The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor

?Volume 49 Chapter 3 — The appearance of the Order of Iron and Steel Knights

Weed and the Northern users landed on an uninhabited island in the Neria Sea.

The booty they got from destroying the Haven Empire’s fleet was so huge it was hard to even calculate the exact amount; all the stolen ships and war supplies! Sharing them alone can already yield a large profit, but the most significant reward was gaining control over the sea trade routes.

A ship that was able to sail to the far away seas as well as engage in combat and trade needed a lot of resources, manpower and time to build. Restoring the Haven Empire’s navy would take a tremendous amount of efforts, so from now on, the sea belonged to the Arpen Kingdom.

“Since the Empire can’t use marine transportation, the Northern users can freely use the trading routes.”

Mapan, who came to the island with the help of Yurin, smirked from ear to ear, his belly swaying.

“Using the sea routes, transportation costs will be greatly reduced for the Northern ships, not to mention the possibility of smuggling; the profits gained by the regions next to the sea will be incredible.”

The Smuggling-the trade that does not pay taxes to the Empire!

Once caught, merchants would have to deal with a ruined reputation and disgrace, but as long as they got away with it, the profit they will gain from the deals will also be huge. Some people would go so far as to recommend smuggling as the quickest way to grow a merchant’s business.

Weed’s face was also content as if he had just had a very hearty meal of fried chicken.

“As merchants get richer, the North will build up a lot of fortune eventually, by taking away the Empire’s wealth. It is already having a lot of trouble dealing with the rebels, so it will be difficult for the Empire to take actions against the northern merchants on top of that.”

“We need to push them even harder when the circumstances are in our favor.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll try to squeeze every last copper out of them.”

Weed’s comrades were deep in thought while listening to this conversation.

‘How would I feel if I was in the Hermes Guild and hadn’t found out about the real Weed until now?’

How horrifying!

Knowing that there is someone who is coming to steal everything in your pocket someday, and that person is none other than Weed? Even worse still, Weed won the respect of a kind and innocent merchant like Gamong, and had the support of the Grass Porridge Cult.

‘He’s different from those bad guys who appear in Batman or Superman movies; he’s a cutting-edge villain: A sage of all villains, so to speak.’

‘Supported by ordinary users and helped by mass media…He can make people follow him even if they know who he really is; I guess he’s the ultimate form of a perfect villain.’

‘Nobody can blame a successful villain.’

Weed encouraged the Northern users to repair their ships. Since it was an important task and couldn’t be delayed much longer, he himself participated in the task and used the shipbuilding skills he had gained.

‘Just as I thought, working with a good ship improves my skill proficiencies faster.’

He could increase his skills while repairing a ship of the line, and the users were happy to see Weed doing the hard work just like them, oblivious to his intention. There’s a good reason why politicians appear on TV pretending to enjoy cheap street food during an election season.

“Alright, let’s go plunder the Central Continent!”

“Hurray!”

“Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge!”

The Northern users were used to large-scale quests and hard labor; they chopped down all the trees of the uninhabited island to repair the damaged hulls.

Due to the sheer number of users, it didn’t take long to complete basic repair of the ships. As there was no more threat of a war with the navy, it was enough to just get them to stay floating in the sea.

“The wind is fair. Let’s depart.”

“Depart!”

“Today we are going to eat dinner in the Littum region.”

“Conquer the continent!”

The users who arrived in fishing boats and rafts were now enjoying the cool wind on the decks of carracks and battleships.

It was a happy time to play as a user of the Arpen Kingdom, enrolled as a member of the Grass Porridge Cult.

Just going online on Royal Road was enough to make all of your stress disappear.

***

The Cloud Guild, Lion Castle, Roam Guild, Black Sword Mercenaries, and the Black Lion Guild.

Those who belonged to the prestigious guilds of the past were facing a strange situation.

Shadow of the Cloud Guild sighed.

“Is it really wise of us to idly sit like this?”

“What choice do we have? We got a request to stand by and do nothing.”

“But that was ages ago! Besides, it’s not like we have to obey that Weed dude as if we were his lackeys, am I wrong?”

Shadow exclaimed angrily.

Ever since the Hermes Guild lowered the tax rate, their fate took a very disappointing turn. Users of the Central Continent didn’t follow the old prestigious guilds even though they hated the Hermes Guild.

Despite the fact that they ruled over wide territories, these old forces were crumbling ruins. There were no new members enrolling and the remaining useful members had left; about half of them went to join the Arpen Kingdom, and others went to the Hermes Guild or became independent.

The Versailles Continent was wide, and it was not easy to hide their identity and become wanderers, dealing with hunting and trading.

The old prestigious guilds were now nothing but remnants, and their forces were diminishing every day.

Shadow bit his lips painfully.

“Isn’t it because we followed Weed’s words in the first place that we all ended up like this?”

