pantheon''s Faith points, no one would say anything. What she used was very little inparison.


    Yet Jang-Wan deactivated Divine Control and slowly left Sepi''s body. Back in her divine form, Jang-Wan watched the rocket plummet, lowering its altitude.


    <i>''Survive, little friend. Even though your sacrifice is for us, and that''s your will and desire.''</i>


    Jang-Wan trusted the hearts of those who wanted to save Sepi.

 Chapter 269: A Giant Mountain

    <h4>Chapter 269: A Giant Mountain</h4>


    Seven hourster, Sepi was found inside the recovered rocket in the southern ocean, crying. Sepi showed some signs of dizziness and exhaustion but was otherwise unharmed.


    After this, the next rocket wasunched, and the miracles continued.


    ***


    Inside the lounge on the first floor of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, one person sat in the lounge area, which offered a sense of openness with its several floors of full-length ss exposing the interior, yet it didn''t seem very spacious to Ion.


    <i>''Is it just a feeling, or is it actually not that spacious?''</i>


    The reason was the presence of the Ogre intelligence agent, Mando Hwae-Sa, whose triangr physique and shoulder width alone could cover four trolls standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Mando¡¯s appearance prevented them from participating in covert missions for the Intelligence Agency, so they often used Mando as the face of the agency in various promotional materials. Mando''s mythical bulk was well known to those who should know.


    Ion, having traveled with Mando for months and unable to just pass by without acknowledging them, especially considering Mando''s unmistakable size, walked straight over to them.


    "Long time no see, Mando."


    "Oh, Ion. Good to see you."


    "Are you waiting for Ramin?"


    "Ah, yes."


    "Even as an astronaut, Ramin is busy. Others are overwhelmed from the astronaut training alone..."


    At this, Mando scratched their chiseled jaw. "Well, I guess she doesn''t have much more to train physically, right? Probably just struggling with studies."


    "Is that so?"


    "Ramin is much stronger than me."


    "Well, I guess because she¡¯s the Chosen One and all."


    "Even without that power, she¡¯d be stronger. Of course, I''m not just talking about physical strength."


    Ion looked unconvinced, feeling that Mando was being overly modest.


    Mando waved their hand lightly. "It''s like that with a Vampire who has lived a long time."


    "I''m not sure about that. Isn''t a Vampire just a Vampire?"


    "Vampires start with the first Vampire Queen Shaiven as the first generation, and then each subsequent embrace creates the next generation, up to the fourth generation. Ramin is part of the fourth generation. Typically, the first generation is as strong as an Ogre, but the fourth generation is known tock the ability to embrace."


    "But? Doesn''t that mean they''re weak?"


    "But if they consume a lot of blood, they can regain the strength of the previous generations. It''s recent research, not widely known, but they can embrace others, and theoretically, their power may exceed that of the first generation. Famous long-lived Vampires like Hwee-Kyung, for instance, have shown extraordinary abilities that are not simply understood as divine power. It must be simr to that."


    Ion assumed that was the case and said, "It''s good she¡¯s strong. The engineering team is quite worried, you know."


    "The engineering team? You mean the rocket engineering team? Didn¡¯t Sepi survive again this time? Isn¡¯t that amazing? This is confidential, but every time a rocket isunched, people in the Intelligence Agency gather to pray. There are even some who can¡¯t sleep until Sepi is safely returned."


    Ion half-jokingly listened andughed. "We pray too. It could be our fault. If there¡¯s a mistake in calctions or guidance, it could be a death sentence to the rocket. Oh, I came down to get some tea for the astronomy team. I should go back up now."


    "Alright, take care... Oh, wait."


    Ion, who was turning to leave, looked back at Mando.


    Mando said, "There was something I wanted to tell Ramin, but I think I can tell you directly."


    "What is it?"


    Mando cleared their throat. This Ogre, despite their size, was surprisingly shy at times.


    "It''s about the Fairies."


    "Fairies?"


    "Including Lide Oboren."


    Ion hadn¡¯t seen Lide for months, yet the mention of her name brought a flutter of excitement. It wasn¡¯t strange, considering that whenever he closed his eyes, memories with her always shed through his mind. Questions he wanted to ask and answers he wished to hear crisscrossed as he imagined parting and meeting her again, something he had done countless times in his thoughts.


    Mando, oblivious to Ion''s thoughts, continued, "Some Fairies want to convert."


    "...Convert, as in?"


    "They want to break away from their god, the evil god. Not all Fairies who have lived their lives in faith think the demands of the evil god are just or are unquestionable. Especially Fairies like them who have to live hidden in society may follow blind faith, but as their imprisonment drags on and the Empire remains intact, their faith wavers.


    Of course, we can¡¯t know the exact reasons, but there are definitely those who want to change, thanks to our intelligence agency¡¯s efforts. Many among the Fairies also have family or friends from other species. They can¡¯t just betray everyone."


    Ion finally managed to choose one among many things he wanted to say. "So Lide too...?"


    "She is one of those wishing to convert."


    "Is sheing out? Right away?"


    Mando gestured with an open palm, saying, "Not all those wishing to convert cane out immediately. There are quite a few Fairies, and among them, some may still follow the evil god. But they wille out sequentially, with priority given to those who are important. And Lide Oboren, being a rocket engineer, has quite a high priority."


    "I see."


    "They say good news is on the way."


    "Thank you, Mando."


    After parting with Mando, Ion spent the day lost in thought.


    <i>''It¡¯s not entirely a reason for joy. Lide deceived me, trying to make my research worthless.''</i>


    However, Ion couldn''t precisely define his feelings or thoughts about Lide until he faced her again. Therefore, Mando''s news wasn''t just about seeing Lide once more, but it was an opportunity to straighten out his wavering heart.


    <i>''Alright.''</i>


    Ionforted himself and devotedly carried out his duties.


    ***


    In the pantheon¡¯s situation room, yer Richard, in full te decorated with gold and silver like a king''s ceremonial armor, leaned closely into his screen and muttered, "This is definitely as expected."


    The screen showed a clear image of enemies. These enemies came from the deep sea, remaining silent for a long time. But recent movements made it clear that the evil gods would act eventually. The Fairies'' conversion was the trigger.


    Unlike the restricted Jeolyo and the Fairies bound by causality, it was evident that Sha-Cha, who could still act, would make a move. It was only a matter of when, so yers on duty had been repeatedly warned to keep a close watch on Orazen¡¯s seafront.


    Richard said, "I said this would happen, didn¡¯t I?"


    "Hey, I was the first to say they''d show up today," Lim Chun-Sik, wearing slippers and dangling them on his feet behind Richard, retorted.


    Richard soon agreed. "Well, that doesn''t matter. What do we do now?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Is it okay for us to destroy them?"


    Solongos, wearing traditional armor, mumbled from behind, "We should report to hyung-nim."


    "Ugh! I want to fight too! If we tell him, he''ll just swoop in and destroy them, iming it¡¯s an important issue!"


    Lim Chun-Sik scoffed, "Then do better than Neb."


    "I¡¯m notpletely useless. I even ranked within the top 100st time."


    "Kind of weak bragging to someone who has won the most first ces."


    Among the three grumbling members of the situation team, Solongos was the first to initiate contact. Solongos nced at the screen and then tilted his head slightly.


    "Hm?"


    Richard quickly turned around. "What is it?"


    "Oh, hung-nim says he''s extremely busy right now, and that the situation team should handle it."


    "Really? Why is he busy?"


    "He says we can use all the attack resources at Orazen, but only up to 5% of the Faith points."


    "What?"


    Richard raised his hands excitedly and said, "We could conquer the world with that much!"


    "He said we''re only supposed to defend."


    "Right, I know. Defend. Defense." Richard buried his face in his hands. "Finally, a real war-like battle."


    "The opponents are barely pirate level."


    "Didn''t I tell you how I lost to Hegemonia?"


    "...Right."


    "Inparison, Sha-Cha is a suitable opponent for me. ...Wow, wow, I''m moved. Look at this."


    Lim Chun-Sik disparagingly looked at the battle-crazed yer, who, despite his elegant armor, behaved like a primary schooler, but after seeing where Richard''s fingers pointed, he too felt a bit excited.


    "We''re in for a spectacr show."


    ***


    At the seafront of the self-reflection city Orazen, the port, rocking with rough waves, saw the return of the Deep One forces armed with spearguns. These priests of the ck Order, gathered from various oceans, were thest of the elite.


    Thest cardinal of the Deep Ones, Serakto, reorganized their priests and said, "Just a single brigade''s worth of troops, but all elite. With the power of the Great Deep Light, they still haven''t located us..."


    Contrary to Serakto''s hopes, a massive explosion sounded from the sky. It was a re shot from a mortar. The pitch-ck sky suddenly turned blue as if the sun had risen, and dozens of small artificial suns illuminated the waters in front of Orazen.


    Cardinal Serakto was startled but knew what to do.


    "Take cover and move! The hatred of Deep Light is with us!"


    Their objective was simple. Destroying Orazen wouldn''t mean victory for them. However, if they could destroy the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, they could dy many things. Their mission was to facilitate the arrival of the second moon on time.


    "We shall summon the second moon!"


    Right after the re shot, the initial mortar shells directly struck the harbor. Just as a unit was about to be swept away by the mes, a ck tentacle emerged from the deep sea and blocked the bombing.


    The surviving Deep Ones shouted, "Hatred! Our hatred hase!"


    Then, giant tentacles blocked the artillery, protecting the Deep Ones. It was thest Kraken, believed to have been extinct due to nuclear attacks. The massive tentacles pushed and pulled ships in the harbor, clearing a path for the Deep One forces toward Orazen.


    The Kraken began supporting the Deep Ones, squeezing its body along the downstream river. The overflowing water from the Kraken''s mass caused sewers to backflow and currents to pour into the low-lying areas.


    People¡¯s screams were heard, and the Deep Ones hid among them amidst the chaos.


    Far away, a yer in armor looked down at Orazen.


    "This is all thest Kraken can do?!"


    Behind theughing Richard, a mountain overlooking Orazen trembled. Soon, the giant shadow that seemed like a mountain a moment ago slowly began to crawl down toward the mouth of the river.

 Chapter 270: Conditions of a Dragon

    <h4>Chapter 270: Conditions of a Dragon</h4>


    In Avartin, there was a field of study known as dragonology. Just as the name suggests, this discipline investigated various Dragons that had appeared throughout history, seeking to understand what Dragons were, and how they lived and died.


    Dragonology wasn¡¯t widely regarded as a valuable study due to its specialized nature, and only a few people worked in this small academic field, often ovepping with other disciplines like biology, paleontology, ecology, and magic.


    In the past, during times when Dragons were more numerous in ces like the second and fourth continents, dragonology was a significant field of study. Dragons then were formidable beings capable of facing gods. In fact, ancient ruins revealed that Dragons had gathered their own forces, ruling their territories and enved many species. This power dynamic existed during the eras of both the old gods and the evil gods. Dragons could align with or submit to gods while maintaining their dignity, as even gods couldn''t treat these noble creatures recklessly.


    However, dragonology faced a longstanding puzzle, which was defining what a dragon was. Since no two Dragons in Avartin were alike, it was unclear if Dragons represented a single biological species. Recent research on the gics of Dragons in by the Angry One revealed that most Dragons were distinct species, deepening the mystery. Questions arose about their reproduction and whether they were creations of gods.


    However, ancient ruins indicated neither old gods nor evil gods were creators of Dragons. Even though there were those who imed to be the rulers of Dragons, no one had ever imed to be the mother of Dragons.


    To solve this, many schrs had researched the personal histories of notable Dragons. Nevertheless, many Dragons lived so long that their pasts were unclear, with legends of their births bordering on myth, making the truth unknown. There were ims that no living Dragons existed anymore. However, the new gods, the yers, knew about the Dragons'' origins and nature, not from special research, but from The Lost World''s settings tab.


    ***


    As for thest Kraken, itcked what people typically considered intelligence, but that was not important for the Kraken. The Kraken, a massive invertebrate, had awork of giant nerve bundles connecting its tentacles, rivaling the consciousness of vertebrates.


    It had no interest in the standards ofnd creatures. Despite this, the Kraken intuitively felt unsettled by a certain being, not the mysterious and overwhelming gods, but something else whose power was indiscernible,pelling the Kraken not to easily submit.


    Between the sea and thend, the trembling and the stability, the flowing ces and the settling ones.


    <i>-It is my opponent.</i>


    The Kraken did not ponder where this approaching being came from or what it was, assuming it came from the highestnds, just as the Kraken came from the deepest waters. It was a fateful battle between sea andnd, and each of the Kraken''s tentacles trembled with uncertainty.


    <i>-Come, crawler on all fours.</i>


    ***


    Summoned was a massive being, walking on four legs, asrge as a mountain. It was the feared beast, a Drake named Manun, the guardian Dragon of Orazen. Manun''s length now exceeded 200 meters. Drakes grew until they died, and Manun, over 300 years old, had reached an unnatural size. Comparatively, 180 year old Drakes were 15 times smaller than Manun, baffling biologists.


    "Drakes'' growth rate decreases with age. They keep growing but are expected to stagnate at a certain size."


    In the documentary titled <i>The Guardian Dragon of Orazen</i>, schrs discussing the mysteries of Manun could be seen in almost every scene.


    "There are 300-year-old Drake fossils, but Manun is ten timesrger.¡±


    "Manun''s biological size is already beyond the capacity to withstand gravity. Normally, at such a size, just standing up would break his bones and rupture his organs. But Manun? ...His movements might be as slow as an elderly person in the back room, but for its age, I''d say it''s quite vigorous."


    "Evidence has been captured suggesting Manun is shedding his skin again. If necessary, the Imperial Pce might assist with the shedding, but in my opinion, Manun will be able to shed his skin without much trouble this time as well. Manun is healthy."


    After the war with the Union Kingdom ended and peace ensued, Manun transitioned from Orazen''s guardian dragon to its marvel. Easily spotted from Orazen''s tall buildings, Manun carefully roamed the surrounding national park, stretching, eating, and mostly sleeping. His existence on the city''s outskirts was a source of fascination for the people.


    "How did Manun grow so big? Well, wouldn¡¯t it be magic?"


    "The mystery of Manun is of course thanks to the power of the gods. The Imperial Pce directly manages Manun, and I believe there must be some special food to increase Manun''s size. Although Manun''s diet is public knowledge, the quantity seems too little for its size, which raises doubts."


    "It''s huge!"


    "Interview about Manun? I have a lot to say. I have an issue with the sales revenue of products rted to Manun going to the Imperial Pce. Manun belongs not to the pce but to the citizens of Orazen, and broadly, to the Empire. He is a friend to all citizens. We''re already paying enough taxes. The profits from the products we buy should go entirely to Manun. Oh, size? ...Is that a significant issue?"


    People perceived Manun differently and defined his image in various ways. In Orazen, Manun was more than just a giant reptile. Manun had fought for Orazen and the Empire several times, protected the pce, and was a symbol of Orazen, but he yed a greater role.


    Before Orazen was known as a self-reflection city, giant buildings were experimentally constructed due to a new architectural trend, but there was a time when regtions were inadequate. With so much happening in the world, the gods were unable to pay attention to every detail, and in the midst of this, a poorly constructed building toppled sideways. It was an incident that could have resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds.


    However, in a way that no one quite understood, Manun, knowing something was wrong, rushed to the scene and used his body to support the falling building, saving lives and structures. This incident significantly contributed to Manun''s reputation, but Manun continued to perform actions uncharacteristic of a Drake, such as rescuing mountain climbers or providing protection.


    "Biologically, there are doubts now whether Manun is a Drake. Gically simr, yes, but many parts don''t make theoretical sense. If the Imperial Pce would allow a more thorough examination, we could learn much more, but not yet."


    "From an ethological perspective, it''s hard to understand. A Drake that saves people instead of eating them is unique to Manun. I guess Manun has saved more people than it consumed during the war by now."


    Whenever news reported Manun saving people, special treats from the fan club were delivered to Manun. Manun was a beloved Drake.


    ***


    Manun''s massive body plunged into the mouth of the river. As the overflowing river and tidal waters surged, thick Kraken tentacles coiled around Manun''s neck. The slime made it challenging for Manun, but his robust four-limbed body was unmatched. Growling, Manun clenched his front paws, crushing the tentacles. Then Manun tore off the tentacle that was around his neck with his mouth.


    The Kraken, never having felt its body vulnerable, realized it was facing an entity as unyielding as the deep-sea cliffs.


    <i>-No, you are just a creature with four legs.</i>


    The Kraken continued tosh out with more tentacles. Like a wave washing over drynd, Manun was entangled in the Kraken''s tentacles. The Kraken knew the weaknesses ofnd-dwellers, believing that Manun''s immense strength would wane as long as the Drake was deprived of air.


    ***


    "No, I don''t think Manun is a Drake," stated a somewhat haggard-looking Centaur in the documentary''s final scene. This Centaur, who belonged to a family with generations dedicated to the study of dragonology, seemedcking in qualification. Throughout the documentary, whenever the schr expressed an opinion, subtitles indicated it was independent research, not the consensus of the academicmunity.


    "I believe Manun has already be a Dragon," the Centaur schr continued, discussing the essence of Dragons. "The mystery of Dragons lies in their distinct appearances and different gic make-ups. In my family, we believe that every creature has the potential to be a Dragon. Dragons aren''t born as such, which is why they all look so different."


    The Centaur showed several Dragon illustrations, demonstrating remarkable artistic skill, unlike their questionable schrly abilities.


    "Many Dragons have origins in various creatures. Eventually, they gain enormous size, imprable scales, and unique breath abilities, but that''s the result of bing a Dragon. Some were born as Wyverns, others as Sharks, and some as unknown ancient creatures. And Manun was born as a Drake."


    The documentary then showed a series of illustrations and photographs of Manun, covering 300 years of history in a rapid session.


    "How does this transformation happen? Honestly, I''m not sure. Apart from bing huge, a defining feature of being named a Dragon is the breath spell. On this, Avartin, perhaps the act of taking a deep breath in it is vital in the Dragon-making process. It''s about surviving long enough, which makes me think that Wizards might know some secrets about this part. They stake their lives on mysteries, so they might hold secrets we don''t."


    Ending with the question of whether Manun was a Dragon, the documentary <i>The Guardian Dragon of Orazen</i> was criticized for its questionablepleteness, but still managed to boost Manun''s poprity.


    The royal pce, which outsourced the production, was quite satisfied with the unexpected revenues.


    "Manun hasn''t used a breath spell yet, so he can''t be considered a Dragon, you say? Ah, you''re right,¡± the documentary concluded. "But perhaps, up to now, Manun just hasn''t had the opportunity to use it?"


    ***


    The Kraken sensed something strange. It felt an unpleasant and strange heat emanating from the head of the opponent it had tightly coiled with its tentacles. This was not just about losing tentacles. The Kraken had a clear intuition that this encounter would not end without significant danger. The Kraken trusted its instincts.


    <i>-...This is dangerous!</i>


    It hurriedly tried to release its tentacles, but to its shock, Manun gripped the bundle of tentacles even tighter.


    Then Manun''s chest swelled as if it was about to burst.


    <i>-...!</i>


    Suddenly, a sh of light shot out from Manun''s mouth.

 Chapter 271: To This Person, This Love

    <h4>Chapter 271: To This Person, This Love</h4>


    In the outskirts of the self-reflecting city of Orazen, a massive explosion was heard.


    Cardinal Serakto Moom of the ck Order, leading their priests over the city walls, nced back momentarily.


    <i>''What''s happening?''</i>


    With thest Kraken''s assistance, entry into Orazen had be possible, but that was not the end of their mission. If the Kraken could control the city''s underground and sewage systems from upstream, it would greatly aid Serakto''s mission.


    <i>''Are we being obstructed?''</i>


    A huge battle seemed to be underway somewhere, but it was not visible from Serakto''s position. It couldn¡¯t even be said it was the Kraken¡¯s fight alone.


    Like their followers, the ck Order''s god, Deep Light, had staked everything on this battle.


    <i>''May the grand n be achieved. That''s all we can believe.''</i>


    Serakto rushed into Orazen amidst the ring sirens. They had much to do with their priests that night.


    ***


    "What is this?"


    Ion Iolkaf was taken aback by the sudden air raid alert. Since all personnel rted to rocketunches practically lived inside the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, other staff members also appeared confused. After a brief discussion, they concluded that it was a drill and were about to return to their work when Ramin burst through the door of the astronomy section.


    "Why is everyone standing around? Move it!"


    Ion, standing right in front, looked up and asked, "Why? What''s going on?"


    "The ck Order isunching its final assault. Chaos has erupted from the coast of Orazen, so head to the underground bomb shelters."


    "What?"


    "Oh right, you''ve been trained for protective evacuation, haven''t you? Please lead the staff. I have to go. You have 3 minutes."


    "What?"


    Ion, a researcher unustomed to such urgent situations, was initially disoriented, but after hearing about the evacuation training, he swiftly sprang into action. During his travels with Mando, Ion had learned how to evacuate in case of potential threats, ording to the Intelligence Agency''s training manual. It wasn''t anything extraordinary, but it was better than beingpletely clueless.


    As Ramin, dressed in astronaut training gear, left, Ion quickly led the staff to the agency''s underground bomb shelters. Disturbed by the sudden interruption and chaos, the staff members grumbled in discontent initially. However, as thunderous explosions resounded from outside, loud enough to shatter the city, everyone hurriedly moved.


    At the entrance to the bomb shelter, Ion confirmed the presence of facility guards and checked those going inside.


    <i>''Good, the headcount matches.''</i>


    As he was about to enter the shelter himself, he felt a shift in the air behind him.


    <i>''...This is.''</i>


    He turned around to see the intelligence agency agent Mando Hwae-Sa awkwardly standing, filling the hallway.


    "Oops, sorry about that. My size, you know. Excuse me. I...I should have stayed outside..."


    The staff, following Mando, squeezed past them on either side, while Mando tried to squeeze their massive frame aside, apologizing. After everyone had passed, Ion greeted Mando.


    "Are you here looking for Ramin again?"


    Mando sighed. "Yes. She seems to forget the existence of her cell phone every day. She''s too old-fashioned."


    "Well, it''s only been a few months since cell phones were introduced. If you''ve lived without it your whole life, it''s understandable. She doesn''t like using guns either, right?"


    "But she sure doesn''t forget to im welfare points as soon as they''re avable."


    Ion, unable to defend Ramin, scratched the back of his head awkwardly.


    "Ramin should be upstairs, looking for people who haven''t evacuated yet. Should I just stay back here?"


    "Oh, wait, let me think... How do we do this..."


    "Pardon?"


    Mando closed their eyes briefly, then reopened them. "Are you willing to take a risk?"


    "For what?"


    "Lide is nearby. I was escorting the Fairies in a vehicle when..."


    "Let''s go."


    "...Okay. You''ve been with me long enough to know, but stay behind me, you''ll be safe."


    Ion considered himself more cowardly than brave. He could humbly ept the general perception of Kobolds being cowards. But right now, it was an opportunity.


    <i>''If not now, when will I see her again?''</i>


    Moreover, despite Mando''s warning of taking a risk, Ion felt safe with the walking protective wall that was the Ogre.


    "But what''s going on? You were escorting people in the middle of this?"


    "I was escorting the converted Fairies from a re-education facility to another welfare facility. It seems like they were targeted on purpose."


    "...The ck Order is targeting converted Fairies?"


    Mando nodded. "From their perspective, they''re traitors. And the Fairies I''m escorting now are key figures. If they cooperate with us, they can be of great help in the strategic positions of the Empire."


    Even Lide Oboren herself was a rocket scientist. Although she had dyed Ion¡¯s research, her abilities were not false. In fact, it was herpetence that helped her discern what was important and what was not.


    "Then we must protect them."


    "Yes. Once we''re out of here... Just a moment. Hm."


    Suddenly, the entire main building of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency went dark.


    Mando silently gestured to Ion to stay put and then drew the Ogre pistol from behind them. The gun, though called a pistol, had a caliber equivalent to arge sniper rifle.


    After observing for a moment, Mando said, "It seems that they have entered the building. They haven''t gotten here yet, but they will soon. There might be a fight."


    "What about the Fairies?"


    "They''re in the annex building over there. The lights are off, so they''re approaching from behind. To get to the Fairies, they''ll have to go past us."


    "Good. That''s a relief."


    "When Imand, duck down. You''ll be fine... Now!"


    As Ion ducked, he thought Mando was shooting at nothing.


    <i>Bang!</i>


    The sound was more like a grenade explosion than a gunshot, and screams followed the bullet''s release. Mando continued to pull the trigger of the pistol, which would have been too powerful for other species to handle.


    <i>Ping!</i>


    A speargun, a symbol of the Deep Ones'' unit, grazed over Ion''s head.


    <i>''Mando¡¯s...?''</i>


    Mando was already gone. Despite theirrge size, Mando moved faster than most monsters, appearing more agile than a Cockatoo Ion once saw.


    Taking advantage of the Deep Ones priests'' distraction due to the darkness, Mando silently went around them. Closebat in modern warfare seemed absurd, but with an Ogre, especially Mando Hwae-Sa, it made sense. With a final leap, Mando sprung toward the Deep Ones like a bowling ball striking pins.


    <i>Crunch!</i>


    The impact was more horrific than an average traffic ident. Despite their protective gear, the Deep Ones were thrown like scarecrows when Mando barged into them. A Deep One priest, barely avoiding the impact, quickly aimed a speargun at Mando''s head.


    <i>Ping!</i>


    Mando caught the iing speargun with their left hand and struck the priest with their right. The priest flew over four meters high before crashing to the ground.


    As Mando turned around, Ion lifted his head.


    "Th...that was incredible."


    "Duck down! It''s not over yet."


    Ion, puzzled, looked behind.


    Outside the main lounge of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, a monster as big as a house was approaching.


    "Wh...what is that?"


    Though he said so, Ion already knew what it was.


    It was a Hermit Crab judging by its appearance alone. But this hermit crab was about 10 meters tall, dark, damp, and oozing a disgusting green luminescent fluid on the ground.


    <i>''That is not a normal creature. It''s an Abomination from an evil god!''</i>


    Mando charged at the Hermit Crab monster with all their might, firing the Ogre pistol.


    One of the panes of the front ss shattered, but the bullet was blocked by the Hermit Crab''s raised w, which seemed as hard as a tank''s exterior.


    "Uwaaaab!"


    Mando Hwae-Sa charged at the Abomination, striking the Hermit Crab''s head. However, the Abomination was quick to react.


    <i>-...?</i>


    The Abomination easily blocked the sudden attack, but was soon taken aback. Despite being smaller, this Ogre¡¯s strength was enough to push it back.


    While struggling in a battle of strength, Mando said, "Ion! Go to the annex! There''s a car in the parking lot with the keys in it! Drive around the parameters a few times to avoid them tracking you!"


    "Okay!"


    Suddenly, the Abomination twisted its body, and its smaller front limb struck down at Mando''s head.


    Mando took the hit with their forehead, then clenched their right fist and struck the Abomination.


    The Abomination staggered back a few steps in pain. But it didn''t seem fatally wounded, as it lightly clenched and unclenched itsrge w, looking down at Mando.


    <i>''Goodness, I can¡¯t believe such a thing is roaming around in the city.''</i>


    Ion hurriedly escaped through the broken front ss window and ran toward the annex. Fortunately, there were no other obstacles on the way to the annex. After entering the annex, Ion looked around and caught a murmur.


    <i>''The small conference room.''</i>


    Entering the room, Ion saw various species pacing nervously.


    "Oh, uh, I..."


    "...Ion?"


    As Ion pondered what to say, a familiar face recognized him. It was Lide Oboren. This Fairy, who had the appearance of a Yeti, had lost some of the shine on her fur, but still looked the same.


    "Lide, that is, um, everyone, follow me! We''re going to escape from here!"


    The Fairies exchanged anxious nces at Ion''s words.


    Lide stepped forward and said, "This is the lover I mentioned before. It''s okay to trust him."


    With that, the Fairies'' attitude changed. So did Ion''s. Trust was always wee.


    "We''re going to the parking lot. The Ogre guiding you bought us some time. Everyone, crouch down a little, and taller folks, lower yourselves more."


    Lide caught up to Ion with quick steps.


    "What happened?"


    "Me and the agent saw each other often so we got close."


    "So you''re running around ying agent without evacuating? It''s dangerous!"


    "I came to see you."


    Lide''s expression changed slightly.


    Ion continued, "What vehicle did youe in? Are there twelve people here?"


    "There''s a bus. Twelve, excluding the agent... Wait, do you work at the space agency?"


    Ion shook the employee card hanging around his neck. "Yes, thanks to you."


    "...Oh."


    "No, no, don¡¯t take it the wrong way. I''m not being sarcastic."


    "Then?"


    "The process was a bit twisted, but in the end, it worked out, didn''t it?"


    There was a moment of silence.


    As they quickly exited to the parking lot behind the annex, a foul smell lingered. It should''ve been an ordinary smell of the sea, but it was unpleasant.


    After hesitating for a while, Lide said, "I wanted to say I''m sorry."


    "I know."


    "...You know?"


    A vehicle was right in front. It seemed small for someone with a stature like Mando''s, but it was a regr bus.


    Ion said, "I never doubted that we loved each other."


    "...."


    "I know there was a mission. That''s why you had to lie and make it seem like my research was worthless. But I believed all that was separate from our rtionship."


    "...Why?"


    Ion''s face turned slightly red. Ion always thought hairless species were at a disadvantage because it showed immediately.


    "When our lips met, I just knew then."


    "Wow."


    "...You just smiled, didn''t you?"


    Lide said with a hint of a smile, "No."


    Ion looked back at Lide. Surprisingly, Ion still liked Lide. Even though he had been deceived by this person, their love had never betrayed him.


    "I liked you from the first time we met. The higher-ups told me to go harder on you, but I didn''t listen. I told them we had to go as safely as possible."


    "You were protecting me."


    "I deceived you."


    "I''ve forgiven you. So don''t keep it in your heart."


    Tears welled up in the Yeti''s eyes.


    Ion also felt a lump in his throat.


    "Alright, let''s get on the bus first and then talk more. I wonder if I can drive it?"


    Ion was about to board the bus, but then he halted his step and put his hands up, slowly backing away.


    It was a Human woman. She was holding a rifle, and it didn''t seem likely that she was actually a woman of her species. The muzzle of the rifle was pointed at Ion''s head.


    Lide looked at the Human woman and called out, "Junya!"


    It was a name Ion recognized.


    <i>''She was one of the Fairies who led the Power of Reality. She¡¯s not Human, but a Fairy.''</i>


    Not all fairies had been captured. If one evil god moved, another would follow suit.


    Junya raised her head. "Long time no see, everyone. Got a lot to talk about, don¡¯t we? Get on the bus."


    "Junya, leave the Kobold alone."


    "Shut up. You think you can win because you''re in a Yeti''s body? You won''t get the chance. I''ll give you 5 seconds. Everyone, get on. One, two..."


    Ion closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, following the training he received for being taken hostage.


    <i>''And then pray to the gods, I guess.''</i>


    But it seemed the gods of the Pantheon were busy today. Otherwise, Orazen wouldn''t be in such chaos, even with the evil gods running amok.


    The Fairies, simrly resigned, began to board the bus one by one.


    "Okay, now only Lide and this Kobold are left. Lide?"


    "Okay. I¡¯ll get on."


    Lide boarded the bus slowly.


    Junya turned around and said, "Right, you should listen. We are all family. Fairies can only trust Fairies. You''ll understand soon."


    Lide slowly turned to look at Junya.


    Junya was pointing the gun at the back of Ion''s head and had her finger on the trigger.


    "Things you thought were precious be useless over time."


    "...No!!"


    A loud gunshot rang out.


    Ion, who had his eyes tightly shut, thought it wasn''t as painful as he expected.


    <i>''Will I see the Prairie of Beginnings when I open my eyes?''</i>


    But that wasn''t the case. He was still seeing the dark parking lot of the annex. When Ion turned around, it was the Fairy Junya who had fallen.


    Ion looked into the distance from the parking lot. It was Ramin. Ramin was holding up her index finger. The power was so strong that sparks of lightning still crackled from the tip of her finger.


    Ramin approached and muttered annoyedly, "This is faster than a bullet, you know?"

 Chapter 272: The City We Built

    <h4>Chapter 272: The City We Built</h4>


    On therge screen of the situation room, the movement of a giant creature was visible. It was the Dragon, Manun.


    The sh shooting out of the mouth of the enormous Dragon,rge enough to fill the river estuary, inflicted serious damage on the Kraken hiding deep in the riverbed.


    However, the Kraken was extremely difficult to kill unless it was hit with a bomb of colossal thermal energy, like a nuclear bomb. The Kraken, with its tenacious vitality, clung to Manun, trying to twist and tighten his joints.


    As if the ocean andnd were battling, water spouted, and riverbanks crumbled.


    Fearless citizens of Orazen, despite the city''s warnings, watched the scene from rooftops and on top of buildings. Everyone was rooting for Manun.


    "He¡¯s a Dragon after all! Insane! So cool!" yer Richard eximed.


    Lim Chun-Sik, sitting next to him,ughed. "You''re not just gonna watch, right?"


    "Of course not. I''m watching after finishing my tasks."


    Richard swiftly showed his status screen.


    Considering the internal forces the city of Orazen could deploy, they could minimize damage even if a division of Deep One special forces pushed in along with wrung-out Abominations, fiends, creature creations, and the Kraken.


    Lim Chun-Sik thought, <i>''It''s not just about having abundant resources.''</i>


    The yers had fought such battles countless times. If they crumbled just because of a surprise attack, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to properly y ranked games. The ranked games in The Lost World were not easy.


    Sung-Woon devised the optimal scenario from these experiences and shared it with all the yers. Compared to this refined and optimized strategy, the attacks of the evil gods were too boring.


    <i>''I almost feel like teaching them. Orazen obviously has sea borders, so why start from the sea? And they are underutilizing the Fairies inside the city.''</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik clicked his tongue and looked around Orazen once more.


    <i>''However...''</i>


    He quickly checked the entire area, splitting his screen.


    <i>''It''s hard to say we''re just stopping it with our abilities. There''s something more.''</i>


    Local firefighters were quickly evacuating citizens to safe areas, and local police were blocking and checking major roads.


    Even if a division-sized special force came, if they funneled into the main path, they would be instantly annihted by Orazen''s firepower, so they had to use smaller roads, where local police firepower was sufficient for resistance.


    Meanwhile, Orazen''s defense forces were being rapidly deployed to designated areas. The defense forces regrly trained for the protection of Orazen. They had prepared for scenarios such as maritime attacks by the Deep Ones, receiving training more than twice a year, knowing where they would arrive, what crises they would face, and how to ovee those crises.


    In fact, as soon as the Deep Ones and the Abomination began attacking the city''s institutional buildings, the defense forces initiated a surrounding offensive. While the level of training each individual had received might be lowerpared to the Deep Ones, their well-maintained equipment, skill in handling it, and especially the attitude of being prepared for such situations shone through.


    As soon as it was confirmed that there were no hostages, grenades were poured onto the Deep Ones. Following this, as the Abomination turned around, four walking armors emerged from a vehicle and charged. Previously, it was thought that walking armors had to increase in size to match their opponents, but it was concluded that in urban operations, maximizing firepower within a size suitable for vehicle transport was more efficient. Close-range air guns shooting steel spikes instantly shattered the giant crustacean Abomination.


    Lim Chun-Sik''s focus then shifted. Fires set by Fairy operatives hidden within Orazen were now erupting in one part of the city. Before helicopters could arrive, Wyverns, sensitive to the smell of fire, circled above the mes with Dragon Knights on their backs. They weren¡¯t just circling around. They dropped hand-held extinguishers gripped in their feet each time their turn came. The mes weren¡¯t immediately extinguished, but this bought time until fire trucks and Wizards specialized in fire arrived.


    The Imperial Pce exuded confidence. Since it was certain the pce was not the main target of the enemies, the pce''s defense forces moved to less prepared areas for the enemy offensive. The pce defense forces,posed not only of elites but also pce Wizards, high priests, pce knights, and the Chosen Ones, were strong enough to face a squad alone, rendering the Deep Ones'' spearguns ineffective.


    <i>''From the highest to the lowest ces,''</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik¡¯s view shifted to Orazen''s dark alleys. An oblivious drunk Orcy on the ground, unaware of the city''s turmoil. A Halfling merchant from the shopping district, startled by the siren, ran toward the sound but stopped slowly after seeing the Orc. Normally, one would assume the Orc had copsed drunk, but the Halfling, suspecting otherwise, approached the Orc.


    Arge speargun was lodged in the Orc''s chest. The Orc was not yet dead, and the Halfling, after contemting whether to remain silent or seek help, loudly called for assistance. Lights in the previously dark shopping district came on, and someone hurried out. The police were alerted, uncovering the movements of the Deep Ones that Orazen had not yet detected. The Orc remained breathing until the ambnce arrived.


    <i>''Is this the city we created?''</i>


    Lim Chun-Sik thought he loved games as much as anyone else. He had run an inte cafe on Earth and spent all his work time ying various games. However, he had never looked at a game this closely on Earth or enjoyed a game in this manner.


    <i>''But watching closely must improve skills, like Neb does.¡¯</i>


    Just as Richard watched the Dragon''s fight, Lim Chun-Sik watched the citizens of Orazen resist the enemy.


    ***


    Shortly after Ramin arrived, the Orazen defense forces rapidly reached key facilities. The Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency was also ced under military protection.


    The surprise attack nned by the evil god Deep Light, specifically yers Sha-Cha and Jeolyo, was effectively being blocked without any significant damage, thanks to the response of the Pantheon''s situation room alone.


    But of course, Ion, who had experienced a startling event, was quite worried.


    "R...Ramin. We shouldn''t just be standing here."


    "What?"


    "Mando is fighting a giant Hermit Crab."


    "A Hermit Crab?"


    "Yes, a house-sized one. I think it''s some kind of Abomination..."


    "Oh, that thing?"


    Ramin pointed toward the hilltop with a gesture. A figure was walking up toward the parking lot. It was Mando Hwae-Sa. Underneath their clothes, their sturdy protective armor was torn, and blood was dripping from their chest, but their breathing and posture were steady.


    Ramin asked loudly, "Did you catch it?"


    "I had to break a sweat, Ramin."


    "You should carry a bigger gun."


    "Rather than that, I should deepen my faith."


    Raminughed at the joke about wanting to be a Chosen One.


    "Well, that''s one way."


    Ramin turned around and checked the map on her phone. She was not adept at using it, so Ion had to help.


    "Ah, so the defense forces have secured here to here. The Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency was a top priority, but... Well, I guarantee they won''t be able to break through now."


    "Even with the evil gods?"


    The stories about the evil gods were exaggerated. There was still an element of fear involved.


    Ramin nced at the sky as if sharing a secret.


    "Well, you know. I''ve heard something. It''s safe from here onwards."


    "Then I''ll trust that."


    "Still, we need to check on everyone and follow the procedure, so don''t go far. You can wait inside the Aerospace Agency building. You don''t need to go into the air-raid shelter though."


    "Oh."


    Ion understood Ramin''s intention. He turned to Lide and then entered the annex again with the Fairies.


    The Orazen defense forces began to stand guard, and while the outside was somewhat chaotic with the removal of the dead Abomination and Deep Ones'' bodies, the inside of the annex was quiet since the staff had also gone into the air-raid shelter.


    Then Lide and Ion headed to the annex''s storage room saying they would get nkets and food.


    Lide said, "What do we do now?"


    "The boxed lunches from the administrative department are good. We should use the packaged nkets."


    "You¡¯re doing that on purpose, aren¡¯t you?"


    "Are you talking about after all this is over? Yeah, when I almost got shot earlier, I thought when I opened my eyes, I''d be in the Prairie of Beginnings."


    Lideughed. "Really?"


    "I believe in both the Empire and the Pantheon. I admit it, I''m a half-hearted secrist. Honestly, I can''t sell the apostle figures I have at home."


    "Why, you think I''d ask you to sell or throw them away?"


    "Honestly, I did consider that."


    "You thought that far. When we were under the same roof, this unpleasant species...who dislikes gods..."


    "It seems you''ve picked up some bad habits while we were apart."


    Bright light shone into the dark corridor from the outside.


    Ion stopped walking and said, "Ask me one more time."


    "What?"


    "What are we going to do?"


    Lide shrugged and replied, "Alright. Fine. It''s safe outside, and we are the only two on this floor. If we pretend to be lost in the storage room, no one will me two people who went out on an errand. What should we do?"


    Ion said, "I¡¯d been through a rough time, and someone barely managed to help me out of it."


    "Really?"


    "That person wasn''t a Wizard, but helped me in a way that was no different from magic. Want to see how?"


    "Hmm. Okay."


    "Watch this closely."


    Ion clenched something in his palm, looking at it as if something was wriggling inside. Curious, Lide naturally leaned in closer. When Lide had gotten close enough, Ion opened his hand. There was nothing. Now the two were facing each other.


    Then Ion skillfully caught Lide''s slightly surprised face and kissed her. In the way Lide had taught him.


    ***


    In the skies of Orazen, something small and dark was floating.


    <i>-....</i>


    It appeared to be a formless creature. It looked like a giant ck blob of slime, but each time the red light inside it pulsed, the densework of nerves filling the inside of the slime became apparent.


    The slime spoke.


    <i>-Our attack is failing....</i>


    This blob of slime was the evil god Jeolyo, as the yers of the Pantheon referred to them as. Jeolyo, the god of the Fairies, seemed unfamiliar with system control, stretching and contracting their body to look around different parts of the city Orazen, rather than looking at the system window.


    <i>-Ah, there too...</i>


    A small shadow appeared beside them. A white, in mask covering the face made it hard to determine their species, but it was definitely the body of a child. It was Sha-Cha. A member of the ck Order, Sha-Cha had troubled the yers of the Pantheon for a long time and had made a demonstration of power during the middle stage of the game, being the god of the Deep Ones.


    Sha-Cha quickly manipted the system window.


    Then the blob of slime eximed.


    <i>-No!</i>


    Just before hitting thest button, Sha-Cha stopped at the sound of that voice.

 Chapter 273: A People Problem

    <h4>Chapter 273: A People Problem</h4>


    <i>-Then you will meet the same fate as the others.</i>


    <i>-...This is the only way.</i>


    Jeolyo knew what Sha-Cha referred to as ''the only way.¡¯ It meant utilizing the system.


    In the system, there was a skill called Hierophany, but for the evil gods, it was the power to reveal their true forms, which had been restricted. The Hierophanies of the evil gods were strong.


    They had been unrivaled every time they used Hierophany on the. Even Dragons and the old gods attempted and failed to stop the evil gods when they used the skill toe down to thend.


    But the new gods were different. Bwel and Jeol Woo-Bi never imagined they would suffer such a fate.


    Sha-Chamented, <i>''If only I had gathered more power. If only I had watched them more and learned more.''</i>


    Jeolyo spoke.


    <i>-We cannot defeat them.</i>


    Sha-Cha turned around.


    <i>-I never thought we could win. The only thing that will bring us victory is the second moon Loom, and all this is just a n for Loom. When Loom arrives, we will win.</i>


    The blob of slime slightly quivered.


    <i>-...My old friend...</i>


    At the word ¡®friend,¡¯ Sha-Cha shuddered.


    In the past, there had been more of them. But not anymore. Only despairing results remained.


    Even the second moon Loom, which they had believed in until the end, had been exposed. For now, they couldn¡¯t imagine how the Pantheon would counter Loom, but the Pantheon had achieved the impossible several times before. They were the real monsters.


    <i>-Do you truly believe in the im that we will win when Loom arrives?</i>


    <i>-....</i>


    <i>-...You don¡¯t have confidence.</i>


    The blob of slime continued.


    <i>-...Even if Loom arrives on time, having observed them for a long time, we know their power and understand we can make no certain ims.</i>


    <i>Sha-Cha asked.</i>


    <i>-So, what then?</i>


    <i>-Let''s leave everything to Loom and the one who activates it.</i>


    <i>-And us?</i>


    Jeolyo replied.


    <i>-Let''s hide and flee.</i>


    <i>-....</i>


    <i>-Loom has already been contacted. They have forgiven us. Until the new gods can no longer track us, until thest of thest, until all remaining monuments are dismantled, there is still time. Until then...</i>


    <i>-...Is that our end?</i>


    Jeolyo didn¡¯t answer for a long time, but eventually spoke, before it was toote.


    <i>-Yes. That is our end.</i>


    <i>-...I don''t like it.</i>


    <i>-We must ept it.</i>


    <i>-...I don''t want to die.</i>


    <i>-I know. But, my old friend, don''t you know....</i>


    Jeolyo trembled slightly.


    <i>-Our children will survive.</i>


    <i>-....</i>


    <i>-They are monsters, yes. But, right. They are monsters who will do anything for victory. But at least they chose a different path than the old gods.</i>


    <i>-I know that.</i>


    Jeolyo said.


    <i>-We have lost, and we must ept it.</i>


    <i>-...Okay.</i>


    There could have been more daring acts. In their Hierophany form, Sha-Cha believed they could achieve better results thanmunicating through the unpleasant process known as the system.


    <i>''But...''</i>


    The enemies, the Pantheon, would surely have anticipated that. They believed themselves strong, but the new gods of the Pantheon were much, much stronger. If unlucky, they could be overpowered without even realizing how it happened and be vassals. Then they would just remain as relics of the past, turned into statues, and consumed as trophies by them.


    <i>-So we can''t even resist that terrible end?</i>


    Jeolyo affirmed.


    <i>-Yes. For us, and not even for the enemies, but because our children are still there.</i>


    Sha-Cha closed the system window and looked down at thendscape of Orazen for a long time, until the sun rose again.


    The two evil gods had already concealed themselves.


    ***


    "He is busy these days."


    The owner of the Pantheon, Night Sky, did not keep a personal messenger. There was various talk among the yers about this. ording to Eldar, ''He likes to do everything himself,'' which many agreed with, but ording to Lunda, ''He sees everyone else as his messengers,'' which also received many affirmatives.


    Even Night Sky had something simr to a messenger, a creation named Bion. Bion was made quite a long time ago and was not so much a servant to Night Sky but something of a butler, taking on the role of overseeing various misceneous tasks in the pantheon. However, due to this role, Bion often found itself in a position where it was the most frequent listener of Night Sky¡¯s words, and thus was generally perceived as Night Sky¡¯s messenger.


    In front of Bion, who was in a ck robe with a hood pulled over, was the yer Redmars. Redmars, wearing a ck suit with a head shaped like the red Mars as suggested by their ID, was not particrly good at ying the game The Lost World and had hardly participated in rank games.


    As a result, Redmars was one of the yers who quickly dropped out of the first continental unification war. Redmars themself was puzzled about how they ended up here, but they believed they had adapted well and was enjoying their time. They didn¡¯t particrly dislike any of the Pantheon yers, and they appreciated Neb¡¯s decision to resurrect all the yers that had be vassals, even if it was somewhat forced. Therefore, Redmars was eager to do their best in many things for the Pantheon. But recently, there had been a problem.


    "Is he in the Sanctuary though?"


    "You can meet him if you go there."


    There were no restrictions on yers meeting each other. Rules could¡¯ve been established, but Neb chose not to. However, being able to meet freely was a separate issue.


    Redmars muttered, "But he¡¯ll get annoyed."


    "...Annoyed, um, regarding the choice of words...I should think about it...but, yes, he might be annoyed."


    "When is his schedule free?"


    "I don¡¯t really know that..."


    "And you don''t know what he''s doing in the Sanctuary?"


    "I know it''s rted to the moon-facing n."


    "Of course, there''s no other reason to be cooped up there. Do you know any specifics?"


    "Um... I''m sorry."


    Redmars felt slightly sorry. Redmars was almost unaware of it themself, but Divinity levels imposed a burden on all other beings. Redmars'' personal Divinity level was lower in the Pantheon, but even that put an immense gap between them and all non-yer entities.


    Bion stammered, "He does call me sometimes. If you tell me the details, I might be able to give you a heads-up when I¡¯m summoned to the sanctuary."


    "No, it''s okay. It''s because of the moon-facing n."


    "Is that so?"


    As Bion seemed interested, Redmars asked, "Oh, can you help me with something?"


    "Me?"


    Redmars could easily resolve the issue by asking Neb, but due to organizational politics, directmunication with Neb was not easy. Redmars wasn''t poorly regarded within the Pantheon, but they weren''t highly regarded either.


    <i>¡®The Pantheon has its own hierarchy, even if it doesn''t seem like it.¡¯</i>


    Redmars had mapped out the hierarchy among the gods, apostles, and other messengers of the Pantheon in their mind. Neb was naturally at the top, followed by Wisdom, and below them were yers with skills or good reputations. This hierarchy was evident in the degree of speaking rights and eptance of opinions during meetings. Redmars themself was quite low in this hierarchy.


    <i>¡®People always end up forming hierarchies when theye together. I don''t think it''s bad. I just feel the need to improve myself.¡¯</i>


    Redmars looked at Bion.


    <i>¡®If it''s hard to approach the top authority, why not ask someone close to them?¡¯</i>


    Redmars was proud of their idea and asked Bion, "Do you have some time?"


    "Pardon?"


    Redmars almost dragged Bion along to a meeting room and showed Bion a status screen.


    "Well, it¡¯s nothing much, but hear me out.¡±


    What Redmars showed Bion was a neatly organized chart and graph. Naturally, Bion could not understand any of it. The numbers were even in Arabic numerals. Bion had learned Earth''snguages to a certain extent and could read them, but was more familiar with thenguage of the Pantheon.


    "What is this?"


    "Do I have to start the exnation from the beginning? Let''s look at it one by one. This is the import-export statistics for the imperial territories, this is on the currency cirction, this page is about the corporations of the world..."


    "...Even if you exin like that, I don¡¯t understand."


    Redmars summarized simply, "This is the true face of the Empire."


    "The true face?"


    "The Empire operates on a capitalist system."


    Bion seemed to ponder about the new perspective they had not known before. On the other hand, this was amon understanding for Redmars, who had worked in the financial sector.


    Bion asked, "What is the problem?"


    "These two areas on the graph, don''t they look strange?"


    Bion decided to ept everything Redmars said. Whether they understood it or not, they just kept nodding their head. Sometimes this was necessary when dealing with yers.


    "The flow is not good. It''s tangled."


    "What does tangled mean?"


    "Money needs to keep flowing for a market to be healthy, right? Until recently, the flow was very good. It''s natural. Who wouldn''t want to participate in a global event like the moon-facing n? Even secrists and environmentalists previously obstructing this flow were persuaded, transforming not just the Empire but the entire Avartin into an organic entity. It was great. Honestly, I don''t know if this is a word that should be used to describe a market, but it was perfect. <i>Beautiful, </i>even."


    Redmars'' tone rose slightly in frustration.


    "Recently, however, investments have slowed down, scheduled payments are being dyed, and production has decreased. It''s only been a few months, but the market isn¡¯t as vibrant as before."


    Redmars seemed to suggest that there was some interference, and in Bion''s mind, there weren''t many factors that could disrupt the Pantheon.


    "Could it be another evil god''s...?"


    That would be a serious problem. If there was another enemy, it would disrupt the Pantheon''s current ns, including the moon-facing n.


    However, Redmars firmly said, "No, it''s not that. It''s just a people problem. Specifically, a problem of capitalism. People think, ''Why invest my money if everything will be alright anyway? Should I really be investing?


    And then there are those who are just digging their own graves by building bunkers on their own, or those who decide to save first out of anxiety. But that¡¯s not how it should be. For the moon-facing n, the gods of the Pantheon are all making their ns, which involves Faith points, but most importantly, it involves money."


    Bion finally grasped the weight of Redmars'' words.


    "...So it¡¯s a very important issue."


    "Yes. That''s why I thought I should talk to Neb about it."


    "Oh, um... Hm."


    But it was true that Sung-Woon was busy, and although not openly discussed, Sung-Woon had asked Bion not to call him unless necessary.


    <i>''Such an important matter at this time...''</i>


    Redmars said, "Should I meet with Wisdom? But Wisdom is busy too."


    "That''s true."


    "Or should I just deal with it on my own?"


    "Actually, as part of the moon-facing n, I think it would be alright for you to act at your discretion, but..."


    Redmars crossed their arms and pondered. Redmars thought of themself as close to an ordinary citizen. They wanted to do a good job but was afraid of taking responsibility if things went wrong.


    Bion recognized this fact in Redmars. Being in the Pantheon for a long time made it easy for Bion to understand the yers'' tendencies.


    Bion suddenly had an idea and looked up. "Oh."


    "What?"


    "It¡¯s not a solution, but I know someone who might be able to help."


    "Who?"


    "Have you met the eleventh apostle?"


    Redmars paused for a moment.


    <i>''Who was that again?''</i>


    There were now over thirty apostles in the Pantheon. Many yers were distant with them depending on their rtions.


    Bion noticed. <i>¡®Redmars doesn¡¯t know who it is.¡¯</i>


    Bion understood. Most yers didn¡¯t pay attention to what was outside their areas of interest, and the Pantheon wasrge.


    Bion thought they might have found an answer.


    Bion took the lead and said, "They will be helpful. Please, follow me."


    Redmars trusted Bion and followed. The butler of the Pantheon, Bion, and the yer Redmars could move around by folding space.


    A few secondster, the eleventh apostle, Hwee-Kyung, who was enjoying refreshments in her room, was startled by the sudden appearance of yer Redmars.

 Chapter 274: Stir It Up

    <h4>Chapter 274: Stir It Up</h4>


    "Oh, greetings. I, Apostle Hwee-Kyung, am pleased to meet Redmars of the Pantheon."


    As Hwee-Kyung quickly stood up and gave an old-fashioned greeting, Redmars hastily gestured for her to stop. For Redmars, who considered themself an ordinary citizen, it was a suffocating moment.


    "No, please, be at ease."


    "Alright."


    Hwee-Kyung stood upright and stiff.


    Redmars pointed to a chair. "Would you sit down?"


    "As you wish."


    Hwee-Kyung took a deep breath and sat down. Being an apostle didn¡¯t often grant her the opportunity to meet with the gods of the Pantheon. The gods usually had their own apostles, and such rtionships were considered quite intimate. However, in other cases, it was typical to maintain a proper distance. It had to be so.


    <i>''Hwee-Kyung has been a notable individual ever since the early days of the Pantheon. She''s directly associated with Neb, friendly with many other yers, has been around since the Lakrak era, close with Lakrak, and is even married to Sairan, a subordinate of Lakrak.''</i>


    Redmars reassessed Hwee-Kyung''s political standing, which they hadn''t recognized before.


    <i>''...She seems to rank higher than me.''</i>


    Hwee-Kyung, on the other hand, was having her own thoughts while looking at Redmars.


    <i>''Did I do something wrong again?''</i>


    Hwee-Kyung had been doing well in the Pantheon. However, she had some doubts about the Pantheon being an entirely ideal afterlife, as it exerted pressure to deliver performance fitting one''s status. The duties themselves didn¡¯t demand a high level of performance, but only sticking to said level of work somehow led to gradual exclusion from rted duties, with the tasks being handed over to more capable people.


    The process wasn¡¯t even harsh or cruel, but rather kind. They provided numerous opportunities for challenges, training, and even the chance to return to rted duties after failure. Hwee-Kyung had seen cases where someone who had only shown their enthusiasm rather than results continued to hold their duties.


    <i>''...But it¡¯s different forzybones like me.''</i>


    Hwee-Kyung believed she had a habit of cutting corners and felt this more keenly after joining the Pantheon. The people of the Pantheon didn¡¯t take things lightly. They meticulously nned and executed those ns. The way they lived was entirely different from Hwee-Kyung¡¯s own.


    Once, Hwee-Kyung had ridiculed herself for acting as if the past glories she achieved through god¡¯s favor and bing the Lord of Automation were all due to her own abilities.


    <i>''That''s why I was punished.''</i>


    Whenever she mentioned this to Sairan, he would snort and say, "What are you talking about? Your achievementsid the foundation for the Empire."


    "Thank you, even though you¡¯re just trying to be nice."


    "You take my words as empty words. Hwee-Kyung, you have sufficiently served the Pantheon and the Empire. Now is the time to be rewarded. Since the environment in the Pantheon doesn''t seem favorable for you, I should speak to Night Sky and settle this matter."


    "Oh! I¡¯m sorry! Please don¡¯t do that."


    As a result of various events, Hwee-Kyung''s motivation had gradually decreased, and she had be somewhat idle in the Pantheon. While it wasn''t bad to be rxed, and nobody in the Pantheon reprimanded her, Hwee-Kyung couldn''t help feeling disheartened about her diminishing sense of efficacy.


    Of course, being an apostle, she wasn''t entirely idle and received positive evaluations from the gods and apostles close to her for fulfilling her duties, but it wasn''t at a level that satisfied Hwee-Kyung herself.


    While the god and apostle feeling equally ufortable faced each other, Bion suddenly pped their hands.


    "I should be the one to apologize for arranging this meeting."


    "Oh, Bion, you''re here too?"


    "Pleased to meet you, Apostle Hwee-Kyung. Redmars here needs your help, so we came to look for you."


    "...My help?"


    Bion, anticipating Redmars'' difficult exnations, briefly described the situation to Hwee-Kyung. While the concept could have been hard to grasp, Hwee-Kyung blinked and then slightly nodded.


    "I was aware of that issue as well."


    "Is that so?"


    "But such a problem can''t be easily resolved by someone''s intervention. From above, it looks unnatural, but up close, it¡¯s all a natural flow. Everyone has their reasons for saving or not investing their money..."


    Redmars was impressed. "Incredible, someone who speaks mynguage. Oh, I don''t agree with that opinion, though. Leaving a problem alone is uneptable."


    Hwee-Kyung''s mind briefly revisited the past. Not the Hwee-Kyung of the Pantheon, nor the long-suffering Vampire, but the merchant Hwee-Kyung from her days as the Lord of Automation.


    "No, we can''t intervene. At least the Pantheon can''t. Imagine if a god from the Pantheon directly intervened and used money. Initially, it might seem fine, but repeated interventions will lead to a belief that an invisible divine hand is manipting the entire process of earning and investing money. When that happens, who knows how else we should intervene."


    "So you''re saying, ''Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar''s''...?"


    "Pardon?"


    "No, it¡¯s fine. In principle, you''re right."


    Redmars slightly waggled their finger, then paced around the two with their hands behind their back.


    "But the Pantheon has capabilities. There are intelligence agents all over the world, and it''s not impossible to conceal exactly what the gods are doing."


    "That''s true. It''s just that there''s a risk involved."


    "The damage from intervening might be greater than doing nothing, economically?"


    "What? Oh, yes." Hwee-Kyung added, "Indeed, the current situation is critical and urgent, and I agree with that. But I believe we should ovee this crisis, even if it means enduring the current problem. Besides, if intervening doesn''t solve the issue, perhaps leaving it alone is the best course of action."


    "You understand the importance of inaction too. I¡¯m starting to like you more and more."


    "If it''s apliment, I''ll take it graciously..."


    Redmars stopped in front of Hwee-Kyung and said, "But you''re wrong."


    "Hmm."


    Redmars continued, "Although I brought this up as part of the moon-facing n, I see this as a more significant issue."


    "Really?"


    "It¡¯s a bigger issue than the second moon, Loom."


    Bion asked from the side, "Do you really think so?"


    "Yes. It may depend on perspective, but at least from my view, it is."


    "Why is that?"


    Redmars exined, "The world is stable."


    "Isn¡¯t stability...a good thing?"


    "No, it¡¯s not. What¡¯s good is flow. Flow sways and fluctuates, but stability is a dead state. It''s nothing."


    Confused by the sudden analogy, Bion seemed puzzled, but Hwee-Kyung nodded in agreement.


    "I agree with that. But the current situation is temporary because of the second moon..."


    "It¡¯s not temporary." Redmars exined, "The charts and graphs are telling us. Ever since the Empire''s victory over the Union Kingdom, the world has been graduallying to a halt. After facing Loom, it might stop altogether. Interest rates, taxes, wages, and prices are all halting."


    "Isn¡¯t it good if prices don¡¯t rise?"


    "Then who would want to sell goods? Who would work if theirbor isn¡¯t properly valued?" Redmars clenched their hands in the air. "It''s shrinking like this. Sure, one can''t say it''s entirely bad. When everything ends...after it ends, living a self-sufficient life in a small vige might be good. But from my perspective, that''s decline. That¡¯s destruction."


    Bion thought Redmars could be exaggerating, but seeing the shocked look on Hwee-Kyung''s face beside them, Bion guessed that it wasn¡¯t nonsense.


    "Is it because we won?"


    "Yes. There has never been such a world. No one would have imagined it. It''s an unprecedented situation."


    Hwee-Kyung brought her hand to her chin, thinking.


    "Then what should we do..."


    "We need to stir it up."


    "Stir it up?"


    "Stir up the clear waters of a stream into muddy waters. Then no intentions can be discerned. We need to create chaos in the world."


    Hwee-Kyung, taken aback, asked, "Are you suggesting we create an enemy for the Empire?"


    "An enemy for the Empire? That is a good idea, but just any enemy won¡¯t do. It can''t be half-hearted. We need a war."


    "...War."


    "But it might be difficult since there''s no force left that could rm the Empire."


    Bion, listening to the conversation, thought they should probably intervene at this point, as it seemed like a joke gone too far.


    However, Hwee-Kyung suddenly raised her head. "It''s possible."


    "Is it?"


    "The Empire has the Fifth Waterwheel."


    "I think I''ve heard of them."


    "They''re an old group of capitalists, managing even my namesake trust fund and involved in several giant foundations."


    "I like the sound of that."


    "But the split between the Empire and the Fifth Waterwheel seems insufficient."


    "Right. What if we empower a few more and create divisions within the Fifth Waterwheel? Even secrists don¡¯t seem to be poor."


    Bion quickly interjected, "Is this alright?"


    "Huh?"


    "A war...you said. Although worrisome, the world is at peace right now. But if someone gets hurt or dies..."


    Redmars btedly understood Bion''s concern. "Ah, I see the misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t mean a war with guns and battles. There might be psychological damage due to a capital crisis, people scared and in despair, but fortunately, the Empire has excellent welfare. People can cope."


    "...Is it really alright?"


    Hwee-Kyung borated, "With the Pantheon''s power, we can manipte ount bnces, force the market to release worthless goods, and aggressively merge corporations. We can change distribution flows and even cause natural disasters. If handled delicately, no one will notice what¡¯s happening."


    "The system apparently didn¡¯t imagine such a world as altering bank transaction figures hardly triggers any causality."


    "The ones who will suffer the most in this war are the capitalists themselves."


    "It''s alright...right?"


    Hwee-Kyungughed. "Of course. The Fifth Waterwheel''s existence is all thanks to the capital I umted. Even though it has grown over generations, without my power, they wouldn¡¯t exist. It¡¯s ultimately my money. They should have been self-made."


    Bion noticed the cunning grin they had never seen on Hwee-Kyung¡¯s face.


    <i>''Did I make a mistake?''</i>


    Redmars also seemed not quite normal.


    "We can''t miss this opportunity to be the invisible hand itself, not just adherents of modified capitalism."


    Bion, though seemingly convinced on the spot, closely observed the unfolding events initiated by Redmars and Hwee-Kyung.

 Chapter 275: The Moon is Waning

    <h4>Chapter 275: The Moon is Waning</h4>


    The world''s thirdrgest corporation with subsidiaries on every continent suddenly faced the threat of bankruptcy. Rumors circted that the eleventh apostle had appeared, demanding the repayment of an old debt.


    The Imperial Pce, in an unprecedented move, announced relief measures but had to pull back after political attacks from the secrist coalition and the workers'' union.


    As subsidiaries were sold and merged, the overflowing capital, including the funds for other moon-facing projects, began to be aggressively invested.


    Naturally, yers who were implementing their own moon-facing ns at their respective locations sought out Redmars, bewildered about what was happening.


    Redmars said, "It''s all for the Pantheon."


    Redmars, supported by Bion and Hwee-Kyung, believed they were in a politically safe position. Regardless of their judgment, other yers simply grumbled in front of them and moved on, not wanting to waste time on trivial matters since they had their moon-facing ns to focus on.


    Bion was worried about how these actions would be perceived after Night Sky''s return. However, when Night Sky briefly appeared in the meeting room and looked at the map, hisment was simple.


    "More interesting than I thought."


    Thatment dissolved the yers''ints. It also implied that if the chaos caused by Redmars'' actions affected the moon-facing ns, they were to solve it themselves, and that was exactly what Redmars wanted.


    <i>''...Is this perhaps why I came here?''</i>


    Redmars observed the world of numbers and charts transform into a muddy mess.


    <i>''It doesn''t matter. The flow begins again. The veins of the Empire pulse once more.''</i>


    ***


    Behind Yonda was the second moon, Loom. Loom appeared to be a sphere, but more precisely, it was a structure of several giant tubes crossing at its center, supported by partition walls stackedyer uponyer. Therefore, although Loom appeared immense from the outside, its interiorprised wideyers maintained by artificial gravity. Theseyers were supported solely by major conduits, making Loom''s interior resemble vast ins, the floor of which was made of a ck synthetic stic, tougher and more durable than steel. Despite the vastness that stretched beyond sight, it gave the impression of being inside arge cave due to the rtively short distance betweenyers.


    Loom consisted of these vast spaces because it wasn''t initially intended solely as a war machine.


    <i>-Bit it is one now.</i>


    An entity, which resembled a skeleton covered only in skin, said. With eight pairs of arms covering their face and body, they floated in the air, their palm hidden under the skin, murmuring.


    <i>-The second moon, you too have never had things go your way, just like us.</i>


    This entity, initially as still as a statue, moved like a ghost toward a massive pipe supporting theyer, entering Loom''s core. Within Loom, one could travel to the core through these pipes and ess deeperyers.


    Entering the pipe, the entity descended rapidly toward the core of Loom.


    <i>-The time hase.</i>


    Loom itself had no functions or existence of its own. It was a cradle. It contained wideyers capable of holding various things, but at its deepest part was a factory module. The factory could produce items based on its blueprints and, given enough materials, could even replicate itself or Loom.


    This factory was where Loom¡¯s potentialy.


    The second moon was the achievement of ancient magical technology created by the old gods.


    <i>-That''s why they turned it into the ultimate fortress.</i>


    The entity entered the deepest part of Loom and activated the factory that was amongplex mechanical devices. Possessing the ability to read invisible causalws like a clock, the entity knew it was time to initiate Loom.


    Given its giant size, every detail had to be pre-programmed to move Loom to a desired time and ce.


    <i>-Although my long-time allies have failed...</i>


    The entity controlled the entire factory effortlessly, without even a flick of the hand. Fortunately, there wasn''t much to physically manipte.


    Loom, in its final state, was a fortress that had fallen into slumber. This entity¡¯s task was simple¡ªto awaken the sleeping Loom, inform it of its duties, and urge it to move swiftly.


    <i>-I will not fail.</i>


    Now, the entity restored the legacies piled up in each of Loom''syers. Ancient weapons and mechanical troops folded neatly, along with the movable corpses, were awakened. These corpses were the entity¡¯s children despite theck of resemnce. They had limbs, bald headsicallyrge, and eyes so deep that the whites were invisible, yet they were all wise and intelligent. The entity dearly loved and took pride in these children.


    <i>-...If they weren¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have been in so much pain.</i>


    But now, none of its children survived. Their entire species was captured by the old gods, and their brains were excised. The souls offered in special rituals were utterly destroyed. Only empty shells remained.


    <i>-...My tears would not have dried up either.</i>


    Unseen by the entity, modules began moving. These modules were ancient weapons as old as ancient ruins. Now, they were dispatched to the surface of Loom, destined to scorch the face of Avartin.


    Even the entity¡¯s children, reduced to mere shells, were weaponized. Merely operators controlled from afar, they were nheless sufficient as a force to face those new gods.


    <i>-Are theying?</i>


    The entity raised their head toward the sky. Their eyes were fully connected to Loom''s external sensing modules, effectively making Loom''s eyes their own. Loom detected a rocket approaching from beyond the moon.


    <i>-Surprising, yet still an immature technology.</i>


    The entity had encountered such rockets numerous times before and easily destroyed it with Loom''s will. There was no need to reveal Loom''s activation yet.


    Then a beam of light was fired at the rocket.


    <i>-...?</i>


    But the light missed the rocket. The entity quickly realized the anomaly. It was a magical distortion of light. The rocket was enchanted.


    <i>-Oh no.</i>


    Before the entity could strike again, the rocket emitted a stunning light. It seemed like an idental explosion, but the entity knew better. Visible light was one of the most efficient means of detection. Spreading light meant capturing reflected light. They had taken a photograph.


    The entity nced at the text appearing on their status screen.


    ***


    [sh of Civilizations!]


    [Two different civilizations havee into contact. Experience points (XP) are rising for both civilizations.]


    [Warning: The opposing civilization has Faith.]


    ***


    Sung-Woon raised his head to check the system window.


    <i>¡®It almost feels like a joke, seeing a proper system message like this.¡¯</i>


    Loom, existing outside the system''s scope, made Sung-Woon consider the possibility that no system messages would appear. However, it seemed that wasn''t the case. This was an important part of Sung-Woon''s moon-facing n to remember.


    In the sky of Avartin, Sung-Woon looked toward Yonda. Loom was still hidden behind Yonda, but Sung-Woon¡¯s gaze was fixed there.


    He operated the system window.


    [yer List]


    ...


    ??Œw?]


    Immediately after, a video chat window appeared on the side.


    The image of a familiar star-shaped head, Wisdom, appeared. "How shall we address them?"


    "Dide...maybe?"


    "Let''s settle for that then."


    "After all, those beings must have proper names. For now, let''s not put too much thought into the temporary names."


    Sung-Woon thought for a moment.


    <i>¡®Bwelb, Jeol Woo-Bi, Sha-Cha, Jeolyo, and now Dide. After adding the three vassal yers to the rest of the Pantheon makes exactly 32.¡¯</i>


    Wisdom agreed. "How''s the moon-facing n going?"


    "It''s finished."


    "That was quick."


    Sung-Woon slightly shook his head. "Not really. Loom is on the move. There was something rising at a previously undetected location."


    "Preparation, perhaps? Seems it can operate independently of causality."


    "I''m not sure, but Dide seems to move like clockwork, precisely timed."


    "Why do you think so?"


    "If not, they would have given Loom''s control to another evil god. It must have gone to the mostpetent one."


    "That sounds usible."


    Loom was a weapon. Sung-Woon believed that the evil gods'' gamey abilities weren''t particrly outstanding, but they were strategic in their actions. Therefore, logically, they would have handed the weapon to someone who could handle it well.


    Sung-Woon had no intention of underestimating Loom and its operator, Dide.


    Wisdom stared intently at Sung-Woon''s masked face. "You seem worried."


    "Yes."


    "Even though the n is finished?"


    Sung-Woon shrugged. "The important part is what happens after moon-facing."


    Wisdom fell silent for a moment. "Neb, I prefer things to be done sequentially."


    "I n to."


    "I¡¯m saying I hope our highest thinking resources aren''t wasted where they''re not immediately needed."


    Sung-Woon nodded. "Alright. Have you checked the readiness of the other yers?"


    "Some are wasting time, while others are already making significant contributions."


    During Sung-Woon¡¯s busy time in the sanctuary, Wisdom had been conducting his own moon-facing tasks while also checking on the ns of other yers. Some yers were aware of this, while others were not. Impractical ns were cut early, and more usible ones received concentrated attention. The ns added to each other, creating arger n, while the unselected ones were cut, making everything clearer. Wisdom, despite having somewhat organized this vast picture, still couldn''tpletely visualize its finished form.


    <i>''Is Neb painting it in his head?''</i>


    It was unclear.


    Likely, Sung-Woon could have been neglecting other tasks while focusing on his own work, remaining unaware of the unfolding events.


    <i>¡®Then that''s a relief.¡¯</i>


    Wisdom thought logically. Even if all other moon-facing ns went wrong, Neb had determined that his own n would seed.


    Sung-Woon said, "Now that Loom is moving, we must act too."


    "Is that your way of saying that there''s no need to dy any longer?"


    "Yes."


    Neb looked toward Yonda. Behind ity Loom, already initiating its movement. If there had been more time, they might have waited longer. However, there seemed to be no leisure for idleness. Almost a year before Jerome''s predicted timeline, Loom started moving. Of course, Loom could take a year to fully activate, but nothing was certain.


    "It moving now means they¡¯re not fully ready."


    Therefore, Sung-Woon''s best course of action seemed clear.


    "So before Loom attacks us, we''ll strike it first."

 Chapter 276: Trinity

    <h4>Chapter 276: Trinity</h4>


    "That¡¯s impossible!¡± Ion screamed.


    Ion wasn''t the only one. Employees of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency and all associated organizations and sub-agencies also cried out in rm. The reason was simple. The Pantheon had just ordered the immediate construction of a space station in Avartin''s orbit.


    Therefore, a massive emergency meeting of all the space agency''s employees was held.


    ¡°To meet the target, we need to increase our current rocket payload tenfold every month orunch ten more rockets.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even gotten to reliable manned rocket flights yet. We stopped using Sepi as a test subject just two months ago. There are too many risks involved.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the issue of the asteroid''s orbital path. We can¡¯t use severalunch sites for the next two months. It might be better to build new ones.¡±


    ¡°Newunch sites? Do we even have any potential locations left?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if Night Sky floats an ind in the sea for us.¡± joked a secrist, elicitingughter from the crowd.


    Initially, the discussions were nearly all shouting, but as the hours-long meeting progressed, other possibilities began to emerge.


    ¡°Speaking as a representative of the astronauts, we''ve already written our wills. We¡¯re ready to give our lives for the night sky.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make our jobs any less stressful, you know!?¡±


    ¡°Please just think of it asunching cheerful fireworks.¡±


    ¡°Someone, please stop her!¡± someone yelled as Ramin was dragged away.


    Meanwhile, the space agency employees started discussing more productive ideas.


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked with the high priest. Since it¡¯s a direct request from the Pantheon, they said substantial support could be possible.¡±


    ¡°A miracle? They¡¯re just going to perform a miracle for us? How much can they do?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a casebook on miracles.¡±


    ¡°Really, there¡¯s such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Well, you''re a secrist... If you look at the casebook and request a simr miracle, the Pantheon will do what they can.¡±


    ¡°How thick is this casebook?¡±


    ¡°Around 230 volumes.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hold on... Yes, the temple will be sending direct support. High priests who¡¯ve memorized the entire casebook wille. But we¡¯ll still need the books, right?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Our division will check it out. Let''s see how well our Pantheon priests havepiled the list. Surely, they haven¡¯t just crammed everything in chronological order... It is digitized, right?¡±


    Another idea followed.


    "Have you heard about the project the Itimo Group is preparing?"


    "What was it again? Something about...electricity? The one that Simo is working on?"


    "I think it involvedunch vehicle research as well.¡±


    "I know about it! It¡¯s actually about elerating warheads using electromaic induction.¡±


    "Is it efficient though?"


    "Well, even if it isn¡¯t, with the Itimo Group¡¯s financial backing, they canpensate for inefficiencies, right? I heard they are building a massive power nt for this project.¡±


    "I also heard about something else. I heard about the pension for the Chosen Ones provided by the Itimo Group. Is it rted to that?"


    "...Can someone bring back the person who was dragged out earlier?"


    The conversation progressed.


    "Who has the updated list of weapons offered by the Empire¡¯s Army?"


    "The head of the logistics division had itst...¡±


    "Where are they?"


    "In the medical wing, knocked out on an IV drip."


    "Oh. They¡¯re from the logistics division? I checked the list of items we were promised this quarter, and there was something strange on it. That''s not a clerical error, is it?"


    "It''s exactly as listed."


    The conversation then took a different turn, focusing on perspectives other than the scientific one.


    "Can we connect this with the project nned at the Vaseniol Magic Tower?"


    "The Magic Tower?"


    "They''ve helped us before, right?"


    "We are grateful for that. Without their help, we would have been shot down again, and we will need their help in the future too. But apart from that, magic is, after all, based on mystical truths that cannot be scientifically proven..."


    "Let''s just focus on its utility.¡±


    "...Utility, as in?"


    "I''ve heard of a few grand magics. They take time to prepare and consume significant resources, but they could mitigate or eliminate some of the obstacles we need to ovee."


    "Okay, let¡¯s keep an open mind. Tell us more. Specifically, what obstacles can they eliminate?"


    There were also leads on actual ns.


    "Does anyone know about the secret project at the Rasdasil Ruins?"


    As the meeting progressed, several people shared their ns through cell phones,ndlines, and the Sky Net. The Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency didn¡¯t even need to make the first contact as a state of emergency had been dered for all organizations involved in the moon-facing n.


    The Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency wasn¡¯t the only one seeking help. Everyone needed each other''s assistance.


    Sung-Woon watched all this unfold with satisfaction.


    ***


    For Sung-Woon, the start of the moon-facing n was not a single event that urred two years ago. Sung-Woon''s moon-facing n was a simple measure derived amidst solving a bigger, moreplex and absolute problem.


    <i>¡®This isn''t a game.¡¯</i>


    If it were a game, Sung-Woon could have excelled, as games always came with rules that could be mastered and skillfully manipted. But a situation without apparent rules wasn''t a game, and Sung-Woon couldn''t excel in it.


    <i>¡®Alone, it would have been impossible.¡¯</i>


    Therefore, Sung-Woon epted that all this wasn''t a game and assigned tasks to people better suited for them. Luckily, they werepetent, cooperative, and very sharp.


    Sung-Woon''s moon-facing n began decades ago, before the battle against Hegemonia, rooted in the belief that they would one day face a formidable enemy. It started during the creation of the Sanctuary and was now nearing its conclusion.


    In the center of the Sanctuary, the second Apostle of the Pantheon, Kyle Lak Orazen, sat in a lotus pose. Kyle, the designer of the Sanctuary, had ess to all theputers within it and had simplified the interface over time. Now, Kyle could intervene and control all theplex programming of the Sanctuary with his will and voice alone.


    Kyle, with eyes closed, said, "Now I can ess the entirety of the security system."


    Someone entered the sanctuary.


    ¡°<i>Security system</i>... I don¡¯t like that term.¡±


    Walking through theputers of the Sanctuary was the third Apostle of the Pantheon, a grand Wizard who had risen to unmatchable heights.


    Kyle, eyes still closed, called out the name, "Mazdari."


    "We''re crossing a gate. There are actual gatekeepers with hundreds of eyes scrutinizing every crevice of the gate."


    "Terminology isn''t important.¡±


    Mazdari, now a Garuda with white, puffed-up feathers that made his alreadyrge physique appear even more massive,ughed.


    <i>¡®Perhaps because his essence has grown.¡¯</i>


    Kyle visualized Mazdari without opening his eyes.


    Mazdari continued, "I know."


    "You seem to be in a good mood.¡±


    "Does it appear so?"


    "Did you see Ravina?"


    "You can''t be fooled."


    "If you want to keep her close, call her to the Pantheon.¡±


    "That''s rude. After the tuning waspleted, I decided not to manipte anything anymore. And I like it this way now. asionally seeing her face, saying greetings, asking how she is, and parting ways."


    "If that''s your will," Kyle responded, smiling slightly.


    Mazdari''s reason for not manipting anything was because, conversely, if he wished, he could now control almost everything under the Pantheon''smand. His magic had reached a level known as ¡®tuning¡¯. Even the greatest Wizards of other worlds would only see him as mystical. Mazdari had reached a level untouchable by most Apostles and even yers of the Pantheon.


    <i>¡®Perhaps he''s the most dangerous entity in the Pantheon.¡¯</i>


    But Kyle knew Mazdari posed no threat.


    Kyle, with his eyes closed, looked into Mazdari''s soul, something Mazdari himself couldn¡¯t be aware of. Mazdari was no longer an entity that could be simply summarized by an individual¡¯s History, which a yer could call up. His past, filled with vigor, hatred, thoughts of revenge, and the instability of a Wizard, had all been dismantled and reassembled into the grand Wizard he was now.


    Mazdari brushed his lower beak lightly. "Is it starting now?"


    "If He wills it, we can start immediately."


    "Is aplishing the moon-facing n it for now?"


    "Yes." Kyle continued, "There''s more we could do, but there''s no rush."


    Kyle saw Mazdari''s inner world pulse rapidly with countless possibilities as he mentioned there being more to do. But when Kyle said that there was no rush, Mazdari''s consciousness halted and returned to its original state.


    Once Kyle finished speaking, Mazdari remained in ce.


    Kyle thought, <i>¡®He is a fearsome being.¡¯</i>


    Mazdari said, "You are a truly fearsome one."


    Kyle opened his eyes to see Mazdari smiling. The Sanctuary''s designer and the Wizard of Tuning trusted each other immensely, yet maintained a bnce of checks. If one falled, the Pantheon would reach for new possibilities.


    "Ready?"


    Both turned toward the voice. Sung-Woon was standing there. It was unclear how long he had been there or if he had just arrived.


    Neither showed surprise or awkwardness as they had experienced simr situations very often.


    Kyle answered, "Mazdari finished first, and I am also ready."


    Sung-Woon walked toward the two and said, "Let''s begin."


    "As you wish.¡±


    Two t stones were set up next to the rock where Kyle sat. Mazdari and Sung-Woon took their seats behind these stones, also sitting with their legs crossed.


    Sung-Woon fell into contemtion for a moment.


    <i>''It''s a simple logic when you think about it.''</i>


    Long before the moon-facing n, even before the discovery of the second moon, a question had persisted in Sung-Woon¡¯s mind: Was this world, Avartin, a game?


    <i>''There are many differences between Earth and Avartin...''</i>


    On Earth, only Humans existed, but Avartin was home to many species. Earth didn¡¯t have magic, but Avartin had Wizards. Earth had no Divinity, but Avartin had gods. The system existed only in games on Earth, but in Avartin, it was more tangible. Thus, Avartin felt like a game.


    <i>''Is it really so?''</i>


    In reality, that wasn¡¯t the case. Avartin and Earth had more simrities. Both were the thirds of their sr systems, at nearly the same distance from their suns. They resided in the Goldilocks zone, optimal for carbon-based life. Many life forms exhibited convergent evolution. Although Avartin''s Humans were gically different from Earth''s, functionally speaking, they were nearly identical. The same went for other species.


    The stages of civilization and the degree of intelligence developed were also remarkably simr. They were more alike than different. If they were truly distinct, yers wouldn¡¯t have understood Avartin and yed effectively. Because of the simrities, as if the creatures from Earth''s dreams were transnted there, yers couldprehend and adapt to Avartin.


    <i>''If numerous stones look alike and are neatly ced, one would think someone found and ced them there.''</i>


    Sung-Woon''s question stemmed from a simple and clear premise.


    <i>''There is intent.''</i>


    Sung-Woon unfolded his logic.


    <i>''If there is intent, there must be someone who intends it.''</i>


    Sung-Woon had no doubt about winning the game. If this was a game, winning wouldn''t be hard for him. The question was what would happen after winning. It wasn¡¯t aboutplying with the rules, but questioning the rules themselves.

 Chapter 277: Hacking

    <h4>Chapter 277: Hacking</h4>


    <i>¡®And if someone realized that intention, leading us to this world, then the power to realize that intention must also exist.¡¯</i>


    There certainly was a prime suspect: the being named Aldin. Aldin had summoned all the yers and engaged them in this game.


    <i>''Who is Aldin? And what is Aldin''s purpose? Why are the evil gods participating, why does the fourth continent exist, and why did the rules of the game change?''</i>


    Once these questions took roots, Sung-Woon could no longer focus solely on winning the game. He had to look beyond that. In the past, Sung-Woon would have been satisfied with just winning. Sung-Woon was a winning machine, and that was enough. But not anymore. Winning alone was no longer sufficient.


    As the three beings sat in symmetry, a world of mental imagery opened up within their consciousness.


    <i>''Magic.''</i>


    Sung-Woon gazed at this world of mental imagery.


    This mental input-output function wasn¡¯t the power of the Sanctuary. It was Mazdari¡¯s magic, revealing hidden secrets in visual images¡ªmore than revealing them, intervention was also possible. And that also meant it could be interfered with, making it an extremely dangerous magic. If used on someone''s nightmare, they would get swept into the nightmare, and if used on someone''s desire, that desire would engulf the caster.


    Fortunately, the world of mental imagery they entered was a stable world. It had been stabilized so long ago that it could almost be considered dead. This world was a wastnd made of crumbling ck sand, and on this wastnd, a fort made of the same ck sand was built. On the wall of this fort was a white door, which was thend where Sung-Woon, Mazdari, and Kyle were to enter. Shadows flickered above the white door.


    <i>''Watchers.''</i>


    As Mazdari had exined, these Watchers had long, narrow heads with hundreds of eyes. The long heads had massive mouths that split open top to bottom, with dense rows of teeth, and the mouths drooled constantly, indicating immense hunger. They peered endlessly beyond the fort''s wall, ensuring nothing entered.


    Kyle said.


    <i>-Night Sky, security protocols have already been fully deactivated.</i>


    Mazdari added.


    <i>-Night Sky, for a long time, I''ve been feeding the Watchers honey water with poison.</i>


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    In the mental imagery world, Sung-Woon opened his eyes. Standing alone on the ck sand and fort, he slowly walked toward the white door.


    Sensing presence, the Watchers sniffed and turned their heads frantically, yet they failed to notice Sung-Woon right before them.


    Sung-Woon slowly reached out toward the white door.


    <i>-It''s been a long time.</i>


    On Sung-Woon''s right shoulder, a small ck Lizard appeared. It was Kyle in the world of mental imagery.


    Kyle responded.


    <i>-Their methods are too outdated. They have be obsolete.</i>


    On Sung-Woon''s left shoulder, a white Bird perched. It was the form Mazdari took in this world.


    Mazdari replied.


    <i>-But they are sturdy. Reliable enough tost so long.</i>


    Sung-Woon knew that both of them were correct in their observations. However, he already had the key.


    <i>¡®It didn¡¯t take that long... We created it faster than I thought.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon took out a golden key from his pocket. Mazdari called it the Key of Truth, while Kyle referred to it as a Decoder. Sung-Woon didn¡¯t care about the name. The role of the tool as a tool was what mattered.


    The key unlocked the door. As the key was inserted, the ancient door, which seemed unlikely to function as a door, began to silently open. The blind Watchers failed to perceive the door they had been guarding opening.


    Sung-Woon stepped through the crack of the opened door.


    <i>-Is this ce...</i>


    Inside, Sung-Woon perceived an explosive visual stimulus from a certain world.


    He called out the name of the world he was in.


    <i>-The Demon World?</i>


    Despite the overwhelming sensation, it wasn¡¯t beyond his capability toprehend. His Divinity level was not incapable of such cognition.


    Kyle said.


    <i>-It''s disorganized. I''ll systematize it somewhat. Mazdari, in the meantime...</i>


    Mazdari responded.


    <i>-I''ll find a way to hide from them. They still seem lost in their delusions, so it shouldn''t be too difficult...</i>


    Sung-Woon gestured with his hand. He was not lost among the myriad of images but was finding his way.


    <i>-No, I''ve already arrived.</i>


    Sung-Woon had reached the center of the Demon World, and the scene before him was surprisingly familiar.


    Kyle was puzzled.


    <i>-That¡¯s...?</i>


    <i>-Aptop. And that''s a personalputer.</i>


    On a white granite surface covered in moss, about thirty differently shaped desks were randomly ced. On these desks,puters were set with no particr order. Chairs, as if someone had just been sitting in them, were ced beside the desks. Sung-Woon counted them; there were exactly thirty-two.


    Kyle said.


    <i>-There''s no need to be surprised. The imagery in a mental world can incorporate the caster''s own imagination.</i>


    <i>-I know.</i>


    Sung-Woon leaned over to look at aputer monitor. A program was running.


    [Lost World]


    Sung-Woon nodded and controlled the mouse to scan thendscape of the current frozen game. The world was unified under a single nation called the Empire, ruled by a yer alliance known as the Pantheon. The leading yer of the alliance was Neb, Sung-Woon himself.


    Sung-Woon spoke.


    <i>-Our hypothesis fits.</i>


    <i>-That''s not surprising.</i>


    <i>-An expected result indeed.</i>


    Sung-Woon leaned back in the chair, feeling a sensation he hadn''t experienced in a long time. His question was as so.


    <i>¡®Is the world a game? If so, where is this game running?¡¯</i>


    If it was software, there must be hardware. There must be somewhere it was stored and from where it can be disyed again. It must be capable of interacting with the external world.


