Episode 128 – Kingdom (8)
“O king. “You will arrive at your destination soon.”
“They must have noticed, too.”
“That’s right. Because 50,000 troops were moving together. “It’s hard to get up to speed.”
Wide grassland. A lot of people and horses crossing there. These were the main forces led by Luke, who had already consolidated more than half of the plains.
However, Luke’s face was sunken even after seeing this huge army that even the settlement forces were wary of. It was different from the admirals who had the same momentum.
‘I will never drink or let down my guard until I tear them to death.’
Luke, who was sharpening his sword for revenge, was now looking at only one thing.
According to his original plan, he should have completely absorbed the eastern grasslands that Garhan had already ruled, unified most of the grasslands except the outskirts, and successfully appeased the remaining southern tribes to ascend to the position of true king.
But that plan was thwarted by those further east than Garhan.
The Arryn tribe that appeared from the east absorbed all of the Garhan tribes that Luke had painstakingly conquered under the pretext of being allies. They scoffed at that and sent an expeditionary force, but the expeditionary force was fooled by the opponent’s tactics and suffered a crushing defeat.
“They are people who use extraordinary magic and evil sorcery. We will reward those who bravely pursue their major, but never let down your guard.”
Luke gritted his teeth and told his tribal leaders not to let down their guard. This is because we lost too much in the last defeat.
First of all, it was fatal that all the wizards who were supposed to be connected to the Southern Kingdom were taken away. It was also his fault that he brought in almost all the elite soldiers he could scrape together.
To never let down your guard and press down in one go with overwhelming force.
“There are already too many numbers, but if we push ahead with this hastily, we will only stumble. “The king will order us to establish a strong base near their stronghold, and we will take them down calmly.”
“You are right Tanai.”
Luke nodded at the words of the old warrior who served as his advisor and instructed to first prepare a space to use as a base.
The location was where Garhan’s headquarters was once located, so it was near the second village that Varun was currently building with the residents.
“You were very determined.”
Varun also quickly realized their intentions as he had sent out scouts to watch their every move.
Varun noticed that Luke, who was furious, had stepped forward with desperate resolve, and he smiled bitterly and looked back at his colleagues around him.
“Warchief Luke is already planning to attack us, and we cannot avoid the fight. I would rather use this as an opportunity to dedicate this entire meadow to the guardian deity. If that happens, it will be much easier to stop the black monsters.”
“But the construction of the wall is not yet finished. “It would be better to build a low-height fence right now…”
“They also drew their swords. “Clumsy obstacles can actually hinder us.”
Siege warfare could not always be the answer. Although they learned infantry tactics and siege warfare from the dwarf survivors who specialized in mass infantry warfare due to their sturdy physiques and low center of gravity, many of the Arryn tribe, who were currently rapidly increasing their power, were unable to learn them.
If you follow along clumsily in such a situation, the damage will only increase. Varun thought that even if he won, it would be meaningless if the damage was great.
“But no matter how many soldiers we gather, the number we can use is about 15,000. “If we mobilize even the less trained people, we could increase the number to 30,000, but according to reconnaissance, the enemies are all elite soldiers.”
“Of course, a head-on confrontation would be disadvantageous. “Because we are weaker in numbers.”
Varun did not deny the words of Les, his confidant and one of the scout leaders. But everyone who has been with Varun for a long time noticed. Even if he says that, Varun has already made a decision.
Now all that was left was the stage of persuading and convincing people by providing some evidence.
“But look at this. These are the weapons that Naru and Dune, who went to a new city under his guidance, saved. Although they are small in number, they have superior performance compared to the armor and weapons we previously made and wore.”
Varun took out something and showed it to them. One of the many items hastily transported, it was a sword made by processing the entire horn of a bluish animal.
A sword made of horn may not be stronger than a steel sword, but this sword was special. This is because it was made as a by-product of a high-level mutant and contained more magical power.
When a warrior with awakened mana wields it, its power is doubled. The skills of warriors who changed jobs to various occupations such as spearmen, knights, and assassins were also amplified.
The warriors who used them themselves were wide-eyed at the sight of their skills showing different power than before.
“Furthermore, the number of our warriors armed with these precious weapons is second to none.”
That wasn’t the only reason Varun believed. When Varun mentioned the warriors, the warriors looked at themselves.
The warriors of the Arin tribe were not the only ones who naturally awakened their innate mana as before. Able to see through the potential of the residents, he used the documents he organized to classify those with outstanding potential among the new members and awakened them using the essence of monsters that are still being farmed at this very moment.
The number is not small. The Arin warriors, who gained experience through hunting mode and fighting against bugs, were definitely several times more numerous than other tribes.