He was furious, remembering how the Cloud Guild had shrunk compared to its glory days.

Gunt from the Lion Castle also agreed with his opinion about Weed.

“If we had joined forces and occupied the same region, things wouldn’t have gone so badly. It was a mistake to believe the words of someone who isn’t even an ally.”

Roam, Mihel and Calis thought differently.

‘Well, as to losing our influence…that was because we were overpowered by the Hermes Guild.’

’We have no territory; we have nothing.’

“Join forces to occupy one region? What are we going to do if the Hermes Guild attacks us then? Besides, it’s not like we reach a consensus that easily.’

Part of the reason for the fall of the prestigious guilds was the fact that they could not form a proper alliance. Indeed, it would be impossible for the guilds that once fought each other over the dominance of the continent to sincerely cooperate.

Calis from the Black Lion Guild said tentatively,

“But don’t you think this might be a chance for us?”

“What chance?”

Shadow asked sharply but he didn’t hide his expectant tone.

“The Hermes Guild is ostracized by common users. Broadcasting stations are taking actions, and the guild is now attacking the Arpen Kingdom and the Desert region. Obviously, their military power is going to be scattered.”

“So you mean that we should seize this chance for a resurgence?”

“Not really…”

Calis gave a light sigh.

The glory of the past!

It was not very long ago when they reigned over people like kings, but it now felt like a lifetime away.

“Take a look at the ability from the Hermes Guild to conduct a war; it won’t be easy to reclaim the land we lost.”

“So?”

“We need to follow Weed’s words so that we can strike a blow to the Hermes Guild.”

“That we can do, but what’s next?”

“We should help the Arpen Kingdom win this war, and if we serve under Weed…”

“Calis, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Shadow shouted loudly.

“What an incredibly foolish opinion.”

Gunt also couldn’t hide his disapproval, but Roam of the Roam Guild and Black Sword Mercenary Mihel didn’t change their expressions; they knew which way the wind was blowing.

Roam carefully opened his mouth.

“Even if the Hermes Guild were to dissipate, we still wouldn’t have a chance. Most of the users who don’t like them will either join the Arpen Kingdom or the Grass Porridge Cult.”

“But we still have quite a lot of high level users. If we gather all five guilds’ strength…”

Mihel cut Gunt’s words short.

“That’s no more an easy thing to do.”

“What?”

“There has to be some hope in order to fight, isn’t there? If I told the Black Sword Mercenaries that we have to fight against the Hermes Guild, there would be a stream of deserters.”

“Our guild is of the same opinion.”

Calis from the Black Lion Guild agreed.

The continuing defeats against the Hermes Guild had resulted in a lot of complaints from the high level users.

Roam shook his head.

“We cannot risk any more war. Even if we hung our guilds’ flags in front, nobody would come to join our cause anyway. But if we unite under the flag of the Arpen Kingdom… we could absorb the force of the rebels. Or even more than that.”

“Hmm…”

“Indeed, it is like that…”

Shadow and Gunt were beginning to change their opinion.

If they couldn’t build a Kingdom that bears their name in this world, well, at least they would need to find a way to survive.

***

“…”

“They lost.”

“Huh…Just like that…”

The heads of the mighty Hermes Guild.

As the system changed into that of a war for conquest, even the great lords attended the meeting.

The absolute domination over the Central Continent and the advance to the North!

Fate had it that they saw the video of the Imperial navy being defeated as they were about to distribute the assignments in accordance with these two quests.

“The navy, which was thought to be invincible, was annihilated. We won’t be able to find any opportunity, in the sea at least, for the next three months.”

Lafaye’s eyes became sharp.

The defeat was shocking, but they were quick to calculate profit and loss.

The Haven Empire’s growth was based on conquest; in a certain sense, not having been able to pioneer the sea reduced the damage.

“From now on, let’s focus on what we need to do.”

Lafaye stirred up the people around.

“Mister Crebolta. Please, take care of the Britten region. You don’t have to wait till the rebels gather. If you see even small signs of them, wipe them out.”

“Understood.”

Crebolta was ranked in the top 10 of Royal Road.

He had great abilities, but as it was often the case with the top-ranked users, he usually did not come forward unless there was a big war.

When the Hermes Guild let Crebolta move, it meant that they were starting to take things seriously.

“Mister Calcus. You’ll need to take care of the Tullen region. We will give you control over the entire regional army.”

“A massacre is exactly what I want.”

Calcus smiled, revealing his white teeth.

In contrast to his handsome face, he was a slayer!

The more users he kills, the stronger his madness and aggression became, which were his unique abilities. Once the instinct of massacre was awakened, even Bard Ray could not underestimate him.

“Mister Jento. Please take charge of the defense and stabilization of the Gradien and Nest regions.”

“Will do.”