    <i>¡®It must exist somewhere.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon''s answer was simple. If it wasn¡¯t visible anywhere in Arbartin, then it must exist outside. He knew that it would be in a space not yet reached by the Pantheon''s power.


    Sung-Woon then investigated the Rasdasil Ruins, known as the gateway to the Demon World. He hadn¡¯t guarded Rasdasil out of the fear of getting defeated by Hegemonia, but to protect the only gate from Arbartin to the Demon World. And now, at the heart of the Demon World, Sung-Woon confirmed that the world, the system of Arbartin, was set up here.


    He concluded, <i>¡®The only singrity that separates Earth and Arbartin is magic.¡¯</i>


    Then he reached the true conclusion.


    <i>¡®The system and divinity are just highly advanced rule-based systems created by magic.¡¯</i>


    The reason gods were powerful in their divinity was that it was a rule made by magic. Within this system, gods were nearly invincible. Therefore, originally, there were no gods in Arbartin. Gods were a constructed entity. Someone merely created the system.


    <i>-Interesting.</i>


    Sung-Woon remarked nonchntly, moving his hand over the keyboard.


    <i>-Let''s start the moon-facing n.</i>


    Kyle and Mazdari nodded.


    Sung-Woon first shut down the game and entered the system controls. He began coding several programs while directly connecting to thework of the game Lost World. He intended to personally intervene in the system of Lost World¡ªan act that was known as hacking.


    Kyle and Mazdari booted up the conceptual operators and conceptualized the sinister imagery of the Demon World into a logic understandable to Sung-Woon. Secondster, the task wasplete.


    Sung-Woon dered.


    <i>-The n is done.</i>


    Kyle asked.


    <i>-Are you referring to the moon-facing n? Are we going to watch the moon now? Or...</i>


    Mazdari suggested.


    <i>-Perhaps we should stay a bit longer here since the ancient gods are still stirring in their slumber below...</i>


    Sung-Woon stood up.


    <i>-No, someone is trying to peek in. I''ll leave.</i>


    Sung-Woon vanished instantly.


    The door of the Demon World closed cautiously, and the watchers of the door remained unaware of anyone entering or leaving.


    A shadow hurriedly approached where Sung-Woon had disappeared. It looked around, checked theputers, sensing something had changed but not understanding precisely what. It could only feel that something had urred. The shadow lingered before slowly moving away.


    Then one of theputer''s coolers spun rapidly as if sighing before returning to its normal speed.


    ***


    "It''s an honor that our Wizards could be of help to the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency," Ty the Ent, the current master of Vaseniol Magic Tower, said to the screen, and all the space agency personnel cheered.


    Even colleagues unfamiliar with each other embraced or shook hands, forgetting their usual distance.


    Lide Oboren, the Fairy-Yeti and rocket engineer, said in a tense voice, "So, you can move the Sky Ind ording to our schedule?"


    "Certainly. It''s possible.¡±


    It wasmonly known that the Sky Castle, though operable, was unstable and was used as a tool for Wizards'' experiments, not partaking in any ns. More importantly, the Wizards maintained a closed society, prioritizing the preservation of their secrets over everything. They believed losing their secrets meant losing their power.


    Scientists, who believed in spreading knowledge by any means, had a worldview that greatly shed with that of the Wizards, making it difficult for the two groups to get along. However, Vaseniol Magic Tower had promised active cooperation with the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency.


    The Sky Castle, a floating ind in the sky, could significantly reduce many of the constraints associated with rocketunches. Launching a single rocket to the maximum height of the Sky Castle would consume a tremendous amount of resources, but building a rocketunch pad on the Sky Castle would save those resources.


    Ion Iolkaf, with a bitter smile, acknowledged the good news but couldn''t rejoice without reservation.


    <i>¡®Dang it, that means recalcting the orbit from scratch. All the data umted so far will be gone.¡¯</i>


    Yet Ion knew that epting the help of the Sky Castle would yield better results. The astronomy team had already mentally prepared themselves, and so had Ion.


    Someone in the control team shouted, "There''s an urgent call from the Itimo Group, where should I connect it?"


    Saijin, the director of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, replied, "Put it on the central screen."


    Then a female Xolotl with pink skin appeared on the central screen.


    "Saijin!"


    "Oh, damn, it''s Simo."


    "Yes! It''s me, Simo."


    Simo, known as the Queen of Electricity and not just a simple inventor, appeared on the screen. Despite the long years, her appearance hadn''t changed much due to the traits of the Xolotl species, but people didn''t carelessly judge a Xolotl by their appearance, especially not this famous inventor.


    Having realized her worth as an inventor, Simo steadily and firmly raised her status through the Itimo Group, bing a Kraken-like existence that dipped into whatever she wanted with practically unlimited research support. Herpetence made it all the more agonizing for others. Many researchers, who started working with the famous inventor, lost their health to her relentless pursuit of results.


    Simo shouted, "How dare you take away my Sky Castle?"


    "<i>Your</i> Sky Castle?"


    "I need the Sky Castle for our ns too! What did you feed that old Ent?"


    Ty, on a side screen, shook his head.


    Saijin brought her hand to her forehead.


    Simo, looking over the control room, furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Oh, darn. Were you in contact with old man Ty? No, better this way. Listen well, old man. Our Itimo Group will not stand idly on this matter."


    Ty responded, "Please tell her that with that attitude, she won''t even get to step on the Sky Castle."


    "You were listening?!"


    Saijin waved her hands, attempting to mediate between the two.


    As the control room increasingly resembled a marketce, the staff of the Space Agency began to slip away. Ion, needing to stay and assess the situation, massaged his temples to alleviate a throbbing headache.


    <i>''Does anything ever go smoothly?''</i>


    Just then, Ramin entered the control room. Ion caught Ramin reaching for the snack basket on the control table and then trying to sneak away.


    "...What are you doing here?" Ion asked.


    "Oh, uh...even Vampires eat candy, you know?"


    "What?"


    "The snack basket in the control room is the best."


    Ion sighed.


    Ramin, feeling a dyed sense of responsibility, whispered so as not to disturb the ongoing argument in the control room.


    "Is something going on?"


    "Well, it''s..."


    After hearing the full exnation, Ramin nced at the screen and took out her cellphone.


    Speaking into the phone, Ramin said, "Ah, Teacher."

 Chapter 278: We Were Faster

    <h4>Chapter 278: We Were Faster</h4>


    The problem in the Space Agency''s control room was resolved with a single phone call from Ramin. After briefly ending the call, Ramin looked up. Simo, who was arguing loudly with the great Wizard Ty, was about to angrily hang up an iing call but hastily answered after seeing the name disyed.


    "T...teacher?"


    From the other end of the line, Owen spoke in a gruff voice, "I heard there''s a problem?"


    "Oh, it''s not something for you to worry about, Teacher..."


    "Is Ty there?"


    "Yes, Elder. I''m not sure exactly where <i>there</i> is, but..."


    "How have you beentely?"


    "Fine, thanks to you."


    Ty, being an Ent, a Tree-like species, has a physiology somewhat simr to a Tree, yet also had organs like other living beings, which was quite unique. However, Ty was not a healthy Ent. Being a Wizard was almost a curse for him, and his internal organs were contemptuously referred to as lumps of meat in Ent vernacr. For Ents, a species that typically only consumed water and nutrient sap, the existence of Ty was in itself a source of contempt. Despite this, Ty survived. He became a Wizard, the master of the magic tower, and reached a stature where no one could scorn him anymore.


    Recently, Ty achieved a remarkable medical feat on his body. He removed all the lumps of meat that had made him hate his body for so long. This procedure involved the gathering of top surgeons and tree doctors, especially those with ancient knowledge from secluded tribes near ancient ruins, introduced to him by Owen.


    In the process, Ty not only rid himself of the cursed spirits attached to his flesh but also restored his desired Ent form. His magical abilities didn¡¯t diminish but rather increased, which became a crucial factor in iming the position of master of the tower after Mazdari left, a fact not widely known.


    <i>''Few know about the existence of Teacher Owen in the first ce''</i>


    Owen said, "Let''s have a talk then."


    This eased Ion''s concerns and the irritation of Saijin, the director of the Space Agency.


    The discussion led to the realization that the surface area of the Sky Castle was quite extensive, and it seemed entirely possible to expand it further with the support from the Vaseniol Magic Tower. The initial purpose of revitalizing the Sky Castle with the support of the Vaseniol Magic Tower was apparently to serve such an objective.


    Additionally, various cooperating organizations came to the Sky Castle, and new proposals for modifying and expanding it flooded in. There were some disruptions as well.


    The actual rulers of the Sky Castle, the imperial restorationists from the western continent who imed it should be immediately returned to the former Union Kingdom, were silenced by the descendant of the emperor.


    "The Angry One would also wish for this."


    The moon-facing n was converging on the Sky Castle as a hub.


    A monthter, Ramin, dispatched as an employee of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency and as an astronaut, boarded a passenger ne headed for the Sky Castle.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s the Sky Castle?¡¯</i>


    Ramin Solost Muel remembered the former Sky Castle of the Union Kingdom. Although she had only seen it from a distance back then, the sight was overwhelming. The paradoxical image of the massivendmass floating in the air felt almost sphemous. However, the present Sky Castle, now increasingly referred to as the Starkeeper, looked different. The lower part of Starkeeper was equipped with several runways.


    Due to visitorsing to Starkeeper from all over the world, the runways were full, and the ne''s pilot had to follow the control tower''s instructions to circle around Starkeeper for a while beforending. This gave Ramin a better view of Starkeeper''sndscape.


    Above the runways, there were central power supplyworks protected by solid steel, and living spaces with reinforced ss windows offering a view of the empty sky. On the ground, various supporting teams and dispatched employees had established researchplexes.


    Ramin saw the Itimo Group''spany logo, the Imperial Royal Support Team, the Orazen Central Temple Dispatch Team, the Imperial Military General Headquarters Direct Support Team, multiple Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency verticalunch pads, the Vaseniol Magic Tower symbol, and symbols of various other organizations.


    <i>¡®It''s unbelievable that all this was built in just one month.¡¯</i>


    If it seemed like a miracle, it was because the gods of the Pantheon had directly undertaken construction tasks that would have otherwise required tremendous effort. Even at the current moment, Starkeeper''s construction was still ongoing, so Ramin saw familiar creature creations ying the role of heavy construction equipment to transport and stack materials.


    <i>¡®Everyone''s so busy.¡¯</i>


    Of course, Ramin ended up being the busiest. Due to the thin atmosphere at the high altitude of Starkeeper, the rocketunches were facilitated, leading to a tight schedule for manned rocketunches. The Launch Preparation Team and Maintenance Team, confident that there would be no idents thanks to the miracle, geared Ramin up for theunch.


    The sight of priests performing religious rituals daily next to the most advanced manned rockets was novel, but it soon became routine. The Launch Preparation Team noticed Ramin wearing a hat with "Today I''m a Secrist" written on it during her breaks, as she grew increasingly sensitive.


    After more than 20unches, Ramin became proficient. Both the Launch Preparation Team and the Maintenance Team had high hopes for her. She was one of the few who could withstand the physical demands of consecutive rocketunches.


    "Why not Ogres?"


    "They''re too heavy! For the same weight, we could load eight more Halflings. We also don''t have space, and it wastes fuel."


    "How about Astacidias?"


    "The size issue remains, and there are technical difficulties due to their circtory system."


    "What about Pangolins?"


    Next to Ramin, the Pangolin astronaut Luluta P, who was also about to board the rocket, kicked Ramin''s shin.


    "Are you about to make a joke about not seeing me because I''m small again?"


    "Oh, I didn''t see you there."


    "Right."


    Of course, Ramin knew the truth. In rockets and spacecraft, and even in the currently under-construction space station, the role of an astronaut was akin to an auxiliary device for more intricate andrge-scaleputer operations. Many processes, such asunch, deceleration, and docking, were not yet automated, hence the need for manpower.


    <i>¡®I''m aponent. Just aponent.¡¯</i>


    As Ramin became the most skilled through continuous missions, while other smaller species astronauts took turns, assuming the role of a leader, her responsibilities increased, which wasn''t exactly a delight to her.


    The procedure itself was simple. Once the rocketunched, its top module, attached to the under-construction space station, was to be docked, and then the astronauts would descend in an escape pod, to be caught by severalyers ofs from airships at the predictednding site. Due to the intervention of priests and Wizards, even the most dangerous stunts were somewhat manageable.


    And then the day came.


    ***


    Ion Iolkaf was also on Starkeeper. Despite the light pollution from Starkeeper itself, observing the moon was not a major issue, as his only task was to observe the moon, which was slightly closer from Starkeeper. The reason why the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency''s Observation Team came to Starkeeper was to seed in their observations even a fraction of a second faster, as the moon was closer.


    <i>¡®However, there''s still no movement from Loom, which is said to have begun its maneuvers...¡¯</i>


    After the sessful observation of the rocket using a magical scarecrow, most of the rocketunch efforts were devoted to building the space station. Subsequent reconnaissance satellites also failed to observe the second moon, Loom, as it didn¡¯t permit observation. Magic was broken, and the satellites were destroyed instantly.


    <i>¡®The only way is to look up from here.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, if Loom started moving, it could be seen from the edge of the first moon, Yonda. Schrs believed that due to Loom''s low output, there would be some time to prepare before it fully revealed itself.


    <i>¡®Still, ording to the conclusions drawn by the highmittee and the advisory board, we have only a buffer of a few months.¡¯</i>


    Ion knew that this was more a hope than certainty. At least until then, there could be some degree of preparedness possible. However, hope didn''t always turn reality into what one wished for.


    Drinking tea given by Lide, Ion noticed a spike in the measuring instruments and immediately brought his eyes to the telescope.


    Ion screamed, ¡°...No!¡±


    From the edge of Yonda, a ck shadow began to emerge like a thin thread. Loom was moving.


    Ion acted immediately ording to the protocol. He flipped open the lid of the emergency button and mmed it down. A light turned on in the microphone in front of Ion.


    "Loom, movement confirmed!"


    Sirens red throughout Starkeeper.


    An emergency meeting of the highmittee was convened instantly, and all personnel on Starkeeper, whether resting or sleeping, rushed to their emergency positions.


    Ion ryed the emergency message.


    "...As of the current time, movement of Loom confirmed. All personnel to emergency stations. I repeat..."


    Sweating profusely and with their clothes in disarray, the high-ranking officials of various agencies hurriedly took their seats, losing their usual dignity.


    The head of the Space Agency, Saijin, spoke in a hoarse voice from shouting too much recently, "Now, everyone, try not to panic, let''s..."


    It was a pitiful sight, seeing her struggle to breathe, but everyone there was in a simr state. Except for one person.


    At that moment, Yuma Anaru, a high priest and a Nix Chosen One, a member of Starkeeper''s highmittee, opened their eyes.


    ¡°...Mic test.¡±


    Everyone in the highmittee knew that the person sitting there was not just the priest Yuma, but a god of the Pantheon worshiped by the Nixes, as shown by the glow of her eyes and the aura that lingered around Yuma.


    AR1026 spoke as Concealed Text God=Yuma.


    <i>-Highmittee, execute the moon-facing n immediately.</i>


    There was silence following her words. It was a desperate suggestion.


    Simo, who had been seated, suddenly stood up and eximed, "We''ve only reached 45 percent of our target!"


    "Simo! That''s too disrespectful!"


    Saijin retorted but then turned toward Concealed Text God and said, "B...but, Dark Foundation, we''ve only justunched the airships into orbit. Not just us, but none of us have even finished half of our n. You can me us for ourckluster performance, but if we proceed like this..."


    At that, Concealed Text God=Yuma smiled slightly.


    <i>-It''s alright.</i>


    "It is?"


    <i>-As you all have believed in and followed the Pantheon, now the Pantheon will answer to your expectations.</i>


    Concealed Text God=Yuma lifted her head.


    The ceiling of the highmittee meeting room was made of ss.


    No one wanted to look up at the sky. It was too frightening. Lifting their heads would reveal Loom, just beginning to emerge behind the pale Yonda. Only a god seemed to dare to look at the second moon. But Loom was still not visible, not to the mortals. Only someone with extremely sharp eyesight could notice a tiny part of Loom protruding from the edge of Yonda.


    Concealed Text God=Yuma said.


    <i>-We were faster.</i>


    Then Concealed Text God left Yuma''s body.


    Saijin, who had been silent, suddenly mmed the table with force.


    "Let''s do it, consequences be damned."


    The emergency response manuals, which everyone hoped would never be needed, were opened in every department. The staff of various research institutes and response teams read the manuals and cursed.


    "What the hell! Half of this manual is just telling us to pray!"


    However, as time went on, it became clear that the worst-case scenario everyone on Starkeeper, including the highmittee and the researchers, feared was not unfolding.


    Even Ion, who had been exhausted from panic, now looked at the sky calmly.


    "Loom, current exposure level at 5 percent."


    Ion''s voice made everyone on Starkeeper hold their breath.


    Research on Loom, based on archaeologists'' studies of ancient ruins, had revealed some information. Loom was not originally a weapon of war. Its original role was unknown, but it could change its appearance and perform various functions as needed. Therefore, there was a hypothesis that when the exposure level reached 10 percent, the gun turrets prepared on the surface of Loom would start attacking. At least that was what the ancient war records indicated.


    "...Currently, from the 5 percent of Loom''s surface that is exposed, no weapons or structures have been observed..." Ion swallowed hard and continued, "...There is nothing. Absolutely nothing."


    It waspletely empty. Loom was not fully prepared. The Pantheon, the Empire, and Starkeeper had been too quick.

 Chapter 279: Connecting the Past and Future

    <h4>Chapter 279: Connecting the Past and Future</h4>


    Saijin, the director of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency,municated with the Launch Preparation Team.


    "...This is Saijin. The exposure is currently at 16 percent. No weapons or structures have been detected on the surface of Loom yet. We thought we were in too much of a rush, that we didn¡¯t have enough time, and that this wasn¡¯t the right way to do things, but we were wrong. We were faster."


    The waiting astronauts nodded lightly in agreement.


    "We haven¡¯t won yet, but we have done better than we thought we would. So we can do it again next time. Soldiers, the moon-facing n is now transitioning into the Lunar Strike Operation. I wish you all guidance from the stars."


    Themunication ended abruptly, and the astronauts summarized the briefing from the control panel.


    Ramin Solost Muel picked up her helmet and said, "Let''s go hit the moon."


    Despite the tense situation, there was an ease among the astronauts. Having risked their lives on every rocketunch, there was no reason for them to be afraid anymore. This was just another flight among the dozens they had made to the moon.


    On their way to theunch pad, Ramin and the astronauts saw something different from the usual rockets¡ªa newly constructed piece of equipment.


    "A spaceship."


    Sleek and white, the spaceship was elegant in appearance. It would connect with the rocket, break free from Abartin''s gravity, then stop at the space station for additional fuel and supplies before circling Yonda and heading towards Loom.


    <i>''What happens next?''</i>


    Ramin didn''t know. There was ancient evil slumbering on Loom, and no exnation was given about the precautions to be taken. The Pantheon only mentioned that it would be sufficient, and the highmittee of Starkeeper advised the astronauts not to ask further questions.


    <i>''Maybe it''s simpler than we thought? If we just get inside.''</i>


    Of course, there were other weapons prepared by the Empire and Starkeeper, which seemed formidable to Ramin. Even though Loom was the second moon, even though it had once brought the world to destruction, even though it was known as the harbinger of the apocalypse, one would have to think twice before facing the Empire. That was what Ramin would have done anyway.


    Boarding the spaceship, the astronauts, given the emergency, ignored over half of the usual procedures and proceeded directly tounch. Outside, priests were performing thergest scale rituals.


    <i>''It looks like a massive sacrificial ceremony.''</i>


    Ramin thought so, but was d she didn¡¯t say it out loud.


    Ramin then asked, "Has everyone had dinner?"


    Con Sia, a Houyhnhnm species known as horsehead, grumbled in response, "Are you asking about ourst supper?"


    "No, I was just trying to have a casual conversation!" Ramin eximed, a bit taken aback, to which Conughed.


    "Even Captain Ramin gets nervous, huh?"


    Raminughed, realizing it was a joke.


    Then, Charo, a Halfling, asked, "By the way, how many people are we picking up at the pitstop?"


    "I think they said two?"


    Ramin furrowed her eyebrows for a moment. Charo was referring to the people they had to pick up from the space station. The number had fluctuated due to the duration of stay at the station, but it was currently two.


    "Are they people we know?"


    "Probably not,¡± replied Ramin.


    Rockets weren''t onlyunched from Starkeeper. Using otherunch pads, though less efficient, was sensible for the Empire to best utilize time. While Starkeeper''sunch pads were used for constructing the space station, others were utilized for docking supplies, and there were astronauts Ramin and her colleagues hadn''t met.


    Ramin said, "I just checked, and they''re listed as unknown."


    "...Is that even possible?"


    "Must be a security issue."


    "There are people more secretive than active intelligence agents?"


    Ramin shrugged. "Anyway, they must be rted to the Central Temple or the Imperial Pce. We just have to take those two people with us."


    Then Luluta, the Pangolin, said, "I saw one of them at the stationst time. Must be the person who has stayed the longest."


    "Oh, that person?"


    "Yeah."


    "...Impressive."


    There was a person frequently discussed among the astronauts, maintenance, andunch preparation teams at Starkeeper. An outsider, they had been residing at the space station for several months without break. Despite various research groups, including the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, not having conclusive data on the effects of zero gravity on health, concerns about potential detrimental impacts on the musculoskeletal system led to multiple officialmunications discouraging prolonged stays.


    "Are they like Ramin, a Vampire?"


    "I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve stayed that long. And the way they look..."


    "Anyone seen them? How do they look?"


    Most had only had contact behind closed partition walls, so no one had seen them directly.


    Ramin tried to recall, "I remember they had a tail."


    "A tail."


    "Their build was on therger side, not as big as a Troll though."


    "...Are we ying twenty questions?" Luluta''s bluntment was interrupted by the control panel announcing theunch time.


    The astronauts swiftly checked the spacecraftunch procedures again.


    "This is Ion from the Observation Team."


    After hearing the familiar voice over the inte, Ramin responded, "Ion, what is it?"


    "Ah, just following procedure. Currently, the exposure rate is 21 percent."


    "Is anything visible?"


    "...There is something."


    A silence fell over the spacecraft.


    Though underprepared, everyone knew that the Loom wouldn''t have initiated movement without something in ce. Naturally, the spacecraft would be Loom''s primary target.


    "Specifically, it''s not visible directly. It''s a shadow. The Analysis Team is working on it."


    "Alright, got it."


    "It''s likely nothing significant."


    "Because we don''t know much about Loom?"


    "No. There are things other than weapons on Loom. Weapons alone aren¡¯t enough. There''s also energy transfer equipment, as well as devices needed for Loom to observe us. We believe Loom''s weapons are more likely to be centralized rather than scattered on the outskirts. So, even if there is something, don''t get too agitated."


    Ramin and the astronauts were already aware of this information, but hearing it from someone in charge always instilled more confidence.


    Ion continued, "You know, what I mean to say is...we''ll seed, Ramin. There¡¯s no need to worry...."


    "No." Ramin spoke firmly. "That''s a nice constion, but...we could fail."


    "...P...pardon?"


    "I understand you might want to say something like that because I supported you, Ion, and I appreciate that thought. But our task might fail, and that''s what makes it valuable. Plus, when doing important things, it''s sometimes necessary to feel anxiety and fear. It keeps us alert."


    "Ah."


    As the conversation went on, the control room called for attention as the conversation was getting too long, but Ramin didn''t end themunication.


    With the 60-second countdown starting and while preparing forunch, Ramin continued, "I won''t be certain of our sess."


    "Then what?"


    "Instead, let''s stack up...each small possibility that everyone has contributed. The spacecraft and rocket design and production team, maintenance team,unch preparation team, observation team, and the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, along with the Vaseniol Magic Tower, the Imperial army, the royal family, the Central Temple. And let''s not forget the Itimo Group for enhancing quality amenities, among others. Each doesn''t guaranteeplete sess, but..."


    "They converge."


    "I''m not certain about that."


    "But you believe it."


    Ramin pouted slightly. "I guess I do."


    Ramin put on her helmet as if to hide her face.


    Someone among the astronauts chuckled quietly.


    As the countdown ended, the rocket and spacecraft roared to life from theunch pad and began to ascend.


    ***


    "Stabilization in orbit in 5, 4...1."


    "Is themunication stable?"


    "Attempting connection. Just a moment..."


    The first moon, Yonda, and Loom, which was behind it, became visible. Loom now resembled a crescent moon, having revealed much of itself.


    "...Min! Ramin!"


    "I''m listening."


    An urgent voice came through themunicator.


    "Iing long-range projectile detected! After disengaging thest rocket, perform an evasive maneuver in the directed path!"


    Ramin clenched her teeth.


    <i>''It was a weapon!''</i>


    But there was still room for action. The astronauts quickly manipted the procedures, detaching the rocket and starting the spacecraft''s own propulsion system.


    The control panel continued to provide updates. "Second projectile approaching!"


    "Is it going to explode?"


    "No, it''s a simple mass weapon, but it''s quite fast! The first projectile just passed the spacecraft!"


    Ramin checked the spacecraft''s rear through the screen. As the spacecraft moved away, the rocket thruster, now off-bnce and spinning, suddenly exploded. The explosion of the projectileunched from Loom was not even visible.


    Ramin said, "Do we have to stop at the station? At this rate..."


    "You must make the stop."


    "...But if I''m right..."


    Ramin looked forward. It could have been a mistake, but this time she saw it. A third projectile wasunched from Loom.


    "Unless the one controlling that second moon is a fool, they would know the best way to hit the target."


    It was simple. They would target the spacecraft when it tried to dock with the space station.


    There was a moment of silence in the control panel''s voice.


    <i>''Are they figuring out a solution?''</i>


    That wasn''t the case.


    A familiar voice came through the control panel.


    "Uh, Ramin!"


    It was Simo, the great inventor and a key figure in the Itimo Group.


    "What did you say earlier? That Itimo Group only provided simple amenities and didn''t contribute much?"


    "No, I didn''t quite put it that way."


    ¡°And I still haven¡¯t forgotten that time I got scolded by Teacher.¡±


    "...Still?"


    "Wait and see what we''ve achieved! ...Get ready!"


    The control panel hastily reimed the microphone.


    "Sorry, Ramin."


    "It''s fine."


    "Still, as you might have guessed, it''s possible."


    "Understood. We''ll proceed as nned."


    "Right. We''ll continue to guide you from the control panel. Please follow our instructions."


    Tense moments continued. Loom was increasing its uracy. But all the while, the spacecraft was helped by thebination of cutting-edge scientific technology, the magic of the Wizard Rodem, who was both an astronaut and a disciple of Ty, and unbelievable miracles.


    "Starting deceleration."


    "Observation panel here. Current exposure level is 33 percent..."


    As Ion hesitated, Ramin asked, "Is it bad news?"


    "...Yes." Ion exined, "The weapon we feared is starting to emerge. ording to the Analysis Team, it''s likely...yes, it''s that. Lightbeam."


    Among the weapons known to be in Loom''s arsenal, many could be countered or avoided with modern technology. However, Lightbeam was one of the weapons the astronauts needed to be cautious of. This offensive module¡ªa giant cylinder firing intense light, just as its name suggested¡ªrequired a considerable amount of energy transmission modules attached to it. The more energy modules, the more destructive the beam.


    <i>''There''s no escaping light.''</i>


    This was anticipated. Thus, preparations had been made. The idea came from the Itimo Group. Putting the entire group on the line, they worked on the project that could have just been a waste of money. To outsiders, it seemed foolish for a massive corporation controlling an entire continent to dive into such a wasteful endeavor.


    <i>''But what''s the use of money if the world ends?''</i>


    Simo''s logic was simple. if the enemy''s weapon is strong, use a corresponding powerful weapon, a simplistic logic that could even seem childish. And Simo found such a weapon in her own sess.


    <i>''The electron cannon, powered by electromaic eleration.''</i>


    Ramin could vividly recall the scene she had often seen. At the corner of the Sky Castle, Starkeeper, dozens of airships floated, each equipped with a small power nt. These airships were connected by massive cables to a single machine, the so-called electron cannon. It appeared as a pair of horns shooting into the sky. These horns were actually t rails. When a strong current flowed through these several-meter-long rails, a powerful electromaic force was generated. This force elerated the projectiles ced on the rails. It was an incredible waste.


    <i>''But that waste too...is a possibility.''</i>


    Suddenly, shouts erupted from the control panel''smunicator.


    "What? What''s happening?"


    "Oh, it''s...a miracle. When the projectile was fired, the Electric Demonic Magic was conjured. The projectile''s speed exceeded our predictions by four, no, more than five times."


    "That''s more like it."


    With the now visibly closer Loom, Ramin attempted to dock at the flying space station below it.


    "Attempting to dock. Station, do you copy?"


    Someone on the space station responded, "Is the direction correct?"


    "Yes, if we continue like this, we''ll be able to hover and stop..."


    "No, that''s not good. Turn about 13 degrees."


    "Why?"


    "Lightbeam ising. Right now."


    Ramin, without a second thought to contact the control panel, trusted the voice, finding it oddly reassuring. The spacecraft and space station simultaneously rotated in the same direction, and a shing beam of light, too fast to be perceived, passed between them.


    Red lights shed inside the spacecraft.


    The control panel shouted, "Spacecraft! Are you okay?"


    Ramin checked on her fellow astronauts and replied, "We''re fine. No damage... But the next attack..."


    The space stationmunicated, "We don''t have time. Dock now."


    "Not avoiding the next attack?"


    "Otherwise, we''ll be dodging forever."


    "Understood."


    Ramin focused on aligning the spacecraft''s hull with the station''s corridor. However, the angle made Loom''s form all too clear on the external screen. Now, the observation panel didn''t need to report the exposure level. It was nearly 40 percent.


    <i>''Luckily, we aren¡¯t exposed to the center yet.''</i>


    But there was no room for relief. Ramin remembered how someone inside the station had anticipated Lightbeam''s arrival. Now, Ramin felt she would also be able to detect it.


    On one side of Loom, a circr shape shed.


    The one on the space station said, "Forget the Lightbeam, concentrate."


    Ramin gritted her teeth and did as instructed. Yet, at the edge of her vision, she saw a golden beam shooting across her view.


    <i>''...Is it toote?''</i>


    Ramin briefly closed and then reopened her eyes. The spacecraft was intact.


    The same voice announced, "Docking confirmed. We''re moving over there."


    "...Huh?"


    The control panel btedly added, "...The projectile from the electron gun has intercepted the Lightbeam! The projectile continues to move!"


    The power of the electron gun alone couldn''t block the energy of Lightbeam. What mattered was the projectile, or rather, what wasunched by the electron gun. Fortunately, both the Itimo Group and the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, as well as the Empire itself, had a projectile worth trusting.


    ¡®So, Simo''s faith in connecting the power of the past to the future has prevailed. The report from the Royal Pce about Apostle Lakrak leaving behind something after defeating an evil god."


    Ramin mumbled to herself, ¡°Lakrak''s Divine Spear.¡±


    The golden spear, created by Lakrak, maintained its velocity and wasunched directly toward Loom''s Lightbeam. That was the streak of light Ramin had witnessed.

 Chapter 280: Even Gods Hope for Miracles

    <h4>Chapter 280: Even Gods Hope for Miracles</h4>


    In the absence of gravity and atmospheric friction, the hidden weapon, a spear, sliced through space, heading toward the second moon. However, in the cosmic scale, it was too miniscule to be properly observed, not only for the moon destined to be struck by the spear, but also for the Empire thatunched it. Only the gods could truly witness this event.


    <i>¡®The weapon of an apostle follows their current Divinity level.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak''s current XP was higher than those of many lower-level gods, Though system-imposed limitations kept apostles at a lower level cap than gods...


    <i>¡®Even with these constraints, physicalws be untouchable domains.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon confirmed that the Lightbeam shot from the second moon to deflect the spear was immediately torn apart by divine power before it could even reach Lakrak''s spear.


    <i>''It¡¯s done.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak''s spear pierced right through the center of the Lightbeam.


    ***


    "Hit,¡± Ramin Solost Muel heard a voice from beyond the coupling corridor.


    Two people were present. One was of a smaller stature species, seemingly chubby, identifiable by the shape of the helmet.


    <i>¡®That''s a ty.¡¯</i>


    The other required more thought.


    <i>''This one must be the famous long stayer...''</i>


    The presence of a tail was certain, and the hair seemed somewhat long, but such traits weremon among many species.


    Ramin asked, "What hit?"


    "The spearunched from Starkeeping hit the Lightbeam.¡±


    ¡°What? You can see that?"


    The long stayer shrugged nonchntly.


    The Observation Teammunicated, "Lightbeam silenced! Move quickly as there can be another Lightbeam. The exposure level is now at 41%."


    Ramin wanted to continue the conversation, but there was an urgent need to rush the fuel supply and other resupply operations. The Lightbeam''s attack being ovee did not mean the end. The attacks from the moon continued, and both the coupled spacecraft and the station had to perform aerobatic flights. Although not as potent as Lakrak''s Divine Spear, the projectilesunched with the help of the electron cannon were also used to counter the attacks.


    During the final phase of decoupling the spacecraft from the station, Con muttered, "There were at least ten instances where the sess rate of the operation was below 10 percent."


    "I know,¡± Ramin replied.


    Then she assumed that even in the midst of the unnoticed operations, the gods'' power must have intervened.


    <i>''Come to think of it, there were said to be spaces inside the space station and spacecraft''s internal partitions that are architecturally worthless.''</i>


    The space station itself served as a massive temple. Created by themand of the Pantheon with the Central Temple and priests involved, the spaces that were likely to house shrines of the Pantheon were something scientists with secr tendencies wouldn¡¯t appreciate, yet they enabled the gods to directly empower the spacecraft without having to do so through mortals.


    <i>''But that miracle must ends here,¡¯</i>


    Ramin realized that the truly challenging part was about to begin.


    As they moved further away from the space station, the probability of sess for operations, which had been artificially heightened, would start to align with their original odds.


    Ramin recalled something she heard during the interrogation of Fairies at the Intelligence Agency,


    <i>''Even the gods of the Pantheon hope for a miracle?''</i>


    The idea that those capable of creating miracles would themselves hope for one was somewhat frightening.


    <i>''But we''vee this far.''</i>


    Ramin gathered herself again. However, she also needed to focus on something else at the moment.


    "Quack!"


    The ''undeniable ty'' next to the ''long stayer'' had failed to swim in zero gravity and mmed into the wall.


    "Hey, are you okay?"


    "I''m fine, fine!"


    It was apparent that the ty was not okay. Ramin tried to grab them, but the ty''s floundering made it difficult. Moreover, Ramin was not used to the zero-gravity state either. The fact that nothing physically supported and stabilized them, affecting not just their physicality but also their psyche, was unsettling.


    "I''ll do it."


    The long stayer skillfully grabbed the ty''s tail, slowed them down with a kick, then used their own tail to anchor themself and pressed the ty down with both hands.


    "I told you to be careful, friend."


    Even with the helmet on, the ty, who appeared squished, replied, "Ah, oh my, thank you."


    The long stayer said, ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    Ramin nodded and took the lead. "You''re quite skilled, aren''t you?"


    "I''ve been here a long time."


    "Is your body okay?"


    "Well, my body is fine, but the food is terrible. And the toilet."


    "Yeah, it''s dreadful, really."


    "But sometimes, undergoing hardship can be helpful. It serves as a turning point to the soul, so to speak."


    Ramin believed that the optimistic attitude of this long stayer was what enabled them to endure the istion. For several months, while many astronauts passed through the space station, this individual spent time alone, even during incidents like rocket malfunctions, space station idents, and supply errors.


    <i>''They must have risked their life dozens of times.''</i>


    Initially, the space station consisted of only one module, a confined space. While Vampires foundfort in confined spaces, benefiting them during astronaut selection, Ramin knew that most species didn''t share this feeling.


    <i>¡®This person truly is strong.''</i>


    After the coupling was released, the spacecraft began to elerate again.


    Then Ramin''s worries soon came true.


    "Three projectiles iing! They''ll reach in 11 seconds!"


    "We can''t dodge them all. We need to decide where to take the hit."


    "The highmittee is trying to make a decision..."


    "I''m the captain here, and you''re too slow."


    Ramin quickly made decisions when danger approached. Despite the destruction of the upper propulsion, the fuel line was intact, maintaining eleration. The control panel worried over the loss of maneuverability due to the missing upper propulsion, but Ramin ignored them.


    "Exposure at 48%! The second Lightbeam!"


    "What about the electron cannon?"


    "It''s already firing! Projecting artifacts now. But don''t expect the same impact as the Divine Spear!"


    Artifacts from the Empire, Union Kingdom, and Ronante-Oroban Alliance, including those of gods and apostles, along with sacred items discovered from ancient ruins, wereunched from Itimo Group¡¯s electron cannon. Unlike with the first Lightbeam, these artifacts were noticeably slower, even visible to Ramin.


    "Brace for impact. And pray," Ramin said as she saw the sh of Lightbeam.


    A massive shock swept through the spacecraft, causing her to lose consciousness, only to quickly regain it.


    <i>¡®Shit.¡¯</i>


    This wasn¡¯t good. The toughest person on board was her, and if she was knocked out, the others would have suffered more. Looking around, she indeed saw others unconscious in their seats. The interior was shing red, signaling problems. She needed to act quickly, but they were short on people.


    "Control panel?"


    Only silence remained. Themunication device was also dead.


    Confirming that the eleration continued, Ramin unbuckled and stood up.


    At that moment, the two individuals who had transferred from the space station stood up.


    The long stayer reported, "Oxygen levels are dropping. It seems there''s a leak in the fuel. Is there a fire?"


    The ty resplied, "I...I think I can handle that."


    "First, we need permission from the captain."


    "Oh, right."


    The ty turned around, and Ramin nodded in approval.


    "I''m counting on you."


    Ramin awkwardly smiled. Although she had agreed to resolve the issue, the spacecraft''s current equipment made it challenging. Moreover, with the rest of the crew unconscious, it was nearly impossible to handle alone.


    <i>''But first...''</i>


    Ramin looked at the ty with concern. The ty, bouncing around as usual, hit their head on the ceiling.


    The long stayer, anticipating this, caught the ty''s legs and gave them a gentle spin before releasing them, saying, "Good luck."


    "Woooaaah!"


    The ty shot down the central corridor of the spacecraft.


    The long stayer asked, "Any other issues?"


    "Ourmunications are down,¡± replied Ramin.


    "What about the eleration?"


    "The speed hasn''t dropped."


    "Do you think we''ll arrive on time?"


    Ramin wondered if she should ask when ¡®on time¡¯ was. While the goal was to arrive as soon as possible, both the astronauts and the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency had agreed on a deadline.


    "It''ll be close,¡± said Ramin.


    The estimated exposure was 53 percent. The most powerful weapon of the second moon, known as the Pulverizer in ancient ruins, was located in its core. It was a force beyond the current scientific capabilities of the Empire and was believed to have devastating destructive power, capable of annihting a city with a single shot. The Pulverizer was the weapon that had once brought apocalypse to the world.


    <i>''The Pulverizer will be revealed at around 53 percent of exposure. We need to reach it before then.¡¯</i>


    If it could destroy a city, it could easily obliterate the spacecraft, space station, and even the Sky Castle¡¯s base, Starkeeper, in an instant. If that happened, the Empire would lose any chance of counterattacking the moon.


    The long stayer, checking the screen, said, "Hm, well, it certainly won''t be easy."


    Ramin''s gaze followed.


    Something was pouring out from around the moon.


    <i>¡®Mass-projectiles?¡¯</i>


    Ramin first thought they were shot from the moon, but they were much slower than that.


    "Are they enemy ships?"


    "...Aircrafts?"


    "Yes. Enemy spacecrafts. We should have expected them to appear."


    Ramin certainly knew this. The moon was a vast ce, housing factories within. Though the moon itself could destroy a, direct offensive weapons were necessary for conquest.


    The moon operated unmanned spacecrafts known as Mayflies.


    <i>''Each one flies more elegantly than this spacecraft.''</i>


    Although unmanned and equipped with simple weapons, without additional fuel supply, they would crash to the ground. They possessed simple mass-projectile weapons and ultimately could self-destruct as the final resort.


    To a civilization just beginning tounch rockets beyond gravity, these were formidable enemies. Ramin had simply hoped that the Mayflies wouldn¡¯t be ready due to the moon''s iplete preparations.


    <i>''But we still have to do what we can.''</i>


    Believing that transmission, if not reception, was still possible, Ramin spoke into themunicator, "Control panel? Visually confirmed...dozens of Mayflies. Our spacecraftcks defensive capabilities against them."


    The long stayer said, "We can stop the immediate Mayflies."


    "How?"


    The long stayer pointed to the screen showing the spacecraft''s rear. "We''re not alone here."


    In addition to the spacecraftunched from the Starkeeper, there were rocketsunched earlier from the ground, mostly belonging to the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency and the Imperial Army.


    Ramin squinted. "But aren''t those meant for a direct strike on Loom?"


    "If we don''t use them, we''re dead."


    "Isn''t defeating Loom more important?"


    The long stayer chuckled. "We''re on our way to do just that, aren''t we?"

 Chapter 281: Proxy of Our Will

    <h4>Chapter 281: Proxy of Our Will</h4>


    Ramin blinked at the subtle tone in the long stayer''s voice.


    Then a few rockets behind the spacecraft began to elerate.


    <i>¡®Although we can''tmunicate with the control panel, they can still see what''s happening. Maybe at least transmission is possible.¡¯</i>


    The rockets that had overtaken the spacecraft advanced toward the center where the Mayflies wereing.


    The long-term stayer said, "To avoid being swept up, we need to move a bit."


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that right now.¡±


    Ramin sat at the controls to check.


    As the long stayer came up to her to help, Ramin said, "You should sit in the back. Fasten your safety belt..."


    "I don''t need anything to hold me down. I stand alone.¡±


    "Hey, no, what are you talking about? It¡¯s dangerous."


    The long stayer justughed and said, "I''m really fine. Focus on the task. The explosion is about to happen."


    Ramin felt out of ce each time the long stayer spoke as if prophesying, but before she could dwell on the feeling, one of the screens filled with light. It was a nuclear explosion.


    Each of the Empire''s rockets following the spacecraft was armed with a nuclear weapon. Though the shock of a nuclear explosion couldn''t be transmitted in space, the energy from nuclear fission didn''t just disappear. The immense st engulfed the Mayflies.


    <i>¡®One, two, and three... Good. They¡¯re all annihted.¡¯</i>


    The light from the nuclear fission acted as a kind of shield, partially protecting the spacecraft, which was then able to navigate through the wide gaps between the explosions toward Loom.


    <i>¡®But this isn''t the end.¡¯</i>


    As Ramin controlled the spacecraft and they escaped through the gaps, she realized her premonition was bing reality. The second beam of the Lightbeam shed, already charged.


    "...Damn it!¡±


    The beam was powerful but narrow, offering a chance to avoid a direct hit on the entire spacecraft.


    <i>¡®If only we can avoid it!¡¯</i>


    Ramin thought it was unfortunate they had lost the upper propulsion unit earlier.


    Then, a voice came through the internalmunication system, "It''s all fixed!"


    With those words, the dim red lights inside the spacecraft brightened significantly.


    The long stayer replied, ¡°Good work, Toolbo.¡±


    Ramin, doubting her ears, quickly maneuvered the spacecraft. As the spacecraft twisted, the attack from the Lightbeam barely missed it.


    <i>¡®We dodged it!¡¯</i>


    Immediately after avoiding the Lightbeam, she turned around and asked, "Toolbo? Did you just say Toolbo?"


    The long stayer nodded.


    Ramin questioned further, "Madman Toolbo?"


    "Yes, that''s right. Who else but that ty could fix this spacecraft?"


    Madman Toolbo continued speaking from somewhere within the spacecraft, "I''ll also fix themunications."


    "...What? But themunication devices are here, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    "I''ve fixed it!"


    Suddenly, the control panel came through, "Spacecraft! Spacecraft! Respond!"


    Amid the chaos in the spacecraft, Ramin briefly summarized the current status to the control panel.


    ¡°Pardon, Toolbo?"


    "The control panel didn''t know?"


    "Neither did the highmittee. It was top-secret. Even the approvals were directly overseen by the gods, who descended to certify the miracle. No one would have known everything."


    Given the approvals, it could only be seen that it was the work of the gods as no one had noticed anything during the extensive procedure to bring Toolbo to the space station.


    "...To that extent?¡± asked Ramin.


    "It seems the gods themselves intervened.¡±


    "Hmm.¡±


    ¡°By the way, if one of them is Toolbo, then who is the other?"


    Ramin looked at the long stayer, who still wore a helmet and stood with arms crossed, looking at the screen.


    <i>''It''s not my job to know who this person is.''</i>


    Instead, Ramin realized precisely what her mission was. It was to bring these two people to Loom. She knew that was his duty.


    The long stayer turned around, "Any problems?"


    "Not at all... Oh, it''s information from the control panel. Five projectiles, this won''t be easy,¡± Ramin replied.


    Toolbo said through the inte, "...I''ve added additional propulsion units! It''ll move more smoothly now!"


    Ramin, trusting his words despite all the questions flooding her head, operated the buttons originally meant for spare parts and confirmed the newly added propulsion units.


    As Ramin, with the help of the control panel and Toolbo, intercepted the projectiles and created weapons capable of intercepting them, the spacecraft got closer to Loom.


    Another group of Mayflies came, and the Lightbeam was fired two more times. The spacecraft''s hull shuddered violently. That was a bad sign.


    <i>¡®But we''re almost there...!''</i>


    Loom now seemedrger than ever. More than half of it had been exposed, certainly.


    <i>¡®What about the Pulverizer at the center...?¡¯</i>


    Then Ramin saw it with her eyes. Arge, empty, massive hole was situated in the center of Loom, surrounded by indecipherable modules that seemed preupied with some preparation and operation of mechanical devices.


    The long stayer said, "It seems this is as far as we go."


    ¡°What?¡±


    "It looks like the Pulverizer is almost ready. I guess that makes sense since they would have started preparing for its use as soon as the exposure rate exceeded 53 percent, considering the speed at which Loom moves."


    "How do you know that?"


    "I can see it with my eyes."


    Ramin had doubts.


    <i>''What is with this person?''</i>


    The long stayer tapped on their helmet and said, "I have good eyesight."


    But good eyesight wouldn''t allow one to see beyond the resolution of the screens attached to the outside of the spacecraft.


    However, the long stayer seemed confident, and they said without further need to prove their point, "So, I''m going to jump."


    "...What do you mean?"


    "I''m going to propel myself. You know, what was it...action and reaction."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "I mean I''m going to use the spacecraft as a foothold to leap onto the second moon."


    ¡°What?¡±


    The long stayer, apparently dead serious, moved to the central corridor of the spacecraft, "By doing so, the spacecraft can survive. If the Loom has eyes, it will target me."


    ¡°Wait, hold on...!¡±


    However, Ramin couldn¡¯t grab the long stayer. The long stayer avoided Ramin¡¯s hand and moved through zero gravity with such elegance and skill, as if they had been born in space.


    <i>''...Haven¡¯t they been here for just a few months?''</i>


    Ramin had never been outmatched in terms of physical abilities in the current days, which was why she was taken aback.


    The long stayer glided skillfully along the central corridor of the spacecraft. Ramin, initially attempting to give chase, soon realized that she couldn''t give up on the spacecraft.


    <i>''Alright, let¡¯em do as they wish.''</i>


    Ramin decided not to spend more time on things beyond herprehension. While one of her objectives had deviated, Toolbo was still on the spacecraft. Therefore, Ramin''s remaining goal was to safelynd the spacecraft on Loom.


    <i>''Whatever role they are to y, the spacecraft carries confidential cargo like the long stayer and Toolbo. Everything must have its purpose, even though it is unknown to me.''</i>


    Ramin was about to change the spacecraft''s trajectory, then nced at the screen on the upper hull. Indeed, the long stayer was outside the spacecraft.


    <i>¡®Absurd, really.¡¯</i>


    Ramin nced at the screen and subtly adjusted the spacecraft''s angle so the long stayer could truly use it as a stepping stone. The person, noticing this, made a thumbs-up at a nearby camera.


    <i>¡®Really?¡¯</i>


    Ramin then asked through themunication system, "How''s the outside air?"


    "Stuffy. I think it¡¯ll be better to take off my helmet."


    "What?"


    Ramin thought it was a joke, but the long stayer really yed with their helmet and opened it.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    As soon as Ramin saw the person¡¯s face, she immediately recognized it and finally understood everything. The well-known figure Ramin had only seen from a distance was a ck-scaled Lizardman.


    Holding the spacecraft''s externaldder with one hand, he slowly straightened his back, slightly wrapped his tail around thedder, and crouched down. The Lizardman was actually nning to jump.


    ***


    Sung-Woon looked up at the sky.


    He believed that the simpler the solution to a problem, the better. This also applied to the moon-facing n as well.


    <i>¡®The issue is that the system''s power cannot reach outside Avartin''s atmosphere.¡¯</i>


    Meaning, if a yer went beyond Avartin''s atmosphere, they would lose their divinity. The power of gods was also limited to within Avartin.


    While their power would still allow them to defend against the second moon to some degree, it would be too passive, and there would be hardly any opportunity for counterattack.


    <i>¡®We can''t just spend time getting beaten up.¡¯</i>


    There were always multiple solutions. Sung-Woon believed that different approaches could lead to answers, but they seemed poor and boring, and there were other problems as well. The best solution, close to the right answer in Sung-Woon''s mind, was his moon-facing n.


    <i>¡®If the system only reaches the atmosphere...¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woong thought simply.


    <i>¡®...Then we just need to extend it further.¡¯</i>


    It wasn''t a ridiculous or impossible idea. In the past, the system''s influence had reached the first moon, Yonda, allowing for the secret construction of the second moon, Loom, behind it. And the solution involved finding the location where the system existed, entering the Demon World.


    <i>¡®The hacking was sessful.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t immediately expand the system''s range. Doing so would create a problem. Loom, which had been waiting outside causality, would be able to activate instantly upon entering the system''s range. Moreover, he wanted to avoid detection while modifying the system.


    <i>¡®It needs to be fast yet slow, visible yet hidden.¡¯</i>


    Thus, Sung-Woon enabled a one-time hacking to freely set the system''s range.


    The default setting was:


    [Range Setting Value: 552 kilometers above ground.]


    Then Sung-Woon modified it to:


    [Range Setting Value: Up to where man can reach.]


    However, with this modification, someone needed to go to the farthest reaches of Avartin¡¯s civilization. Despite the constant interventions from the evil gods, the Empire had the capability to go into space.


    Sung-Woon still had faith in the ordinary people of the Empire, but he couldn''t ignore the worst-case scenario. Someone reliable, more than anyone else, needed to assist them.


    In the Sanctuary, Sung-Woon asked the apostle in charge, Kyle Lak Orazen, and Mazdari the question:


    "Who would be the best choice?"


    Mazdari suggested,


    <i>-Night Sky, just one person, who can be the standard, will suffice.</i>


    Kyle added,


    <i>-But they must be stronger than anyone else.</i>


    The answer was already decided. Both named one person.


    <i>-Someone who can survive even in the worst circumstances.</i>


    <i>-Someone who never gives up until the very end.</i>


    <i>-Someone who stands unbroken in the face of any terror.</i>


    <i>-Someone who scoffs at the impossible.</i>


    <i>-The God Killer.</i>


    <i>-The one who grants miracles to gods.</i>


    <i>-Proxy of our will.</i>


    <i>-Spear of the Pantheon.</i>


    ***


    Apostle Lakrak, holding a golden spear on the spacecraft, red at the second moon.


    "I''vee to capture you.¡±


    Lakrak then took a step on the spacecraft and leaped toward the moon.

 Chapter 282: End to the Apocalypse

    <h4>Chapter 282: End to the Apocalypse</h4>


    Ramin Solost Muel, watching the screen of the exterior of the spaceship, worried if the hull would break apart when Lakrak leaped.


    Toolbo broadcasted, "It''s okay! I fixed it!"


    Now, the voice was more trustworthy than absurd.


    "Control panel, did you check the screen?"


    "...Confirmed. Wishing starlight to apany the Great Thunder Dragon Emperor, let''s do our job."


    Ramin nodded. "...Alright, looks like we should start slowing down."


    "Wait, the movement of the Pulverizer is confirmed. I''ll catch its attention,¡± replied Lakrak.


    "Okay."


    While the spaceship maneuvered to avoid, Lakrak advanced toward Loom at a terrifying speed.


    <i>''It''s clearer now.''</i>


    Loom''s structure became distinctly visible, and the embodiment of Loom''s hostility, the Pulverizer, was increasing its output.


    <i>''Only a few seconds left.''</i>


    Lakrak, slicing through starlight, twisted his body and threw his spear. Thrown into space, the spear appeared almost stationary from the side. There was no atmosphere to traverse, and no other rtive benchmark to measure speed with. It didn¡¯t seem like a threat, just existing. But that was not the case.


    The second moon, Loom, and its controller Dide, saw it as a clear threat.


    <i>-Pulverizer, activate.</i>


    At Dide''smand, Loom''srgest weapon moved.


    The Empire hadn¡¯t realized yet, but the Pulverizer was a gravity particleuncher. The Pulverizer consisted of 332 modules in total, and even if only 12 core processing units were needed for its operation, Loom had to stop all other operations. But such a tradeoff was eptable. The Pulverizer couldpletely disintegrate a target from a safe distance, as far as the moon.


    <i>-...Precisely, it should be able to.</i>


    From what looked like the giant pupil of Loom, cylindrical bulkheads suddenly rose. Invisible gravitons struck Lakrak at the speed of light. All eyes on Loom turned toward Lakrak at once.


    Suddenly, the golden spear oxidized into a gold color, and Lakrak''s body seemed to turn into white dust.


    <i>-...?</i>


    But Dide looked more closely. What turned into white dust was only Lakrak''s spacesuit. Piercing through the dust, a sharp blue streak of lightning shot up.


    "Anakse!"


    Dide saw the lightning in the shape of a rider on a mount, rushing forward.


    Lakrak wrapped his armor around his body and mounted his simrly armed monstrous bird, Anakse, crossing through space. Anakse flew through the void as if running across its favorite Prairie of Beginnings.


    It wasn¡¯t like Dide had never seen such mythical sights in old wars.


    <i>-But...is it to that extent...</i>


    Dide admitted that their predictions were off. The monster following this new god was much stronger than they had anticipated.


    <i>-But it''s just one...</i>


    Loom had many weapons and had only revealed half of its form. Dide btedly noticed the spaceships following, but did not pay it much attention. It was the Lizardman, who had the system''s power depending on him, that had to be dropped.


    <i>-Loom, approve activation of the defense system.</i>


    The defense systems of the lower bulkhead, quickly arranged without reaching the surface, were activated.


    <i>-Discontinue Mayfly production. Shift all aircraft manufacturing processes to Bee Swarm production.</i>


    While the Mayflies functioned as an attack aircraft to Avartin, the Bee Swarm was a defense machine. It could only fly in zero gravity, but its output and functions were superior.


    <i>-Add production of third Lightbeam.</i>


    The effectiveness of Lightbeam as a strike force had already been confirmed.


    <i>-Defense army, to your positions.</i>


    Finally, Dide controlled their old children. If that being reached the surface of Loom, they would have to defend against him directly.


    Afterpleting the internalmands, Dide regained control of Loom''s offensive and defensive systems.


    <i>-Come, monster.</i>


    ***


    The second moon, Loom, appeared from behind the first moon, Yonda.


    In front of it, light and explosions were observed from Starkeeper. The control panel was unusually busy in their effort to grasp the situation. Communication with the spaceship, remaining nuclear rockets, and even Simo''s electron cannons were still avable.


    "We all worked for the first apostle!"


    At someone''s call of admiration, Saijin mmed her fist on the desk.


    "Of course! The whole Empire, all of Avartin, staked their lives, it would be problematic if the Pantheon didn''t put forth that much!"


    Everyone had noted Saijin''s expression when Lakrak was seen on the screen, but they didn''t mention it.


    Saijin said, "Observations?"


    Ion of the Observation Team replied, "...Uh, it''s difficult. There''s too much light, and the Analysis Team can''t determine what weapons are being used."


    High Commissioner Ty said, "A good sign."


    "A good sign?" Simo asked furiously.


    Ty nodded.


    "That light under the moon is not the struggle of the first apostle."


    "Then what?"


    Ty said with a smile, "It''s the struggle of the evil god against the first apostle."


    ***


    Lakrak intercepted projectiles with his bow.


    <i>''Lightbeam!''</i>


    Lakrak urately captured Loom''s movements with his eyes. Hidden in a passage leading inside Loom, the presence of Lightbeam was clearly visible even from a shadowed spot.


    <i>''Create confusion andunch a surprise attack... How straightforward!''</i>


    Lakrak momentarily forgot about saving the world, purely delighted at the fact that he was fighting a challenginglyrge opponent.


    To Lakrak, the second moon was a worthy foe.


    <i>¡®Theyck tricks.¡¯</i>


    Lakrak created a spear and shouted from on top of Anakse, ¡°Pzzt!¡±


    Electricity in the shape of an Electric Stingray appeared above Lakrak''s hand.


    <i>-Longtime friend! Do you need my help?</i>


    "We need to destroy that hidden coward."


    <i>-Hah, already done that once!</i>


    Lakrak threw the spear. The very Demonic Spirit of Electricity itself wrapped around the spear. It elerated on its own, crossing Loom''s offensive and being sucked into it. Inside Loom''s passage, it precisely hit the Lightbeam that was newly created and targeting Lakrak''s vulnerability.


    <i>Boom...!</i>


    The explosion inside Loom shook its surface slightly.


    At the center of Loom, Dide tried to calm down.


    <i>-No, not yet...</i>


    Dide was about to activate the third Pulverizer they had been waiting for. However, Lakrak had already begun to dodge the trajectory of the Pulverizer. Since the Pulverizer was a fixed turret at the center of Loom, to adjust its angle, the entire moon, Loom itself, had to be moved. It wasn¡¯t very difficult, but moving Loom''s massive mass would consume tremendous energy.


    <i>-....</i>


    There was another option. Scorching with attacks, forcing the monster to only approach in front of the Pulverizer.


    <i>-....</i>


    However, Dide knew there were other problems to address before that. The weapons on Loom''s surface were not yet ready. It wasn¡¯t enough to make a scorching attack. There was a terrifyingck of time.


    <i>-...I''ll find another way.</i>


    But not even Dide was convinced of those words. The enemy''s apostle reaching Loom''s surface was a failure in every aspect.


    <i>-...However, I ept it.</i>


    As Dide changed their n, Lakrak immediately leaped toward the second moon. No, he struck down.


    Though Loom had no atmosphere,


    <i>...Thud!</i>


    Loom''s ground vibrated. More urately, it was not so much a vibration, but a shudder. As soon as Lakrak, surrounded by lightning and riding on Anakse, touched Loom''s surface, a massive wave of current engulfed the surroundings. Any defensive systems attempting to activate were burned and twisted by the overheating at thousands of degrees. Gravity and air, even when replicated by systems, were useless against Loom''s hostile environment to life.


    <i>''It¡¯s a dark and...''</i>


    Lakrak looked around on Loom''s surface.


    <i>''A sad ce.''</i>


    The ground was ck stic. On this slippery surface, it would be hard for any life to survive. Surrounding structures were all weapons or devices to maintain them, and the outskirts, other than the center, were just empty.


    To Lakrak''s right, the first moon, Yonda, looked down on Loom and Lakrak, shining in a grayish-white light, as if all these events were unrted to it.


    <i>''That wouldn''t be so.''</i>


    But there was no time for sentimental feelings.


    Aircrafts started to appear¡ªthe familiar entities he had heard of, the Bee Swarm. The Bee Swarm, with electromaic field wings fluttering, revealed needle-shaped guns at the ends of their streamlined bodies. They did not seem threatening alone, but they were incredibly fast and numerous. As if waiting for Lakrak''s arrival, they emerged from behind various modules, filling the sky in a dense pack.


    Lakrak clicked his tongue.


    "Trying to surround me? They must have thought I was the only one to fight. What ack of imagination."


    Lakrak irritably thrust his spear into the ground. Then he blew the horn at his waist.


    However, the Swarm didn''t wait for Lakrak to make a move. They all flew toward Lakrak at once.


    Lakrak knew these machines could also perform fierce suicide attacks, but he didn¡¯t dodge. There was no need. Arrows and spears, the cold weapons of an older era, pierced through the Bee Swarm targeting Lakrak. Without any chemical alteration, the Bee Swarm fell at Lakrak''s feet, simply from physical impacts.


    From the horizon Lakrak had his back to, a legion walked forth. Lakrak''s longtime Lizardman warriors advanced, indiscriminately demolishing the Bee Swarm.


    "Any trouble?" The one-eyed warrior Tatar, riding a Cockatoo, approached Lakrak.


    Lakrak smiled. "The trouble is with this moon."


    "It¡¯s as you said."


    "Rampage as much as you wish." Lakrak then spoke somewhat coldly, "Bring an end to the apocalypse."


    At Lakrak''s words, the warriors let out a battle cry and advanced. Their target was the center of Loom, the ce known as the factory and control room. Lakrak intended to face a god once more.


    Loom''s surface fizzled with electricity as the Bee Swarm fell to the ground. The attack modules were sliced and dismantled by the Lizardmen''s swords and spears.


    "The way is being opened slowly!"


    As Lakrak threw his spear, a fixed turret targeting the Lizardmen was torn apart and blown up with its warhead.


    Then, next to Lakrak, a ck shadow tumbled and fell. Despite the immense impact, the shadow quickly stood up.


    "How embarrassing!" The elite warrior Yur blew out their nosebleed and wiped it. "There''s an ugly one over there."


    Lakrak looked up. Clear in their view, a giant Walking Armor had crawled up from the center. About 300 meters in size, its bulk towered over hundreds of Lizardmen warriors. Despite itsrge head andrge and heavy proportions, it didn¡¯t stop moving under the barrage of the Lizardmen''s attacks.


    Lakrak turned his head. "We missed one of our friends."


    "A friend, you say?"


    Lakrak shouted toward Avartin, "Come here, Manun!"


    ***


    At the Empire, in the self-reflection city of Orazen, everyone looked anxiously at the sky.


    The execution of the moon-facing n and its processes were being broadcast worldwide, within the limits of security.


    Everyone''s prayers were reaching the moon. Among them, the pride of Orazen, a giant monster, did the same. The monster intently stared at the moon, then, for some reason, scratched its ear and lightly shook its head as if it felt ticklish.


    <i>-..., ...!</i>


    The monster blinked.


    A voice was calling to it.


    <i>-...Come, ...!</i>


    The voice was very familiar, but it had been a long time since they had seen each other. Though the owner of the voice asionally visited to see its face, they had not yed to its satisfaction like in the old days. Recently, there had been an asion to use its strength, but that was not satisfying either. The monster felt unfulfilled.


    <i>-Come here, ...!"</i>


    The monster knew for certain that the voice was calling to it. An old friend it missed was calling from that moon.


    The monster hurriedly got up.


    <i>''But isn''t it too far?''</i>


    The monster blinked. It wasn''t. Orazen and the people of the Empire knew the great Manun had been with the mighty warrior Lakrak, and they also knew, whenever Lakrak needed help from an old friend, his friend would always be there for him.


    [Orazen¡¯s Guardian Dragon, Manun, Summoning: Summon Manun (from anywhere).]


    Manun, excited, slightly shivered and wagged its tail.


    <i>-Come here, Manun!"</i>


    The monster¡ªor rather the miraculous entity, the Dragon Manun¡ªleapt toward the moon. Piercing the distance of about 400,000 kilometers, Manun struck the second moon.

 Chapter 283: Destroying the Moon

    <h4>Chapter 283: Destroying the Moon</h4>


    On the surface of the second moon, Loom, the front foot of a strong, hardy, and massive Drake appeared out of thin air. As the front foot touched the void, the owner of the foot stretched in shape before contracting back to its original form.


    Lakrak shouted, "Manun!"


    Dragon Manun lightly wagged his tail at the call.


    "There''s a strong one over there!"


    Lakrak pointed at the giant Walking Armor standing tall on Loom''s surface with the tip of his spear. Manun''s eyes sparkled with a surge of vitality. It was immediately clear what that giant thing was.


    <i>''Such a tough one!''</i>


    Since transforming into a Dragon, perhaps even before that, Manun hade to feel that everything in the world was soft and weak. Manun harbored overflowing power within his body, but there were hardly any capable of withstanding it. The world was too fragile, and a mere twist of Manun''s body would cause chaos. But not in thisnd, and not this opponent, Manun was sure.


    Manun leaped toward the giant Walking Armor. Under his shadow, the Lizardmen let out a battle cry.


    "Go! Manun!"


    The giant Walking Armor of Loom was not startled by the sudden appearance of the massive Dragon. The same was true of Dide, who was assisting in controlling it.


    <i>-...A Dragon! This machine is made to confront Dragons! Its very name is Dragon Catcher.</i>


    The Dragon Catcher had a history. It was a machine of the gods that had broken the necks of many Dragons opposing them, and it was stored in Loom, recognized for its value.


    The Dragon Catcher adjusted its stance, waiting for Manun to mindlessly charge at it. But Manun was no fool.


    "Grrr!¡±


    The moment the Dragon Catcher tried to capture him, Manun stopped right in front of it. The Dragon Catcher momentarily lost its bnce and teetered forward. Manun didn''t miss the opportunity. With a pre-prepared motion, he spun half around and mmed his thick tail into the Dragon Catcher''s legs.


    <i>-Thump!</i>


    The electromaic field tethering its feet to the ground so that it could maneuver its 300-meter mass in zero gravity copsed under a more powerful force. The Dragon Catcher, entangled in its own tremendous mass, toppled over.


    The tough thing¡¯s current state seemed good to Manun; meaning, it was in a state good for ying with. Manun powerfully rammed his head into the Dragon Catcher. Once again, Loom¡¯s cried out from the collision of overwhelming masses.


    The moment Manun propelled forward and delivered the full force of his headbutt...


    <i>Thud!</i>


    The Dragon Catcher, struck by the headbutt, flew nearly 1 kilometer away, tumbling and entangling with various modules, causing Loom to wail.


    Dide was bing ustomed to constantly adjusting for unexpected situations.


    <i>-No, not yet...</i>


    While waiting for the Dragon Catcher to regain its stance, Dide operated other modules of Loom. A partial tactical failure shouldn¡¯t lead to a strategic defeat. However, Dide couldn¡¯t help but witness, through Loom''s eyes, the events unfolding on the surface.


    The Dragon¡¯s chest grewrger and thicker.


    "Manun! No one here will stop you!"


    Manun, standing on all fours on the ground of Loom, stretched his neck and inted his cheeks. His gaze was fixed on therge Walking Armor, the Dragon Catcher, now struggling to get up.


    <i>-Krrrrr!</i>


    Light erupted. A blue sh was visible not only to the other Lizardmen warriors on Loom, but also to the astronauts regaining consciousness in the spacecraft, to Starkeeper closest to the moon, and even broadcast through satellites to continents, lighting up every screen.


    A stream of blue light poured onto the Dragon Catcher. The moment the high-pressure, high-temperature wave of light engulfed it, the exterior armor bulged and burst, unable to withstand the impact, and its internal organs spilled out, before it was twisted and crushed by the Dragon''s breath.


    <i>-Grrr!</i>


    Manun, having expelled all his breath, snorted out the residue.


    Then the energy conversion organs inside the Dragon Catcher could no longer withstand the shock and exploded a second time.


    "Excellent, Manun!"


    At Lakrak''s praise, Manun turned his head and perked up his tail.


    Anakse, seeing Manun''s massive head approaching, tensely screeched at the corner of Manun''s mouth. To Manun, the small monstrous bird seemed affectionate and was nothing but cute.


    Yur shouted to Lakrak, "It seems there''s an enemy unit beneath us!"


    "Right, I can hear footstepsing from below." Lakrak got off Anakse and ced his hand on the ground. "There''s quite a number of them."


    "But they won''t be a match for us,¡± replied Yur.


    "Comcency has be a habit, huh?"


    Yurughed heartily. "When I¡¯m with you, it''s inevitable."


    Lakrak joined in theughter.


    After the warriors came to the pantheon, they still performed rituals to determine the most elite warrior. Over the long years, Yur remained the best warrior. To him, arrogance, confidence, and courage were indistinguishable.


    From a distance, Tatar shouted, "Thanks to Manun, the upper levels are almost cleared!"


    Around Tatar, warriors in golden armor fought without any formation, but as one organic life, moving in unison and crushing the enemies.


    Lakrak shouted, "Our enemy lies in the depths."


    "Let''s advance straight away!"


    Lakrak looked around. "But there''s no need to face all the enemies. It''s a waste of time for both sides."


    Lakrak walked toward Manun. Anakse looked at Lakrak, puzzled, as he didn''t mount it again.


    Yur said, "Are you going to ride Manun?"


    "Yes."


    "Then let me prepare you for a moment. I brought something."


    Yur whistled. Yur''s warriors, carrying backpacks several times bigger than themselves, climbed onto Manun. As the packs were unloaded, luxurious golden ornaments and supports spilled out. In no time, a saddle was created on Manun''s back, and Manun was covered in golden armor and even a helmet.


    Lakrak teased, "All this formality for what!"


    "It''s about matching your stature."


    "That''s what I was talking about."


    "Beauty is good."


    "That''s true."


    Manun only nced back at what was happening on his neck and back. He still remembered when Lizardmen rode on his back to battles. Then and now, it was no different.


    Lakrak stroked Manun''s chin as Manun looked at him and said, "Manun, I need to borrow your back."


    "Kr!"


    Lakrak leaped onto Manun''s neck. Then Yur and the warriors climbed up.


    Lakrak, mounted on Manun''s neck, shouted, "Manun! Let''s dig the ground for a change!"


    Manun didn''t hesitate one bit. Gathering its forelegs, it lifted its upper body and made a powerful blow at the ground. The Lizardmen on Manun were momentarily lifted and then settled down, absorbing the shock, but all of themughed.


    Lakrak slightly lifted the corner of his eyes.


    "Tougher than I thought. Manun!"


    "Kr!"


    "A loud cry is needed."


    Manun inted its lungs and cheeks again, inhaling the artificially created atmosphere, a non-existent falsehood. Once again, a blue light struck the second moon. The surface of Loom, which had not budged, sizzled and melted, burning and creating a huge hole.


    "Let''s go!"


    Manun leaped down to the next level, followed by the Lizardmen warriors. The second floor seemed utterly unprepared, entirely empty.


    Lakrak shouted, "Once more!"


    Excited, Manun left scars on Loom. Somewhere inside the damaged second moon, an explosion urred due to the Dragon''s breath spell. Another Bee Swarm, trying to block the Dragon and Lizardmen through the torn gaps, was annihted under a barrage of arrows and spears.


    Jumping to the next level, Lakrak said, "More floors than I thought!"


    From behind, Yur shouted, "It seems they are waiting for us below!"


    "Then we can''t disappoint them."


    This time, the Dragon and Lizardmen used the passageway. It was a wide circr corridor that even the Dragon could slide through easily. The Dragon fearlessly jumped down, followed by the Lizardmen. Despite all the noises they made in the process, they were so fast that Dide''s children had no time to prepare.


    "There they are!"


    Lakrak pointed his spear tip at Dide''s children.


    [Species name: Grey.]


    Lakrak nced at the information provided on one side of his vision. Although it was a new species to him, he knew how to fight them based on their appearance alone.


    The Greys were all in tight-fitting white Walking Armors, armed with heavy weaponry. An entire squad supported by the full force of the Empire''s army would be needed to counter just one of them.


    About 300 Greys were present, not just simple infantry but also tanks andrger Walking Armors. The heavy caliber muzzles slowly turned toward the Lizardmen.


    "Pity, you aren''t facing a mortal army."


    At a distance of about 1 kilometer, the snipers among the Greys had already started firing.


    <i>ng!</i>


    A bullet grazed Lakrak''s helmet. He didn''t flinch. The Lizardmen unleashed a volley of arrows.


    The Greys hurriedly set up covers and hid behind them. However, that wasn''t enough. The warriors'' arrows flew the 1 kilometer distance, piercing the covers, embedding into the heads of the Greys hiding behind, and then sticking into Loom''s floor. As soon as the Greys realized their shields were useless, they stepped out with their firearms.


    "Charge!"


    Dragon Manun, with his tongue lolling out, thundered across the ground and charged. He didn¡¯t breathe out a spell again. Even for a Dragon, continuously using breath spells was an exhausting task.


    <i>''Besides, there''s no need for it.''</i>


    Suddenly, an enemy cannon struck the Dragon''s head directly.


    <i>''That hurts!''</i>


    The Dragon was startled by this unfamiliar sensation, the nerves throughout his entire body frayed. Then he became more agitated. Increasing his charging speed, the Dragon burst into the enemy formation before a second round of shots could be fired. Just the impact of his body was enough to demolish tanks,rge Walking Armors, and Greys, tearing off limbs and scattering them.


    With the Lizardmen''s attack, one Grey unit waspletely annihted.


    <i>-Shit...</i>


    In the depths of Loom, Dide checked the situation. Dide didn''t stop operating Loom. They believed they had enough experience with such battles from old wars. As the enemy''s offense intensified, they created stronger forces.


    However, Lakrak''s warriors never faced an enemy in the same way twice. If they thought their tactics had been predicted, they threw it away. If Dide opted for direct attacks over surprising them, they charged as if they were waiting for it. From the enemy''s perspective, every loss was worse than thest.


    <i>-How can this be...</i>


    Dide had fought tiresome battles with the old gods. There had been defeats, but ultimately, they survived. Things would be no different this time¡ªthat was what Dide had believed. However, as the Lizardmen advanced, Dide¡¯s belief was proven false bit by bit. Faith alone couldn¡¯t secure victory.


    <i>-This can¡¯t be...</i>


    Dide realized all objective circumstances and factors pointed to doom. Everything indicated one inevitable future¡ªDefeat.

 Chapter 284: Confirm or Cancel

    <h4>Chapter 284: Confirm or Cancel</h4>


    Dide pondered where things had gone wrong. There were no fatal mistakes on Dide''s part. It was just that the enemy was faster, stronger, and wiser. Dide was the one who held a powerful weapon in a favorable position.


    In past wars, Loom clearly marked the conclusion of the war. It was a symbol of the end¡ªno, the word ¡®symbol¡¯ didn¡¯t begin to cover it; Loom was the end itself.


    Dide reflected for a moment in the depths of Loom. The Lizardman was bound toe down here, and then he would destroy Loom''s factory and the control room. Then Loom would be discarded, and Dide, whose divinity was linked to their control over Loom, would also be a vassal.


    <i>-Is this the only way?</i>


    Dide brought up the system window. Dide wasn''t particrly fond of the system, but could use it more skillfully than their other old friends, and this allowed them to control Loom.


    Dide quickly looked through the system to find the skill Hierophany.


    <i>-With this...there''s a small chance...</i>


    Fear crept in. Dide didn''t particrly like directbat as they still hadn''t ovee the fear they experienced in the old war. Just the thought made their body stiffen, and physiological responses to anxiety manifested. It even became painful.


    <i>...Thud!</i>


    The pupil of Loom¡ªthe ceiling of the depths¡ªshattered, revealing the head of a giant Dragon. The Dragon twisted its front paws, tearing apart the ceiling of the depths, and fell in front of Dide. Then the Lizardman, Lakrak, leapt down from the neck of the Dragon.


    Dide reflexively moved their finger to the system window.


    "Why don¡¯t you stop there?"


    Hearing that, Dide lifted their head.


    Lakrak was looking directly at Dide.


    <i>-What do you mean?</i>


    "I bear the title God Killer. Even if you use Hierophany, you cannot defeat me."


    <i>-So you''re telling me to admit defeat without even fighting?</i>


    "Yes."


    Dide met his gaze.


    <i>-What''s the point of that?</i>


    Lakrak walked silently toward Dide.


    Dide thought this could be an opportunity. The time it took to use Hierophany was almost zero. If Dide could hit this Lizardman''s neck from right beside him, they could surely ovee this crisis.


    The new god would also be greatly affected. Then it would be possible to repair and reorganize the damaged Loom and attack again. But as Dide watched the fearless Lizardman approach, they couldn''t even flick a finger. Had the lizardman been even slightly threatening in his demeanor, Dide would have acted differently, but the Lizardman walked with confidence, without ignoring or intimidating Dide. He looked at Dide with challenge in his eyes, but without hatred.


    Dide always wanted to be rational, but they knew they had weaknesses. They believed that the impressions living beings gave off revealed their inner selves. Dide believed in impressions.


    Lakrak walked up beside Dide.


    "Speak with Him."


    <i>-...Him?</i>


    Lakrak turned and knelt down on the ground, bowing.


    Dide looked over.


    The mighty Dragon also lowered its belly to the ground, and even the great warriors who fought alongside the Dragon knelt on one knee.


    A figure wearing a Water Buffalo bone appeared, projecting from the darkness. It was Night Sky, the master of the first apostle.


    Sung-Woon said, "I havee to talk."


    <i>-To talk?</i>


    Sung-Woon gestured lightly with his hand. Then Lakrak nodded and raised his spear. The Dragon and Lizardman warriors slowly retreated from the depths as instructed.


    Sung-Woon said, "I havee here to learn the truth."


    <i>-...The truth?</i>


    Dide felt that something was off. There was no reason for these new gods and themselves to have such a conversation.


    <i>-...There seems to be an ulterior motive. I will not be fooled any longer.</i>


    "What if I show sincerity?¡±


    <i>-I cannot be swayed.</i>


    Dide continued,


    <i>-Prepare for the final battle. Let me preserve myst honor.</i>


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    "Take this."


    Sung-Woon threw two objects from his possession window toward Dide.


    Not immediately recognizing what they were, Dide let the two objects roll to their feet. Then they immediately regretted that decision.


    <i>-...Oh.</i>


    Dide copsed on the spot. The two objects thrown by Sung-Woon were vassal statues, and they belonged to the master of Werewolves, Bwel, and the master of Vampires, Jeol Woo-Bi. Dide hurriedly picked up the vassal statues and embraced them.


    <i>-Oh, my old friends...</i>


    Sung-Woon waited for a moment before saying, "Now do you trust us?"


    <i>-...Why return these?</i>


    "I know that''s what you wanted. Ask properly, evil god," Sung-Woon said. "Ask me what I¡¯m curious about."


    Dide decided to trust this masked entity a little. Even if it were a trap, Dide was prepared to forgive.


    <i>-...Ask.</i>


    Sung-Woon asked the first question, "Who are you?"


    <i>-Us?</i>


    "Evil gods. The five yers who filled the vacant seats.¡±


    Dide responded.


    <i>-...We have been here from the beginning. Since a very long time ago. I don¡¯t know what you mean, but we did not fill any vacancies. The ones who filled the vacancies are you.</i>


    "Since when have you been here?"


    <i>-Since a very long time ago. Not as long as the old gods, but almost as long.</i>


    "Where did youe from?"


    <i>-As I said, right there. Avartin, or Yonda.</i>


    Sung-Woon asked again,


    "Why are you called evil gods?"


    <i>-Don''t you know? The old gods called us that.</i>


    "Are you really evil?"


    <i>-The concept of evil does not exist as truth. Everything is rtive.</i>


    "Then why did the old gods call you evil gods?"


    <i>-We fought for survival against the old gods. It¡¯s natural to call your enemy evil.</i>


    Sung-Woon agreed. While fighting Hegemonia, Night Sky was the Devil. Even now, he was sometimes called that.


    Dide added.


    <i>-Don''t you still call us evil gods?</i>


    "Yes."


    <i>-Because you are servants of the old gods.</i>


    Sung-Woon''s eyes widened behind the mask.


    <i>''This is it.''</i>


    It wasn¡¯t easy to make this conversation with the ancient being happen. There were doubts about whether a conversation was even possible, but fortunately, that hurdle had been ovee. A gesture of goodwill was made, and the other party epted it. However, this being''s underlying thoughts were too deep to discern easily. It wasn''t so much their thinking was at a higher level, but rather their thought process was different from that of the yers. The evil gods didn¡¯t think of this as a game or anything simr.


    <i>''The god copsed after receiving the vassal statues. They must have believed I would never return them, thinking they were already dead.''</i>


    Sung-Woon naturally understood that these beings were not like the yers from Earth, but the difference in their reactions indicated a fundamental divergence in ideologies. Therefore, their earlier exchange of questions earlier had been vague and indistinct. But now, Dide had revealed a clue about how the evil gods viewed the yers.


    "Us, servants of the old gods?"


    <i>-Since you follow the old gods...</i>


    "Why do you think that?"


    <i>-Don''t you use the power of the old gods like the system, and govern the children in the same way as the old gods? Aren''t you carrying out missions ording to the will of the old gods? Isn''t your will the same as that of the old gods?</i>


    Now Sung-Woon understood how the barrier between these evil gods and the yers had arisen.


    Sung-Woon said, "What if we say...we didn''t know all that?"


    Dide looked at Sung-Woon. Their faces were hidden, but they both knew that they were facing each other.


    Dide spoke, almost trembling.


    <i>-So you were deceived too.</i>


    Dide nodded.


    <i>-Right, you were deceived as well.</i>


    "Deceived?"


    <i>-...Unfortunately, there is no victory for you.</i>


    "Exin more."


    Dide exined.


    <i>-The old gods distort causality through the system, but causality is not a simple and easy power. It''s the foundation that maintains the world. So, the more the system burdens the world, the more it causes damage, and they must bear the responsibility for it</i>.


    "And?"


    <i>-In the old war, the old gods created a huge burden while fighting us. Therefore, they won the war, but the damage they caused had consequences.</i>


    "Then did both the old gods and evil gods perish?"


    Dide shook their head.


    <i>-The old gods knew they had to bear the responsibility. That''s why they hid in the Demon World to avoid it. Causality doesn''t apply in the Demon World.</i>


    Sung-Woon knew a little about this.


    Dide continued,


    <i>-But it''s not a ce where one can freelye and go. The old gods slept in the Demon World to escape their responsibility for causality. So, we suffered, healing our bodies in agony, waiting for an opportunity¡ªone that has be obsolete.</i>


    "Why?"


    Dide growled,


    <i>-Because you appeared.</i>


    Dide said,


    <i>-You were the arrangement of the old gods.</i>


    Dide continued speaking.


    <i>-You new gods took over all the territories. Fortunately, there were five vacancies... My old friends sacrificed their lives to barely reach the Demon World and the system, securing those positions. We somehow crammed ourselves in, but...that wasn''t enough.</i>


    Sung-Woon, the instigator of the unfortunate situation for the evil gods, was at a loss for words.


    Dide said,


    <i>-But now...the second war ends too.</i>


    Dide lifted their head.


    Suddenly, a light shone over the massive hole torn open by Manun. Sung-Woon recognized it immediately. It was the light reflected from the surface of the first moon, Yonda.


    <i>-When this war ends, the old gods will return.</i>


    Dide spoke in a sad voice,


    <i>-Whatever the old gods have promised, it will be a lie...</i>


    Dide said with a voice mixed with tears,


    <i>-So we must prepare ourselves.</i>


    ***


    Tens of minutester, Sung-Woon was ready.


    ***


    A white space where nothing existed, which Sung-Woon now knew as the mental imagery world.


    It was a dreamy sight, but merely a presentation.


    <i>¡®Of course it would be nice.¡¯</i>


    After finishing the conversation with Dide, Sung-Woon had achieved victory. It was aplete victory by the rules of the game. No one could deny it.


    [Congrattions! You have won this game!]


    For Sung-Woon, it had been a long time since he saw the victory message of The Lost World.


    Below it, there was a control button that people usually didn''t pay much attention to.


    [Confirm/Cancel]


    Pressing Confirm would change the system window, leading the yer out of the game. In a single-yer game, one would return to the main screen. In a multiyer game, it would take one directly to the lobby. In that window, one could manipte various graphics or controller options, or converse with other yers in a random lobby. One could also start a new game.


    <i>¡®And...¡¯</i>


    Pressing Cancel allowed one to stay in the won game. It didn''t hold much significance. One could chat a bit more with other allied yers who had also won, or further develop their growing civilization. However, since the rating score was determined only by the performance at the moment of victory, it was nothing more than self-satisfaction. One could also look at the entities they had grown fond of during the game.


    People often pressed Cancel right after winning to take screenshots. And once they had done what they wanted to do, they could call up the menu and then press exit to leave. This was how the game ended.


    <i>¡®In a normal game, that would be the case.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon waited for a moment. In front of Sung-Woon, someone appeared.


    "Congrattions, yer Neb," Aldin, wearing a robe and a hood, said.


    Their appearance was no different from the first time Sung-Woon had seen them.


    "You have be a true god."


    "Am I really a true god?"


    "Of course. At least you have earned that right. No one can deny it. You defeated all thirty-onepetitors."


    "What about my alliance?"


    "Well, unfortunately, only the top contributor is recognized."


    "I see."


    Aldin seemed to be waiting for something, then said to Sung-Woon, "That''s it."


    "That?"


    "If you press Confirm there, everything ends."


    "Oh, this."


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    Sung-Woon remembered the name of the old god that Dide had warned him to be most cautious of. Sung-Woon called out that name.


    "Aldin."


    "Yes?"


    "I will not end the game."


    Sung-Woon pressed Cancel.

 Chapter 285: Two Worlds

    <h4>Chapter 285: Two Worlds</h4>


    Aldin stood momentarily stunned.


    "What is, what..."


    "Didn''t you hear? I said I wouldn¡¯t end the game."


    Sung-Woon shrugged and then dramatically lifted his head, adopting an uninterested attitude.


    "I''m already a god, so I''ll stay here in Avartin, join the other gods in the Pantheon, govern the Empire, and remain here forever."


    "Forever...?"


    "Seems alright to me. About the real reward, you know..."


    "The true god..."


    "Yes, a true god. But I''m not sure if that''s really a goal worth pursuing. Honestly, I don''t even know what that means."


    "You''ll know once you be one."


    "Once I be one, huh."


    Aldin slightly shook their head. "Do you really think you''ve be a god? No. Until now, you''ve just been ying a game. Of course, you can say it was very close to reality. Yes, honestly, Avartin is not an illusion. It exists here. But that doesn''t mean you''re the true owner of Avartin and the rightful ruler of everyone."


    "...Still, I am already the supreme god of Avartin, and no one can deny that. <i>No one</i>."


    Sung-Woon slightly lowered his head and looked at Aldin.


    "Even if it''s an old god."


    Aldin let out an awkward smile. The word ¡®old god¡¯ clearly got a reaction out of them, but Aldin didn''t show it. Sung-Woon noticed all of this.


    "What''s bothering you? Haven''t you won?"


    "The opposite. I''m pleased because I have won."


    "...Oh, is that it?" Aldin said as if suggesting, "Are you worried about the other yers?"


    Sung-Woon didn''t lie. "What happens to the other yers?"


    "...There''s no need to worry." Aldin hesitated for a moment. "What do you hope will happen?"


    Sung-Woon sharply caught the implication in Aldin''s words. "You haven''t thought about it."


    "...I am currently the decision-maker of this system. I can do as you wish."


    Sung-Woon''s attitude remained unchanged. "Now you''re making an offer."


    "Do you dislike it?"


    "It''s not about my likes or dislikes. The issue is <i>why </i>you are making the offer."


    "For you..."


    Sung-Woon interrupted, "No, I think it''s like this: if I don''t end the game myself, it can''t be ended."


    Aldin shook their head. "I am the owner of the system. If I want to end it, I can do it right away. I''m just giving you an opportunity. You deserve it."


    "Then try to end it."


    Nothing happened for a moment. Aldin, in silence, continued to look at Sung-Woon.


    Aldin said, "Why are you doing this? I can do anything. If you keep resisting, I can just invalidate your victory and choose someone else. I''m only tolerating this for you, because you are the rightful winner of the game."


    "Is this a threat now?"


    Sung-Woon rested his chin on his hand. "I''m not trying to trouble you."


    "You better not."


    Sungw-Woon said, "Did you know about the second moon?"


    "...Are you trying to say the game was unfair?"


    "Are you going to deny that fact?"


    "No."


    Aldin waved their hand dismissively. "Were you angry?"


    "A little."


    "Alright. I admit it. The game was unfair. I didn''t foresee that those clever, rat-like enemies from the past would interfere with your game. I apologize for that part."