“I believe that in this war, the skills of the warriors will determine victory or defeat.”
These warriors who have awakened mana are those who can become a hundred tanks per day if they have the skills. Although the enemy is outnumbered, the number of warriors is similar to that of the allies.
Varun, who believed that the skills of those warriors were superior to his own, saw potential in them and placed his hopes on them.
As if Varun’s words were truly persuasive, the warriors began to stir.
“This special equipment and the strength given to you are all thanks to His grace that trusts us. “Of course you have to pay it back.”
When Varun decided that the mood was set and raised his sword into the sky, all the warriors were inspired and raised their weapons at once.
‘After becoming a spearman, I became stronger than when I used a sword. For him who recognized my talent.’
‘I thought I would have to dig the ground for the rest of my life, let alone become a warrior. He is the one who recognized me like that.’
Warriors, regardless of gender, burned their fighting spirit. Because this war was not a simple power war.
Now this war has become a test to prove faith.
‘There is no problem with mindset. If I can’t do this much with His grace, I will have to give up my position as tribal leader.’
Varun, who united the anxious people, smiled faintly at the fact that things had turned out well. Because there was so much given, it was very easy to lead the residents.
“Yes Toa. “Have you also learned great magic?”
“Yes, Chief.”
Of course, Varun did not just trust the warriors.
This is because it has not only defensive turrets that are being additionally installed or upgraded at this very moment, but also cracks that will play a decisive role at critical moments.
The next person Varun met after the warriors was a young woman named Toa. As the staff she holds suggests, she was a former wizard.
“If you use it once…”
“Because the practice is still insufficient. sorry.”
Varun asked quietly, but she flinched and lowered her head. She learned the great magic Fire Rain from the magic book [Lestra] at the Hero Training Center, and like Larsen, she was exhausted after using it once and had to stay out for half a day.
“I can’t help it. Don’t worry too much. In my opinion, once a day is enough.”
“This may be off topic, but aren’t you going to call Larsen?”
“Larsen has been having a bit of a hard time recently. “For this battle, I plan to deploy to the northern fortress along with Rakum.”
Varun nodded to her question. Since she joined, there was no need to mobilize Larsen.
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Of course, having two people who could use anti-magic would be of great benefit, but the vigil against the north could not be stopped.
“Then maybe Riena…?”
“No, Riena will join us along with the others soon.”
Varun chuckled at Toa’s remark. Riena is recognized by everyone as the tribe’s strongest knight. There was a big difference whether she was on the battlefield or not.
There is no reason for Varun not to bring Riena with him in such an important battle.
‘Until then, how many more awakenings will there be?’
However, there was a separate problem. This is because the key was how many ‘paladins’ Riena would bring with her to join.
The most recent news I heard was that the warriors who tried to become paladins were having a very hard time.
***
“Is it because Paladin and other high-level occupations are high-level professions? “It’s not easy.”
I know that Varun plans to use the paladins, including Riena, as an important part of this war. However, the problem was that few people passed the ordeal.
After Shura narrowly passed, a significant number of candidates tried one after another, only to fail and try again countless times.
In the process, only five Paladins were awakened, including Riena. At this rate, it seemed like we would barely be able to fill 10 people.
‘But certainly if they join the battlefield.’
I also believed that the paladins would play a big role in the war.
Until now, they were only paladins in name, but the real paladin skills they learn not only maximize their own combat power, but also assist and heal those around them.
Although it was just an imagination that I had not seen in person yet, it was clear that it would have a deceptive ability if used in an actual war.
“This method isn’t bad either.”
Due to the characteristics of the Dark Blood that I activated, when warriors select a higher class, they can choose without restrictions and retain the skills of the class they originally had.
When I saw So-yeon Lee using MMORPG games to train troops more easily and quickly, I was a little attracted to it, but I was confident that my method would be easier to train elites with various talents.
A well-trained warrior will become a secret weapon that will change the course of the battlefield.
‘I don’t know about weapons, but I guess I should buy some armor.’
Therefore, those who passed the ordeal and became Holy Knights were those who needed a little more care.
I gave them armor purchased from Dark Blood’s store, just like the ones worn by Riena and Shura.
The men had proper plate armor, unlike the women’s modded armor…but the female knights had no choice.
‘It’s not going to become a tradition, is it?’
I can feel that the culture among the residents is slowly changing due to dwarves and wizards from the Southern Kingdom, especially those who enter the game and can see and hear various things.
I was secretly worried that the exposed female knight armor, which was never designed for pure combat, might become mainstream culture.
“Hmm.”
…It’s not a bad thing to look at, though.