“Mister Heroid, your charges are Bremmen and Sur regions. Also, be prepared for the coastal attacks.”

“I will take firm hold of them.”

Lafaye arranged the military power of the main regions.

The armies of lords, excluding the central Imperial army ruled directly by Bard Ray, will be ruling the regions. When your rule over a country centers around military force, it inevitably leads to conflicts with the users. It would be too much to consider the average tendencies of the users of the Hermes guild and hope that those with power will not abuse it.

‘You forced us to draw our sword. We were hoping to turn to peaceful methods as we dominated the continent…Now, we won’t look back.’

Lafaye’s eyes glinted sharply.

Stable domination and control!

They tried to change the power-centric system of the Hermes Guild with Bard Ray in its center through policies and failed. Now it was time to show the true colors of the Hermes Guild once again!! Indiscriminate destruction and conquest.

Calcus the Slayer led the 4th legion of the Imperial army.

The Tullen region, which was once ruled by Black Lion Guild, was infamous for the rebel forces.

“It seems the rebels are gathering around the Luga River.”

“It is said that they have a plan to take over the Formos Castle again.”

“Looks like the rebels got bolder after the navy was defeated.”

Calcus thought this was all very ridiculous.

‘The Hermes Guild is home for the top elite users of Royal Road. I’ve been trying to live peacefully without drawing too much condemnation from people…and now you dare complain?’

The answer was simple: kill!

He thought Lafaye had led the Hermes Guild in the wrong direction because he was thinking too much.

‘Even if some users are not happy with our iron-fisted rule and left for the North, what does it matter? We can always attack the Arpen Kingdom once we gain a firm control over the central continent.’

Calcus ordered the 250 000 soldiers of the 4th legion to advance.

The number of troops itself was not immense; however, after the Haven Empire took over the Central Continent, the legions from the 1st to the 5th were reorganized with the most elite units only. Most importantly, the number of Hermes Guild users mandatorily assigned to the 4th legion amounted to 5000. Each member of the Hermes Guild could boast of their strength in any village or city they went, and now 5000 of them had gathered together. If it had been the past, the combined forces of them could have threatened any Kingdom; of course, the rebels felt like a joke.

“They are but an egg in front of our truck. Let’s just wipe them all.”

Calcus advanced his troops near the Luga River where the rebels had planned to gather.

“Don’t ask questions. Any users here in this place will die.”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers and the Hermes Guild users of the 4th legion started to attack.

“It’s an assault!”

“It’s the Hermes Guild. They are here!”

The users who were about to attack Formos Castle were raided.

The 4th legion charged in unison, sweeping the whole area where users were gathered.

“W, wait. We were just here to spectate.”

“Die!”

“Please! Spare us! We will just go home.”

“Too late.”

The army of Calcus committed an indiscriminate slaughter. They listened to no excuse or reason.

‘This way is better than sloppily killing just a few and let people blame us. We need to show our real power.’

Their goal was to exterminate all the users who dared to attack Formos Castle. The mounted troops patrolled far and wide, not allowing even a single user to escape.

– The Hermes Guild’s full-scale attack!

– Calcus the Slayer and his 4th legion appeared near the Luga River!

– The meeting is canceled. Everyone run for your life!

Inside Royal Road or through broadcasting stations and the internet, the news of the 4th legion launching an attack was spreading.

The 1st 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th legions were well known for their evil deeds during the time when Haven Empire was uniting the Central Continent. The legions, whose very existence left deep creases on the forehead of anyone who ever fought with the Hermes Guild before, were now slaughtering the users. This alone was enough to prove the strength of the Hermes Guild and excite the whole internet, but there was another hot topic.

“The Steel Knights are going to war.”

The Hermes Guild was revealing their combat golems for the first time!

Steel golem knights wearing thick and sturdy armor were riding on metal horses. The order of knights that possessed the horrifically strong defensive abilities and life force unique to the golems! The Steel Knights were pushing straight into the enemy lines, not allowing the rebel users any room to breathe.

“Wall of flames!”

Mage users made the fire wall thicker but the Steel Knights just charged right through it. The Steel golems slaughtered the users, their burning bodies notwithstanding.

The result was the total annihilation of 200 000 users who had planned to attack Formos Castle, except for a few mages or users with flying skills. The users who were supposed to join later as reinforcement were too scared to show up.

***

– H-Hermes Guild!

– Stupidly strong. This is just like the time when they were conquering the continent.

– I think they got even stronger since then.

– Whoa…I guess this is the true power of the Haven Empire.

– Their navy was still massacred though. What a delight! They deserved it.

– The Haven Empire’s main force is their land troops anyway.

– Who on earth would dare to face that army?!

– Check out CTS media. They’re showing the battle of the 3rd legion too. There are more than 50 000 Steel Knights!