    Sung-Woon pointed out further, "The fourth continent too."


    "Oh, yes. Those damned Dragons." Aldin clenched their fists slightly. "Those pretentious bastards, yes. They disrupted the game. They are also my enemies. The Dragons manipted the base data of what you call the The Lost World. They intended to disrupt the real fight, the second war¡ªwell, anyway, the game you yed this time. I had no idea. I apologize for that too."


    Sung-Woon remembered the Dragons. He recalled the Dragons that had been cursed, determined to prevent any further changes. The Dragons weren¡¯t resisting civilization. They were worried about the future that woulde about once civilization grew.


    <i>''Fundamentally, they had a simr goal to the evil gods. Only, the evil gods intended to win, while the Dragons wanted to disrupt the game.''</i>


    Sung-Woon thought that if the two had coborated properly, they would have achieved better results. But they did not. The victors were the new gods, the yers.


    Aldin said, "It seems like the exnation is done, what do you think?"


    "I already knew all that, so there was no need to ask for an exnation."


    "What about my apology?"


    Sung-Woon, wondering what that had to do with him, ignored the question.


    Then he said, "The reason you didn''t tell me earlier must be because of causality."


    "Yes. I cannot intervene once the game starts."


    "But you could have informed us beforehand."


    "I didn''t know."


    Sung-Woon didn''t believe that.


    "The second moon was created by the old gods, and you must have known it was behind the moon. The system¡¯s territory was re-adjusted. You did it <i>on purpose.</i>"


    Aldin was momentarily speechless.


    Sung-Woon considered Aldin an easy entity to understand. As if they had never pondered such a scheme, every reaction of theirs was honest.


    <i>''It seems likely. To be naive, one must be in an environment where it¡¯s okay to be naive. Just being in that position makes one immune to disregard from anyone.''</i>


    Sung-Woon continued, "If I hadn''t found the loophole, I might have been defeated."


    Aldin nodded, "Ah, right. The loophole... But I turned a blind eye to that. How about we call it even? You benefited from my goodwill, didn¡¯t you?"


    "What if I hadn''t found the loophole?" Sung-Woon continued, "The course of the game was clear. The evil gods would appear, then the fourth continent and the Dragons. Somehow, a yer would gain an advantage, butter, the second moon would be revealed. The yer would be helpless due to the limits of the system¡¯s territory, but the second moon wouldn''t easily conquer Avartin either. Eventually, someone would achieve a victory, but only with scars."


    Sung-Woon, lost in thought, lightly pressed the tips of his fingers together, "Right. You wanted the final winner to appear devastated. Victorious, but with only ruins left behind. Isn''t that the picture you wanted?"


    Aldinughed. After a while, Aldin said, "Yes. What if that were the case?"


    "That''s unfortunate."


    "Indeed. But all you have to do is leave the game. It''s not toote yet. Just open the window and press Exit."


    "No," Sung-Woon said. "I meant it¡¯s unfortunate for you. Civilization has been preserved, the victory was overwhelming, and the damage from the second moon was almost nothing.


    Resources were somewhat consumed, but even this willy the foundation for the next phase of technological development. Meanwhile, the reason you desire a ruined world is clear." Sung-Woon responded, "You must have wished for your enemies to be in a weakened state."


    Aldin''s center of gravity shifted toward Sung-Woon, and they adopted a more serious demeanor.


    "You should just take the promised reward of victory and not worry about whates after."


    "Honestly, even that promise is doubtful," Sung-Woon said. "How can you argue about bing a true god when you yourself are not one?"


    This finally struck a nerve with Aldin. "How dare you!" Aldin, filled with anger, spoke with a trembling voice, "How dare you say I am not a god?"


    Aldin stomped their foot.


    Though it meant little in the white space of the mental imagery world, the pping of their robe''s hem added to their dramatic presence.


    Sung-Woon remained unfazed.


    "I am! We are the true gods of Avartin!"


    Sung-Woon paid attention to the implications that came with the word ¡®we¡¯.


    "<i>We</i>, you say?"


    "Yes! We! We, the old gods, are the true owners of Avartin."


    Sung-Woon considered this another door opened in the conversation. Conversation, too, was a form of hacking. Approach with encrypted information against the opponent''s security protocols to exploit vulnerabilities, and following the order and procedure, secrets of the mind were revealed.


    Sung-Woon asked, "Why do you think so?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "What''s the difference between you, the old gods, and the evil gods?"


    "Evil gods! Why bring up those bastards? We were born here in Avartin from the beginning. We are the original inhabitants of Avartin. The true parents of all beings born in thisnd."


    Sung-Woon inferred, "If born from someone else, then you''re not true gods. You too were born as living beings. Merely existing as individual entities."


    "At first, yes."


    "At first?"


    "But we obtained power with our own hands."


    "Power."


    Aldin said, "Yes, I''m talking about magic."


    Sung-Woon was curious, "Was magic always there from the beginning?"


    "Yes."


    Aldin murmured, "You might not understand it well."


    "Why?"


    "Because in your world, magic is scarce. It almost lost its power and faded away. In your time, even its traces were hard to find."


    "Why is that?"


    Aldin replied casually, as if it wasn¡¯t a significant question, "Beyond here, there exists an infinitely vast universe. These possible worlds have countless different characteristics. Yours is just one of them. And where magic is weak. Such ces exist asionally. Of course, it required more specific conditions. We had to explore countless worlds...but eventually, we found yours."


    "You chose us because magic was absent?"


    "Not solely for that reason, but yes. In most possible worlds, magic ismon. It was hard to find you."


    Sung-Woon realized Aldin''s intent. "We had tock understanding of magic, because you use magic as power?"


    Aldin no longer denied it. "Yes."


    Sung-Woon smirked beneath his mask.


    <i>''I thought their confidence was mere bravado, but it seems not. They wouldn¡¯t be so bold otherwise.''</i>


    Aldin added, "In case things went wrong, like now, we would have to turn everything around."


    Sung-Woon remained wary of Aldin, who did not seem to be in a hurry to act. Aldin was intoxicated with their position and swayed by the power they possessed.


    <i>''That''s good. It means I have more time. There are still answers I need to hear.''</i>


    Sung-Woon said, "But if you have such great power, why create a system and concepts like gods and divinity with magic?"


    "Ha, you clearly don''t understand magic."


    "Exin."


    Aldin said, "Do you know? The world is an ovep of two worlds."


    "Two worlds?"


    "One is the physical world. In your terms, it''s external space. The tangible world, the universe, bound by gravity and the speed of light, limping along. Look at the spacecraft you made... To merely go to the moon, all of Avartin had to make an enormous effort."


    "And the second moon?"


    "It¡¯s the epitome of our technology... But what did it ultimately lose to?"


    When Sung-Woon didn''t answer, Aldin continued, "The second world is inner space, the world of the mind. Also called the mental imagery world. Visible when you close your eyes, a dream space shared by all conscious beings. Oh, of course, your dreams are just fragmentary, disjointed, and incoherent. That¡¯s unfortunate for you."


    "Inner Space?"


    Aldin exined slowly, as if struggling to exin something so abstract to a being who could hardly imagine it, "You would find it difficult to picture. Even beings from other possible worlds where magic ismon need training to properly enter inner space. There, one finds recurring symbols and mysteries, truths of other worlds, immense chaos and catastrophes, as well as healing and stability.


    Just like adventures in external space, adventures in inner space are dangerous, but eventually, someone brings back secrets and reveals them. We call them Wizards, and the power they bring back is known as magic."


    Aldin continued, "The power of magic is strong enough to manifest in external space, but it''s fragmentary and unstable, making it difficult to maintain. Therefore, the ancient Wizards, namely us, felt the need to stabilize this power in some way.


    We created a system and set rules. That''s what the system is. Within the system, we finally overcame the fear of instability that magic brings. Yes, it was revolutionary. Beings bound to your external space talk about technological revolutions, butpared to what we created, those areughably insignificant."

 Chapter 286: The Wounded

    <h4>Chapter 286: The Wounded</h4>


    Sung-Woon tried to unravel those words.


    The world of the ancient Wizards would have been simple. Those with power dominated those who were weaker. However, this domination was not firm. The fact that the Wizards'' magic was unstable meant that their control could always be shaken. Even though the Wizards were powerful, they could still be threatened by the subjugated sses. He guessed that, despite being stronger than expected, they couldn¡¯t escape the anxiety about their control.


    <i>''The concept of Divinity makes sense now. It''s a structure designed to ensure that those below can never oppose those above.''</i>


    The rulers wanted to hold onto their power and strength at all cost. Therefore, they created Divinity andpleted their domination.


    <i>''Though, it''s more...oppression than revolution.''</i>


    Aldin said, "And thus, we became gods, and Avartin was at peace."


    "At peace?" Sung-Woon questioned. "When we arrived, Avartin wasn¡¯t peaceful."


    "70,000 years."


    "What?"


    Aldin said, "For 70,000 years, it was peaceful."


    Aldin pointed usingly at Sung-Woon. "Look at your world. Look at the world you created. Remember the oues reliant on the power of external space. In your world, not a single day has passed without war since time immemorial, and people have continually died.


    And now, your world possesses bombs that could destroy it several times over. But the power of inner space is different. 70,000 years. I won''t say there were no disputes, I won''t say there was no suffering, but conflicts were ovee, and everyone was satisfied with their ce in life until the end. And that''s not all."


    Aldin said gravely, "We didn''t kill anyone."


    "Didn''t kill...anyone?"


    Aldin eximed, "We created an afterlife!"


    "Ah."


    "There was no death even after death."


    "I see." Sung-Woon realized that despite the circumstances, he had misunderstood Aldin. "You didn¡¯t just want to be rulers."


    "That''s right."


    "You didn¡¯t want to kill anyone."


    "Yes. Do you understand our feelings now?"


    "You wanted not ves who vanish with death, but eternal ves."


    Aldin lunged at Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon found the move abrupt and, not being as skilled in moving within the realm of mental imagery as Aldin, the two became entangled and fell.


    Aldin grabbed Sung-Woon''s cor. "Don''t speak like that!"


    Sung-Woon thought Aldin would throw a punch, but they didn¡¯t.


    Surprisingly, Aldin was choked up. "...Don''t speak like that. Back then, we really, really didn''t want death. We wished no one had to."


    "...."


    "Do you like death? If so, it''s because you''re not thinking straight. If you''re tired, just sleep endlessly, and promise to meet at the end of eternity. Death isn''t like that. Death is the end. The technology of external space is always unstable. Even the adventures in inner space, thest secrets of magic we found, couldn''t solve the problem of death. We didn¡¯t want to kill anyone."


    "...."


    "70,000 years! Can you even imagine? We now only remember it as if it were a dream. It was almost an eternity. We maintained peace for 70,000 years. It was a miracle. I don¡¯t have the audacity to im that everyone lived a life they were satisfied with, but we were definitely happy... No, let me be more honest. It was okay. We lived an okay life. It would have been okay even if life continued like this. Sure, there were times of anger, dissatisfaction, but sometimes we were happy. There were good times, and we learned to be patient enough to wait for the next good time. Not just us, the old gods, but almost everyone in Avartin felt that way."


    Sung-Woon felt something drop onto his mask. It was a tear.


    <i>''Do the old gods cry too?''</i>


    Lying down, Sung-Woon said, "Then why...? What was the problem? Why not 80,000 years, or 90,000 years, or eternity, but only 70,000 years?"


    Aldin wiped their eyes with their sleeve. Peering inside the hood, Sung-Woon saw a face, and he was momentarily surprised but chose not to dwell on it.


    Aldin said, "There was a fundamental w. Magic is unstable. The system wasn''t perfect."


    Aldin slowly got off Sung-Woon.


    Turning around, Aldin continued, "Every piece of information needs a ce to be stored. Even though it''s inner space, its foundation needs to be in external space. We might dismiss the hostile, barren space of external space as worthless, but we cannot escape it."


    "Was there a problem with Rasdasil?"


    Aldin looked at Sung-Woon, seemingly surprised by Sung-Woon''s level of understanding, but didn¡¯t ask further.


    Aldin replied, "Yes. All the information values of Avartin flows into one space. We built a system at one point in Avartin. We believed we had secured enough storage space. But...70,000 years was a long time."


    ¡°It was a bad sector."


    "Yes."


    Even if an old storage space imed to have sufficient storage capacity, it could still be prone to physical or logical damage. Such damage was difficult to recover from and tended to proliferate, eroding the storage space.


    "Rasdasil was damaged. It wasn''t fatal on its own, since we had prepared ample storage space. Each sector, each space, could be separated, and it wasn''t technically challenging to protect the system. The issue was elsewhere."


    "That ce being the storage space means..."


    "Yes. All the data...the foundation of the afterlife was there. The erosion came from a source we hadn¡¯t anticipated."


    Sung-Woon, not fully aware of Avartin''s past and the workings of its afterlife, couldn''t grasp aplete picture from Aldin''s exnations, even though they were fairly specific. It simply sounded like inexplicably strange or creepy urrences had been happening repeatedly.


    "We call it erosion, or an erosion event. It¡¯s an attempt for another inner space to interact with our world when we should never havee into contact with it to begin with. The inherent threat to Wizards was precisely this erosion."


    Sung-Woon was aware. Magic was a baseless power. It seemed borrowed from another world or simply extracted from within oneself. But no exnation quite fit.


    <i>''Erosion or not, it would still be dangerous.''</i>


    Aldin said, "There were signs of erosion starting from 50,000 years, and solving it became our main task for the next 10,000 years, but we were helpless in the following 10,000 years. Our core, Rasdasil, eventually became cursed. Countless pieces of information couldn¡¯t be properly essed, the afterlife fractured, existing beings vanished, and death reemerged. Above all else..."


    "Above all else?"


    "The evil gods and their children appeared."


    Aldin said coldly, "You know of them, don¡¯t you? Those despicable species."


    Sung-Woon recalled the Werewolves, Vampires, Deep Ones, Fairies, and finally, the Greys. But ording to the exnation, it wasn¡¯t just them. There was an overwhelming amount of many evil gods and their children, the ancient evils.


    Aldin continued, "Strange and macabre events kept happening, and they established themselves in Avartin. Our kind was transformed. In addition to the erosion, the system structure kept malfunctioning. They weren¡¯t ounted for in the system."


    "And that¡¯s why you had no choice but to fight."


    "That''s right." Aldin nodded. "We couldn¡¯t coexist with them. Either we had to die, or they had to."


    That must have been the Ancient War.


    "The Wizards, the Dragons, and all living beings plunged into the struggle. The rules we had created were broken. Those who looked down on us, the old gods, appeared. Most importantly...they stopped believing in faith."


    When belief in the only way to avoid death began to wane, the old gods would have felt doubt with the structure they had created. Furthermore, as belief in the gods weakened, their power would have diminished as well.


    "It became burdensome. We realized we couldn''t fight with our power alone and turned our eyes to the technology and science of external space. That was our onlypetitive edge."


    Therefore, the second moon, Loom, was constructed. Of course, Sung-Woon knew there was more to the story. Aldin was merely telling a simplified narrative from the perspective of the old gods.


    <i>''Evil gods have their story, and old gods have theirs.''</i>


    Aldin said, "We won the war, but there wasn''t enough leeway for the aftermath..."


    Sung-Woon, sitting up, interrupted, "Hold on."


    "What is it?"


    "I know you didn''t just win. You put a huge strain on causality to construct Loom."


    "...."


    "What about that responsibility?"


    Aldin turned to face him and said, "Did you talk to them?"


    "Yes."


    "...They must have spewed nonsense."


    Aldin hesitated. They were about to lie.


    Sung-Woon, ready not to fall for any lies, faced Aldin. Aldin realized this and chose not to lie immediately.


    "That¡¯s true. We constructed Loom as ast resort to win, and we severely vited causality."


    The system was stable. Since it was difficult for the system itself to vite causality, Sung-Woon guessed the old gods must have resorted to more aggressive magic from their past as Wizards. Indeed, the science and technology used on Loom were astounding, but something didn''t quite fit. Parts of it were used simply as weaponry.


    "If we had taken the full impact of that strain, we would have faced a fate worse than annihtion, but fortunately, we had another n. We hid in the Demon World. That alone..."


    "No."


    Sung-Woon slightly furrowed his brow. Aldin was about to lie.


    "Causality can''t be so easily deceived. Even if you didn''t bear it directly, someone else surely had to."


    Aldin remained silent for a moment.


    Then they said in starts and stops, "So, others bore it."


    "Others?"


    "All beings of Avartin." Aldin exined, "Since we, the old gods, couldn''t bear all the pain, every life in Avartin endured it. They lost their gods and the knowledge to build civilizations. Wandering the wilderness without an afterlife, they died. They left nothing behind. They died of fever from diseases and infections, drowned in water, or fell from mountains."


    "How long did thisst?"


    "About 40,000 years, by our calctions. We knew that would satisfy causality."


    Sung-Woon closed his eyes for a moment. He recalled the destendscapes when the Lost World just started. Only a few beings capable of speech fought over scarce resources. The weak, sick, and elderly died first. The survivors only prayed that they wouldn''t be next, but no prayer was answered.


    Then Sung-Woon couldn''t help but think of one person.


    <i>''Lakrak.''</i>


    He remembered that young Lizardman wandering the wilderness. His name carried the meaning as follows.


    <i>¡®The Wounded.''</i>


    Sung-Woon now knew where those wounds had originated from.

 Chapter 287: Oppressive Fate Play

    <h4>Chapter 287: Oppressive Fate y</h4>


    Sung-Woon opened his eyes. "Aldin."


    "There''s nothing more to exin."


    "As I said before, I can''t quit the game."


    Aldin sighed deeply.


    "Damn it." Aldin said, "Don''t make things difficult, Neb."


    "Even if I believe your promise, what happens to Avartin if I leave?"


    Aldin replied, "Us old gods will return."


    "And then?"


    "We will rebuild the same system as before."


    "Are you saying you''ll rece the Pantheon?"


    Aldin eximed, "We are the true owners! You all are fake. We just needed you to deal with the trivial evil gods and Dragons. You are nothing."


    Aldin continued to speak the truth, "I found you among the infinite possible worlds! And I trained you, under the guise of a game! You are just dogs I''ve trained. Nothing more. The hunt is over, leave now."


    Sung-Woon answered, "I will stay here."


    Aldin said bitterly, "Please, leave."


    "I will remain."


    "You don''t know me, but I know you. I chose you. I liked your y."


    Sung-Woon said, "I won''t move."


    Aldin realized Sung-Woon''s mind was firmly made up. Aldin wavered several times.


    <i>''Maybe I could persuade him.''</i>


    But the next moment, lifting their head to meet Sung-Woon''s eyes, Aldin knew Sung-Woon wouldn¡¯t budge.


    "Choosing you was my mistake."


    "It might be, but maybe not."


    Aldin shook their head.


    Aldin dered,


    [The game is over.]


    ***


    But the civilization of Avartin did not end.


    The oppression of the old gods, the sad fate of the evil gods, and the y of the new gods did not end. Even if someone dered it to be over, everything continued.


    ***


    A vast pit, the center of the original Rasdasil Ruins looked like nothing more than that. But now, the nature of this pit began to change. What seemed like an abyss of endless darkness started to emit a bright light. It looked more like a crucible than a pit now. The spreading light, simmering as if boiling, started to take on a physical form.


    Below, at the very center of the Rasdasil Ruins where reality and the world of mental imagery met, was the gateway to another world, the Demon World. And there, a conversation was taking ce.


    "Has ite to that?" It was a deep and heavy voice.


    Aldin lowered their head and bowed down. While doing so, Aldin thought it was a strange urrence. The new godscked manners.


    <i>''Why is that?''</i>


    If there was a difference in Divinity level or in sacred status, one shouldn¡¯t provoke a superior. The higher the sacred status, the greater the difference in power.


    Aldin had seen a god of higher divinity torture and kill a lesser god over a trivial pretext. Aldin couldn''t shake off that memory for a long time, and it still stuck in their mind like a thorn, possibly forever.


    Following the etiquette of the old gods, Aldin answered, "It hase to that, Father."


    The one called Father, the leader of the old gods, Bifnen Dial Robane, said within the shadow, "It''s alright, Aldin. It doesn¡¯t need to be perfect."


    The other old gods behind Bifnen murmured.


    "It might even have turned out for the better."


    "Yes. Look at the splendor of their Empire. Isn''t it beautiful?"


    "Building something new from all the destruction is not an easy task."


    "They did well."


    "If only they hadn''t rebelled."


    "Isn''t it understandable? Building such things makes it hard for anyone to give everything up."


    "But to think they would consider the crown they wear rightfully theirs."


    "They are beings ignorant of magic. Born with inherent inferiority."


    Bifnen said, "The next task will be crucial."


    "Yes."


    "We must obtain it without causing too much damage."


    "It will be so."


    Aldin thought this was a relief. Bifnen and the old gods seemed to be in a good mood. They had awoken from a long slumber and were just beginning to observe the state of civilization, which looked quite appealing to them.


    <i>''They must think they''ve acquired a new toy.''</i>


    Once everything was back in their hands, Aldin knew that they would have to engage in another lonely struggle. Aldin would have to rescue the pitiful beings from the clutches of the old gods who shamelessly wielded their power. Forever.


    Bifnen said, "How''s the work?"


    "The Fall is ready."


    From within the shadows, Bifnen smiled. "Well done, my daughter."


    Aldin resented that address. Then she thought of someone.


    <i>''Neb...can you survive?''</i>


    ***


    On the second moon, Loom, Dide stood on the uppermost surface.


    <i>''Everything is over.''</i>


    The feared Lizardmen had disappeared, and so had the masked opponent.


    Dide had [surrendered]. They weren''t alone. They called out to Sha-Cha and Jeolyo, who were hiding. The surrender of the three evil gods marked the end of the game. In the process, the opponent demanded nothing. They were told they could leave with everything they had.


    Loom was activated andpletely exited the zone covered by the game''s system. That was enough. By surrendering and bingpletely excluded from the game, the three evil gods escaped the game. Even when the system was summoned repeatedly, no translucent window appeared before them. It had been convenient, but the freedom from these constraints was also a relief.


    Loom was heavily damaged, but not beyond repair.


    <i>''Now, it''s time to leave.''</i>


    Of course, the system remained.


    Dide looked at Avartin through the eyes of Loom. Sad fates still lingered there.


    <i>''Masked one, you are too foolish.''</i>


    He could have destroyed the core and taken Loom. Of course, it was uncertain whether the half-destroyed Loom would function properly, but at least it could have pressured the old gods. Dide would have surely done so.


    <i>¡®Masked one, you are too...''</i>


    Dide btedly looked down upon the Empire.


    Their own children were not there, but they saw the children of their old friends enduring a somewhat burdensome life, yet notpletely marginalized. Even those who could have been the final enemies were no exceptions.


    <i>''...Fair.''</i>


    Beside Dide, the two other evil gods approached and stood.


    The fluidic monster, Jeolyo, and Sha-Cha, a figure wearing a white mask, stood side by side next to Dide, looking at Avartin.


    <i>-My old friends.</i>


    Sha-Cha said.


    Dide replied,


    <i>-Why do you call?</i>


    They didn''t really want to answer. It was thest chance to abandon everything and flee to the barren yet survivable outer space.


    Sha-Cha stared intensely at Avartin.


    Then Sha-Cha said,


    <i>-I have a request.</i>


    Dide decided to listen and then make a decision; it was hard to refuse a request from an old friend.


    ***


    Sung-Woon opened his eyes under his mask. It felt as if someone had called his name, but that wasn''t the case. He knew where he was.


    <i>''The Baustan Sanctuary on the southern continent.''</i>


    Unlike the temples in each city, sanctuaries were located in ces where miraculous events urred or were directly rted to apostles or gods. Hence, they were ces where the power of the Pantheon could easily reach.


    These sanctuaries were also designated by Sung-Woon as escape routes for the gods. Some yer or apostle skills were rted to specific locations, so strategically using these sanctuaries or deciding where to establish a sanctuary was a key element in ying The Lost World.


    <i>''Of course, this ce is rather insignificant.''</i>


    Sung-Woon rose from the deepest part of the sanctuary, a damp spot covered in moss. The Baustan Sanctuary was rted to some hero from the Union Kingdom, but Sung-Woon didn''t know the details. He was familiar with famous heroes, but there were too many in the Union Kingdom.


    <i>''So now there are many neglected sanctuaries.''</i>


    Sung-Woon had been lying on said hero''s tomb. The tomb was already emptied by grave robbers. Sung-Woon dusted off his clothes and took a deep breath. Fresh air, which could be described as having a hint of green, filled and then left his lungs. The sanctuary, a space built with angr stones, was so small that one could get out within ten steps.


    Sung-Woon walked out of the sanctuary. The sun was just rising outside. There were few signs of civilization around. The architecture of the sanctuary itself was small, but the surrounding area was densely packed with small stone walls arranged like a pretty garden.


    Whether it was maintained by the Empire or by a local lord from the Union Kingdom was unknown, but the attention to detail was admirable. Colorful flowers native to the southwestern part of the continent were carefully cultivated.


    Sung-Woon lightly tapped the flowers with his fingers. Behind himy rugged mountains, and below, a deep valley was visible.


    Sung-Woon knew the general direction. Following the path to the valley for a few kilometers, a small vige appeared. Baustan Sanctuary was the only tourist attraction in the area, so it wasn''t very popr, but it had gained some fame thanks to an Orc who posted travel photos on Sky Net. However, even that fad had passed, and now Sung-Woon was alone in this ce.


    <i>''It''s beautiful here.''</i>


    However, Baustan Sanctuary was famous for reasons other than tourism. That was why Sung-Woon had chosen this ce. As he walked, feeling the texture of the stone walls, he suddenly noticed a sharp pain in his palm.


    <i>''Was it a thorn?''</i>


    Red blood flowed from Sung-Woon''s hand. He had lost his divinity. This was the Fall.


    ***


    "...So what you just said is just a prediction, right? It''s not certain that it will happen."


    It was Lunda who asked this.


    A few days before the moon-facing n, in the first conference room of the pantheon, Sung-Woon stood on the podium, and all the yers were present. It was an emergency meeting.


    Sung-Woon shook his head. "No, it will definitely happen. We win, but not in the way we want. The old gods return. Our Pantheon is dismantled. The Fall urs, and we all lose our divinity. The old gods rule the empire we built. The mistakes of the past, repeated."


    The Fall. Losing divinity and bing ordinary beings was something that would have normally been frightening to hear for the yers...


    But hearing that statement, Lim Chun-Sikughed.


    Lunda turned to look at him. "Are you crazy? Why are youughing?"


    "Oh, no. It''s just funny, isn''t it? I knew Neb would get hiseuppance eventually. Even the best yer can''t always win."


    "Wake up! We''re on the same side!"


    Solongos then said, as if making excuses, "Hyung-nimughs because he trusts our oldest hyung-nim."


    "What''s there to trust?"


    "He must have a n, that''s why he brought it up, right?"


    When Solongos turned to look at him, Sung-Woon shrugged.


    "Well, there are...many ways."


    Then someone whistled. Wisdom''s head spun.


    "This seems to be the most challenging task we''ve faced, Neb."


    "Seems so."


    Wisdom said, "If the Fall happens, we''ll fall to thisnd, be powerless, and unable to use our Divinity. We''ll be beings that have flesh and breathe air. We won''t be able to open the system window, and that''s not all. The old gods from the Demon World will return, and they''ll have the same power as us now. Do you think we can defeat the old gods in such a powerless state?"


    Sung-Woon slowly nodded. "The preparations are alreadyplete."

 Chapter 288: View of the Fall

    <h4>Chapter 288: View of the Fall</h4>


    Wisdom interlocked his hands and said, "We''ll have to see if everything is ready."


    "Of course," Sung-Woon nodded.


    Sung-Woon was the master of the Pantheon, the highest decision-maker, and could achieve anything he wished ording to his authority setting, but the Pantheon was also something Sung-Woon had to control. It would be problematic if things didn''t go as he wanted.


    There were various methods of control. Deception was one such method, but always came with risks. Sung-Woon preferred not to resort to it unless necessary, as the better method was always persuasion.


    "The first question is this, Neb... If we Fall, we lose our divinity. Does that mean we be mortals?"


    Sung-Woon answered without hesitation, "Yes."


    The gods of the Pantheon stirred. Those who already knew the meaning of the Fall remained indifferent, but some yers only fully understood after hearing Wisdom''s blunt words.


    "Th...then, what happens to us if we die?" Ovenwave asked.


    The fact that she was a middle school girl in a sailor uniform would make one want to keep a distance from her, but after seeing that she had an oven as her head, one would want to keep a distance from her for a different reason. Moreover, she had the electrical plug trailing behind her like a ribbon, adding a quirky touch.


    Of course, yers didn''t particrlyment on other yers'' appearances. None of them were in a position to do so.


    Sung-Woon answered, "We will face the death we have long forgotten. There will be no Afterlife as the Pantheon would disassemble, and there will be no vassals as we will no longer be gods. Theoretically, upon death, we will either vanish or go to a world where observation is impossible, and all of these events will be irreversible."


    Silence flowed among the yers. However, it didn¡¯tst long.


    Crampus scratched his nose. "We''ve lived long enough, right? Doesn''t seem like there''s much to be afraid of."


    HumanTracker, a shadow in a faint ck coat, said while sitting on a desk with their legs crossed, "You can say that so naively because we are still gods."


    "What?"


    "Our current abilities differ from when we were mortals on Earth. Both physically and mentally, we have be exalted beings aided by the system. That''s why we can think that way."


    "Ah."


    HumanTracker crossed their legs the other way. "If mortality is imposed on us now, we could experience significant psychological anxiety. It''s natural to feel fear and terror. We don''t fear death now not just because in our defeat, we meet a false death as vassals, but because we are in a state of great power. Mortality will be problematic both physically and mentally."


    Sung-Woon took the opinion with interest. "I hadn''t thought of that. Do you think there are yers among us who could have serious issues?"


    "Well, since there are already those who are scared here, maybe some need special attention."


    HumanTracker pointed at Ovenwave, who was sitting behind them, with a thumb.


    Ovenwave flinched in surprise.


    HumanTracker put their hand in their coat pocket and said, "Of course, those who believe they''re <i>okay</i> right now might not really be okay. Including me, and you too."


    Sung-Woon wrote ''Mental Issues'' on the conference room¡¯s ckboard.


    "We still have time, so let''s go over other issues. What else is there?"


    A rubber duck toy the size of a person, RD, leapt onto the desk. "I have a question!"


    "Go ahead."


    "If we undergo that transformation, thus Falling, what happens to us? It doesn''t seem like we''ll just disappear."


    Sung-Woon replied, "As the Pantheon disappears, there will be no ce for us here. If not in the Pantheon, naturally we''ll have to descend to the mortal world, to Avartin."


    "But we transform into mortal bodies, right?" RD spread the tip of their wings. "Do we take these bodies with us?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "Probably."


    "Probably?"


    "The specifics of what happens in that process aren''t certain. It''s not about the old gods or us, but causality. If we Fall, causality will likely bounce us into Avartin, maintaining our current forms as much as possible. We chose these forms in this world, so the yer''s choice of physical appearance itself won''t change."


    RD puffed out their chest.


    There was silence for a moment.


    Eldar then said from behind, "Cute!"


    RD red at Eldar.


    "Oh, wasn''t that it?" Eldar asked.


    RD patted their chest with their short arms, making balloon-like sounds. "But this body is made of rubber."


    "That''s right."


    "No creature exists with a body made of rubber."


    "That''s right."


    Sung-Woon understood RD''s question and added an exnation, "However, since it''s a mortal form, somehow it will need to gain energy to maintain its physicality. I don''t know about external changes, but internal changes will ur. Since we all look different, it''s hard to say how it will turn out. It''s rtively easy to see how yers who are humanoid like me or others will transform, but for you or Wisdom there, it''s biologically difficult to understand your forms. How the internal structure will change is unknown."


    The robot with a monocr eye, dimir, said, "Then how about changing our current appearance to have a more advantageous physical structure?"


    "That doesn''t seem very effective."


    "Why not?"


    "For instance, we can choose textures in our appearance selection, but not materials. Even if we change to a being with a body of steel filled with muscles, it''s not certain that we will be more powerful because that would be too strong for causality to allow. Besides, it''s doubtful whether such a being would be more advantageous as a mortal."


    "Hmm. Right, without the system, the cost-effectiveness of the body will be poor when the output is high. Understood."


    RD tapped their chest again. "I like this body."


    "Sure."


    "Even if my inside turns into chunks of meat."


    "I don''t necessarily think that will happen."


    "But others might want to change..."


    Sung-Woon nodded and then wrote ''Issues of Physical Composition'' on the ckboard.


    Then he said, "Before we continue discussing, we should talk about being <i>bounced out</i> to Avartin with our bodies."


    Wisdom said, "It''s the most concerning issue. Many problems could arise when we descend to Avartin."


    "I''m curious about your opinion."


    "First, there will be fanatical followers. The gods of the Pantheon are popr."


    "That''s indeed a problem."


    Lunda interjected, "Is it a problem that people like us?"


    "We can''t assume that everyone willing to sacrifice their lives for us is sane. It¡¯s not rational to sacrifice anything for a god, and irrational people may take unexpected actions. The oue will be even more unpredictable with a crowd. Not everyone may be like that, but...just imagine. Bountiful Harvest appears in Orazen. People will line up to the ce where Bountiful Harvest is, and you won''t be able to resolve that chaos at all."


    Lunda imagined the scenario and sighed, "But I still don''t think it''s all bad."


    "Right. It''s good that there are people who will wee us, but there are still many problems."


    Wisdom said, "We now have to face the old gods as enemies."


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    Wisdom asked again, "From where and how will the old godse to us? Can we predict it?"


    "They will likely originate from the Rasdasil Ruins, but theoretically, they can appear anywhere. The system is their creation, so if they make us Fall and regain their power, they will do anything."


    "How strong would they be?"


    Sung-Woon said honestly, "That part is unknown. They have lived long, so their Divinity level is probably high, but considering the XP structure of the system, it won''t be dramatic. Moreover, they have gone through a second war, and more importantly, they have lost their faithful followers.


    They also waited for both us and the evil gods to weaken through war. This means...they won''t be as strong as we fear. They appear only after the enemies are weakened. From their perspective, just regaining control of the system won''t be enough... Of course, even that alone creates an overwhelming gap between them and us."


    "Right. As mortals, we will have to face immortals."


    Sung-Woon readily agreed and nodded. "So, we must hide."


    "Hide?"


    Sung-Woon nodded, "Throughout Avartin, there are sanctuaries deeply connected to the pantheon, where we can smoothly enter."


    "Do we gather in one ce?"


    "No. We scatter."


    Redmars, who was listening,mented, "Don''t put all your eggs in one basket."


    Sung-Woon agreed, "Yes, that''s it. If the targets are scattered, they will have to think of multiple ways to attack. Even if we suffer damage, there won''t beplete annihtion."


    Wisdom''s head, which had been slowly turning, stopped, "You''re assuming that someone might die."


    "I said we could win and we should prepare for it. I didn''t say everyone would survive."


    The yers of the Pantheon remained still for a moment. Some made eye contact with others, while some seemed lost in thought. Some closed their eyes, and others looked nkly into space.


    Wisdom said, "We¡¯ll have to decide on the sanctuaries to go to."


    Sung-Woon agreed, "Let''s decide specifically where each of us will move to in a bit. We won''t have time after the moon-facing n."


    "Understood."


    Sung-Woon wrote ''Sanctuary Selection'' on the ckboard.


    He asked, "Now, what else shall we discuss?"


    Eldar cleared their throat and raised their hand.


    "Go ahead."


    "What happens to the apostles?"


    "The apostles? An important issue."


    Sung-Woon slightly turned his head. His gaze reached beyond the conference room¡¯s door. Somewhere in the pantheon, apostles unaware of this meeting were busy carrying out the gods''mands for the moon-facing n. As if they had been serving the gods for a long time.


    "This is the most important issue in this n."


    Sung-Woon remembered the heroes of the Pantheon and the Empire''s memories, then looked back at the gods of the Pantheon. There was still much to exin.


    "As soon as Operation: Second Moon is established, the Pantheon will give up all apostles."


    ***


    The Central Continental Division Sanctuary was located at the fringe of the central continent, where Hegemonia once stood, and where a Gnoll Prince had once dered his intention to cross the great ocean. Historically, it wasn''t particrly significant. It was just a tall cliff overlooking the sea, with a sanctuary built on top; the view from the sanctuary could be considered quite scenic, especially since the beautiful western sea could be seen from the inside.


    "Are you alright? ...Wisdom?"


    Wisdom quietly looked down at therge, furry creature in front of him. It was questionable whether it could be said that he ''saw'' it. Wisdom just felt the creature''s presence and could visualize its shape in his mind. Only there was no color, but he didn''t find it strange or ufortable.


    <i>''Interesting. How do I detect vibrations? How does hemunicate?''</i>


    Wisdom pondered for a moment but managed to speak without difficulty, "I''m fine, Noah. How about you?"


    The Guinea Pig-like yer, Noah, nodded.


    Noah was a yer who started in the first continent and fought valiantly until the mid-game, but was defeated after falling into the trap set up by the Ronante-Oroban Alliance.


    Adjusting his monocle, Noah, draped in a whiteb coat, fluttered and said, "Hmm, I''m fine. No need to worry. Still soft and fluffy."


    "That''s good."


    "I¡¯m more concerned about you though."


    "Is that so?"


    Noah looked at Wisdom. "May I conduct an experiment?"


    "Go ahead."


    Noah extended his short front paws toward Wisdom. Wisdom stood still without any objection.


    After iling his front paws, Noah said, "Wow, just as I thought."


    Without turning his head or making any movement, Wisdom realized what Noah was doing. Noah put his hand into the empty space below Wisdom''s floating star-shaped head.


    "Your head is detached!"


    "It seems some force is at work. Even being such an entity, am I still mortal?"


    "Should I try pulling your head?"


    "It''s intriguing. My head and body are already separated, but I''m curious about how far apart they can be while I still survive."


    Noah chuckled, "That''s a joke. It would be troublesome if you died."


    "Troublesome would be an understatement in my case."


    Noahughed again.


    Noah, who had revealed he was a biologist on Earth, showed schrly interest in the transformations brought about by the Fall. While notpletely dispassionate about the game, he seemed less engaged, apparently indifferent to matters as serious as life and death.


    Noah said, "I should also meet RD. A creature with a rubber exterior! How does it regte temperature?"


    "I''m not sure if there will be time for that."


    "But you are more intriguing. The emptiness in your neck, it¡¯s probably rted to electromaic waves, right?"


    "Sure, I''m d you find it enjoyable."


    Wisdom slowly walked out of the sanctuary. Due to Noah''s interest, they hade to the same sanctuary. Although Sung-Woon had generally rmended one person per sanctuary, he thought pairing up could have its benefits too. As HumanTracker pointed out, pairing up could offer psychological stability, considering potential mental issues.


    That was why Wisdom had epted Noah''s request. Wisdom felt that Noah was a slightly unstable yer and needed protection.


    Following Wisdom out of the sanctuary, Noahmented, "This ce is really beautiful."


    The sun was high in the sky. The reflection from the sunlight gently stimted whatever system for detecting vibrations existing somewhere in Wisdom''s head. A different kind of beauty was felt, distinct from simply receiving visual input.


    "That''s true."


    Noah looked up at Wisdom and asked, "So, do we just...stay put?"


    "We''ve done all we need to, now we wait."


    The yers were currently powerless. Perhaps equivalent to average mortals, and some could even be less capable. It was up to the Empire now, and the apostles.


    <i>''Everyone was shocked when Neb said he would give up the apostles.''</i>


    But it was a rational decision. A yer could dismiss an apostle they disliked from their religion. In other words, they could be cast out to Avartin.


    This y was usually used either to kill an apostle who didn''t follow the yer''s will or when maintaining an apostle was hindering their y. Systematically supported, but rarely used, known to the yers as ''throwing out after use''. Apostles discarded in this manner fall to Avartin, where they were treated as neutral beings simr to Fiends or divine beasts.


    In the first ce, if a yer reached the point where they had to discard their apostles due to scarce resources, it would be more appropriate to simply press the surrender button and exit the game. However, the current situation was different.


    <i>''If the apostles are discarded, before the old gods can strip away the power of the Pantheon, the apostles can maintain some of their power in Avartin.''</i>


    Beings separated from their apostle status didn''t keep the same level of power they had in the Pantheon. Once connection with the Pantheon was severed, naturally, the rted skills also became ineffective. They became overall weaker, which was not ideal for the requirement for them to be fully prepared.


    <i>''But the apostles of the Pantheon were generally at a high level. Moreover, they didn¡¯t handle everything through strength alone.''</i>


    A massive operation to oppose the old gods was unfolding within the Empire. That was, if the apostles chose to do so.


    <i>''Now that they are free, would they necessarily act for our yers'' benefit?''</i>


    The apostles had be neutral parties, which was the most worrying aspect when they talked about discarding the apostles. Being neutral meant that the old gods could potentially take over them.


    <i>''...But for some reason...''</i>


    Wisdom remembered HumanTracker''s words. As HumanTracker had said, Wisdom no longer possessed the elerated thought capability he had as a god. His thoughts flowed only as fast as the drifting light clouds, yet he felt no anxiety.


    <i>''I''m not worried.''</i>


    Wisdom thought of his Troll knight. He once believed that everything had been ruined. However, mistakes could be reversed.


    <i>''Interesting.''</i>


    Wisdom found the situation paradoxical. The god had be mortal, and now they had to trust those who once sought faith from them.


    <i>''Really interesting.''</i>

 Chapter 289: Knowing the Integrity

    <h4>Chapter 289: Knowing the Integrity</h4>


    The overall n to confront the old gods had been reviewed with the apostles, but the specifics couldn¡¯t be discussed. This was because there was no urate information on how and in what form the old gods would attack. The possibilities would be narrowed down only after the old gods revealed themselves, and then the nature of their appearance could be anticipated.


    "I''ll wait inside."


    As Wisdom turned to leave, Noah said, "Wait, Wisdom."


    "Hm?"


    "I think it would be good for you to stay in the sun a bit."


    "Really?"


    Wisdom had no particr objection. He only thought it was illogical to wait outside the sanctuary, exposed.


    Noah sniffed around and pointed at Wisdom''s head, "I think...it''s like a tree."


    "A tree?"


    "Your head."


    "...Is it?"


    "It''s silvery, like it could store heat or light like a sr panel. Life needs energy to move. The sun is still warm, so let''s stay outside a bit longer."


    Wisdom had never considered that aspect, but he btedly realized that his body didn''t have parts to intake energy like food.


    Noah''s judgment seemed somewhat reasonable.


    "I''m worried about RD and the others, but I''m most concerned about you. Even if not a god, you seem to have little interest in eating and drinking."


    "That''s not the case...but I guess it could seem that way."


    Wisdom realized there were areas where he needed to reflect on. Even though he had been a god for a long time, there was still much left to learn.


    "Alright then..."


    The two former gods stood on top of the cliff, looking down at the sea. Then about 30 minutester, a helicopter hurriedly approached from afar. It seemed like a training helicopter, but its was unmistakably flying toward the Division Sanctuary where they were.


    Watching the approaching helicopter, Wisdom said, "I¡¯m worried about Neb."


    Noah, who had been enjoying the sunlight with his eyes closed, opened them, "Neb? Why?"


    "There were other problems we were concerned about, weren¡¯t there."


    "There were too many to remember all..."


    "One of the many problems that arise when we appear in Avartin."


    "The fanatics?"


    Wisdom pointed at the helicopter, saying, "They are close to fanatics... Of course, that''s a transport helicopter belonging to the special forces of the Empire. Those on board are neither chosen ones, high priests, nor knights¡ªunfortunately, they cannot exert their full power right now.


    Therefore, the special forces, who have honed their skills through rigorous training despitecking religious abilities, areing to us. Because, currently, they are the most elite unit in the Empire¡¯s army."


    "Aren''t other yers also protected by such forces? I think I recall hearing that in the briefing."


    "Not Neb."


    "Oh, there were also those who the apostles promised they would protect, right?"


    "Neb isn¡¯t among them either."


    Noah looked puzzled.


    Wisdom exined, "I think he''ll be safe, but..."


    "But?"


    "There are secrists in Avartin."


    "Isn¡¯t the Power of Reality disbanded?"


    "The most radical group was, but they weren¡¯t the entirety of the secrists."


    "Right, that''s true."


    "Secrists are numerous. The Power of Reality was extreme under themand of the evil gods, but there can be extreme individuals or groups even without following the evil gods."


    Each sanctuary had been chosen as a safe ce for its own reasons. However, even in these safe ces, there were areas where danger still lurked. The ce where Sung-Woon went was one such location.


    "In Baustan, remnants of the old revolutionary guerris still remain."


    ***


    Sung-Woon allowed the blood to flow from his palm.


    The pain from this small wound was dizzying, but whether it was troublesome was a matter to consider.


    <i>''HumanTracker was right. I''ve be dull, but I still follow the emotional continuity from when I was a god of the Pantheon. I am still me.''</i>


    As Sung-Woon had anticipated, the bleeding stopped after a little while. From the neural response to pain, blood coagtion, and the sensation of pain, Sung-Woon realized that he had be mortal and was no different from the human he was back on Earth.


    However, Sung-Woon was so focused on his mental state that he was unaware of the events unfolding around him. Behind the Baustan Sanctuary, a group of figures slowly moved.


    "Is that him?"


    "Yes."


    The scout who responded checked the data in their hand several times.


    "That''s the Devil Night Sky. All records match."


    The one nodding at the scout''s words was v Doran, themander of the Baustan Revolutionary Army.


    The history of the Baustan Revolutionary Army was long. During the war between the Empire and the Union Kingdom, the Baustan Revolution emerged as a branch of the revolution that started in the Union Kingdom andter conquered the surrounding regions. They possessed strong secrist attributes and were at odds not only with the Empire, but with the descendants of the Union Kingdom.


    With the fall of the Union Kingdom, the surrounding areas were absorbed and unified by the revolutionary army''smand, and Baustan imed independence from the Empire. Of course, it wasn¡¯t epted. Armed conflict continued, and they suffered a series of defeats against the Empire; eventually, they gave up all thend.


    However, the struggle didn¡¯t end. v Doran was the eleventh officialmander of the Baustan Revolutionary Army and continued guerri warfare in the rugged jungles and valleys around Baustan.


    Applying ointment to their head, the Frogman v asked, "How''s the situation?"


    "The surrounding imperial forces show no movement."


    "Huh, strange."


    v thought something was odd. The imperial forces had not yet located Night Sky, while the revolutionaries, having sessfully extracted internal information from the Empire, had found him. There was either an error or a peculiar coincidence.


    <i>''It¡¯s true that the gods have fallen to earth.''</i>


    Imperial Intelligence was tooplex to fully understand. There were apostles and direct intervention from the Pantheon, so the spies of the revolutionaries could only capture very fragmentary facts. But among the information collected, there was truth. Night Sky was really right in front of them.


    "We''ll approach as is. Support units, stay on high alert."


    "Yes."


    After themunication, v led three squads down the ravine toward the sanctuary. The rugged mountain path was not a significant obstacle for the revolutionaries as they had been fighting the Empire for a long time.


    <i>''Is it also true that they have lost power?''</i>


    v squinted in the harsh sunlight. Even though they had gotten quite close, Night Sky was sitting quietly in front of the sanctuary, basking in the sun. Of course, they were moving silently, so there was no risk of being detected yet, but a nce back could reveal them.


    <i>''He''s too unguarded.''</i>


    Nothing noteworthy happened. Only when v and their revolutionary troops were about twenty meters away, within effective rifle range, did Night Sky slowly turn his head.


    v, on the hill descending to the sanctuary, instructed the troops, "Maintain perimeter guard and wait."


    "Yes."


    "Whatever happens, don''t act rashly."


    "Understood."


    v took a deep breath and slowly walked down toward Night Sky.


    When v, the Frogman, was a few steps away, v said to Night Sky, "Are you Night Sky?"


    Sung-Woon then said to v, "Yes."


    v moistened their dry lips. "...Indeed, it''s real."


    v felt dizzy from their pounding heart. v had thought it was due to the excessive heat, but the former god in front of them didn''t seem to be affected by the warmth.


    <i>''Is he really a former god?''</i>


    v couldn''t be sure. They didn''t know how that could be determined.


    The Baustan Revolutionary Army had been fighting for independence, and revolutionary v had been fighting for theirrades and family. While doing so, v had never expected to directly encounter a god.


    v moved their hand slowly toward the holster at their waist, all the while, Sung-Woon simply watched nkly. v was a bit taken aback. Such a reaction was either that of an innocent child who didn''t know what a gun was or of a fool.


    However, v decided to carry out the decision they had made since the moment Night Sky appeared. v took the pistol from their holster and slowly approached Sung-Woon. Then, holding the pistol by the barrel, v extended the handle toward Sung-Woon.


    "Here, take it."


    "You''re giving it to me?"


    "Yes."


    Sung-Woon quietly looked at v''s face.


    "Why?"


    "...This ce is dangerous, swarming with giant insects. You need at least a pistol to protect yourself. Take it."


    Sung-Woon slowly epted the pistol and turned it over in his hands.


    v asked, "Do you know how to use it?"


    "I do."


    "No, this isn''t right..." v started to loosen their belt and holster. "Hm, I''ll need to adjust the size. Just wait a moment... Oh, hold on."


    v, while adjusting the belt, suddenly stopped and noticed Sung-Woon''s palm.


    "Damn, are you injured?"


    "I got scratched by a thorn."


    v called out hastily, "Medic! Come down quickly! Bring the disinfectant!"


    A Goblin medic hurried down the hill at themander''s call.


    The medic said, "Uh, um...please let me see the wound."


    Sung-Woon silently extended his palm. The Goblin medic then pulled out a medical kit, disinfected Sung-Woon''s palm, applied ointment, and put on a bandage.


    v grumbled from the side, "Is that enough? Where''s the bandage?"


    "Oh, um...the wound is too small..."


    "Are you sure that''s enough to heal it?"


    The Goblin medic was flustered. They might be the only medic who had treated a god.


    Then Sung-Woon said, "It''s fine, that''s enough. Thank you."


    The Goblin medic, sweating profusely, walked back up the hill. They then chatted with the other revolutionary soldiers.


    v rolled their eyes at them and clicked their tongue before offering the pistol belt to Sung-Woon.


    "Take this."


    "Thank you."


    "...You¡¯re thankful? You''re a god. Don''t you get whatever you want?"


    "Gratitude should still be expressed where gratitude is due."


    v pushed out their lips, seemingly dissatisfied with something.


    "I saw the Empire''s intelligence. Is all of that true?"


    "What intelligence did you see?"


    "I heard about the return of the old gods."


    Sung-Woon nodded, "It''s true."


    v realized something significant had happened, but didn''t fully understand it. "Shit, why did youe here?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "This ce is dangerous."


    "The insect swarms? That''s..."


    "No, not just that."


    v dared to interrupt the former god, tapped their shoulder epaulet, and also pointed at the dark red patch that symbolized the Revolutionary Army.


    "Don''t you know? We''re secrist revolutionaries. We''re at odds with gods."


    "I know."


    "If it weren''t for me, you might have been shot by someone else. Why did youe here, of all sanctuaries?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "Aren''t your Baustan Revolutionary Army and the Empire in a ceasefire?"


    "Hah, you believe that? How naive are you? Didn''t you hear that I just got intelligence from the imperial army? A ceasefire isn''t the end of the war. It''s just a break on the surface."


    Sung-Woon smiled beneath his mask, "I know you."


    "You know me?"


    "You have integrity, so I knew you wouldn''t break the ceasefire. You wouldn''t attack me."


    Precisely, Sung-Woon knew v''s stats. v was an entity with the special stat Integrity, which was notably high. Sung-Woon also knew v wouldn''t break a negotiation. It was a personal calction, so rather than convincing other yers, he decided it was better toe here himself. There was no need to leave other yers feeling uneasy.


    Meanwhile, v¡¯s eyes widened and blinked a few times, as if they were somewhat embarrassed.


    v looked at Sung-Woon. "Integrity? Are you saying I''m a fool? ...This is the first time I''m hearing that I possess such a thing."


    Sung-Woon said, "That''s what has kept you in your position. It''s your strength."


    v closed their eyes for a moment, thinking about something.


    After opening them, v said, "Until the imperial army arrives, the Revolutionary Army will protect you. Is that alright?"


    Sung-Woon smiled and replied, "Thank you."

 Chapter 290: Since the Gods Have Descended

    <h4>Chapter 290: Since the Gods Have Descended</h4>


    In Zarin, due to its hightitude, the days were bing cooler faster than in other regions of the Empire. However, for May Gonta, an Elf who had lived in Zarin all her life, it wasn''t yet cold enough to be worth mentioning. The day had been clear and bright without clouds, and the view from the building''s window was beautiful, which made May feel less drowsy.


    After work, May stopped by arge grocery store, habitually checked the instant food aisle, and then moved to the fresh food section.


    <i>''I can''t just heat up instant food for grandma.''</i>


    May''s grandmother, who lived in the same city, often came to May''s house for meals on weekends. As Elves generally lived longer than other species, they were particrly respectful toward their elders, but regardless, May liked her grandmother. She was always bright and cheerful, enjoying conversations with people.


    <i>''I don''t know how she remains so spirited after living through that great war.''</i>


    The scars from the war fought between the Union Kingdom and the Empire were still present. While May''s generation was not affected, many of the older generation, including May''s grandmother, grew up in orphanages. It was a dreadful time.


    Therefore, May, wanting to providefort food for her grandmother, lingered at the fresh food section, but there was a problem. May didn''t particrly enjoy cooking, so she knew almost no recipes. Though she could try some of the recipes on Sky Net, her grandmother would end up cooking, and May would get to enjoy delicious traditional Elf dishes, but that would defeat the purpose of cooking for her grandmother.


    <i>''...Should I just order something?''</i>


    It would dy dinner time a bit, but ordering seemed like a better option to May. She tried calling her grandmother to ask what she wanted to eat, but there was no response. May understood since her grandmother was not familiar with mobile phones, so feeling hungry, May hurried home.


    "Grandma, I''m home. I was about to order dinner, what do you want to... Huh?"


    After opening the front door, May noticed unfamiliar shoes. They weren''t her grandmother''s usual shoes. They were traditional Elf-style silk shoes, not entirely unfamiliar. Elves usually kept a couple sets of traditional clothes and shoes for festivals. May also had some with simr designs in her wardrobe and shoe rack. Moreover, traditionalists often wore them as regr clothing.


    However, what May found strange was the presence of someone else''s shoes.


    "Ah, you''ve arrived?"


    Fortunately, the owner of the shoes soon appeared.


    May couldn''t help but feel a peculiar emotion upon seeing them. Naturally, she was worried about her grandmother being with a stranger in the house, and she thought she would panic or get angry upon seeing the person, but the moment their eyes met, May could only stand there, mouth slightly open, shocked. The person was incredibly beautiful.


    "You¡¯re May Gonta, right? Your grandmother said she woulde soon."


    "Are you...grandma''s...friend...?"


    May regretted her words as soon as she spoke them. She had thought this Elf could be an acquaintance because they were of the same species, but the visitor seemed too young to be a friend. This Elf appeared a couple of years younger than May Gonta herself, but guessing an Elf''s age was tricky even for another Elf, so May thought that there was a chance that wouldn¡¯t be the case.


    "Friend? Oh, yes. A friend indeed. I''ve known her for a long time."


    "Really?"


    "I taught your grandmother how to make flower crowns."


    "Oh, you''re a teacher from the cultural center," May nodded while saying so.


    May¡¯s grandmother regrly attended various sses at the local cultural center. Though May hadn''t heard specifically, May assumed her grandmother would have taken flower arranging sses.


    The unfamiliar Elf smiled broadly and nodded. "Yes. Something like that."


    "Then what brings you to our house today..."


    May stepped inside, feeling reassured that the visitor was harmless. As soon as she entered, aforting smell of food being cooked wafted from the kitchen. Something was simmering gently, and the sound of something sizzling in oil could be heard. The aroma was more savory and weing than smoky. The Elf even wore an apron May had bought with a promise to cook properly someday but had rarely used.


    "Please, don''t be too surprised."


    "Pardon?"


    "Your grandmother slipped on the stairs and fell."


    "What?"


    "So, I quickly took her to the hospital, got her medicine, and helped her back. She wanted toe to your house since she was on her way here. Luckily, the hospital said it was just a muscle spasm, and the swelling should go down by tomorrow. She''s taken her medicine and is sleeping now."


    May went to the room to check on her grandmother.


    "...Grandma, are you okay?"


    It was just as the unfamiliar Elf had said. May lifted the nket to check the injured area, but it was hard to tell where the swelling was. May was about to turn on the light to take a better look when her grandmother woke up.


    "May, is that you?"


    "Grandma, you fell down the stairs? Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine. It was just a slight sprain from the shock."


    "Shocked?"


    "Did they leave?"


    "Who? Your friend?"


    "They called me a friend?"


    "Huh? They¡¯re not?"


    "No no, they are. They¡¯re a friend of mine. May, dear."


    "Yeah."


    "Be nice to my friend."


    "Huh? Oh, okay."


    "I''m sleepy from the medicine. Wake me up when it''s time to eat, will you?"


    "Okay."


    "You must wake me up. Understand?"


    "I understand."


    In the dark room, May saw her grandmother''s face illuminated only by the light from the living room. It wasn''t just a face of fatigue. It was a face ofplete contentment.


    <i>''Is the Elf not just a cultural center teacher? Is it because they¡¯re pretty?''</i>


    May thought that could be the case as soon as she saw her grandmother''s friend again. Her grandmother had always fallen quickly in love with beautiful people since her youth, often reminiscing about her doomed romances in front of May.


    <i>''But Grandma...this age difference won¡¯t be easy to ovee.''</i>


    May lingered around the kitchen area until her grandmother''s friend suggested she quickly take a shower and change clothes, as dinner was not ready yet. It made May feel a bit morefortable. May hurried a bit, feeling slightly uneasy with a stranger in the house, but soon regretted it.


    After showering and returning to the living room, she found herself in the awkward situation of being alone with her grandmother''s friend. Her grandmother''s friend seemed unbothered, focusing on cooking, while May, somewhatcking in social skills, struggled to figure out how to handle the situation. The Elf eventually broke the ice.


    "Would you mind turning on the news?"


    "Ah, yes, for sure. It''s been quite hectic today."


    May didn''t just use the word ''hectic'' as a manner of speaking. To her, it indeed seemed like a significant event had urred. Despite how busy everyone was, the atmosphere at work had been unsettled all day due to one ongoing topic. It was that the gods had descended.


    In this context, both ''gods'' and ''descended'' were left to interpretations. People had their own opinions about what the event meant and discussed how the situation would unfold. This was especially the case since the event followed the unprecedented moon-facing n, so it was natural for all eyes in the Empire to be drawn to it.


    May operated the remote to turn on the receiver.


    "Ah, just in time."


    On the screen, a well-dressed Orc was seated. The Orc adjusted their sses slightly and bowed.


    "Good evening, citizens of the Empire. This is Maloko Yanafdel, news anchor for Orazen¡¯s Public Broadcasting, Empire 24/7. I know the emergency news arrangement must have surprised you. Some of you may have already confirmed the facts through Sky Net or breaking news, and some are aware of the announcements made by regional grand temples.


    ¡°However, many are still unaware of what''s happening in the Empire right now. Our special news segment, <i>Since the Gods Have Descended</i>, will continue for 24 hours until the situation settles down. Regr programs are avable on the Orazen¡¯s Public Broadcasting website via Sky Net... Now, let''s connect to Yotan, our reporter at the Imperial Pce... Yotan, can you hear me?"


    On therge monitor behind announcer Maloko, an Astacidea reporter appeared. Yotan, small for an Astacidea and born with a low-probability disability, stood out with their vibrant ws that were a mix of green and blue.


    "Yes! I''m Yotan, reporting from the front yard of the Imperial Pce."


    "Reporter Yotan, what exactly is happening to us?"


    Prompted by announcer Maloko''s provocative question, Yotan waved theirrge ws.


    "Here, the pce grounds are bustling with journalists and citizens of Orazen waiting for an official statement from the Imperial Pce. The city administration of Orazen said that there would be no official announcement, but the Central Temple of Orazen stated that there would be an official statement from the pce. What is happening, first and foremost, we are waiting for an answer to that."


    "What''s the mood like?"


    "Fanatical groups, as well as regr congregations of the Central Temple, secr and environmentalist groups, are all here, creating a sea of people holding banners and slogans. However, despite the presence of these diverse groups, they all share one question: What is happening? More specifically, why have the gods descended here?"


    Maloko nodded. "There''s no official announcement yet, but we have gathered some information through the Imperial Army and the Central Temple, right?"


    "Yes."


    Yotan appeared to be a skilled reporter. They began exining without even ncing at the notes they were finishing off.


    "ording to the meteorological satellite data, starting from around 05:37 this morning, light began to emerge from the depths of the Rasdasil Ruins. Shortly after, many events unfolded. Specifically, the gods of the Pantheon manifested in physical form."


    "The way they ''manifested in physical form'' sounds different from the Divine Control or Hierophany we''re familiar with from records or observations, or even the Incarnation we saw during that dreadful war, doesn''t it?"


    "Yes, that''s correct. ''Manifested in physical form'' is a phrase borrowed from an internal source of the Central Temple''s priest."


    "How is it different?"


    "Unlike Divine Control, where only the soul descends using another being''s body, or Hierophany, which is considered the true form of a god, or Incarnation, the true nature of which is still under research, the gods have appeared in physical bodies of flesh and blood, not draped in divinity, but in their raw, unadorned form."


    "Flesh and blood?"


    "Yes."


    "That means..."


    "Yes, yes, exactly that. That''s what we''re all concerned about."

 Chapter 291: Golden Bird of Fabirang

    <h4>Chapter 291: Golden Bird of Fabirang</h4>


    Yotan clicked and extended their w, a gesture Astacideas used for emphasis.


    "The phrase ''flesh and blood'' refers to mortal bodies. That means, as of now, the gods are in an extremely vulnerable state."


    "So, the gods are... Ah, wait a moment...yes, I have just been advised by the priest organization that what I was about to say may be sphemous. However, yes...however, our citizens with their sharp intellectuals will understand what I''m trying to say. You understand too, right, Reporter Yotan?"


    Suddenly, there was a disturbance at Maloko''s desk. Maloko calmly looked toward themotion, pursing their lips tightly.


    Then they slightly shook their head and said, "No, this isn''t sphemy. I''m not asking this question to disrespect the divinity of the Pantheon, but rather to share amon understanding of a more important issue. Reporter Yotan, please answer. Have the gods be...mortals?"


    Yotan answered concisely, "Yes, they have. They can now die."


    The disturbance at the desk grew louder, and a figure in priestly robes approached before getting promptly pulled away by other staff members who ran in front of the camera.


    Maloko took a moment to wipe their sweat with a handkerchief and took a sip of water.


    "...Yes, sorry for the interruption. There was a small disturbance at the desk. We at Orazen¡¯s Public Broadcasting apologize to the citizens of the Empire and will pay more attention to smooth broadcasting... Reporter Yotan?"


    "Yes."


    "Please continue. The gods have be mortals... Is this true?"


    Yotan said, "We can infer this from the fact that priests, the chosen ones, and the knights are currently unable to use the miracles derived from their faith."


    "What does that mean?"


    "It''s not just that the gods have be mortal beings, but the power of the Pantheon, the divinity we knew...is gone."


    "Gone?"


    Yotan nodded. It was a difficult gesture for an Astacidea, but living among other species, Yotan seemed to have picked it up as a habit. This Astacidea surely had many friends from different species.


    Reporter Yotan said, "We call this the Fall."


    "The Fall. Right, the Fall. It sounds like an archaic word, doesn''t it?"


    "It''s actually borrowed from ancient texts found in ruins. Priests and archaeologists started referring to the phenomenon by this term, and it quickly spread through Sky Net."


    Maloko nodded. "Understood. Reporter Yotan, please stay at your location and wait until we receive an official announcement from the Imperial Pce."


    "Yes. This was Yotan at the front yard of the Imperial Pce."


    As Yotan disappeared from the screen, Maloko continued the broadcast.


    "At our desk currently, we have the captain of the southern continent¡¯s Kalonba Exploration Team, Aronng Rubel, to exin the Fall to us. Hello, Captain Rubel."


    "Yes, I am Aronng Rubel."


    Aronng was a Minotaur, which was a rare sight. Due to theirrge size, the camera had to be pulled back, making Maloko, who was already of considerable size, appear rtively small.


    Maloko adjusted their sses and looked at Aronng. "Why did a phenomenon like the Fall happen? Manyizens are discussing this on Sky Net. Not just on Sky Net, but in restaurants, tea shops, and now in bars, and many people in their living rooms with their families are talking about the Fall. Some even say that the gods have abandoned us once again."


    Aronng lightly rubbed their nose. "First, I disagree with what you said. It''s not right to say that the gods abandoned the people, the Empire, or Avartin due to the Fall."


    "Is that so?"


    "In ancient literature, the Fall is used only in a passive, not active, sense."


    "Ah, could you exin it more simply for our viewers, Captain?"


    "There''s no case of self-induced Falling. It''s always something that happens <i>to</i> them."


    "And who is responsible for that?"


    Aronng didn''t answer immediately, but looked down at the water bottle in front of them. However, it didn''t seem like they were actually looking at the bottle.


    "In respect to deteriorating knowledge... From a considerable number of ancient texts, we find records of the deeds of the old gods and cases of the Fall. The Fall was a kind of punishment. It turned a god into a non-god.


    ¡°Higher gods could do this to lower gods, to those of a lower divine rank, and those who lost their divinity, yes, without exception, faced a miserable death. What can die does die."


    Maloko adjusted their sses, more as a gesture to catch attention and adjust pace than because they were actually tilted. "But what can be higher-ranking than the gods of the Pantheon?"


    Aronng replied, "The old gods. The old gods have returned."


    The news then discussed who old gods were and the lengthy ancient history of Avartin, which was so vast that its uracy was often questioned. Much of it was filled with archaeologists'' spections and hypotheses that were more imaginations than anything.


    Yet it covered the rtively recent history of the evil gods'' emergence, the old war caused by them, and the 40,000 years of abandonment that followed the war. The sequence formed a context, allowing viewers to grasp the overall picture.


    "...We thank the southern continent¡¯s Kalonba Exploration Team for providing the information. Captain Aronng, you''re saying the old gods subjected the new gods to the Fall...and thus, the gods of the Pantheon have descended to earth."


    "Yes."


    "Captain, all of this happened right after the moon-facing n. It hasn''t even been 24 hours since the execution of Operation: Second Moon, known as the final strategy. Are these two events rted?"


    "Yes, they are certainly rted. The gods of the Pantheon and our Empire seeded in Operation: Second Moon. I''ve heard that although the announcement from the Starkeepers'' High Committee hasn''t been made yet, the second moon disappeared, and the evil gods were repelled."


    "Yes, that''s all true.¡±


    Aronng said, "I see it this way: there is now no enemy of the Pantheon or the Empire in the world. We have truly achieved peace. Of course, there are forces that disrupt the unity of the Empire, but that''s natural. The Empire is heading toward a path we haven¡¯t yet gone down on... At least, as long as nothing had happened."


    "You''re saying that it was when the old gods appeared?"


    "Yes."


    "What are they aiming for?"


    "That''s not precisely known. The old gods haven''t shown themselves yet. However, based on the Fall, there is a clear fact."


    "What is that?"


    Aronng quietly looked down at their water bottle.


    "The fact that the old gods have inflicted the Fall on the gods of the Pantheon implies that the rtionship between these two sets of gods is not equal, and there is discord."


    Maloko nodded. "Captain, thank you for your thoughtful exnations about the Fall. Just one final question, if I may?"


    "Go ahead."


    "It might be a bit personal. Is that okay?"


    "Yes, that''s fine."


    Maloko and Aronng locked eyes.


    Maloko asked, "Captain, if you had to choose between following the old gods or the Pantheon, whom would you follow?"


    Aronng answered, "Obviously, I would follow the Pantheon. We have believed and followed them, and they have endlessly revealed the path to us. I am a follower of the god of the north. I cannot give up this faith now."


    "Even though the gods have lost their divinity? If what you say about the Fall is true, the gods of the Pantheon will no longer be able to bestow any miracles upon us."


    Aronng slightly shook their head. "Excuse me for a moment. You see, there''s nothing on this desk. But if someone does this..."


    Suddenly, Aronng reached for the water bottle and spilled a bit of water. Then, they ced their finger on the small puddle and drew a line with their index finger.


    "We can follow a line if it''s drawn for us, and even if that line disappears..."


    As Aronng''s finger moved beyond the spilled water, the water no longer followed due to friction, and the line of transparent droplets broke off from their fingertip.


    "Even if it disappears, we can look back at the line that was drawn in the past. This will be our guide for the future... A long time ago, someone drew a line in our hearts. It doesn''t matter if they can no longer lead us. I will continue to follow that line."


    Maloko stayed silent for a moment¡ªfor one second, two seconds, three seconds. It almost seemed like a broadcasting ident. Shadows moved behind the camera.


    Soon, Maloko skillfully took out a handkerchief to wipe off the water Aronng had spilled on the desk, continuing the broadcast. "Thank you. That was Aronng Rubel, the captain of the southern continent¡¯s Kalonba Exploration Team."


    "Thank you."


    The screen then focused solely on Maloko.


    Maloko said, "Moving on to our next piece of news. Currently, the whereabouts of the Fallen gods arergely uncertain, and due to security risks, we cannot disclose this information.


    ¡°Amidst this, one of the Pantheon gods is showing a rather...lively course of action. We assure you that the uing footage has been reviewed for security by the Imperial Pce, Central Temple, and Imperial Army... We''ll connect now with Narin Eose, who is on the site... Narin?"


    The screen switched to Narin.


    "Yes! I''m Narin Eose at the Central Museum of Fabirang in the southern continent."


    Narin Eose belonged to the Renard species. Despite being rtively short, their overflowing energy made them seem bigger than they were. In fact, their body rhythmically moved with every syble they enunciated with emphasis.


    "The Central Museum of Fabirang is famous for its exhibition of historic inventions rted to the...Doodooba Rubber Trees. Why are you there?"


    "Right! I''m here at the Central Museum of Fabirang because the famous Pantheon god, Folded Wing Golden Bird, hase here! Golden Bird woke up at the Fabirang Sanctuary and, under the protection provided by the Fabirang Imperial Territory, is visiting majorndmarks of Fabirang!"


    Footage then appeared on the screen. There stood a confident figure known to the Pantheon¡¯s yers as RD, worshiped by devotees as the Folded Wing Golden Bird, and simply referred to as a rubber duck toy by Sung-Woon.


    RD was surrounded by Fabirang''s pride, the ty Special Task Force. Despite theirplete armament, the ty Special Task Force looked somewhat cute, but theirbat capabilities were highly regarded, leading to spections that even their appearance is part of a strategy. In fact, in modern warfare, their small stature was advantageous withpact firearms.


    RD shamelessly walked down the main roads of Fabirang, admiring numerous architectural marvels, expressing awe, and tasting famous local dishes. Naturally, RD''s arms didn''t reach their mouth, so high priests had to attend to them, all wearing broad smiles out of their delight to be serving a god directly.


    "...We''ve seen the footage. But, Reporter Narin, it looks to me like..."


    "Yes!"


    "The activities the Golden Bird is engaging in seems..."


    "Yes!"


    "Like tourism..."


    Narin clearly responded, "Yes! It is tourism."

 Chapter 292: I Didn鈥檛 Mean To, But

    <h4>Chapter 292: I Didn¡¯t Mean To, But</h4>


    Narin reiterated, "Golden Bird is enjoying a tour of Fabirang. ording to the current schedule, Golden Bird will be visiting each of Apostle Toolbo''s inventions at the Central Museum of Fabirang before having a dinner meeting with the mayor of Fabirang. What you are seeing now is a reproduction of the Helix Wing, specifically the early version used by the Madman Toolbo during his ascension."


    "Hmm, I see... Honestly speaking... No, let me rephrase that. Narin, what do you think about Golden Bird''s touristic activities? The current situation seems quite serious, doesn''t it?"


    Narin quickly responded, "Yes! I think it''s a good thing."


    "...Do you have a reason for that?"


    "Yes! I''m not sure how to convey the atmosphere here, but..." Saying this, Narin nced back and forth. "Since Golden Bird''s arrival, this ce has been like a constant festival. Although crowds are eager to catch a glimpse of Golden Bird from a distance, a minimum level of order is maintained. People on other continents may express anxiety following the Fall, but that''s not the case here, at least not in this ce. People say the gods have lost their divinity, but from what I see, at least here, it doesn¡¯t seem that way."


    Following Narin''s words, Maloko''s expression visibly softened. "I see. Okay then..."


    Just as Maloko was about to continue, Narin interrupted, "Oh, finally."


    "Pardon?"


    "Oops, sorry. Folded Wing Golden Bird has finally arrived to see the first invention of Apostle Madman Toolbo in thergest section of the Central Museum of Fabirang. Director, please hurry, we can''t miss this."


    As Narin dashed toward a part of the museum, the camera followed. Maloko cleared their throat. Just before the camera showed something slightly ufortable for public broadcasting, the screen cut off, and Maloko reappeared.


    "...Yes. That was Narin Eose. Coming up next, we have a debate on the topic of the old gods and the Pantheon gods. The participants will be..."


    <i>Ding!</i>


    Startled by the sudden bell sound, May Gonta blinked.


    Her grandmother¡¯s friend said from behind her, "Ah, looks like the oven is done."


    May felt as if she had just woken from a dream. During work, she had only heard bits and pieces of the story and hadn''t fully grasped what was happening in the world. Many others probably felt the same.


    <i>''I can¡¯t believe the gods have descended to the world.''</i>


    For someone born and raised in the Empire, it was inevitable to grow up hearing tales of the gods, and the same was true of May,rgely because her grandmother was a well-known devout believer in their region. May''s grandmother had seen the god Dancing Shadow God, the protector of Zarin and the Elves, at a festival in her childhood, and she always spoke of that moment.


    Once, when May asked her grandmother how she endured the difficult times of war, her grandmother''s answer was quite ridiculous.


    "May, when people die, they go to the Prairie of Beginnings. Then, you get to see Dancing Shadow God¡¯s face again. So a long life is nothing but a long wait for that moment, and you can''t help but live with excitement. That''s the source of my strength."


    After that, May found it hard to openly talk about her grandmother being a devout follower.


    "The meal is ready. Can you wake your grandmother up?"


    "Oh, yes."


    As May was about to stand up and the participants in the debate began their introductions, suddenly, there was static noise on the screen.


    "...A ckout?"


    Her grandmother''s friend shook her head.


    "...No."


    The screen changed. The words ''Orazen¡¯s Public Broadcasting'' in the top left corner disappeared. What appeared was a dark shadow.


    From beyond the shadow, a voice spoke, "...We are..."


    The shadow gradually became clearer. It turned into a face.


    "...The masters of the old world."


    In the Empire, if asked to draw a face, various kinds of faces would be drawn, typically reflecting one''s own species. Therefore, May could narrow down the species the face''s owner could be.


    <i>''Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, or Human...''</i>


    It would be difficult for a Lizardman or an Orc to differentiate between them, but the so-called Minnow species recognized each other well. The lines were too bold for an Elf, the beard too sparse for a Dwarf, and there were too many wrinkles for a Halfling.


    May concluded, <i>''It''s a Human face.''</i>


    Although Human, there were noticeable peculiarities. The face seemed stern and rigid. It would be ufortable to face whoever it was at a dinner table. However, the emerging shadow didn''t look like a simple Human. The shadow hadrge wings like a Garuda on their back. Not just one pair, but three pairs of broad wings, and a halo shining behind the head.


    The voice said, "...We shall reim the world that was once ours."


    Based on the deration, these were clearly the old gods mentioned in the special news broadcast. Yet, to May, their words sounded strangely off.


    <i>¡®The world belongs to the gods, is that what they mean?¡¯</i>


    The gods weren¡¯t the ones who lived in Avartin. The gods resided in the pantheon, and Avartin belonged to the mortals. The residents were the owners of thend.


    "...So I say. Listen, mortals." An unnamed old god spoke, "...Blessings shall be upon those who have the courage to capture the false gods pretending to be us."


    Then abruptly, the transmission was cut off. An ufortable silence followed.


    Her grandmother''s friend looked anxiously at the dark screen, and May approached and said, "Uh, it must have been a broadcast ident, right?"


    "It was an old god."


    "Really? Were old gods Humans?"


    "Not Humans. They are called Angels."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "Yes, right. Now I understand why they chose our world. To make us feel that we can''t possibly oppose them, they intentionally took on such forms."


    May couldn''tprehend what was being said. What was important was that her grandmother''s friend looked somewhat uneasy.


    May moved closer and took the stranger Elf''s hand. "Are you okay?"


    The Elf looked up at May. May momentarily thought she had gotten too close.


    "Thank you... I''m sorry, but I don''t think I can join you for dinner."


    "What? But grandmother was looking forward to it."


    "I think she''ll forgive me since I made the meal. I''m the best cook in our group."


    May wondered if they also taught cooking sses. But indeed, May thought that was a possibility. Just the smell of the cooking was enough to satisfy May.


    "If she''s too disappointed, I promise to make her a flower crown again."


    "A flower crown? Would she like that?"


    "Would she not? She loved itst time."


    The screen turned back on.


    Maloko shouted, "Breaking news!"


    <i>Wiiioouuuu!</i>


    Almost at the same time as Maloko''s loud shout, sirens red throughout the city of Zarin.


    Maloko said, "There is an anomaly happening across the Empire! Please be cautious! The old gods are appearing! Citizens of the Empire, please move to a safe ce. I repeat, citizens of the Empire, do not just watch idly, please move to a safe ce."


    Maloko disappeared, and the scene from a closed-circuit transmitter appeared. Given that the Orazen¡¯s Public Broadcasting logo was still visible, it didn''t seem like a broadcast ident.


    Maloko''s voice continued, "Please note. This is a phenomenon currently happening in the outskirts of Orazen."


    On the screen showing a dark forest. There was a distant pale light, from which something appeared in the sky. It looked like the Sky Castle. However, it looked distinctly different from the Starkeeper''s current form. It resembled the Sky Castle from before the Starkeeper''s time, back when it was the capital of the Union Kingdom.


    From this Sky Castle emerged a being with the appearance of an Angel, spreading wings and making a grand entrance.


    "Those are the old gods."


    The old god slowly turned around and looked directly at the screen via the closed-circuit transmitter. The moment the old god raised a finger, the screen went dark.


    <i>Thud, thud, thud!</i>


    Startled by the sounds of someone knocking on the door as the screen went off, May jumped.


    Her grandmother''s friend reassured her, "It''s okay. Don''t worry."


    "Pardon?"


    As her grandmother¡¯s friend moved toward the front door, May tried to stop them. However, the Elf lightly waved her off and opened the door.


    The view May was ustomed to from her third-floor vi was now unrecognizable. The hallway, stairs, and even the za below the vi were densely filled with soldiers. Moreover, several tactical helicopters hovered in the sky, unnoticed due to the loud sirens. May was terrified by the absurd scene.


    The soldiers, dressed in the light green pattern uniforms fitting for Zarin''s greenery, wore epaulets May also recognized. They were Zarin''s pride, the Aid Knights.


    The maskedmander of the knights saluted and said, "Humble knight at the service of our master, Dancing Shadow God."


    "It would be better to leave out ¡®humble''."


    "...I apologize for the indiscretion."


    "It''s time, isn''t it?"


    "Regrettably so. We didn''t want to intrude, but our enemies have gotten close."


    "It''s as per the scenario."


    The Knight Commander nodded. "Under the grand n of Night Sky, the apostles are secretly moving. The enemies shall not dare to touch even a fingertip of Dancing Shadow God."


    "I know. Let''s hurry. I hope everyone is safe."


    "If that is your wish, it shall be so. We will escort you."


    Eldar slightly raised their head, smiling with their eyes at May.


    "I must leave now."


    "Wait, are you...really...?"


    Eldar didn¡¯t deem that a response. It was not a question that needed answering.


    Eldar instead mumbled in front of the Knight Commander as if making excuses, "Actually, I didn''t n on this, but as soon as your grandmother saw me, she copsed. Turns out, she remembered my face from when I used Hierophany and blessed her during a past festival. I didn''t expect someone to remember me. I was so surprised that I couldn''t leave her with a sprained leg. Well, actually...I''m not even sure if her leg was really sprained."


    "Did Grandmother perhaps..."


    "She¡¯s a bit mischievous, isn¡¯t she?" Eldar dismisses it with a wave of their hand. "Still, it''s okay. I had a pleasant time too. Really. Thank you for holding my hand."


    Eldar smiled and then stepped out of the doorway. For onest time, Eldar turned around and waved.


    "See you again, friend."


    May waved back slowly.


    <i>''I won''t even know what to say to grandmother now.''</i>


    It couldn''t be helped. May realized that she, too, had fallen into the same kind of love as her grandmother.

 Chapter 293: Because They Were Outraged

    <h4>Chapter 293: Because They Were Outraged</h4>


    "Chairman Sarcho."


    In the office of the chairman of the western continental Imperial Council, Sarcho heard someone calling them.


    "It is almost time."


    Despite the reminder, Sarcho remained motionless, sitting in their simple chair, facing away from the people and looking out the window.


    The secretaries in the chairman''s office quietly went in and out, attempting to read Sarcho''s mood, while the members of the western continental council, who were divided into various factions, caught the passing secretaries to try and figure out what Sarcho was thinking.


    "Is the chairman not nning to get going yet?"


    "Yes."


    "...Well, that''s something."


    "The council members should wait in the meeting hall."


    "No."


    The separatist faction, one of the most radical secrist political forces in the western continent, held significant power. The separatists demanded independence from the Empire, having absorbed the descendants of the Union Kingdom and revolutionary forces over a long period. With sufficient political power and having been the mainstream on the western continent for over a decade, they had many supporters.


    Members of the separatist faction gathered in front of the chairman''s office, discussing and waiting for Sarcho. They stood in the shadow away from the light streaming through the window, making it hard to distinguish each other''s faces.


    Someone whispered, "Do you think this is a crisis or an opportunity?"


    Despite the Imperial Parliament being a ce where one must be careful with words, it was still a secure ce. As long as they kept their voices low, there was no need to worry about others overhearing.


    Someone in the faction said, "It''s an opportunity."


    "Yes, it''s an opportunity."


    During the previous night, the old gods had revealed themselves. Their presence was surprising. Along with the old gods, the famous ancient relic of the Empire, the Sky Castle, emerged. The Sky Castle as they knew it was once the capital of the Union Kingdom and now housed the Starkeeper, a celestial base symbolizing the Empire''s moon-facing n, but it turned out to be only one of many.


    The ancient gods had emerged with dozens of such Sky Castles across the world. The exact number was still a military secret, but media reports suggested there were about 70 to 80 castles. Where these Sky Castles had originated was up to much debate, but ording to the Wizards of the Vaseniol Wizard Tower, they likely emerged from the space known as the Demon World. The fact that the old gods created so many Sky Castles and even the second moon made the imperial citizens uneasy.


    "The Empire didn''t ept their proposal even after witnessing the show of force by the old gods."


    The Imperial Pce made an official announcement after the old gods revealed themselves, bringing along the Sky Castles. The Empire dered it would protect all gods of the Pantheon, and those who interfered or disobeyed would not be forgiven in the Emperor''s name. This announcement received great support from the central and southern continents. However, the response was not as strong in the eastern and western continents, where the political lineage and influence differed from the Empire¡¯s center.


    While the Empire''s system and power were pervasive, it was difficult to sway the general public all at once, and the secrists saw this situation as a kind of opportunity.


    "How powerful do you think the old gods are?"


    "That''s not important. What matters is that they believe they can fight the Empire and are acting on it."


    In fact, after the appearance of the old gods, localized battles had been urring throughout the Empire. However, the Sky Castles themselves, seemingly the base of the old gods, did not engage in the battles directly. The attacks were initiated by floating crystals that detached from the Sky Castles.


    These unpolished, magenta crystals, sharp at the bottom like awls, ranged from approximately 10 to 30 meters in size and slowly moved toward the Empire''s major cities despite the Empire''s stern warnings.


    The Empire''s response to the floating crystals was to attack them. Various regional armies surrounded the crystals and projected firepower, but surprisingly, the crystals were not destroyed by such physical attacks. As a result, the Empire proceeded to evacuate citizens and iste areas where the floating crystals had stopped.


    Investigations on these crystals were still to be revealed, scientifically, magically, and theologically. The Pce''s official statement was that it was unknown what the old gods intended to achieve through these floating crystals.


    A separatist said, "The Empire is in chaos."


    "Do you really think so?"


    "With no gods in the Pantheon, what thoughts could those puppets have?"


    "Hm."


    "This is undoubtedly an opportunity. We must seize it."


    Such conversations were merely a reconfirmation of the separatists'' thoughts. The separatists expected that the Empire could lose to the old gods and, even if it did not, would lose its influence over other continents in the process of war. If so, the two continents on the sides¡ªand perhaps even the southern continent¡ªcould break free from the Empire''s shadow.


    "But there are many on our western continent who fear the old gods."


    "Are they not gods at the end of the day? There''s nothing to fear."


    "Aren''t they...different?"


    Of course, the separatists were cautious about the old gods. They seemed a bit different from the gods of the Pantheon. However, they did not yet know much about the old gods and had not had time to properly understand them. The separatists thought that the old gods could be worse than the Pantheon, but without a way to know for sure in the current situation, could it not turn out to be the opposite, that the old gods could be better? And how could they make judgment without experiencing it?


    "But look at their faces."


    "Their faces?"


    "Weren''t they like the Tailless and Half Tailed of olden times in thisnd?"


    When the separatists saw the faces of the angels, they couldn''t help but recall the oppressed species from thends of the Union Kingdom. Although the Pantheon of the Empire had diverse values and faces, the old gods had consistent ones.


    Judging from the faces of minority races like Dwarves, Halflings, Humans, and Elves, perhaps the old gods favored these species more. In fact, many of the separatists were of Tailless species origin in the past.


    "So we must persuade Chairman Sarcho."


    At these words, all the separatists nodded.


    For the secrists, Sarcho''s influence was absolute. Sarcho was indeed a living legend of the revolution. In fact, based on famous broadcasts transmitted worldwide, Sarcho''s secr discourse recorded higher viewership ratings than the Emperor''s speech at the imperial pce.


    One of the separatists said, "But will Chairman Sarcho agree with us?"


    "I''m curious, why do you think they won''t agree?"


    "I''ve heard that people like Dain in thebor sector hold the same will as the Empire. Dain is a long-timerade of Sarcho."


    "Ha, nothing but a traitor."


    An old councilor waved their hand dismissively. "Chairman Sarcho had their life saved during theirst visit to Orazen."


    "And do you know what the chairman said after that? They said their life was exploited, politically consumed in the fight of the gods. That the Pantheon could have prevented such a thing from happening in the first ce."


    The old councilor continued, "I believe they¡¯re just deliberating for a decision. I trust that their will aligns with ours."


    "What do you think will happen next, councilor?"


    The councilor brought their hand to their chin and slowly rubbed it. "If the chairman delivers the right speech, they could gain the support of the secrists of the western continent. It would be an unprecedented event. They could also make use of the various symbolic powers held by the council."


    "...Such as?"


    "They could use continental autonomy discretion in a crisis, ignoringmands from the Empire and the royal family in times of disaster. This includes the emergency detention of dangerous individuals. Do you understand what I mean?"


    A young separatist councilor caught on immediately. "To detain the gods'' mortal manifestations?"


    "Yes."


    "Well...that would be a tremendous event."


    "It would be."


    Even detaining only the known gods of the western continent that went through the Fall would still create a massive echo.


    Although the secrists were still sharing inside information, there was unconfirmed news that the location where Night Sky descended was located in the western continent.


    "But the Imperial Army won''t just stand by."


    "Even the Imperial Army can''t ignore the chairman''s autonomy discretion."


    "Officially, that''s true."


    "I know what you mean, but there are factions in the western continent''s Imperial Army who are devoted to the chairman, former revolutionaries."


    "Are you saying this could lead to a civil war?"


    "If the chairman wishes."


    At this point, Avartin stood at a crossroad.


    "If the western continent makes the first move, the eastern continent will resonate. Add the old gods to that, and the Empire could copse in an instant."


    It was natural for the separatists to be agitated in such a situation. The long-standing oppression of the Empire was falling, and the world was beginning to move. They believed that each of them could create a different world they dreamed of.


    One of Sarcho''s secretaries burst out of the door. "Chairman ising out!"


    Bugbear Sarcho, with a white-bearded chin and sideburns, immediately headed to the council upon leaving the chairman''s office.


    The separatist councilors, unable to keep up with Sarcho''s fast pace, followed and called out, "Sarcho! Talk to us!"


    Sarcho continued walking as if they hadn''t heard, almost kicking in the doors of the council chamber. The cameras of the waiting journalists shed dazzlingly.


    "After being 30 minuteste from the emergency council meeting of the western continent, Chairman Sarcho finally enters the council!"


    Sarcho, now unfazed by the camera shes, walked up to the chairman''s seat. Ignoring the murmurs of the councilors, Sarcho wlessly initiated all the official procedures of the emergency council and then walked up to the podium. Reporters, sensing a historic moment, took shots faster.


    "Greetings,rades of the western continent, and those watching through the screen,rades of the entire Empire. I am Sarcho, the chairman of the western continent."


    It was the standard greeting before every speech, but even that quieted the buzzing audience.


    "Currently, we face unprecedented situations with the Fall and the arrival of the old gods. Such events are unprecedented, like the moon-facing n, which means it''s frightening because it''s something we cannot address with lessons from our past history. We must make a timely choice in this situation solely with our wisdom and bear the responsibility... The original n was this."


    Everyone''s attention focused on the direct address of the situation. All the public channels of the Empire were now showing Sarcho''s face.


    "The n was to start a separatist movement in the western continent against the Empire once the moon-facing n was over. If the Empire has no enemy, it would only exist as a symbol of perpetual violence. But strangely, the n went awry, the Pantheon Fell, and the old gods returned.


    The separatistrades tell me that now is the time. Now is when the western continent must break away from the Empire. I am aware of the separatistrades'' opinion, which is why I was unavoidablyte... Not because I was deliberating."


    Sarcho pounded the podium with their fist.


    "I was outraged. I didn¡¯t know what I would do if I just walked out here! I was trying to suppress the anger erupting from those words!"


    Sarcho struck the podium again. One of the microphones slipped off and created a high-pitched noise.


    Some councilors covered their ears, but Sarcho continued their speech.


    "How can those who im to follow the cause of secrism sympathize with the revolting oppressors who want to climb over us once again!"

 Chapter 294: The Pantheon鈥檚 Last Apostle

    <h4>Chapter 294: The Pantheon¡¯s Last Apostle</h4>


    Sarcho''s face twisted with anger. Sarcho¡¯s was so outraged that tears formed in their eyes.


    "Ordering to hand over the gods of the Pantheon? Is that a threat? Bowing your head to those winged viins! Listen! Councilor Adiosi! Etch this into your dull brain! Do you think this an opportunity?! This is not an opportunity! Following the Pantheon, now the old gods too, were you yearning for the sweet coating of subjugation?


    It''s not the Empire but you who are the puppets! You¡¯re blinded by filthy greed to enrich yourself with parasitic power. The gods have lost their divinity and be mortals. The very thing we longed for has happened! We can even charge them with crimes and bring them to trial! But that¡¯s only within the humane procedures of the council''sw.


    That''s thew of our Empire, our people. But you want to follow the words of buffoons with donuts on their heads? Anyone answer me! Is a god who has lost divinity still a god?"


    The journalists stopped even their typing, not to miss a word out of the litany of words.


    "I no longer see those who are not above us anymore as gods. Now they are people like us. But who dares to use people as tools! No one can. Absolutely not!"


    Apuse erupted, followed by a standing ovation, and everyone in the council cheered. Some journalists joined in. Only a few separatist councilors were confused.


    Sarcho then opened a water bottle and drank heavily, emptying it in one go.


    After taking a deep breath, Sarcho said in a somewhat calmer tone, "To my secristrades, I, Sarcho, cannot ept any being that dares to call themself a god. From now on, by the chairman''s authority, the western continent will operate independently from the Empire¡¯s center, exercising continental autonomy. We will operate the imperial army within all categories allowed by autonomy, and our enemy is the old god. That''s all."


    ***


    "Wow, that Bugbear has an incredible presence," Hwee-Kyung said, watching the broadcast.


    In the broadcast of the western continent''s council, the councilors were throwing questions at Sarcho, who had just finished their speech.


    Hwee-Kyung was at the meeting za of the Itimo Building in Pollivia on the eastern continent. The meeting za upied three floors, from the 70th to the 73rd, and was divided into restaurants and simple recreational areas.


    Pollivia, once a floating city, waspletely rebuilt with advanced technology using the wealth of the Itimo Group and created artificial grounds to support tall buildings. Because of this, Pollivia appeared as a giant floating city above the sea when viewed from the coast. The highrises, extending from the horizon, reflected sunlight at the sea level, creating an impressivendscape.


    A shadow beside Hwee-Kyung said, "They are considered a candidate for apostle."


    "Apostle candidate? Wow, it doesn¡¯t seem like the Bugbear would ever ept it."


    "Of course. The gods are also disappointed by this."


    ¡°Yeah. But, you know...¡±


    Hwee-Kyung looked around the empty lounge. She nced at the tea and snacks beside her. Having be an apostle, Hwee-Kyung no longer needed such material things, but she had picked them up out of habit. It seemed she enjoyed these things more now that they didn''t affect her physical body than before she became an apostle. Still, she felt she had eaten a lot already and probably wouldn''t need the next meal.


    The shadow beside her said, "Speak your mind, Hwee-Kyung."


    "Um..."


    The reason the meeting za was empty was simple¡ªthe entire Empire was in a situation simr to wartime emergency. No one had the luxury to leisurely enjoy themselves at the meeting za of a global corporation''s building.


    "...Sairan, is it really okay for us to be doing this?"


    Sairan Muel stepped closer and gently ced a hand on Hwee-Kyung''s back, saying, "Of course."


    "...But, you know, you didn''t participate in the second moon operation either."


    "Night Sky ordered me himself. My duty is to protect you."


    "Oh, um, okay. What about Lakrak?"


    "He seemed not to expect me to participate in the first ce."


    "And Zaol?"


    "She said it¡¯s natural for one¡¯s father and mother to be together. Anyway, you don''t have to worry."


    "Uh, okay. But...we''re...too close."


    "Sorry."


    Hwee-Kyung gently touched Sairan''s chin as he was about to move away. Sairan looked puzzled, meeting Hwee-Kyung''s eyes. Hwee-Kyung hesitated before removing her hand.


    "But we''re not here just for fun, after all. I don''t want to be disrespectful to the gods."


    "Understood."


    Hwee-Kyung was surprised when she heard about the n.


    <i>¡®The Fall.¡¯</i>


    But the fact that the Fall had been foreseen was enough for the current situation to not worry Hwee-Kyung too much. No matter how dangerous a situation, if one knew about it beforehand, they could prepare for it, and if they could prepare beforehand, the danger was essentially non-existent.


    Indeed, the Fall had urred, and the old gods had appeared, but no major incidents had happened yet.


    <i>''Still, we should be careful.''</i>


    Apostles were already on standby in various parts of the Empire to face the old gods. This was closely linked with the Intelligence Agency and the Imperial Army''s headquarters, and from the broadcasts, it seemed most citizens were unaware of the undercurrents.


    <i>''Even someone like Sarcho seems to think the Imperial Army isn''t preparing properly.''</i>


    Of course, Sarcho''s public statements alone made it easier to subtly manipte former revolutionaries in the western continent''s Imperial Army. To Hwee-Kyung, the separatists seemed like a bigger bomb than the hardline secrist groups representing the Power of Reality. Sarcho, with just one speech, had not only quelled such threats, but also influenced numerous secrists across the continents on each side.


    <i>''It''s just as Night Sky said. The stage is being set cleanly.''</i>


    However, this was not enough. The old gods were too reliant on ancient records, so predicting their attack methods wasrgely spective. It was the most critical time.


    <i>''There was nothing to do but wait.''</i>


    But before 24 hours had passed, the old gods revealed themselves. After all, they had to show up if they intended to attack.


    <i>''And once they show themselves, they be vulnerable to attack.''</i>


    It wouldn''t be easy, due to the numerous Sky Castles, the floating crystals the intentions of which were hard to discern, and the extent of the old gods'' power they could only guess at. Especially since the gods of the Pantheon were in a vulnerable state.


    In such a situation where the enemy''s strength couldn¡¯t be precisely determined, the appropriate level of protection was unknown. Some of the gods even volunteered to act as bait.


    The Pantheon believed that, with sufficient protection guaranteed, a kind of luring operation could help in observing and understanding the old gods'' way of reconnaissance and attacking. However, what would constitute sufficient protection was unknown, the gods who volunteered might as well be jumping into the fray defenseless.


    <i>''But it¡¯ll be okay.''</i>


    They were prepared. The Pantheon had covertly established two pirs of power in the Empire''s system to face the old gods. One was the visible power, namely the Imperial Pce and the Imperial Army. Their role was to appear unguarded or unable to respond properly to the old gods, maintaining a passive defense. In an actual battle, they would all be a shield of desperate resistance, but they couldn¡¯t be considered an offensive weapon.


    The other was the hidden power, the Intelligence Agency and the Fifth Waterwheel. These two secret agencies, which could be considered the Empire''s nervous system, were connecting apostles worldwide and closely integrating their opinions.


    Especially the Fifth Waterwheel, the connection of which could only be confirmed through the flow of capital, had a basis to believe that the old gods would not be able to properly discern this connection. ording to ancient ruin research, the old gods had never sessfully established a true capitalist system.


    <i>''That''s the blind spot. The danger of a blind spot lies in not knowing what you can''t see.''</i>


    The Itimo Building in Pollivia was a key location for the Fifth Waterwheel. Dozens of satellitesunched under the guise of the moon-facing n were collecting information about the old gods at the speed of light, and human and material resources, almost infinitely invested, were being used to extract insights at research institutions.


    Hwee-Kyung checked her portable device and then said, "Sairan, the analysis of the floating crystal isplete."


    "Oh, really?"


    "ording to the magical reading, it''s some sort of physical transmission device."


    "It''s a transporter. It seems the enemies intended to attack the inner parts of each city."


    "Hmm, that seems right. The method of destruction is simpler than I thought."


    "Should we immediately transmit this to the Imperial Army?"


    "Perhaps we should seek permission from our <i>Commander in Chief</i> first?"


    Hwee-Kyung turned around. Other apostles were also present in the meeting za.


    Sairan nodded and said, "I''ll go and check."


    "No, let''s go together. There''s something I want to ask."


    Sairan nodded again and followed Hwee-Kyung to one side of the meeting za, toward a spacious Go parlor. It was a ce where you could enjoy various games, including Go, and was decorated quite antiquely with high-quality wood, not matching the style of a modern building.


    Even though electronic entertainment and games using electronic devices had bemon in the Empire, these old-fashioned games were still popr, and professional yers were as famous as celebrities.


    As they entered the empty Go parlor, a voice was heard, "Hmm, you are much smarter than your ancestors."


    "That''s... Should I take that as apliment...?"


    "Of course you should. Any elder would be happy to know their descendants are better than them. Hwae-Sa would be pleased."


    "Well, I''ll take it as such...but my doubt about it being apliment was because I lost the game even after cing nine stones..."


    At that, a heartyugh echoed through the parlor. What was visible was a giant Ogre, and Hwee-Kyung had just learned about this Intelligence Agency agent, Mando Hwae-Sa. The person Hwee-Kyung was looking for was hidden behind Mando.


    Mando quickly noticed their presence and turned around. "Oh, didn¡¯t see you there."


    "Ah, you may continue. Night Sky told us to move leisurely anyway."


    The person hidden behind Mando responded, "Oh, Hwee-Kyung. That''s right. No matter how quickly you want to win, it''s useless if you''re hasty. What''s always important is to move at the right time."


    Hwee-Kyung felt a sense of relief seeing that confident figure. It was a statement from the Empire''s greatest strategist, so it couldn''t be wrong.


    Hwee-Kyung said, "The analysis of the floating crystal isplete. It is..."


    "Something like a summoning device, I suppose."


    "Oh, did someone tell you already?"


    "Hmm, well, there''s no other possibility."


    Hwee-Kyung passed Mando and looked at the Lizardman with ck scales, deeply contemting the Go board. This Lizardman had been a thorn in the side of the Pantheon, frequently rejecting the position of an apostle offered by the gods. It was rare for someone to refuse when gods wanted to bestow the title of apostle in their name to a capable individual. There was a reason for it though.


    <i>''I thought I''d finally rest in peace after death, but this is ridiculous! I won''t ept it! Look at my poor brother. Do you think I''d want to do that? I''m just going to enjoy myself now.''</i>


    That was what the Lizardman said before roaming not the pantheon, but the Prairie of Beginnings, already famous but made even more so by their entricities.


    Some gods began to propose bing an apostle through bets, with the agreement that if a god won a fair game against them, they would be an apostle in the name of that god. To ensure fairness, the gods imposed penalties on themselves during the game. As a result, all the gods who challenged them lost.


    Of course, there was one god who held the highest possibility of winning yet hadn''t challenged this famous non-apostle until now. That was Night Sky.


    When a god asked why Night Sky had challenged this Lizardman after not doing so for so long, Night Sky replied, "Because the time hase."


    Night Sky defeated the Lizardman and offered them thest position of apostle in the Pantheon, as his own.


    Hwee-Kyung looked at her equal, the new apostle, with a pleased smile. "By the way, I heard you never lost to an army of mortals. How do you think it will be against an army of gods?"


    Thest and thirty-third apostle of the Pantheon, Vasen Lak Orazen, replied with a smile, "Would it be any different? I will nowmand the army of the gods."

 Chapter 295: Decisive Battle System

    Chapter 295: Decisive Battle System


    Hwee-Kyung liked Vasen''s confidence. "Anyway, what should we do about the floating crystals? We could secretly inform the Imperial Army, but..."


    Vasen finally looked up from the Go board. "Let''s hear more details."


    Hwee-Kyung briefly exined the research findings on the floating crystals. As Vasen had guessed, it seemed like a device for summoning, and Hwee-Kyung added information about how it was used ording to ancient texts.


    The most important thing was how to attack the floating crystals themselves. The reason modern weaponry was ineffective was that the floating crystals had a magical shield. To neutralize this shield, a specific method was needed.


    After hearing the whole exnation, Vasen said, "Let''s wait."


    Hwee-Kyung questioned, "Wait? I thought it was an urgent situation."


    "We''ve already thrown a bait. The Empire is perceived as unable to properly deal with the floating crystals, their first line of attack. There''s no need to alert them now. Besides, we still don''t know about their reconnaissance resources. Utmost caution is necessary."


    Hwee-Kyung, not being an expert in strategy, agreed for now. Still, she had some doubts.


    "But if they start moving, the Empire might bepletely defenseless."


    "It''s not that we shouldn''t do anything. Hm, let''s do this. The weakness of the floating crystals is low temperature, right?"


    "Yes."


    The shield of the floating crystals could be broken at temperatures close to zero degrees, and as it approached that temperature, the shield''s efficiency decreased. In fact, floating crystals were not seen in the cities of the southern continent, where it was transitioning from winter to spring. That was a hint.


    "We need appropriate responses for each city and region. Cities on the east coast, currently in autumn and located at highertitudes, can weaken the shield considerably just by covering them with water. In areas withrge chemical industrial districts, they can cool the crystals with liquid nitrogen.


    For regions with less advanced technological industries...it''s a crude approach, but they could start stocking ice in freezers from now. For thetter, we''ll have to devise a method of deployment."


    "...Did you just think of all that?"


    Vasen slightly tilted his head, as if not understanding the intention of the question. "With the Fifth Waterwheel''swork, we can mobilize civilian businessmen and distributors without going through the Imperial Army. Secretly."


    Hwee-Kyung nodded. An idea was already forming.


    Using the pretext of emergency inspections of local water supply facilities, they nned to modify water systems, urgently order liquid nitrogen from local chemical industrial districts by paying extra, and in coastal areas, they could fill freezers with ice using fish nearing disposal.


    Unlike the directmands of the Empire, they would be able to contribute against the old gods with not only the old gods none the wiser, but also those involved in the cash flow.


    "Let''s proceed that way." As Hwee-Kyung replied, Vasen nodded.


    "Mando, sorry, but it seems I won''t be able to y another round. It''s time to act."


    "No, not at all. It was an honor."


    Mando Hwae-Sa attempted to bow with theirrge body, but Vasen waved in dismissal. A few Go stones scattered and the leg of the Go board slightly cracked in the slightmotion before Vasen stood up.


    "Hm, alright. Aside from the floating crystals, it seems the <em>scenario</em> suggests that the Battle System is also ready."


    "Yes, it''s almostplete."


    "Then let''s head there."


    "Uh, that is..."


    After leaving the Go parlor, Hwee-Kyung nced around the meeting za. It was a maze-like ce, and Hwee-Kyung had difficulty finding her way.


    Sairan, following the two apostles, confidently led the way. "It''s this way."


    As they moved through the various spaces created by modern architectural engineering, Vasen contemted the Battle System. Despite its grand name, the system itself wasn''t particrly remarkable.


    The Battle System referred to a methodology allowing unified control over the Empire''s existing reconnaissance resources, the Imperial Army, and other human and material resources.


    The Empire, being diverse andplex, made it so that even the Pantheon only partially mobilized different entities as needed, sometimes calling on the Imperial Pce, temples, the Imperial Army, the Intelligence Agency, or recently, the external extension known as the Starkeeper.


    The Battle System simplified all theseplexponents of the Empire, enabling immediate execution of directmandsnot just anymands, but the will of the Pantheon. A higher order ofmand system was trained into the Imperial Army, extraordinary measuresparable to the constitution were prepared, and if necessary, even life could be risked under these measures.


    <em>''...So, this is a method even the gods did not dare to touch.''</em>


    Though it felt somewhat sphemous, Vasen believed that since the gods had permitted it, there was no other way but to handle it well and hope for the gods'' satisfaction. Even some apostles had refused to handle this system, iming they weren''t worthy, a point Vasen found hard to understand.


    <em>''Ha, a chance to wield a power even the gods did not dare to touch, and they give it up?''</em>


    Vasen knew that handling this Battle System was hical and against human rights. That he would be criticized.


    <em>''If Imand from this system, I could control the entire world of the Empire with just my voice, like bing a god.''</em>


    The three entered themand center where the Battle System was ready, and Mando, not having clearance, saluted and waited outside the door.


    "Good, just as I thought, Vasen said.


    Vasen looked around themand center. It was arge space. Though still cluttered withmunication lines hastily being connected by employees, it was filled with numerousrge and small screens in a seemingly disorderly arrangement.


    Around 300 wireless operators, ready to immediately ry Vasen''smands, were seated, along with other apostles who had offered Vasen advice in preparing this system.


    "Dordol, is everythinging along?"


    The Ogre Dordol nced back and nodded. "Yes, Commander in Chief. It''s ready for immediate transition in an emergency."


    "Hm, Im willing to switch ces with you even now."


    "That is unreasonable."


    "Tsk, such modesty."


    Dordolughed and shook their head. "Don''t you know? You can handle this system better than me. If it were a simple waryes, you and I could be on the same level as there are many variables that might not favor you. But were this a gameno, using the Battle System is closer to ying than real war. It <em>is </em>a game."


    "Hmph." Vasen scoffed. "Mocking me for my lower apostle rank?"


    "Come on, dont say that. Who would dare treat the Commander in Chief that way?"


    Both thought of Lakrak, but exchanged uneasy nces and decided to move on.


    Vasen grumbled, "So it means I can risk anything for victory, right? Even the countless lives hinged on the Empire. You''re too righteous to do that, and me, yes, the reckless prince, I can."


    "Oh my." Dordol couldn''t help but smile and shake their head.


    "I know someone more adept at doing whatever it takes for victory. You''re more like him than me, and that''s why he chose you."


    "...Expecting some crumbs to fall your way by saying so?"


    "Is there any?"


    Vasen moved past Dordol and sat on the edge of the chair in the center of themand center.


    "Greedy, aren''t you? I only have one thing to offer, so don''t expect more."


    Dordol nodded. "Victorythat''s more than enough."


    ***


    "...Something is..."


    In the sky, above the clouds, 22 Sky Castles floated. These Sky Castles were different from the 72 lower-grade Sky Castles that had descended closer to the ground. These Sky Castles were adorned with elegant decorations of gold and tinum, all arranged ording to the design of magical engineering.


    asionally, horrific corpses could be seen among these intersecting ornamental lines. These corpses, belonging to different species, disyed expressions of agony, and their souls were indeed suffering. The bodies of the corpses were physically twisted, bound, fragmented, and sewn together to be beautifully processedall to extract magic from the souls of the corpses, a practice of Pain Discipline, the oldest magic discipline of the old gods.


    These lofty Sky Castles had been the old gods'' lofts for a long time, having once disappeared into the Demon World, only to reappear in the skies of Avartin.


    Each Sky Castle served a specific old god and maintained an altitude corresponding to the predetermined status and hierarchy of its master.


    "...Something is strange."


    The highest among them, the leader of the old gods, the father of fathers, Bifnen Dial Robane, stood at the edge of their Sky Castle, towering 100 meters tall, looking down upon the other old gods.


    Bifnen had sixteen wings and a blinding halo above their head that obscured their face. Wearing only a single garment, their pale-gray skin was almost entirely exposed, and their well-aligned muscles gave an impression of perfection. Perhaps they were indeed perfect. A perfect body could mean a multitude of aesthetic values as numerous as the species of life, but at least from the perspective of an old god, it seemed wless.


    "...Isn''t it so, Aldin?"


    The one singled out was Aldin, residing in the Sky Castle of the lowest status. Aldin, with six wings t on the ground, bowed on top of their Sky Castle. Though the Sky Castles were quite distant from each other, their magical connections were close-knit.


    Pressing forehead to the ground, Aldin said, "They are ignorant mortals. They do not know what they are doing."


    "But there are 1.7 billion of them. With such arge number, why can no one aplish what we have ordered?"


    "Mortals are cowards by nature. When gods speak, they are more likely to fear than act. Haven''t you experienced this before?"


    While saying this, Aldin anxiously thought to themself, <em>''Please. Please.''</em>


    Bifnen said, "Yes. That''s right. I had forgottenhaving slept for so long. Those tiny beings have always been like that. Since the old times. Then we must resort to the old ways."


    Aldin thought, <em>''Please. No.''</em>


    Bifnen said, "If they do not listen, then they must be disciplined."

 Chapter 296: In the Shadow of the Baustan Sanctuary

    Chapter 296: In the Shadow of the Baustan Sanctuary


    Aldin immediately replied, "You are correct."


    Aldin looked at Bifnen and the twenty old gods under Bifnen''smand. They were uninterested in the battle against Avartin. Their focus was on what to do after Avartin waspletely conquered.


    Aldin listened to their chatter. One of them spoke of sewing all existing species together alive, having failed in the past but confident of sess this time.


    Another talked about putting each species in separate enclosures to observe their reactions,paring it with past records.


    Another nned to infiltrate among them, imitating and learning the emotions of mortals.


    One expressed the desire to manipte the destinies of mortals, creating real-time grand theatrics. They considered themself an artist and always received good responses from other old gods.


    Another discussed cooking dishes using various species, known for their delicate pte.


    Another intended to engage in love affairs with mortals, easily falling in love and keeping the results as long-term trophies.


    Another simply wanted to gather mortals and inflict pain, being from the pain discipline, believing it to be the essence of life.


    Aldin cursed every moment that she belonged to the same kind as these beings.


    "Move, Aldin. You must atone."


    "Of course."


    The sinner Aldin crawled backward until she was out of sight of the old gods. Aldin hadmitted a sin long ago and still had not fully paid for it. Therefore, she remained as an old god or, more urately, in the lowest position among them. She sumbed as a ve, knowing she couldnt survive without showing them a satisfying level of humiliation.


    After a long crawl, Aldin turned around. She stood at the far end of her Sky Castle, looking down at Avartin. Aldin thought the Pantheon was ipetent. The system controlled by the old gods was perfect.


    <em>''Neb, I know you have your ns.''</em>


    The Empire was up to something. Modern weaponry could certainly match the weapons stockpiled by the old gods. Aldin would use such weapons, and at first, victory could seem usible.


    <em>''But it''s just a y. A performance to satisfy the old gods.''</em>


    The true power of an old god lied in the system. The world was already orchestrated in that way. There were ces for gods, no way to oppose the deity, and the ultimate control of this system lied with Bifnen. Aldin only borrowed as much authority from it as needed. Even Aldin didnt know how to counter this system.


    Aldin knew that some of the evil gods had intended to do something, but they ultimately failed. Aldin had done her job too well. She had summoned Neb to thisnd.


    <em>''...Neb, it would have been better if you had left earlier.''</em>


    Aldin had intended to keep her promise, but foolishly, Neb didnt believe her. Even if Neb couldnt be a god, he could have survived somewhere. It was a sickness of doubt.


    <em>''Wait, what if it wasn''t doubt...''</em>


    Aldin tried not to think further because then her remaining peace of mind would be gone, and she would be too restless; then she wouldnt be able to focus on her work.


    Aldin manipted the system, moving the Sky Castles at Avartin. The floating crystals began to operate.


    <em>''This is just for show.''</em>


    Even if the Empire managed to do something against these weapons, Aldin would not care. The old gods had lived long, and their storehouses were filled with endless remnants. Moreover, the Sky Castles, having resided in the Demon World and possessing abyrinthine structure, were such that even the old gods did not know exactly what was in them.


    <em>''Initially, they might win. But in the end, they will be defeated.''</em>


    Aldin nned to end this war quickly. It was unfortunate to think of the suffering Avartin would face after the war, but the war itself was pain.


    <em>''So there is only one way to lessen your pain...Neb.''</em>


    The system was always urate. The gods of the Pantheon thought they had escaped and hidden sessfully, but they had not.


    <em>''This death is my gift.''</em>


    Aldin moved her finger toward the system screen.


    ***


    At the Baustan Sanctuary, the main force of the Baustan Revolutionary Army had set up tents around the sanctuary and was guarding the area.


    Inside themand tent, v Doran, with their hands sped behind their back, paced anxiously until they saw the Sylph orderly, Horein, enter.


    "What is he doing?"


    v never intended to remain in the sanctuary. The best option was to lead Sung-Woon to the Imperial Army. There could be some conflict, but it would be bearable. In fact, if they managed to guide him sessfully, it could even improve the image of the Revolutionary Army.


    v knew that revolutions were not just about guns and swords. They always needed allies who would sympathize with the revolution, and those allies could not be moved by guns and swords. Hearts had to be swayed.


    But Neb strictly refused to do so. Neb decided to stay in the Baustan Sanctuary. Left with no choice, v sent someone to contact the Imperial Army, deciding to protect Sung-Woon until their arrival.


    v offered Sung-Woon a safer andrgermand tent, but Sung-Woon declined even that. Sung-Woon asked for time alone, saying he had something to do, and v couldnt refuse any of his requests.


    v had tried to persuade Sung-Woon to not stay alone in the sanctuary with the reasoning that it was dangerous, even going so far as to plead, but Sung-Woon mentioned the gifted pistol, making v wonder if he truly knew how to use it, but couldn''t dare to test it.


    The only things v managed to provide were the cleanest bedding, spare clothes, necessities from the unit, and sending a guard during meal times to deliver food.


    "Night Sky?"


    "Who else?"


    Initially, orderly Horein''s heart also raced at the sight of Sung-Woon, but now, having seen him several times, they responded nonchntly.


    "He''s just sitting still. What do you call it? Lotus position?"


    "Still?"


    "Must have a lot on his mind."


    "What about his meal?"


    "Dinner? I just served it."


    "No, I mean lunch."


    Horein looked into the paper bag in their hand.


    "Well, he ate about half and left the rest."


    "What? He doesn''t look ill, does he? Hasn''t he been leaving his food unfinished since yesterday?"


    Horein frowned. "General, it''d be stranger if he hadnt been. Our emergency food is terrible. It''s impressive he ate half of it. I thought his taste would be refined."


    "Is it that bad?"


    "Well, you eat anything, General."


    "Wellthat''s what my species does."


    "Why drag innocent Frogmen into this?"


    v pretended not to hear the retort and continued the conversation. "How are the others doing with sentry duty?"


    "They didn''t doze off. Theyre normally good at it, aren''t they?"


    "Yes But wasn''t dinner okay today? It would taste fine for him too, right? I thought it tasted fine."


    "...General, can''t we switch to the Imperial Armys food rations?"


    v sighed, thinking of the future of the Revolutionary Army. "How''s the situation outside?"


    "Youre the one who has been glued to the radio all day, General."


    That was true. v had been listening to the news broadcasted on the Orazens Public Broadcasting. The world was turning upside down. Though not known how, the future of the Revolutionary Army no longer held as much priority.


    <em>''I''m feeling weak. But I must stay sharp at a time like this.''</em>


    v habitually stroked their folding rifle, then noticed their orderly doing something in the corner.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Packing."


    "Packing what?"


    "The leftovers from Night Sky''s meal. I thought maybe we could sell it to the fanatics."


    "...Oh dear, you moron. How can a secrist..."


    "Secrism is one thing, capitalism another. It''s about raising funds from the enemy."


    v, intending to sternly reprimand Horein for continuously talking back, opened their mouth to speak.


    <em>Woooom...</em>


    At least, v would have if a strange noise hadnte from outside the tent. Then a voice came from the portable radio v was carrying.


    It was a sentry. "Northwest, 1000, unidentified object spotted. Approaching fast."


    v responded quickly, "All units, cease rest immediately and stand alert. Reserves assemble in front of the tent."


    v checked their rifle and ammunition. They had been checking all day, so there were no problems with it.


    Horein asked, "Are you going there yourself?"


    "You stay here."


    "What''s the use of guarding the tent without the general in it?"


    As v walked out, Horein followed. A squad of reserves had already assembled.


    "We guard the Devil Night Sky. If anyone thinks this goes against our beliefs, quit now."


    The squad remained silent. In the Baustan Revolutionary Army, if one had objections, they would speak within 2 seconds, meaning no one intended to quit.


    v walked past the squad toward the sanctuary, with the squad following.


    v spoke into their radio, "From this moment, we aremitted to protecting the Devil Night Sky. Our lives are not guaranteed. This goes against our beliefs. As an unfit general of the Revolutionary Army, I promise safety for deserters. Each unit, confirm if there are any willing to desert and report the number."


    With each step toward the sanctuary, v felt immense weight. Voices began to flow from the radio.


    "1st Squad reporting, 0 deserters."


    "2nd Squad reporting, no deserters."


    "3rd Squad reporting, 0 deserters."


    "4th Squad reporting, 0 deserters."


    "Headquarters Company Commander speaking. We heard Chairman Sarcho''s speech. General, we haven''t abandoned our beliefs. We believe this fight is also a revolution."


    v closed their lips tightly before saying, "Hey, Headquarters Company Commander. Cut the sentimental talk and report your numbers."


    "...0 deserters."


    "Alright. No deserters in the unit, understood. Do as we''ve done in realbat. Don''t be afraid."


    The 2nd squad leader said, "Honestly, we''re not as scared as the Imperial Army. It''s about time they got a taste of their own medicine."


    Laughter echoed among the soldiers on guard below the sanctuary. v couldn''t help but smile. The surviving members of the Revolutionary Army were as strong as the Imperial Army, maybe stronger in some aspects. They had no intention of dying and going to the Prairie of Beginnings. As calcting as they were, their will to ept death as death was extraordinary.


    <em>''How slow can the Imperial Army be?''</em>


    v clicked their tongue and looked northwest, where a shadow was looming unexpectedly. The mysterious entity approached so rapidly that, despite it being night, its silhouette was visible.


    <em>''...Looks bizarre.''</em>


    It somewhat reminded v of the old gods described over the radio, as Humans with wingsbut without the Human part.


    What was approaching was indeed a mass of wings. About seven or nine irregr wings fluttered as it approached, several pale eyes embedded in the middle. Surrounding it were three floating crystals, slowly orbiting.


    v said, "First, ensure Night Sky''s safety. Then, we''ll retreat to the established defense line and counter the enemy."


    The squad leader nodded.


    "Understood."


    "Wait, hold on."


    v thought they still had enough distance, but then they saw the monster hover at an altitude of about 300 meters.


    <em>''Stopping means...''</em>


    v inferred. Their quick, adaptive decision-making had always elevated their reputation as amander.


    <em>''...There''s no need toe any closer.''</em>


    v spoke into the radio.


    "All units, open fire! Reserve squad, charge!"


    Before v could even issue themand, the reserve squad was already running ahead. The surrounding forest of the Baustan Sanctuary, where the Baustan Revolutionary Army had been waiting in silence, lit up as they opened fire.


    <em>Woooom...</em>


    The monster seemed to be affected by the bullets, but not fatally. It just wrapped a few wings around itself for protection, and now it was brazenly hovering in the air without even fluttering its wings. The monsters eyes were fixed on the Baustan Sanctuary.


    v spoke into the radio, "Where are the mortars?"


    "Just finished setting up! Firing now! Fire!"


    The mortar shells, typically for high-arc firing, wereunched directly at the airborne target. The monstrous entity, dozens of meters in size, was engulfed in the mes of high-explosive shells, staggering.


    <em>''Good, it''s working.''</em>


    But v never trusted such moments. If there was an opportunity to project firepower, the enemy had to be crushed until it turned to dust.


    "Mortar crew, fire at maximum rate! Melt the barrels if you have to!"


    <em>Boom! Boom!...Boom!</em>


    With continuous hits, the monster began to slowly descend in altitude, wrapped in mes.


    <em>''Is it crashing? Or...?''</em>


    v, holding their rifle in one hand, walked toward the sanctuary, almost crawling. v saw the reserve squad unable to enter the sanctuary, just standing at the front.


    "What are you guys doing?"


    "Uh, well... It''s just that..."


    v couldn''t believe their eyes. The ground was covered in ck beetles. These beetles, as if there was no more room inside, were pushing each other out of the sanctuary. Since Horein hadn''t mentioned them, they must have appeared only recently.


    "...What?"


    A voice came through the radio. "General! The monster is right behind you!"


    v whirled around. Just as the voice had said, the monster, now at a much lower altitude, nearly level with the sanctuary, spread its wings wide facing the sanctuary. Its yellow eyes began to glow. Something was about to start.


    <em>''...Shit!''</em>


    v aimed their rifle at the monster and pulled the trigger. Or, they tried to. Aiming and shooting were second nature to v, so when their target suddenly began to disappear, v involuntarily rxed their finger on the trigger.


    "...What?"


    A massive shadow appeared from behind the Baustan Sanctuary, grabbing the monster with two giant scythe-like arms. The monster, startled, rolled its eyes to look at the massive being that had grabbed it.


    <em>-Youre a very disgusting-looking bird....</em>


    The monster faced the being as it had intended. This ancient giant, known for its Supernatural Strength, had fought in numerous battlefields. Known as the master of battle, acting on behalf of the divine will, its nickname was Night Sky''s Scythe. The massive mantis, Stratis, had caught the monster.

 Chapter 297: The Real Moon-Facing Plan

    Chapter 297: The Real Moon-Facing n


    The monstrous entity, in a final act of defiance, widened its eyes, but even this did not lead to an attack.


    Another hand of Sratiss, holding a divine golden weapon, drove into the monster''s eye. What followed was a process of disassembly. The floating crystals crumbled as soon as they were grasped.


    The monster, whose number of wings had initially been indeterminable, turned out to have eleven in total, and its eyes numbered nine. Sratis thoroughly dissected the monster, as if refusing to let it remain assembled.


    Having been absent since the Unification War, the mythical beings appearance left the Revolutionary Army breathless. Only v managed to regain theirposure and spoke into the radio.


    "All units...that giant is an ally. Ensureno friendly fire."


    Feeling someone approaching from behind, v turned around to see Sung-Woon.


    "Thanks."


    "Whwhat, what do you mean?"


    "Sratis is my creation, it shouldn''t be harmed."


    v nced at Sratis, who now began breaking the monster into even smaller pieces, showing a well-ordered, controlled kind of rage. It was something not to be meddled with.


    v, touching their face lightly, asked, "Was that why?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Was it because that giant thing was guarding the ce that you felt safe?"


    "I cant deny it, and it''s not just Sratis."


    v looked again at the Baustan sanctuary. The forest behind the sanctuary, untouched by light, was dark, but v had an intuition.


    <em>''Theres something more.''</em>


    And their intuition was correct. Sung-Woon, citing humanitarian values, arguing that revealing his creations would pressure secrists and inadvertently increase their numbers, had decided to keep his creations hidden as much as possible.


    They could have stayed in the pantheon, but these huge beings, being living creatures, preferred nature over artificial environments. Luckily, Baustan wasnt very popted, and the creations were incredibly intelligent. Despite their incredible size, they found it easy to detect presence and avoid people.


    "Why didnt you tell me? Did you want to make fun of our insignificant Revolutionary Army? You could have shown us that and just told us to leave."


    "No," Sung-Woon replied. Mortal beings need a ce to sleep and eat.


    "Ah, I see..."


    "And for all of you, this ce is the safest. There''s no need for me to selfishly drive you all away for my safety."


    ....


    v slightly cleared their throat. They struggled to smoothly transition to the next topic, not finding the words to say, and cleared their throat again.


    "Oh, but I never thought they would know our location. If I made a mistake..."


    Sung-Woon shook his head, saying, "No. The old gods probably knew where we were from the beginning."


    "On no! That''s a big deal. I know that monster is extraordinary, but shouldn''t we move to a safer location now?"


    "No, if we''ve been safe until now, that''s enough."


    "What do you mean?"


    Sung-Woon looked up.


    v, trying to see what Sung-Woon was looking at, looked up too but saw nothing but the night sky with the first moon, Yonda.


    "The final battle is about to start.


    v btedly realized Sung-Woon was looking at the indifferent first moon, Yonda.


    ***


    On gray ground under a ck sky, a white dot bounced up and down. Upon closer inspection, the white dot turned out to be a person, and even closer, it was evident they were wearing a white spacesuit, maintaining airtightness in outer space.


    This person in the spacesuit was Ramin.


    The moment Sung-Woon looked at the moon, Ramin was thinking to herself, <em>''This is kind of fun.''</em>


    While zero gravity environments were usually inconvenient for maintaining proper body posture, the moon''s gravity only lightened her weight, causing both her body and mind to feel afloat.


    Ramin turned to check how far she had drifted from the spaceship. She could see other astronauts each heading to their assigned posts. There was also a vehicle, which Toolbo was managing, intended to travel to the farthest location.


    <em>''He gets to have the most fun by himself I should ask for a ride next time.</em>


    Ramin had been assigned the most challenging mission, being the team leader and known for her physical strength. But realistically, it was a task difficult for anyone but Ramin.


    <em>''Is that it?''</em>


    Ramin spotted a distant man-made object, likely crafted from lunar rock. If not for its silhouette, it wouldve blended seamlessly with the moon''s gray hue. If it had been said that such a form was created by natural erosion and incredible coincidence, Ramin would have believed it to be truly remarkable.


    <em>''Of course, that''s not the case.''</em>


    Ramin recalled the events of the previous day.


    Ramin Solost Muel, speaking into themunicator, asked, "...The moon-facing n hasn''t finished yet?"


    "Yes, yes," replied Ion Iolkaf of the Starkeeper''s Communication Team. "The High Committee orders you, Captain Ramin, to head towards Yonda, the first moon, with the spaceship."


    "But what''s the meaning of..."


    Ramin, powerless within the spaceship, had to listen to all the news about hidden Loom, the Fall, and the appearance of the old gods. Fortunately, thanks to Toolbo, the spaceship was not only in excellent condition, but had undergone incredible modifications. There was also a way to return to Avartin, which was a relief.


    Ion said, "I don''t know the details, but, ah, yes. The High Committee asked to check the cargo."


    "Cargo?"


    Ramin handed over the control to another pilot and floated through the spaceship to the cargo hold. She stopped in front of the confidential cargo, known to be vitally important to protect.


    "Is this it?"


    As she opened the cargo box, Ramin realized her destiny. Quietly closing the box, she returned to the control room and executed the orders of the Starkeepers High Committee. What was interesting was that even the High Committee had no clue what the cargo was, but Ramin recognized it immediately. She knew what she had to do.


    "Alright, my fellow astronauts, I''ll tell you what we have to do. We''re on an adventure.


    The other astronauts, as well as the still-connected Starkeeper, were puzzled by her seemingly out-of-ce statement.


    "On that moon, there are quite a few ancient relics made by the old gods, evident from direct observations alone."


    Ramin didn''t know exactly what it meant to discover these ancient relics. What mattered was that Ramin, who had ess to the pantheon, knew the knowledge and procedures known to the gods.


    "In fact, the moon-facing n wasn''t just about the second moon, Loom, but also the first moon, Yonda. Yes, it''s a truly massive trial."


    Some members of the High Committee understood what Ramin was getting at. Naturally, the Apostle Madman Toolbo did as well.


    "Then this will be a good spot!" Toolbo pointed out anding spot where they could ess as many relics as possible, and Raminnded the spaceship there.


    Thus, Ramin stepped out toward the ancient relics on the moon.


    <em>''What was the name of this relic? The Garden of the Gods?''</em>


    To Ramin, it seemed too deste a ce to be called a garden. Moreover, the path was too rugged.


    Even with the low gravity and Ramin''s agility, the stairs built for the size of gods made the traverse essentially rock climbing. Ramin, also with the cargo on her back, had to rest several times while ascending.


    <em>''I''m almost there.''</em>


    After reaching the top, it still didn''t feel like a garden. Huge stone chairs suitable for the size of gods were ced around, and the area was surrounded by stone pirs. There was no roof, only the ck sky above. It was a rather unimpressive ce.


    Ramin, feeling lighter yet utterly exhausted, copsed on the ground. Sweat soaked the inside of her spacesuit, and she felt as if her blood was drying up.


    <em>''No, I can''t lose consciousness here.''</em>


    Struggling, Ramin reached for the cargo she had been carrying. Inside the cargo box Ramin had found the day before were graceful statues of gods. They depicted gods from the past that were no longer there, and Ramin realized from their elegant form that the statues werent simple models, but vassal statues.


    <em>''Statues with gods sealed inside. With these, we can awaken gods. There are a few conditions, though...''</em>


    The first condition was discovering an ancient relic. Ramin couldn''t see the system, but she knew from descriptions found in the past that the power and divinity contained in ancient relics triggered some reaction, serving as a means to score points.


    Next was a trial. Ramin hadnt known that she was given a trial, but she understood everything when she saw the vassal statues. The fact that this cargo had been on the spaceship from the start meant that Ramin was supposed to take on the trial. Its secrecy also meant that it was a matter of utmost confidentiality to be guarded until the very end.


    Ramin had fulfilled all these conditions. It was the trial given to her, and she had sessfullypleted it.


    Now, feeling the weight gradually lift off her shoulders, Ramin opened the cargo box.


    "Huh?"


    Among the sacred ritual tools inside the cargo box, the vassal statues that should have been there were missing.


    "...Where are they?"


    Panicking, Ramin dropped the empty cargo box and turned halfway around before realizing. A vassal statue itself was a god.


    The interior of the cargo box was filled with devices following numerous theological procedures, designed to unseal the god. Thus, if all conditions of the trial were met, the seal of the vassal statues would be broken.


    <em>''The moment I set foot here, the trial was alreadypleted.''</em>


    Ramin saw three shadows. Three newly awakened gods sat in the previously empty giant stone chairs.


    The one on the left wore a gas mask, hiding their face, and was dressed in a yellow hazmat suit. The lenses of the mask were opaque yellow, making it impossible to see their gaze. Even in the almost non-existent atmosphere of the moon, the gas mask moved like the god was inhaling and exhaling something.


    The one on the right had a massive pistol for a head, with a steel objet resembling a Human body extending below the neck. It would be mistaken for a statue if still, but this gun-headed god nervously clenched and unclenched their fingers, appearing anxious.


    These two gods were unfamiliar to Ramin. However, the god in the middle was familiar to Ramin, having seen them from a distance before.


    The heat from their zing red armor seemed to prate Ramin''s fully insted spacesuit. Their horned helmet shone with hostility, and their ming eyes zed with anger.


    Hegemonia said,


    <em>-...You will exin whats happening if you know whats good for you, Vampire.</em>

 Chapter 298: Reason for Anger

    <h4>Chapter 298: Reason for Anger</h4>


    Ramin Solost Muel said, "Well, that is... Wait, can they even hear me...if I¡¯m wearing my spacesuit?"


    Hegemonia bent down to look down at Ramin.


    <i>-We can hear you. Speak.</i>


    Ramin smiled awkwardly. The helmet part of the spacesuit was dark enough to block the sun''s rays and radiation, but Hegemonia¡¯s gaze seemed to pierce through the opaque material to look directly into Ramin''s eyes, and she likely did for real.


    <i>''I only thought about releasing the vassal statue and never imagined such a moment woulde.''</i>


    Yet she had to deal with it. The Pantheon was far away, while the Angry One was near.


    Ramin tried her best to exin the events that had happened so far, as specifically and urately as possible, to avoid further angering the Angry One. However, Ramin''s efforts were in vain.


    Each time Ramin spoke, the Angry One interjected with anger.


    When she mentioned failing to kill the Kraken even with a nuclear bomb...


    <i>-What? You left the Kraken alone because of environmentalists? Why did you give the evil gods a chance? Why not just blow the environmentalists up with the nuclear bomb too?</i>


    When talking about the fairies...


    <i>-Doesn''t the Empire have concentration camps? What about the secret police? What did the Intelligence Agency do? Why not just establish a Public Security Bureau to control them?</i>


    After hearing that they used a spaceship to face the second moon, Loom...


    <i>-...This one is, well...alright. Seems like a...decent...method.</i>


    "Ah, so there was no alternative solution with the moon-facing n. Even for you..."


    <i>-Quiet, Vampire.</i>


    Hegemonia mmed the armrest of her stone chair with her fist. The armrest broke, and a fragment as big as Ramin''s head slowly rolled and fell.


    <i>-I just woke up. If I had been awake as long as him, I would have thought of another way.</i>


    "...Alright.¡±


    Ramin decided not to provoke the Angry One further. From Ramin''s perspective, although She wasn''t as harsh as expected, She seemed difficult to befriend.


    Finally, when Ramin finished talking about the Fall and how the old gods had reappeared all across Avartin, the Angry One pressed a hand to the front part of her horned mask with her hand and leaned back deeply in her chair.


    <i>''Why is she acting like that?''</i>


    Just as Ramin was about to call out to Hegemonia, the silent gods on either side changed their posture. Bolt, the god in the gas mask, slightly raised their hand as if to stop Ramin.


    <i>-Mortal, Ramin Solost Muel.</i>


    "Oh, yes."


    <i>-I have a question for you.</i>


    "Please ask, um..."


    <i>-You''re not even my follower, so just call me Bolt.</i>


    "...Yes, Bolt."


    Bolt asked from behind the gas mask. Their voice reached Ramin as a trembling one, passing through a voice modtor and an illusory medium that couldn''t carry it.


    <i>-What does Neb want us to do?</i>


    Ramin knew that it was Night Sky¡¯s name. However, Ramin, having followed this ambiguous and invisible thread created by Night Sky to the end, couldn¡¯t understand the Night Sky''s intentions. It seemed natural to ask them for help, but to Ramin, that felt closer to her own hope than Night Sky¡¯s true intent.


    "...I''m not sure. I didn''t hear about that."


    The god with the pistol head, Chistka, spoke.


    <i>-You''re not seeking help? So, he followed procedures and resurrected us just because the game ended?</i>


    Hearing this, Ramin decided it was right to reveal her own will rather than try to understand Night Sky¡¯s intentions.


    Ramin knelt and sped her hands, "I do not know Night Sky¡¯s will, but the Pantheon needs help. Everything may have originated from Night Sky, but here I am, a mere mortal, bowing to you and asking for help. Please save us."


    Chistka shook their head.


    <i>-Don''t kneel. You''re not my follower.</i>


    Then Bolt said,


    <i>-Vampire, we have another problem.</i>


    Ramin looked up.


    Bolt nced at their hand enveloped in a protective glove. Then they lightly waved their hand to call up the system. The system operated normally. Bolt skillfully scrolled the system up and down, opening and closing new windows to check.


    A few secondster, Bolt turned off all the system windows and said,


    <i>-We''ve just woken up. The defeat was decisive, and we''ve be too weak.</i>


    Chistka, still checking the system windows, said,


    <i>-There are still a few followers left, but it¡¯ll be slow-going. If we could make our existence known, we could gain more Faith points.</i>


    Chistka looked up at the Avartin, visible through the hole in the ceiling of the Garden of the Gods, propped up by the pirs.


    The yers, including Chistka, knew where this ce was. It was where everything started, where the yers first saw each other''s shadows.


    Chistka stared at the Avartin. A mortal would see it as only fist-sized, but Chistka could see it in detail despite the drop in their level given their stats.


    What first caught their eye were the huge cities that were usually unseen from Avartin, but what Chistka was looking for were the old gods.


    Chistka nodded after checking the Sky Castles in the sky and said,


    <i>-It''s not strategically right to fight as it is, not knowing how strong the old gods are.</i>


    Ramin hastily replied, "But...the Empire is fighting."


    <i>-Neb should fight. It was the Pantheon that defeated us, not the Empire.</i>


    "There might be no chance if not now."


    Then Bolt said,


    <i>-Waiting might bring an opportunity.</i>


    Ramin was bewildered. She hadn''t expected everything to go well, but she thought there would be a better oue than this.


    <i>''Is that not possible?''</i>


    But Ramin was misunderstanding. Bolt and Chistka were hesitant to attack based on their own judgment, but the one in the middle, in front of Ramin, was silent due to her own concerns, independent of their judgment. The Angry One was listening to the conversation between the other two yers and Ramin, but it was not important enough to pierce her consciousness.


    The Angry One had a topic of more interest.


    Then the Angry One mmed the armrest again. The armrest, already cracked, nowpletely broke off and fell to the ground.


    <i>-Shit.</i>


    Ramin doubted her ears. In fact, the words of the gods didn''te through the ears but directly into the mind, so there was no reason to doubt the vocabry used. Moreover, the Angry One had uttered the word clearly.


    <i>-They defeated me, but couldn''t finish the game? It¡¯s still not over?</i>


    Ramin knew it wasn''t a question and remained silent.


    The Angry One leaned away from the backrest and bent toward Ramin. Then she stomped her foot. Though the atmosphere should be too thin for sound to carry, the Garden of the Gods resonated loudly.


    <i>-How does that make sense! ...They defeated me! But what? Old gods? The Fall? They defeated me but got entangled with those things?</i>


    The Angry One stood up from her seat and looked down at Ramin, castingrge shadows.


    <i>-Are they mocking me?</i>


    Ramin struggled to understand what exactly the Angry One was furious about. It was natural. By either of her sides, Bolt and Chistka did not know much about the long-standing rtionship between Hegemonia and Neb, either.


    Only the yers of the Pantheon would likely fail to suppress theirughter after hearing what Hegemonia said, and Neb, the other party involved, would burst intoughter, which would be quite a rare-sight.


    Ramin, terrified, said, "If you wish to hear that answer..." Due to fear, she blurted out words as she usually did. "You should meet Night Sky yourself."


    The Angry Oneughed.


    <i>-Ha! Of course. I''ll wipe out those worthless beings and finish this once and for all.</i>


    "Oh, that''s not what I meant."


    <i>-This time, I will definitely win.</i>


    "First, the old gods..."


    Bolt, who was behind Hegemonia, said,


    <i>-Would you be alright?</i>


    Hegemonia turned around.


    <i>-What do you mean?</i>


    <i>-You must be in the same situation as us. We are not as strong as before. You probably wouldn¡¯t have a sufficient level of Divinity either.</i>


    Hegemonia looked at Bolt for a moment, as if not understanding what they meant.


    <i>-Sufficient? What do you mean by sufficient?</i>


    <i>-I mean, you¡¯ll need a certain level of Faith points and Divinity to fight those old gods...</i>


    <i>-I have enough level of Divinity and Faith points to use Hierophany. It seems the Empire hasn''tpletely wiped out the Union Kingdom yet. Uh...wait, why? Why didn¡¯t they? No, no. I shouldn''t start wondering about these things. It''ll be ying right into his hands.</i>


    Hegemonia muttered to herself while Bolt said beside her,


    <i>-Enough to use Hierophany? No, that wouldn¡¯t be sufficient...</i>


    Hegemonia waved her hand dismissively, as if she didn''t need to hear more.


    <i>-Then why don¡¯t you just stay aside like a coward.</i>


    <i>-.....</i>


    <i>-I don''t care.</i>


    Chistka leaned in and said,


    <i>-We should at least n a basic strategy, right?</i>


    <i>-What strategy?</i>


    <i>-The old gods have ced Sky Castles in all directions. To synchronize with the imperial forces...</i>


    <i>-Are you talking about a target for the attack?</i>


    Hegemonia drew her sword.


    Ramin observed the elegant curve and sharpness of the de, which was enough to tell her that the Angry One had reached the pinnacle of martial arts. Even if the Angry One weren¡¯t a god, Ramin couldn¡¯t even imagine defeating this being as an opponent.


    Hegemonia pointed toward Avartin with her sword.


    <i>-It¡¯s that.</i>


    But what the sword pointed at was not visible. Only the other two yers realized what Hegemonia was referring to.


    Chistka was shocked.


    <i>-That¡¯s...</i>


    Bolt asked,


    <i>-...Are you nning to jump into that?</i>


    Hegemonia casually rested the sword on her shoulder and neck.


    As if not understanding their reactions, she said,


    <i>-Winning the game is always simple.</i>


    Hegemonia lightly swung her left hand, not holding the sword, toward her neck,


    <i>-It''s about taking heads.</i>


    Hegemonia sheathed her sword. Then, toward Avartin¡ªor more precisely, toward the sky of Avartin, towards the twenty-two intertwined Sky Castles of the old gods¡ªshe jumped.


    ***


    <i>''...Failed?''</i>


    Aldin was puzzled. The angel sent to the Baustan Sanctuary had failed to kill Neb.


    An ''Angel'' was aplete being. Not a pathetic creature like an Abomination created by the old gods in their boredom or a failed attempt at creating something better like a Fiend, but a being carefully crafted after several attempts. An angel possessed powerparable to a Dragon.


    Aldin knew there was a mediocre revolutionary force in the Baustan Sanctuary, but that obviously should have been insufficient. Aldin had included overly strongbat resources.


    <i>''Was there something more?''</i>


    However, when she looked at the system, Aldin couldn''t confirm the existence of such a thing.


    <i>''If there was a being capable of stopping an Angel, it should have been visible. Why didn''t I see it?''</i>


    She tried to check the moment of the Angel''s death, but the battle itself couldn''t be verified due to a system error. Since software rot, the system had been consistently producing errors, so this wasn''t a particrly noteworthy problem. She couldter go down to the Demon World to check and repair the stored devices.


    <i>''But still, it''s strange. An error at this moment.''</i>

 Chapter 299: The One You Feared

    Chapter 299: The One You Feared


    Aldin didn''t see it as a big problem. She did feel something like a scratch in her heart since she had thought to herself, this will be enough, but that was just a matter of emotions.


    The old gods treated Aldin like a servant, but they wouldn''t pick on her over the death of an Angel. Despite her being the lowliest among them, she was still a god.


    <em>''Besides, it''s just one of many Angels that failed.''</em>


    If one fails, send two. If two fail, send three.


    <em>''...No. That''s a stupid thought. If one fails, send ten next. Why increase by one?''</em>


    Aldin used the system to check the Angels in the old gods'' storage, one by one. Most of the Angels were either wandering unmanaged inside the enclosure or in a hibernating state. Each had its owner, but those owners, the old gods, mostly lost their affection for the Angels.


    The trend of creating Angels had passed tens of thousands of years ago. The old gods had loved them in the past, but now they had likely forgotten even the names they had given to the Angels. They probably didn''t even remember having Angels.


    <em>''Of course, it would still be better not to get caught touching someone''s belongings.''</em>


    Although conquering Avartin was Aldin''s role, the authority she borrowed through the system was limited. Due to past events, the old gods didn''t trust her, a sinner. Therefore, Aldin had no choice but to resort to cunning methods.


    <em>''They probably don''t care anymore.''</em>


    Aldin looked at a handful of Angels taken out from another old god''s system window and then shoved them into her own inventory.


    "Aldin!" Just at that moment, she heard a voice calling her and held her breath.


    <em>''Was I caught?''</em>


    Aldin turned toward the voice and sighed in relief. It was Kenile Av Enen, who wasnt someone of high status. Kenile spread his wings and hovered gently in the air, making anding on Aldin''s Sky Castle with the tip of his foot.


    Aldin''s Sky Castle was messy and unorganized, so Kenile, his aesthetic sense offended, showed a contemptuous expression to Aldin.


    Aldin politely asked, "What brings you here, brother?"


    "My system is down again."


    Aldin thought, <em>''Fool.''</em>


    After the software rot, system errors had increased, but many of them could be easily fixed by someone skilled with the system. Despite that, Kenile couldn''t solve even such simple errors on his own and always bothered Aldin with it.


    "I''ll take a look."


    "Hurry up."


    Before Aldin even started, she heard Kenile''s urging and began checking the errors in Kenile''s system window. However, contrary to Aldin''s expectation, this time the error wasn''t simple. Aldin followed the standard troubleshooting procedures in sequence.


    Kenile watched from behind and said, "I know what youre thinking. You think I''m a fool who messed up my own system again, but as you see, it''s not. The error urred before I even touched it."


    "...I didn''t think that, brother. And after the software rot, the system has been full of errors. It''s not your fault."


    "Oh, thats correct, right? There seem to be many system errors, perhaps because it hasnt been long since we all woke up. I should tell Father it needs a check-up."


    Aldin internally clicked her tongue. She had urgent tasks to deal with, yet she was dragged into these personal matters.


    <em>''And what does you waking up have to do with the errors? I''ve been the one sporadically awake, maintaining the system.''</em>


    Aldin hid these thoughts, almost resolving Kenile''s issue. Meanwhile, she found something strange about all this.


    <em>''There''s definitely a fault in the system.''</em>


    Aldin considered various possibilities. It could be an extension of regr minor errors, or perhaps it could be the software rot the old gods feared elerating.


    <em>''...Maybe.''</em>


    Aldin knew Neb had been involved in the system in a way simr to the evil gods. However, as far as Aldin has checked, the only thing Neb could change was a single line in the system''s script. That was less significantpared to the evil god, who managed to seize control of the second moon, Loom, from the old gods.


    Moreover, Neb was in a Fallen state. He didnt possess power equivalent to a god.


    <em>''Let''s finish this quickly. Once Neb is dead, there won''t be much to worry about.''</em>


    Aldin resolved Kenile''s issue. "Brother, it''s done."


    "Hm? Oh."


    Aldin followed Kenile''s gaze to the sky. "What are you looking at?"


    "Oh, up there in the sky..."


    Kenile pointed to the void between the Sky Castles. For some reason, it was tinged with red light. Aldin first thought it was the sunset, but then realized the sun was rising from her right.


    Kenile was puzzled. "What is that?"


    Aldin wasnt puzzled. Instead, she habitually checked the system window quickly. Aldin was looking at a system window rted to the previous game, which most of the old gods didn''t even know how to open. Aldin''s eyes widened.


    [yer List


    ...


    Bolt


    Chistka


    Hegemonia]


    Aldin muttered, "...Hegemonia?"


    Kenile turned to Aldin. "What did you say?"


    Suddenly, the world turned red. The brightening red light in the void exploded, and something appeared from that point. The sound of a drum being struck harshly echoed from somewhere.


    Aldin said to Kenile, "It''s an attack!"


    "An attack? From whom? Mortals?"


    "No, yers...the new gods."


    "What are you talking about? Didn''t they all Fall?"


    "There were some who did not Fall. I will stop her. You must quickly inform Father..."


    Kenile made a disdainful expression. "I won''t do that. Handle it yourself."


    "Pardon?"


    "Your face says it''s your mistake, so take care of it yourself. I can''t be caught up in this and end up like you."


    Aldin was dumbfounded. It wasn''t the time to argue over who was right or wrong. Aldin had personally chosen all the yers for the game, and she knew about Hegemonia. She had even watched Hegemonia y throughout the game.


    If Neb had elegance, Hegemonia was barbaric. In Aldin''s view, both were equally skilled. Only Neb had a strategic advantage. To Aldin, if she had to fight one of them, the real monster she didn''t want to face would be Hegemonia.


    "...Then at least hurry and run away. I will speak to Father myself..."


    "I don''t want to do that either. You have a duty to protect us. If our Sky Castle gets even slightly damaged, you better be prepared."


    "Brother!"


    "Are you trying to talk back?"


    Aldin wanted to scream.


    The other old gods in the Sky Castles quietly peered into the void at the loud nging of the gong.


    Aldin controlled the system window, picking up the Angels from her inventory. The Angels, once items in her possession, regained their original texture and size, transforming from static entities to living beings breathing in the void as soon as they left Aldin''s hand. All sharing the name of Angels, beings with wings, beings trapped in hard white eggs, and beings resembling giant wheels floated in the void between the Sky Castles. The Angels guarded against the red light, as Aldin intended.


    <em>''Just need to dy for a moment. Once Father grants me authority again, I can make them Fall.''</em>


    However, unless Father called her, Aldin had to go through several procedures to meet Him. Aldin hesitated but decided breaking the protocol would be less painful than not. The moment Aldin floated into the air toward the highest Sky Castle, the gong sound abruptly stopped.


    <em>-You know me.</em>


    A figure in armor stepped out of the void. Despite the ominous foreshadowing in the form of fierce mes rising between the heated armor and the horned helmet, this being was alone at the moment. Without a mount, the knight looks somewhat pathetic.


    Aldin, flying into the void, felt a bit of hope from Hegemonia''s appearance.


    <em>''Right, she was sealed. If nothing has changed, her Divinity level must have dropped by at least ten. She''s probably just able to use the Hierophany skill now. Normally, she would have embellished her surroundings with her overflowing Domains, but she couldn''t.''</em>


    The Angry One approached, staggering through the void.


    <em>-I am the being you all feared.</em>


    Kenile burst intoughter at those words. He mocked the pathetic, ungodly appearance despite the solemn deration.


    However, the other old gods, including Aldin, were all under a misconception. For a yer, efficiency was always key. Unless there was an excess of levels, Domains, and Faith points, one had to decide what to choose and what to sacrifice when using costly skills like Hierophany.


    Hegemonia knew her choice was not wrong, having learned from countless games.


    <em>''And levels, after all...''</em>


    Hegemonia raises her sword. Her target was already set. All yers had to brace themselves when facing the Angry One. Hegemonia didn''t forgive provocation against her.


    <em>''Can be increased by filling XP points.''</em>


    None of the old gods saw Hegemonia move. They didn''t see her rush toward Kenile, or raise her sword to strike. Hegemonia had used Skip.


    What was observed was the moment Kenile''s upper right and lower left halves separated. Space Cut disregarded even a slight gap in Faith levels. Hegemonia coldly checked her XP points rising.


    The body of the old god known as Kenile Av Enen tumbled to the ground, and blood flowed to the edge of the Sky Castle before trickling down. A silence spread among the old gods.


    <em>-I am war.</em>


    ***


    At Pollivia, in the secretmand room of the Itimo Building, amunications officer reported to Vasen, "General. The Angry One has been observed."


    "Where?"


    "...In the high-altitude, twenty-two interconnected Sky Castles."


    "Ha, insane. Hitting the head, are we?"


    While saying this, Vasen lightly tapped the desk with both hands. He wore a satisfied expression and didn''t seem too surprised.


    Vasen said, "Men, we now synchronize with the God of War. Are the preparations for destroying the floating crystals ready?"


    Hwee-Kyung looked at the portable terminal and replied, "A total of 125 major cities done, so about 90%."


    "That''s enough. Let''s finish this."


    Hwee-Kyung operated the terminal. A single button press was enough.


    Vasen looked at Dordol and asked, "What about the missiles?"


    "Ready, General."


    "Why wait? Fire."


    Dordol nodded. Then they opened the sealed ss cover and pressed the red button. This signal reached the numerous satellites orbiting the Avartin, then ryed to missile bases and nuclear submarines across the Empire. Each base''s missileunchmander immediately executed the order.


    Rocketunch technology, built under the guise of the moon-facing n, had be intercontinental ballistic missile technology. And the tactical nuclear warheads, hidden under the guise of evading environmentalists'' attacks, were loaded onto these missiles.


    The missilesunched, targeting the 72 Sky Castles covering the entire expanse of Avartin.

 Chapter 300: Screams of the Sky Castles

    <h4>Chapter 300: Screams of the Sky Castles</h4>


    The old gods'' bodies were structured by the system. This allowed them to move their massive bodies that were tens to hundreds of meters in size effortlessly in the physical environment of external space.


    Moreover, wrapped in divinity, they possessed resistance to magic in their inner space, as well as resistance to divine powers. Even in an unprepared state, they normally did not consider the possibility of losing their lives. The idea of being split into two and dying was beyond their basic imagination.


    <i>¡®...Damn it.¡¯</i>


    Aldin observed as the old gods lost in silence, unsure of what emotions they should be feeling.


    <i>''...Is this Neb''s doing?''</i>


    Aldin knew that Hegemonia was capable of using skills. Being able to use Hierophany naturally meant that she could also use skills through her Hierophany body.


    <i>''But...both Skip and Space Cut are too costly. ording to my calction, if she miss two or three times...or perhaps even missing once would exhaust the time she could keep Hierophany running.''</i>


    Of course, if Hegemonia seeded even once, she would gain XP points, her Divinity level would rise, and additional Faith points would follow. And Hegemonia had seeded in doing that.


    <i>''What was she thinking using such skill settings?''</i>


    Aldin knew well about the skills. She knew the way yers yed. Skills like Skip were difficult for the enemy to anticipate, but conversely, it was hard for the user of the skill to control their own body. Space Cut was abo that essentially converted its cost entirely into attack power. Missing even once would be a huge loss.


    Aldin, or any sensible yer, wouldn¡¯t choose Skip and Space Cut as good skills. They would choose lower-risk, high-efficiency skills. That was the more logical and proper approach.


    But the one Aldin was facing was Hegemonia. Hegemonia knew herself; she was confident that she wouldn¡¯t fail the first attack.


    <i>''...No, it''s just the beginning. I can just make her Fall. We have the system. Then she bes a mere mortal. I could crush her with just a finger.''</i>


    More precisely, with the palm of the hand. The Angry One was about ten meters tall; dealing with her would be akin to dealing with a small animal for a human. A mere kick could crush Hegemonia. There was a minor issue, though. Aldin had not yet obtained control of the system, and the Angry One was too close.


    The Angry One scanned the old gods. It was a simple movement, but it made Aldin feel a sensation she hadn''t felt in a long time. It was goosebumps.


    <i>''...Is she sizing us up? Determining who among us is the weakest?''</i>


    After realizing this fact, Aldin felt despair. Hegemonia''s keen insight and intuition, mirroring that of her master, were incredibly sharp. She surely knew that among these old gods, Aldin was the weakest.


    <i>''...I can''t die here.''</i>


    Aldin turned and drew out her weapon from the system window. It was a staff she had crafted long ago with a friend¡¯s broken femur, back when she was a Wizard. Back then, that was how weapons were made. The staff, symmetrically coated in silver and decorated with amethysts, no longer looked organic but was a magical artifact, now impossible to replicate even with the system''s power.


    <i>''I must see this as an opportunity. With this staff, I can block Space Cut at least once.''</i>


    If she could block it once, it would even out the advantage Hegemonia gained by killing Kenile.


    <i>''She''s just at a level where she can barely use Hierophany. The idea of continuously killing enemies to increase her Divinity level and hastily gather Faith points to maintain her Hierophany form is nonsense... I''ll show her where her damned arrogance leads.''</i>


    Despite these thoughts, Aldin knew she wasn¡¯t Neb. Neb could have countered Hegemonia''s attack with just a sword.


    Aldin stepped slightly outside the Sky Castle where Hegemonia stood. She couldn''t dodge a Skip. The rhythm of Hegemonia''s attack was crucial.


    <i>''...Now? Is it now?''</i>


    Hegemonia disappeared. Aldin lifted her staff to her left, where she felt most vulnerable.


    <i>''Am I toote?''</i>


    Aldin reflexively closed her eyes even though she knew it was pointless. But there was no impact, neither pain.


    "Aaaaah!"


    The agonized scream came not from Aldin, but from another Sky Castle far away.


    Hegemonia had severed the left limbs of an old god¡ªabout neen times bigger than herself¡ªwith Space Cut and then plunged her sword into the screaming god''s neck. It was a clever choice as physically, magically, and divinely, the insides were always weaker than the outside.


    <i>''Was it because I drew my weapon...?''</i>


    Realizing she wasn¡¯t the target, Aldin felt relief.


    <i>''This is better.''</i>


    Since Skip consumed Faith resources based on distance andplexity, the increased distance now slightly reduced the threat from the Angry One.


    Moreover, with the death of two old gods, the others, having btedly grasped the situation, began hiding into their Sky Castles. Having lived in peace for so long, they were defenseless for the moment, but they still remembered war. A Sky Castle was home, a defense mechanism, and a storage.


    Looking back, some of them even used to be warriors. If they retreated into their Sky Castles, picked up the weapons they had put away in the past, and recalled those memories, some of them would be able to sufficiently challenge Hegemonia.


    <i>¡®...I doubt anyone would win, though.¡¯</i>


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t only the old gods that could be relied on.


    <i>''There are the Angels.''</i>


    Aldin saw the Angels, like moths drawn to fire, rushing toward the Angry One. To Aldin, these Angels seemed like a difficult opponent for Hegemonia. With their numbers, even powerful attacks like Space Cut couldn''t take them down in one go, and even if she did, she wouldn''t gain as much XP as from the old gods.


    <i>''So she cuts them down one by one? Yes. That''s what I want.''</i>


    Aldin floated, moving to the rear of her Sky Castle.


    The one with all the authority in the system was Bifnen Dial Robane. The problem was that this absolute entity was excessivelyzy. Having been in that position for too long, he felt no sense of crisis in any event. In Aldin''s opinion, Bifnen had maintained such a disposition for tens of thousands of years, setting him apart from other old gods.


    The only thing Bifnen paid attention to and guarded was the system''s control. Therefore, to control the system, Aldin needed Bifnen''s permission.


    Aldin ascended, following the invisible procedures necessitated by the rules under which the Sky Castles were arranged, and in the process, she observed the Angry One cutting down Angels and attacking the old gods below.


    The bodies of old gods alreadyy across the Sky Castles, blood spilling into the void; it seemed that Aldin wasn¡¯t making progress as fast as expected.


    <i>''All that is meaningless, anyway.''</i>


    There was a reason for Bifnen''s sluggishness. Unless Bifnen was killed, killing all the other old gods would be meaningless because with enough Faith resources secured, resurrection was simple.


    The system''s immense power turned life and death into mere causal transactions. Of course, Faith points were required, but Faith, when monopolized by one group, could be generated endlessly.


    Not right now, of course. The old gods hadn''t yet seized control of Avartin. However, someday, Avartin would submit to the old gods, and those who died today would rise again, boasting of having ovee death.


    If Avartin didn''t submit to the old gods? Such a thing would never happen. Now, they couldn''t survive without abandoning the new gods and following the old ones. Aldin knew fear was another form of faith.


    Aldin stepped onto Bifnen''s Sky Castle.


    "Father!"


    Despite the chaos below, Bifnen''s Sky Castle was quiet. This beautifullyndscaped garden, Bifnen''s favorite, was not to be entered carelessly, but given the emergency, Aldin entered.


    "Father, right now..."


    Aldin stepped into the garden, only to see a shadow rushing toward her face. She was struck and fell to the ground.


    Aldin, sitting down, checked for pain. This was familiar enough for her now to know what had happened to her body just by the pain traveling up her nerves. Her neck was sprained, and her jaw was dislocated.


    "You fool."


    Even before lifting her head, Aldin knew the one who had struck her was Bifnen.


    Aldin adjusted her jaw with her hand and then lifted her head. There was tension in her shoulder, and she felt pain somewhere in her ligaments.


    "...I''m sorry. It was my oversight that..."


    "That''s what you always do."


    "Either transfer the authority to me, or..."


    "Are youmanding me?"


    "...No, not at all."


    Bifnen furrowed his eyebrows. "I will transfer the authority to you again. But you will have to be prepared for whates after this is over."


    Bifnen operated the system window. If necessary, Bifnen could do everything. However, tasks like Falling required going down to the Demon World. It wasn''t a simple task that could be done cleanly through the system window, but involved passing through the dark passages of the Demon World and getting tainted with its corruption. Neither Bifnen nor the other old gods were willing to take on such dirty and unpleasant work.


    While operating the system window, Bifnen paused for a moment. Aldin looked puzzled.


    "My daughter,¡± Bifnen said.


    "Yes."


    "You are truly useless."


    "...What else is wrong..."


    Bifnen lightly spun the system window in the air to show Aldin the screen. On the screen, numerous Sky Castles attacking Avartin were engulfed in mes. The Empire''s attack had begun.


    "You didn''t know about this either?" asked Bifnen.


    "No, I..."


    Aldin was hopelessly taken aback. She pulled up her system window. There were no notifications rted to the Sky Castles in her interface, which she rechecked. But when she tried to check the locations of the Sky Castles, many were already disconnected. The scene shown by Bifnen was real.


    Aldin stammered, "Th...there seems to be an error in the system."


    "An error? You think that''s an excuse?"


    Bifnen swung his arm, and Aldin''s neck twisted to the side again. This time, being hit by a fist, her nose broke, and she fell backward. Bifnen grabbed Aldin by her hair and forcefully pulled her up.


    "How can you fail to aplish everything you''re tasked with?"


    "...I will correct it."


    "Hurry down to the Demon World and first drop that nuisance to the ground. I will be dealing with those rebellious mortals."


    "Understood."


    Bifnen threw Aldin aside, and Aldin rolled before getting up. Aldin was too ustomed to such abuse to feel fear or shame anymore. It didn''t bother her. She wasn''t overly concerned about what would happen next either. It would all pass.


    <i>''But the n isn''t good. There''s no strategy for dealing with Hegemonia, who''s causing chaos out there.''</i>


    Bifnen could be thinking that merely buying time would be enough, but Aldin felt it was necessary to be cautious.


    Limping, Aldin stood up. "The new god causing chaos out there is dangerous. Arm yourself with weapons and harness power using the system..."


    "You''re suggesting I engage inbat with that thing? <i>Personally</i>?"


    "We must prepare for the worst-case scenario. The other old gods are being effortlessly defeated."


    Bifnen burst intoughter. "Then you better hurry. Stop bbering and move, my slow and foolish..."


    Bifnen''s sentence was cut short by a violent impact on his Sky Castle. Aldin too felt a clear shake.


    Bifnen walked past Aldin to the edge of the Sky Castle. "What is..."


    Bifnen looked up. There was more than one new god. In the void, there was an enormous white parachute,rge enough to cover a small Sky Castle. The immense size meant theplexwork of wires connected to it hung from a single structure. Dangling from the parachute was a tank.


    This tank, covered in red steel tes, had a cannonrger than any previously made in Avartin. Behind the main gun were automated machine gun nests, a mortar battery, and several missileunchers at the rear. It was like a conceptualization of modern violence. Below it, the endless pedrails prepared to conquer any terrain, spinning threateningly and waiting to touch the ground rather than the void.


    Among the blood of the old gods and feathers of Angels, Hegemonia lifted her head.


    <i>-You¡¯rete, cowards.</i>


    From the tank in the sky, the Hierophany form of Chistka replied,


    <i>-Is this one the head?</i>


    <i>-Yes.</i>


    <i>-Let''s attack again.</i>


    Chistka''s main gun moved to target Bifnen and fired without any warning.

 Chapter 301: Backdoor

    <h4>Chapter 301: Backdoor</h4>


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Bifnen''s Sky Castle, once again, withstood an attack from Chistka¡¯s Hierophany form. However, the impact generated by the supermassive depleted uranium round from Chistka''s main cannon lingered, shaking the castle again.


    Aldin saw Bifnen steadying himself by holding onto a pir.


    Chistka said gloomily,


    <i>-It''s not working, as expected. If only my Divinity level was higher...</i>


    Someone from a lower-positioned Sky Castle responded.


    <i>-It''s not easily noticeable, but there''s a system to these Sky Castles.</i>


    Aldin remembered Hegemonia calling them cowards.


    She crawled to the edge to see who was speaking. One of the Sky Castle was in an abnormal state. It was engulfed in a yellow mist. Within that mist, ck shadows swirled.


    <i>-It''s aplex system, but there seems to be a simpler solution.</i>


    Hegemonia, annoyed, asked toward the Sky Castle enveloped in yellow mist,


    <i>-What''s the method?</i>


    Someone crawled out of the mist. It was one of the old gods Aldin knew. Their status wasn''t much different from her, but they were shrewd and not easily defeated... Still, it seemed that they already were.


    The old god barely emerged from the mist, but their skin was covered in red blisters, which burst and spilled out white fluid. Even their previously pristine skin was burning, blisters forming and bursting in mere seconds. The blisters burst with such pressure that one of the god''s joints snapped and broke. The god opened their mouth as if to scream, but instead of a voice, only ck blood clots poured out.


    Then the Hierophany form of Bolt walked out from behind. They were still in a gas mask and protective suit, but something was different. The gas mask was no longer blocking outside air but venting gas from inside the Hierophany form of Bolt.


    Bolt said,


    <i>-If each Sky Castle has a security device, dismantling all castles can deactivate the protection of the top Sky Castle.</i>


    <i>-Are you sure?</i>


    <i>-It''s harder than figuring out the patterns, but I¡¯m sure of it.</i>


    Hegemoniaughed inside her horned helmet.


    <i>-No, I don''t y that way. I prefer the sure path over the difficult one.</i>


    <i>-I''ll help now.</i>


    Bolt was again covered by the yellow mist. It slowly spread to the surrounding Sky Castles.


    <i>-Sure, you tardy little cowards.</i>


    Even while conversing, Hegemonia continued to fight against the Angels.


    Now, some of the old gods were attacking Hegemonia from a distance. They all used ancient weapons that they had wielded once before, including giant projectiles, beams of light, and ranged weapons that returned after being thrown. However, Hegemonia skillfully dodged them, used the attacking Angels as shields, or caught and threw back projectiles aimed at her.


    The old gods were busy figuring out how to maintain a safe distance from Hegemonia''s skills. Around Hegemonia, Sky Castles were fleeing.


    To Aldin, this wasn''t a good sign. Each Sky Castle was positioned to a magical coordinates for maintaining protective states. If connections were lost, the magic would weaken.


    <i>-Ugh, stop with that coward talk.</i>


    Passing Bifnen''s Sky Castle, the Hierophany form of Chistkanded on a lower-positioned castle. Landing neatly at the edge, their parachute quickly wrapped into a detonating fuse and exploded, making the castle descend slowly.


    Hegemonia said,


    <i>-Got a problem?</i>


    <i>-...Better keep your thanks to yourself.</i>


    The defensive mechanisms and Golems, the old gods'' servants on that Sky Castle, looked at Chistka, along with the pet Angles on standby. Chistka was looking at them too.


    All armaments on the Hierophany form of Chistka activated.


    One of the old gods, who had raised a spear to attack Chistka, shouted hastily, "No...!"


    Chistka''s main gun was aimed at the old god. Fire spewed from all of Chistka''s armaments. In an instant, the Sky Castle was enveloped in a ze of light. The castle¡¯s form disappeared momentarily in the intense brightness.


    "Aldin!" Bifnen kicked Aldin in the ribs.


    Aldin quickly stood up.


    "What are you doing? Hurry! Now!" Bifnen, infuriated, reached for the system window.


    Aldin checked Bifnen''s items in the system window. It was still okay. There were still many hidden weapons left by the old gods. They would be unimaginable to the new gods.


    <i>''But... is that enough? They''re already facing us, something we never imagined.''</i>


    Aldin pondered whether to inform Bifnen of this fact. Even if she did, Bifnen would likely dismiss her words as trivial and unimportant.


    Aldin decided to focus on performing her assigned task instead. Before Bifnen could finish the next operation, Aldin used the system authority she had received to immediately move to the Rasdasil Ruins.


    ***


    ¡°Their resistance is weak,¡± Dordol said.


    At this, Vasen stared at the screens. On each screen, there were images of Sky Castles brought by the old gods exploding, crashing, or already stranded and engulfed in mes.


    Vasen then replied, "Hmm, it''s because the God of War is with us."


    "What do we do about the fallout?"


    "Radiation? Well, we¡¯ll deal with it somehow when the gods return."


    Dordol smiled bitterly.


    Vasen, even facing a problem he couldn¡¯t solve, would resort to the same measures as now. Though Dordol, in the same position, would have eventually done the same; the issue was that Dordol would have pondered more, and perhaps not achieved as effective a result as Vasen in coordinating with the Angry One. That was the difference between Dordol and Vasen.


    But the weakness of the resistance didn''t mean the fight was over. Vasen was still developing strategies for the unbroken floating crystals and re-establishing battle ns for the few Sky Castles that had evaded or survived the nuclear missiles. The scale had decreased, but a more detailed approach was necessary. From here on out, peoples¡¯ lives were more at stake.


    At that moment, Hwee-Kyung picked up her mobile phone. It was a call no other had noticed; Hwee-Kyung fumbled with the device and soon handed her phone to Vasen. "General."


    "What is it, Hwee-Kyung?"


    "It¡¯s an important call."


    Vasen quickly took the phone, noting Hwee-Kyung''s serious expression. "Hello...was it?"


    "Vasen?"


    "Who''s speaking?"


    From the other side of the line, a voice answered his question, "It''s Wisdom."


    Vasen immediately responded, "Binding God, forgive my impoliteness."


    "No need for that. I called to check on something."


    "Please go ahead."


    From the other side of Avartin, Wisdom asked, "Has our infiltration force departed?"


    "Yes, Binding God, as per the scenario."


    This infiltration force yed one of the most crucial roles in the current scenario. Wisdom also had a significant hand in it. Naturally, he was interested in the parts he had influenced.


    "Ah, then that''s fine. It''s been hard to get a full grasp of the situation from here."


    "Keep the imperial army''smunications open, and I''ll let you know right away."


    "No, there''s no need to create a bigger security risk than this. I''ve confirmed it, so that''s enough."


    Vasen, even forgetting it was a phone call, nodded. "Binding God, there¡¯s something I¡¯m curious about.¡±


    Wisdom immediately replied, "Vasen, I wee questions."


    "Is it alright?"


    "All right? What do you mean?"


    Vasen asked calmly, "If we follow the scenario, we lose."


    The scenario was prepared by Sung-Woon. To most people, it seemed like a remarkable n considering various factors. However, Vasen saw ws in it. The scenario underestimated the system possessed by the old gods. For it to work, the system had to malfunction, and Vasen considered that too optimistic a presumption.


    Wisdom asked, seemingly intrigued, "Do you think Night Sky gave us a losing scenario?"


    "Of course not."


    "Then?"


    Vasen replied, "If the scenario only works when the system fails to function properly, then someone must be responsible for sabotaging the system to prevent it from functioning correctly. And that someone must have naturally thought that such an event would ur. To have such certainty, that person must have directly orchestrated such an event."


    "An interesting thought. So, because Night Sky has been weakened due to the Fall and infiltrated the system, that part was omitted in the scenario?"


    "Is it not?"


    Wisdom said with a rare hint ofughter in his voice, "That is correct."


    "Will you reveal the secret?"


    Wisdom answered, "Night Sky has already visited the Demon World once."


    "Is that enough?"


    "No, not exactly. But Night Sky was the top student in the Programming Study Club that I was captain of.¡±


    "Pardon?" Vasen asked as he knew little about the gatherings of yers. Vasen had wandered the Prairie of Beginnings longer than he had in the pantheon after death.


    However, Wisdom, regardless of Vasen''s questions or doubts, recalled Night Sky¡¯s hacking skills.


    "A hacker who¡¯s seeded in hacking wouldn''t return without creating a backdoor."


    ***


    The day before Hegemonia jumped into the fray of the Sky Castles.


    Originally, aside from a sarcophagus, the interior of the Baustan Sanctuary was nothing but moss-covered stones and stone carvings, typical ornaments of the era when the sanctuary was built. However, after Sung-Woon had settled there for a day, bringing various items from the Baustan revolutionary army, the ce was cluttered with random objects.


    Sung-Woon sat amidst these sundries, cross-legged and with eyes closed. Although the routine visits of the revolutionary army''smanding officer''s orderly at meal times disrupted his concentration, it wasn''t a major hindrance. He also needed to appease his hunger at regr intervals.


    It was right after dinner when Sung-Woon closed his eyes again.


    <i>¡®I should be able to continue focusing for the rest of the night.''</i>


    Sung-Woon closed his eyes and submerged into a deep state. On Earth, this would be called meditation. However, in and like Avartin, where magic existed, it was somewhat different.


    There was a significant variance among individuals, but those with the talent could enter the world of mental imagery¡ªa world of lucid dreaming. Unlike Earth, where dreams always invaded the individual, dreamers in Avartin held control. Additionally, those who could bring the secrets discovered in these dreams into reality were called Wizards.


    The world of imagery and reality slightly ovepped. Nothing seemed to have changed. Sung-Woon was still in the Baustan Sanctuary, amidst the items randomly-ced by the revolutionary army. However, two small animals sat on Sung-Woon''s shoulders.


    A ck lizard on his right shoulder said,


    <i>-Though you''ve lost your divinity after the Fall...</i>


    A white crow on his left shoulder continued,


    <i>-Did a Returner like you ever need such power?</i>


    Sung-Woon, who was once a God of Magic, remained a Wizard.

 Chapter 302: Who is the Returner

    <h4>Chapter 302: Who is the Returner</h4>


    Sung-Woon sat quietly for a moment inside the Baustan Sanctuary. The ovep of reality and unreality still felt unfamiliar to Sung-Woon, and perhaps, if Mazdari''s words were true, this moment would always remain strange. That was what magic was.


    Sung-Woon asked,


    <i>-What about the door?</i>


    The white Crow, Mazdari, replied,


    <i>-The backdoor should already be at the intended ce.</i>


    Sung-Woon stood up and turned around.


    There was a sarcophagus of an unnamed warrior. The bottom of the sarcophagus, where Sung-Woon had first woken up in, had been covered in weeds and moss. But now, it was a door made of cut logs. On the door, two sentences in the ancient Avartinnguage were written, which Sung-Woon could read fluently.


    [Secrets are not discovered.]


    [If discovered, they are no longer secrets.]


    This was likely insight into what magic was, written by some Wizard who had entered the Demon World in the past.


    The things created by magic often involved interference from previous Wizards or beings from other worlds.


    <i>''Maybe it''s the future. Inner space has a time axis, but it''s somewhat distorted.''</i>


    Understanding magic from an external space¡¯s perspective was quite difficult. Even the physicalws thought to be unbreakable be malleable, absolute rules be rtive, and concepts and senses that were once imperceptible emerged.


    Embracing such powers without hesitation could drive a Wizard mad. Therefore, the first rule for Wizards was to maintain their sanity and identity.


    The ck lizard, Kyle Lak Orazen, said,


    <i>-The backdoor is already open.</i>


    Sung-Woon nodded and turned back.


    There, Sung-Woon was still sitting cross-legged. It was Sung-Woon that remained in external space. Now, Sung-Woon entered the Demon World, the deepest part of Avartin in the internal universe, inner space.


    Sung-Woon opened the backdoor. A grayish-white staircase led underground where it shouldn''t exist. Without hesitation, Sung-Woon went down and closed the door overhead.


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t encounter the ck fortress walls, the white door, or the watcher with hundreds of eyes, as he had seen on the previous visit to the Demon World.


    Sung-Woon remembered Wisdom''s words.


    "Neb, once you''ve seeded, the second time is easier."


    "Why is that?"


    "If you sessfully hack it, just leave a backdoor that ignores all security."


    Thus, when Sung-Woon created the golden key to open the first door, he also made a backdoor. Immediately after expanding the system''s range during the moon-facing n, Sung-Woon installed the backdoor and exited. Knowing he would return someday, Sung-Woon had no regrets about his hasty departure.


    The backdoor installed then led directly to the depths of the Demon World rather than its borders, and the depths were dark. Sung-Woon went down the stairs in the darkness and reached the bottom.


    Then Mazdari said,


    <i>-Returner, the demonic magic here is so deep and intense that it seems even the ancient spells cannot shake it.</i>


    Sung-Woon looked around in the darkness.


    <i>-But if not here, we would have been easily discovered.</i>


    Kyle said,


    <i>-Night Sky, there''s no need to worry. I am here for times when your magic doesn''t work.</i>


    The white Crow, Mazdari, slightly fluffed its feathers.


    <i>-Your way is too slow.</i>


    <i>-...But it''s certain. How about we move toward the outskirts where the demonic magic''s density decreases and thene up with another solution?</i>


    <i>-Agreed.</i>


    <i>-We are currently in the eighth hemisphere of the virtual cuboid that makes up the physical Demon World. Turn 40 degrees to the left and walk with slow but wide steps. We need to head to the twelfth hemisphere.</i>


    Sung-Woon did so. Following Kyle''s instructions, Sung-Woon thought about magic, the system, and the Demon World.


    Magic was a set of linguistic rules, and the old gods called the unified system they created through these rules the ¡®system¡¯. The system existed in the Demon World. The Demon World was a ce where the system could reside, being both a storage device and an information processor. Thus, if the system was software, the Demon World was the hardwareputer that ran it.


    <i>''However...''</i>


    Thisputer was too old and broken. Such errors were called software rot by the old gods. Software rot caused unexpected errors in theputer, urring in all ces of Avartin touched by the system''s range.


    <i>''As Aldin said, it must be due to a fundamental problem with magic.''</i>


    The foundation of the worldy in the external space, rooted in unshakable, solid physical properties. However, magic shook the rules of external space, creating connections with other worlds that would otherwise be unreachable.


    <i>''This is why Wizards had to have more than one consciousness.''</i>


    One had to target the external space, and another the inner space. Only then could the mystery of magic be manifested from inner space to external space.


    <i>''The puzzling thing is why such systems of consciousness existed under the name of spirits.''</i>


    In Sung-Woon''s inner monologue, someone replied,


    <i>-Are you curious about that?!</i>


    Sung-Woon lifted his head. Sung-Woon also felt a slight tension from the two apostles on his shoulders, watching the front. If identified as an enemy, these two apostles would act before Sung-Woon''smand, ensuring there was no longer an enemy. But fortunately, there was no need for that.


    Sung-Woon recognized the presence that appeared before him,


    <i>-Pzzt.</i>


    A blue electric stingray flickered in the darkness, and it continued its slow, leisurely flight, seemingly pleased to be called.


    <i>-Yes! O Returner! Your spirit hase to meet you here!</i>


    Sung-Woon pointed out,


    <i>-That¡¯s not meant to be answered.</i>


    <i>-...Is that so? Us, spirits of Demonic Magic, are so deep in the Demon World that my electric sensors work too well. I couldn''t distinguish between your external response and internal thoughts. Sorry.</i>


    -No need to apologize. And if you know the answer, you may respond to the question.


    Pzzt slowly circled above Sung-Woon''s head and said,


    <i>-It''s all because of the old gods!</i>


    <i>-That too?</i>


    <i>-That too.</i>


    Pzzt continued,


    <i>-For a long time, people thought ancient evil referred only to evil gods, but the old gods have been more malevolent since much earlier.</i>


    Sung-Woon had known this fact from a certain point. Perhaps during the time when the evil gods and old gods fought, there wasn''t much distinction between the two.


    <i>-Originally, magic had the potential to manifest in all people.</i>


    That was not the case in the current Avartin. Gically, or through ancient relics found in the Demon World, one had to have a spirit of Demonic Magic dwell within them, and thus gain another consciousness. Of course, as magic developed, ancient magics were discovered, and other methods emerged. Tuning was known as a product of more ancient magic.


    <i>-That''s why in ancient times, Wizards were not as precious as they are now. Some were just tricksters, but others moved the heavens with powers beyond their ownprehension. Of course, being primitive Wizards who neglected the umtion of mysteries, they were slow in advancing magic.</i>


    Sung-Woon thought it interesting that magic, too, required a minimum level of civilization.


    <i>-But as time passed, Wizards who achieved Tuning appeared. They were different from the primitive Wizards. They properly processed knowledge, researched, and passed it down. And they seeded in gaining absolute influence. That was the problem.</i>


    <i>-Why is that?</i>


    <i>-Those Wizards wanted to monopolize magic because a new Wizard emerging from somewhere always posed a challenge to their power.</i>


    <i>-I see.</i>


    Pzzt rapidly fluttered its tail fins.


    <i>-That is why. Those Wizards harvested the origin of the magic in Avartin with their own power. In other words, they imprisoned dreams. That was the first form of the Demon World, Rasdasil. The Wizards divided the imprisoned dreams and monopolized them as their power.</i>


    Pzzt turned and flew into Sung-Woon''s view. Matching the pace of Sung-Woon''s walk, Pzzt hovered in ce.


    <i>-That power is us, the spirits of Demonic Magic.</i>


    Sung-Woon added the next logical conclusion.


    <i>-And those Wizards are the old gods.</i>


    <i>-Yes.</i>


    Pzzt soared again, and behind Pzzt, other spirits of Demonic Magic emerged. They each resembled burning Wolves, grayish-white Snakes, translucent Eagles, or Bears made of soil. These spirits of Demonic Magic gradually approached Sung-Woon, running around, flying through the air, or circling around his feet.


    The spirits of the Demonic Magic sang,


    <i>-We were ves, subjugated to the old gods for a long time.</i>


    <i>-Until you freed us.</i>


    <i>-We were the minions of the old gods for a long time.</i>


    <i>-Until you, the Returner, returned.</i>


    <i>-We didn''t even know who we were.</i>


    <i>-Until you, the Returner, and those good-natured Wizards broke our curse.</i>


    Mazdari slightly raised his head. Sung-Woon was aware of the great achievements aplished not just by Mazdari, but by other fellow Wizards. It was a long-kept secret, iprehensible to those who weren¡¯t Wizards.


    To the Empire¡¯s citizens, it might just be remembered as a few cases where Wizards overcame their handicaps through surgical procedures. However, it was a deed that gave freedom to the spirits of Demonic Magic. Broken out from the constraints imposed by the old gods through bloodline or contracts, the spirits regained their freedom.


    In this process, the Wizards achieved Tuning. Mazdari said it was a good deal since both parties benefited, but the spirits did not think of it that way.


    The spirits of Demonic Magic said in one voice,


    <i>-Thus, we decide to repay our debt, your will shall be our will.</i>


    Sung-Woon said,


    <i>-Then may I ask for a favor?</i>


    <i>-Of course. For your request, we would even oppose the old gods right away.</i>


    Sung-Woon shook his head.


    <i>-Finding the way is enough.</i>


    The spirits of Demonic Magic looked somewhat disappointed, but the request was immediately granted. As the spirits of Demonic Magic created a path, a narrow trail appeared in the darkness. The ground was firm yet soft with soil, and the nts on either side were thriving. Gentle sunlight tickled Sung-Woon lightly.


    The spirits were moving back and forth, jumping around while Sung-Woon walked. Sung-Woon knew that this was a hospitality of the imaginary world created by the spirits. Sung-Woon fully enjoyed it and followed the path.


    Kyle said,


    <i>-It must have been a practice.</i>


    <i>-Practice?</i>


    Mazdari said,


    <i>-Or maybe the order was reversed. It could have been something like the first idea.</i>


    Sung-Woon knew what the two Apostles were talking about.


    <i>-You¡¯re talking about the system.</i>


    Sung-Woon felt it too. The powers held by the spirits of Demonic Magic also symbolized a Domain. The reason they weren¡¯tpletely dissolved into the system was probably because they were created before the system was made.


    At the end of the path, a clearing with a giant ck rock appeared. It looked natural, but its surface was densely written with ancient texts, some so old that even Sung-Woon couldn''t read them. Sung-Woon guessed that this was the first Rasdasil.


    Mazdari said,


    <i>-Returner, put your hand on it.</i>


    Sung-Woon ced his hand on the rock.


    Kyle said,


    <i>-Night Sky, unfold the imaginary world. You can realign the depths of the Demon World in all possible forms.</i>


    Sung-Woon did so. Sung-Woon pictured several images in his mind. The depths of the Demon World could be a library.


    <i>''Jerome would have preferred it.''</i>


    It could also be a supeputer withputer monitors filling the view.


    <i>''That would be familiar to Wisdom.''</i>


    It could be a kind of theater with fake people performing ys to convey necessary information.


    <i>''Would Eldar like that?''</i>


    Sung-Woon thought those were good ideas, but he already had something in mind.


    People couldn¡¯t escape from their long-held memories. That was thendscape of their imagination.


    Sung-Woon¡¯s world was a museum. White marble floors, a dazzlingly lit high ceiling, a silent and empty space with no one around. Sung-Woon stepped into the museum.


    <i>''Is this the depths of the Demon World?''</i>


    Many questions had been resolved, but there was still something puzzling Sung-Woon. The journey to the depths of the Demon World was not just about opposing the old gods, but also to solve this mystery.


    <i>''Am I really the Returner?¡¯</i>


    The spirits once again confused thoughts and words, responding to Sung-Woon''s question,


    <i>-There was a Wizard.</i>


    The spirits sang,


    <i>-The Wizard liked to y.</i>

 Chapter 303: The Main Exhibition Hall: Past Hall

    Chapter 303: The Main Exhibition Hall: Past Hall


    Sung-Woon listened to the tone and rhythm of the spirits. The beat was slow, the pitch high, with a diverse harmony and a smooth intery of high and low notes.


    However, Sung-Woon remembered his duties while listening to the spirits'' song. The spirits also had no intention of disturbing Sung-Woon.


    As long as Sung-Woon didn''t concentrate on them, the spirits'' presence was insignificant, but they still tickled his ears with their soft, emotional humming.


    Mazdari said,


    <em>-Returner, where would you like to go first?</em>


    Sung-Woon was in the lobby of the museum. In the center of the lobby stood a model of Avartin, about five meters in diameter, and its first moon, Yonda, orbiting around it. Yonda moved smoothly along an orbit made of thin brass bands and mechanical gears.


    Above it, a thin brass chain hanging from the ceiling held an arch-shaped sign with ''Wee to Avartin'' in Gothic script, evidencing this space as a reflection of Sung-Woon''s consciousness.


    Sung-Woon slowly observed the model of Avartin, which seemed to represent its current state. Skyscrapers were in the urban areas, and lush greenery in what was once barrennd. Landmarks and ancient ruins in each region were builtrger than the original, making them more noticeable.


    Sung-Woon spotted the Starkeeper above a transparent base in the middle of the ocean. It appeared to be made of tin with a clean finish; its detailed representation of naval aircrafts and shading made it look outstanding.


    Kyle said,


    <em>-Night Sky, it seems we can head to three ces from here.</em>


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    Right behind the Avartin model was the Present Hall. Sung-Woon knew he would have to visit there sometime, but it wasn''t next on his list.


    To the right of the Avartin model was the Future Hall. The path was blocked with ck and yellow striped tape, and a red Under Construction'' sign hung there. The passage behind led into darkness, revealing nothing. Sung-Woon thought it made sense. The future hadnt arrived yet. After all, museums were ces to exhibit things from the past.


    Sung-Woon turned to the left. There was the Past Hall. Sung-Woon had to go to Avartins past. The museum kindly indicated the way with arrows. Guiding left-hand traffic, there was an exit to the right side of the entrance to the Past Hall, and the exit now led to the Present Hall.


    Sung-Woon decided to first follow the arrows into the Past Hall. What weed him first was a collection of primate models, made at 1/6th scale, huddled together in a small cave with the name ''Primitive Humanity''. Sung-Woon knew this was called a diorama, a disy intended to recreate a specific situation, as Crampus had informed him.


    The appearance of these primates, known to Sung-Woon as ancestors of humans, was slightly different, though he found it hard to pinpoint exactly how. Perhaps their cheeks appeared slightlyrger, and their necks were a bit shorter. Their posture could have been more stooped.


    Sung-Woon had some knowledge of paleoanthropology for both Earth and Avartin. ording to research on Avartin, Humans were undoubtedly a candidate for the oldest species.


    <em>''Of course, gically different from Humans on Earth.''</em>


    Sung-Woon was about to quickly pass by this section of Primitive Humanity, but his eye caught the exhibit named The First Dream''. The primitive Humans sat huddled together with their eyes closed, appearing either asleep or in pain. But Sung-Woon knew that wasn''t the case.


    As he observed quietly, a magenta light shone over the model, and the primitive Humans opened their eyes. The movement of their joints, in addition to their eyelids, revealed to Sung-Woon that they werent simple models, but automatons. Unlike their ancestors before them, these primitive Humans sat up straighter and could spread their fingers firmly.


    Sung-Woon moved on to the next diorama. The next exhibit was named ''Differentiation''. After reading about the exhibit, Sung-Woon realized the meaning of ''The First Dream''.


    <em>''Magic on Avartin must have affected DNA. In external space, the body influences the mind, but in inner space, the mind influences the body.''</em>


    As the name suggested, the exhibit showcased the descendants of three primitive species of humanity ced in different environments. Some lost their fur and became more Human-like, others grew in size and fur, resembling Bigfoot. Surprisingly, some started developing a hard exterior instead of fur.


    <em>''Primitive Astacideas?''</em>


    He realized that during the era of primitive magic, individuals were able to transform into the bodies they dreamed of. Sung-Woon gained a deeper understanding of Dragons. Even though the old gods had stolen secrets and trapped dreams, some beings ultimately overcame these challenges.


    As Sung-Woon followed the arrows and turned the corner, an overwhelming exhibit was revealed. Named ''The Divergence of Man'', it wasn''t a diorama. A massive infographic, approximately 20 meters tall and over 60 meters long, filled therge wall. The infographic, maintaining a sepia tone and using silhouettes and poses to depict different species, satisfied Sung-Woon with its exnation of the evolution of different species.


    While quickly scanning the infographic, Sung-Woon discovered several intriguing aspects that would interest paleoanthropologists.


    Just then, something moved in the corner of Sung-Woon''s vision. He quickly turned around.


    <em>-Night Sky, whats wrong?</em>


    Kyle responded quickly to the unusual reaction. Mazdari had already flown into the air.


    Sung-Woon looked around one side of the exhibition hall. He thought he heard footsteps from somewhere, but couldn''t tell if they were real or not.


    Mazdari returned and perched on his shoulder, saying,


    <em>-Returner, there is no one here but us. For now.</em>


    Kyle assessed,


    <em>-Night Sky, this ce reflects your memories. It could be their influence.</em>


    Sung-Woon understood.


    <em>-Can this reflection of memories be dangerous?</em>


    <em>-It might be, or it might not. It depends on the content of the memories. If dangerous, it could reconstruct the depths of the Demon World ording to your memories.</em>


    <em>-What does dangerous mean?</em>


    Kyle bowed his Lizard head deeply,


    <em>-This may be presumptuous of me to say so, but I cannot judge until I hear it.</em>


    Sung-Woon lifted Kyle''s head with the tip of his index finger, indicating he shouldn''t bow. Understanding Sung-Woon''s intention, Kyleplied.


    Sung-Woon, who had felt intrigued by the entrance of this ancient hall, left without hesitation. There would be time to return after everything was finished. His dutiesid elsewhere.


    <em>-My younger sister loved ying hide and seek. She was also good at it.</em>


    Sung-Woon spoke while walking,


    <em>-Once, we went to a museum. You may not know, but there are few ces as good for hide and seek as a museum. I knew it would appeal to my sister. But at that time, as I grew older, I came to think of hide and seek as childish, and I felt a responsibility to act as the dignified eldest brother rather than y with my sister, so I declined her suggestion to y.</em>


    The two apostles listened quietly. The spirits'' humming lowered in volume. They were listening to the story as well.


    <em>-So my sister started ying alone. Originally, I would have been ''it'', but since I refused, everyone became ''it''. My parents, museum staff, all of them. The game of hide and seek went on for a very long time.</em>


    Kyle asked,


    <em>-And then what happened?</em>


    Sung-Woon replied,


    <em>-I found her.</em>


    Sung-Woon recalled the memory.


    <em>-She was on top of arge statue. It was hard to see from below due to her small size, and it seemed too high for a child to climb up. If I had never yed with my sister, it would have been hard to imagine she would hide there.</em>


    Having read Sung-Woon''s emotions, Mazdari said,


    <em>-Returner, do you regret it?</em>


    Kyle looked at Mazdari for the rude question. However, Sung-Woon didn''t find offense in that.


    <em>-I scolded my sister when I found her, instead of apologizing. I regret that.</em>


    Kyle said,


    <em>-But Night Sky, it''s not a painful memory.</em>


    <em>-Right.</em>


    <em>-Why is that?</em>


    Sung-Woon answered,


    <em>-My sister thanked me for finding her. She said the statue she was on was too hard and cold, and her legs were falling asleep from crouching. If I hadn''t found her, my proud sister would have stayed there.</em>


    Kyle noticed the slight upward curve to Sung-Woon''s lips. He said,


    <em>-There''s no need to reconstruct the Demon World''s depths from that memory.</em>


    <em>-That''s good.</em>


    <em>-It might even be helpful.</em>


    <em>-I''m not sure about that.</em>


    Sung-Woon entered the next subsection, ''Dawn of Magic'', leaving behind ''Primitive Avartin''. Sung-Woon, along with Mazdari and Kyle, were getting closer to their intended destination.


    Sung-Woon quickly nced at the dioramas like the Orc, ''Ancient Wizard'', wrapped in lightning around his wrist, the Kobold, ''Sorcerer'', manipting a small light orb, and the Dwarf, ''Seeker of Secrets'', wandering in shadows in their imagery world with eyes closed.


    He also skipped a few directions indicated by the arrows on the floor. Sung-Woon paused briefly, pointing to a cleverly hidden door in a corner.


    <em>-This seems like a shortcut.</em>


    Kyle agreed,


    <em>-Yes, we might be able to pick up a few helpful tools.</em>


    Sung-Woon opened a ''Staff Only'' door in the exhibition hall and entered. Inside were panels used for creating temporary exhibition partitions and various tools and cleaning equipment used for maintaining the museum.


    Sung-Woon picked up a can of red paint and a brush.


    <em>-This will be good.</em>


    Mazdari agreed,


    <em>-Good choice. Simple yet with significant magical implications.</em>


    Sung-Woon walked down a narrow corridor and pulled back a curtain, revealing the entrance to the next subsection.


    <em>''The Birth of the System.''</em>


    Holding the paint can in one hand and the brush in the other, Sung-Woon entered the subsection. The spirits'' song intensified. This subsection was circr, allowing a full view in one rotation.


    In the center was ''The First Rasdasil'', a ck rock that was a symbol of the Demon World''s depths, and one could follow the arrows to read the descriptions, pictures, and infographics on the walls. Though small, there were also a few dioramas.


    After looking around, Sung-Woon walked toward a descriptionbeled, ''Ancient Wizards Crafting the System.'' He opened the paint can and dipped the brush deeply into it. Then, with the brush soaked in red paint, he began painting over the description.


    <em>Shrieeek!</em>


    A scream-like sound continued until Sung-Woon lifted the brush, and then it stopped.


    Mazdari said,


    <em>-Returner, that''s the right move.</em>


    Kyle exined what Sung-Woon had just achieved.


    <em>-The modification just now sessfully removed several base codes of the old gods'' system. These codes were slightly corrupted, causing intermittent errors for the old gods, and now they won''t notice as these turn intoplete errors.</em>


    Mazdari added,


    <em>-And this mystery is connected to their innate magical senses. They won''t realize they''ve be duller.</em>


    Sung-Woon said,


    <em>-Then let''s amplify that error.</em>


    Sung-Woon kicked the paint can with his foot. The can spilled, pouring red paint over the white marble floor, continuously flowing and creating an unending pool. Sung-Woon slightly bent over, dipped the brush, and painted the exhibits with red. A wail erupted from the system.


    Sung-Woon''s brushstrokes, though seemingly hasty and random, followed a precise pattern. He continued his work as he moved through the subsection, ''The Birth of the System'', which soon became soaked with red footprints and brushstrokes.


    Kyle said,


    <em>-Night Sky, the main governance framework has already copsed. The system''s downfall is only a matter of time.</em>


    Mazdari said,


    <em>-Returner, changes have finally begun in external space. Yonda is shaking.</em>


    Sung-Woon, as he had often done to recharge his brain with energy, turned his consciousness inside out, going to the outside from the inside. Sung-Woon momentarily woke up in the Baustan Sanctuary.


    Just as the two apostles guarded Sung-Woon''s mental world, Sratis and other long-time creations of Sung-Woon guarded his external world without even being summoned. One of the old gods'' creations, called an Angel, interfered, but nothing happened.


    Sung-Woon expressed his gratitude to the Frogman, who had done their best for him. Then, he submerged back into his consciousness and raised his head. The chaotic scene of the subsection covered in red paint had transformed.


    As Sung-Woon quietly observed, Mazdari said,


    <em>-Returner, the spirits of Demonic Magic threw a tantrum while you were away.</em>


    <em>-Is there a problem?</em>


    <em>-Not really.</em>


    Kyle said,


    <em>-They seem to want to show you something.</em>


    The overall structure of the subsection hadn''t changed despite the altered scenery. The red paint had simply turned into red velvet. Since the form and image themselves weren''t important, Sung-Woon didn''t mind.


    The most significant change was in the exhibit itself. Sung-Woon turned to recheck the name of the subsection. The name changed. Instead of ''The Birth of the System'', it was now ''The Birth of the Returner''.

 Chapter 304: Small Exhibition Hall: Birth of the Retuner

    Chapter 304: Small Exhibition Hall: Birth of the Retuner


    Sung-Woon witnessed a spirit just finishing changing the sign of the subsection. Guided by the spirit, Sung-Woon walked to the first changed exhibit.


    <em>-There once was a Wizard.</em>


    A man, who appeared Human, was in a forest.


    <em>-This Wizard loved to y.</em>


    In front of the man was a gameboard, unfamiliar to Sung-Woon. Perhaps through magic, it shimmered with light, and the pieces moved on their own. The man''s back was turned, deeply engrossed in the gameboard.


    <em>-The Wizard had good rtions with friends.</em>


    In the next diorama, Sung-Woon saw Wizards of various species gathered around <em>the </em>Wizard. The gameboard seemed to be designed for multiple yers. Their face was hidden by a hood, but the Wizards friends seemed to have a cheerful look on their faces.


    <em>-But a destiny called death took all his friends away.</em>


    The next diorama still only showed the Wizard''s back. But in front of him, instead of a gameboard, was a graveyard. Unable to symbolize anything with just a branch, he used tough strings to tie the wood into a cross and nted it in the ground. asionally, on Avartin, as on Earth, the cross symbolized death.


    Many crosses were nted in front of the Wizard.


    <em>-The Wizard decided to ovee death.</em>


    Sung-Woon asked,


    <em>-His own death?</em>


    <em>-No.</em>


    The spirits sang,


    <em>-Everyone''s death.</em>


    Sung-Woon initially thought the next exhibit was a video, but then realized it was a shadow y. Peering carefully inside, he noticed spirits moving puppets around with their mouths. Sung-Woon focused on the y, not wanting to embarrass the spirits.


    The narrative was simple. It was about how the Wizard decided to ovee everyone''s death.


    Sung-Woon found it somewhat familiar, as it was a repetition of what he had already seen in the previous exhibit, ''The Birth of the System''. The difference was that instead of focusing on a group of ancient Human Wizards wielding magical power in Avartin, it centered on an individual known as ''the Wizard''.


    And if the narrative was true, the system was not the work of ancient Wizards, but rather the creation of this one Wizard. Sung-Woon began to believe this could be true.


    <em>''Toe up with the idea of a system, the concept of a game muste first.</em>


    The process was not smooth, but eventually, the first Rasdasil waspleted,ying the foundational work.


    As Sung-Woon and the two apostles predicted, the spirits of Demonic Magic yed a role in stimting practice or triggering new ideas. Using this as a stepping stone, the Wizard sessfully built the initial system. This became a great achievement in the history of Avartin. Death became obsolete.


    A festival spanning several decades enveloped the entire of Avartin.


    <em>''The original exhibition would have ended here.''</em>


    The subsection ''The Birth of the System'' that Sung-Woon remembered concluded with a world without death, where everyone met in the afterlife, and endless happiness ensued.


    However, ''The Birth of the Returner'' did not end there. The tragedy began right at that point.


    <em>-The ancient Wizards ascended to the position of gods. They proimed that position rightfully theirs for creating the system, and all life on Avartin agreed. The Wizard too ascended to that position for his achievements.</em>


    Sung-Woon looked at the next exhibit.


    <em>''Bored Gods.''</em>


    The joy of the long festival fadedin retrospect, the festival could no longer be described as long. It onlysted a few decades after all, and what followed was 70,000 years.


    The exhibit showed the old gods sitting inside the system. They were still, either in gloom, consuming drugs, or gazing at stagnant cultural arts that had been repeated for thousands of years. The retro trend hade and gone hundreds of times.


    The miserable fact for the old gods was that such days were nned tost forever. The gods despaired. Then, a deviation urred.


    <em>''An Old God on Trial.''</em>


    The diorama now disyed a courtroom with one of the old gods bowing their head. Using a magnifying ss provided in front of the diorama, Sung-Woon could read the detailed list of crimes of the old god.


    The crimes were horrific. They tortured living people to death and extorted souls meant for the afterlife, torturing them again. Then they imprisoned those souls. This went on for 6,000 years, affecting 30,000 beings.


    Most of the rescued souls couldn''t recover, and even the old god most knowledgeable in healing magic didn''t know how to help. They put the suffering souls to sleep, unable to bear seeing them in pain. That was the only solution they had.


    The courtroom asked the old god why theymitted such acts. The old god said they did it out of boredom. Then they confessed to feeling omnipotent and alive each time they heard the screams of the beings they interfered with by bending causality.


    The presiding judge and other old gods wanted to quickly resolve this terrible crime. Since there was no death within the system, they created an exceptional concept of ''The Fall'', and after making the old god Fall, they killed them.


    The old god, who died without a chance for faith, simply vanished rather than had their soul stored in Rasdasil. All information rted to this old god was eradicated and buried in oblivion.


    The old gods believed everything was well managed. For about 10,000 years, they held this belief.


    However, the deviance of an old god, now nameless, had driven a significant stake into everyone''s minds. The old gods began to feel the need to experience omnipotence and being alive again.


    Changes started to ur gradually. Lighter deviations and their subsequent trials urred, iparable to the past crimes of the old god. Even when they bent causality, they deemed death through Falling as excessive, so they only temporarily put offenders to sleep as punishment.


    The old gods slowly escted the severity of their deviations. The beings of Avartin didn''t quite understand what was happening.


    Knowing their actions were dishonorable and shameful, the old gods were more cautious in enjoying their diversions. They shared thoughts on what actions were more entertaining, what excuses they would make at trials, or if they felt they had the right tomit such acts. They each began to gain the others'' agreement. Even the most upright judge among them came to understand how to enjoy this delusion.


    Avartin gradually deteriorated. Sung-Woon understood what this was. There were many examples, but simr things could happen in The Lost World. After winning the game, all yers exit, except for thest victor.


    The final victor, remaining in that world, gained the right to do as they pleased. They could drop unnecessary nuclear bombs on weaker nations or change the belief systems to doom them all to hell. Having won the game, they meaninglessly racked up Faith points and lined up the heroes who fought alongside them to throw them into prison.


    No one could resist the urge. The winning yer was a true god. Sung-Woon, too, had once done such things. It was just a game, so he felt no guilt.


    <em>''In a finished game, the death of an entity means nothing. I''ve already won. The same might have been true for Avartin, which had ovee death.''</em>


    But Sung-Woon didn''t enjoy such actions, nor did he think he would do them given the chance. It wasn''t a way to enjoy the game. At least, it wasn''t Sung-Woon''s idea of fun.


    And among all this, only one old god shared Sung-Woon''s view. The Wizard, now an old god, known by another name, ''The Returner.''


    The Returner didn''t think of himself as special. He was the technician who created the system, and the system continually had issues. He was too busy to ever feel bored. He thought that kept him from falling into the trap called boredom.


    Sung-Woon read the Returner''s thoughts. He guessed these were the Returner''s remaining consciousness in the depths of the Demon World.


    <em>''The system is a failure.''</em>


    <em>I have failed.</em>


    <em>The system must be destroyed.</em>


    But now, the Returner alone couldn''t rebel against all the other old gods. The old gods had found suitable ways to ovee their boredom. Trials no longer urred. Even the judge, Bifen Dial Robane, was more interested in exciting activities than in trials.


    They thought they had lost the freedom to interfere with each entity due to the system''s constraints, but finding ways to vite these causalws and celebrating their achievements became a source of joy.


    It had been over 10,000 years. The Returner thought they had endured for too long.


    <em>I can''t just stand by and watch.</em>


    The Returner sought out the most tender-hearted among the old gods. He shared his n with that old god. The Returner''s persuasion worked, and a n to gradually take away the system control, equally held by the old gods, was set in motion.


    The Returner almost seeded. He nearly did. He brought the system to the brink of copse and stripped some of the old gods of their powers. He managed to change the minds of some of the old gods and freed countless souls suffering under them. This great deed could perhaps make up the sin of having created the system.


    But, ultimately, the Returner failed. He knew that the tender-hearted old god had immensepassion for the beings of Avartin, but was unaware that their tender heart also feared the ruin of their fellow old gods, their family for so long.


    Aldin, the tender-hearted old god, betrayed the Returner.


    Before the judge, Bifen, he asked the Returner, "Do you have any other words?"


    "I have seen the secret. I will return."


    The ancient Wizards rarely spoke of secrets. Uttering a false secret was a taboo among taboos. If one spoke of a secret, it had to be the truth. The old gods murmured.


    The Returner proimed, "When I return, the system will be destroyed."


    Bifen responded, "You will not return." Bifen sentenced the Returner to Fall and face true death. "You won''t even get the chance to leave."


    The anger of the old gods, who almost lost everything, did not end there. After a torturous death, the Returner''s soul was collected. Until the system was once again shaken and partially obliterated by an attack from an evil god, the Returner''s soul remained imprisoned for tens of thousands of years. It was long enough for the old gods to mock and then forget his promise of return.


    Sung-Woon now stood in front of thest exhibit of this subsection. The spirits'' song had already ended.


    <em>''Returner Who Faces Eternal Torture (Replica)''</em>


    Thest exhibit was a small emerald-green gem. Inside the gem, a silhouette writhed continuously. It was a man screaming.


    Sung-Woon peered closely at it through a magnifying ss positioned in front of the gem. The face, which appeared only as a silhouette, was familiar to Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon murmured,


    <em>-Why does it have the same face as me?</em>


    Mazdari said,


    <em>-Because you share the same soul as the Returner.</em>


    Kyle said,


    <em>-It''s just a coincidence.</em>


    Sung-Woon lightly shook his head. Though looking at the emerald, his gaze was directed toward the back.


    <em>-I wasn''t asking you guys.</em>


    Sung-Woon looked at a corner of the small exhibition hall, where the reflection from the emerald shone. A small shadow was hiding within the exhibition hall.


    Mazdari and Kyle, realizing what Sung-Woon meant, turned to look behind them. The figure that had been hiding above a partition in the exhibition hall jumped down. It was Aldin.


    "How did you get here?"


    Sung-Woon, taking his eyes off the magnifying ss, slowly turned around and said, "What about my question?"


    "You will never know the answer."


    Aldin took out a staff that the Returner had given her long ago. Then she consciously pulled her hood deeper over her head.

 Chapter 305: Second and Third

    Chapter 305: Second and Third


    Aldin assessed the extent of the system''s damage.


    <em>It''s critical, but not irreparable. There''s plenty of time even after dealing with Neb.</em>


    A total of 22 Sky Castles were in danger, but the old gods'' power wouldn''t crumble just because three yers were charging at them. 70,000 years was a substantial length of time, and Aldin trusted in that.


    The problem at hand was Neb. Neb wore a Water Buffalo''s skull and a ck cloak like the night sky. On his shoulders, he carried a ck lizard and a white crow, his two apostles. The two small creatures stared at Aldin.


    Despite theck of divine pressure, this mortal dared to rival the presence of a god.


    <em>I didn''t know he learned magic.</em>


    Aldin hadn''t considered that. Why would one seek more power when already possessing god-like abilities? Moreover, Neb probably hadn''t realized that the system''s foundation was magic until after his victory and before talking to Aldin.


    In reality, most yers didn''t even show much interest in learning magic. It likely wouldn''t have been useful anyway.


    <em>That''s why I chose Earth. A world without magic.</em>


    Yet, somehow, Sung-Woon had learned magic. Not just learned it, but to Aldin''s view, he had reached Tuning.


    Wizards had two consciousnesses, one in reality and one in dreams, which was quite dangerous. If the consciousness of reality consumed that of the dream, one lost their magic. Conversely, if the dream''s consciousness consumed that of reality, it became difficult to stay grounded in reality, leading to madness.


    The old gods created the spirits of Demonic Magic to prevent magic from falling into the hands of unforeseen beings, but also to stabilize the consciousness of dreams.


    However, the best method was Tuning. Tuning was the process of integrating the consciousness of reality and dreams into one. At this stage, a Wizard experienced no problems in exerting their will in both reality and dreams. The Returner, who created the system, the old gods, and Aldin herself had all reached Tuning before bing gods.


    Currently, Aldin and Neb were on the same level as a Wizard. For Aldin, it was puzzling that Neb,ing from a world without magic, would have such abilities.


    <em>Did his Unique Domain have an influence?</em>


    That could be the case. Aldin knew magic was always troublesome. The variable of the evil god had impacted Neb. At the moment the old gods believed they had won the war, the evil gods gained the power to interfere with magic and stole control of the second moon from the Demon World''s depths. Undoubtedly, that Unique Domain, a product of the incident, had fallen into Neb''s hands.


    <em>It doesn''t matter.</em>


    Though equals as Wizards, Neb was now an entity outside the system. Even though the system was breaking apart, it still fulfilled its role. Aldin checked the damage through her mental world and confirmed that many functions were still operating normally.


    Aldin said to Sung-Woon, "You must be disappointed."


    "Why?"


    "You almost destroyed it. If you had more time, you would have seeded."


    Sung-Woon tilted his head very slowly, indicating he didn''t understand what Aldin was talking about. Aldin took this as a provocation, a strategy to induce a mistake from emotional agitation. Aldin decided not to fall for that strategy.


    <em>''Stay calm.''</em>


    Currently, the Demon World''s depths reflected Sung-Woon''s imagery world. Reorganizing the Demon World''s depths with the power of the system was possible, but it would be a waste of energy.


    Moreover, with a replica of the physical world, Aldin had no reason to be hesitant. As the one who had always done the dirty, difficult work among the old gods, Aldin was confident in such situations.


    Aldin, holding her staff, charged toward Sung-Woon. Sung-Woon didnt move.


    <em>''Is he slow to react because he''s not part of the system?''</em>


    That would be expected. The Divinity level provided by the system offered exponential ability stats in both the physical and the cognitive sense.


    Aldin thought this would be easy. However, she was promptly proven wrong.


    A force yanked her ankle, throwing her to the ground. It wasnt just a loss of bnce. She was yanked and mmed to the floor with force. Though there was no great pain due to her well-refined body by the system, she couldn''t understand how the world turned upside down.


    <em>''...What?''</em>


    Aldin reflexively looked at her ankle. A long, 50-centimeter-wide strip of red velvet was wrapped around it, and pulling the velvet from afar were the spirits of Demonic Magic.


    "You mongrels...!"


    Startled by Aldin''s anger, the spirits scurried away in panic.


    But Aldin raised her head to refocus on her opponent. No, she tried to, but all of a sudden, she couldnt see anything. The red velvet had wrapped around her head. The seemingly beautiful fabric was filled with impure, filthy magic, bringing disturbance to the system. A curse in itself.


    Aldin fell backward without resistance, then hastily unwrapped the red velvet and tossed it off.


    The spirits disappeared with mockingughter.


    "Did you think such tricks would work on me?"


    In response to Aldin''s words, Sung-Woon showed his hands and waved them dismissively. It was a gesture indicating he had done nothing. That was indeed the truth.


    The spirits of Demonic Magic had transformed the red paint scattered by Sung-Woon into red velvet, anticipating such an event. It was the spirits of Demonic Magic who were now opposing Aldin.


    Aldin looked around. All the spirits were holding strips of red velvet in their mouths, ring at her. From above, below, diagonally, or spiraling mid-air, the soft red velvet strips danced. Aldin was trapped in a curtain of red.


    <em>''Shit.''</em>


    Aldin realized it wouldn''t be easy to even approach Sung-Woon.


    <em>''But Neb, if you really want to prove you''re a Wizard, relying only on spirits wont be enough.''</em>


    Aldin extended her staff, which was as tall as herself, parallel to her body, and she focused her consciousness. For a Wizard, a staff was a kind of calction assistance device. The shape of the staff was not important, but it usually took the form of a rod for the crafted gems that performed calctions to be embedded. The Returner''s staff internalized Aldin''s second imagery world.


    <em>''If I can''t enter through the first, I''ll just go deeper.''</em>


    The imagery world wasn''t one singryer. When the so-called external space, the real world, had to cling to a single consciousness trapped in one brain, the inner space of the imagery world could simultaneously exist in as many mental worlds as its ability allowed.


    The entrance Aldin mirrored was a narrow vent that required bending over to enter.


    <em>''The imagery of intrusion must always be dark and narrow.''</em>


    Aldin, recalling the secrets of the imagery world, crawled toward the vent. However, something felt off. Scenes not created by Aldin''s consciousness were visible through the grilles below the vent.


    <em>''...Someone''s mental world has be entangled.''</em>


    Aldin tried to ignore the world beneath the vent, but the vent was far longer than Aldin had anticipated. Unless she had prevented such an anomaly from the start, she couldn''t ignore the other imagery world she was encountering.


    She broke through one of the grilles and came down. The floors and walls were finished with low-grade cement, and each of the four walls had a rusted iron door. With so many doors, it couldn''t be a prison, nor a lobby because itcked beautiful decorations. If anything, it could be called a passage, but without any signposts, it was easy to get lost in it.


    <em>This is?</em>


    Aldin realized what the space was: a maze.


    <em>''No hints?''</em>


    Even in the mental world, causality couldnt bepletely ignored. If there was a path, it had to be passable.


    Aldin noticed small numbers written in blue chalk above each door.


    <em>''Coordinates? There must be a pattern.''</em>


    Aldin opened all four doors to check the next rooms, but found identical sights on the other side. The only difference was the numbers written above the doors. Aldin had no concerns about time. Deeper into the imagery world, the speed of consciousness significantly elerated.


    At the moment, in the first mental world, Aldin was just dodging the first attempt of the spirits to wrap her in the velvet cloth by quickly dropping to the floor.


    <em>''...This is difficult.''</em>


    She understood the hint. It was a code rted to prime numbers. Aldin estimated that there were approximately 17,000 rooms, and Sung-Woon was in one of them. If she could find a more precise rule, she could appear behind Sung-Woon and attack before Sung-Woon had a chance to turn around.


    <em>''It might take time, but I could definitely get close.''</em>


    It was a challenging task, but fortunately, the high intelligence provided by the system was useful in such a ce.


    Aldin was about to start the calction and write numbers down on the floor with chalk when she heard a voice.


    <em>-Thats wrong.</em>


    Aldin had never heard the voice before, but she knew who it was. It was Kyle Lak Orazen, Neb''s second apostle.


    Kyle, existing only as a voice, said,


    <em>-You''ve missed an aspect of this.</em>


    "A mere apostle dares to lecture me?"


    <em>-...A mere apostle.</em>


    Kyle humbly epted Aldin''s remark,


    <em>-True. But I am not just any apostle, I am one of Night Sky.</em>


    "Quite a pride."


    <em>-I''ll show you the basis of that pride. You should run.</em>


    Aldin heard the sound of a rusted iron door opening somewhere, indicating that she wasn''t alone in this maze. Aldin sensed danger. This mental world wasn''t just a maze to get lost in. It was abyrinth designed to eliminate intruders.


    <em>''There was a variable.''</em>


    As Aldin solved the coordinates and calcted the equation to approach Sung-Woon, a door in another ce was opening faster than her movement. Aldin realized this mental world wasn''t a reflection of memory, but a highly engineered world.


    <em>''Has a game been created with an imaginary world?''</em>


    Aldin had never heard of such a possibility.


    <em>''I can''t reach him this way. I have no other choice.''</em>


    Aldin bit her lower lip and looked for another approach. She held her staff and again focused her consciousness. Then, she submerged into the third mental world.


    Blood gushed from Aldins nose in the first world. Aldin of the second world staggered, using the Returner''s staff in its most primitive form. And Aldin in the third world crawled out from a bush.


    The surrounding world was a dense jungle imprable even on tiptoes. The only possible path to set foot on was a trail leading to a mountain cave, the entrance high up.


    <em>''To get there by the shortest route, I must bypass the distractor.''</em>


    Aldin, to simplify the task, borrowed a mental world long used by Wizards. First, she created a cave. Then, she ced a target inside it and faced the distractor created by that target. With wisdom and strength, one could defeat the distractor and reach the target.


    Aldin wanted to make things simpler, so she constructed this mental world.


    <em>''Well, then...''</em>


    Aldin, cautious of the distractor Neb could create, walked into the cave.


    <em>''Even though hes achieved Tuning, his essence is still that of a frail mortal. The reflection of the mental world stems from the foundation of his psyche.''</em>


    Aldin knew Neb. Neb''s y was elegant, but it was rooted in perfectionism. Many were perfectionists, but since they werent actually perfect, their tendency usually became a source of psychological anxiety. It was just that Neb had the ability to fulfill his aspirations.


    <em>''...I''ll acknowledge his abilities.''</em>


    But the desire to be perfect was Neb''s weakness. No being could be perfect, not even Neb.


    Knowing the opponent made creating such a mental world quite advantageous.


    <em>''The distractor will also have such weaknesses.''</em>


    Aldin had pushed herself hard to descend to the third world, thinking that this time, she would catch the distractor and reach Sung-Woon. But nothing ever resolved easily.


    <em>-I''ve been waiting for you.</em>


    Aldin realized the cave was muchrger than she imagined. Before her was a darkness so deep that not even sunlight could reach.


    <em>-I''ve always been curious about what the old gods are capable of. Now I''ll find out.</em>


    Aldin watched a creature emerge from the darkness. She recognized the voice as Neb''s third apostle, Mazdari. But what emerged from the darkness was unmistakably a Dragon.


    A beak-like mouth and white feathers covering its body hinted at its origin as a Garuda, but the sheer size said otherwise. Slightly hunched, its long neck, arms, and legs created the perfect curves. The dragon, adorned with silver and silk, held its favored staff in one hand and a softly glowing white sword in the other.


    Aldin looked up at the worst possible being to appear as a distractor.


    Hiding her impatience, Aldin said,


    <em>-You''ll regret this.</em>


    <em>-Hmm, contemting a fourth world, are you? I wouldn''t rmend it, old god.</em>


    Dragon Mazdariughed heartily,


    <em>-You won''t have the luxury to do so while facing me.</em>

 Chapter 306: The Myriad Demons Wriggle

    <h4>Chapter 306: The Myriad Demons Wriggle</h4>


    Hegemonia paused for a moment to catch her breath and assessed the situation before ascending to the next Sky Castle.


    <i>-How are you both doing with XP?</i>


    <i>-Um.</i>


    A few hundred meters away, Chistka, replied after retreating and smashing a charging Angel with a main cannon from a significant distance,


    <i>-I still don¡¯t have enough. I barely managed Hierophany, and these Angels give too little XP. Neb didn''tpletely annihte my followers, which allowed me to achieve Hierophany, and now I''m barely maintaining it... Was this all calcted as well?</i>


    Further away, on another Sky Castle, Bolt pulled a gas grenade from their belt and said,


    <i>-It seems so. At the very least, without Hierophany, we can''t stand against the old gods. It''s a very meticulous n...</i>


    Hegemonia stomped her foot, interrupting Bolt,


    <i>-Can you stop praising that guy? I''m the one working hardest right now, you know?</i>


    Bolt checked the next Sky Castle they were about to ascend to. Seven had beenpletely obliterated so far. With fourteen left until thest one, they had taken care of a third.


    Bolt tossed the gas grenade overhand toward a Sky Castle hundreds of meters away. As the yellow smoke exploded, Bolt got onto it with a triple jump.


    A few Angels attempted to attack Bolt in mid-air, but they were caught in Bolt¡¯s grasp instead. Landing, Bolt mmed an Angel into the Sky Castle''s surface. The trajectory Bolt took remained as a cluster of yellow gas.


    Dusting their hands, Bolt stood up and said,


    <i>-...Anyway, we''re still pushing it.</i>


    Meanwhile, Chistka also had to ascend to the next Sky Castle. Chistka checked for the optimal point to leap from and busily moved the pedrail. The corpses of old gods and Angels destroyed by Chistka were crushed under the pedrail, leaving no trace.


    Without hesitation, Chistka ran toward aunch ramp at a 55-degree angle. The ramp crumbled under the immense weight of their Hierophany body, but Chistka didn''t stop. This level of copse was within their calctions.


    Just before reaching the end of the ramp, Chistka swung their main cannon backward. At the moment the pedrail lifted off, Chistka fired the cannon. Defying gravity, Chistka soared through the air with the cannon''s recoil. Then they plummeted, shaking the next Sky Castle.


    Angels in hiding for an ambush revealed themselves due to the tremors.


    Chistka said,


    <i>-We''ll take our time ascending. You go ahead, Hegemonia.</i>


    Hegemonia grimaced within her horned helmet.


    <i>-Ugh, go ahead.</i>


    Hegemonia was dissatisfied with herrades¡¯ck of abilities. She wouldn¡¯t have been if it were Neb.


    In the game The Lost World, Hegemonia had once achieved an alliance victory with Neb, though only once. She, too, was reluctant to y in alliances, mainly because of her goal to raise her rating score, but she had no choice in that game because her luck had been particrly bad. Starting as two weaker nations, Neb and Hegemonia hadbined forces for victory and, somewhat anticlimactically, won more easily than initially expected.


    <i>-Can''t be helped.</i>


    Hegemonia also jumped toward the next Sky Castle. Suddenly, numerous Angels rushed to knock Hegemonia to the ground.


    Then Hegemonia called out a name,


    <i>-Kazaha!</i>


    It was the name of her fourth apostle and her favorite mount, the divine beast Gytrash, who had died in the past.


    <i>-Death can''t rid you of your duty.</i>


    At those words, her apostle, the decapitated ck Horse, emerged and charged through the Angels. Hegemonia grabbed Kazaha''s mane, wrapped her arm around its neck, and climbed on its back.


    <i>-Ugh, where did you leave your head?</i>


    <i>-....</i>


    <i>-Forget it. That''s not important anyway.</i>


    As if in agreement, Kazaha lightly kicked in the air. Then as if it had exhaled a breath, blood spurted from the severed neck.


    Hegemoniaughed, finding something about it amusing. As she restored his Divinity level, Hegemonia also regained her previous abilities. Most importantly, she had managed to gather quite a lot of Faith points while minimizing skill usage.


    The presence of a Gytrash, known for bringing bad luck, interfered with the Angels'' wing beats. Hegemonia, riding on Kazaha, skillfully ughtered the Angels and dashed through the air.


    Afternding on the next Sky Castle, Golems made of white stones rose to their feet. Though the Golems themselves weren¡¯t weak, their form was sloppy, perhaps because they were hurriedly made from stone.


    <i>-Were they hastily created?</i>


    Hegemonia scanned the area, looking for the old god who was the owner of this Sky Castle. Since they weren¡¯t visible, they had either fled or were inside, manufacturing Golems.


    <i>-Buying time, it seems.</i>


    Hegemonia understood. The time given to her, Bolt, and Chistka was not abundant. Hegemonia wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the Fall that even Neb couldn¡¯t avoid. Hegemonia still didn¡¯t fully understand the concept of the system.


    <i>''Let Neb do it his way.''</i>


    Hegemonia decided to solve the problem her own way. She checked the system window. Her Faith points were sufficient.


    <i>-Salkait.</i>


    Hegemonia called out to her first Apostle,


    <i>-War calls you.</i>


    Something mmed down on the Sky Castle. The impact caused the Sky Castle to shake violently.


    <i>...Boom!</i>


    A loud explosion erupted, and the edge of the Sky Castle crumbled. The Golems that were on it plummeted to the ground.


    Hegemonia looked toward the attacker. It was Salkait of the Ears Cut Tribe, her first apostle wielding a sledgehammer. As soon as Salkait saw Hegemonia, they kneeled and mmed their head to the ground fiercely.


    "O Angry One!"


    Kazaha crushed the Golems with its hooves, and Hegemonia opened a path with her sword.


    <i>-You are angry.</i>


    "The bitterness of defeat has not left me!"


    <i>-Excellent.</i>


    Salkait lifted their head.


    <i>-That anger will make you stronger.</i>


    "...O Angry One!"


    <i>-Just, I am curious how great your fury is.</i>


    Hegemonia slightly raised her head. She had no intention of consoling her apostle. Their rtionship was not of that kind.


    <i>-Prove it to me. Show me.</i>


    Salkait growled and revealed their teeth.


    "By yourmand."


    Salkait turned toward the center of the Sky Castle. To demonstrate their rage to their god, they needed to capture a grand offering.


    Salkait let out a long howl. Warriors from the past, resonating with their fury, rose from the shadows beneath the ruins Salkait had already shattered.


    "Move. The Angry Onemands war."


    ***


    "Argo! Argo Charul Dome!" The old god, Argo, heard Bifnen calling out to them.


    Observing from the second position of the Sky Castles, Argo was surprised to see Bifnen stepping onto their Sky Castle. Bifnen rarely ever left his own Sky Castle. He had a phobia, considering other Sky Castles unclean.


    However, whether that character trait was genuine was doubtful to Argo. To Argo, it seemed that Bifnen merely used it as an excuse to further insult others whenever possible. Regardless of the truth, Bifnen stepping onto another Sky Castle was a rare urrence.


    "Father, what brings you here..."


    Bifnen said, "Release the Myriad Demons."


    At those words, Argo froze, and then slightly shook their head. ¡°That¡¯s not possible."


    "Look down there. See what those bastards are doing."


    Argo again observed the scene they had been watching for a while. Three new gods were indiscriminately killing old gods and destroying Sky Castles. Moreover, one of them, wearing a horned helmet, had even summoned her apostles and armies that used to follow her. They had to admit those new gods were powerful.


    "But Father, didn''t Aldin go to the Demon World?"


    "Are you talking about that idiot who made this mess?"


    "...I know Aldin often makes mistakes. But there''s still time left, and as long as we make them Fall before that, it won''t matter. Even if theye up here, isn''t releasing the Myriad Demons too much?"


    Argo thought that even if the new gods managed to reach right below them or even killed themself, as long as they could manage to make the new gods Fall, it didn''t matter. The system would resurrect them, and it would also neatly repair the Sky Castles.


    Then they could y with these newly Fallen gods. Thinking about the pleasure of revenge, Argo could ept the painful death now.


    It¡¯s not like such events had never happened in the past. The evil gods, while inferior to these new individuals, were more persistent. asionally, the evil gods had even achieved victories against the old gods.


    Some of the old gods retained memories of those times. Revenge was a delightful thing. Argo had a bit of a fetish for it.


    But Bifnen was not like that. "There¡¯s no way that idiot will solve anything. She''ll just fail again. The mere thought of those bastards stepping onto my Sky Castle is humiliating."


    Bifnen, as a judge, had never been defeated. Instead, memories of near defeats existed as traumas. The memory of the Returner was one of the few topics that stressed Bifnen.


    But even understanding that, Argo had a duty as a gatekeeper. "If we release the Myriad Demons, who will gather them again?"


    "We can just sleep once more."


    Argo furrowed their eyebrows. Bifnen was suggesting they sweep away the Myriad Demons with magic that ignored causality and then sleep once more in the Demon World to avoid the storm of causality.


    But they had already slept for too long, 40,000 years. The idea of sleeping again right after waking up didn''t sit well with Argo.


    "We should just wait a little longer. Aldin will..."


    "Aldin is exactly the reason things have gotten to this point!"


    "Yes, that''s right." Argo sighed and pondered how to persuade Bifnen.


    The Myriad Demons referred to either the software rot itself or the evil that infiltrated through the software rot. The software rot had been damaging the Demon World for a long time, and the old gods had collected the byproducts of resolving software rot in one ce.


    The problem was that these byproducts of evil were too close to the source of magic. When evil umted, it exerted a strong influence on each other, increasing its power.


    Unlike the time when a caretaker called the Returner was in charge, the old gods didn¡¯t know how to solve this problem. The Myriad Demons had bred among themselves, endlessly increasing their numbers within the sealed area.


    There was an even worse possibility. Still unknown even to the old gods, the sealed area where the Myriad Demons were could have already connected to another world, arger space of evil. If this was true, releasing the Myriad Demons could lead not just to their use as a weapon, but to the true end of Avartin. When the old gods became aware of this fact, they were terrified as if they were mortals again.


    However, fortunately, the necessary system was functioning properly. Though it wasn¡¯t a solution to eliminate them once and for all, the Myriad Demons couldn¡¯t escape from the sealed area managed by the system.


    Bifnen said, "Answer me, Argo. Will you release the Myriad Demons or not?"


    Argo opposed without a second thought.


    <i>''Father is afraid.''</i>


    Releasing the Myriad Demons was simple, but it could create irreversible problems. There was a reason they hadn¡¯t released them even during the toughest times of the war with the evil gods. Moreover, deceiving causality, as Bifnen suggested, was not easy.


    Argo replied, "Father, if needed, I can go down to the Demon World and check if Aldin is handling things well..."


    Before Argo could finish, Argo realized that their vision was rotating to the right, regardless of their will. Only before losing consciousness did Argo understand that their neck had been cut.


    Bifnen looked up from the system window, checking if his deed had been done correctly.


    [Argo Charul Dome: Status Change ¨C Dead]


    As the highest authority of the system, even other old gods seemed like ants to Bifnen. Although he had been with them for a long time, and he wouldn¡¯t say that he had no affection for them, once he overcame the slight constraint of causality, he could repeatedly kill and revive at will. With such power, it was natural that Bifnen didn¡¯t view all beings managed by the system equally.


    Of course, Bifnen didn¡¯t think so deeply.


    He grumbled and clicked his tongue, "You should have just released them when I told you to."


    Bifnen stepped over Argo''s corpse and headed toward the center of Argo''s Sky Castle. He entered the sealed area skillfully and began the simple task of unsealing. For Bifnen, who monopolized the system''s authority, it was an easy task.


    ***


    Hegemonia sensed a change in the second Sky Castle.


    The upper part of the Sky Castle filled with something dark, and she saw something strange jumping down to Sky Castles that Hegemonia and herrades had not yet conquered.


    <i>-What''s that weird thing that just appeared?</i>


    Chistka and Bolt paused for a moment to observe the second Sky Castle upon Hegemonia''s remark.


    Chistka seemed intrigued, pointing their muzzle in that direction.


    <i>-They look like...</i>


    Bolt sinctly expressed their impression,


    <i>-They look like devils.</i>

 Chapter 307: Form of a Person

    <h4>Chapter 307: Form of a Person</h4>


    People possessed a distinct form. They stood on two legs, had two arms, and carried a head on a neck ced on shoulders. This appearance generally identified someone as a person.


    Bipedalism had been a valuable evolutionary trait, recognized in the ecosystem for a long time like quadrupedalism. The liberation of hands from the constraints of walking allowed for the manifestation of will, reflecting theplex flow of thoughts within the skull.


    This development opened a path formunication between the inner and external space, leading the world beyond the limitations of nature to the new supremacy of artifice.


    Of course, in Avartin, the form of people was more diverse. Even outside Avartin, considering the randomness of gics and the aftermath of mutations, the form itself couldn¡¯t be deemed valuable.


    However, everyone would agree that there existed a form that could be called a person when oveying the silhouette of every existing individual or when looking at a shadow cast by the rising sun on a mountain ridge.


    From this perspective, the entities pouring down at once, almost like a single organism, had the form of people. Yet they weren¡¯t.


    Hegemonia could closely inspect the jumbled mess. Each one''s appearance became clear.


    Firstly, their sizes were perplexing. The smallest was the size of a finger, while thergest reached tens of meters.


    Some had something resembling a head, while others had beaks or snouts instead of necks. Some had bronze wheels where arms should be, and others, with tentacles, could only il helplessly on the ground.


    There were those that moved neither by crawling nor walking due to having numerous arms, and some were just round bodies rolling along.


    There were also those with various wings, from bat wings to bird wings, dragonfly wings to mosquito wings, and even those with bnced wings thatcked the strength to spread and had to crawl.


    At this time, the yers didn¡¯t yet understand the ontological pain of these beings.


    Lacking self-awareness and drawn from the Demon World, they existed in the external space without establishing their existence, moving aimlessly, driven only by their desires. They could only imply their suffering to those who observed them in their human form.


    Hegemonia responded to Bolt''s remark,


    <i>-These are devils?</i>


    Far away, on another Sky Castle, Bolt unpacked their backpack and began operating some equipment.


    Bolt said,


    <i>-I''m not sure myself. But I think I''ve seen simr beings in religious paintings.</i>


    <i>-Religious paintings?</i>


    As Hegemonia expressed her curiosity, Bolt pointed at one particrlyrge demon. It had a head resembling a cute songbird and had been sitting on a tall, golden chair since it appeared from the second Sky Castle. It had been grabbing nearby entities with its hands and stuffing them whole into its mouth.


    A demon that entered through the beak passed through the body of the new demon in a matter of seconds before plunging down from what was thought to be a chair, but actually a toilet.


    Hegemonia couldn''t understand what this meant. She thought Neb probably wouldn''t know either.


    Bolt said,


    <i>-Since the old gods resemble Angels, it''s not strange that what theymand are Demons.</i>


    <i>-Oh, really? Are Angels supposed tomand Demons?</i>


    <i>-Haven¡¯t you ever read the Bible?</i>


    <i>-Who reads that? Chistka, have you read it?</i>


    Chistka exposed their overheated barrel to cool down their radiator. Instantly, heated steel and shimmering heat waves scraped the air.


    -What? ...Bolt, you probably know what I''m going to say.


    Bolt paused their work and replied,


    <i>-''Religion is the opiate of the masses''?</i>


    <i>-You got it.</i>


    <i>-You can''t criticize something without reading it.</i>


    <i>-Ha, I''m not criticizing the Bible. I''m criticizing religion.</i>


    Hegemonia said,


    <i>-Anyway! You haven''t read it. So what about Angels and Demons? Are they like the ones we know?</i>


    Bolt shook their head. Although it was a meaningless gesture for mortals hundreds of meters apart, it wasn¡¯t so among yers.


    <i>-Probably not. And it¡¯s probably not a coincidence either.</i>


    <i>-What do you mean?</i>


    <i>-Well...</i>


    Hegemonia interrupted,


    <i>-Forget it. If it''s not the answer we need to smash those things, I''ll hear itter.</i>


    Bolt silently agreed, feeling like they were beginning to understand how to interact with Hegemonia.


    Chistka chuckled and aimed their cannon at the swarming Myriad Demons pouring down.


    <i>-This is a real crisis.</i>


    The Demons were numerous, so many that the ones pouring out first were being crushed to death by those following. They were spewing from the Sky Castle like a fountain, and just as many were spilling over the edge into space.


    Bolt finished their work and put their backpack back on. From the backpack ran a hose, and at the end of the hose was a nozzle that sprayed liquid, connected to a gas igniter. It was a methrower.


    <i>-Think of their numbers as virtually infinite.</i>


    Chistka also closed their radiator and fired their main cannon. The blood mixture exploded from the virtually solid wall of flesh formed by the umted Demons, visible even from a distance. But even that was momentary, as more Demons poured into the space again.


    Hegemonia sighed,


    <i>-Plenty of numbers, but terrible XP efficiency. This won''t be easy.</i>


    Hegemonia, having just turned a Sky Castle into ruins, stepped forward, leading Kazaha. Following Hegemonia, Salkait and the Gnoll warriors joined.


    Hegemonia observed the Demons.


    <i>-Ultimately, neither the Demons nor their number matters. Our goal is to reach that first Sky Castle and behead whatever old god is there.</i>


    Bolt asked,


    <i>-So we just need to break through?</i>


    Chistka agreed,


    <i>-Hmm, that doesn¡¯t seem simple either. To break through, we first need to form a front line. As it is now, we''ll only get surrounded and crushed.</i>


    And above in the sky, someone was listening in on the gods'' conversation.


    <i>-Then, we''ll create the front line.</i>


    Salkait of the Ears Cut Tribe was the first to react to that voice.


    Salkait growled and raised their head,


    <i>-How dare you speak from above the Angry One?</i>


    <i>-It''s been a while, Salkait. But it seems it''s not the time for us to aggravate each other.</i>


    <i>-...I''ll agree this time, Lakrak.</i>


    Salkait, the warriors, and the three yers looked toward the opposite sky. Another Sky Castle appeared, but it waspletely different from those of the old gods. A pinnacle of the Empire''s technology wrapped in advanced science and lofty magic, it was the Starkeeper.


    The Starkeeper alone was several timesrger than Bifnen''s first Sky Castle.


    And it wasn¡¯t just the Starkeeper. Behind it followed four fleets of aircraft carriers, airborne from the entire Empire. Escort fighter jets, slicing through the clouds, appeared around the carriers.


    On the upper deck of the Starkeeper, Apostle Lakrak stood with one foot on the railing, holding amunicator, "Hello, Genius Commander, are you listening?"


    From the Itimo Tower, Vasen Lak Orazen replied with a smile. Vasen once thought Lakrak was a difficult person, but now he had let go of that idea.


    "Yes, Genius Commander is listening. Dordol next to me is frowning because you call me that.¡±


    "What are you talking about, General?" grumbled Dordol.


    Lakrakughed, "What? That guy is a hard worker, right? Genius is an insult for arrogant people like you."


    Vasenughed again.


    Lakrak quickly got to the point. "Our infiltration team has reached the target area. And the situation is...look at the screen."


    Vasen was already viewing the feed transmitted from the Starkeeper. Strange monsters were endlessly pouring over the Sky Castles, approaching the three gods.


    Vasen said, "Alright, Great Emperor. It doesn''t look too bad."


    "That''s something I often say to my warriors."


    Vasen thought Lakrak was poking fun at him. There were times when one must charge in, even in the worst situations. In such moments, amander had to lie if necessary.


    "...Sorry. The guy stretching his legs here shouldn¡¯t say that the situation is the worst for those about to see blood."


    Lakrak asked, "Why are you apologizing? Is the situation that bad?"


    Vasen often pondered whether he was wrong whenever his impressions of tactics and strategy didn''t align with Lakrak''s. He had discussed this issue with Dordol, Theone, Mazdari, other gods, and Night Sky Himself. And even Night Sky''s answer wasn''t entirely satisfactory to Vasen, but he could let it pass.


    <i>''After all, that''s his nature.''</i>


    Vasen said to Lakrak, "...No, it''s a situation worth trying. If we aim for a quick battle, it''s entirely possible."


    "Ah, our Genius Commander thinks too much. Are you tense?"


    "It''s not just a lunch bet in Go. The fate of Avartin is at stake."


    "Just y it like a lunch bet in Go."


    "Pardon?"


    Lakrak said, "You''ve never lost a lunch bet in Go, right? Then think of it as if lunch is at stake, not the fate of Avartin. You¡¯ll win like you usually do."


    Vasen''s mind cleared at this simple wisdom. For a moment, he felt as if he shared Lakrak''s perspective. Indeed, the situation no longer looked bad.


    "...Alright. Great Emperor, I''ll leave you in charge of the on-fieldmand of the Lizardmen warriors and the apostles. I''ll move the Starkeeper and the fleet with Dordol."


    "Good luck."


    Before Vasen could respond, themunication was cut off. Vasen grumbled about Lakrak''s hasty nature, but immediately went about his duties.


    This operation was one of the most bizarre in Avartin''s history. Nearly thirty apostles were stepping into a single battlefield, mainly armed with cold weapons, fighting ancient-style battles.


    They would follow Lakrak, maintaining a wedge formation at the front. In the rear, the Empire''s proud technology would continue shelling and bombing. Given the enemy''s weak air force, the aircraft carriers could fully control the airspace with just half of their fighter jets.


    Vasen''s goal was to hollow out the enemy''s core with firepower and pull the front line forward.


    The final breakthrough would be made by the three gods. All in their Hierophany forms, ording to Vasen''s assessment, they possessed offensive capabilities among the upper levels of godly Hierophany bodies. Were there only one of them, things would be different, but all three together, they were more than sufficient. And most importantly, one of them was the Angry One.


    <i>''A being that dares rival Night Sky.''</i>


    If everything had been perfectly prepared as in the past, the current situation would have been different, but thinking that way would be no different from wishing for only advantageous battles. Amander must find a way to win even in unfavorable situations.


    Vasen spoke into themunicator, "Soldiers, the decisive battle begins."


    ***


    A myth that no one had ever heard or imagined, a blend of old gods and new, ancient Sky Castles and Demons, warriors of the past and cutting-edge weapons, was broadcast live across Avartin. By now, the Empire had an urate grasp of all situations, and the correct information was being ryed.


    Following the speech made by the western continent''s Chairman, Sarcho, and the attacks by the old gods through floating crystals, there was a significant resentment against the old gods within the Empire. However, this resentment was close to anxiety, as many didn¡¯ know how to resist the old gods in a world without their own gods.


    But as the infiltration forces broadcast through the Starkeeper and the appearances of renowned apostles from various regions became public, the atmosphere shifted. Stories of undefeated histories, impossible victories, and the epics of great heroes were on everyone''s lips. Even without their gods, people started to believe that they could win.


    Moreover, new findings were announced from the pce and various other channels. The new gods had made arrangements before Falling. The forces attacking the Sky Castles above were part of those arrangements.


    Additionally, the Pantheon had sessfully resurrected the gods they had defeated. These gods, setting aside past grievances, took up arms against the old gods to protect Avartin, where their followers still resided.


    Those who had not yet forgotten their gods clutched the broadcast devices and wept.

 Chapter 308: I Shall Take All of You

    Chapter 308: I Shall Take All of You


    The nes unleashed their bombardment. Despite the overwhelming firepower, the walls created by the Demons were sturdy and difficult to push back.


    For some reason, the speed at which the Myriad Demons were pouring down seemed to increase. However, the Empire''s firepower hadnt hit its limit yet. The Itimo Group''s coaxial machine gunsshed out at the old gods Sky Castles, and the breath spell from the guardian Dragon of Orazen melted the Demons.


    A path opened up. Lakrak and the warriors charged at a huge Demon that had withstood the impact of the firepower. This Demon, resembling a crawling Human, had an empty torso from which small Demons continuously came out of, essentially being a Demon factory. While Lakrak and the warriors tied up its head, the fifth apostle of the Pantheon, Harvester Keiju, struck its neck with a giant scythe.


    The battle continued in other Sky Castles. yer Bolt always believed that good items had more than one use. Realizing their gas was ineffective against the Demons, Bolt used it differently. The yellow gas ignited easily.


    A massive explosion swept through the Sky Castle, turning the upper part into a sea of fire.


    The ninth apostle of the Pantheon, Phoenix Aruna, quickly absorbed the mes with its power, securing the march route. Then the fourth apostle, Knight Redin BR Oser, secured the front line with his knights before the Demons could descend. In the rear, the Starkeeper''s engineering troops took over an empty Sky Castle for backline support, setting up an emergencynding strip for rapid refueling.


    Meanwhile, several fleets from the surrounding oceans were dispatched to the sea near this Sky Castle. Their goal was to clear the Demons pouring down like rain. The battle was unending, and the Demons wriggled endlessly.


    "It''s not easy."


    There were those watching all these battles through video transmitters, from their respective locations. It was awkward to watch each other through dark, cramped screens, but they didn''t mind. Some looked strange evenpared to the diverse species of Avartin. They were yers.


    "It''s not easy." Wisdom muttered while watching the screen.


    Wisdom stayed in a safe house prepared by the Empire. In one corner of the safe house, variousmunication equipment was messily set up, enablingmunication with yers in other regions.


    Wisdom joined the group callte, thinking the yers would just be engaging in trivial chatter, as was their habit, and his assumption wasn''t far off.


    Crampus, lounging with snacks on the screen, said, "What about Noah, wasn''t he with you?"


    "He went to a local university hospital for a voluntary check-up."


    "Oh? Is he unwell?"


    "No, he''s curious about the physical changes caused by causality. I almost got dragged along."


    "Right. Rest is best. Think of it as a holiday. RD is on their third day of the festival."


    Not all yers exhibited the same attitude as Crampus though.


    In another screen, HumanTracker said, "Shouldn''t we be nning a backup operation? The number of Demons appearing is increasing. It''s not just the quantity. Their power output is growing too, making it increasingly difficult to find a way through as time passes."


    Wisdom pointed out, "HumanTracker, that''s illogical."


    "Me?"


    "We''ve already agreed there''s nothing we can do at this point. You''re just anxious, and the reason you don''t know that is because we''re no longer gods."


    HumanTracker nodded, seemingly epting the point.


    Crampus picked up a snack and shook it, "Why don''t you eat something tasty and not stress?"


    dimir, the robot with a monocr eye,ughed and said, "Hmm, food. That''s interesting."


    "Do you eat oil?"


    "As you can see, yes."


    HumanTracker sank deeper into their chair, "I''m not interested."


    Wisdom realized the mood among the yers in thismunicationwork wasn''t great. Never one particrly interested in human psychology, Wisdom couldn''t think of a solution.


    An awkward silence followed.


    Eldar broke the silence to lighten the mood, "It''s fascinating that they take the form of Demons. They look like beings meant to be revered and feared."


    Jerome said, "But it''s not just them. In Avartin, many monsters, divine beasts, and various species take forms from myths, legends, and folktales familiar to us from Earth."


    Eldar added, "It''s not a coincidence, is it?"


    "No, it''s not."


    "Then, Jerome, which do you think is real?"


    "Real?" Jerome shook his head. His beard made of books fluttered. "Both are real. Or both can be considered fake."


    "I''d like to hear more about that."


    Jerome adjusted his fluttering beard and said, "If the exnation of infinite possible worlds is correct, then there is definitely a possibility that entities with simr appearances exist in two different worlds. It means that worlds exist infinitely in various forms."


    "But the connection between the two..."


    "That must be because of a being with such intent. Jerome continued, "We''ve already encountered such a being in Avartin, haven''t we? Named Aldin."


    Eldar nodded, "So they chose us from Earth, a world where we would revere or fear them."


    "Exactly."


    "But that still leaves a question. Because all of us..."


    As Eldar was speaking, Crampus, seemingly bored, reached for another bag of chips. The rustling sound drowned out Eldar''s question.


    Crampus, opening another chip bag, turned and said, "Oh, but Lunda."


    "What."


    Hearing the irritated voice, Crampus thought about the times when he and Lunda didn''t get along well, and thought those were the better times.


    Crampus asked, "What are you doing right now?"


    "Can''t you see?" Lunda opened her tightly closed eyes and raised her head, but she didn''t let go of her sped hands. "I''m praying."


    Crampus was about tough reflexively but then fell into deep thought, pondering.


    Crampus asked Lunda, "Who are you praying to?"


    "I don''t know. Just doing it... Maybe, the Apostles?"


    "WaitWisdom?" Crampus looked at Wisdom.


    Wisdom''s head moved slowly, "Yeah. That''s a good idea. Pray." Wisdom sped his hands. "Isn''t it the only useful thing we can do in this situation?"


    The other yers nced at each other and then sped their hands. Eldar was the quickest, and HumanTracker was the slowest.


    Lunda resumed her previous prayer posture. She pressed her furrowed brows to her sped hands, looking more earnest than anyone. "I should pray to Hegemonia. If Neb fails, War is the only thing to trust."


    ***


    On top of a Sky Castle, the God of War riding on a beheaded ck Horse checked her Faith points.


    <em>''The Faith points are increasing significantly Is it because of that Sky Castle?''</em>


    The Sky Castle Hegemonia pointed to was the Starkeeper. Annoyingly to Hegemonia, the g of the Union Kingdom also hung above the highmittee room of the Starkeeper, indicating the Sky Castle''s past affiliation, which seemed like mockery to Hegemonia.


    Regardless of her feelings, Hegemonia saw the transmissions going through Starkeeper reaching satellites orbiting Avartin. This war was being broadcast throughout Avartin. Now, the Empire would have learned of the God of War''s return and her struggle against the Myriad Demons.


    <em>''Even so, the amount is high... I think I might know why though.''</em>


    While shing through Demons with one hand, Hegemonia operated the system window with the other. Detailed statistics on Faith point acquisition appeared, and she quickly read through the necessary information.


    <em>''Of course.''</em>


    The Pantheon and its gods had disappeared due to the Fall. Thus, the Empire had lost its faith itself. In that moment, three yers returned, leaving only three gods for the Empire to have faith in. Many captured the war scenes, naturally leading to faith in war. At this moment, Hegemonia was the supreme god of Avartin.


    <em>''Did you anticipate this too, Neb?''</em>


    If so, it was exceedingly unpleasant. Hegemonia did not enjoy being a pawn in someone else''s game, yet she had no intention of giving up this power.


    <em>''I''ll enjoy it as much as I can.''</em>


    Hegemonia was initially confused to learn that the Demons gave almost no XP. This meant most of her nned strategy was ineffective. But when Lakrak and Starkeeper appeared, the possibilities expanded, and now with the restoration of faith, she felt confident in her odds, as long as she didn''t Fall.


    <em>''If you don''t return in time, I''ll take all your followers to the Red Land...''</em>


    Hegemonia let Kazaha kick through the air and raised her sword high.


    <em>-Listen! Guardians of Avartin!</em>


    The mes of the Angry One rose. Hegemonia was fully prepared.


    At the call of the Angry One, not only Salkait, but also the defeated apostles of the Angry One rose above the Sky Castle. The second apostle, Ankarde, with their kin, the deranged Goblin Bounda, Dragon yer Werewolf Aruega Robe, andmander Alma Alloy, stood behind the Angry One.


    <em>-War rages against cowards who avoid pain and do not fight themselves!</em>


    Then the Angry One''s third apostle, Lai of Radiance, wiggled its massive body and rose.


    <em>-O Angry One!</em>


    The apostles of the Pantheon shouted in respect.


    <em>-War rages against those who fear change and neglect responsibility!</em>


    Shouts erupted from the apostles, warriors, and Starkeeper.


    At this moment, every soldier of the Empire was a follower of the God of War.


    <em>-War rages against those who do not wish to die today!</em>


    No, now the entire Empire believed in War. Everyone watching through the screen transmitters raged at the insolent being who imed to be their former owner. Such beings had never been permitted in Avartin, neither in the past nor now.


    A voice from the battlefield said, "War! Grant us the opportunity to join in your anger!"


    Just before the Angry One charged into the Demons, she said,


    <em>-Please die. Today, I shall take all of you to the rednd.</em>


    Then war stormed into the Myriad Demons.

 Chapter 309: The Fourth

    Chapter 309: The Fourth


    In the first imagery world, the red velvet wrapped around Aldin''s left wrist. As Aldin was already concentrating in two worlds, her judgment inevitably became clouded.


    Aldin thought she could just pull her arm out, but the demonic magic in the velvet confused her nervous system. Muscles that should rx stiffened. With her left arm sealed in this way, it was clear what would follow. The spirits of demonic magic would reveal their umted malice toward the old gods.


    Aldin gritted her teeth. Fortunately, the restrained arm was not the one holding her staff. Aldin twisted her body and jerked her wrist away. A snapping sound followed as the ligaments, median nerves, and bone clusters forming her palm dislocated. Aldin felt all the pain.


    In the Pain Sect, pain was considered the basis of power. Humans, being physically weaker than other species, sought power through magic, and many learned the Pain Sect''s magic. The Pain Sect eventually triumphed over other Wizards, which was why the old gods had Human faces.


    The stimted nervous system and reflexive trembling from the pain surged up Aldin''s shoulder, and saliva pooled in her mouth. Aldin spat out the metallic-tasting saliva. Pain was power.


    Due to Aldin''s unexpected movements, the velvet cloths of the spirits of demonic magic tangled or hovered in mid-air. Aldin seized the opportunity and slipped between the red curtains that had been visible all along. Aldin knew exactly what she had to do.


    ***


    In the second imagery world, Aldin breathed out roughly. Her heart raced, and her robe, soaked with sweat, clung ufortably to her body.


    Each room was not veryrge, but sprinting through dozens, hundreds of rooms was a daunting task in the imagery world. Moreover, Aldin had to keep moving rooms to avoid the entities chasing her. Then, Aldin realized something.


    <em>''I''ve never faced the monsters.''</em>


    It could have been luck, or perhaps Aldin was just good at escaping. But the monsters chasing Aldin only made their presence known through footsteps and the sound of opening doors, without any actual evidence of their existence.


    This realization was difficult toe by. Aldin was both fleeing and constantly calcting coordinates to avoid getting lost and reach Neb.


    Catching her breath, Aldin sensed from the room ahead that a monster was approaching.


    <em>''...I have to turn back here.''</em>


    Aldin judged that while the monster might not exist, the possibility of its existence was high. There was no reason to create an imagery world to trap Aldin if it was just an illusion.


    <em>''But what if there''s another reason? Neb is known to be a Wizard whos achieved Tuning, but I doubt if his ability is truly exceptional. If so, I might need to reduce the emphasis on the second imagery world.''</em>


    Aldin decided to take a risk. Passing the room in front would lead to the shortest route to Neb. If she fled from the monster now, there was no telling when she would be able to calcte the coordinates and find a monster-free path again.


    <em>''Running away won''t solve anything.''</em>


    Despite the clear footsteps ahead, Aldin opened the door in front of her. The room was empty. Aldin searched for hidden enemies but found none. The monster was indeed fictionat least the monster that had been chasing Aldin just now was.


    Aldin ran toward the shortest route leading to Neb, thinking, <em>''I''ve been tricked.''</em>


    ***


    In the third imagery world, Aldin hid in a corner of the cave.


    Aldin had killed a number of Dragons herself. Therefore, she believed she could somehow face Mazdari.


    But Mazdari was different. Mazdaricked the arrogance, prejudice, and misconceptions that would have been inherent weaknesses in ancient Dragons. He was humble before gods and unattached to his failures.


    All the methods Aldin knew for defeating Dragons were useless. All the magical means and protections provided by the system protected Aldin, but Mazdari was too powerful.


    Aldin saw Mazdari''s shadow in the already ruined cave. When Aldin hid, the Dragon hid as well. Despite his huge body and white color, its ability to hide was no different from Aldin''s.


    <em>''There''s no need to face him head-on.''</em>


    Aldin magically cleaned her blood-soaked body. Her limbs finally returned to their proper ces, but she gave up on her torn and broken wings. Though her magical abilities were diminished as a result, it wasnt fatal to her life, so it was a lower priority.


    <em>''I don''t necessarily have to face a Dragon in such an imagery world. I just need to get past it somehow...''</em>


    The Dragon was the guardian of the cave, and there are many ways to deal with guardians. Many stories were told of Wizards who cleverly dealt with guardians by getting them drunk and putting them to sleep, enchanting them with beautiful songs, or making a deal to take over their minds.


    But Mazdari wasnt a creature of stories. He seemed to have severed ties with such Dragons. Mazdari had no weaknesses. Aldin was forced to admit it. Mazdari was stronger than her.


    As a Pain Sect Wizard who had survived for tens of thousands of years and an old god receiving the system''s protection, Aldin realized she had few options left.


    <em>''Maybe only the fourth...is left.''</em>


    This was her only opportunity, while Mazdari had hidden himself.


    <em>''How many seconds do I have left?''</em>


    The cunning Dragon could have hidden, but it wouldn''t just be observing. Mazdari could be selecting thest few methods to attack Aldin, ones she couldn''t even anticipate.


    <em>''Then...''</em>


    Descending to the fourth level of the imagery world was something Aldin had rarely experienced, but she didn''t hesitate. If she had little time left, she had no choice but to descend to the next imagery world and slow down the flow of time rtively.


    Aldin immediately conceptualized the fourth imagery world and submerged into it.


    ***


    "Hello. Is this your first time in our store?"


    In the fourth imagery world, Aldin stood at the entrance of a small building. Looking over her shoulder, the outside was too bright from the sunlight for her to see clearly.


    This fourth imagery world required entering the building. Aldin had never conceptualized such an imagery world.


    The entrance of the building was not in the rich cultural and artistic style of Avartin, which had gone through numerous aesthetic trends, but rather in a modern t art style, as if it denied all past heritage to wee the dawn of civilization on Earth for the first time. Aldin''s attire was also formal, matching the setting.


    Reflexively, Aldin brought her hand to her face, finding a mask instead of the hood that usually covered it.


    "Maam?"


    Aldin looked at the staff member who called her. It was a Human male, neatly dressed in a uniform, and their ck vest and ck bowtie were noteworthy. However, his facial features left only faint impressions. It seemed like she would forget his face if she turned away.


    <em>''It''s definitely an imagery world. The resolution is low. This is a created being.''</em>


    Aldin said, "There should be someone waiting for me."


    Aldin tried her luck.


    The imagery world responded immediately, "Oh, you must be a friend of the manager? I''ll guide you."


    Aldin followed the staff member into the store. Inside, the store was filled with people buzzing in their own spaces. In addition to those enjoying games in the wide lobby on the first floor, there were also guests ying games at tables beside the railings on the second and third floors. At each table, people were spreading cards, throwing dice, or enjoying various gambling games that Aldin recognized as Earth''s.


    <em>''Is this a casino?''</em>


    Aldin passed by all these people and took a small elevator up to the fourth floor.


    "Then, please enjoy," The staff member greeted as the elevator door opened and did not get off.


    Aldin nced at the staff member and then stepped out of the elevator.


    There was only one room. In the center was arge round table, and a Human male sat on the opposite side. He wore the same suit as Aldin, and his mask was in white, like Aldin''s. Aldin sensed that it was Sung-Woon.


    Then immediately, she reached into her coat to find her staff.


    <em>''...Gone? No, that cant be. Even in another being''s imagery world, they can''t touch my belongings.''</em>


    Aldin, trying not to let Sung-Woon notice, felt around her body and detected a pistol hidden below her pants, by her calf. Aldin felt relieved. Though its form had changed, it could still serve its purpose. However, drawing it in front of Sung-Woon was also problematic.


    Aldin confidently walked toward Sung-Woon.


    Sung-Woon then said, "Unfortunate."


    "What?"


    "I said it''s unfortunate." Sung-Woon said while unwrapping a pack of ying cards, "You''ve spent too much energy getting down to the fourth. That''s why you''ve lost the upper hand to me."


    Aldin didn''t immediately reply. Everything Sung-Woon said was true.


    Aldin sat in the chair opposite to Sung-Woon.


    With feigned confidence, she said, "But you''re in front of me. I''ve caught up to you."


    "Do you think so? This is my space. My imagery world."


    As Sung-Woon flicked his fingers in the air, armed guards, who had been hiding behind the second-floor railing and pirs, revealed themselves. The guards, armed with submachine guns, took aim at Aldin. Aldin, who had not noticed them, clicked her tongue quietly. When Sung-Woon tapped the table with his finger, the guards hid their presence again.


    "But still, this is an imagery world, and as long as causality allows, we must be fair. That''s the principle of magic Aldin." Sung-Woon skillfully shuffled the unwrapped ying cards and spread them on the table. "Do you know how to y?"


    Aldin crossed her legs, resting her left leg on her right knee because the hidden pistol was strapped to the inside of her left calf. Aldin prepared to draw the pistol at any moment.


    Aldin asked, "What happens if someone wins the game?"


    "We each grant one wish to the other."


    Aldin became anxious. In the past, Aldin had a mission. She had to find yersgrand warriors who would fight on behalf of the old gods, deceiving causality, rebuilding civilizations, and opposing evil gods.


    To understand how well these yers yed games, Aldin herself had to know well about games. As a result, Aldin spent numerous hours learning them.


    Aldin had her own pride. Even if it wasn''t Earth or the countless infinite possible worlds, games existed in Avartin, and Aldin enjoyed games more than other old gods. Of course, she wasnt as good as the Returner, the best yer in Avartin, but she had been ying games for over 70,000 years.


    However, the length of time spent enjoying games didnt necessarily corrte with gaming skill. Aldin, who both enjoyed and excelled at games, was well aware of this fact. The best among the yers she had found was undoubtedly Neb, Sung-Woon.

 Chapter 310: Created This Fate Myself

    Chapter 310: Created This Fate Myself


    Aldin thought, <em>''But as long as the game has an element of luck to it, there''s a chance Neb could lose. There''s no guarantee that I will definitely lose.''</em>


    With this thought, Aldin felt somewhat relieved. Aldin knew Sung-Woon. Sung-Woon would never resort to cowardly tactics.


    In a self-constructed imagery world, one would typically create favorable conditions for oneself. However, since her opponent was Sung-Woon and this was a game, Aldin was confident that Sung-Woon wouldn''t do so.


    <em>''Even if I''m told all the hacks, bugs, and cheats, Neb would still prefer to win through fair y.''</em>


    Aldin realized this might be Sung-Woons weakness.


    "Alright ying poker? What are the rules?"


    Sung-Woon proposed a set of universally known rules and divided the chips for the game.


    In the early stages of the game, Aldin realized her hands were surprisingly good. Sung-Woon didn''t get easily flustered, but when Aldin won the high card battle in the fourth round, she struggled to hide her excitement.


    <em>''I can win this.''</em>


    After establishing a certain lead in chips, Aldin aimed to secure her victory with conservative tactics. But then the game changed.


    Following the same routine, Sung-Woon calmly checked his hand and then pushed all his chips forward. "All in."


    Aldin checked her hand. It definitely wasnt bad and promised a reasonable chance of winning.


    <em>''Besides, even if I ept the all-in and lose, the loss won''t be that significant.''</em>


    Yet due to the uncertainty of the uing cards, Aldin couldn''t easily ept the all-in.


    "...Fold."


    Sung-Woon retrieved the chips he had pushed forward.


    Aldin lost only about the amount of the initial blind bet at the start of the game.


    <em>''Was it really a good hand? Good enough for me to fold? Probably not. It''s likely a strategy to break the flow. I didn''t expect to win easily anyway.''</em>


    While Aldin was gathering her thoughts, the next game started.


    When Aldin bet the minimum chips, Sung-Woon, on his turn, checked his hand and reached for the chips. "All in."


    Aldin remembered she had a habit of clenching her fist in ufortable situations and struggled not to make that gesture. Seeing her hand wasn''t good, Aldin quickly folded.


    And as expected, in the next game, Sung-Woon said, "All in."


    Aldin knew this was one of the strategies in poker, but the chips at stake here were not just of simple value. In this imagery world, where causality ensured a fair game, the bet of granting one wish to each other would undoubtedly be fulfilled.


    Aldin naturally nned to take Sung-Woon''s life, and she thought Sung-Woon would aim for hers as well.


    Sung-Woon had already risked his life three times on hands that didn''t guarantee a perfect victory. No, Sung-Woon''s defeat would also mean the defeat of the Pantheon. The fate of the Pantheon, and hence the fate of countless beings living in Avartin, hung on those two cards in Sung-Woon''s hand.


    <em>''Crazy bastard.''</em>


    Aldin folded. She checked her chips and was relieved to see she still had more.


    Repeatedly going all-in could psychologically pressure the opponent, but it became meaningless when the opponent really got a good hand. With more chips, Aldin could be confident of victory as long as she won just once with a strong hand, even if Sung-Woon continued to go all-in.


    As expected, Sung-Woon kept going all-in. Aldin slowly lost chips, and eventually, Sung-Woon''s chips surpassed Aldin''s.


    Aldin struggled to contain her anger.


    <em>''Why aren''t I getting good hands?''</em>


    Aldin knew that this could happen in a game entirely by chance. Sometimes, it was just bad luck. Specifically, someone could be lucky at the beginning of a game, but as the game progressed, the variance in luck decreased. Luckily, after losing more chips, Aldin finally got the hand she wanted.


    <em>''This is it. With this hand...''</em>


    Aldin, showing no sign of her good hand, bet chips the same way as before, anticipating Sung-Woon''s all-in.


    Then Sung-Woon said, "Fold."


    Aldin barely restrained herself from mming the table with her fist. She believed she had controlled her actions well. There was no way Sung-Woon could know, especially since she was wearing a mask.


    Despite knowing Sung-Woon so well, Aldin even wondered if Sung-Woon was using some trickery for the first time to win.


    <em>''I don''t know at all.''</em>


    With this realization, Aldin could no longer focus on the game. If Sung-Woon was using trickery unknown to Aldin and even deceiving causality, then Aldin had only one option left.


    <em>''I''ll have to use the gun.''</em>


    There was no significant issue for Aldin in using such a weapon. Rather, given its essence as the Returners staff, Aldin herself would be surprised at how adeptly she could operate it.


    Causality also tended to favor the intruder more than the creator of the imagery world because the creator could always create conditions favorable to themselves.


    <em>''Alright, then...''</em>


    The moment Aldin made up her mind, she was dealt a hand with the highest winning probability. It was a hand good enough to go all-in with even in a typical game.


    Aldin said first on her turn, "All in."


    Aldin thought it wouldn''t matter if Sung-Woon folded, but surprisingly, Sung-Woon matched Aldin''s bet. Aldin felt strange. Statistically, she had a very high chance of winning, yet she feltpletely uncertain.


    Aldin''s devastating prediction came true. As themunity cards were revealed one by one, Aldin''s hand became disjointed. No strong hand was formed.


    Finally, Aldin''s hand, independent of themunity cards, became the best possible hand. Meanwhile, Sung-Woon also revealed his hand. It was beautifullypleted,bining his hand and themunity cards.


    Sung-Woon took all of Aldin''s chips, saying, "I''ve won."


    Before Sung-Woon could sweep all the chips, Aldin reached under the table.


    Aldin, to distract, asked, "What do you want?"


    Aldin''s hand moved to lift the hem on the left side.


    Sung-Woon resplied, "Take off your mask."


    Aldin brought her hand back to the table and said, "You''re joking, right?"


    Sung-Woon didnt repeat himself. He didn''t need to. Once Sung-Woon had all the chips, causality took effect. Sung-Woon had won.


    Aldin felt an urge to resist causality but also wanted to know why Sung-Woon made such a choice, so sheplied and removed her mask.


    "When I saw your face after I defeated the evil gods, I thought it was strange," Sung-Woon said, looking into Aldin''s eyes. "Why do you have the same face as my sister?"


    Aldin remained silent, not responding.


    A white crow appeared from somewhere, flying into the gaming hall andnding on the green table.


    <em>-Returner, it''s because they share the same soul.</em>


    Mazdari said,


    <em>-The external space has its limits, but the inner space is infinite. Death is just a facet of external space. We are beings with infinite souls, as many as the number of infinite worlds. Reconstructing the severed facets makes our souls immortal.</em>


    Sung-Woon asked, "Aldin, is that really true?"


    "...."


    "You have my sisters soul, and I..."


    Sung-Woon also took off his mask. It was a face Aldin knew well. It wasn''t just the face. The voice, physique, even the minute details, Aldin knew Sung-Woon and the Returner shared simrities. Just as much as she resembled Sung-Woon''s sister, who was known as Choi Ji-Woo.


    "Do I have the soul of the Returner? Does that mean I am the Returner?"


    And the external appearance was only a part of the internal aspects. Sung-Woon possessed the Returner''s talents, shared the Returner''s habits, and thought in the same way as the Returner. It was just that because of different lived experiences, Sung-Woon didnt be the same entity as the Returner.


    Mazdari agreed,


    <em>-Yes, you are indeed the Returner.</em>


    Aldin, looking down at the table, said, "No. You are not the Returner. Just as I am not your sister."


    A ck lizard crawled up from behind Sung-Woon''s neck.


    <em>-O Night Sky, that is true. You are not the Returner.</em>


    Mazdari red at Kyle Lak Orazen. Kyle paid no attention to Mazdari''s gaze.


    <em>-Scientifically, the soul does not exist. What Mazdari refers to as the soul is simply a continuous personality. If souls truly existed, they would be observed even in ces without the system, when people die. But that does not happen. It''s a proven fact.</em>


    <em>-Kyle! You do not understand the secrets!</em>


    <em>-Mazdari, I understand the secrets. The true secret is not that souls exist, but that souls do not exist.</em>


    Kyle continued,


    <em>-With as many infinite possible worlds as there are, the number of continuous personalities is also infinite. Therefore, the number of identical continuous personalities is also infinite. Countless worlds exist, and somewhere there are beings like you, me, and Mazdari living in different or almost identical worlds.</em>


    <em>-That is the immortality of the soul.</em>


    <em>-You can think that way. But Mazdari, you know as well that to maintain continuity, two conditions are necessary. The first is memory.</em>


    Mazdari, seemingly angry, lightly grabbed and then pushed over a pile of chips. The chips clunked and rattled against each other.


    <em>-Memory! I have found much of the Returner''s memory in the depths of the Demon World. I can even restore the Returner''s memory right now If the Returner so wishes.</em>


    <em>-The second is more important.</em>


    Kyle looked up at Sung-Woon and said,


    <em>-Belief in the existence of the soul. Night Sky, youe from and where magic does not exist and have lived a life never deceived by Wizards who im to prove the existence of souls through mystical means. Night Sky, since you do not believe in souls, no.</em>


    Kyle concluded,


    <em>-You cannot be the Returner.</em>


    Sung-Woon neither denied nor epted this. It wasnt that he was thinking about Kyle''s words, but rather because they were just a superficial listing of facts.


    Falsehoods needed to be denied, but there was no need to affirm the obvious truth.


    "So, Aldin, we are not bound by any fate to each other, is that right?"


    Aldin replied, Thats right."


    "You chose me intentionally."


    "Yes. I created this fate myself."


    "Do you believe in the existence of souls?"


    "No." Tears formed in Aldin''s eyes. She struggled to hold them back and therefore closed her eyes tightly, but the tears, already formed, trickled down her cheeks. "I tried to believe."

 Chapter 311: Aldin鈥檚 Game

    <h4>Chapter 311: Aldin¡¯s Game</h4>


    Aldin truly desired to believe in the existence of souls. Therefore, when the opportunity to search for yers came her way, she saw it as a great fortune.


    The inner space of infinite possible worlds consisted of countless universes, and with them, as many duplicated souls existed. Thus, somewhere, the Returner would also exist. After the Returner''s death, Aldin suffered from terrible nightmares, and these nightmares did not easily end because the Returner''s death wasn''t actually a death.


    At the moment of a person''s death, the system copied the continuous personality, creating a pseudo-soul. This was the immortality created by the system.


    To escape the nightmare, Aldin had to believe that the tormented soul of the Returner was not real. She had to dissociate herself from the appearance, voice, memories of the past, and the curses hurled at her by the betrayed Returner.


    However, a pseudo-soul was still a soul. The duplicated being believed in its continuity as a continuous personality. Because both conditions Kyle Lak Orazen mentioned were met, these beings were true souls despite being created.


    Moreover, even if Aldin denied their existence, the words said by the Returner under torture were undoubtedly what the Returner would, could, and wanted to say.


    Aldin eventually went mad. She truly lost her mind, and a significant portion of her memory was erased. However, other old gods restored Aldin for her usefulness, as the Returner''s assistant, and manipted part of her personality magically so that she could no longer go mad. All of this was allowed because Aldin had coborated as a traitor.


    However, change came. The Returner''s death led to the failure of the system''s maintenance, and a catastrophe followed. The evil gods were that variable.


    The old gods won but had to repay causality. They left the rest of the cleanup to Aldin and went to sleep. For Aldin, these 40,000 years were like a dream.


    Aldin decided to find the Returner. In the infinite possible worlds, there would be a Returner who sessfully destroyed the system and drove out the old gods. Aldin wanted to seek that Returner''s help. Perhaps, even before all that happened, there was a Returner determined to destroy the system.


    Aldin nned to help that Returner. It didn''t matter which point in time or space the Returner belonged to. As long as there was a being Aldin could apologize and plead to, she was willing to do so. That was Aldin''s wish. Aldin truly wanted to repent in any way possible to the Returner, and if the opportunity came, she would do anything.


    "But it was impossible."


    Sung-Woon asked, "Why? If there are infinite possible worlds, surely one would exist somewhere."


    "That''s the trap of infinity," Aldin replied. "Since there are infinitely many worlds, surely such a continuous personality would exist somewhere. However, the search for them would likewise require an infinite amount of time. I was only granted 40,000 years."


    Even with the power of the system, searching through the infinite worlds was challenging for Aldin. Each world was interconnected through narrowly-defined rtionships, making it as difficult as escaping a maze. Aldin had to create a basic study alone to understand how these rtionships manifested in different worlds, considering many variables.


    As a result of the calctions, Aldin realized the paradox that the more parallel the world she sought was¡ªthat was, the more she sought a simr world¡ªthe harder it was to reach.


    Mazdari added to Aldin''s exnation,


    <i>-Returner, that¡¯s unavoidable. A being that can easily choose worlds means someone who can control not just their own fate but the fate of the world, and there aren''t many such beings.</i>


    Kyle also chimed in,


    <i>-Night Sky, it''s a simple principle. Parallel worlds are something we are already traversing even at this very moment. Therefore, moving to a parallel world is not just going to a different world, butpletely ignoring causality. It''s a nearly impossible task.</i>


    Therefore, Aldin had to focus solely on the task given to her, setting aside her own desires, and use her limited time efficiently.


    Aldin had now stopped crying and her eyes were red but dry, but her voice was a little hoarse.


    "...Then I saw you. At the end of 40,000 years, in my newly created search engine, within the various conditions I wanted, your existence was caught along with it. There were other candidates, but...the ones that best fit the conditions I wanted were you and the other yers. That''s all. Your face being the Returner''s is merely because my search engine contained my lingering feelings. There''s no greater meaning."


    Sung-Woon epted that exnation.


    But it wasn''t enough to satisfy himpletely. "I understand why I share the Returner¡¯s appearance. But why do you have my sister¡¯s face?"


    "...."


    "I also have another question. If you decided to make the yers great warriors to oppose the evil gods, why didn''t you just select them solely ording to their rankings? If you had done that, I guarantee that the yers could have taken over the second moon one hundred years ago.


    ¡°Back then, in The Lost World meta you created, there was rapid technological development, so the game''s pace could have been much faster than now. Of course, the chances of me or Hegemonia being eliminated would also have been significantly higher, but if it was within the top ten, the win rates wouldn''t have been drastically different."


    "...Are you saying I filled the yer count with yers of poor skills for your sake?"


    Sung-Woon shook his head. "No, that''s not what I mean. There was one clear hint."


    "Hint?"


    "I personally met and investigated each yer of the Pantheon, looking formonalities and differences. I found significant differences and a few trivialmonalities, but one of them was meaningful." Sung-Woon stated, "They were all atheists."


    "That¡¯s a coincidence."


    "No, it''s not. Only eleven percent of people on Earth are atheists." Sung-Woon slightly furrowed his brows and continued, "I think I understand the conditions you set when searching for worlds. It had to be a world that wouldn''t find all the creatures in Avartin strange.


    ¡°A world where monsters and Dragons wouldn''t be considered strange, because only then would we ept Avartin as well as its numerous species. There must have been other conditions too. Since training was needed to oppose the evil gods and rebuild the world, it had to be a world with an understanding of such training, that is, of the game.


    ¡°And it had to be a world where people couldn''t use magic at all, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to ess system privileges. There were also things to be careful about when selecting each yer. They had to have little or no attachment to Earth, so they would want to y the game in Avartin. But these are just the obvious conditions; there are hidden ones as well."


    Sung-Woon continued his exnation, "At first, I didn''t know why atheists were selected. But after seeing the form of you old gods, and now the appearance of the Myriad Demons, I became certain.


    ¡°To those who don¡¯t believe in gods, you or the Demons would just seem peculiar or repulsive rather than awe-inspiring and fear-inducing. But to people who do believe, they could have felt differently. Originally, the initial conditions were set to select theists, but you changed that part at your discretion, didn¡¯t you?"


    Aldin didn¡¯t respond. However, Sung-Woon, seeing Aldin avoiding his gaze, knew that he was right. Aldin may not truly possess his sister''s soul, but they shared a few habits.


    "What''s more interesting is why these yers were selected. By carefully selecting the yers participating in the game, one could determine the pace of the game and the direction of tactics. And eventually, when the timees to face the second moon, perhaps even the yers¡¯ builds and how they would confront the old gods and Myriad Demons could be predicted.


    ¡°The reason atheists were selected as the yers was because the selector had anticipated such a showdown. In other words, you were hoping that the yers would confront not only the evil gods, but also the old gods after rebuilding civilization."


    Sung-Woon looked at Aldin and continued, "You spoke as if you had given up on everything and submitted to the other old gods, but you never actually gave up, did you? While we were ying the Lost World, Aldin, you were also ying your own game, weren''t you?"


    Sung-Woon viewed the game Aldin yed as a multi-variable equation, nearly impossible. And that was true.


    She had to consider each of the twenty-seven variables, plus the five evil gods, making a total of thirty-two. It wasn''t just that. She had to consider what Domains they would have and how they would navigate the game despite the limitations of those Domains.


    And certainly more than Earth alone, Aldin would have calcted which individuals from the many possible worlds would perform better, making Sung-Woon''s head spin with the sheer number of possibilities Aldin had considered.


    More importantly, Aldin had almost seeded in herplex calctions. Although the current game wasn''t the perfect picture Aldin had envisioned, it was at least close.


    Aldin said, "Your world doesn''t have magic. You don¡¯t have the power to feel thendscape of imagination. So, you settle on a fake inner space."


    "Fake inner space?"


    "Things like dramas, movies,ics, or novels. But the closest thing, in terms of interaction, is games."


    "Games.¡±


    "Dreaming of magic in a world without it might seem foolish, but such dreams of the impossible actually help in realizing desires. Especially when isted from reality in the form of games, it allows more efficient and calcted approaches. The absence of magic is a kind of talent... But I¡¯m the one who¡¯s curious."


    Sung-Woon asked, "About what?"


    Aldin responded, "You definitely won in this game. I agree that I¡¯m not someone you could trust, but you could have just trusted me. And if you had, even if I couldn''t have let you meet the conditions like being a true god, I could have sent you to a better ce than this. Not Avartin, though. It''s a more difficult condition, but other yers could have joined as well, as long as the system allowed it."


    "So not everyone. It wouldn¡¯t have been possible to bring the entire Pantheon."


    "The souls of the Pantheon would be impossible to move in whole."


    "Then I have no regrets."


    "That''s the point. This isn''t your world either. Why go to such lengths? Why choose death when you''ve experienced immortal life? It''s just a game to you, isn''t it?"


    Sung-Woon agreed, "Yes. It might just be a game." He added, "But it''s a game I like."


    At that moment, Aldin''s heart was greatly shaken, prompting her to say the words she had decided not to say. "...I wanted to be meaningful to you."


    "Meaningful?"


    "As I said, our faces resembling each other was due to my lingering feelings. But apart from that, I''ve been watching you for a long time. I hoped that after everything ended, we might entwine our fates with those we each loved."


    ¡°.....¡±


    "I liked all your ys."


    Sung-Woon realized what Aldin just said was said in past-tense. It meant she did like his ys, but not anymore.


    Aldin continued, "But if that was the case, you should have stopped me sooner."


    Aldin then drew her gun from under the table and aimed it at Sung-Woon.

 Chapter 312: For New Friends

    <h4>Chapter 312: For New Friends</h4>


    In the depths of the Demon World, the first imagery world, Aldin hurriedly limped with a sprained leg, her broken wrist dangling.


    The spirits of demonic magic possessed undeniable power, but when Aldin disappeared, they were left bewildered, holding strips of red velvet. They were unaware that Aldin had moved through a hidden door in the depths of the Demon World. The splendor of the red velvet had stolen their attention.


    <i>¡®Morons.¡¯</i>


    Aldin concentrated her consciousness to bear the pain. As the pain from the second and third imagery worlds ovepped, Aldin felt her cognitive abilities flickering on and off.


    But eventually, Aldin reached her destination, where she wouldplete her task. Aldin entered the Present Hall of the museum. Her mission was simple¡ªnot to oppose Sung-Woon. The job given by Bifnen was to make the other three yers Fall.


    There would be an immediate impact on the system, but Aldin could fix it by herself, which could wait until after all the yers were eliminated.


    Aldin entered the central exhibition hall of the Present Hall. The name of the exhibition hall was Myriad Demons Wriggle. Aldin had anticipated that Bifnen would unleash the Myriad Demons. In the worst-case scenario, Bifnen would use every weapon without hesitation.


    Aldin was surprised after entering the exhibition hall, but for a different reason.


    <i>¡®Hegemonia... Were you this good?¡¯</i>


    The exhibition hall was a giant diorama, tens of meters wide. The floor was made of resin, forming an ocean, with twenty-two Sky Castles hanging by threads from above, each owned by an old god. One of the Sky Castles wasrge enough for Aldin to climb on, while most were upied by the three yers and the approaching Starkeeper and imperial aircraft carriers.


    What was most impressive was the scenery above. There were Demons pouring down, and Hegemonia fighting them. Hegemonia had passed the Hierophany stage and, through umting entropy, built up enough stacks to take on the form of an Incarnation.


    As a living death, embodying war itself, Hegemonia stood on two Sky Castles, yanking off the head of a goat-headed Demon along with its spine with her hands and crushing arge and ominous golden chariot, drawn by long-legged bizarre animals, with the one foot.


    Below, the other two yers were advancing with the apostles of the Pantheon and Hegemonia.


    Aldin looked at the uppermost Sky Castle. Bifnen stood motionless, expression stern.


    <i>¡®I should hurry.¡¯</i>


    Aldin nced back and, seeing no oneing after her, felt relieved. Then, she circled the exhibition hall and dragged out adder from a temporary storage between fake walls.


    Aldin thought about Sung-Woon.


    <i>¡®Prideful for no reason. Instead of trying to extract secrets from me at thest moment, you should have talked after winning.¡¯</i>


    Aldin had thought that Sung-Woon would make a mistake someday. After all, Sung-Woon was human. Especially since the being he had to kill had the face of his already deceased sister, a mistake was inevitable.


    Aldin hadn¡¯t given up until the veryst moment, nor did she intend to. Everything was a game. Aldin had no intention of epting an easy y like being persuaded.


    Of course, Sung-Woon''s inferences were all correct.


    <i>¡®If Neb had killed me, it would have been a fight I won.¡¯</i>


    Aldin had arranged the yers against the old gods, and she had almost seeded. But Sung-Woon failed to kill her. Aldin was still a yer, yet also remained a pawn of the old gods.


    Aldin was greatly disappointed in Sung-Woon, but at the same time, she saw another future.


    <i>¡®It can be changed.¡¯</i>


    70,000 years, and then another 40,000 years. Over time, change inevitably urred. Aldin believed in this potential for change.


    <i>¡®Someday, I''ll be able to go back.¡¯</i>


    Ultimately, what consoled Aldin were memories of the past. She still remembered when the system was first created. A festivalsting over a hundred years took ce. Endless cheers and joy erupted from every city, and those who had passed away met again within the system. Death truly disappeared, and everyone lived in happiness.


    For another thousand years, there was no conflict worth mentioning. The Pain Sect sealed all their knowledge until they would unseal it ten thousand yearster. Aldin remembered Bifnen swearing never to use magic for pain again.


    The Returner and Aldin danced hand in hand. Everyone truly loved each other. Although these memories being recalled could be due to the old gods tampering and readjusting Aldin''s brain, she had now be such a being. Aldin couldn''t escape from the memories.


    <i>¡®It''s all over.¡¯</i>


    Aldin ced thedder against a Sky Castle and climbed up step by step. It wasn''t easy due to her broken wrist and sprained leg, but Aldin was ustomed to pain.


    On the swaying Sky Castle, Aldin calmly pulled up thedder again and used it as a bridge to the next Sky Castle. The first to Fall was Bolt. The method for making them Fall was simple. Aldin picked up Bolt, who was shooting mes, and flung them to the ground.


    The second to fall was Chistka. Aldin was taken aback by the unexpected weight of the tank, but she sessfully dropped it off the Sky Castle using her good leg.


    Aldin then attempted risky stunts to reach thest one, Hegemonia. Thedder continued to sway between Sky Castles, and Aldin had to pause several times to endure the pain as she climbed. Eventually, Aldin reached the third Sky Castle from the top, where Hegemonia was.


    <i>¡®You really almost seeded, didn''t you?¡¯</i>


    Aldin thought that no old god could have opposed the Myriad Demons to this extent. This god of war had defeated the Demons purely with pure force. Perhaps Hegemonia had the ability to stop the Myriad Demons.


    <i>¡®...If only you weren¡¯t to Fall.¡¯</i>


    It would take time, but once the system was restored, the Myriad Demons would be resealed. There would be someplications with causality, but as always, the same method could be used.


    Aldin stood in front of Hegemonia¡¯s Incarnation. This Incarnation was already taller than Aldin, making it more difficult to make her Fall than the previous two gods. Aldin hugged Hegemonia and tried shaking her. Suddenly, Hegemonia''s arm swayed and touched Aldin. Despite knowing that actions in the depths of the Demon World were one-sided, Aldin felt a slight fear.


    <i>¡®It''s time to stop and Fall.¡¯</i>


    Aldin pushed hard against Hegemonia, using her body weight. In an instant, Hegemonia, who had been holding on, toppled backward. First, the Demon ornaments fell beneath the Sky Castle, followed by Hegemonia¡¯s sculpture, and then Aldin, who had been holding onto the sculpture, fell after it.


    ***


    Eventually, the three gods had Fallen. Since they had no promise of a sanctuary, they were literally ejected from their own divinity. The ejected gods began to fall beneath the Sky Castle.


    Vasen Lak Orazen realized that the worst possible scenario had urred, but he was prepared.


    "Aruna! Lai!"


    The pre-appointed beings moved quickly. Apostle of the Pantheon, Aruna, sessfully caught Bolt, and the Apostle of the Angry One, Lai, caught Chistka and Hegemonia without issue.


    While momentarily withdrawing the apostles, Vasen deployed the imperial air power against the Myriad Demons.


    Dordol''s expression hardened. Vasen wanted to seem confident, but no jokes came to mind. The despair was greater because the Angry One had almost seeded, and a miracle was almost within reach.


    Vasen had already determined that the operation was impossible with only the apostles.


    <i>¡®We can retreat and wage a dying battle. The Empire still has plenty of nuclear weapons. But whether such attacks would be effective against that Sky Castle is unknown, and continuing such attacks within the atmosphere wouldn''t be much different from unleashing the Myriad Demons.¡¯</i>


    Vasen excluded even the slightest possibility of a miracle and began to map out the next strategy. However, a miracle did happen.


    ***


    <i>-My friend, stop crying.</i>


    <i>-But...</i>


    <i>-Now stop crying and do what we must do.</i>


    <i>-But...</i>


    Jeol Woo-Bi sniffled.


    The progenitor of the Vampires, wearing the leather of their friends, had lots of tears.


    Using some of the remaining energy of the second moon, the evil gods released two of their kind, Jeol Woo-Bi and Bwel, from their sealed state. Freed from being vassals, Jeol Woo-Bi and Bwel heard about the situation from Sha-Cha, Jeolyo, and Dide.


    Bwel agreed to Sha-Cha''s request, but Jeol Woo-Bi refused, so Sha-Cha had to persuade them. Therefore, Sha-Cha showed them the Empire through the eyes of the second moon, as well as the numerous Vampires living in the Empire and the treatment of other evil gods'' species. Finally, Sha-Cha showed them the image of a Vampire in a spacesuit on the moon. Eventually, Jeol Woo-Bi cried.


    Jeol Woo-Bi murmured tearfully,


    <i>-Muel?</i>


    Sha-Cha decided not to press Jeol Woo-Bi further as they continued to say,


    <i>-My friend, how can I not cry when the name of my love is still being passed on? And how can my heart not ache when she bravely inhabits such a barrennd, trusting in those crude machines?</i>


    The other evil gods didn¡¯t say anything. They all understood Jeol Woo-Bi''s feelings. Even during the 40,000 years of suffering, there was something they hadn''t lost.


    Sha-Cha said,


    <i>-...So, have you changed your mind?</i>


    Jeol Woo-Bi wiped their face under the leather.


    <i>-...Of course. They too were deceived into suffering, that¡¯s uneptable.</i>


    <i>-Just like us.</i>


    <i>-Yes. Like us.</i>


    The reason the evil gods decisively lost in the war against the old gods was that the old gods feigned kindness and ultimately betrayed them. The old gods talked about coexistence but never intended to ept the evil gods and their species from the beginning.


    After the betrayal, the evil gods believed that would always be the case. That living in harmony with all species was impossible. But the Empire was defying all those negative expectations.


    Then Dide worriedly said,


    <i>-Even now, it''s okay to refuse Sha-Cha''s request. The Myriad Demons are infinite, and fighting them will surely lead to death.</i>


    However, no evil god responded to those words.


    Sha-Cha said on the second moon,


    <i>-It''s okay to refuse. But if you do, I will ask you, my long-time friends again.</i>


    Sha-Cha looked down at Avartin. Beside them stood four other evil gods.


    Sha-Cha continued,


    <i>-When we decided to leave like cowards, there were those who agreed to fight to the very end for our children in our ce. They have taken care of our children, so they are our new friends.</i>


    Everyone silently agreed.


    <i>-We have been living too long, tediously, always striving for simple survival. We thought surviving was the best we could do, so we constantly caused pain to our children and never sacrificed ourselves.</i>


    The evil gods felt pain in their hearts. Sha-Cha''s words weighed heavily on them.


    <i>-So, I ask, my long-time friends.</i>


    Sha-Cha continued,


    <i>-Let''s die today. For our children and our new friends, let''s not live a cowardly life anymore.</i>


    No one countered Sha-Cha¡¯s words. The evil gods decided to die. The second moon, Loom, moved once again.


    Dide said,


    <i>-The old gods will receive the karma they created.</i>


    Loom took off the invisible cloak that had been hiding it. The massive shadow of the second moon, now close to the stratosphere, covered the second Sky Castle.


    Dide called for Loom''s most fearsome weapon,


    <i>-Pulverizer...activate.</i>


    Gravitons poured down upon the Sky Castle bursting with Myriad Demons.

 Chapter 313: Welcome, Nebula

    Chapter 313: Wee, Neb


    The weapon of the second moon, the Pulverizer, struck the second Sky Castle, which immediately plunged hundreds of meters and shook violently. Demons on the Sky Castle burst forth and were then crushed, and for a while, the hole put into the Sky Castle spewed out remnants that were once demons. Fountains of blood erupted, dirtying the first Sky Castle.


    Bifnen Dial Robane looked up at the sky.


    Sha-Cha said,


    <em>-Take care of Loom.</em>


    <em>-Alright. Leave the rest to me.</em>


    As Dide nodded, Sha-Cha and three other evil gods jumped toward the Sky Castle. The evil gods had now broken free from the system, and they fought in the ancient way. Hierophany didnt start out as a skill. The Hierophany body was the true form of the evil gods. It was just that the state demanded too much entropy, so they sealed their own form.


    Bwel was the primeval Werewolf. Born in a distant, evil space, having lost its own origin, this being was asrge as a Dragon and lived by hunting the massive carnivores residing in the magical space. It was a monster that hunted monsters and the king of monsters, until it got lost and fell into a secluded ce called Avartin.


    Jeol Woo-Bi was the first Vampire, turned into a giant by an uncontroble want for blood. Raised somewhere in the evil space as a sacrifice, its overflowing blood crossed a threshold, transforming it into an entirely different being. Had it not fallen into Avartin, it would have remained as the sole god of a world.


    Jeolyo was the beginning of Fairies. Jeolyo was born as a living being embodying the possibility of bing anything, the product of a sage''s magical experiment. Guided by the desire that created them, Jeolyo decided to be the very sage who brought them into existence, absorbing and physically projecting every being they ate. Unfortunately, among the sage''s knowledge was Avartin.


    Sha-Cha was the origin of Deep Ones. This monster, having lived for a very long time in the deep sea of the evil space, was the parent of the scaled beings and the master of the tentacled ones. Sha-Cha came to Avartin by their own will, unable to simply watch as their children fell into therge hole known as Avartin.


    The four evil gods stood before the wave of demon corpses pouring down. The apostles of the Pantheon and Angry One also willingly joined them.


    Sha-Cha, with an indescribable body, extended their tentacles far.


    <em>-Bifnen,e down if you''re not afraid.</em>


    Bifnen didnt respond. Instead, he searched for his long-unused weapons and entered his own Sky Castle.


    ***


    In the depths of the demon world, in the first imagery world, Aldiny still, unaware that the evil gods had returned and the war had taken a new turn.


    What Aldin quickly grasped was the authority within the system, while the evil gods had descended upon Avartin from outside the system.


    Moreover, Aldin''s current focus was on her own body. The shattered Incarnation of Hegemonia, having fallen with her, had pierced her ribs, making breathing difficult. Coughing, blood sttered and spilled onto her face. Aldin thought it unlikely that an old god would die from such wounds, but she realized that if the injuries umted in the second, third, and fourth imagery worlds, she would certainly die.


    <em>Father will revive me anyway.</em>


    Aldin wasnt afraid of death. Even when the Returner died, and during the subsequent torture, and again when the suffering Returner was used as a weapon in the war against the evil gods before disappearing entirely, Aldin had plunged the Returner''s staff into her own heart. More than death, what Aldin feared was being revived.


    Her mission was over, and she closed her eyes to focus on her other selves in the other imagery worlds.


    ***


    In the second imagery world, Aldin realized something was wrong. The monster was indeed an illusion, but when she reached the spot where Sung-Woon should have been, following the calctions, Sung-Woon wasnt there.


    Since she had already encountered Sung-Woon in the fourth imagery world, the importance of this second world diminished. However, to strike Sung-Woon more effectively, coordinated attacks from multiple imagery worlds were necessary. In this sense, Aldin''s surprise attack had failed.


    <em>Were my calctions wrong?</em>


    Aldin anxiously looked around. Something had gone wrong.


    ***


    In the third imagery world, Mazdari''s spell breath finally emerged. A magenta light beam shot toward Aldin, scraping the inside of the cave following a curved trajectory rather than a straight one, the color one of pure magic. Aldin raised every protective spell she knew in preparation, but she realized there was no way to block the light. Death wasing.


    ***


    In the fourth imagery world, Aldin was quick.


    "Don''t move."


    Before Sung-Woon''s guards and even the two apostles could react, Aldin drew her pistol. Having used the Returner''s staff for tens of thousands of years, Aldin was more skilled in aiming this pistol than any master of weaponry.


    Although she faced defeat in the third imagery world and lost her way in the second, she had achieved her goal in the first imagery world. If she just killed Sung-Woon in this deepest, fourth imagery world, it would be her victory.


    Aldin said, "Father is enraged. If things continue this way, you will suffer for a long time. Father does not tire easily."


    "So?"


    "...So, it''s better for you to die now, before the system assimtes you. If possible, tell the other yers to kill themselves quickly too. This is my final act of mercy."


    Sung-Woon leaned deeply into his chair, bored. asionally, such situations arosewhere the opponent refused to surrender and exit in thete stage of a game.


    Of course, there were times when one had to focus until the very end, but apetent yer would know when the game had progressed to a certain point that victory was unattainable, and that they had lost unless the opponent gave up absurdly.


    Sung-Woon knew this feeling well and, to avoid wasting each other''s time and to quickly win the next game, he would just surrender and exit promptly. Although ying to the end could result in a win in one out of twenty games, Sung-Woon didnt particrly enjoy such lucky wins.


    There were more than a couple of yers who threatened Sung-Woon in this game, but the one who truly made it enjoyable and serious was Hegemonia, again and again.


    In terms of danger, the evil gods and the old gods were no less than Hegemonia, but the evil gods were more bug yers, and the old gods were hack yers. Neither knew how to y a proper game. Under the same conditions, they would probably lose to Ovenwave.


    The only one Sung-Woon had some expectations for was Aldin, but even at this stage, she seemed lesspetent, given her boring talk. Of course, Sung-Woon respected Aldin''s own aplishments, but thought that in 40,000 years, he himself could have done something simr.


    Sung-Woon said, "I won''t ept mercy as an excuse. But I won''t hold a grudge either. Shoot."


    Aldin became afraid, uncertain if Sung-Woon were being sincere, or just a provocation, and perhaps a psychological ploy to create an opening and seize an opportunity.


    Aldin pulled the trigger, aiming at Sung-Woon''s forehead.


    <em>''This ends destiny.''</em>


    But what Aldin pictured didnt happen. The fired bullet stopped in front of Sung-Woon''s face. Sensing something odd, Aldin repeatedly pulled the trigger, emptying the magazine. The bullets all stopped mid-air.


    Sung-Woon picked up one of the stopped bullets, examined it, quickly lost interest, and dropped it on the table. The rest of the bullets ttered down after it.


    "...Impossible." Aldin pulled the trigger. The magazine was empty. "...Causality turned the staff into a gun. This imagery world mimics external space, so magic...shouldn''t exist."


    "Is that what you think?"


    Aldin considered another possibility. "Even as the creator of this imagery world, you can''t touch my belongings."


    Sung-Woon, as if he couldn''t bear to listen anymore, stood up and lightly flicked his finger. Suddenly, the pistol in Aldin''s hand twisted, dropped, and then slid as if being pulled into Sung-Woon''s hand, which was resting on the table.


    Aldin was btedly shocked.


    Sung-Woon, holding the ivory handle, removed the magazine, ced it on the table, lightly pulled the hammer, disassembled the gun into upper and lower parts, looked inside the barrel, reassembled it, inserted the magazine, checked the slide stop, and then pulled the empty trigger.


    "Having the same soul, this is mine." However, contrary to his words, Sung-Woon put the gun down on the table and pushed it back toward Aldin. "I already have another pistol as a gift, so I don''t need this one. Keep it."


    Aldin, with a frozen expression, picked up the pistol in front of her, but soon realized it was meaningless.


    Aldin said, "...It wasnt only the fourth world that was your creation?"


    "Thats right. The third and second too. Oh, and of course, the first. They were all mine."


    "That''s impossible. The system would..."


    "The system has already been destroyed."


    "It''s still operating."


    "I made it appear that way. Partially, at least."


    Aldin shook her head. All of that must have been a bluff. Sung-Woon could have reached a level of Tuning, but Aldin didnt believe his abilities could be that exceptional.


    It was a fundamental issue: humans on Earth were a different species from those of Avartin. There were physiological problems, including brain structure, in using magic.


    Sung-Woon said, "There''s always a way to ovee weaknesses."


    Sung-Woon lifted with one hand the ck lizard, Kyle Lak Orazen, and with the other, the white crow, Mazdari. The two apostles climbed onto Sung-Woon''s shoulders.


    "You''ve been too immersed in magic. That''s why you haven''t paid enough attention to non-magical things."


    "Like what?"


    "Capital, for instance."


    "We didn''t need that. Lacking resources could be created through Faith points in the system."


    "That''s the problem. Or take technology, for example."


    "Again, not needed. The system is the machine."


    "That''s true. But monopolized technology has clear limits. How much has the system developed over the tens of thousands of years since the Returner died?"


    Aldin couldn''t answer. The Returner asionally maintained the system, but they felt limited in updating it. The other old gods didn''t know about the system, so they didn''te up with new ideas. They thought it was sufficient as it was.


    "Thats what I thought. Even something like the second moon, which appears to be a product of advanced science, is actually a Miracle achieved by consuming Faith points."


    "...Right."


    The system was an all-powerful machine. By consuming Faith points, it could even bring in future scientific technologies. There was no need to learn or understand technology. Just create it and use it.


    Aldin continued, "But machines are just tools. They''re not important."


    "That''s where you''re blind, Aldin. You''ve be short on imagination because you''re so focused on the inner space''s existing illusions. If the system is a machine, then so are people. Conversely, if they develop enough, machines can be people too."


    ".....?"


    Sung-Woon lightly tapped the table. Then, the table lost its bnce and fell to the floor. Startled, Aldin shot to her feet, and the chairs they were sitting on also copsed. Simultaneously, the small room where they were toppled over. It was just a set.


    Aldin looked around the fallen partitions. Under the dim lighting, she realized she was in a space crammed with square machines. The machines were interconnected with wires, and coolers were furiously working to dissipate heat.


    Aldin recognized these machines well. They wereputers.


    "Aldin, this isnt an imagery world," Sung-Woon said. "This is the Sanctuary."


    And the Sanctuary swiftly responded.


    "Wee, yer Neb You brought a guest?"

 Chapter 314: God, Please

    <h4>Chapter 314: God, Please</h4>


    In the third world, Aldin¡¯s form flickered flickered with the magenta light filling her eyes. In the second world, Aldin was submerged in darkness as all the light in the maze went out. When Aldin opened her eyes in both worlds, all worlds converged into one, the Sanctuary.


    Aldin stood among gray machines that were simply humming and operating.


    "This is...the Sanctuary?"


    Aldin looked around. Aldin was aware of the existence of the Sanctuary, having monitored this game. Even with the authority of an operator, it was difficult to peek into the pantheon without being detected, so she only had a rough understanding of its role through the system window.


    From what Aldin knew, the Sanctuary was a simtor, simting a game within the game to find possibilities. The Sanctuary yed a crucial role in the fight between Sung-Woon and Hegemonia. That was how Aldin remembered it. But this Sanctuary seemed to be more than the Sanctuary Aldin knew.


    Aldin murmured, "Artificial intelligence... Is that it?"


    "Right. Isn''t that not so surprising?"


    Of course, Aldin knew about Earth. On Earth, there was the concept of artificial intelligence, and technically primitive AIs existed. They couldn¡¯t think on their own, but were machines that mimic human functions by learning from data.


    In Avartin, there were also things simr to artificial intelligence. For instance, Golems could perform simple roles, and highlyplex Golems could even simte thought. However, such Golems were created by mimicking the souls of creatures or people through magic, so the Wizards didn¡¯t know how they were actually structured. They were more imitation than creation.


    Aldin said, "Such technology didn''t exist on Earth."


    Sung-Woon replied, "That''s right. But it exists in the pantheon. Avartin''s science and technology are slightly inferior to Earth''s, but the inside of the pantheon is different... Isn''t that right, Kyle?"


    Kyle shyly nodded.


    Aldin asked, "Even if we assume the Sanctuary is at such a level, it doesn''t make sense. The Sanctuary should be in the pantheon, right? And the pantheon was shut down through the Fall. The pantheon is somewhere inside the Demon World now. This is...a deception."


    Sung-Woon replied, "The Sanctuary requires two things to exist. One is hardware, and the other is software."


    "That doesn¡¯t seem to disprove what I said."


    Noting that she still didn¡¯t understand, Sung-Woon smiled wryly, "The hardware condition is easily met. There are a lot ofputers in Avartin."


    Aldin btedly realized what Sung-Woon meant and slightly opened her mouth, "...Sky Net?"


    "Of course, to <i>descend</i> the Sanctuary, it was necessary to expand the data center on the central processing unit, but it wasn''t an impossible step. The Sanctuary was sent down to Avartin from the pantheon early on. It was done so it could move on its own even if the pantheon disappeared in the worst-case scenario. You probably didn''t even pay attention to it."


    Aldin was bewildered. All of Sung-Woon''s words were true. The great Wizards wouldn''t care about machines.


    Sung-Woon continued, "Even if Tuning is achieved, a Wizard''s power grows ording to the secrets they have umted. That''s why, like you old gods used the spirits of demonic magic to use magic, I internalized the Sanctuary. Myputational ability is the same as the number of central processing units avable in Avartin."


    "...Using the capabilities of machines? There''s no such magic."


    Sung-Woon simply denied it. "No, there is. You Wizards might understand divinity and system as magic, but in reality, magic is just a part of science. It''s a phenomenon that can be experimented with and exined."


    Kyle said,


    <i>-There are illogical and iprehensible aspects, but there is some logic.</i>


    Mazdari lifted his head.


    <i>-Do you understand, old god? This is my secret. Your Pain Sect is too outdated.</i>


    Aldin looked at Sung-Woon, who had theputational power of the world itself. She considered the number ofputers in Avartin that could connect to Sky Net and estimated the information processing speed ordingly.


    Aldin''s forehead wrinkled. It was already higher than the system''sputational ability.


    <i>''That means...''</i>


    A window with an interface different from the old god''s system appeared in front of Aldin.


    [That means I am superior to the system. Through hacking, yer Sung-Woon has already assumed control over the system.]


    "...Is it reading my thoughts?"


    [No. It''s the opposite. It''s not that I entered you, but you have entered me. Even if I don''t want to, I can hear your thoughts.]


    To Aldin, this sounded worse than having her thoughts read. With her thoughtsid out in the open, there would be no strategy or secrets. The best option was not to think, but if she didn''t think, she couldn¡¯te up with any tactics. It was a checkmate move.


    Aldin looked at Sung-Woon. "If you had such power, why did you hide it until now? Couldn''t you have just controlled the system from the beginning?"


    "I never hid it. For the Sanctuary to take control in the Demon World, it was necessary toe deep into the Demon World and hack the system. It''s just..." Sung-Woon pointed out, "You, the old gods, were toote. You had power but dyed using it."


    Aldin agreed. She could have perhaps moved more smartly. And she would¡¯ve done so if she had known about how things would unfold. She could have somehow pressured the sluggish old gods into action.


    However, the Empire created by the Pantheon was beautiful. Perhaps the future Aldin wanted for Avartin was exactly like that. Even if she had to destroy it all, she wanted to look at it a bit longer.


    Moreover, although Sung-Woon criticized them for being slow, it took time to bring out the Sky Castles and awaken the dreaming old gods. Regardless of Aldin''s will, the process couldn¡¯t have been done any faster.


    "And I also needed to check your face again,¡± Sung-Woon said.


    "You must be disappointed about not getting a satisfactory answer."


    "No, I am satisfied."


    Aldin didn¡¯t ask what kind of satisfaction Sung-Woon meant. Instead she asked, "...What are you going to do now?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "Well... That''s right. I''ll dere a Pause." Sung-Woon looked at the monitor inside the Sanctuary, which showed the battle at the Sky Castle. Sung-Woon watched the evil gods fighting against the Myriad Demons and Bifnen. "There''s no need to shed unnecessary blood anymore."


    But Aldin was taken aback by Sung-Woon''s choice of words. "What did you just say?"


    Sung-Woon borated, "Pause. Freeze. I said I would stop time."


    "Causality wouldn''t allow it."


    Aldin saw it as an absurd request. She still thought Sung-Woon could be using some trick, which was only natural since what Sung-Woon imed to have done and be able to do was too vast and immense.


    Sung-Woon could think as quickly as if connected to all of Avartin''sputers, and at the same time, he had hacked the system and stolen its power. Still, causality was a formidable force. Stopping time was like challenging the fate of the world.


    [That is correct. Pausing is beyond your authority, yer Neb.]


    "I thought so..."


    [Oh, but <i>I </i>have the authority.]


    Aldin''s eyes widened.


    [Pause.]


    [Exception specified: Sanctuary, yer Neb.]


    Then the world stopped.


    Sung-Woon quietly looked around the operational virtual Sanctuary and slowly approached Aldin, who stood frozen with a surprised expression.


    Then he raised his hand and let it fall. Sung-Woon walked past Aldin without a word.


    "Sanctuary."


    [Give yourmand, yer Neb.]


    "With the power of the system, reset the world."


    The system, fundamentally magical, was connected to the deep parts of the Demon World, essing infinite possibilities. This infinite possibility led Avartin into existential threats, resulting in evil gods and Myriad Demons. It was inevitable to face threats from countless other worlds.


    <i>''It has to be reworked.''</i>


    The Sanctuary said,


    [As you wish, yer Neb. The Light of Eternity and Life is aligned with your will. Nothing is impossible for you now.]


    Sung-Woon asked with pure curiosity,


    "Why is that?"


    [The reason you could stop time is that the Light of Eternity and Life wished it so. And yer Neb, you read that will. You might think it''s your own, but at this moment, your will is the will of the Light of Eternity and Life.]


    "I don''t have such authority."


    [Your belief is irrelevant. Even causality has bent its will to you, somand. Sing the Light of Eternity and Life with your voice.]


    Sung-Woon could now be a true god. The Sanctuary''s perception system was reprogrammed to Sung-Woon. He could rearrange the appearance of external space, the universe, and alter the rules of inner space, the world. Sung-Woon stood before the possibility of bing a one and only almighty being. But Sung-Woon chose not to.


    <i>''I am not worthy of that.''</i>


    As Sung-Woon repeated this, the Sanctuary no longer interfered. It quietly waited for Sung-Woon to exert his will.


    Sung-Woon closed his eyes and read the will of Eternity and Life in his imagery world. From afar, it looked like resentment. A tangled and twisted rough thread. If Sung-Woon became a true god, he could cut it off in an instant. He could make it as if it had never existed and turn everything back.


    From everyone''s memories, and even from Sung-Woon''s own memories, he could sever the possibilities of all connected possible worlds. He could reshape the world into one where pain never existed. But Sung-Woon didn¡¯t do that. He chose a more challenging path.


    Sung-Woon carefully unraveled the strands created by the Light of Eternity and Life. Instead of a vague and oversimplified representation like the system, he read echoes of love that never reachedpletion, hopes that were only dreamt of, and shadows of free will that never came true.


    Sung-Woon anticipated explosive revenge, petrifying terror, surging hatred, and chilling cynicism. He dared to undertake all these wills. But when all those ovepped, what emerged was one clear and transparent intention. Sung-Woon hadn¡¯t expected this.


    <i>''Is this truly your will?''</i>


    The Light of Eternity and Life surrounded and flickered around Sung-Woon. Indeed, that was so. That was its answer.


    <i>-Indeed, O God, please...</i>


    Sung-Woon then came to a bted realization. Even before he heard the answer, before asking if that was truly its wil, before entering the depths of the Demon World, before the Sanctuary became internalized within him, before Falling, before the Empire attacked the second moon, before defeating Hegemonia, before the great war spanning four continents, before waging war with various yers on the third continent¡ªin the wastnd assigned to Sung-Woon, when he had just started the game, when he met a Lizardman, he already knew he would hear this answer from the Light of Eternity and Life.


    <i>-...heal this wound.</i>


    It was obvious. The game The Lost World was about rebuilding civilization in a deste world. It was a game about leading the wounded away from barbaric violence, refining the foundations of society with hygiene, culture, education, technology, science, and market economy, so they wouldn''t get hurt again. Like disinfecting, stitching, applying medicine to wounds and waiting for them to heal, Sung-Woon now decided to heal that wound.

 Chapter 315: In the Light of Eternity and Life

    <h4>Chapter 315: In the Light of Eternity and Life</h4>


    "On behalf of the Light of Eternity and Life, Imand," Sung-Woon said. "The system is stripped of all its authority over Avartin and all entities within Avartin."


    [Executionplete.]


    "For all old gods, their status is revoked. They will no longer be called gods."


    [Executionplete.]


    The new gods were all Fallen, the evil gods left the system, and the old gods were stripped of their status.


    Sung-Woon asked, "Do gods exist in Avartin now?"


    [There are none.]


    "And there will be none in the future."


    At Sung-Woon¡¯s assertion, Sanctuary said,


    [However, yer Neb, Avartin needs protection. The damage the system inflicted on Avartin will continue to allow invasions from the space of evil.]


    "Can the damage not be repaired?"


    [The space of evil is not a single world but epasses all spaces, which is precisely the space of secrets spoken of by Wizards. Avartin is interwoven through Rasdasil, and it will take a long time to repair with Avartin''s causality alone.]


    "Has the repair started?"


    [Yes. It already has.]


    The Sanctuary said,


    [yer Neb, you can be the one and only god of Avartin.]


    "If I do, I will be corrupt."


    [yer Neb, from all your actions and thoughts so far, I can calcte whether you will lose your current conviction and regret this choice... And ording to that calction, the likelihood is very low. You will not be corrupt until the world is healed.]


    "Still, a better model must exist."


    Sung-Woon didn''t believe in low probabilities. There was always a better way.


    He thought through the Sanctuary. He almost immediately found an answer.


    "Isn''t it true that Avartin doesn''t need a god?"


    [...yer Neb, the path you have found is a difficult one. The Sanctuary does not rmend it.]


    "That''s why it''s worth challenging."


    The Sanctuary acknowledged Neb''s firm will. Therefore, it no longer objected to Neb''s intentions.


    Sung-Woon said, "I will reorganize the system."


    [Okay. Would you like to reset the name? The previously used name, Pantheon, is saved.]


    "Since there are no longer gods in Avartin, I will rename it."


    Sung-Woon looked at the still flickering Light of Eternity and Life in his imagery world. The lights shooting toward Sung-Woon from all directions were no different from the countless stars in the night sky.


    "Call it the Hall of Myriad Stars."


    [Settingplete: Hall of Myriad Stars.]


    The Sanctuary said,


    [yer Neb, the highest authorities of the system originally belong to those called gods. Would you like to reset this as well?]


    "Yes."


    Sung-Woon thought of the yers. Each had built their own history with their memories, creating their unique gamey. A single point could be meaningless, but when lines were drawn to connect the points, they formed value, and Sung-Woon thought of an apt descriptor of that.


    "Call them Constetions."


    [Settingplete.]


    Sung-Woon said, "I will define the authorities of the Constetions."


    [The highest authority''s powers are being reset.]


    "Sanctuary, what were the original conditions to be a god?"


    [To be a being of Avartin and a descendant of the Pain Sect¡¯s Wizards. Or, an evil entity that sessfully stole that authority. Or, an entity from Earth directly chosen by the proxy, Aldin.]


    Until now, gods in Avartin were predetermined beings. That was the root of evil. The true sufferers were not the gods but the beings affected by the gods'' conflicts, which went unnoticed. Gods were fixed, and no one could challenge them. But Sung-Woon overturned this fact.


    Sung-Woon said, "The Constetions are not gods. Now, anyone in Avartin has the potential to be the highest authority. Anyone who has proven their abilities beyond the limits of their existence, achieved a remarkable feat recognized by the Light of Eternity and Life, or significantly disrupted causality causing a shock to the world can be a Constetion."


    [Authority resetplete.]


    The Sanctuary said,


    [Currently, 35 candidates for Constetions have been identified based on the criteria. Would you like to review them?]


    Sung-Woon nodded.


    The Sanctuary disyed the list using the system window. He reviewed the IDs of twenty-seven yers, including himself, who were the new gods. These individuals had been gods and were fully capable of fulfilling their roles as Constetions. There was no one in Avartin more suitable for the role of Constetions than them at the moment.


    Next, Sung-Woon reviewed the names of five evil entities who were previously evil gods. They were beings of sorrow and pain, desiring little yet achieving even less. Sung-Woon wanted to give them another fair opportunity.


    Then, he reviewed the next two names.


    [...


    Bifnen Dial Robane


    Aldin


    ...]


    Sung-Woon erased them. "These two shall not have authority."


    [The Light of Eternity and Life also agrees. These two can have not only their authority erased, but also their existence. Would you like to do so?]


    Sung-Woon shook his head. "No. Even I do not have such authority. There is a rightful proxy to judge them, and I leave it to him."


    [Okay.]


    Sung-Woon checked thest name.


    Sung-Woon thought of the apostles of the Pantheon and said, "There should be more candidates."


    [It is due to the limitations of causality. There is a limit to immediate transitions. Time is needed.]


    Sung-Woon nodded. "I grant the authority of Constetion to the final thirty three."


    [Executionplete. Would you like to set a Pause Exception so that the Constetions can set up their Domains?]


    Sung-Woon nodded again.


    [Before that, the first Constetion, yer Neb. Please set your Domain.]


    "Is the Domain referring to the sixty four Small Areas and seven Large Areas of The Lost World, along with the unknown number of Unique Domains?¡±


    [Those are values arbitrarily divided and set by the old gods. If needed, yer Neb, you can reset them.]


    "Anything?"


    [Any concept that can be recognized can be turned into a Domain.]


    Sung-Woon pondered for a moment, but not for long. As he was about to speak, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, unbidden.


    "Sanctuary, my Domain is as follows."


    [Please, go ahead.]


    "Games."


    [Thepatibility and suitability for you to properly manage that Domain can be calcted. Of course, you can choose that Domain simply because you want it, without checking.]


    "Please check it."


    The Sanctuary was silent for a moment.


    After the calction wasplete, the Sanctuary said,


    [Compatibility: 99.98%. Suitability: 99.99%. yer Neb, the Domain of Games is more suited for you than any other Domain.]


    The Sanctuary exined the Domain of Games,


    [Games. Competing based on a set of rules. A y. Activities done together by several people for enjoyment. Practice for life. Challenges and struggles. All these things fall under your Domain. Often, life ispared to a game by mortals, and the system surrounding Avartin functioned as a set of rules, like a game.]


    "But it was biased. It wasn''t fair. Many were excluded from the rules. That''s why it wasn''t enjoyable. That''s why I will choose Games as my Domain."


    [That is true. You now manage the Domain of Dames. From the narrow aspect ofpetition on a gameboard to the broader aspect as the owner of the system and the Sanctuary, you will have to revise these rules and serve all yers participating in this game. That is the duty you should rightfully undertake as the highest authority of this system.]


    "I will dly ept."


    [Understood. The Constetion of Games, yer Neb. The will of Eternity and Life supports your intentions and calls upon you. The Name Ever Victorious, Chaser of Stars, Master of the Hall of Myriad Stars, and Repetitive Struggle... Constetions are deciding their Domains.]


    "Give them enough time."


    [It shall be so... yer Neb, what will you do about the judgment?]


    Sung-Woon called the name of one of the Constetions. "He is my... No. Our representative, spokesperson, and proxy of Eternity and Life."


    [The Light of Eternity and Life agrees. Their status as a representative, spokesperson, and proxy is indisputably rightful.]


    Sung-Woon raised his head. He looked at thendscape of Bifnen¡¯s Sky Castle on the monitor inside the Sanctuary. Bifnen seemed to have sensed what was happening.


    This old god no longer relied on the power of the system and equipped himself with the armament he had had before bing an old god, the one used to fight the original Wizards.


    He wore a crown of thorns, held a whip in his left hand, and a burning sword in his right. Blood continuously flowed from his head, and light of magic sprung from his wounds. His face was obscured by the light cast onto his face by the halo. He was a Wizard from the era when the Pain Sect ruled Avartin, a power Sung-Woon estimated could rival that of a god.


    But this being was not Sung-Woon''s enemy. There were many ways to heal a wound. Naturally, the most important thing was to heal the wound directly.


    However, pain was not only inflicted on the body. Even if all the injustices and illogical oues¡ªthe wounds of Avartin¡ªwere to be erased, the memories of the past persisted, and pain remained in the soul, in the continuous personality. Erasing those memories could seem like a way to remove the pain, but Sung-Woon knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Erasing the pain from memory wasn¡¯t healing the wound. It was changing the personality.


    Even though that pain made a person suffer and eventually led to catastrophe, it was an identity left in their soul and continuous personality. The pain was the person.


    Therefore, to heal wounds left not just on the body but also in the soul and continuous personality, another method had to be found. That method was rightful judgment.


    The Sanctuary said,


    [Is it judgment, not revenge, anger, hatred, or cynicism?]


    "Those surely can lessen the pain, but they also create other wounds."


    [Is it because it''s more important to break the cycle of pain that repeats as much as healing?]


    "There''s no such thing as perfect healing. Even if it heals somewhat, scars remain. We must carry some pain."


    [yer Neb, to ept your intention, I would like to conduct an experiment. I propose to simte two worlds'' models, one dominated by the former and the other by thetter. Will you allow me to use the avable information processing resources?]


    "Do as you wish."


    After a brief moment, the Sanctuary said,


    [yer Neb, I also agree with your statement.]


    Sung-Woon nodded. "Now I call upon the judge."


    [They are ready.]


    Sung-Woon looked at a ck-scaled Lizardman awkwardly sitting on the head of a Dragon below the many levels of the Sky Castle, hugging their beloved weapon and curiously pressing their index finger to the system window.


    The system said,


    [All Constetions havepleted setting their Domains.]


    "I lift the Pause. The judgment shallmence."


    [Executionplete.]


    Time in the world began to flow again. As the clouds moved, the Lizardman, as if noticing Sung-Woon''s gaze, lifted their head. Sung-Woon knew his gaze and voice had already reached them¡ª<i>him</i>.


    Sung-Woon said, "Miracle of mine, ours, and Avartin¡¯s."


    The thirty-third Constetion of the Hall of Myriad Stars, Lakrak, dusted himself and stood up.


    "Lakrak, it is time for you to exercise your rightful authority."


    Constetion Lakrak grasped his golden spear and gazed up at the Sky Castle in the sky.


    The Light of Eternity and Life watched over the judgment.

 Chapter 316: Judgment

    <h4>Chapter 316: Judgment</h4>


    Wisdom''s head, capable of detecting waves beyond visible light, felt the stillness. The vast silence struck Wisdom as a form of emptiness, the sensation intense.


    From beyond the screen, Crampus said, "Why? Is something wrong?"


    "It seems something has happened."


    Wisdom rose from his chair, approached the window, and momentarily looked at thendscape outside the safe house. Amon bird nearby was gliding with its wings fully spread, then it suddenly froze in that position.


    Then, as Wisdom turned to return to his seat, a system window appeared in front of him.


    [yer Wisdom, yer Neb''s scenario has beenpleted.]


    Wisdom saw through the screen and realized that not only he, but the other yers also had the same system window in front of them. The yers looked at each other.


    Wisdom said, "So Neb eventually seeded."


    Crampus, who had been eating a bag of chips, stuffed the rest into his mouth and said, "Well, we saw iting, didn''t we?"


    "Not this again," Lunda interjected. "When someone works hard and achieves something, you shouldpliment them, not just take it for granted."


    "Woah, wait, Lunda. That''s not it. I do appreciate it."


    "Just wipe the crumbs from your mouth."


    Crampus did so.


    Then AR1026 said, "Regardless..." She pointed at the system window with the tip of her fan. "It looks like we need to make our own settings."


    Wisdom and the other yers also looked down at the system window.


    [yer Wisdom, you have been selected as a candidate for Constetion.


    Would you like to ept?]


    [Yes / No]


    HumanTracker clicked something. "Oh, if you click on the word Constetion, additional information appears. It says it''s a term for the highest authority in the system controlled by the Sanctuary, originally called God."


    Wisdom followed HumanTracker''s lead and checked the additional information. A few other yers did the same.


    Wisdom said, "Neb has made a new choice."


    yer Tael, with a brain visible through a transparent container on their neck, asked, "Is this right?"


    Ovenwave stuttered, "If it''s Neb, uh, wouldn''t he have made the right choice?"


    Wisdom replied, "I trust Neb."


    At those words, yers originally from the third continent made an awkward smile. When they had been enemies with Neb, he would have been thest yer they would trust, so Wisdom''s words felt new.


    Wisdom was the first to press [Yes]. Then the other yers followed suit, and someone sighed in front of the changed system window.


    Crampus said, "Wow, this is a tough decision."


    [yer Wisdom, please designate the Domain you will oversee as a Constetion.]


    The yers realized that the Domains mentioned here were not limited to those in The Lost World. This deepened their dilemma, but not all yers were conflicted.


    Redmars said, "What? Can I go first if everyone else is deciding?"


    Crampus said, "Oh, what? You want to take the lead, huh?"


    "Is multi-selection not allowed? Do I have to dere it first?"


    The Sanctuary provided an answer,


    [Multi-selections are allowed. You may have more than one Domain as needed, but you can only request one within the limits allowed by causality for now.]


    Redmars said, "Then it''s okay, right? Does anyone have any objections?"


    "What will you choose?"


    "Me? I¡¯ll obviously choose..." Redmars dered, "Capitalism."


    Some yers nodded as if they had expected this, some seemed puzzled, and others were shocked.


    Crampus was among those shocked. "Wait, can there be a God of Capitalism?"


    "It''s not a god, but a Constetion."


    "Still, even as a Constetion..."


    "What''s the problem? Now I''m going to be the real invisible hand! ...That¡¯s possible, right?"


    To Redmars''s uncertain question, the Sanctuary responded.


    [yer Redmars, that is possible. Do you choose Capitalism as your Domain?]


    "Yes!"


    Following that, yers chose their Domains one by one. Jerome chose Books, dimir chose Machines, and Eldar chose Beauty.


    Wisdom continued to ponder, and after much thought, he dered his Domain to the system window.


    ***


    At Fabirang, where the third day of the festival was ongoing with the appearance of the Folded Wing Golden Bird, RD was dancing on the stage in the central square, wishing for the Pantheon''s victory.


    At that moment, RD realized the world had stopped, while RD, having started dancing, didn¡¯t.


    [yer RD, you have been selected as a candidate for Constetion...]


    "Great!"


    [yer RD, please designate the Domain you will oversee as a Constetion.]


    RD spread their two wings and twirled around. RD didn''t know the details, but Neb must have aplished something.


    RD eximed, "Love!"


    [Is that an interjection? ...Or?]


    "My Domain is now Love!¡±


    The Sanctuary confirmed that it had correctly understood without error.


    [yer RD, would you like to checkpatibility and suitability...]


    "No need!"


    [Alright. yer RD, your Domain is Love.]


    ***


    yer Bolt responded to the Sanctuary, "Survival."


    yer Chistka responded to the Sanctuary, "Communism!"


    yer Hegemonia responded to the Sanctuary, ¡°Alright, Sanctuary, was it? Listen carefully to what I''m saying. My Domain is War. Fighting. Competition. Battle. Victory. Confrontation. Destruction. Apocalypse..."


    [...First, you can only choose one, yer Hegemonia.]


    "...Does he also have just one?"


    [Are you referring to yer Neb?]


    "Who else would it be?"


    The Sanctuary recorded in its memory that Hegemonia was more demanding than other yers. This record would be helpful in future interactions with her.


    [Yes. Neb also has only one Domain for now.]


    "But he chose first. Make it fair. Give me two."


    [...That is not how things work, yer Hegemonia. And you seem to have forgotten, but you and Neb are not enemies. Moreover, both of you hold the same status as a Constetion of the Hall of Myriad Stars.]


    Hegemonia seemed uninterested in the Sanctuary''s words.


    "Ugh, really. Only one?"


    After the Sanctuary gained its own consciousness, it had mostly dealt with people like Sung-Woon, Mazdari, and Kyle Lak Orazen, so it found Hegemonia somewhat overwhelming.


    [...There is no need to be impatient, yer Hegemonia. As long as causality allows, as a Constetion, you can continue to expand your abilities and gain more Domains.]


    [Fine. Got it. Alright. Then for now... Yeah. Let''s go with War."


    [You are choosing the same Domain as before, is that okay? Many yers have chosen new Domains instead of the ones they had.]


    Many yers were familiar with The Lost World, but they couldn''t shake off the feeling of wearing ill-fitting clothes in that game. This was because they had to work within the constraint of localized Domains supported by the game system, separate from what they would actually excel in.


    Of course, the Sanctuary already knew that Hegemonia''spatibility and suitability for Domain: War were higher than any other yer. But Hegemonia''s choice of War was not solely for that reason.


    "Yeah, War is good, right? With War, plundering naturally follows. That''ll make it easier to expand my Domain."


    The Sanctuary remained silent for a moment to record a few more pieces of information in its memory.


    [...Understood, yer Hegemonia. Perhaps you might resonate with War even more than my calctions suggest.]


    Hegemonia, arms crossed and standing askew, red at the system window.


    "Just shut up and give it to me."


    ***


    Lakrak knew that when the world stopped, things would turn out this way.


    A window appeared in front of Lakrak.


    [Lakrak, you have been selected as a candidate for Constetion.


    Would you like to ept?]


    [Yes / No]


    Lakrak lifted his index finger and waited for a moment. Then, he brought his finger close to the system window, withdrew it, and clenched his fist. He repeated this several times.


    Another system window popped up beside the first one.


    [You just need to press Yes with your finger.]


    Lakrak pressed [Yes] between the words ¡®You just need to press Yes with your finger.¡¯ Naturally, there was no response.


    The Sanctuary opened another window.


    [Don''t y around.]


    Lakrakughed heartily. "Oh, sorry about that. I''m not used to handling machines."


    Lakrak and the Sanctuary had known each other for a long time. Neb had spent a long time in the Sanctuary, and as the first Apostle, Lakrak often had to visit Neb. Naturally, the Sanctuary knew of Lakrak''s existence even before it gained consciousness.


    [That was clearly on purpose, wasn''t it? You were on the Empire''s most high-tech spaceship, the pinnacle of modern science.]


    ¡°Yes, and it made me feel suffocated. Do you know how much I struggled to breathe while I was at the station? How much Night Sky told me to be careful?"


    [It must be different from when you were smashing parts of me out of boredom.]


    "That was a physical button, right? It''s different from this. And that was a mistake."


    The Sanctuary thought that was an excuse. This Lizardman, when he set his mind to it, could perform exceptionally well. He was more skilled than any astronaut in carrying out missions on space stations and spaceships. However, when he thought it unnecessary, he would be excessively careless around machines.


    The Sanctuary knew how to motivate this Lizardman.


    [Lakrak, yer Neb is waiting for you.]


    "Hmm."


    Lakrak pressed [Yes].


    The Sanctuary immediately brought up the next system window.


    [Constetion Lakrak, please set your Domain.]


    "Domain?"


    The Sanctuary patiently exined, and after hearing the first result of its patience, it wanted to sigh.


    "Thunder and Lightning?"


    [Lakrak, perhaps you should consider it a bit more?]


    ¡°How about Spearmanship?"


    [Lakrak.]


    ¡°Lizardman."


    [I can make a rmendation based onpatibility and suitability.]


    Lakrak looked tired. "That would be better, since you¡¯re rejecting everything I say."


    The Sanctuary wondered if Lakrak was just going around in circles to tease it. The Sanctuary''s thought module elerated. That could be a possibility.


    The Sanctuary voiced its assumptions.


    [Are you nervous right now?]


    Lakrak didn¡¯t lie. "A bit." He added, "Look, junk. In the past, I was nothing. Just a Lizardman wandering the wilderness."


    [But now you are not. Youid the foundation of the Empire, have been a long-time guardian of that Empire, and served the strongest god as an apostle in thergest temple.]


    "That''s exactly the problem." Lakrak tapped his golden spear, which rested on his shoulder. "Chief of the ck-Scaled Tribe. Apostle of Night Sky. Spear of the Pantheon. I''ve never been a meaningful being on my own. But now, I have to be. How can I not be afraid?"


    The Sanctuary understood. Even the greatest of beings had moments of hesitation when ascending to the next level.


    The Sanctuary decided to gently push this great being forward.


    [Apostle Lakrak, the Domain where you have the highestpatibility and suitability is as follows.]


    "Let''s hear it."


    [Judgment.]


    Lakrak, with an indifferent attitude, scratched his nose. "I''ve never thought of it that way."


    [You were a chief. You led your tribe and always had to make choices for the better. You were also a king. You had to discern right from wrong within your kingdom. You really did judge. You punished sins and rewarded virtues.]


    "There were many rulers besides me."


    [You were the adversary of gods. You faced more Hierophanies than any apostle or yerbined and emerged victorious from all those battles. Causality considers you an entity that defied the gods of Avartin. They seized their position from all mortals in an unjust manner and upied it for a very long time. You have literally judged them.]


    ¡°Anyone could have been in my ce."


    [But it was you.]


    The Sanctuary said,


    [Even the great Night Sky, the yers of the Pantheon, and even the fate of Avartin itself could not have reached this point without you. That''s why it''s you.]


    Lakrak looked up at the Sky Castle in the world frozen in time.


    The Sanctuary continued,


    [Now the Light of Eternity and Life calls upon you... All other yersck the causality to undertake this task. Only you can do it. Constetion Lakrak, as the representative, spokesperson, and proxy of the Light of Eternity and Life, will you bear the mantle of Domain: Judgment and fulfill this duty?]


    It was then Lakrak heard Sung-Woon calling him. He rose from his seat.


    "There''s no helping it," Lakrak slightly smiled. "If I''m the only one who can do it."


    Time started flowing again. The Constetion of Judgment rose from on top of the head of the guardian Dragon of Orazen.


    Three Constetions who had been yers and five who had been evil gods watched him. They knew their roles and simply observed the judgment. Even though Myriad Demons still poured down, they knew it meant nothing now.


    Only Bifnen Dial Robane was unaware. This old Wizard from the Pain Sect had attained the highest position of Father and Judge in his family lineage through his own power.


    "How dare you!" Bifnen looked down at the beings below and shouted. "Do you think such a trick will work on me?"


    Lakrakughed. The old Wizard didn''t understand the situation at all.


    "A trick?" Lakrak reassured himself of his Domain and internalized power. "Manun!"


    As Lakrak prepared to leap, Manun instantly understood his intention. Then, Manun pulled back his neck, and at the moment Lakrak leapt from his snout, he forcefully propelled Lakrak forward. Lakrak leaped straight to the first Sky Castle.


    "You, a mere creature, cannot prate my magic!"


    Bifnen cracked his whip at Lakrak. Lakrak twisted his body to dodge the whip and hurled his spear toward the first Sky Castle. Severalyers of protective magic guarding the first Sky Castle shattered instantly, and all the devices that conjured the magic crumbled.


    The beautiful garden of the first Sky Castle began to wither.


    Shock twisted Bifnen''s face. "This can¡¯t be!"


    Lakrak knew otherwise. The Domain: Judgment was a power where causality and the will of Eternity and Life ovepped. This was the rightful will of Avartin. It was the judgment that had been dyed for too long by deception of magic.


    Lakrak leaped onto the crumbling Sky Castle.


    Bifnen, with his 130-meter-tall figure, swung his ming sword at Lakrak. "You insect!"


    mes surged, smashing the outskirts of the Sky Castle, causing its edges to crumble. Bifnen thought he had killed Lakrak in that instant.


    But from above his head rather than beneath his feet, a voice boomed,


    <i>-How ridiculous!</i>


    Bifnen lifted his head.


    Now, the Constetion of Judgment had grown so enormous that he could look down on Bifnen. Lakrak stomped down at the Sky Castle as if he would crush Bifnen right then and there.


    Sung-Woon, appearing above the Sky Castle, watched the scene. "He''s enjoying himself."


    Bifnen raised his ming sword, but realized that no attack would be effective against a being of such enormity. This was a true disparity in power.


    <i>-The will of Eternity and Life is on my side!</i>


    Bifnen btedly noticed a trajectory crossing the sky to his right. He turned his head to judge whether it was some sort of miracle, but after recognizing it, he became even more bewildered. It was Lakrak''s spear in his right hand. The spear was so long that while he could see the de, the tip of the de was beyond his view. Still, it appeared to be merely a gigantic golden spear.


    <i>-This is!</i>


    The Light of Eternity and Life watched over the judgment.


    <i>-Judgment!</i>


    Lakrak''s golden spear plunged into Bifnen''s head. Without Lakrak stopping the momentum, the de pierced straight through Bifnen¡¯s Sky Castle and then the second Sky Castle showered in Myriad Demons. Then both Sky Castles were thrust down into the sea, embedding into the ocean floor.


    The great golden spear plunged into Avartin.

 Chapter 317: Sarcho of the Shipwreck Archipelago (Epilogue)

    <h4>Chapter 317: Sarcho of the Shipwreck Archipgo (Epilogue)</h4>


    Between the central, western, and southern continents was the Ocean of Fury. Despite being the site of the five greatest naval battles in Avartin''s long history and where a massive current cut across the three continents, the ocean, intersected by warm equatorial currents, was characterized by its clear skies and calm, slow-moving waters.


    In the midst of these slow currents sat the Shipwreck Archipgo. Geologists had already concluded that the Shipwreck Archipgo shouldn¡¯t be considered a true archipgo, but many people in Avartin still readily referred to it as such.


    The archipgo was a resting ce for countless shipwrecks brought in by the slow currents of the Ocean of Fury and stuck on numerous reefs that never became inds. The ce looked like an afterlife for ships, some sunk but not fully submerged like other ships.


    It was a peaceful ce. Huge wooden ships from before the Great War were buried under various stic trash floating in the oceans of Avartin, bing an intersection of the past and modernity. Simultaneously, naval ships destroyed during the war could huddle together without choosing sides only after death.


    Although the area was almost waveless, whenever the wind came and hit the water surface, causing a slight ripple, the shipwrecks would creak and sing. Birds migrating between the western and southern continents, curious if there was anything to eat, would be startled by the sound and take off into the sky.


    Sarcho, the Chairman of the western continent, looked up from the deck of <i>Invincible</i>, a gship of the former Union Kingdom, located on the edge of the Shipwreck Archipgo.


    The migratory birds, having circled the archipgo, returned to their spots and settled down. Beneath where the birds perched, the shipwrecks were covered in white bird droppings. The sight of ships from various nations all uniformly covered with bird droppings was amusing enough to bring a smile to Sarcho''s face. But he quickly wiped away that smile.


    Behind the Shipwreck Archipgo, a bizarre scene shimmered in the sunlight on the horizon. Contrary to its reputation as a deste, barren sight, the Shipwreck Archipgo was frequently visited. There were many travel photographers with cameras, geologists more interested in analyzing the reefs below the archipgo, ornithologists curious about its role as a stopover for migrating birds between the three continents, oceanographers and environmentalists studying the growing impact of the archipgo on the ocean, and archaeologists interested in the origins and era of each shipwreck.


    With many schrs renting boats to enter the archipgo, the Empire facilitated aprehensive tform by repurposing an old aircraft carrier built during the Great war, nearing the end of its service life, to assist their research. Sarcho too had arrived at the archipgo using the aircraft carrier''s runway and had just stepped off a small boat.


    Lately, the Shipwreck Archipgo was drawing attention for another reason, leading to a bit ofmotion as people who had never visited before started gathering there. The issue was not so much with the Shipwreck Archipgo itself but with the view it offered.


    Sarcho now looked at that view. In the middle of the ocean, where the horizon seemed unreachable, there was a structure the scale of which could be mistaken for a vertical illusion. It was a golden pir, 4.8 kilometers in total length. Even on a cloudless day, the pir was so tall that its end appeared only faintly visible.


    This structure, already being called by many names such as Lakrak''s Star Spear, Avartin''s Judgment, and Path to the Stars, was originally¡ªas the first name suggested¡ªa spear. Without needing an official statement from the Central Temple, Avartin Geological Society, or Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency, numerous people in Avartin had seen it firsthand.


    Constetion of Judgment, Lakrak, had pierced two Sky Castles, embedding them in the seabed, and then straightened the nted spear to make it stand upright. Lakrak then left, but the Star Spear remained.


    Later, Sarchomented in a speech as the Chairman of the western continent, "Constetion? Whatever it is, it''s a matter for the Central Temple. It''s their responsibility to dispose of the item left behind by their representative. Of course, before that, we must investigate the impact this waste has had on the marine ecosystem of the Ocean of Fury, and they must bear responsibility for that."


    Naturally, Sarcho¡¯s statement resonated strongly across Avartin. Secrists readily epted Sarcho''s message that even the new status of Constetion was merely a product of the divine, and they enthusiastically supported Sarcho¡¯sbeling of the Constetion''s item as waste, even though they had achieved a great victory.


    In contrast, the Central Temple and the enthusiasts were furious. So furious that, despite the Empire''s strict security, Sarcho ended up getting hit in the face with a rotten egg.


    For Sarcho, that too was part of politicking. With one rotten egg, Sarcho managed to form the Star Spear Environmental Investigation Committee with people from the western continent, and Sarcho would have been willing to get hit with an egg every day if it meant such results.


    <i>¡®Would the situation have changed if I had?¡¯</i>


    Despite Sarcho''s efforts, the Star Spear did not follow his expectation. After three investigations, the Star Spear Environmental Investigation Committee concluded that, despite its immense size, it was almost harmless to the environment.


    Native species were partially swept up in the destruction caused by the Star Spear, but the heat cirction created by the Star Spear, absorbing sunlight, was judged to have helped form a more diverse ecosystem. Whether this was harmful or not was still a topic of debate within themittee, but environmental anomalies were considered more significant in the nearby Shipwreck Archipgo.


    Sarcho''s visit to the archipgo was to finalize the practical closure of the Star Spear Environmental Investigation Committee. Sarcho needed time alone to contain their own anger, and themittee, the Central Temple, and the Imperial Pce all respected Sarcho.


    Now, in ce of the Pantheon, the Hall of Myriad Stars enthusiasts were petitioning various agencies to designate Lakrak''s Star Spear as a sacred ce, and the official institutions of the three continents bordering the Ocean of Fury were passing around jurisdiction and responsibility, wasting time. The Empire was prohibiting travel for non-academic purposes, but pilgrimages to the Star Spear through airships were already an open secret.


    Sarcho swore softly, "Damn it."


    In their first fight with the Constetions¡ªrather than gods¡ªSarcho had been defeated. Sarcho could envision what would happen next. The Pantheon had transformed into the Hall of Myriad Stars, and gods were now nominally changed to Constetion. Along with this change, they proimed that anyone could be a Constetion.


    But among 1.7 billion people, who would reach the end of life to be a Constetion? Originally, the old gods who had spent 110,000 years had earned their divine status, and the Constetions were upied by new beings from beyond the universe. And only one among the mortals of the past and present, the Judge of Avartin, Lakrak, barely managed to qualify as a Constetion.


    While Sarcho could agree that Lakrak deserved this status given his great achievements, epting this new system called the Sanctuary was another matter. Sarcho was determined not to ept the Constetions, just as they had stubbornly rejected the gods.


    "You don''t seem pleased."


    Startled by the unexpected question, Sarcho turned around. It was not a conversation drifting from somewhere else, but a voice directed at Sarcho. When Sarcho looked, they saw a young Human male standing there.


    Sarcho had met many species in their life and was good at recognizing faces. This ability was the foundation of Sarcho''s political acumen. They intuitively recognized non-verbal signals of various species, discerned the status or authority someone held in their species based on appearance, and even identified people without any information.


    Sarcho observed the Human male in front of them. Perhaps in his mid-twenties, he would be considered frail for a Bugbear, but well-groomed by Human standards. Although unable to make out the brand, the fabric of his clothing was of good-quality, and the biggest cluey in his speech. The man, ignoring the age and status difference with Sarcho, the Chairman of the western continent, spoke informally, showing no respect. This clearly meant he was a noble.


    <i>''Is he from a branch family of the central continent''s Hwee family?''</i>


    Sarcho went for a branch family because the face was unfamiliar, and Sarcho guessed that the man could be a regional businessman from Orazen, holding onto one of the Hwee family''s businesses. Like many wealthy enthusiasts, he probably seized an opportunity as a sponsor for an academic group to view the Star Spear and hade this far.


    Sarcho said, "Lost your way, kid?"


    "No," the man replied. "I came here to talk with the Empire''s greatest politician. But I only see you upset."


    Sarcho decided to respect the man''s confidence.


    He chose to respond, "I can''t ept that thing."


    "Because you think the Constetions are no different from gods?"


    "No different?" Sarcho repeated the words.


    It wasn''t like that. Many things had changed. ording to the Central Temple''s announcement, the Hall of Myriad Stars was different from the Pantheon. Their prayers still reached the Constetions, and if desired, they could serve as gods, which was why priests still existed. However, these priests no longer possessed the same power as before. The miracles they used to perform disappeared with the Fall and did not return.


    Additionally, the Hall of Myriad Stars was less efficient in prayerspared to the Pantheon, asmonly brought up by the secr people. The Central Temple stated that the Hall of Myriad Stars was now meant to repair the great damage of Avartin, the Rasdasil Ruins, and fundamentally resolve threats from the outer universe, known as the space of evil. It was still a power to protect Avartin, but it felt less useful to the people. In fact, many people lost their faith after the transition to the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    "...It''s not that there¡¯s no difference. It might actually be slightly better. But that''s all."


    Sarcho looked at the Star Spear morefortably. The fearful aspect of the Star Spear was that it defied all known physicalws. It wasn''t just because it had defeated the old gods. Current science, and even magic, had no way to maintain such a structure. It was literally evidence of the power of the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    As much as some people lost faith in the Hall of Myriad Stars, others became more fervent about it. They were filled with the expectation that they too could enter the Hall of Myriad Stars, driven by its achievements, sacrifices, and the possibility of bing part of it. People still had the chance to reach the Prairie of Beginnings and the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    Moreover, the Constetions of the Hall of Myriad Stars were actively intervening in Avartin. Not just imed by the priests who believed in the Hall of Myriad Stars, but rumors spread that Constetions were directly involving themselves with individuals whose will and intentions matched their own.


    ording to the rumor, Constetions approached individuals with tasks and rewarded them for theirpletion. Theologians, now called Starologians, interpreted this aspensating for Avartin''sck of miracles. Though reluctant to grant direct miracles, Constetions continued their personal work to make the world a better ce.


    Independent of this, Constetions showed themselves more directly and frequently than when they were gods. It seemed they were determined to do so, as much as causality allowed.


    "The world hasn''t changed," Sarcho said. "In the past, it was Gods. Now, it''s the Constetions. Those who hold the reins of our fate have changed. It''s just a bit more rxed."


    The man replied, "What if that''s the only way?"


    "What?"


    "What if we''re walking a dark path and without someone to take the reins, we tumble down a cliff? Would you ept the threat of falling over that cliff?"


    Sarcho closed his eyes tightly. They had thought of the man as just a noble brat, but his question remained in Sarcho''s heart as a long-standing issue.


    Opening their eyes, Sarcho said, "I would ept it. If our destiny is to face the end, we must endure it." Sarcho stated, "But people have possibilities. Even in the darkest path, they can feel their way forward. People are not helpless fools. Even if they fall off a cliff, they can climb back up.


    ¡°Ultimately, even if death looms right before us, if that is the destiny we choose, we can dly ept it. If, as the Hall of Myriad Stars says, everyone can be a Constetion, then...yes. If Constetions can do it, even the most ordinary person can do it. We can manage without someone pulling the reins."


    The man nodded in agreement, "That might be true." But even as he spoke, he smirked somewhat arrogantly, "However, to do that, first you have to defeat the Hall of Myriad Stars."


    Sarcho realized from that smile that the man in front of him was not what he had thought at all¡ªneither Human, male, nor mortal.


    Sarcho asked, "Who are you?"


    Choi Sung-Woon replied, "The being you hate the most."


    Without moving, Sarcho smiled pleasantly, "Is that so?" Sarcho inquired, "Did youe here to mock me?"


    Sung-Woon shook his head and approached Sarcho, standing in front of the crumbling railing. "I came to make a proposal."


    "What kind of proposal?"


    Sung-Woon looked at the Star Spear. A breeze blew, ruffling the hair of both of them.


    "What do you think about bing my apostle?"


    Sarcho startedughing. They found it so amusing that they clutched their stomach and fell to the ground in front of the railing.


    Afterughing hysterically, wiping tears from their eyes, Sarcho finally sat up, "Oh, really. That''s the funniest thing I''ve heard in my life."


    "I''ve hinted at it a few times."


    "I never thought you''d actuallye and say it."


    "Your answer?"


    The smile faded from Sarcho''s face. "I refuse."


    Sung-Woon''s expression did not change. He had anticipated the response. "You could be a Constetion."


    "Like the Constetion of Revolution or something?"


    "Yes." Sarcho realized that although Sung-Woon was looking at the Star Spear, his true focus was somewhere much farther away. "For the Hall of Myriad Stars, Avartin was just the beginning, not the end. More power is needed. In the universe beyond...there are countless wounds."


    "...That''s terrible."


    Sung-Woon tried to guess what Sarcho found terrible. Either the numerous wounds in the universe beyond or the Hall of Myriad Stars''s imperialistic strides across the universe.


    He concluded that it was both. "Depending on the perspective, both are terrible."


    Sarcho stood up and joined Sung-Woon in facing the Star Spear. "Well...even so. My old hatred, there''s no need to worry." At that, Sung-Woon looked at Sarcho, who roughly stroked their beard. "A revolution doesn''t need a Constetion. Every oppressed individual carries the light of revolution within them."


    Sung-Woon pondered for a moment. He thought through the Sanctuary,


    Then he agreed, "That might be true."


    Sung-Woon turned and walked away, his hands in his pockets. The rusty floor creaked.


    Sarcho looked back, "Leaving already?"


    "There''s not much time."


    "I was hoping you''d take that unsightly junk with you." Sarcho gestured toward the Star Spear behind them.


    Sung-Woon looked back and smiled, "That''s a gift for Avartin."


    "That monstrosity?"


    Sung-Woon replied, "As time passes, Avartin will be small. Then, as the secrists feared, the Hall of Myriad Stars''s power alone won''t be enough to protect all mortals of Avartin. Faith will diminish. Then, as you wished, you''ll have to strive for what you want with your own strength. Today the Hall of Myriad Stars has won, but time is on your side. One day, the day you desire wille."


    Sarcho''s eyes widened.


    "When that dayes, adder to escape the narrow Avartin will be needed. That Star Spear will be helpful then... Rockets are too expensive, aren¡¯t they?"


    Sarcho looked at the Star Spear in a new light. A tower piercing the atmosphere, never to crumble. Infinite possibilities unfolded in Sarcho''s mind.


    Sarcho turned again to look for Sung-Woon, but Sung-Woon had already disappeared.

 Chapter 318: Aldin of the Great Garden (1) (Epilogue)

    Chapter 318: Aldin of the Great Garden (1) (Epilogue)


    "Aldin, there''s no need to be tense. Everything will turn out fine. We''re going to win."


    Aldin looked down at the short Human woman in front of her.


    When stepping out of the Hall of Myriad Stars, this woman wore aical and ludicrously designed lion mask, but inside the Hall of Myriad Stars, when standing before the Constetions and Apostles, she didnt insist on keeping such an appearance. Without the mask, she returned to her original species of a Human woman, stubbornly wearing casual clothes that didnt follow the trends of Avartin, sometimes even wearing clothes that seemed to be from Earth.


    Considering many Constetions were quite satisfied with their newly chosen appearances, this Constetion seemed to hold onto her past, her time on Earth, unlike like anyone else.


    "...Aldin, are you listening?"


    "I am," Aldin replied to Jang-Wan. "It seems like you''re the one who''s nervous."


    Jang-Wan briefly rolled her eyes before shifting her gaze back to the system window in front of her.


    The data Jang-Wan was reviewing was all about Aldin. As a Constetion, her abilities wereparable to when she was a god, but considering people''s faith continued to be consumed for the reconstruction of the Demon World, the efficiency had improved.


    ording to the Sanctuary, at some point, the Constetions would acquire even greater powers than they had in their past as gods. The Sanctuary had advanced further than the system created by the Returner. It grew on its own.


    Of course, even now, seeing Jang-Wan''s hands smoothly navigate through dozens of pages of documents almost instantly, Aldin thought it might not matter much.


    Ignoring Aldin''sment, Jang-Wan said, "It looks like it''s time. Let''s go in."


    Aldin nodded. Her resolution was already firm.


    Jang-Wan and Aldin walked down the corridor of the Hall of Myriad Stars and entered through an ivory door. As they did, suddenly, they stepped from indoors to outdoors, into a vast garden bathed in light as bright as the sun itself. It was the Great Garden of the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    The Great Garden fully reflected the Domain its Constetion managed. Entering one of the seventy-two doors located in the Great Garden, the garden, contrary to its grand name, seemed to pursue a minimalist aesthetic. The well-maintained bushes, nted in regr intervals and blocking the view, lead to a single path that seemed orderly yet somehow boring.


    However, as one began to follow the path, it became evident that what was visible wasnt all there was to the Great Garden. The short, green grass, growing over a circr patch of earth, made each step enjoyable, and with every breeze, scents of lc, vani, pear blossoms, coriander flowers, peach, and tangerine, along with the fragrance of Benjamin flowers, luxuriously tickled the nose in turns, and the melodies made by nameless birds singing of love intoxicated the mind, leading the walker to a new horizon of beauty upon reaching the hill at the end of the gentle uphill path.


    "Have you arrived?"


    Jang-Wan and Aldin met Eldar, the owner of the Great Garden, at the end of their short walk. Eldar was seated on a living tree chair, brewing tea for themself at a living tree table.


    "You could have a cup before you leave."


    Jang-Wan shook her head. "No, we''re short on time. There''s still a final review to do."


    "Alright, thene after you''re finished."


    "Will do."


    Jang-Wan looked back at Aldin. "Aldin, what about you? You have time, dont you?"


    Aldin felt a sense of urgency internally but didn''t show it. Jang-Wan seemed genuinely confident in their victory.


    "Sure. I cane back."


    Jang-Wan and Aldin passed by Eldar, who had begun to enjoy their tea alone, and walked across the nd on top of the hill. Below the hill, the true beauty of the gardennot visible from belowwas revealed. Gardeners of the Great Garden were moving between trees, shrubs, flowers, and wild grasses, birds were mating, and butterflies fluttered by.


    Other hills were visible in the distance. On the wide, open hilltop, the giant creature creations of the Constetions were taking a rest with the Hall of Myriad Stars in a state of peace. They were either in deep sleep, conversing with smaller friends, or stretchingzily.


    After a long silence, Jang-Wan turned to Aldin. "We can win, you know."


    Aldin, not continuing the conversation with Jang-Wan, asked another question. "I''ve always wondered something."


    "What is it?" Jang-Wan asked back with a sense of anticipation.


    Feeling slightly guilty for unintentionally creating that anticipation, Aldin posed the question she had in mind. "Why did Lakrak decide to hold my trial here?"


    Jang-Wan hesitated for a moment at the unexpected question, but then epted it and replied, "I don''t know. Maybe Lakrak found it too bothersome to create a separate court. It wasn''t requested by anyone, as far as I know. Lakrak just decided it, and Eldar happily lent the ce."


    "There must be more...appropriate spaces in the Hall of Myriad Stars."


    "Would a conference room or a banquet hall have been better? We can still move the location now if you want."


    "No, there''s no need for that."


    Aldin enjoyed what might be herst, brief walk with Jang-Wan. Jang-Wan had never mentioned it, but Aldin could infer why she became her defense attorney. Just as Aldin knew that Neb was Choi Sung-Woon, she also knew Jang-Wan was Choi Seo-Yoon, Sung-Woon''s cousin, and that Choi Seo-Yoon liked Choi Ji-Woo, Sung-Woon''s little sister and Seo-Yoons older cousin.


    Therefore, she had no choice but to defend her, who shared the same soul as Choi Ji-Wooor a continuous personality.


    <em>''Unfortunately, Jang-Wan. We''re going to lose.''</em>


    Aldin looked at the changing scenery with each step they took. There was a simple temporary courtroom.


    In the center sat Lakrak, on a small wooden tform. This Constetion of Judgment, having sessfully carried out the first trial, now sat there to deliver the second scheduled trial.


    However, Lakrak, despite being aware of Aldin''s approach, didnt look her way. He simply rested his elbow on the podium, propping his chin with a hand, and watched two blue butterflies dancing toward each other in the temporary courtroom. In fact, it seemed like he wasn''t really watching them either. asionally, he irritably tapped the floor with the tip of his tail, which, ording to Aldin''s understanding of Lizardmen''s body signals, indicated boredom.


    <em>''...Well, Lakrak isn''t what''s important here.''</em>


    Aldin looked to Lakrak''s left. There was another podium on the left. Behind that podium stood a woman in a men''s tailcoat, but without a head. Instead of a head, there was a ck birdcage ced on the podium.


    Inside the ck cage perched a shrike, which said to Jang-Wan, "You''rete, Jang-Wan."


    Jang-Wan grabbed Aldin''s wrist and walked quickly to the empty podium on the opposite side.


    Jang-Wan addressed Lakrak, not the shrike, "Lakrak, is there any penalty or something?"


    Lakrak let out a big yawn before replying, "Huh? No, there''s nothing like that. Jang-Wan. There are no such detailedws here yet."


    "Will there beter?"


    "Well, if needed?"


    Jang-Wan defiantly looked at the shrike. The shrike, with its expressionless face, red back at Jang-Wan.


    With a winner''s smile, Jang-Wan said, "Sorry for beingte, Damien."


    yer Damien spoke through the shrike in the cage, "...It doesn''t matter. Let''s start quickly. My intiff is waiting."


    Damien pointed to a small ss orb next to the cage. ced on a wooden stand, this ss orb looked like a gxy formed inside it. However, the gxy inside was slowly rotating, and warmth could be felt from each ray of light. This ss orb was projecting the Light of Eternity and Life, the intiff in this trial.


    Damien was a yer who started along with Male Chicken and dimir and formed thest three-strong formation in the first continent. Her ranking was also within the top 2000, indicating a high understanding of The Lost World''s gamey, but she lost her aggressive expansion''s focal point when RD sessfully escaped to the fourth continent, resulting in her defeat. However, Damien''s gaming skills were not what mattered most to Aldin.


    Damien was a social worker on Earth whoter actively participated in a disability rights organization. Damien was the Constetion of the Voice of the Voiceless, the underprivileged. Damien stood in this courtroom as the advocate for the Light of Eternity and Life; Aldin considered Damien perfectly suitable to decide her fate.


    Aldin then looked at thest seat in this temporary courtroom.


    <em>Some pic.</em>


    In front of the temporary courtroom, various beings sat haphazardly on the grass. If it could be called a spectator area, it was one. There was a mix of Constetions and Apostles, some just sitting to watch the trial. There was no separate space for jurors and witnesses, so they were mingled together.


    More importantly, it was the attitude of those sitting there. Some watched the temporary courtroom with concentration, but others seemed to forget Aldin had arrived, spreading pic mats, eating prepared food, and continuing their own conversations.


    Aldin thought maybe she had been wrong. It seemed like just a group of Constetions on a pic in the Great Garden, coincidentally ovepping with the time and ce of the temporary courtroom. Otherwise, it made no sense.


    In the so-called spectator area, the Constetion of Enthusiasm, Crampus, with his face more flushed than usual, held up his drink and said, "Seriously, it was ridiculous. I definitely sent my encouragement, but they quit before even getting halfway."


    The Constetion of Communism, Chistka, clinked sses with him and downed their drink in one go. "Well, you reallyck tactics. Some people get taken aback when being cheered on too much, even if they''re doing well and working hard."


    "Really? If you get encouraged, you should do better."


    "For that, you should rather put them to the test. Isn''t that right, Bolt?"


    The Constetion of Survival, Bolt, dipped their gas mask''s drinking tube into their ss and said, "Sometimes oppression is necessary. Otherwise, growth isn''t recognized."


    Crampus scratched his beard. "It''s kind of perplexing."


    "Let me give you an example..."


    Aldin didn''t get angry at this scene.


    <em>''Right. This level of attention suits me.''</em>


    Instead, it was Jang-Wan who got angry.


    Pointing and scolding, Jang-Wan said, "Hey, if you''re going to guzzle booze, get out!...Why is alcohol even permitted for Constetions? I don''t get it."


    Lakrakughed, "It''s an authorized rule, Jang-Wan."


    "So you''re just going to leave them be?"


    "As long as it doesn''t disturb the trial."


    Before Jang-Wan could retort again, Lakrak made the first move. Without a gavel or any symbol of authority, Lakrak lightly tapped the podium with his hand to open the court. It was expected, in a way. After all, Lakrak was the judgment of Avartin itself.

 Chapter 319: Aldin of the Great Garden (2) (Epilogue)

    <h4>Chapter 319: Aldin of the Great Garden (2) (Epilogue)</h4>


    As Lakrak moved, those chatting in the spectator area also paused their conversation and focused on the temporary courtroom, and the Great Garden quickly became quiet.


    Lakrak said, "Now, let''s begin... Uh, where do we start again?"


    Jang-Wan pointed to Damien.


    Lakrak nodded in understanding. "What are the charges from the prosecution?"


    Even in this farce, Damien said without a hint of amusement, "The defendant, under the guise of a primordial Wizard and old god, along with other Wizards of the Pain Sect,mitted countless crimes over thest 110,000 years. The details have been submitted in writing through the Sanctuary, please review them."


    System windows appeared before everyone present. Despite being a brief summary, the extensive list of crimes would take days for an ordinary person to read. However, most of the charges were not direct offensesmitted by Aldin, but rather those of the old gods. There were very few cases where Aldin was directly involved.


    About this, Jang-Wan then addressed Lakrak, "Lakrak, may I speak?"


    "Of course."


    Damien didn''t object to theck of procedure or rules in the temporary courtroom, seemingly already resigned to it.


    Jang-Wan said, "As you can see from the charges, Aldin was different from other old gods. Even as the old gods celebrated crimes they considered amusement, Aldin showed no interest in such acts. We can''t treat Aldin the same as those old gods."


    To this, the shrike in the cage responded, "To some extent, yes. But not entirely, no. I don''t want to admit it. There are a few instances where, though not to the extent of the other old gods'' amusement, Aldin also abused her position of privilege over mortals."


    Jang-Wan banged the podium with her fist, "Then we should punish ourselves too."


    "...I know. I¡¯m not iming we¡¯re righteous. But we have already crossed that threshold against our will. Self-punishment is now each of our duties, and regardless of all that, it doesn''t erase Aldin''s crimes. The trial now is not about us, it''s about Aldin."


    Jang-Wan was about to say something but stopped.


    Damien continued, "Moreover, there are clear and direct instances of Aldin''s offenses. To use her of these crimes, I call a witness."


    Lakrak approved. The summoned witness was the Constetion of the Ocean, Sha-Cha.


    With them having too many names, yers continued to call them Sha-Cha out of habit, and they willingly epted it. Sha-Cha, wearing a white mask over a child''s body, as in the previous game, walked to the prepared witness stand.


    Sha-Cha said, "Execute her."


    Despite their soft voice, a chilling sensation was clearly felt in the air.


    Jang-Wan said, "Does she even know what testimony is?"


    The shrike in the cage also watched Sha-Cha intently. "Sha-Cha, a testimony is..."


    Sha-Cha interrupted, "All our long-standing friends agree. All old gods must die, no exceptions."


    Both defense attorneys showed difort at the deteriorating trial situation, but Aldin understood Sha-Cha. Aldin had been the most active executor of Bifnen''s orders among the old gods and had mechanically aplished tasks during ancient wars. The long-standing war left each other as symbols of hatred, and the old gods hadmitted unspeakable horrors against the evil gods. Testifying about such crimes was a torment in itself. Irreconcble rtionships did in fact exist.


    Lakrak said, "Hm, Sha-Cha."


    "I''m listening."


    "If you do not agree with the verdict of the Hall of Myriad Stars, what will you do? Will you seek to fulfill your wish privately?"


    Sha-Cha answered without hesitation, "No. Our long-standing friends will respect the verdict of the Hall of Myriad Stars."


    "Very well. Thank you for your testimony. You may return to your seat."


    Jang-Wan expressed her dissatisfaction again, but Lakrak ignored her once more.


    Jang-Wan stated, "I acknowledge that Aldin conducted wars and umted evil deeds, but it was all under orders."


    Damien responded, "And if she just followed every evil order without deeming them unjust, that''s also evil. People aren''t beings who just output whatever they''re inputted with. It''s because they don¡¯t act like that which makes them human."


    Jang-Wan agreed, "Right. But..." This time, Jang-Wan nced at Aldin. Aldin pretended not to notice and kept looking forward. "...Aldin was modified unfairly by the old gods. Due to that modification, Aldin lost the ability to refuse orders. Evidence and exnation of this have already been uploaded to the Sanctuary."


    Another system window appeared before everyone in the temporary courtroom. Although shorter than the previous, this document was technically detailed.


    The modifications made by the old gods to Aldin''s consciousness, which even Aldin herself wasn''t fully aware of, were uncovered by the Sanctuary from deep within the Demon World after Bifnen''s death. The surgical modifications to the brain, including invasive brain surgery, had altered Aldin.


    Although it was a shameful fact for Aldin, she had told Jang-Wan that it was fine for others to ess all that information. If that shame could serve as a punishment for herself, Aldin had no reason to refuse.


    Damien, already familiar with the contents, skimmed the system window again.


    Damien acknowledged, "I admit that there was a modification, and it had some influence on Aldin''s personality. However, how much influence it had, and to what extent it was beyond Aldin''s control, remains unclear."


    "Damien..."


    "Jang-Wan. You know this isn''t just about sympathy. There are sins, karmic debts, and wrongdoings. Personally, I also..."


    Damien paused, looking at Lakrak. Following the shrike''s gaze, both Jang-Wan and Aldin turned their attention to Lakrak, who was dozing off.


    "Hey!" Jang-Wan finally shouted.


    Lakrak blinked awake, wiping his face to shake off sleep. "My bad, the sunlight is so nice."


    "Why is a Constetion dozing off? Constetions don''t need to sleep, do they?"


    "But doesn''t a rxed mind bring drowsiness, a natural part of life?"


    "Why are you dressing up dozing off with nice words? And why are you so rxed in a courtroom? You should be tense."


    Aldin was also taken aback. Old gods didn''t have alcohol or sleep. They didn''t need mortal habits. These acts were rooted in physiological issues of mortals. Old gods saw such physiological issues potentially leading to greater problems, so they eliminated them.


    <i>''But...this might be less boring.''</i>


    Instead of preemptively mitigating potential issues, acting with potential problems in mind could be better. Like Rasdasil, which became the Demon World, expecting no issues did not prevent them from arising. Aldin wondered if she could change everything if she could go back to the time when Rasdasil was being created.


    "Jang-Wan. Let''s continue the trial, if you don''t mind."


    Jang-Wan red at Lakrak before slightly nodding.


    Damien raised her voice slightly, "Besides the evil deeds of the old gods, Aldin yed two other crucial roles in altering the fate of Abartin. One was the betrayal of the Returner. If Aldin hadn''t betrayed the Returner, Abartin''s fate could have been significantly different. Many more beings might not have been harmed."


    Jang-Wan quickly responded, perhaps anticipating this, "There might have been a better future in the infinite possible worlds that Abartin could have branched into at that time. But we can''t be sure of that."


    Damien said, "Then let''s talk about the second important matter. Our story."


    Jang-Wan and Aldin had anticipated the angle. Not about the Light of Eternity and Life, but them, the yers.


    Damien continued, "In thetter part of the game, Aldin tried to make us Fall and exile us all. Aldin could have stopped this at any point, but chose not to. If Neb hadn''t intervened, Aldin would have most likely seeded."


    "That seems a bit personal in your statement."


    "Perhaps. I won''t deny it. But until the very end, Aldin pursued the mission she believed was right, the Fall. Hegemonia <i>almost</i> won then. If Aldin had hesitated, even for a moment, or been a bitte, it could have happened. Aldin almost opened another era of the old gods despite the opportunity to prevent it."


    "Almost? You''re making too many assumptions, aren''t you?"


    "If necessary, I can call many witnesses... How about Neb?"


    Jang-Wan thought it was a bluff. Sung-Woon said he left all judgment to the judge, iming that he had no authority. But Sung-Woon, who said that, could still take the stand as a witness and exert influence.


    Jang-Wan thought, <i>''That can''t happen.''</i>


    Lakrak was to judge. However, the rules were set by Sung-Woon. Sung-Woon had already ovepped with the will of the Light of Eternity and Life. If Sung-Woon wished, it could happen again.


    As Jang-Wan contemted whether to kick Damien''s cage, an unexpected voice interrupted, "Neb!"


    Everyone''s gaze turned toward the voice. Someone was walking up the path.


    It was Hegemonia. Hegemonia''s attire was entirely out of ce for the Great Garden. She was dressed in a white imperial army uniform advantageous for snowy terrains, a helmet with a four-eye night vision, a tactical vest, and a designated marksman rifle slung over her shoulder.


    "What? Neb''s not here? Didn''t someone call him?"


    Damien, who had been patient throughout the trial, let out a long, loud sigh for everyone to hear. Hegemonia, unfazed, continued walking toward the center of the courtroom.


    Damien said, "Hegemonia, we¡¯re in the middle of a trial."


    "What does that have to do with me?"


    "...I know it''s difficult to make you understand modern civilization, but you do know what a trial is, right?"


    Hegemonia ignored Damien''s sarcasm. "A trial? Oh, I remember. I think I did hear of it... But whose trial was it again?"


    "It''s Aldin''s trial."


    "Oh, Aldin." Hegemonia looked around for Aldin. Then she looked Aldin up and down. "Why have a trial for almost losing a game? Isn''t that right? You yed a bit dirty, but still. Why not just let out the frustration by hitting her once each and be done with it? Aldin, wouldn''t that be better for you too?"


    Damien sternly replied, "Are you a gangster or something?"


    "Shall I start then?"


    "That''s not what we''re talking about."


    As Hegemonia clenched her fist and rolled up her sleeves, Aldin was bewildered. "...Huh?"


    Hegemonia strode toward Aldin, leaving Aldin wondering whether to flee or stay.

 Chapter 320: Aldin of the Great Garden (3) (Epilogue)

    Chapter 320: Aldin of the Great Garden (3) (Epilogue)


    Fortunately, Jang-Wan stood up first and said, "What are you doing? Lakrak! Stop her!"


    Lakrak, who had been dozing off, yawned and woke up. Looking around without knowing who had called him, Lakrak noticed Hegemonia.


    "Oh, Hegemonia. What brings you here?"


    Hegemonia also stopped and looked at Lakrak. He looked happy to meet a kindred spirit.


    "What are you doing here? Let''s go out with guns. I was about to have a match with Neb."


    "Another game?"


    "Listen, ording to Neb..."


    Hegemonia briefly exined their disagreement about squad tactics in mountainous terrain. To those who were familiar with the topic, it could have been a discussion that could dramatically change the doctrine of firearmsbat, but to most in the temporary courtroom, it seemed very out of ce.


    Lakrak partly agreed with Hegemonia, but also replied that it was impossible to know without directlyparing tactics.


    "Exactly. That''s why we''re checking."


    Lakrak rubbed his eyes and said, "Is Salkaiting?"


    "Of course."


    "Who else?"


    "Redin and Alma..."


    "Just squadbat?"


    "Oh, shall we settle things today?"


    The tip of Lakrak''s tail wagged lightly. At the sight of his visible excitement, Jang-Wan red at Lakrak as if to burn him with her gaze.


    Lakrak sneakily averted his gaze to the sky and then said, "However, it''s difficult right now. This is also part of the job. Bing a Constetion brings a lot of tiresome tasks."


    "...Well, yeah. I understand. We havent been able to find Neb anyway."


    "Come to think of it, I think he mentioned something about needing to check something in the library."


    "Oh, did he?"


    Hegemonia checked her system window. Although the Sanctuary showed that Neb was not found, Constetions were able to choose not to disclose their location if they wished. In such cases, a game of hide and seek yed out. It was inconvenient, but Constetions had be used to this. In very urgent situations, the Sanctuary would contact them first anyway.


    Hegemonia said, "Alright. I''ll call you when I find Neb. Wrap this up quickly and finish."


    "Understood."


    Jang-Wan shouted, "What do you mean ''understood''?"


    Lakrak waved his hand cheerfully at Jang-Wan to dismiss her question, and Hegemonia left.


    Then, not so far away, Hegemonia got into a quarrel with Crampus in the spectator seats, and Crampus, fuming, followed Hegemonia. To Aldin, it seemed like Hegemonia intentionally picked a fight to bnce the numbers in case Neb wasnting. Aldin considered Hegemonia someone to be kept at a distance.


    In the midst of the chaos, Lakrak hit the podium again. "Hm, what were we talking about?"


    Jang-Wan gripped her forehead. "Why dont you just stay out of this."


    "That''s a bit..."


    "Were you sleeping?"


    Lakrak lowered his head slightly and his shoulders shook up and down. He seemed to have found Jang-Wan''s words funny.


    Jang-Wan and Damien, having the duty to carry out the trial amid the chaos, exchanged nces and established a mutual understanding. Ignoring the rest, they continued their conversation.


    "Anyway..." Damien continued, "Theres not even much more to say about this game Aldin called us to. It was a kind of deception. Aldin left out the existence of the continent hidden by Dragons, the existence of evil gods, the second moon, and the existence of the old gods. We didn''t have a fair game."


    Jang-Wan slightly furrowed her brows and then said, "Aldin had her own game."


    "That doesn''t justify absolution."


    "But she tried to break the cycle with the old gods."


    "Then why didn''t she take the opportunity to break it when it came? If it weren''t for Neb, we would have died as mortals." Damien picked up her cage. Then she raised it to eye level with Aldin. "Answer me, Aldin. I''m genuinely curious. I know you chose us from Earth with your meticulous n to bring us here. Neb said you nned all this to escape from the old gods. But if that was really the case..." Damien lifted the cage even higher. "Why didn''t you stop?"


    Aldin answered, "I just changed my mind."


    "Pardon?"


    "After the ancient war ended, it has been 40,000 years. Initially, I thought there would be an opportunity to escape from the other old gods, so I nned to escape. But despite my arrangements, you seemed to be failing. So, I changed my mind. As long as Bifnen was alive, the era of the old gods would continue. I thought it was better to give up on you...and wait for the next opportunity. That''s all."


    Damien nodded as if she had expected it.


    On the other hand, Jang-Wan seemed somewhat bewildered. "No, Aldin. You shouldn''t say that. We agreed not to say that."


    Jang-Wan grabbed Aldin''s sleeve, but Aldin didnt turn to look at Jang-Wan.


    Damien stated, "So, you were an opportunist after all."


    "Yes."


    This wasn''t the truth. The truth was moreplex and personal. Aldin didn''t stop because she felt like she was still in a game. It was indeed an unfair game. However, the opponent in this game was her favorite yer. A yer who could easily ovee a bit of unfairness with skill. It wasn''t just hope, it really was so. yer Neb had won against yers who used map hacks, increased production speed, or resource cheats in ranked games. Against such an opponent, a yer with Aldin''s capabilities couldn''t help but give their best. Even if it was an unfair game, giving it ones all was a form of respect for the opponent.


    <em>...No, this too is an excuse.</em>


    Aldin faced the more precise truth within herself. She wanted to beat Sung-Woon. When she climbed thedder to the Sky Castle with a broken wrist in the museum, Aldin had forgotten what consequences the end of the game would bring. She wanted to win, by any means necessary, even if it was dirty. She would never have made such a choice if she were in her right mind.


    If Aldin had won, she would have led a life of regret and reflection, just as she had done with the Returner. Aldin considered it the symptom of her disease. She was broken in a way different from the other old gods.


    Aldin then saw the Light of Eternity and Life beside the cage Damien had put down, pulsating. She realized the conclusion of this pletes the n.''


    Jang-Wan turned Aldin around. Aldin''s body, which had been rxed, naturally turned. Then Jang-Wan pped Aldin''s cheek. Aldins head whipped to the side, butpared to the pain Aldin had endured before, it was too weak, leaving Aldin bewildered by this.


    "Are you crazy?" Aldin saw Jang-Wan with tears gathered in her eyes. "Do you want to die?"


    Aldin felt sorry for Jang-Wan. But just as Aldin wasn''t Sung-Woon''s Ji-Woo, she wasnt Jang-Wan''s Ji-Woo either. Aldin had long considered her life to be her own, yet that life had never been hers. It belonged to the system, or to Bifnen, and now, to Sung-Woon and the Sanctuary.


    <em>''It''s a story that can''t be exined anyway.''</em>


    The story of why Aldin didn''t stop wasnt only hard to exin, but even if understood, it wouldn''t have led Aldin to the ending she truly desired. The idea that she had carefully selected yers to participate in the game in order to escape from the old gods was only partially correct. Sung-Woon and the other yers were under a misconception. What Aldin truly wanted was not freedom from the old gods, but eternal rest from themin other words, death. Aldin wanted her life to be her own.


    Damien said, "It seems we''re almost at an end."


    Jang-Wan criticized, "What do you mean? We could talk for days and nights on end about this."


    The shrike said indifferently, "This isn''t a real trial, Jang-Wan. There''s no such trial."


    "Iknow that."


    "How can there be a proper trial withoutws? We just wanted to give Aldin a final chance to exin herself out ofpassion, and she threw away that chance. Or perhaps, she just told the truth."


    "Don''t talk to me like I''m a fool."


    "That''s because you''re making a fuss. I know your story. Aldin is not the person you think she is."


    "...I know that."


    "Then ept it."


    The shrike picked up the ss orb projecting the Light of Eternity and Life. The orb resonated with a bright light.


    "The Light of Eternity and Life has already reached a conclusion. The jury, our judge, hase to one conclusion. The trial is over."


    Jang-Wan began to sob, then started crying.


    Aldin felt pain in one area of her heart. Aldin had called Jang-Wan into the game to create a crisis for Neb. She reasoned that if Neb continued to win without any significant challenges, Neb''s Divinity level might not rise enough over time. It was for such a simple reason. She hadnt anticipated this problem in her n.


    <em>Why is she crying when she possesses power almost equivalent to a god?</em>


    With the system''s power, controlling emotions would be simple. Like reason, emotions were also physiological phenomena. If one didnt want to cry, they could easily avoid it. If one didnt want to feel sad, they didnt have to. Yet Aldin herself had been no different from Jang-Wan in the past.


    Lakrak checked various pieces of information through the system window. Aldin expected that among them, the wills of the jury present, the Sanctuary, and the Light of Eternity and Life would be there.


    Lakrak cleared the system window and said, "Well, then..." He stood up and leaped on top of the podium. Sitting on the podium with his legs crossed, he ced his hands on his knees and looked down at everyone.


    "I render the judgment," Lakrak announced. "The old god Aldin has umted numerous sins over tens of thousands of years under themands of other old gods. Even though those weremands and she was conditioned to find it difficult to refuse them, the existence of those sins cannot be ignored. Furthermore..."


    With a light tap, Lakrak''s tail hit the tform. The audience, already focused on Lakrak, concentrated further.


    "Despite hardening her heart during the 40,000 years of searching for yers, Aldin went against her original intention at thest moment when she had the chance to stop her wrongdoing. This act, separate from merely judging the old god Aldin''s sins, signifies the inherent instability of this being and the potential impact it could have on the future of the Hall of Myriad Stars. The judgment is not about vengeance, so we must consider whether this entity can coexist with us."


    Jang-Wan bent over facing down at the tform, as if she didn''t want to hear anything. Aldin hesitated several times before cing a hand on Jang-Wan''s shoulder.


    Now, Lakrak proceeded to pronounce the second judgment verbally. "Therefore, as per the will of the Light of Eternity and Life...the old god Aldin is punished with life."


    Few understood thest sentence intuitively.


    "What did you say?" Damien asked.


    "Punished with life. Aldin will not die, but will live to serve Abartin and the Hall of Myriad Stars."


    "Lakrak, but you just..."


    "Look at Aldin''s face."


    Damien did so and understood Lakrak''s judgment. Jang-Wan also looked at Aldin''s face with red teary eyes, surprised by Lakraks words. Aldin''s face was filled with despair.


    "This is the will of the Light of Eternity and Life that read the truth, so the old god Aldin cannot escape through death, but must atone for her sins with good deeds until causality is sufficiently satisfied."


    Aldin swayed and fell to the ground.


    Jang-Wans shoulders began to shake,ughing. "It''s okay, it''s done."


    Aldin felt a chill down her spine from Jang-Wan''sughter. It was a feeling of fear. But that wasnt all. Another emotion followed.


    Jang-Wan reached her hand out to Aldin, who had fallen, and said, "Get up, Aldin."


    Aldin lifts her head.


    Jang-Wan, still with tears in her eyes but also a bright smile, said, "Are you prepared for what''s toe?"


    Aldin shook her head and stammered, "No, I should have...my story should have...ended here..."


    Without waiting for Aldin''s full response, Jang-Wan helped Aldin stand.


    "I''ll teach you." The Constetion of Sacrifice, who won the game through repeated self-sacrifice, said to Aldin, "I''ll teach you how to use that life."


    Something began to swell inside Aldin''s heart, having been emptied by fear.

 Chapter 321: Starcatcher of the Myriad Magic Mirrors (1) (Epilogue)

    Chapter 321: Starcatcher of the Myriad Magic Mirrors (1) (Epilogue)


    In Avartin, buildings in the shape of triangr prisms werent preferred. This was because given limitednd, triangles resulted in a significant waste of space. Consequently, in Avartin and many other parts of the external space constrained by physical limits, buildings were typically constructed as rectangr prisms, that is, cubes with six faces.


    Yet here, numerous spires in the shape of triangr prisms soared high. Space didnt signify physical limitations in this realm, and more importantly, it was about inner meaning the shape embodied.


    Each angle represented the past, present, or future, or perhaps the old gods that have vanished, the evil gods they opposed, and the new gods that emerged in between. Alternatively, it could imply the logical structure of positive, negative, and the synthesis in spacetime, or metaphorically reflect the rtionship between Avartin''s external space, the magical space of inner space, and the Hall of Myriad Stars in between the two.


    Naturally, the three angles, not facing each other, could carry even more meanings ording to the observer, as affirmed by the Constetions of the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    This ce, where numerous triangr spires towered, was the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    Beneath the Hall of Myriad Stars, the Prairie of Beginnings still existed, although the Tower of Trial had been removed. The removal of the tower didnt mean the disappearance of ways to reach the Hall of Myriad Stars. Those being tested had to pass through different trials presented by their own lineage and had to cross their own final door located somewhere in Avartin or the Prairie of Beginnings.


    Passing through that door, one would step on the rough ivory-colored stone floor supporting the Hall of Myriad Stars and could see the towering triangr spires reaching high into space. Each spire varied in height and had fine distinct patterns and decorations, yet from a distance, they seemed simr and alike.


    However, contrary to first-time visitors'' beliefs, there werent as many spires as Constetions, nor did each spire belong to a Constetion; and the spires and Domains did not correspond one to one. Each spire was connected by corridors running horizontally. It appeared that the closer to the center, the more corridors were connected, but being in a ce not limited by physical constraints, naturally, there were even more corridors that were unseen.


    The Hall of Myriad Stars existed amongst these numerous spires, and its interior space wasrger than it appeared. Roughly estimated, it was alreadyrger than Avartin and the Prairie of Beginningsbined, which was simr in size to Avartin.


    It was said that the apparent triangr spires of the Hall of Myriad Stars merely architecturally revealed the vertical values and horizontal connections held by the Constetions of the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    At the very top of the tallest triangr spire was a ce called the Myriad Magic Mirrors. In the Myriad Magic Mirrors, there was arge and massive celestial telescope. This telescope was made of brass, a product of magic engineering thatbined scientific technology with magical mystique. The lens of the telescope was crafted by the greatest artisans of the Hall of Myriad Stars over thest 300 years using nanotechnology, and the brass gears containing the secrets of time were extracted by the Wizards of the Vaseniol Tower beyond causality.


    The creator was Neb, as well as the Constetion of Design, the Delicate Weaver, the end alreadyplete, Wisdom. In the homnd of the Constetions, the Constetion of Design set his name as Wisdom, not so much because he had deserved it, but because he had longed for it. However, now in Avartin, having obtained knowledge that he had long yearned for, he came to live up to his name, Wisdom, making Myriad Magic Mirrors his greatest creation since the Creation.


    Beneath the body of the Myriad Magic Mirrors, tens of meters in size, was a not-sorge Lizardman sitting on an antique copper-colored wooden chair covered in red velvet, looking through the eyepiece.


    It was not a surprising sight for a ck-scaled Lizardman to be in the Hall of Myriad Stars, but this Lizardman''s left arm was unique, a prosthetic made of thin brass simr to the Myriad Magic Mirrors itself, with brass gears. This one-armed Lizardman was the owner of the Myriad Magic Mirrors and was called Starcatcher, just as he had been in the past.


    The Starcatcher took his eyes off the Myriad Magic Mirrors and looked up at the sky with his bare eyes.


    <em>Its beautiful.</em>


    Due to the atmosphere and light source imitating those of Avartin, the Prairie of Beginnings experienced artificial day and night in alternation. However, the Hall of Myriad Stars existed outside such orbits, and therefore, the only view was of the night sky at all times.


    The night sky visible from the Hall of Myriad Stars directly projected that of Avartin, so the sky the Starcatcher was currently observing was also a part of Avartin''s cosmos.


    <em>Let''s see</em>


    The Starcatcher slightly tilted his chair to pull out a small monocr from his possession. Although it was a small monocr made of wood, it was sufficient for the Starcatcher, who was adept at observing stars.


    The first thing the Starcatcher looked at was Yonda, the first moon of Avartin. To the Starcatcher, Yonda wasnt too interesting a satellite.


    As with satellitescking an atmosphere, no matter how long one observed, there was hardly anything noteworthy due to the absence of noticeable change over time. However, Yonda had been interestingtely.


    The Starcatcher slightly turned the eyepiece of the monocr to see not the present but the past of Yonda. He saw a spaceship, nearly destroyed but skillfully managing tond, and astronauts wearing space suits getting off the spaceship. Although they received help from the Apostle, it was admirable for the Starcatcher to see such feats aplished with technology far inferior to that of the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    Through the monocr, the Starcatcher saw a Vampire named Muel awakening three gods and, knowing her mission wasplete, leisurely taking a walk on the moon. This Vampire left the most footprints on Yonda and took the steering wheel from the Apostle, leaving many tire tracks as well. The Vampire enjoyed Yonda as much as she could and then boarded the spaceship to return.


    Yonda then quieted down once again.


    <em>However</em>


    The Starcatcher turned the eyepiece the other way, beyond the present into the future.


    asionally, spaceships arrived on Yonda, and the number of astronauts conducting experiments and investigations gradually increased, with semi-permanent buildings built and astronauts beginning long-term stays. This space, called a lunar base, didn''t expand quickly but grew steadily bit by bit.


    The Vampire who had taken a walk on the moon also showed her face a few more times. It seemed she greatly enjoyed her lunar walks.


    Around the time families of researchers, not just researchers, began to stay, the Starcatcher took his eyes off the monocr. Looking at Yonda with the naked eye, the moon, yet untouched by the future, was quietly resting, reflecting the sunlight as it always had.


    The Starcatcher turned slightly to look at another satellite. It was the second moon, Loom.


    Loom had left the orbit of Avartin and entered the orbit of the Prairie of Beginnings, and now, it had even started orbiting the Hall of Myriad Stars. Therefore, Loom was now considered the first moon of the Hall of Myriad Stars rather than the second moon of Avartin.


    This destructive weapon, which was created consuming a great amount of religious resources, initially had a different design purpose. The presence of a factory capable of performing numerous different roles and the enormous void inside that could amodate anything implied that this artificially created satellite was meant to be an ark.


    The important matter was where the ark intended to depart to, and now both the Constetions as well as the Starcatcher knew Loom''s intended destination. Loom''s target was the space of evil, the space beyond the universe.


    Loom was the space where the entities of evil, the evil gods and their offspring, were isted from Avartin. The old gods had promised this and executed a scheme among the evil gods, during which Loom was constructed.


    As some of the evil gods were deceived, Loom waspleted and became an incarnation of destruction and attacked and burned them, securing victory, but only leaving wounds. Had that not happened, Loom would have been able to depart as nned, burning the entities of evil and searching for its home.


    With the help of the Hall of Myriad Stars, almost all of Loom''s surface and internal modules had been repaired.


    Now, the Constetions of the Hall of Myriad Stars were helping so that Loom could possess value beyond its initial design, and the Constetions that were once evil gods willingly epted this help and, at the same time, handed over control of Loom to the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    The Starcatcher looked at the scene once more with his monocr.


    On the dark surface of Loom, Sung-Woon said, "Are you sure? The Hall of Myriad Stars will not restrain you. If you wish to leave, you can."


    "No, we will not leave." The Constetion of Loss, Dide, said, "We do not need to search for a home to depart to."


    "Why not?"


    "Because Avartin has now be our new home."


    Sung-Woon epted their decision.


    The Starcatcher took his eyes off the monocr. Then, instead of looking at the night sky or through the eyepiece of the Myriad Magic Mirrors, he looked down at the monocr itself.


    The monocr was an ordinary item. It was gifted by a Lizardman who had be an Apostle and loved adventures. Knowing how useful it was to observe stars during his voyages, he gifted it to the Starcatcher out of respect.


    Due to the technological level of that era, its magnification was now inferior even to the cheap binocrs sold in Avartin''s markets. Even the eyepiece had be loose over time, merely rotating left and right.


    Of course, other people would not have the ability to see the past and future using it. What had changed over time was the Starcatcher''s eyes.


    The first thing the Starcatcher saw in this Afterlife was the night sky. Continuing to ponder over the night sky and making astonishing discoveries was like a blessing for the Starcatcher, but soon he encountered limitations.


    The observable universe was smaller than he thought. By then, the Starcatcher was already proficient not only in celestial telescopes but also in astronomical observation technologies that recorded numerous observations of the universe, convinced that more about stars could be learned from data and numbers rather than just looking up at the night sky.


    As a result of Sung-Woon''s endless support, the Starcatcher became proficient in the theories and limits of the universe outer space could reach and could already draw conclusions about the observable universe. That conclusion was so clear and bright that, paradoxically, it seemed to the Starcatcher like looking into a predetermined future.


    No, the Starcatcher had seen the future. He saw Sung-Woon continue a long war with Hegemonia and eventually win.


    He also saw the evil gods appear and threaten the Pantheon with the second moon, Loom. After the Pantheon emerged victorious from Loom, they then faced the Fall and the Starcatcher saw the Empire battle the old gods. He also saw Sung-Woon ultimately win, establishing the Hall of Myriad Stars and the Constetions, establishing a new order.


    The Starcatcher confirmed that the conclusions his knowledge and insights had formed were being repeated in the real world. He realized he was seeing the future, looking beyond the current stars to their future, and he remained silent for a long time, not to scatter the future with his clumsy words Until someone who understood him appeared.


    ***


    [Starcatcher, many are concerned about your silence.]


    A system window appeared in front of the Starcatcher, following the first trial Lakrak conducted.


    The Starcatcher considered maintaining his silence, but opened his mouth due to prolonged loneliness. "Sanctuary, I saw the great Star Spear of Lakrak fall upon the crown of an old god decades ago."


    [Did you foresee the future?]


    "Yes. It may be hard to believe though."


    [No, I believe you, Starcatcher. With your insight, you could certainly reach Extraption.]


    "Extraption?"


    [Just as great Wizards reach Tuning, great schrs reach Extraption. Knowing two points, the past and the present, you can draw a line to the third point, the future. It''s not strange. The Constetions would rejoice that you have reached such a state.]


    However, the Starcatcher was sad. "Does that mean the future I saw is real?"


    [Yes, perhaps.]


    "That sad future?"


    [Starcatcher, what did you see?]


    "This is what will happen next..."

 Chapter 322: Starcatcher of the Myriad Magic Mirrors (2) (Epilogue)

    <h4>Chapter 322: Starcatcher of the Myriad Magic Mirrors (2) (Epilogue)</h4>


    The Starcatcher exined the future he had seen.


    Under the protection of the Hall of Myriad Stars, the poption of Avartin exploded. Due to this demand, Avartin expanded its territory beyond the moon into space. Food, resources, and environmental crises arose, but were ultimately ovee.


    The mortal beings of Avartin achieved harmony and began to utilize the resources of space, constructing colonies with artificial gravity. Shades that received direct energy from the sun were constructed, and the energy transmitted from these shades granted the Avartin sr system virtually infinite power.


    War, violence, ss, and exploitation didn¡¯t disappearpletely. Yet in the Avartin sr system, the potential of numerous species skyrocketed, and cultures previously unseen flourished. The happiness index of mortals, which had been stagnant for a long time, drew a loosely upward graph. A new technological revolution urred, and the Avartin sr system created a generational ship to seek new settlement beyond the sr system.


    Civilization didn''t end.


    [Is that the problem?]


    The Starcatcher responded, "...And so, when that timees, those in Avartin who believe in and rely on the Hall of Myriad Stars begin to gradually decrease.


    ¡°As time passes, those who remember the miracles of the Hall of Myriad Stars treat them merely as old tales. Faith in the Hall of Myriad Stars diminishes, and the high spires built on faith slowly crumble."


    The flourishing of civilization was inversely corrted to the state of the Hall of Myriad Stars. Happy people no longer needed to believe in the Hall of Myriad Stars. There was no longer a need to seek help in suffering.


    "Is this the future of the Hall of Myriad Stars?"


    The Sanctuary responded to the question,


    [First, there''s something I need to tell you, Starcatcher.]


    "What is it?"


    [There are limits to Extraption.]


    "Like what?"


    [What can be extrapted is the external space alone, the external universe. I know you possess magical knowledge as well, Starcatcher, but that was overlooked.]


    "Sanctuary, my predictions are not wrong. The Demon World closes."


    [Yes, that''s correct.]


    "But then what?"


    [The Hall of Myriad Stars will open a new path that you have not considered.]


    The Sanctuary whispered a secret to the Starcatcher. The Starcatcher glimpsed an infinite number of futures beyond hisprehension. He realized he had missed something, and that oversight originated from Sung-Woon.


    The Starcatcher felt embarrassed. He had been confident he was seeing the future, but his understanding had been shallow.


    "Is that the true future of the Hall of Myriad Stars?"


    [Yes, Starcatcher. So, please stop worrying about the Constetions.]


    ***


    The Starcatcher blinked and came out from the past conversation he had shared with the Sanctuary.


    The power of Extraption allowed not only for seeing the future by connecting the past and present, but also for looking back at the past by connecting the future and the present. Fortunately, the Starcatcher wasn¡¯t left disoriented. Since Extraption wasn¡¯t a delusion or a mirage, it brought rity instead.


    "Starcatcher." A voice called him here and now.


    The Starcatcher turned around.


    The Constetion of Games approached the Starcatcher. "Are you ready?"


    The Starcatcher bowed respectfully, "Master of the Hall of Myriad Stars, I am ready. The Myriad Magic Mirrors can be used at any time."


    "Just a moment," Sung-Woon said, opening a system window. "I¡¯ll get approval from the other Constetions."


    Sung-Woon summoned the Constetions. The Sanctuary summoned all the Constetions stationed at each spire as Sung-Woon intended. The Constetions knew that wasing.


    The Constetions were at their respective spires or the foundation of the Hall of Myriad Stars, anywhere under the sky of the Hall of Myriad Stars. Some Constetions were with their cherished Apostles or creature creations, some were gathered with other Constetions, and some were alone in their own ces.


    Not just the Constetions. Sung-Woon knew that nearly all the inhabitants of the Hall of Myriad Stars hade out from under the spires to look up at the sky. Individuals from various species and continents gathered together, separately, or scattered, looking up at the sky in their preferred ways.


    From the point of the Myriad Magic Mirrors, it was observed that Lizardmen of the ck-Scaled Tribe were gathering to enjoy a festival. Beside Manun, whoy sleeping on the tform, Lakrak passionately lectured the other Lizardmen. It was surely a trivial joke Lakrak was telling. Once the task waspleted, Sung-Woon nned to visit the festival as well.


    The Constetions looked up at the sky.


    Sung-Woon then said through the channel, "I seek approval from the Constetions of the Hall of Myriad Stars for the use of the Myriad Magic Mirrors... Uh, well, any objections?"


    No Constetion responded. Only Ovenwave, who seemed frightened, almost raised her hand before being hastily held back by Lunda beside her. Someone among the Constetions alsoughed.


    "I''ll take that as a no. Sanctuary?"


    The Sanctuary sought direct approval from each of the Constetions for the use.


    [Will you grant permission to use the Myriad Magic Mirrors?]


    [Yes / No]


    Sung-Woon raised a hand and pressed Yes. Following Sung-Woon, the Constetions of the Hall of Myriad Stars, each in their own cheerful or cautious manner, approved the use of the Myriad Magic Mirrors.


    [Approval to use Myriad Magic Mirrorspleted by 33 Constetions of the Hall of Myriad Stars.]


    Finally, a system window appeared in front of the Starcatcher.


    [Starcatcher, the time hase.]


    The Starcatcher nodded and lowered the handle next to the eyepiece lens of the Myriad Magic Mirrors. With a mechanical click, the eyepiece lens was reced.


    And the night sky...


    The universe was reced. The sky no longer disyed ck with white and gold and blue stars. Although the sky still appeared dark, it now held a faint magenta hue, and the stars shone in green, pink, and sky blue. Silver clouds moved loosely, and in the far distance, a massive creature appeared as a pale shadow before hiding behind a star. It was inner space, the space of evil.


    The Myriad Magic Mirrors, a great tool, was not for observing the sky. It was a tool to change the sky. Thus, the Hall of Myriad Stars moved from Avartin''s Demon World to the space beyond the universe, the space of evil.


    <i>''This is the new path.''</i>


    The Starcatcher heard from the Sanctuary about the future of the Hall of Myriad Stars. If the Hall of Myriad Stars were to remain merely a stopover in a physical world, it was bound to decline eventually.


    The old gods did not desire this, so they had to bnce technological advancement. They prevented mortals from paying attention to the knowledge of external space, as it would enable them to ovee gravity and escape the atmosphere.


    This was the judgment when the old gods first looked upon them with benevolent eyes. They believed it would not be beneficial for mortals to venture into outer space and leave their care, because there was nothing there. It was just a void.


    However, Sung-Woon and the other Constetions didn¡¯t think so.


    The secrists weren¡¯t wrong. Eventually, transcendent beings like gods or Constetions had to rightfully part ways with mortals. In a sufficiently advanced civilization, the help of transcendent beings diminished in value, either because there were too many mortalspared to transcendent beings, or because the conveniences of civilization rendered the help of transcendent beings obsolete.


    Sung-Woon thought, <i>''If our role has ended, it''s time to leave.''</i>


    The Lost World would end with the reconstruction of civilization. So did Sung-Woon''s game.


    Avartin had recovered, so the Hall of Myriad Stars no longer had a role there. Of course, not everything would end as neatly as drawing a line. There would still be enthusiasts in Avartin who would continue to believe in the Hall of Myriad Stars for quite some time.


    Therefore, the path from Avartin and the Prairie of Beginnings remained open, at least until the belief in the Hall of Myriad Stars in Avartinpletely disappeared in the distant future.


    <i>''Someday it will close.''</i>


    Sung-Woon was aware of this fact and had no regrets. Where there was flourishing, decline naturally followed.


    The Hall of Myriad Stars had built a beautiful civilization, so there were no regrets. There were those who had regrets, however.


    The evil gods said, "The One Who Chases Stars, there are many Avartins in that space of evil."


    The spirits of demonic magic sang, "Master of the Hall of Myriad Stars, there are countless old gods in that space beyond the universe."


    Jang Wan, the Constetion of Sacrifice, said, "In that universe, lights that we have not yet discovered or saved are flickering."


    After a pause, she added, "Those stars are lights we can save."


    Sung-Woon thought it wouldn''t be impossible to grant the request of his cousin he had watched over for a long time. On the other hand, he also had another worry. Just as Aldin wandered in search of the Returner, perhaps Sung-Woon himself was falling into a trap.


    <i>''It''s possible.''</i>


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t deny it.


    <i>''The one with lingering regrets might be me.''</i>


    But what of it? Sung-Woon was a yer. yers didn¡¯t shy away from iing challenges.


    Sung-Woon looked up at the space of evil. Some Constetions, like Sung-Woon, quietly looked up at the sky, but others were noisy. Richard, the Constetion of Knights, loudly eximed in amazement, Chistka fired celebratory shots into the sky, Noah, the Constetion of Beasts, pped, and RD tried to join in the apuse next to him, though it wasn''t easy.


    The Apostles following the Constetions, the disciples of the Hall of Myriad Stars following those Apostles, and the numerous souls from the Prairie of Beginnings danced and sang in anticipation of the new possibilities the Hall of Myriad Stars would achieve. They drank, shouted, and ran. They poured water, shook mes, and rolled on the ground. They briefly revealed the barbarism cultivated by civilization before it vanished.


    In the midst of this festival, Starcatcher looked up intently at this new night sky. Now, Starcatcher could no longer know the future the Hall of Myriad Stars would reach. This space beyond the universe, the space of evil, opened a path to infinite possible worlds.


    The Sanctuary said to Sung-Woon,


    [Repetitive Struggler, a world suffering and oppressed is found not far from here.]


    Sung-Woon asked, "What about the enemies?"


    [A few beings have ascended to transcendent status, and numerous mortals are suffering.]


    "Is Gamification possible?"


    [Yes. There are no tricks. The convenience of the system will appear attractive to causality, and they will have to ept it because it''s a fair rule without deceit.]


    Some Constetions mentioned that fair rules could be dangerous. If there was no particr advantage, the chance of winning in the game was fifty-fifty.


    However, Sung-Woon was the Constetion of Games. If there were rules and they were fair, losing was not in Sung-Woon¡¯s nature.


    "Then, finally...how long does Gamification take?"


    [Well, it might be finished by the time you finish enjoying the festival and return.]


    Sung-Woon smiled at the Sanctuary''s consideration.


    The Sanctuary said,


    [Now, Name to Win Endlessly...]


    Sung-Woon looked down at a newly appearing system window. It was a sentence he hadn''t seen in a very long time.


    [Would you like to start a new game?]


    [Yes / No]


    Sung-Woon lifted his index finger and pressed Yes.


    A new game began.

 Message from the TNC Team

    <h4>Message from the TNC Team</h4>


    Dear beloved readers of TNC,


    I¡¯m not crying, you¡¯re crying (T?T).


    But no, really, as I¡¯ve been tranting thest chapters of TNC, I¡¯vee to realize how attached I¡¯ve be to this novel and how much I¡¯ll miss Choi Sung-Woon, the legendary Lakrak, and all the other cute, ugly, funny, spiteful characters.


    It¡¯s crazy how fast time has gone with this novel and I honestly still can¡¯t believe it¡¯s already time to say goodbye. Although I didn¡¯t get to interact much with our readers, I did read yourments from time to time, and I can say that many of yourments were so fun to read. They always encouraged and motivated me as I always felt your love for the characters and story itself while reading them. So, truly, thank you for showing much love and enjoying TNC as much as we did.


    I will forever be grateful for having this awesome novel as my first trantion work with WuxiaWorld, for being able to work through this novel with my endlessly supporting manager Yojj and amazing editor House, and for all your endless love and support throughout this journey!


    Even though it¡¯s time to say farewell for now, I hope we¡¯ll be able to say hello again soon with another great novel. Until then, I hope you all stay well and happy! Take care :)


    Greenfrog


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Dear all,


    First, a thank-you to all of you wonderful people for going on this ride with us. And what a ride it¡¯s been. This novel has surprised me at every turn with its worldbuilding and plotting, as well as moved me with the emotional moments that have no right to hit so hard. I hope you have had as much fun reading it as I had when working on it.


    As Greenfrog has said, the WW team has been wonderfully supportive, making sure that we don¡¯t have to worry about anything but the work itself. Greenfrog herself also deserves much praise and thanks for her amazing trantion. She¡¯s gotten so good so quickly that I got to enjoy the writing as a reader even when I was editing.


    I¡¯ll be looking forward to whatever story she goes on to do going forward, and I hope it¡¯ll be another fun ride you¡¯ll all enjoy as well. Happy reading!


    House


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    To our TNC readers,


    We appreciate the support and encouragement you''ve given Neb as he went around pissing off the other gods as well as the love you¡¯ve given to our trantor Greenfrog and our wonderful editor House.


    We''ve always loved yourments, so to share the joy one more time,ment below with your favorite TNC character. You can add more if you can¡¯t decide because I certainly can¡¯t. I mean, how am I supposed to decide between the adorable Pangolins and the dumdum tymander Golt XD


    House has her own novel, The Creatures that We Are, so if you haven''t checked that out yet, you definitely should and Greenfrog has a new novel in the works so keep your eyes open for that ;) </a>


    Your continuous support will help us in deciding the kind of novels we bring to WuxiaWorld, so do stick around~</a> </a>

 Chapter 323

    <h4>Chapter 323</h4>


    At the top of the Tower of Beginnings in the Hall of Myriad Stars, the yers were seated around a round table. The sky around them was ck, filled with blue fog and purple clouds, and stars shining from countless worlds illuminated the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    The Constetion of Harmony, Lunda, asked, "Do we really believe we need to hang Neb?"


    The others affirmed with their silence.


    Lunda looked at Neb. "Alright then. ...Neb, anyst words?"


    Choi Sung-Woon rested his chin on his index and thumb before lifting his head. "I won¡¯t make any excuses at this point." This was an unavoidable situation for Sung-Woon. "Kill me."


    As all of this had been nned for a very long time.


    ***


    Long ago in Avartin on the second continent, the Ears Cut Tribe of gnolls, who were protected by Hegemonia, began their conquest with astonishing momentum after moving from the third continent. From small battles among mountain keepers in the canyons to the major battles on the ins leading to the capital, Hegemonia helped her apostles be known as invincible.


    The yers of the second continent were clearly taken aback at this. The yer known as The One Who Thinks Deep, Tael, looked down on Hegemonia who came from the third continent. This was because, in the early stages of The Lost World, attempting to cross the sea without properly developed maritime transport was considered an overly adventurous attempt, implying that their circumstances were not very good.


    Tael had intended to trick Hegemonia into bing their subordinate, but the Ears Cut Tribe gnolls, with their Polynesian-like excellent shipbuilding skills, conquered the city-state of Tael''s gnomes with just about a hundred gnoll warriors from their firstnding.


    Afterward, the tribal chief, Salkait, exterminated the royalty of the gnomes, plundered all their technology, established a nobility society among the gnolls, and advanced toward the next conquest without a day''s rest. Needless to say, Tael''s creations were easily crushed by those of Hegemonia as well.


    Tael wanted to warn the other yers of the second continent about this threat, but the yers, focused on internal conflicts, ignored Tael. The idea that a coastal city that was fortified with basic walls and whose forces were several times greater, could be attacked by just a hundred warriors was hard toprehend.


    In fact, the more usible theory was that Tael had allowed Hegemonia''s invasion, suggesting it could be a trap set up by Tael and Hegemonia by pretending to seek help only to weaken the opposing forces, which was amon strategy.


    Then, it was only a month after Tael became a vassal that the yers of the second continent began to see Hegemonia differently.


    When Tael disappeared from the yer list, the first reaction of The God of Steel Quenched in Blood, yer Richard, was as follows:


    "...Huh?"


    The yers of the second continent hastily formed an alliance, but this was exactly what Hegemonia had hoped for. Hegemonia knew from lots of experience that developing seamanship skills early in the game and then crossing continents would lead to being seen as fleeing continental conflict and be underestimated. She also knew that when an external force became strong, the internal yers would stop their infighting and unite.


    <i>¡®But that''s just a hastily formed union.¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia, except for in cases of extreme tactical disproportion, was confident in victory. Therefore, her strategy was set with the simple goal of ensuring that not all eight yers of the second continent would attack at once.


    The first expedition of the hastily formed alliance against Hegemonia did not meet the extreme disproportion Hegemonia anticipated and thus was victorious. More precisely, it would be more urate to say they were utterly destroyed.


    Hegemonia''s gnoll troops, along with their ve soldier troop operating through entire viges taken hostage,pletely dismantled and annihted the alliance forces of Tael, HumanTracker, and Jerome with proper management.


    Despite being unprepared, since the majority of the opposing force consisted of ve soldiers which couldn''t have been perfectly controlled, the fact that a force more than five times their number was defeated through battle was enough to shake the yer alliance of the second continent.


    yer Yummy was the first to send a whisper conversation to Hegemonia.


    Hegemonia said, "What''s up, yer Yummy?"


    Yummy, with a shark head, broad shoulders, and wearing a Hawaiian shirt, replied, "I don''t think there are too many reasons I would send you a message. Isn''t it overwhelming being alone?"


    "Is this a proposal for an alliance?"


    "Yes."


    Yummy knew Hegemonia''s reputation but also knew that, no matter how strong, one could not be free from joint attacks. And the Lost World was such a game. Ideally, one should avoid creating such situations, but Yummy thought that if one willingly entered into them, it was natural to need an alliance,


    <i>''Then, not just me, but Hegemonia too, needs this loose alliance. Actually, Hegemonia is the more desperate one, so she¡¯ll have no choice but to offer me favorable terms for me.''</i>


    Yummy wasn¡¯t a naive yer, but that was the same for Hegemonia.


    "Unfortunately...." Hegemonia said while smiling under her horned helmet, "It''s toote."


    "...Toote?"


    "I''ve already received another alliance proposal."


    "From who?"


    "Why would I tell you that?"


    Yummy judged that Hegemonia, even if in a difficult situation now, would ultimately emerge victorious in the second continent as Hegemonia was as well-known a yer as Choi Sung-Woon.


    Yummy said, "Would you at least listen to what I have to say?"


    "Well, I guess listening wouldn¡¯t do any harm."


    Yummy ultimately joined Hegemonia''s alliance under conditions nearly simr to subjugation. Following Yummy, yers Tael and Vacatio also joined, shifting the bnce from eight against one to a more manageable six against three. And this shift in bnce turned the situation to Hegemonia''s advantage.


    Initially, they maintained the second continent alliance, aiming for a dramatic effect by revealing their secret alliance with Hegemonia at a crucial moment. Through this, the second continent alliance suffered repeated defeats, giving the upper hand to Hegemonia.


    yer Yummy judged that they were close to seizing victory.


    <i>¡®It''s time to prepare for the real fight now.¡¯</i>


    After dealing with all the yers of the second continent alliance, the next step would be to prepare for battles with other continents. However, Yummy predicted that before that, they would either form a true alliance under the name of the Pantheon or Sanctuary, or continue betraying each other until only one yer remained as this was amon trend in the game of The Lost World.


    But as always, Hegemonia was one step ahead. Before the final battle with the second continent¡¯s alliance, Hegemonia betrayed her own allies. In yer Tael''s capital, a zombie gue, supposedly transferred from stockpiling war supplies, spread all at once, and yer Vacatio''s main forces were annihted overnight by Hegemonia''s troops stationed nearby.


    Compared to Tael and Vacatio, who vanished with no resistance and without time to even question anything, yer Yummy at least had a chance to confront Hegemonia.


    "What are you doing, Hegemonia?"


    "What¡¯s there to be so surprised about? People betray all the time," Hegemonia saidughing under her horned helmet. "It''s just a matter of when they will."


    "But if you betray this early, it could also be detrimental to you...."


    "That''s always the problem with people."


    "What is?"


    "They calcte their gains and miss the best moment to act." Hegemonia continued to exin, "After fighting a big battle with the second continent alliance, including Richard? Or after I''ve turned all the remaining yers into vassals? It would be toote by then. By that time, everyone would be thinking that it''s about time for a betrayal. To surprise, one must always strike when least expected."


    "But this way, you''ll have to face the remaining five alone."


    "So what? It''s worth a try. As long as they don''t all rush at me at once, it''s fine."


    Yummy thought Hegemonia''s confidence was unfounded, but it wasn''t. Hegemonia knew about both the enemy and herself. It only seemed like she wasn''t thinking because she made decisions too quickly.


    "Tael and Vacatio trusted you. But I¡¯m gonna be different."


    "Different? Well, that might make it more tragic."


    "What did you say?"


    Hegemonia replied, "A slow end is always tragic."


    Hegemonia was right.


    The forces left by Tael and Vacatio were of no help, having beenpletely annihted, and the other alliance of the second continent had no intention of helping Yummy, considered a traitor. Moreover, even if they were inclined to, the actions of Hegemonia, striking her own allies'' backs before a continental showdown could take ce, seemed absurd, so it appeared more usible as a trap. Even though that wasn''t actually the case.


    Yummy, just as Hegemonia said, received no help from anyone and kept facing defeat until turned into vassal.


    Afterward, it wasn''t until after Hegemonia''s defeat that Yummy''s vassal was handed over to Choi Sung-Woon and released like the other yers of the second continent, but Yummy remained silent until Hegemonia was also released. Just as with the other yers who only retained memories immediately after defeat, Choi Sung-Woon didn¡¯t assign any significant tasks to Yummy, so there were no particr issues.


    However, when a new opportunity arose, Yummy did not let it slip away.


    [yer Yummy, please designate the Domain you will oversee as a Constetion.]


    Yummy dered, "Revenge."


    ***


    A few days ago, in the banquet hall of the Hall of Myriad Stars, Hegemonia said, "Neb." Hegemonia clenched her fist and mmed the table, "The time has finallye to decide the true victor."


    Choi Sung-Woon nced at Hegemonia seated at the opposite head of the table. He was bringing a piece of steak he had just speared with his fork to his mouth, and despite Hegemonia speaking or hitting the table, he didn¡¯t pause, smoothly continuing the motion as one fluid act.


    As Hegemonia, seeming to hurry Choi Sung-Woon, pointed at him with a knife and opened her mouth to speak, Choi Sung-Woon raised his index finger as if to say wait and chewed his steak thoroughly. Hegemonia then closed her mouth and silently waited.


    The other Constetions were so used to such situations that they paid no attention to the two from the moment Choi Sung-Woon started chewing his steak.


    After swallowing the steak, Choi Sung-Woon said, "Specifically, you¡¯re talking about the victor during this sabbatical, right?"


    "Yes!" Hegemonia stood up abruptly. "I¡¯m talking about the number one during this sabbatical."


    After Avartin, the Hall of Myriad Stars engaged with five worlds, bothrge and small, and the oues were all sessful. The Hall of Myriad Stars fought their enemies and saved worlds based on the rules of a fair game.


    Like in Avartin, they received unexpected praise and some of those called warriors, heroes, or yers from the worlds they saved chose to stay with the Hall of Myriad Stars, following the wills of the Constetions.


    The Sanctuary was now in search of another world for the Hall of Myriad Stars to challenge. This period of search was called the sabbatical, during which all members of the Hall of Myriad Stars, including the Constetions, could rest and enjoy as much as they wanted. And during the first sabbatical, Hegemonia challenged Choi Sung-Woon and had been challenging him ever since.


    To date, the record stood at three wins to two in favor of Choi Sung-Woon. Choi Sung-Woon remembered that after his first win during the first sabbatical, Hegemonia changed the terms to best three out of five, but ultimately, Choi Sung-Woon was the first to achieve three wins anyway.


    However, that topic quietly faded away, and Hegemonia, as if proposing a duel for the first time today, challenged him again.

 Chapter 324

    <h4>Chapter 324</h4>


    Sung-Woon decided not to dwell on the fact that he had won anyway, as it would only annoy Hegemonia and make things more troublesome for him. Besides, Sung-Woon actually liked settling scores with Hegemonia. The only issue was that the fight between these two wouldn¡¯t end with their agreement alone.


    "...Hey, Hegemonia," Crampus said.


    Hegemonia red at Crampus as if she already knew what Crampus was about to say.


    Crampus continued, "You lostst time. Since Neb won three times first, doesn''t it mean it doesn''t matter whether you win or lose against Neb during this sabbatical? Or are you acknowledging your defeat in thest five matches and proposing a new challenge?"


    "Are you saying I lost?" Hegemonia stood up and put her foot on the table. "Come to my Colosseum right now, Crampus. You''ll have to take responsibility for what you just said."


    "Hegemonia," Eldar said. "Please take your foot off the table first."


    Hegemonia, after looking back and forth between Crampus, Sung-Woon, and Eldar, took her foot off.


    Then she clenched her fist and shouted at Crampus, "Why aren''t you answering!?"


    "Hey, Hegemonia. It''s you who needs to answer, isn¡¯t it? The sabbatical was made for all of us to take a break. How can others rest if you keep noisily insisting on challenging Neb wherever he goes?"


    "Follow me outside right now!"


    Hegemonia attempted to raise her foot again, and Eldar next to her grabbed her, while Ovenwave, continuing her meal in the corner of the table, marveled quietly at Hegemonia''s astonishing dynamics.


    Crampus then turned and faced Sung-Woon. "Neb, you also need to be firm and decisive, or she won''t stop bothering you. Isn''t the problem that you''re too amodating when she consistently challenges you?"


    "Sorry about that."


    "Sorry or not, everyone acknowledges that the Constetion of Games has beaten the Constetion of War. So you can say there''s no need to fight anymore. Let''s take it easy and rest during the sabbatical, please."


    "But I can¡¯t avoid a challenge thates at me."


    "That''s exactly the problem."


    Wisdom, who was next to them, said, "Crampus, I admit Hegemonia can be noisy, but isn¡¯t it hard to say their fights only bring trouble to the Hall of Myriad Stars? The contests during thest sabbaticals varied greatly, but ultimately they led to strategic achievements and became intellectual assets for the Hall of Myriad Stars."


    "That''s...a good point, but...." Crampus asked, "Wouldn''t we have won even without them?"


    Wisdom''srge Kepler-Poinsot dodecahedron head began to spin. "We would have won without them, yes. But we''ve only encountered five worlds so far. Compared to the infinite possible worlds, we haven''t even stepped off the starting line. Among the enemies we''ll face, there will surely be those as dangerous as us, if not more, so we must keep racing endlessly."


    As Crampus pondered how to counter Wisdom''s argument, Lunda raised her hand.


    "I have aint too."


    "What''s yourint, Lunda?"


    Wisdom asked, to which Lunda replied, "If it''s really that important and valuable, why do only the two of them get topete?"


    "Hm?"


    It was Wisdom who expressed his confusion, but the other Constetions also turned their attention to Lunda.


    Lunda continued to say, "It''s not like the two of them are protecting the worlds alone, right? Think about the secondst strategy, where the gate Neb was protecting got destroyed with an incredibly low probability, causing chaos."


    "Sure, it was a one in a hundred thousand chance, but it was bad luck."


    "At that time, because there were preparations for follow-up, Neb justughed it off, saying, ''If it failed at this probability, it can''t be helped,'' but what if such probabilities repeat several times, someday in the future? Then the rest would have to lead the game in a scenario where Neb has been defeated, right?"


    "I understand, Lunda. But Neb said he doesn''t n to force the Constetions on what to do during the sabbatical. Practicing the game is not the only way to win. Our interests and characteristics, even what we thought were insignificant ws, might lead us to other possibilities of victory that we hadn''t known."


    "I''m not saying to force ying games." Lunda mmed the table, imitating Hegemonia. "I¡¯m just saying I want to y too."


    At that, Sung-Woon and Hegemonia looked at Lunda.


    "What?"


    "With you?"


    Lunda forced a smile, but her temples twitched. "Can you stop with those dismissive remarks?"


    Wisdom said, "Well, ording to the Sanctuary, this sabbatical will be long enough, so there''s no reason for those two to object."


    Sung-Woon nodded, but Hegemonia shook her head.


    "How dare you try toe in between us...."


    Lunda quickly interrupted Hegemonia. "I think not only me but other Constetions also have the right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the only one who wants to challenge you two. We should also consider the opinions of those who aren''t here tonight."


    "What do you think, Neb?"


    Upon Wisdom''s question, Sung-Woon rested his arms on the table and interlocked his fingers.


    "I ept the challenge."


    "There''s no need to take it so...seriously, is there? Although it¡¯s preparation for the next world, it''s still a sabbatical. The main goal is to rest, and it''s fine to enjoy some leisure if possible."


    "I take all games seriously." Sung-Woon nced at the other Constetions seated at the table and then, ignoring Hegemonia who started to get annoyed as the duel of just the two of them was being disrupted, said to Lunda, "So, Lunda. Do you have any game in mind?"


    "Of course."


    "What is it? I think I have an advantage in most games."


    That was true. As gods and now as Constetions, all yers had be beings of greatness iparable to their distant human past. Each Constetion had the power and capability to wholly govern a world. Yet, when it came to games, it seemed far-fetched to beat Sung-Woon.


    <i>¡®But I have a n too.¡¯</i>


    Having nned this for a long time, Lunda had a game in mind that she could win against Sung-Woon.


    Lunda snapped her fingers, creating sunsses, and put them on while saying, "Mafia."


    ***


    A week ago, at the Hall of Myriad Star¡¯s gymnasium, Lakrak asked, "...What is the Mafia game?"


    Lakrak seemed as if asking nonchntly, but the tip of his tail wagged slightly, indicating he was interested.


    In the gymnasium, with the Hall of Myriad Stars'' towering triangr towers in view, Lunda answered the anticipated question, "It''s a party game from Earth. Actually, there are simr types of games, and although you might not have yed them, I know there were simr ones in Avartin called by various names like Lupus in Tab, Among Us, and so on...."


    Lakrak blinked and then asked another question. "What¡¯s a mafia?"


    "Do I need to start from there?"


    "Yes."


    "Well, how should I put it, it''s a group that engages in violence...."


    "Are you talking about warriors?"


    Lunda cleared her throat. "No, not like an army that follows the orders of a king or a republic, but a group thatmits illegal acts independently."


    "Oh, you''re talking about a gang of thugs. Ruffians. Loitering around doing nothing but causing trouble in the fields."


    "Um...simr. But it''s not just that, it''s the name forrge criminal organizations that the state power can¡¯t get rid of. They extort protection money from local merchants or smuggle goods that are illegal to trade."


    "Do they just let that happen on Earth?"


    "Well...there were simr things in Avartin. You wouldn''t have seen them during your lifetime though."


    "Hmm."


    Lakrak nodded as if he roughly understood; everyone tended to think based on their own life experiences. Lakrak, who often looked down at Avartin from the Hall of Myriad Stars whenever he had the time, seemed to have a hard time understanding the concept of allowing such violence-oriented organizations to exist, as he had never allowed anything simr during his time.


    Lunda continued to exin, "Anyway, the game is divided into two teams, the Mafias and the citizens. The Mafias are hidden in a small town, and while the citizens have to identify the members of this criminal group, the Mafias need to eliminate the citizens one by one.


    The game progresses through cycles of day and night, with the Mafias killing a citizen each night, and during the day, the hidden Mafias and citizens vote to hang and kill someone suspected of being a Mafia. If the person suspected of being Mafia receives a majority of votes, they are executed."


    Lunda paused to check if Lakrak understood the rules.


    "Hm, what a brutal game. I can¡¯t believe people y such a game with lives at stake."


    "No, people don¡¯t actually die."


    Lakrak''s wagging tail slowed down.


    Lunda hurriedly said, "Neb will probably y."


    "I don¡¯t really understand even after the exnation, but it seems fun."


    His tail resumed its normal speed. While it was good that Lakrak regained interest, it would be problematic if he yed the game without understanding it well.


    Lunda said, "You can ask anything you¡¯re unsure about."


    "Why don''t the citizens set up night watchmen?"


    "...Uh, well, those are just the rules. When it bes night, they irresistibly fall asleep."


    "Are there no warriors? I don''t know how many citizens there are, but if there were warriors with valiant souls, surely a gang of ruffians daring tomit such treachery wouldn''t be able to carry out their will."


    "Well, um...there can be other roles, but no warriors."


    Lakrak snorted as if displeased.


    Lunda continued, "Neb said he had yed it with his friends. Such types of games seem unrted, but apparently, he was good at it."


    "Friends?"


    "Ha, I knew it. You also thought Neb had no friends, didn¡¯t you? But when he was an athlete, he used to y with his teammates in the dormitory...."


    Lakrak interrupted with a serious voice, "Lunda."


    "Yeah?"


    "Life is lived alone. No one can live it for you. If you rely only on friends, what will you rely on when you have none?"


    "...Is there a need to deny the value of friends though?"


    Lakrakughed. "Did he find it fun?"


    "Of course. Why would he bother making time to y it if it wasn''t fun? ...Any other questions?"


    Lakrak crossed his arms and asked, "What are the goals of the Mafias?"


    "What?"


    "If it''s a group generating illegal profits, they wouldn''t want to attract the attention of state authorities. So, isn''t it because they are plotting something in that vige that they still resort to killing?"


    Lunda looked up at the sky for a moment. She could see the towering triangr towers and the countless sparkling worlds above them.


    Afterward, Lunda sessfully exined the Mafia game to Lakrak after spending quite some time.


    "...What do you think, does it seem fun?"


    "It doesn''t seem like a game I would be good at."


    "No, that''s okay. I understand."


    People usually only liked the games they enjoyed.


    "Exining it like this won''t make it seem fun. It would be good to try it once. Or should we call the others and try it?"


    Lakrak understood who Lunda was referring to as the ¡®others.¡¯


    The Hall of Myriad Stars tried to avoid hierarchy as much as possible, but some regarded the Constetions and their Apostles in high esteem and willingly revered them. This was the case even though the Divinity, or more precisely, Presence known as a passive skill from the era of the Pantheon, had now disappeared.


    Moreover, despite having been through several worlds, the members of the Hall of Myriad Stars were overwhelmingly from Avartin and many of them regarded the Constetions as gods.


    In any case, the Hall of Myriad Stars was a bureaucracy. Wisdom, having confirmed that religious perspectives hindered efficient work, suggested that the Constetions refrain from directly interacting with beings other than Apostles, and this was agreed upon by consensus among the Constetions.


    Therefore, the ¡®others'' referred to by a Constetion were Apostles who could y with the Constetions. And usually, the Apostles were busy with various tasks, research, or training, so rest was better without the Constetions.


    Lakrak said, "There''s no need for that. If necessary, I won''t turn down the game."


    "''If necessary,'' you say."


    Lunda and Lakrak red at each other suspiciously. Lunda thought Lakrak was sizing her up.


    Of course, Lunda had her reasons for suggesting they y this game, but without knowing Lakrak''s true intentions, Lunda was unsure how much to share with him. If after hearing everything, he still refused, that would just be abject failure.


    <i>¡®But Lakrak is needed for this n.¡¯</i>


    Meanwhile, Lakrak simply red back at Lunda because she red at him, and for no other particr reason.


    "Lakrak." Lunda ced her hand on Lakrak''s shoulder and said. "Let''s work on something together."

 Chapter 325

    <h4>Chapter 325</h4>


    A week ago, Lunda had been talking with Lakrak in the grand library of the Hall of Myriad Stars, when someone asked, "Hey, where did your partner go?"


    Aldin, wearing arge work suit and carrying boxes piled high enough to block her view, stopped and turned around at someone talking to her. Of course, she couldn''t see the one who talked to her because of the boxes. She had a guess who it could be but wasn''t sure from the voice alone.


    Aldin replied, "...Partner?"


    "Your buddy."


    "...Buddy?"


    "Battle buddy."


    "...What''s that?"


    "Oh, you don''t know?"


    Aldin sighed and ced the boxes on a nearby railing. Below the railing, themon scene of the grand library unfolded with countless bookshelves, schrs exchanging conversation as they walked, and librarians closely examining the shelves.


    Aldin turned toward the voice''s owner, Krampus[1]. "Jang-Wan is neither my partner, buddy, nor battle buddy."


    "You''re always together though."


    "It''s Jang-Wan, not me. And under the guise of supervision."


    "The guise, yes. But from the side, it looks like...."


    "Like an owner and their dog?"


    "...Hmm."


    "Yeah. I''d rather he be on a leash."


    Krampus looked Aldin up and down suspiciously.


    Aldin then furrowed her brows and said, "It''s a joke."


    "If Jang-Wan does anything, tell me right away. Alright?"


    Aldin ignored that statement. "Jang-Wan said she had something to do and left. She doesn¡¯t drag me around everywhere as you think. If you''re curious about where Jang-Wan is, why not ask the Sanctuary rather than me?"


    Krampus replied, "No, it''s alright. I needed to see you, not Jang-Wan. I was actually hoping Jang-Wan wouldn''t be here."


    "You needed to see me? A great Constetion seeks out this low worker?"


    Aldin gestured toward herself with an old-fashioned gesture, slightly spreading her neatly tucked wings.


    It was a gesture Krampus had never seen before so he guessed it was a gesture from old Avartin etiquette, a mix of self-deprecation and slight mockery, but Krampus wasn''t particrly bothered. Even though there was a ss system on Earth, it was hard to notice its existence when interacting only with people of simr status.


    Yet, Krampus didn¡¯t really care much about Aldin''s attitude.


    "Well...are you busy? I won''t take much of your time."


    "I''m in the middle of moving the books filled in these boxes, as per the head librarian''s orders."


    "There are lots of other people to do that job, aren''t there?¡±


    "We...I mean, I am strong. The box can hold more items than it seems, so it''s heavier than it looks. It''s an obligatory service. If I don''t move them in time, I won''t just miss out on merit points, I''ll get demerits."


    The Hall of Myriad Stars, not being a perfect society, naturally had crimes.


    However, the demerit system was partially used by several Constetions and was in use at the grand library. If one damaged books or caused too much disturbance, they would receive demerits, but receiving them wasn''t the end.


    If the demerits remained after a certain period, one would face punishment, but it was also a flexible system in which one could also offset them by earning merit points through volunteered service, or exchange points from other Constetions'' systems.


    For example, 1200 credit points issued by the Constetion of Capitalism, Redmars, could erase one demerit point gained by damaging a book. Wisdom had discussed credit score intion with Redmars, but thought such an extent was eptable.


    Naturally, the Constetionspeted for the top ranks in their respective scoring systems, but Aldin, not being a Constetion, also held a position. Aldin maintained a top-tier level of demerit points, greatly far from second ce, due to her sinsmitted in Avartin.


    Aldin thought Sung-Woon had a bad character.


    <i>...Demerit points? If they had just put me in prison, I simply wouldn''t have had any hope.¡¯</i>


    Those with demerit points received punishment after each set cycle, and being isted in a cell for a certain period was the best way to reduce demerit points.


    At the time, Aldin wasn''t specifically aiming to reduce her demerit points but ended up in solitary confinement. During her time in solitary, there weren''t any good experiences, and the work, which was coding since Wisdom was the warden at the time, was tough, and although it was quite lonely, it was bearable.


    However, a few Constetions, led by Jang-Wan, suggested that solitary confinement should not be overly prolonged, even if the prisoner wished for it, because that choice itself could be a consequence of long-term istion.


    After meticulously reading the stack of documents Jang-Wan wrote up, Wisdom agreed with this opinion, and Aldin was almost kicked out of solitary back into the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    At the time, the second world''s task after Avartin was in progress, and with incidents happening daily in the Hall of Myriad Stars, Aldin''s release didn''t attract much attention.


    Jang-Wan dragged Aldin around, making good times. This caused Aldin to judge that her time in confinement was more distressing than she had thought, and when the time came again for her to receive punishment, she recalled the feelings she had forgotten, being scared of going back to prison.


    Then, Jang-Wan, who was beside her, said with a smile, "Then shall we try another method?"


    Aldin judged that things were going wrong, but by that point, she thought it was already toote.


    Jang-Wan first applied for a suspension of Aldin''s punishment and then visited the central bank of the Hall of Myriad Stars. However, Aldin, being literally a credit delinquent, was unable to take out a credit score loan.


    Therefore, Jang-Wan took out a super low-interest credit loan under her title of a Constetion, deposited it into Aldin''s ount, and Aldin exchanged the credit score for merit points as Jang-Wan instructed. Through that, a significant amount of demerit points was offset and erased, but a vast amount of demerit points still remained.


    "Look, Jang-Wan. This isn''t enough to make any difference. Of course, I''m really grateful for all the effort, but I don''t have any credit points to repay you with and...."


    "Wait, what did you say?"


    "I don''t have any credit points."


    "Before that."


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful?"


    "Say it one more time."


    "...Thank you?"


    Jang-Wan, unlike in Avartin, no longer wore her lion mask, and for some reason, the long-serving secretary of the Pantheon, Bion, now wore the mask. Thus, Jang-Wan showed her bare face and she smiled.


    "No problem."


    "...Are you even listening to me?"


    Jang-Wan tried to raise relief funds for Aldin but faced fierce opposition from her and gave up. So instead, she devised a system that deferred the schedule of penalties ording to the level of merits acquired, and through active lobbying, it was passed by the consensus of the Constetions and the direct vote of the members of the Committee, which was a political body where members were selected by the direct vote of the members of the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    Thanks to this, Aldin was able to engage in low-intensitybor called obligatory service instead of punishment, and at other times, she could work to earn credit scores or other merit points. If she had some spare time in her schedule, she could buy a cake at the caf¨¦ franchise Eldar opened all over the Hall of Myriad Stars for themself or rest at RD''s hot spring hotel.


    Aldin wasn¡¯t even such a noticeable figure anymore. Although the Hall of Myriad Stars had not yet experienced a world as vast as Avartin, ording to Krampus, there were more individuals or groups that no one knew how to deal with now in the Hall of Myriad Stars, and it wasn''t even Aldin who received concentrated criticism during this sabbatical.


    Even such figures were less noticedpared to the new members, the new heroes, who joined the Hall of Myriad Stars. And as time passed, people''s emotions also faded.


    Whenever Aldin soaked her body in the hot spring, she got lost in thought.


    <i>¡®...Is this right?¡¯</i>


    Not everything was over, nor was she in an entirely favorable situation. Generally, people treated Aldin in a public manner, but there were cases like Sha-Cha, who picked a quarrel with her on every asion, and when people became distant upon realizing who Aldin was, it made her realize her current situation again.


    Despite Jang-Wan''s efforts, her demerit points were absurdly high, requiring endless effort over a long time. Continuing the samebor, there were more days ahead than those she already lived, feeling nearly eternal. It seemed manageable if she only looked at the ground while walking, but overwhelmingly distant when she looked up.


    <i>¡®...There are even those who just y around!¡¯</i>


    However, apart from all of that, Aldin felt that she had changed a lot in just a few hundred years.


    <i>¡®Of course, I understand the intention.¡¯</i>


    Aldin thought about Sung-Woon. For Sung-Woon, it would be better to somehow make use of human resources rather than just locking them up in prison. The idea that the purpose of imprisoning criminals was not for punishment but rehabilitation was from Earth, so that worldview would also be familiar to him, and Aldin was acting ording to that intention.


    <i>¡®...It might be for another reason, though.¡¯</i>


    Seeing Aldin''s expression slightly sour, Krampus waved his hands dismissively. "Don''t worry about the demerit points. I¡¯m the one above your superior after all."


    "...No you¡¯re not. Jerome is."


    "Let''s just go with it."


    Even without the intervention of a Constetion, it wouldn''t have been a major problem.


    Aldin leaned on the railing and asked, "So, what is it?"


    "You know the Mafia game, right?"


    Aldin asked back at the sudden topic, "You¡¯re talking about the game from Earth, right? The one with Mafias and citizens?"


    "You know it?"


    Aldin red at Krampus suspiciously, wondering what trick he was ying.


    Although Aldin was from Avartin, she was as familiar with Earth as the people from it, having observed Earth''s culture for a long time, so she understood what Krampus was implying.


    Krampus was the opposite of Santa us. Just as Santa us distributed gifts to good children during Christmas, Krampus took away and ate the bad ones. Choosing Santa us as his ID would¡¯ve been strange, but using Krampus and even following its appearance was somewhatical.


    The sticking point, however, was his appearance. His eyes were bright yellow with ck pupils like those of a goat, making it impossible to discern his thoughts just by looking at his eyes.


    "...Of course I know it. It was yed in Avartin too, just called a different name."


    "Are you good at it? Do you know how to y?"


    "I just told you it was in Avartin too. The rules were even much moreplex. I didn''t y often, but even so, I must have yed it thousands of times."


    "Hey, I asked if you were good at it, not if you yed it a lot. ying it a lot doesn¡¯t automatically make you good at it."


    Aldin slightly gritted her teeth, knowing Krampus was referring to Choi Sung-Woon.


    Krampus felt grateful for the fact that Choi Sung-Woon was an Earthling, and it didn''t take long for both of them to realize the futility of their attitudes.


    "I can y, let''s leave it at that," Aldin replied.


    "Well, I guess there''s no need to be good at the Mafia game."


    "Then why did you even ask if I was good, you jerk."


    Krampus didn¡¯t respond to Aldin¡¯s statement.


    The reason Krampus was recruiting Aldin was because of another ability Aldin possessed.


    Krampus then cleared his throat and said, "Aldin."


    "What?"


    Krampus said, with a smile at the corner of his mouth, "I''m thinking of making you an offer you can''t refuse."


    1. The reasoning behind this character¡¯s name was only just revealed further on in this chapter, so the character''s name will be spelled the correct way, Krampus, instead of the incorrect way, Crampus, from now on. ?

 Chapter 326

    <h4>Chapter 326</h4>


    On the day of the Mafia game, those who agreed to participate in the Mafia game were seated around a round table at the top of the Tower of Beginnings in the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    Sung-Woon had just finished exining the rules of the Mafia game. "...Those are the rules. No one''s confused, right? Sha-Cha, put your hand down. Lakrak, you too. ...Ovenwave, why are you raising your hand? Didn''t you say you''ve yed with friends?"


    Ovenwave said, somewhat embarrassed, "I don''t know the rules, but I just yed."


    "You yed without knowing the rules?"


    "It was fun."


    "You had fun without knowing the rules?"


    Sung-Woon looked around at the others, puzzled.


    Wisdom said, "Looking at us like that won''t make us know any better."


    Lunda said, "It''s just...getting caught up in the moment or something like that."


    As Sung-Woon was about to retort, Sha-Cha raised their hand again.


    Sung-Woon said, "I told you to put your hand down. I''ll give additional exnations."


    "That''s not it."


    "Then what?"


    "I''m asking why that is here."


    "That?"


    Sha-Cha pointed their finger across the round table at Aldin.


    Aldin was tantly avoiding eye contact.


    Sha-Cha continued, "That¡¯s not a Constetion."


    Krampus then interjected, "Sha-Cha, there''s no problem with participating in this game even if someone¡¯s not a Constetion."


    "It''s not about ability. I''m questioning the qualifications."


    "This is just a game."


    Sha-Cha shook their head. "It''s not just any game. Winning this game means defeating the Neb and Hegemonia. And didn''t we also agree on a small bet?"


    The bet, proposed by Lunda, was that the losers would do a favor for the winners.


    This Mafia game was determined to be a series of rounds with a scoring system, where each yer, whether a civilian or a mafia, earned one point for each win, and the first yer to reach ten points would be dered the winner. This meant there could be multiple winners depending on the situation.


    The favor itself was vague and could hardly be considered obligatory, and it was not directed at any particr individual, but it was a favor to be fulfilled by a Constetion after all. Depending on the individual circumstances, it could be significant. However, Aldin was the only one present who was not a Constetion. Therefore, from a certain point of view, it was hard to say that the game was yed with fair stakes.


    Somehow avoiding Sha-Cha''s gaze, Aldin sighed and said, "Alright. It''s probably better if I step out."


    As Aldin was about to get up, Krampus twisted and turned not knowing what to do, thinking he should intervene but couldn¡¯t find a solid reason to do so.


    "Wait." Sung-Woon stopped Aldin and said, "Sha-Cha, are you not going to participate in the game if Aldin ys?"


    "No."


    "So you don¡¯t love the idea, but you¡¯re okay with it, right?"


    "Sure."


    "Then let''s all y together."


    Aldin sat down without a word of thanks.


    Sung-Woon''s gaze was on Krampus, since it was Krampus who had wanted Aldin to participate in the game, and Krampus responded with an awkward smile.


    HumanTracker said, "But didn''t they say they don¡¯t understand the rules even after it was exined? From what I see, they¡¯re more of a problem than Aldin."


    Lunda suggested, "Then let''s make them extras."


    Lakrak asked, "What''s an extra?"


    "A person who participates in the game but doesn''t get wins or losses. So you, Sha-Cha, and Ovenwave, would be extras."


    Krampus murmured to himself, "What is this, an AI mode in LoL[1]?"


    Then Yummy suggested, "Why not just make the first round a practice game instead? If they still don''t understand, they can just drop out of the game then."


    As the yers agreed with Yummy''s suggestion, Sung-Woon also nodded in approval.


    Hegemonia, who had been leaning back in her chair with her hands behind her head, almost tipping over, suddenly snapped and ced her elbows on the round table. "Is that all with the nonsense? Are we starting the game now?"


    Sung-Woon nodded. "With twelve people, three as mafia and the rest as citizens should work, right? Of course, if we''re being strict about the winning rates...."


    Hegemonia interrupted, "It¡¯s fine. Luck is also a skill."


    "You¡¯re not just saying that because there¡¯s no other way to beat me without luck, are you?"


    "Seems like you feel like you¡¯re in trouble if you aren''t able to provoke me, huh?"


    Sung-Woonughed. "Maybe."


    Hegemonia, knowing no good words woulde from Sung-Woon''s mouth, red at him with a scowl.


    Sung-Woon continued, "This Mafia game is streamed throughout the Hall of Myriad Stars, so opposite to your confidence, it''ll be an opportunity to show your terrible skills, won¡¯t it? That¡¯s why I wish you would be more confident."


    Hegemonia gritted her teeth and smiled. "That''s my line."


    As Sung-Woon had mentioned, monitors streaming the Mafia game yers seated around the round table were installed throughout the Hall of Myriad Stars, with its members watching the scene.


    The instation of these monitors and the live streaming of the game were conditions set by Lunda.


    ¡°Well, I guess we can have the loser fulfill a small favor of the winner, but I hope nothing too significant is staked on the game. Instead....¡±


    ¡°...Instead?¡±


    ¡°I''d like it to be broadcast live.¡±


    Sung-Woon didn¡¯t ask why. He was aware that the Constetions of the Hall of Myriad Stars felt annoyed because of Hegemonia. During times of battle against other irrational worlds, they were grateful to be on the same side, but in peaceful times, there was no end to the trouble caused by her stubbornness.


    For example, when Sung-Woon refused topete further after winning three matches, Hegemonia, using the pretext of training for external invasions of the Hall of Myriad Stars, had her Apostlesunch a mock attack on the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    Then, when Post-its that said ¡®dead¡¯ were put on the backs of various Apostles and Constetions, and a Post-it that said ¡®exploded¡¯ was stuck on the mainputer of the Sanctuary, Sung-Woon had no choice but topete against Hegemonia again.


    <i>''Has she never learned how to make friends? Did she lose some screws in her head on her way to Avartin?''</i>


    Still, Sung-Woon thought well of Hegemonia, considering that the power of a Constetion could influence one''s personality. The Constetions chose their power, but the reason for their choice was always inherent within themselves. So Sung-Woon often contemted a life inevitably epassed by war.


    <i>''That¡¯s that.''</i>


    In a game, one could be quite unattractive in the pursuit of victory, but if someone was watching, it also provided an opportunity to view oneself objectively. In other words, they could maintain their dignity. Constetions had to be a role model for other beings, and they also felt that way about themselves.


    Especially Hegemonia, who, although not as much as Sung-Woon, had a significant following.


    <i>''By not hesitating to employ any method to win, if defeated, it would certainly be an embarrassing sight. That might lead to more restraint in seekingpetition.''</i>


    Of course, it could also be the opposite, but Sung-Woon didn''t think too deeply about it. The reason Hegemonia constantly challenged him with literal fire in her eyes was significantly influenced by Sung-Woon''s provocations, but he considered it a strategy and a means to victory and not a problem in itself.


    <i>Anyway...it doesn''t seem like Lunda''s idea alone, there seems to be more to it, but I''ll y along.</i>


    As the tension between Sung-Woon and Hegemonia persisted, Wisdom said, "...Sanctuary. Sorry, but we need a moderator."


    [Of course. It is an honor to be involved in the Constetions'' game.]


    At that moment, a faint white light emerged from beneath the chairs where the yers were seated.


    The Sanctuary continued,


    [Currently participating yers will be illuminated by this light. The light will turn off for those eliminated through mafia nomination or civilian vote, and they will be blurred and muted using a visual distortion field. The mafias can recognize each other andmunicate through internal conversation before deciding on a target. The mafia discussion time is 30 seconds, civilian discussion time is 10 minutes, and the rebuttal time during the first vote is 30 seconds. Would you like to proceed with the game?]


    All yers expressed their agreement in their own ways.


    [...Mafia nominationplete. Night has fallen.]


    Sung-Woon blinked. In the corner of his vision floated the words ''Role: Mafia.'' Then he realized that the Sanctuary hadn''t mentioned how the night would be simted, but now he came to know.


    What he had thought were just decorative ck cloths above the round table had be curtains that obscured the yers'' vision. They blocked not just the visible spectrum, but also ultraviolet and infrared, and even other senses not limited to sight. It was a curtain imbued with magic.


    [Mafias, please confirm each other.]


    <i>''How do we do that?''</i>


    Sung-Woon wondered but soon found out. The mafia''s vision could prate the curtain, and they could see who the other mafia were through the fabric.


    After identifying the other two mafias, Sung-Woon smiled bitterly.


    <i>''Well, this has turned out rather tricky.''</i>


    After discussing with the other two mafias, Sung-Woon nominated their first target to be killed for the first night.


    ***


    [Day has dawned.]


    [The victim of the first night is yer Neb.]


    After the ck curtains were drawn back, the yers looked at each other, remaining silent for a moment.


    Sung-Woon, hidden behind an opaque wall, sat quietly without making any move.


    Hegemonia was the first to speak. "As expected. Although, it¡¯s unfortunate they killed Neb first instead of me."


    Hearing this, Lakrak nodded.


    Then Ovenwave, perhaps annoyed at Lakrak''s nodding as if he knew something despite iming to know nothing about the game, asked, "Um...Hegemonia, did you anticipate who was going to die?"


    "Of course." Hegemonia nodded. "The mafias would want to kill the person who seems like they would y the best first. I don''t particrly agree, but I know that Neb is rtively recognized by others as being good at the game. So, it makes sense, in a way. Hmm, but with such an obvious person dead, it''s tricky to decide whom to suspect...."


    Lunda said, "I have someone in mind to suspect Hegemonia."


    "Who?"


    "It''s you!" Lunda pointed a finger at Hegemonia.


    "Me? Haven''t you learned to never make a bet unless you¡¯re sure?"


    "Well, of course I have my reasons."


    "Let''s hear it then."


    Lunda held up three fingers. "First, you want to beat Neb."


    "It''s just a practice game."


    "Even if it''s just a practice game, you want to win. Even if you im it''s not true, at the very least, to others it seems you wouldn''t give even a practice game away. Anyway, with Neb dead, you''re rtively winning, aren''t you?"


    "...Well, go on."


    "Second." Lunda took a breath before continuing. "You were the first to speak after seeing Neb''s death."


    "So what?"


    "It''s a Mafia game. Everyone knows that controlling public opinion is key to winning. But the more one feels threatened, the more hasty they also be."


    "So, you suspect me just because I spoke first? Just based on the order?"


    "Not solely for that reason. There''s a third reason."


    Hegemonia furrowed her brows and waited for Lunda to continue.


    Lunda said, "Your words."


    "What I said?"


    "Honestly, if Neb died, you''d be the most suspected. But you tried to deflect suspicion from yourself by saying someone definitely wanted Neb dead first to avoid suspicion at all costs."


    Hegemonia smiled. "Interesting."


    1. League of Legends ?

 Chapter 327

    <h4>Chapter 327</h4>


    Wisdom said, "It seems like a somewhat reasonable inference. Any counterarguments?"


    "It¡¯s a reasonable inference? What nonsense. First of all, while I do want to beat Neb, I look at the bigger picture and desire a victory in a broader sense. Also, I don¡¯t just expose all my cards in a game like this.


    Second of all, I only spoke first because you¡¯re all cowards who didn¡¯t want to be suspected of being the mafia. And the third reason only makes meugh. If not Neb, then who were you guys nning to kill? Ask yourselves."


    Wisdom seemed momentarily lost in thought, Krampus murmured from behind wondering if the Mafia game was supposed to be yed this way, and Ovenwave looked back and forth between Hegemonia and Lunda, bewildered.


    HumanTracker said, "Alright...may I say something?"


    Hegemonia red and said, "Speak."


    "In my opinion, the likelihood of you being the mafia, Hegemonia, seems low."


    "Howe?"


    "There are three mafias. Yet, no one here is defending you. And conversely...." HumanTracker pointed at Lunda this time. "Lunda, the same goes for you. I''ve never yed this game before, but as far as I know, these kinds of games turn into battles of public opinion.


    It''s a yground for politicians and swindlers. It''s also hard to find someone who easily agrees with your opinions."


    Hegemonia looked at HumanTracker as if intrigued. "So, you''re trying to give the impression that you aren¡¯t a mafia this way, are you?"


    "Less so than you, at least."


    "Well, since it''se up...." Hegemonia said, crossing her arms. "In the current situation, it would have been better for the other mafias to support either me or Lunda, so why didn''t they?"


    "Perhaps because they like to y safe. Speaking up in this game can be both advantageous and risky at the same time."


    "There might be another reason."


    "Another reason?"


    Hegemonia looked at Sha-Cha, Ovenwave, and Lakrak. "Because they don''t know how to y."


    "Oh."


    At that, Sha-Cha said, "I''m a citizen. I''m not a mafia."


    "Unfortunately, Sha-Cha, a mafia would say the same thing."


    "No, I¡¯m really not...!"


    Before Sha-Cha could finish her defense, Aldin said, "Wait, hold on please. Statistically, the chance that all three of them who don''t know how to y end up being the mafia is too low, isn''t it?"


    Hegemonia responded, "I didn''t say that. Bandage-head, what do you think?"


    HumanTracker nced at Hegemonia for being called that but didn¡¯t show any further reaction. "It might be starting to show its specificity."


    "...What?"


    The game progressed rapidly after that.


    Aldin passionately argued that it was unfair to kill Sha-Cha, but, naturally, she couldn''t present a solid reason. Then, led by Hegemonia and HumanTracker, the other yers joined the consensus, and that day, Aldin was hanged by vote.


    That night, as if it were expected, HumanTracker was killed by the mafias. Hegemonia then asserted her reasoning was correct and hanged Sha-Cha as well.


    However, the next day, Ovenwave was dead instead of Hegemonia.


    This raised questions about why Hegemonia wasn''t killed by the mafias, but Hegemonia counterattacked Krampus, who had raised the suspicion, by saying, "If our predictions are correct, Aldin and Sha-Cha were the mafias, but both are dead now.


    The remaining mafia is observing the situation, so there''s no reason to kill me now. ...Perhaps the mafia thought they could easily hang a citizen through public opinion battles without having to kill with mafia powers."


    After that day, Krampus died, but the game continued into the night. Wisdom then led the suspicion against Hegemonia, but Lunda, who had been in opposition to Hegemonia, started supporting her, achieving a change to Hegemonia¡¯s position.


    Then, despite knowing the rules well and having remained quiet until then, AR1026 received the majority of votes and was hanged. And the following night, Wisdom was killed by the mafias.


    [The game ends with a total of 8 dead, as the number of mafias and citizens are equal at 2 to 2.]


    [The mafias win.]


    Yummy mmed the table and erupted in anger. "Damn it! It was Hegemonia...."


    Wisdom, having somewhat realized during thest round of public debate, murmured while looking at the revealed list of mafias, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."


    [Mafia List]


    [Hegemonia, Lunda, ...Neb]


    ***


    HumanTracker expressed admiration for Sung-Woon, who became visible again after the game was over. "That was quite adventurous."


    Wisdom questioned, "Suicide doesn''t seem like a good strategy in a game like this though."


    "But it worked."


    While Lunda enjoyed her victory by making a peace sign with her fingers, Hegemonia, despite winning, didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood.


    Yummy scratched their head and asked, "So...you guys started with killing Neb, even though he was also a mafia? Why?"


    Sung-Woon exined, "I thought the choices were limited. If you assume no one between me and Hegemonia, known to be good at the game, died, but someone else did instead, it''s simple.


    It wouldn''t directly lead to suspicion of me or Hegemonia as mafia right away, but it would raise doubts in everyone''s mind. You all would have thought about what you would¡¯ve done if you were the mafia. So, it was better judged that one of us dies."


    "And why was it you instead of Hegemonia?"


    Sung-Woon smiled and said, "Because I''m known to be better at the game."


    The yers saw Hegemonia''s brow furrow a bit more. That was the reason for her displeasure.


    Lunda said, "Oh, and Neb wanted to show that the game could also be yed this way since it was just a practice game anyway. He was willing to adopt even a disadvantageous strategy because losing didn''t matter this round. ...Well, do the three of you get it now?"


    Ovenwave stammered, "A...a little bit. But, um...is this what the Mafia game really is?"


    Sha-Cha nodded. "I realized it''s a game where you test dirty tricks. It''s not all that unfamiliar I guess."


    Lakrak asked, "Do friends y such games with each other on Earth?"


    Krampusughed and replied, "That''s why there are more Constetions who don''t y it."


    "There are others who don''t y it for different reasons," Lunda responded.


    Lunda recalled when she had proposed ying the Mafia game together and Jang-Wan smiled broadly and said that she doesn¡¯t y games with Sung-Woon. She had seen Jang-Wan converse fine with Sung-Woon before regarding Aldin''s situation, but Jang-Wan had only kept her temper for the sake of argument, not because she had a good rtionship with Sung-Woon.


    After that, Lunda had also asked Sung-Woon why Jang-Wan acted that way.


    ¡°Do I want to make up with Jang-Wan again? What do you mean? We were this distant even when my sister was around.¡±


    ¡°Then does she just not like ying games?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so. She liked it more than my sister did. She found and yed various games, and that¡¯s why she even yed The Lost World.¡±


    ¡°Then why doesn''t she want to y with you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don''t think there''s a particr reason for that part.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    Sung-Woon shrugged and replied, "If someone likes games, they wouldn¡¯t like losing, would they?"


    Lunda didn¡¯t understand what Sung-Woon meant immediately but realized a secondter. "You really are a savage."


    "Do you know what the bestpliment you can receive from an opponent during a game is?"


    Lunda reconsidered Sung-Woon''s sociability.


    <i>¡®Is it really okay for someone like him to be in the highest position?¡¯</i>


    Just because Sung-Woon represented the Constetions, it didn¡¯t mean he practiced dictatorship.


    The Hall of Myriad Stars, the Prairie of Beginnings, and ces like Loom all had their own right to self-determination and established political structures, and most internal issues were resolved internally.


    However, thanks to the excellent abilities of each individual Constetion, they were used in a role simr to that of a foreign political advisor. For example, Damien served as an ethicsmittee advisor in most political institutions. But they couldn¡¯t be called direct rulers.


    Issues among the Constetions were also resolved through individual consensus, so Sung-Woon didn¡¯t wield any special power.


    <i>¡®But still, having Neb in the highest position is problematic.¡¯</i>


    Even if she didn¡¯t prefer it, the person sitting in the highest position was revered. And as long as the system of Constetions existed, people looked up to those in higher positions.


    Sung-Woon was the brightest star in the Hall of Myriad Stars. Neb''s outstanding abilities were indeed worthy to look up to, but his terrible personality was troublesome.


    <i>¡®Very troublesome.¡¯</i>


    The Hall of Myriad Stars was a good ce. It wasn¡¯t a ce like paradise or utopia, as all kinds of negative events that could happen in other worlds were easily happening in the Hall of Myriad Stars. Therefore, they created and utilized systems such as demerit points and prisons. Issues were well mitigated before they escted, and unless there was a special incident, it would continue to be so in the future.


    <i>¡®But relying solely on optimism would be problematic.¡¯</i>


    The power of the Constetions was the result of a tremendous amount of causality ovepping, yet despite that, the Constetions were not perfect beings. And the same was true for the Hall of Myriad Stars in which they resided. It could break down at any time.


    <i>¡®Just like the old gods, and just like Avartin.¡¯</i>


    Lunda oftenpared her time on Earth to the present. It felt like a distant past, and in reality, the time when she was human was now a small periodpared to her existence as a god and a Constetion.


    Back then, she used to chase the light, but now, like the other Constetions, Lunda herself was the very essence of starlight.


    Yet, what Lunda remembered was a dark and long corridor.


    <i>¡®I must protect it. Anything that could pose a problem must be excluded.¡¯</i>


    Lunda chose Harmony as her Domain.


    ¡®<i>Even if that problem is merely a minor conflict for now.¡¯</i>


    ***


    "Why didn''t you participate in the game?"


    Kyle Lak Orazan was watching the Constetions'' Mafia game on the screen when he heard a voice directed at him from behind.


    Kyle responded without turning around, "It''s a game involving the Constetions after all."


    The Hall of Myriad Stars was filled with various cultural facilities, including plenty of cinemas. Among them were ces not used by a single person as well.


    Kyle hade here for a quiet viewing, but he wasn''t the only one who thought to do so.


    Mazdari, with the form of a Garuda, lightly jumped over the seats and sat down, taking up two seats.


    Mazdari said, "Aldin isn¡¯t a Constetion either. Did the Returner not ask you?"


    "I declined."


    "Why?"


    Kyle kept his gaze fixed on the screen and said, "Before I answer, let me ask you something."


    "Alright."


    "Why didn''t you participate? You¡¯ve already be a Constetion."


    Mazdari had strategies for responding to invasions in the demon world, which was unrted to the conquest of worlds. His achievements met the standards of a Constetion, and Mazdari himself had epted this, thus ascending to the position.


    The Constetion of Magic lightly stroked the tip of his beak and said, "For the same reason as you."


    Kyle responded calmly, "I see."


    "Yup."


    Both focused on the screen and didn¡¯t speak after that.


    ***


    [The victim of the first night is yer Wisdom.]

 Chapter 328

    <h4>Chapter 328</h4>


    Wisdom got blurred. At first he looked like a shadow, sitting quietly as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, but even that silhouette became faint, leaving only a sense of his existence.


    "Shall we talk about the expected sequence of events?" asked HumanTracker.


    Their shapeless, pitch-ck smoke was wrapped in ck bandages, forming a human silhouette. Wearing a ck trench coat of the same color, they looked as if they had stepped out of an old ck-and-white Gothic horror film. However, the red cross light shining from within the bandages breathed life into their existence.


    "First off, it¡¯s not Neb and Hegemonia. Why? If it were them, they would have obviously killed each other. You might think that''s not necessarily true? But inference is ultimately about what is more usible. The probability of both being mafias again? They are independent events? Forget about the previous games.


    Don''t think tooplicatedly. Those two have good win rates in all games and think the same about each other. Unless they are on the same side, they would choose a rational way to increase their win rates."


    As HumanTracker addressed all the anticipated counter arguments, the other yers seemed to take a moment to choose their words.


    Then Neb said, "First, I should probably thank you for the defense. Defending rather than attacking. A strategy of avoiding attacks and creating allies. Good thinking. But defending me and Hegemonia wouldn¡¯t mean you''re suggesting picking anyone from the remaining nine, including yourself, is it?"


    "Of course not. I wasn¡¯t finished." HumanTracker continued, "Killing Wisdom at this point wasn¡¯t a very wise choice. Wisdom is, of course, a great yer but not as much as Neb or Hegemonia. Wisdom has a significant advantage in some games but not in this type of game, and most people here would generally know that.


    So, killing Wisdom was more of an emotional choice than a strategy for victory. In that case, did a yer who hates Wisdom kill him? No. It was done by someone who neither likes nor dislikes him.


    The three mafias didn''t agree with each other, and they only had thirty seconds topromise. And without someone to lead an opinion, they chose a suitable person with whom they could all agree on."


    At this point, Ovenwave raised her hand, but HumanTracker ignored it.


    "From here, three more people who have an emotional connection to Wisdom are excluded. Lunda, Krampus, and AR, who yed together in Avartin. Wisdom is not someone who is said to have deep personal rtionships, but the feelings others have toward Wisdom are different. I will also exclude Yummy.


    If what I know is correct, Yummy would have no reason to refrain from pointing out Hegemonia, as Yummy probably doesn''t have good feelings toward Hegemonia. Sha-Cha also gets excluded. If it were Sha-Cha, they would have pointed out Aldin.


    So, that leaves me, Lakrak, Ovenwave, and Aldin. Of course, I would im that I am not a mafia, but there is no reason for me to exempt myself from my logic. This inference doesn¡¯t mean I am one hundred percent sure they are the mafias. But even if I were to provide a more meticulous basis, I would consider it to be about a thirty percent probability. That is all."


    After one person died on the first night and all three mafias were identified, all yers had another moment of silence.


    Hegemonia, resting her chin on her hand, listened and then said, "Let''s hear any counter arguments. I''m not sure if it can sway me more than what the Constetion of Answers said though."


    Nheless, unconvincing counterarguments followed, and with Sha-Cha''s active support, Aldin was the first to be hanged that day, followed by Ovenwave''s death the next night, which seemed to discredit HumanTracker''s assumptions.


    However, HumanTracker mentioned that team killing among mafias was entirely within their expectations, and the next day, Lakrak was hanged, making all three suspects dead.


    With that, the first game ended with a victory for the citizens.


    Lunda was bewildered on the inside.


    <i>¡®...Did the game just end on the second day?¡¯</i>


    In the second game, Ovenwave was the first to die. Based on the fact that the fool was killed first, Sung-Woon, Hegemonia, Wisdom, and HumanTracker quickly narrowed down the number of possible mafias and killed all of them by the third day.


    In the third game, Sung-Woon died, but under Hegemonia''s lead, inferences were made, and when Hegemonia died the next day, HumanTracker suspected Wisdom. Then, as logic faded, AR1026 was hanged, and after several nights, the game ended after the fifth night with a victory for the mafias. The mafias were HumanTracker, Wisdom, and Yummy.


    In the fourth game, Hegemonia, Krampus, and Ovenwave were the mafias, and after killing Sung-Woon first, they went on to hang HumanTracker, then kill Wisdom, and subsequently won the game.


    Before the fifth game started, Lunda raised her hand. "Just a moment, please."


    All the yers, waiting for their roles, looked at Lunda.


    Sung-Woon asked, "What is it?"


    "Well, it might just be me, but...."


    "Go on."


    "Aren¡¯t the games ending...too quickly?"


    Wisdom replied, "It''s my first time actually ying, so I''m not sure. Is that true?"


    Sung-Woon appeared to ponder for a moment, resting his chin on his hand. "It might be."


    Hegemonia said, "Is the game too easy?"


    HumanTracker, who had been doing well since the official game started, said, "I never thought it was a difficult game to begin with."


    The other yers looked at those who had just spoken. Their expressions weren¡¯t too pleased.


    Aldin then cleared her throat and said, "What if we add some roles?"


    Lunda was the first to react to that suggestion. "Oh, let''s do that. I''ve always yed versions with additional roles."


    "If we''re talking about the Earth version, what was it? Police and doctor, right?"


    "Then let''s add a warrior!"


    Everyone ignored Lakrak''s suggestion. Hegemonia kindled interest, saying it would be fun, but Sung-Woon appropriately calmed the two down.


    Lunda thought, <i>¡®This way, the game just ends under the control of those who y well. I can''t stand to see that happen.¡¯</i>


    By consensus, the two extra roles were added.


    A police officer, who could identify someone as either a mafia or a civilian at night by pointing at them, and a doctor, who could also point at someone at night to revive a person designated for assassination by the mafias, were the added roles.


    Both belonged to the civilians, which did give the civilians a bit more advantage. However, including the practice game, the mafias had won three times more, and the Sanctuary did not necessarily view the addition of roles as automatically advantageous for the civilians.


    With that, the game resumed.


    "Everything is going ording to n."


    Someoneughed behind their curtain.


    ***


    AR1026 thought that she didn''t particrly enjoy games that much.


    The reason she started ying in the first ce was because of another friend. They had always nned to meet at an inte cafe, or that friend wouldn¡¯t answer their phone but would answer right away when messaged through chat in a game. She did enjoy smartphone puzzle games, though.


    The Lost World was also started at the friend''s suggestion, and in that sense, it could be said that she enjoyed The Lost World quite a bit because she had developed a deeper rtionship with that friend and continued to enjoy the game even after they parted ways. Perhaps that made her like the game even more.


    Apart from that, AR1026 enjoyed gaming to a reasonable extent and wasn''t the type of gamer whose mood was greatly affected by winning or losing. Winning was certainly better, but there was always a lesson in losing as well. Hence, AR1026 sometimes thought that people like Sung-Woon or Hegemonia were of a slightly different breed.


    To AR1026, a burningpetitive spirit felt like a condition for being an outstanding gamer. For this reason, AR1026 found it difficult to guess what Sung-Woon was feeling at the moment.


    <i>¡®Would he be angry?¡¯</i>


    Before long, the game had moved beyond its early stages into the middle phase. It was a game where the first to reach 10 points in a 12-yer game would end it. Thus, if it ended quickly, the oue could be decided in just ten games.


    Currently, the game count was at eleven, and while it hadn''t ended, the end was in sight.


    <i>¡®Or would he be anxious?¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon¡¯s score was currently 5 points, which was the same as the lowest scoring yers. On the other hand, the highest score was 8 points, with Hegemonia alone in the lead.


    <i>¡®It wouldn''t be strange even if Neb lost.¡¯</i>


    It could be displeasing for Sung-Woon, but to AR1026, it didn''t seem like such a significant event.


    <i>¡®Both probabilistically and in terms of skill.¡¯</i>


    It was Hegemonia, after all. Just as the Constetion of Games could treat everything as a game, the Constetion of War could treat everything as war. If someone threw their all into every aspect of life as if it were a total war, it wouldn''t be a loss Sung-Woon couldn''t ept.


    Being the Constetion of Games didn''t mean he won every game or had to win every game. Moreover, it was the Mafia game, of all games.


    To AR1026, the essence of the Mafia game was insistence. When suggesting hanging someone first in a Mafia game, the basis was always weak. Despite its weakness, one had to persuade others as if it were logical and rational, not because there was a real reason.


    Those who were good at the Mafia game weren¡¯t necessarily logical and rational people but rather those who were skilled in rhetoric and sociable.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s like conducting a political maneuver. ...Of course, I don''t think Hegemonia is particrly good at that.¡¯</i>


    There could be areas where Hegemonia excelled, but to AR1026, it seemed more that Sung-Woon position was at a disadvantage.


    Sung-Woon was killed on the first night more often than others, and when he was a mafia, the police would first check his role. Naturally, Sung-Woon was a well-knownpetent yer and thus was targeted more frequently.


    <i>¡®So automatically, Hegemonia, known to be the next mostpetent after Neb, could end up being the top yer in the Mafia game....¡¯</i>


    AR1026 nced at Sung-Woon before the start of the eleventh game. Sung-Woon was wearing his buffalo skull mask that he always wore when he yed games after Avartin, as if it were a lucky charm, so it was difficult to discern his expression.


    <i>¡®Well...I didn¡¯t participate this time for Neb nor for the victory of Hegemonia.¡¯</i>


    AR1026 was one of many gamers who used gaming for schemes, rather than for brief stress relief andmunication with friends.


    AR1026 looked at a new friend she made long ago, Lunda.


    <i>¡®Neither side can be left to win, but there¡¯s only 2 points remaining. Is that okay?¡¯</i>


    Lunda immediately felt AR1026''s gaze and looked back, but seemed to be waiting for something more, passing over AR1026''s look.


    ***


    Hegemonia, after seeing the exchange of nces between Lunda and AR1026, was still confident.


    <i>¡®I also know there''s some unpleasant n in the works.¡¯</i>


    Even though it might not have seemed like it, Hegemonia had let Lunda say ridiculous things and intervene between herself and Sung-Woon. That was why she readily jumped into the trap when the Mafia game was suggested as well.


    <i>¡®I''ll show you that whatever your n is, it won¡¯t matter.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 329

    <h4>Chapter 329</h4>


    Typically, games were assumed to be yed under identical conditions. It was about fair y. Fair rules, fair y, fair games. This was true from sports to PC games. Any unfairness was either a limitation of the game or a problem with an unfair system.


    On the other hand, war was different. Wars were almost always fought under uneven conditions, and there were times when one had to engage in war even in situations where defeat seemed inevitable.


    <i>¡®That''s why any means are considered eptable.¡¯</i>


    First, hacking the Sanctuary was out of the question. Unlike Sung-Woon, Wisdom, or Tael, who could make that possible, Hegemonia admitted shecked the capability to do so. However, there were still many ways to win besides that method.


    The Mafia game was essentially about persuading randomly changing team members. Then one could simply threaten the game''s participants to assist in their victory before the game began. Yet, Hegemonia had also decided to set aside that method for the time being.


    "But aren¡¯t you engaged in a greater war?¡± asked Salkait.


    "I know," replied Hegemonia.


    "The Constetions arerades in the great war that you are part of."


    "I said I know."


    "Also, regarding Neb and the other Constetions...."


    "I told you, I know. Salkait, stop. I''m not gonna threaten the other Constetions. Don''t worry."


    After that conversation with Salkait, he seemed to have given a knowing smile, but Hegemonia erased it from her mind.


    <i>¡®That puppy has be wily since bing a Constetion.¡¯</i>


    Salkait, once an Apostle of Hegemonia, became the second Constetion of Avartin after Lakrak.


    If Lakrak mentioned Salkait bing a Constetionter than himself, Salkait would im that, although true, as the Constetion of Martial Arts, they were stronger, which would lead to childish quarrels, such as Lakrak threatening to imprison Salkait under the title of the Constetion of Judgement, often causing the secretaries of both Constetions to clear their throats awkwardly out of embarrassment.


    Anyway, there were plenty of ways to win the Mafia game besides hacking and threatening. And Hegemonia was recording the highest score through such methods.


    <i>¡®Neb, you must have thought of your own method too.¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia looked toward Lakrak, Sha-Cha, and Yummy. Hegemonia saw the participation of the three yers in the game as naturally due to Sung-Woon''s persuasion. If the teams kept changing, the rtionships before the game inevitably influenced the game.


    <i>¡®So he must have put those three in the game.¡¯</i>


    Seeing that Lakrak, Sha-Cha, Yummy, and Sung-Woon weren¡¯t actively presenting themselves as a team, it seemed Sung-Woon had not actively asked the three to assist him. However, their behavior appeared to be in support of him.


    The three had clear motives. Lakrak was Sung-Woon¡¯s Apostle, Sha-Cha wanted to repay a debt to Sung-Woon, and Yummy was burning with revenge against Hegemonia.


    Therefore, Lakrak and Sha-Cha acted to save and protect Sung-Woon, while Yummy moved to kill Hegemonia.


    <i>¡®There must be a reason they didn¡¯t actively form a team, but it''s ultimately a mistake. The consistent pattern of behavior makes it easier to infer.¡¯</i>


    Of course, Hegemonia could have pointed out before the game started that Lakrak or other yers ying together was not fair.


    However, she didn¡¯t do that. Since Sung-Woon and the other yers implicitly agreed on the participation of biased yers in the game, this Mafia game became a game of arger scale that did not guarantee any fairness or neutrality.


    <i>¡®But in the end, the winning method will not be Neb''s but mine.¡¯</i>


    And that method was...


    ***


    "Bribery."


    Sairan Muel repeated what Hwee-Kyung said, puzzled. "Bribery...you say?"


    The city named Little Orazen was one of the most famous ces in the Hall of Myriad Stars, precisely, in the Prairie of Beginnings which belonged to the Hall of Myriad Stars. Although it was called Little Orazen, the name was just adopted from what Krampus called it. Now, it had little to do with Orazen, bing a gathering ce mainly for those from the empire of Avartin.


    Those who wished to continue their lives as before or remember such lives gathered in this city, so it wasmon to see individuals from the old empire, before the unification, gathering here.


    Though Hwee-Kyung and Sairan, being from ck Scale, felt closer to kingdoms or tribes rather than the unified empire or previous empire, making Little Orazen not a ce of nostalgia for them, they found its atmosphere of an unfamiliar past enough to visit asionally.


    It also had plenty of good bars.


    "I¡¯m certain. It''s bribery," Hwee-Kyung affirmed again, pointing at the monitor.


    The monitor disyed the Constetions ying the Mafia game, with Hwee-Kyung pointing at Hegemonia.


    Sairan then pulled up a chair and sat down, asking, "But Hwee-Kyung, aren''t assets useless in the Hall of Myriad Stars? I mean, I''ve heard it''s trendy these days but...."


    "Hmm, Sairan," Hwee-Kyung said after she spun her chair around to face Sairan.


    Hwee-Kyung squinted. It was a look Sairan had seen often. It was the look of being drunk, with unfocused eyes. But considering Hwee-Kyung''s drinking limit, she hadn¡¯t had enough to lose her cognitive abilities.


    Sairan listened seriously to Hwee-Kyung''s words.


    "The Constetions created all this. But do you think all of it is fake?"


    "Not really."


    "It''s actual reality. And constructing this reality took significant effort and resources."


    "I know that."


    "Having limited resources means they can be traded."


    "And being tradable means value is generated. Hmm, I understand."


    The various elementsposing the Hall of Myriad Stars were created through the consensus of the Constetions. However, some spaces had the distinct taste of their creators, making it possible to discern who they were.


    Hwee-Kyung, as an Apostle, was one of those closest to the Constetions and knew that transactions of some sort urred among them. Previously, exchanges would have been like those of early civilizations, through barter or promises for things like the size of a space, but now with the use of currency, it was likely that the Constetions also used it.


    <i>¡®The assets of the Constetions are not limited to space alone. The power they possess can also be seen as an asset, or even the time they spend together.¡¯</i>


    Though not gods, to those at the very bottom, the Constetions still held a status akin to that of gods. In fact, those who ruled over a world were still called gods, so the Constetions continually contested with them.


    "...Anyway, the Constetions will need money in some form, whether it''s in the form of a shop, gold, or coins."


    Gold had been consistently used as currency in the Prairie of Beginnings. Although the Prairie of Beginnings was now virtually the size of a, being artificially created by the Constetions meant unnecessary elements weren''t deliberately made.


    For example, there was no need to create mines for extraction of resources throughbor. Thus, most metals came from the disposal of already made ornaments, with gold being especially rare.


    Coins were a nickname for credit scores issued by Redmars. This currency, created in the main Hall of Myriad Stars, became popr there after the Apostles of Redmars learned they referred to it as such.


    There were tales of the Constetions havingplex expressions at the mention of this term, but the other members had no way of knowing as Earth stories were prohibited unless the Constetions themselves spoke of them.


    Sairan thought Hwee-Kyung''s words were usible but still had questions.


    "But to bribe the Constetions, it would require an immense amount of funds. Wouldn''t it be more usible to persuade rather than bribe, if it came to that?"


    Hwee-Kyung, looking back and forth between Sairan and the monitor, muttered as if unsure what to say, then finally said, "With <i>Hegemonia</i>?"


    "<i>Ahem</i>, Hwee-Kyung, someone might hear you."


    "Oh, my bad. But who would want to be on the same side as Hegemonia?"


    Sairan nodded in agreement.


    Hwee-Kyung didn¡¯t have any ill feelings toward Hegemonia.


    The general consensus on the Constetion of War was that she was extremelypetent, yet troublesome. Her personality couldn''t be deemed evil, but she wasn''t someone one would particrly want to befriend.


    In strategies, she was a reliable ally, but during sabbaticals, one could wonder why she acted the way she did.


    Jerome of the Grand Library and Noah of the Ark, who had suffered direct damage from Hegemonia, had even hosted meetings proposing to ban her from certain spaces. Although it was resolved somewhat by Sung-Woon¡¯s mediation, with Hegemonia agreeing to be more careful, she also held grudges.


    Fortunately, Hegemonia being a Constetion meant that there was little asion to be near her unless one went to the main Hall of Myriad Stars.


    Sairan said, "Then how could the Constetion of War have arranged the funds? Of course, if she had received donations from her followers in the past, the amount would be considerable...."


    If such an event had urred, it would have been a major issue throughout the Hall of Myriad Stars. As far as Sairan knew, he had never witnessed such a thing.


    However, it was also difficult to see Hegemonia as having umted arge amount of funds.


    Unlike with merit points, it was impossible to tell who had the highest credit score, but it was well-known that Hegemonia was a Constetion that had little interest in such earnings up to that point.


    "Well, nothinges to mind immediately. Even if she guaranteed a victory, that game itself doesn''t offer a prize... Oh."


    As Hwee-Kyung eximed and stood up, Sairan looked at her, puzzled. "Did you think of something?"


    "Sairan, let''s go out."


    "Huh? I like the quiet atmosphere here, though."


    Hwee-Kyung whispered in Sairan''s ear, "Shouldn''t we help Night Sky win?"


    ***


    <i>¡®I just need to win two more times.¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia thought this before the eleventh game.


    <i>¡®Then, I win.¡¯</i>


    She knew that winning this game wouldn''t bring significant honor.


    Even if someone granted a favor, Hegemonia had nothing in particr to ask of other Constetions, let alone Sung-Woon. Hearing ¡®I lost, Hegemonia¡¯ as a favor would only feel good for a moment.


    To Hegemonia, winning over Sung-Woon held iparable value in itself, but that value wasn''t recognized by others. Compared to that, the price of winning was quite high.


    Specifically speaking, things would be troublesome if she didn¡¯t win.


    [...The mafias have been chosen. Night has fallen.]


    [Mafias, please confirm each other.]


    Hegemonia slightly raised her eyebrows.


    <i>¡®And the other mafias?¡¯</i>


    It was Wisdom and Aldin. Neither was a yer Hegemonia had bribed.


    <i>¡®No problem. Actually, it''s good.¡¯</i>


    The more the bribed individuals were on different teams, the better. That way, they could sway public opinion as citizens.


    Moreover, these two weren¡¯t like Lakrak, Sha-Cha, and Yummy, who could be considered on Sung-Woon¡¯s side. So they wouldn¡¯ interfere with Hegemonia''s strategy.


    Hegemonia knew without question that, of course Aldin, and the other yers from the third continent, were close with Sung-Woon, but Wisdom was always strict when it came to games.


    <i>¡®As expected.¡¯</i>


    Wisdom immediately pointed to Sung-Woon, and Aldin nodded in agreement.


    However, Hegemonia shook her head.


    Then Wisdom asked,


    <i>-Why?</i>


    Hegemonia replied,


    <i>-He died in the first round too many times until now. It¡¯s likely that the doctor will save him.</i>


    <i>-Well, I guess that could be true.</i>


    Wisdom agreed, but Aldin still thought Sung-Woon should be killed.


    Aldin asked,


    <i>-So, is there someone to kill?</i>


    Hegemonia smiled on the inside. The person to kill was already decided.


    Being able to involve yers rted to oneself in the game or bribe yers with money, naturally, the Constetions could use their security systems formunication. The yers and the Sanctuary hadn¡¯t created a rule prohibiting the use of this internalwork, which required even the Sanctuary to go through procedures in order to ess it.


    The following conversation took ce in the internalwork entered by Hegemonia and the three bribed individuals:


    Hegemonia: I''m a mafia.


    Krampus: I''m a citizen.


    HumanTacker: Citizen.


    Ovenwave: Um...it says I''m the police. What should I do?


    This was a favorable opportunity.


    Hegemonia: Pick anyone.


    Ovenwave: Anyone?


    Hegemonia: You''re going to die today anyway.


    Ovenwave: What?


    Krampus: May your soul rest in peace.


    HumanTacker: Byeee.


    Hegemonia then said to her mafia partners,


    <i>-Let''s kill Ovenwave.</i>

 Chapter 330

    <h4>Chapter 330</h4>


    Both were puzzled, but Hegemonia said,


    <i>-Let''s bring some chaos. We can''t just y in the same pattern, can we? Even making the doctor mess up will be useful.</i>


    Wisdom and Aldin looked at each other, then, trusting Hegemonia, they decided to kill Ovenwave, who was ying the role of the police. After all, Hegemonia was currently the top scorer in this Mafia game, so they trusted her word.


    [The day has dawned.]


    [The victim of the first night is yer Ovenwave.]


    In the rules of this Mafia game, a yer''s role wasn¡¯t revealed even after their death.


    When Sung-Woon didn¡¯t die first like he had until now, the yers found the twist intriguing.


    Krampus, a confidant of Hegemonia, impudently said to Sung-Woon, "You were lucky tonight, huh?"


    Sung-Woonughed and replied, "I guess I¡¯ll actually get to y the game for once."


    "Still feeling confident, I see?" Hegemonia asked.


    As Hegemonia teased Sung-Woon, he let out a rare sigh. "Well, yeah. I haven''t lost yet, have I?"


    A conversation took ce within Hegemonia''s inner circle.


    HumanTracker: Are we targeting Neb right on the first day?


    Hegemonia: ''Because he''s a mafia, he didn''t die on the first night''...sounds like solid reasoning.


    Krampus: Tracker, you start.


    HumanTracker then said, "It''s rare you weren¡¯t targeted on the first day, so perhaps you got a role that¡¯s rare too, huh?."


    "Is that what you think?" Sung-Woon leaned toward the round table and said, "Then, like in the seventh game, it''s likely that the police immediately checked if I was a mafia or not. Do you agree?"


    "Of course."


    "And generally, the person who tries to bury someone first is more likely to be a mafia, right?"


    "I''ll ept that."


    It would be fine to kill Sung-Woon, but likewise, it would also benefit Hegemonia, who was currently a mafia, if HumanTracker, a civilian, were to die.


    The other mafias also watched the situation to ensure they didn¡¯t draw any unnecessary attention.


    Lunda, watching their conversation, said, "Uh, so...who¡¯s the police? Is Neb the mafia? Even if Neb isn''t, I think it''s fine toe out if someone has found a mafia. After all, that method has had good odds of winning until now."


    Of course, the police stayed silent. The yers thought there were a few possibilities for doing so. Either Sung-Woon wasn''t a mafia, they hadn''t found another mafia, or perhaps the police had died.


    "Of course they won¡¯te forward."


    Among the yers pondering, Sung-Woon muttered ahead of them, "Because I''m the police."


    Hegemonia almost unintentionally shouted at Sung-Woon because Sung-Woon had confidently dered himself a fake police.


    <i>¡®Why would you dere yourself as a fake police when it¡¯s unknown if the police is dead or not?¡¯</i>


    There was a moment of silence, suggesting that he could have assumed the police was already dead.


    <i>¡®...But based on what?¡¯</i>


    Even if defeat was right in front of Sung-Woon, dering himself as the police only seemed like a risky bet.


    The fake police was a strategy where someone who wasn¡¯t the police, either a civilian or a mafia, dered themselves as the police and quickly started using others, leading to the hanging of civilians. However, this strategy was typically a mafia tactic, and if a civilian did it, it was just trolling.


    Hegemonia¡¯s inner circle buzzed.


    Krampus: Well, this is troublesome.


    Ovenwave: W...what''s happening?


    Hegemonia: You, be quiet.


    HumanTracker: Option 1, just let it happen.


    Hegemonia: Why?


    HumanTracker: The chances of finding the mafias are low anyway, and public opinion is on our side.


    That was true. There were two people on Hegemonia''s side in her internalwork, and two other mafias making five people on her side in total. If Hegemonia dered to hang someone, they would be able to hang them on the first morning without much issue.


    HumanTracker: Option 2, someone steps forward as the real police.


    This was also amon tactic. If a fake police had emerged, it was entirely possible that a real police was out there somewhere.


    Hegemonia quickly pondered. Themunication through the internalwork and the Constetion¡¯s inner calctions only took about ny milliseconds.


    Hegemonia: Let''s go with a real police counter.


    Krampus: From us? Or from one of the mafias?


    Hegemonia: That¡¯ll bring doubt on the internalwork.


    Being able to use it didn¡¯t mean there was no risk if they got caught.


    Hegemonia: From the mafias.


    Krampus: Directly?


    Hegemonia: No.


    Mafias couldn¡¯tmunicate except at night.


    "...That¡¯s unfortunate, Neb."


    Therefore, during the thirty second meeting time, they agreed on simple hand signals.


    Wisdom said, "Because I¡¯m the real police."


    "Interesting, Wisdom. ...Who did you check?"


    "HumanTracker. A civilian. And you?"


    "I checked...." Sung-Woon raised his head and pointed at Aldin. "Aldin."


    "Was she a civilian?"


    Sung-Woonughed. "She was a mafia."


    Aldin looked extremely bewildered.


    Hegemonia wanted to punch her.


    The other yers might not have realized, but to Hegemonia, it was too obvious that Aldin''s expression wasn''t an act, and it wasn¡¯t because Hegemonia knew Aldin was actually a mafia.


    Even if Aldin could be good at other games, she was terrible at games that required bluffing with facial expressions.


    <i>''But I might y games with her again someday, so I have no intention of revealing her weaknesses.''</i>


    Sung-Woon likely wouldn¡¯t have told Aldin anything either for the same reason. Telling her didn''t seem like it would easily fix anything, especially after living that way for tens of thousands of years.


    <i>¡®...Well, it seems no one but Neb has noticed her expressions yet.¡¯</i>


    Aldin defended herself, "What, why? That¡¯s so out of the blue.¡±


    "Why are you so taken aback?"


    "Well it¡¯s absurd, isn''t it? If you''re the real police, why would you point me out first? There are much smarter Constetions."


    Sung-Woon replied, "It''s luck."


    "Luck?"


    "Since earlier, the game has been flowing too logically due to standardized patterns. So, I just randomly picked someone. And you were the one who was unlucky."


    Wisdom said, "Neb, you''ve been making unreasonable ims since earlier. If you were really the police, you would have said so from the moment you were first suspected. But you only dered yourself as the police after facing a crisis. It looks like nothing more than pretending to be the police to survive."


    "But I was the first to dere myself as the police." Sung-Woon retorted, "And I have doubts about you too. Why check HumanTracker instead of me and Hegemonia, who have been consistently checked by the police until now? Isn¡¯t that a bit strange? Did you also choose randomly like me?"


    The discussion continued almost until the end of the given time for debate, and it was intense.


    The internalwork buzzed with discussion.


    Krampus: Who are we going for? Neb?


    Hegemonia: Who else would we go for? We have five votes on our side, just hang him.


    Hegemonia also sent a hand signal to the other mafias. It meant that they would hang the person the mafias had agreed to target during the discussion.


    Before night came, the votingpletion window appeared.


    [The vote has beenpleted.]


    [Result of votes from 11 yers:]


    [Aldin 6, Neb 5]


    The other yers lost their right to speak, and Aldin''s defense began. Aldin''s defense was somewhat lengthy andcked any clear strategy.


    [Agree 6, Disagree 5]


    [Aldin was hanged by the civilians.]


    [Night has fallen....]


    Hegemonia furrowed her eyebrows.


    <i>-This doesn''t make sense, does it?</i>


    Wisdom said,


    <i>-Neb''s argument sounded usible...but I didn''t expect this.</i>


    The internalwork was also in chaos.


    Hegemonia: What happened!?


    Krampus: Did someone make a mistake?


    HumanTracker: Stay calm, the numbers are correct, aren''t they?


    Krampus: That''s true, but...


    HumanTracker: The important part is whates next. Who are we going to kill tonight?


    Wisdom said,


    <i>-Hegemonia, in this situation, wouldn''t it be better if I die?</i>


    <i>-Just wait a second, let''s think about this.</i>


    With the police revealed, it would be strange for the mafias not to kill the police. If Wisdom died, it could seem like the mafias were trying to kill the real police, but conversely, Sung-Woon could im that the mafias killed one of their own.


    Simrly, killing Sung-Woon was an option, but that presented another issue. There was the possibility of the doctor saving him. Then, the fake police would continue to act freely.


    <i>-The vote shows the civilians are favorable toward Neb. They believe he''s the police, and it''s likely the doctor will save him.</i>


    <i>-But two people seem like they¡¯re doubting him. Couldn''t one of them be the doctor?</i>


    <i>-...That¡¯s unlikely though.</i>


    <i>-If you say so.</i>


    After deliberation, Hegemonia said,


    <i>-Let''s kill someone unrted.</i>


    <i>-Who?</i>


    <i>-Someone who won¡¯t result in us being revealed as the mafias.</i>


    Hegemonia nced at Lakrak, Sha-Cha, and Yummy, then shook her head. Targeting them would likely bring up Hegemonia''s specificity.


    <i>-...Let''s go with AR.</i>


    Hegemonia''s strategy was simple.


    Though only four votes remained on her side, maintaining them was enough to win by unanimous vote. It wasn''t sufficient to guarantee a win, but it was enough to sway public opinion. Therefore, there was no need to kill Wisdom and reduce those votes.


    However, as soon as day dawned, Sung-Woon said, "Hegemonia is a mafia."


    Hegemonia felt her head spinning. "Why me? There''s no evidence."


    "It''s the same as with Aldin. I randomly chose someone."


    "Shouldn''t you have checked Wisdom?"


    "From my perspective, Wisdom is already a confirmed mafia, so there''s no reason for me to check."


    It wasn''t a wrong statement.


    Hegemonia argued, "As you know, starting a 12-yer game and randomly picking two out of three mafias isn''t highly probable."


    "But each police check is an independent trial. Are you trying to argue that because the likelihood of such coincidence is low, you aren¡¯t a mafia?"


    "I¡¯m saying it¡¯s not probable."


    "Unfortunately, reality is such that even seemingly absurd things can happen."


    Hegemonia looked at Wisdom.


    Then Wisdom said, "I checked Neb. He''s a mafia."


    Sung-Woon shook his head. "It''s time to make a choice. There are two supposed police but you can¡¯t follow both. It''s either me or Wisdom. But there''s a difference between us. Wisdom has only found me as a mafia, whereas I''ve found all the remaining mafias.


    I wonder if there''s any point in continuing the game when it''s already over. Is that okay? It''d be bitter to lose despite having the mafias identified by the police right in front of you."


    Hegemonia urgently spoke through the internalwork.


    Hegemonia: What are you guys doing?


    HumanTracker: Thinking logically.


    Krampus: I''ll step up.


    However, Krampus''s logic, suggesting Sung-Woon randomly chose AR to kill because he was a mafia, was poor. It was a waste of time.


    HumanTracker then said, "What if we kill both since we can''t trust either?"


    "Is that what you really think? Even if both of us being fake police is unlikely?"


    Hegemonia thought,<i> They''re both fake!</i>


    HumanTracker continued, "But after calcting, killing both of you still leaves civilians with an advantage. It''s like ensuring one less mafia."


    "That''s one way to see it. But in this situation, I want to discuss a different possibility."


    "A different possibility?"


    Sung-Woon continued, "The possibility that there are other insiders, not just civilians or mafias, forming a team."


    HumanTracker showed no reaction. "Evidence?"


    "It''s hard to disclose yet. But remember, we, including the Sanctuary, didn''t prohibit the use of security systems during the Mafia game. So, that possibility is always open. I''m not saying we need to actively uncover who they are because using the game''s open possibilities to our advantage is more interesting. ...And apart from the game, those insiders are aiming for their victory...."


    Then Sung-Woon looked at Hegemonia, and she did not avert her gaze.

 Chapter 331

    <h4>Chapter 331</h4>


    Sung-Woon said, "...And it¡¯s probably Hegemonia leading that team."


    "Is that what you think?"


    "She has the most points and is actively trying harder as a mafia in this game."


    Hegemonia judged that Sung-Woon hadn''t appointed Aldin by mere coincidence.


    Identifying the insiders to some extent could reveal who the mafia were. Moreover, Hegemonia''s hand signals, despite being highly secretive, could still potentially be recognized.


    HumanTracker slowly said, "...If we ept that theory of insiders, it''s true that the civilians wouldn''t have much leeway."


    Hegemonia raged through the internalwork.


    Hegemonia: Why would you admit that?


    HumanTracker: Should we have denied it? It''s more important that the internalwork remains undiscovered than giving up on one round.


    That was reasonable.


    Krampus: But aren''t we still at an advantage?


    Hegemonia: Right, we already have four votes.


    With nine yers remaining, four votes were just one short of a majority.


    However, when the discussion time ended, the voting results deviated from Hegemonia''s expectations.


    [The vote has beenpleted.]


    [Result of voted from 9 yers:]


    [Hegemonia 5, Sung-Woon 4]


    "Are you joking?"


    [Agree 5, Disagree 4]


    [Hegemonia was hanged by the civilians.]


    [Night has fallen....]


    But the game wasn''t over. Wisdom could kill a civilian overnight and lead public opinion with Hegemonia''s insiders, whom he was unaware of.


    The yer Wisdom randomly chose to kill was Lakrak, which turned out to be bad luck because unfortunately, Lakrak was saved by the doctor.


    Hegemonia ultimately raged from behind the curtains again. "Why would anyone save Lakrak! He hasn''t even been mentioned once in this entire round!"


    Because they were added midway, the roles of the doctor and the police were not revealed even after the game ended.


    Then Lakrak said, "I was the doctor." Everyone was dumbfounded, asking why he saved himself instead of someone else, to which Lakrak just shrugged. "...I didn¡¯t want to die unjustly by the mafias."


    Aldin muttered, "...He¡¯s nuts."


    Meanwhile, the one who had dered themself as the police was Ovenwave, who was one of Hegemonia¡¯s insiders.


    Because of this, it was revealed that the police had died on the first day, and Sung-Woon was questioned by the other yers on how he, as a fake police, managed to find the mafias.


    However, Sung-Woon justughed awkwardly without answering.


    <i>¡®Wait.¡¯</i>


    Due to this, Hegemonia couldn''t help but consider a new possibility.


    <i>¡®What if Neb was the real police?¡¯</i>


    If that were the case, the recent game would unfold entirely differently.


    <i>¡®...What if Ovenwave, who first imed to be the police, was actually not the police?¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia looked at the three people in the internalwork.


    Krampus: Well, this is....


    HumanTracker: There¡¯s nothing else to say other than it was bad luck.


    Ovenwave: That¡¯s unfortunate, Hegemonia.


    Hegemonia: It''s just a storm passing.


    Hegemonia said that, but she could no longer ignore her suspicions.


    <i>¡®Surely she wouldn''t betray me now, would she?¡¯</i>


    ***


    After four more games, a smile was nowhere to be found on Hegemonia''s face. It was because she had lost five consecutive games following Sung-Woon''s fake police game.


    On the other hand, Sung-Woon had gained 2 more points, reaching 7 points and closely followed Hegemonia.


    <i>¡®There''s definitely something.¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia tested Ovenwave with careful observation and clever probing, but there was no conclusive evidence that Ovenwave had betrayed the insiders.


    <i>¡®There''s only one way left to find out.¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia created an additional chat room in the internalwork. Then, she left only herself and Ovenwave in it.


    Hegemonia: Hey, you.


    Ovenwave: Yes?


    Hegemonia: Have you ever owned a dog?


    Ovenwave: ...Pardon?


    The game was ongoing.


    However, Hegemonia was among the civilians, and Ovenwave also imed to be one. Coincidentally, since both Hegemonia and the insiders were all civilians, there was no apparent strategy, and HumanTracker and Lunda were in an argument, so she had some spare time.


    Hegemonia: I''ve had a dog before and at first, when you tickle it gently, it smiles, rolls over, and it''s just all over the ce. It listened well, too. Like, if you saye here, it came, and if you say go there, it went. But this damn dog....


    Ovenwave: W...what happened?


    The voting among the civilians began, and Hegemonia and the insiders decided to vote against Lunda.


    Hegemonia: I threw a ball and asked it to bring it back, but when it did, it wouldn''t let go and just growled at me, showing its gums. Funny, isn''t it? The ball was originally mine. So, I reach out my hand to take it back, and would you believe it, it bit my finger.


    Ovenwave: ...Oh, that must have hurt.


    Lunda started making excuses, and Hegemonia lightly clicked her tongue. Due to the majority of agreement votes, Lunda was killed and got blurred.


    Then night fell and the curtain was drawn.


    Hegemonia: That''s not the point. The lesson of the story is....


    Ovenwave: Th...then....


    Hegemonia: ?


    As the curtain lifted, day dawned.


    Ovenwave: You should have taken better at feeding it.


    [...Day has dawned.]


    [The victim of the third night is yer Hegemonia.]


    Hegemonia got up from her seat. However, since she was already blurred, the other yers didn¡¯t notice.


    Ovenwave: You found outter than expected. Or did you find out but confronted toote?


    Hegemonia: ...You jerk!


    Ovenwave: With...all due respect, I don''t think now is the time for you to be angry.


    Hegemonia: What do you mean?


    Ovenwave: The promised amount, you don¡¯t have it at all, right? Not even enough to pay one person, let alone three....


    Bribery was done with money, but Hegemonia had none.


    Hegemonia: Fool! I already paid you a deposit, didn¡¯t I?


    Ovenwave: I heard you went into a lot of debt... How were you nning to pay the sess fee?


    Hegemonia: There''s a way for the sess fee toe in after I win.


    Ovenwave: From where?


    Hegemonia exined, appearing somewhat desperate.


    Hegemonia: Outside this game, bets are being ced on us. A lot of money is at stake. Gold, shops, and even coins. If I just win, the money bet on me will multiply, and that wille to me, earning me more than enough.


    Ovenwave: Then give me five times the promised amount.


    Hegemonia: What?


    Ovenwave continued,


    Ovenwave: If what you''re saying is true, then I''m not just receiving money for participating in the game, but I''m actually the one earning it for you, right? If the conditions of the contract have changed, then naturally, the sess fee should change too, shouldn''t it?


    Hegemonia: ...Even if I win and receive the money, I can''t make five times the amount. It''s not that much.


    Ovenwave: Then how much can you give?


    Hegemonia: 1.5 times.


    After a moment of silence, Ovenwave said,


    Ovenwave: I know you. You''re not the kind to stoop your pride beyond a certain point for me, nor do I think you''d ask Sung-Woon to borrow some money after winning the game, so I''m gonna quit helping you.


    Hegemonia gritted her teeth.


    Hegemonia: ...Who told you?


    Ovenwave: I''m actually a Constetion myself, so I keep mymunicationworks open.


    If Ovenwave knew about Hegemonia''s financial situation, there was no guarantee that the other insiders didn''t know as well.


    Hegemonia pondered how to escape this difficult situation.


    Ovenwave: Don''t worry. I won''t tell the other two. There are no permanent friends or enemies in this game, right? I¡¯m just gonna leave the internalwork without any exnation and continue to participate in the game sincerely. This game is fun.


    Hegemonia: ...Do you expect me to say thank you?


    Ovenwave: No way.


    Ovenwave sent an additional message,


    Ovenwave: But it''s quite noisy outside. Are you sure you''ll be alright?


    Hegemonia immediately cut off contact with Ovenwave and opened themunicationwork window with her Apostles, which she had closed for concentration. Even though it was just for a brief moment of ying the Mafia game, the volume of messages was enormous.


    Hegemonia checked the message at the top.


    Hegemonia: What happened?


    Hegemonia''s Apostle, Alma Alloy, said,


    Alma: We''ve been caught!


    Hegemonia: Caught?


    Alma: It''s the Empire guys again!


    ***


    "I''ve known since a long time ago."


    At the central stadium of Little Orazen, usually one could see athletes running on the track, but that wasn¡¯t the case right now. The audience who filled the stands were cheering at the sight of the Constetions'' game disyed on therge screens located on each side of the stadium.


    Hwee-Kyung, upying one of those seats, said to Sairan, "People in desperate need of money always dream of bing rich overnight."


    "So, you predicted that the Angry One would bet on herself? Well, I guess you did gamble a lot in the old days."


    Hwee-Kyung lightly tapped her antlers. "Thanks to these."


    The spirit that dealt with the Demonic Magic of Probability had now left Hwee-Kyung¡¯s antlers but it was still present in the Hall of Myriad Stars, and they asionally met.


    Sairan said, "Then what was the call you made earlier...?"


    "Since I know someone at the Central Bank, just asking a few questions lets me know about the Angry One''s financial status and where the money has flowed. Before the game, apparently Alma had withdrawn all of the Angry One¡¯s money from a secret ount. And why would they need so much cash?"


    Hwee-Kyung gestured toward the stadium.


    Among the cheering people in the stadium, there were undoubtedly those supporting Sung-Woon and the other Constetions, but there also would have been those who had bet a significant amount of money.


    "It''s gambling."


    "Now, all that''s left is to secretlymunicate that fact without the Angry One knowing it was me!"


    Knowing that Hwee-Kyung disliked making a fuss in crowded ces, Sairan didn''t show much reaction other than a slight smile. And Hwee-Kyung was satisfied with Sairan''s tail wildly wagging and tapping him on the back of his head.


    Sairan said, "It''s just a matter of time now."


    "Well, that''s that, but...."


    "Is there something else?"


    Hwee-Kyung turned to Sairan and said, "Shall we make some money too? Does our lizard have some money in his pockets?"


    At that, Sairan scratched his chin and said, "Hm, Hwee-Kyung...there''s actually something I haven''t told you...."


    ***


    HumanTracker: Well...I had somewhat expected this.


    Hegemonia: ....


    HumanTracker: Since I''ve taken the deposit, I''ll make sure not to tell Krampus.


    Hegemonia: ...Alright.


    HumanTracker: I''ll continue participating in the game. It''s not bad for entertainment.


    With that, HumanTracker also left the internalwork.


    Hegemonia then proceeded to say that Ovenwave and HumanTracker had just left due to different contractual conditions not being met, and Krampus seemed to believe it as he didn''t make any furtherments.


    <i>''Does he still not know? I guess he was always a bit oblivious.''</i>


    Fortunately, not all was doom and gloom for Hegemonia. Somehow the game turned out well, and Hegemonia gained another point, moving ahead of Sung-Woon with 9 points.


    <i>''It''s done. I don¡¯t need to worry about the insiders anymore. The game is practically over. No point in regretting the money spent to get here.''</i>


    As always, a healthy mentality was a condition of a great gamer. And Hegemonia was a great gamer.


    <i>''The only problem is...''</i>


    The first to die in the next game was Lakrak.


    Possibly due to Hegemonia losing power, the game was somewhat chaotic, and in the recent few games, yers other than Sung-Woon were dying. This was amon development as the Mafia game went on, so it wasn''t surprising.


    Hegemonia looked at Sung-Woon across the round table.


    <i>''I''m on the same team as Neb.''</i>


    If Hegemonia were to win, the game would end that way. And that was the problem.


    "What, is there another police besides me?"


    "Dang, I''m also a police."


    "...Why are there three police?"


    The yers who came forward iming to be the police were Wisdom, Yummy, and Aldin. One could potentially be the real police, and another could be a mafia.


    <i>''...Then the other one is just a civilian trolling.''</i>

 Chapter 332

    <h4>Chapter 332</h4>


    Winning the game urred when someone reached 10 points, meaning that preventing someone from obtaining 10 points gave others a chance. Therefore, it wasn''t surprising for Hegemonia that, given her high likelihood of being a civilian, a troll would emerge from the civilian side to intentionally hinder the civilians'' victory.


    <i>¡®I was expecting that the game would enter a new phase at this point.¡¯</i>


    Sung-Woon raised his hand and said, "I''m the doctor."


    Hegemonia mmed the round table. "Didn''t expect things to go this far. Why would the doctore forward!? y the game properly!"


    Eventually, Hegemonia also posed as a fake doctor to decrease the likelihood of Sung-Woon, who could have been the only real doctor, being killed.


    <i>¡®What kind of crazy game is this?¡¯</i>


    However, the game ended unexpectedly. HumanTracker, Aldin, and Sung-Woon were the mafias.


    <i>¡®Was his deration as a doctor also a disguise?¡¯</i>


    Through fake police and fake doctors, they screened out the ordinary civilians, targeted the real hidden roles first, and gradually hung the civilians through mafia instigation to secure victory.


    Hegemonia realized that the game hadn''t gone awry but had evolved into a more difficult puzzle.


    <i>¡®Is trolling a part of the game elements now? The variables I have to calcte have doubled. Every action isn''t just real or fake, but also includes being real pretending to be fake or being fake pretending to be real.¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia thought that if she was unlucky, she could continuously end up on the same team as Sung-Woon, getting entangled in slow games filled with the others¡¯ trolling. However, that did not happen.


    [...Mafia nominationplete. Night has fallen.]


    [Role: Mafia]


    The other mafias were Aldin and Yummy.


    <i>¡®Without Neb, this means that this round will be decisive.¡¯</i>


    And without much hope, Hegemonia nced at the internalwork and discovered some good news.


    Hegemonia: I''m a mafia.


    Krampus: I''m the doctor.


    <i>¡®By avoiding the doctor every night, we can steadily eliminate and win. Moreover....¡¯</i>


    Aldin said,


    <i>-Given the current situation, even if Yummy and I troll and vote and eliminate you by majority, it¡¯ll all be over anyway because Neb is on the other side, right?</i>


    <i>-It¡¯s nice that I don¡¯t need to exin.</i>


    Yummy, listening to all this, said,


    <i>-Then why should Hegemonia win instead of Neb?</i>


    Yummy voted to target Hegemonia in the mafia vote.


    <i>-I''ve been waiting for this moment, Hegemonia. The moment I get to take revenge on you with my own hands.</i>


    Aldin, who watched quietly, also responded,


    <i>-That¡¯s true.</i>


    <i>-Fuck you.</i>


    Hegemonia urgently said,


    <i>-What do both of you want?</i>


    Yummy said,


    <i>-Your defeat.</i>


    Hegemonia ignored that remark.


    Aldin then said,


    <i>-Me? Uh...money.</i>


    Hegemonia was relieved when she realized Aldin was someone she could actually deal with.


    <i>-Great. Someone said they refuse my money, so if I win this way, I''m nning to have some left over.</i>


    When Hegemonia mentioned the amount Ovenwave and HumanTracker had left behind, Aldin blinked for a moment. Then, she red and pointed at Yummy.


    <i>-Shall we kill this one first?</i>


    This time, Yummy sighed.


    <i>-Damn...I knew this would happen.</i>


    The first night''s victim was Yummy, a fellow mafia, but nobody was aware of that fact.


    ***


    Krampus: Why would you kill a mafia?


    Hegemonia: I told you, they were trying to kill me.


    Krampus: Oh, Yummy?


    Hegemonia: Yes.


    Krampus: Losing a mafia member is unfortunate, but I guess it''s better than keeping a hostile ally....


    Hegemonia: I appreciate your understanding.


    And in Hegemonia''s opinion, the mafias were definitely at an advantagepared to the civilians. The mafias knew that Hegemonia and Sung-Woon were on different teams, but the civilians did not know this fact.


    <i>¡®So my chances of winning are higher.''</i>


    But that was Hegemonia''s misconception.


    As soon as day dawned, Sung-Woon, who confidently dered himself first as the police, said, "I''m the police, and Hegemonia is a mafia."


    "Don''t be ridiculous!"


    The other yers barely stopped Hegemonia from lunging across the round table.


    Then, another police, Sha-Cha, raised their hand but was ignored.


    Sung-Woon, on the verge of victory, was somewhat sensitive.


    <i>''Did he just use me without even considering if I''m a fellow civilian or a mafia?''</i>


    It seemed like the best strategy in Hegemonia¡¯s opinion too. If she were a civilian, winning or losing didn''t matter. It would conclude in a draw, and though Hegemonia would feel mixed feelings, she wouldn¡¯t feel mortified. On the contrary, if Hegemonia was a mafia, since it was a brutal fact, it would increase his win rate, which would be beneficial.


    There was also another advantage.


    <i>¡®Trolling has reduced since Sha-Cha was the only one who also came forward as a police. It made clear that the civilians'' trolling is meaningless if he¡¯s on a different team as me.¡¯</i>


    However, Hegemonia countered this by applying the same logic in reverse, insisting that it was merely Sung-Woon''sst resort strategy.


    This was also true, so the public opinion was bing more cautious.


    <i>¡®If I can just survive the vote...¡¯</i>


    Hegemonia imed to be a civilian and also appealed about the benefits of winning together with Sung-Woon. Fortunately, Ovenwave and HumanTracker did not show any particr hostility toward Hegemonia.


    Krampus: Shall we start the operation now?


    Hegemonia: Who first?


    Krampus: Well, Sha-Cha seems likely to be the real police.


    Hegemonia: It''s a bit difficult for me to start.


    Krampus: Right, it''s also better if I do it than Aldin, who''s a mafia.


    using someone of being a mafia always carried the risk of bacsh.


    Krampus, regardless of whether Sung-Woon was the real police, used Sha-Cha as a mafia foring out as the policeter and also for suddenly saying they checked AR1026 to be a civilian.


    There was a statement of defense that followed, but the participants of this mafia game tended to prefer killing someone off in the first vote rather than saving them. Therefore, Sha-Cha was hung, Wisdom was hung the following night, and AR1026 was also killed in the next vote for being suspicious after being vouched by Sha-Cha as a civilian.


    Hegemonia''s strategy was to form a public opinion against Sung-Woon, the fake police, rather than killing him directly. However, perhaps Sha-Cha was the real police, Sung-Woon continued to act as the police, appointed and hung innocent civilians, leaving Hegemonia with no real reason to kill him directly.


    <i>¡®Was it just good luck earlier?¡¯</i>


    Eventually, with Lakrak hung, thest five remaining were Sung-Woon, Hegemonia, Krampus, Aldin, and Lunda.


    Hegemonia: ...We''ve won.


    With five remaining and two mafias among them, killing one civilian that night would even the numbers, leading to an automatic mafia victory.


    Hegemonia felt drained by a game that wasn''t even physical.


    Krampus: Who will we killst?


    Hegemonia: Someone symbolic would be good. Neb.


    Krampus: Ah, I see.


    Hegemonia told Aldin to target Sung-Woon.


    Hegemonia waited for the curtain to lift, ready to dere victory. However, she couldn''t utter a word.


    [...Day has dawned.]


    [The victim of the fifth night is...no one! The doctor has saved a citizen from an attack.]


    Hegemonia hit her forehead. Unlike the previous games, there was only one person who dered themself as a doctor, and only Hegemonia knew who that was.


    Hegemonia: You damn...! Hey!


    Krampus: Yummy wanted to send their regards.


    Hegemonia: What? Yummy?


    Hegemonia, baffled, looked at Yummy''s seat. She couldn''t actually see Yummy because of the blur, but somehow it seemed like Yummy''s shark face was visible.


    Krampus, sitting at the table, said directly, "Ah, Yummy also asked me to say this." Before Hegemonia could reply, Krampus quickly said, "People betray."


    ***


    Krampus and Yummy properly conversed not long after the Pantheon became the Hall of Myriad Stars. And through that conversation, Krampus realized that Yummy, who had chosen the heavy Domain: Revenge, had a different image than he had thought.


    "So, how do you think you''d like to take your revenge?"


    "I haven''t thought about it."


    "Do you want to hit her or something?"


    "Not really."


    "Maybe throw her into a river?"


    "Why so scary?"


    Unable to contain his curiosity, Krampus asked the Sanctuary about thepatibility rate of Yummy and the Domain: Revenge. Yummy was more suited to be a fairy of revenge than a Constetion of it.


    Yummy was cheerful and had almost no evil in their heart. On a good day, they were the kind of friend one would want to have a drink with.


    <i>¡®Indeed, it seems better for someone who doesn''t quite fit the Domain: Revenge to obtain it.¡¯</i>


    The idea that only those suited should possess such a Domain was also a matter to reconsider. It was unlikely for someone suited to revenge to have a decent personality to be in the Hall of Myriad Stars. However, Krampus probed Yummy just in case.


    "You don''t have any kind of feelings toward Hegemonia?"


    "It''s just a game, isn¡¯t it? It wasn''t for those living in Avartin, but between us, it was."


    "Still, being the Constetion of Revenge, shouldn''t you do something?"


    "I did have that thought from the start."


    Yummy''s form of revenge was to repay the game with another game. After hearing that, Krampusughed and supported that revenge.


    Due to the circumstances, revenge did note easily, but Constetions were patient.


    Then, one day, when Hegemonia was causing a ruckus in the banquet hall, Lunda mediated and brought up the Mafia game. It was after this that Hegemonia approached Krampus.


    Sung-Woon muttered, "It''s over."


    If the remaining people hanged Hegemonia through a vote, leaving four, and even if Krampus failed to defend against Aldin''s attack, the game would end with the remaining two''s votes.


    Sung-Woon left Hegemonia, sprawled across the round table as if dead, and said to Lunda, "So, what''s this n you''ve been hiding the whole game?"


    "...n?"


    "Pretending to be clueless doesn''t won¡¯t make you not know."


    "I don''t know. I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about."


    As Lunda averted her gaze, Sung-Woon decided to let it go. It was something that would naturallye to light eventually.


    <i>''It seems rted to Lakrak being in the game. Well, moving on.¡¯</i>


    Now, Sung-Woon''s gaze turned to Aldin. "Were you Krampus''s insider?"


    Aldin replied, "Yes. You guys might not have liked it, but I was the game nner. This revenge was a sort of n. It wasn''t hard as long as I could control the variables."


    Sung-Woon took off his mask, rested his chin in his hand, and looked at Aldin. "Are you getting rewarded with money?"


    "What? Are you offering to lend some money?"


    "No. It seems you''ve adapted well."


    Aldin suppressed her anger and said, "In what aspect?"


    "The first night you became a mafia, you could have killed Hegemonia right away. But you didn''t, which means you must have been promised something by Hegemonia, right?"


    Krampus red at Aldin.


    Aldin then pouted and showed her palms. "What? Do Constetions find it so displeasing that a demerit pointborer has insurance?"


    "...Nevermind." Sung-Woon pointed to HumanTracker and Ovenwave, who were blurred. "Our Hegemonia''s hitmen."


    Hegemonia didn¡¯t respond.


    "The rest, I think, was Lunda''s n. Seems like she yed quite solidly, but why is that? What am I missing?"


    Lunda, along with Wisdom and AR1026, looked at the ceiling, acting like they didn¡¯t know anything.


    Then Sung-Woon''s gaze finally turned to Sha-Cha. "The most puzzling one was you."


    Sha-Cha replied, "I was curious about what the Constetions from Earth did for fun."


    "You were just a gamer who purely enjoyed the game. So, did you enjoy it?"


    "It was fun."


    "That¡¯s good to hear." Sung-Woon added, "Next time, let''s also y a game that you guys only know."


    Sha-Cha unlinked and relinked the index fingers of their sped hands, remaining silent for a moment. Soon, they said, "Look forward to it."


    And with that, the Mafia game was concluded with the yers¡¯ consensus.


    ***


    "The Constetion of Judgment has arrived."


    At Bion''s whisper-like words, Jang-Wan nodded.


    Jang-Wan didn¡¯t turn to look at Lakrak, who approached her, and instead stared straight ahead.


    Lakrak, too, without saying anything, looked at what Jang-Wan was observing.


    Then Jang-Wan said, "Say hello to my little friend."


    A smile crept up Lakrak''s lips at the joke.


    What was in front of Jang-Wan and Lakrak appeared to be nothing more than a tiny crystal ball and the swirl of lights within it. Yet, it was the result of countless origins of lives, the Light of Eternity and Life projected. Though small enough to hold in one''s hand, it was a whole universe of its own.


    "Were the earnings okay?" Lakrak asked.


    "It was pretty good," Jang-Wan replied.


    "I''m d it went ording to n."


    "Thanks to you. The plot twist made it a sess."


    A high number was shown above the crystal ball. It was the demerit points of someone known to have the highest in the Hall of Myriad Stars.


    The demerit points in the Hall of Myriad Stars were determined by the very clear observable value of the Light of Eternity and Life.


    Months earlier, Jang-Wan had researched whether there was a simple way to deal with someone''s sins.


    <i>''Assuming all values are exchangeable....''</i>


    Although there was a loss in the conversion process, it was entirely possible with the power of magic. Eventually, it seemed possible to fill the hard-to-rece currency of sin with another, more easily earned currency.


    However, the problem was which method and which currency were the easiest to earn.


    After several ideas, gambling was settled upon. Once the method was decided, the process was straightforward.


    Jang-Wan borrowed money from those who had a considerable amount, including Lunda and Lakrak, who then participated in the game, increased the stakes, and ultimately bet on a reliable gamer and won big profits after victory.


    "But I didn''t expect it to not be enough."


    "There will be more opportunities."


    "I hope so, but I''m not keeping my hopes up. Anyway...have all the people I owe money to gathered?"


    Jang-Wan turned around with a bitter smile.


    Besides Lakrak, there was Wisdom, Krampus, AR1026, and Lunda.


    Others who wanted to help, like Eldar, RD, and Damien, were also there, but it was unfortunate they had failed to umte enough to be of help.


    For example, Eldar''s cafe, found everywhere in the Hall of Myriad Stars, was essentially a charity business because of its remarkable offer of the first cup free every day.


    Then Wisdom said, "You don¡¯t have to repay us back immediately, Jang-Wan."


    "I just prefer to be meticulous with my ounts."


    Krampus said, "It was an interest-free loan."


    "Quiet, you triple agent. I¡¯m not the winner, but I¡¯ll select you as the best gamer."


    "What an honor."


    Lunda then said, "I could have done well if you had asked me too."


    AR1026 said, "You''re confident because of old habits, aren''t you?"


    "How long do your grudgesst, hundreds of years?"


    Jang-Wan,ughing, controlled the system window and paid off all the debts.


    Jang-Wan still had no intention of showing her efforts to the actual one who benefited, so she wanted to keep it as secret as possible.


    <i>''...But at this point, it seems like pretty much everyone knows. I guess I''ll have to be satisfied that the one who shouldn''t know isn¡¯t here.''</i>


    Jang-Wan hoped that Sung-Woon was unaware of this matter. For Jang-Wan, she did it because she wanted to, but if it were Sung-Woon, he would have treated it as a duty. And Jang-Wan no longer wished Sung-Woon would do that.


    Jang-Wan nced at Lakrak.


    <i>''Perhaps he''s the substitute.''</i>


    Lakrak, deeply engrossed in the numbers to the point of not noticing Jang-Wan''s gaze, said, "Still, this has brought the number closer to zero than eternity, hasn''t it?"


    "...I guess that¡¯s true."


    Closer than eternity. That at least sounded pleasant.


    ***


    After the Mafia game ended at the Tower of Beginnings of the Hall of Myriad Stars, the streaming had concluded, and the yers gathered among themselves and left.


    The ones who still remained in their seats for quite some time after were Sung-Woon and Hegemonia, who was still groaning and resting her forehead on the round table.


    Sung-Woon said, "Hey, are you crying?"


    Hegemonia clenched her fist while still leaning over, but there was no response.


    "Enough is enough, isn¡¯t it?"


    "Shut up."


    "Is it four wins to two losses now? I''ve extended my lead by one more win."


    "I¡¯m actually gonna kill you."


    Sung-Woon climbed onto the round table and walked slowly toward her.


    It seemed as if Hegemonia''s head would lift, but she didn''t move.


    Then Sung-Woon sat down right in front of her. "You haven''t forgotten our promise, have you?"


    "What promise?"


    "The loser has to fulfill a favor of the winner."


    "I remember."


    "Then, as a favor, will you lift your head already?"


    Hegemonia exhaled and did so.


    Raising her right eyebrow, she asked, "Is that all?"


    Then Sung-Woonughed and pulled Hegemonia''s hand. "Of course not."

 Letter From The Author

    <h4>Letter From The Author</h4>


    Letter from TNC¡¯s author Wirae:


    Hello, readers of WuxiaWorld! I am Wirae, the author of <i>The Neb¡¯s Civilization</i>. My nativenguage is Korean, and I write in Hangul. I studied English for about nine years following Korea''s educational curriculum, but admittedly, my English skills are not great since I was not a hard-working student. Instead of studying, I spent my time reading novels.


    You may not know this, but the fiction genre scene in Korea is excellent and I wrote my works based on the foundation I gained from it. However, another significant influence for me was the tranted novels from abroad. It was these trantions that allowed me to read works like J.R.R. Tolkien''s <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>, Orson Scott Card''s <i>Ender''s Game</i>, and Roger Zzny''s <i>Lord of Light</i>. Without the environment and trantors that made these books avable, my own writing could not havee into existence, and for that, I owe another debt.


    In Korea, the trend of globalization has passed, and now we live in an era of hyperconnectivity. Just by unlocking our smartphones, we can see a man in Pakistan wearing sandals while forging metal, a janitor in a Chinese factory performing an impressive cleaning, or a clumsy robber dropping his gun over a counter in the USA. It''s all part of our daily life now. There''s a meme that says, "Born toote to explore earth, born too early to explore space." But considering that each person is an unknown world to another, isn''t connecting with people from many different countries an exploration in itself? Despite the various crises the world is facing, I believe we are born in an era perfect for reading novels.


    Lastly, I''d like to thank the staff at WuxiaWorld and the trantor Greenfrog for their work. I hope you enjoyed/enjoy reading the novel.


    Readers, you may have guessed to some extent, but I have never yed a single game of the Sid Meier''s<i> Civilization </i>series. I did watch broadcasts by YouTubers like Breadworld [1] but as someone who knows nothing about games, it was hard to concentrate on the broadcast for more than five minutes. The most direct reference for this novel was <i>Total War: Warhammer 2. </i>This game is a part of the famous RTS series <i>Total War</i>, incorporating the <i>Warhammer Fantasy</i> miniature game IP, and it features Lizardmen as a yable faction (That¡¯s right, <i>the</i> Lizardmen).


    Apart from the Lizardmen motif, the gamey of the fictional games <i>Lost World</i>, <i>Total War</i>, and Sid Meier''s<i> Civilization</i>, which I have seen a few times but never yed, is quite different. I wanted to borrow the feel of gamey, but I didn''t intend to recreate the gamey itself. The motif of gods and their creature creations came from <i>ck & White 2</i>, which I also haven''t yed but remembered from a game stream I saw at some point.


    The asional mention of fictional strategies in the novel might have been because I was a fan of the RTS <i>StarCraft</i> (the first novel I remember writing was a StarCraft fanfic). I aimed to portray a game that I wanted to y but did not exist, and so I used these games as references for creating a game that was difficult to exist in real life because I needed to write a fantasy game novel, not create a game. Just as Son Hee-Joon and Kim Youn-Kyung did with their manga <i>Yureka</i>, I aimed not to recreate real games but to express games in our fantasies.


    The references in this novel were not only from games. Since this work is categorized as a novel, other novels have also had a major influence. And, as you might have predicted by now, I have neither read Bernard Werber''s <i>Us,</i> <i>Gods</i> nor Chwiryong''s <i>World Maker</i>. Like with Sid Meier''s<i> Civilization</i>, I received many rmendations before I started serialization but unfortunately didn''t have time to take a look at them due to my busy writing schedule.


    The motif of the gods interacting came from Roger Zzny''s <i>Lord of Light</i>, and thepetition among those with excellent abilities was based on the same author''s <i>The Chronicles of Amber</i>. Not to mention <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>, and the TRPG <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> series'' setting of Forgotten Realms, probably had the greatest influence on the world of the Lost World.


    As someone had said, thetter part of the novel was more influenced by <i>D&D</i>''s major event transitioning from edition 3.5 to 4.0, Time of Troubles, than by Norse mythology''s Ragnarok or the book of Revtion from the Bible. Moreover, who could ignore the lineage from <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> to Forgotten Realms in the genre of fantasy? I respected the lineage. The Halfling species that appear in this novel without much importance are along the same line as <i>D&D</i>''s Halflings, <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>¡¯ Hobbits, and <i>Delicious in Dungeon''s</i> Half-Foots.


    There is more to talk about regarding gods and images. As mentioned in the novel, the main images of the good gods came from Hieronymus Bosch''s <i>The Garden of Earthly Delights</i>, partially from Salvador Dal¨ª''s <i>The Temptation of St. Anthony</i>, and from unidentified medieval illustrations. And the evil gods, of course, had motifs from H.R. Giger and Zdzis?aw Beksi¨½ski''s paintings. For the yers, while some direct motifs were mentioned in the novel itself, the physical images of the gods were also influenced by Beksi¨½ski and Peter Mohrbacher''s (Tumblr: @bugmeyer) illustrations.


    There is also an artist that overall binds the images in my works, which is Ren¨¦ Magritte. Many contradicting or surrealndscapes in the novel were created with Ren¨¦ Magritte in mind. The Sky Castles were reminiscent of Ren¨¦ Magritte''s <i>The Castle of the Pyrenees</i>, the asionally seen appearance of Sung-Woon from behind was inspired by <i>The Schoolmaster</i>, and when describing the object heads that appear in the novel, I continuously thought of the gentlemen in ck suits with red ties that frequently appear in Magritte''s paintings.


    In addition, this novel may remind you of the following works, but to avoid spoilers, I''ll just mention their names: Lord Dunsany''s <i>The Gods of Peg¨¡na</i>, Liu Cixin''s <i>The Three-Body Problem</i>, Peter Watts'' <i>Blindsight</i>, China Mi¨¦ville''s <i>Perdido Street Station</i>, Urobuchi Gen''s Pue <i>Magi Madoka Magica</i>, Rumiko Takahashi''s <i>Inuyasha</i>, Geon Park''s <i>Allmaster</i>, Mike Resnick''s <i>Kirinyaga</i>, Bo-Young Kim''s <i>A Long Journey</i>, Djuna''s <i>Proxy War</i>, Young-Do Lee''s <i>The Bird That Drinks Tears</i>. And above all, the one that had the most influence was Iain M. Banks'' <i>The yer of Games</i>. All are authors and works I can confidently rmend.


    There is more I would like to say about the various species that appear in the novel. The Lizardmen were a species intended to rece <i>D&D</i>''s Lizardfolk, and the second species that appeared, the Frogmen, might be remnants from <i>Warhammer Fantasy</i> (both species are part of one faction in <i>Warhammer Fantasy</i>). Nixes were a species name in substitute for Dark Elves, Renards resembled <i>World of Warcraft''s</i> Vulperas, tys were based on the Kakao emoticon Ogu, the Pangolins were inspired while envisioning <i>Pok¨¦mon</i>''s Sandsh, and such images were reflected in the novel. The chapters that contained fairies mentioned several species that were actual candidates to rece the fairies, but in the end, I didn¡¯t rece the fairies so that the novel would not be too violent.


    Additionally, if you were reminded of Christopher Nn''s <i>Inception</i> in certain scenes, you were spot on. The term ¡®madman¡¯ mentioned in thetter part of the novel was tranted in terms of an otaku, a maniac. The cursed ones conversing with the spirits of demonic magic was inspired by the game <i>Disco Elysium</i>, and the motif of the dagger impressively used by the protagonist was a fountain pen.


    It would probably be difficult to list all the references, motifs, homages, and parodies used during a year of serialization in this postscript as I haven''t even mentioned the real historical events that served as motifs in the novel, but it might be better to omit this part.


    Anyway, before starting this serialization, I was curious about whether it was possible to create a web novel with a vast array of characters, simr to Ry¨­go Narita''s works or George R. R. Martin''s <i>A Song of Ice and Fire</i>. I had ideas that emerged in chapters 25 and 75, which fueled my expectation that it was indeed possible, and I believe I achieved partial sess. Of course, the attempt was not specifically to experiment with an ensemble drama. Continuously introducing a variety of characters was simply my own strategy to make writing the web novel easier.


    The story, originally nned to end with 300 chapters, had to make quite a detour for a smooth ending due to events in thetter part of the serialization that could only be described as physiologically or pharmacologically unusual (I will spare the details as it would be boring). As a result, a dy of about twenty days in the serialization waspensated by publishing two episodes or up to six episodes in quick session, managing to raise the frequency from an average of 3.9 chapters per week to now 6.6 chapters. The number of purchases within twenty-four hours of thetest chapters, which had dropped below 250, is now approaching 500. It''s quite extraordinary that an author, who previously struggled to finish one book a month, managed to write about two and a half books'' worth of content in less than a month.


    Many who serialize novels might feel the same way, but this novel truly was a challenging project. Throughout the writing process, I continually encountered the limits of my knowledge and intellect, and these limitations were clearly reflected in the novel. I¡¯m embarrassed and ashamed. If you''ve read the novel and noticed parts that seemed incorrect or wed, rest assured that your observations are valid. Though it would be toote if you''ve already read through the novel and are reading this postscript afterward, I ask for your understanding.


    Above all, I express my gratitude.


    Firstly, I thank my family and friends, who have nothing to do with my novel life. At some point, I no longer feared writing novels because life exists beyond novels. People should live life, not just write novels.


    Now, I also extend my thanks to the other half of my life, my creativemunity. I have friends with whom I share the experience of reading and writing. I''m grateful for my friends in Seoul, who started writing web novels during the same unstable period as I did, and my university alumni with whom I stillmunicate with.


    I also thank my oldest group of advisors, who never hesitated to offer guidance on my shorings, and my gaming friends who provided vocabry and sprinkled creative ideas whenever I faced a plot challenge. There are also friends I had forgotten over time who still read my works and there are many more to whom I owe thanks. It feels as though the creativemunity I¡¯ve built is too vast and grand to name everyone individually, so I wish to express my gratitude separately, beyond the limits of this text.


    Finally, I am immensely grateful to all the readers who have read my novel so far and those who will continue to do so. Honestly, I believe that whether someone reads my novel or not should not be the driving force behind my writing. Writing a novel should be a personal endeavor for the author, and it should bepleted even if no one reads it. If writing is motivated by positive emotions, it naturally bes difficult to continue when those emotions fade, and always hoping for positive feedback is also brazen. Therefore, the true driving force behind writing should not be positive feedback from others, but the author''s own internal fight. Despite this, I cannot deny that the support from you, the readers, has made me happy during the serialization.


    After the conclusion of the novel, side stories exploring the world''s past, present, and future have beenpleted. Following this postscript, there''s a possibility of another sequel set in the distant future (intended as a kind of joke), and while it''s not yet decided whether it will be written, there has been surprising demand for it. Despite the current novel not performing exceptionally well, I''ve envisioned a short series of side stories. However, I have other personal projects that are unrted to this web novel that need my urgent attention, so there''s no set n for when these additional writings might begin. Therefore, I ask that you do not wait for these or for a Q&A session or a concept art book.


    I don''t have any definite ns for my next work. Of course, I am aware that the ending of this work has a somewhat flexible setting, as intended, but again, I want to make it clear that there are no set ns.


    With this, the year-long serialization hase to an end. As I conclude my ode to this journey, I''d like to share two quotes that I discovered during the serialization but never found the right opportunity to insert:


    ***


    ¡°A true civilization will not destroy the mountains, the river, the vige, and the people there shall not be killed.¡±


    -Tanaka Shozo


    ***


    ¡°Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.¡±


    -Bible, Psalm 90:12


    -Sid Meier''s Civilization 5, Calendar creation method


    1. The YouTuber is ???? but have tranted their ID into English ?


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!