With one surprise following another, broadcasting stations and users couldn’t even catch a breath. The Haven Empire was unleashing the power they had kept hidden until now, and its capacity in battle was simply stunning. Needless to say, the strength of the Hermes Guild users and army had increased. But on top of that, the Steel Knights were nearly unstoppable. Whether they were attacked by magic spells or struck with an iron mace, the Steel Knights got up without any sign of weakness and fought on. Armed with incredible life force and defense, once swept by their charging lines, no one could withstand it. Even users with levels above 400 – 500 were trampled by the Steel Knights. Steel golems were naturally slower and had relatively low attack power, but they compensated for these weaknesses by riding on specially constructed horses.

– I reckon those equipments were crafted by dwarves.

– They don’t look like they were made in the Thor Kingdom, though.

– It seems they conducted research by locking up elves or dwarves from the Central Continent as slaves!

– That’ll result in a huge amount of evil reputation…Who would do that sort of thing?

– It’s possible for the Hermes Guild. Even if a few people have to take responsibility and gain an evil reputation, they can still develop and produce things like those. And those who took the responsibility will receive massive rewards.

– When money, time and villains are put together, anything is possible!

Both Royal Road users and the broadcasting stations alike could not repress their astonishment as they witnessed the true power of the Haven Empire.

Despite their number which was several times greater than the Imperial army, the rebels could not even put up a proper fight.

It was not an easy task to knock down or destroy the Steel Knights, and even if you managed to break more than half of their body, they would replenish their mana in a second and regenerate their lost parts.

– Yikes, did you see how the head and arm were growing back just now? That gave me the serious creeps.

– How do you deal with that kind of thing? They look unbeatable.

– With those Steel Knights, you wouldn’t even need any fortress. Just have a great slalom in a plain and you are invincible!

– Trying to overwhelm them with numbers wouldn’t work either; they are golems, they don’t get tired! My God…

Even during big battles, the number of Steel Knight golems that were destroyed was negligible.

While it was true that the slaughter of the Imperial navy had dealt a blow to Haven Empire, the reveal of the Steel Knights certainly turned the tide of the war.

It was thought that the Arpen Kingdom, or even the rebels, wouldn’t have a chance against the Steel Knights.

***

Weed was watching the broadcast while stringing beads.

Ding!

—————————————————————————————————————–

< Stringing 1000 beads – successful.

Your proficiency in sewing skills has increased. >

—————————————————————————————————————–

“So those are the Steel Knights…”

He thought they were excellent weapons for battle.

Claiming the hunting areas and collecting taxes were not the only things Haven Empire did while they occupied the Central Government. They were continuously developing magic and technology, fully enjoying every benefit they provided.

“They have been preparing that kind of stuff in secret.”

Golems were the natural enemies of Weed’s undead minions; they didn’t leave any corpses, nor were they destroyed easily. The only thing the Arpen Kingdom could count on was their human wave strategy, but even that would be inefficient against the Steel Knights.

“And you don’t even have to pay them! You can just use them forever.”

The beings that you could exploit to your heart’s content without worrying about being caught by the Department of Employment!

“I should have made golems, like them.”

Weed gave a big sigh.

Those steel golems would probably have been created by the combination of advanced magic and blacksmith skills. The Hermes Guild wasn’t all about rankers with optimized skills for battles; its members also included people with various high-class professions such as blacksmiths. If master blacksmiths Herman and Fabio hadn’t been recruited by the Northern Continent, it would have been greatly disadvantageous for battles between high-level users.

Level and skills were important factors in the fights between users, but one couldn’t ignore the benefits of good equipment. Even more so, a great number of siege machines were used during a war, which are made by blacksmiths, so their role was very important.

“Summon golem!”

Even with Weed’s Necromancy, what he summoned was a normal clay golem, despite the fact that he had only summoned one..

That same golem can be summoned even by a Necromancer below level 100!

– Is there work for me to do?.

“Just carry the luggage.”

Weed used his golem as a beast of burden.

It was one of those types of magic for which the skill level grew very slowly even if you repeated summoning.

Since his abilities as a Necromancer were growing so fast as well, it was difficult to equip with spells other than summoning undead.

Still, his current summon undead spell was at intermediate 6 level. Weed’s level finally reached above 500. It could be said that it was all thanks to hunting the Hermes Guild users and taking a tour around all those horrifying hunting areas including the devil Delam after returning from the Giants’ land.

“Never mind that, I thought I was starting to finally catch up with them, but…”

Weed wanted to pursue the ultimate strength. Even when he was earning a couple of silvers by carving a piece of wood as a sculptor, actually in his mind he was already smacking the back of a dragon’s head.

“I wish I could just go hunting for three months… that way I would be able to match the top rankers of the Hermes Guild. I could also do a bit of time travel.”

Ever since he became a necromancer, a profession which was easy to level up, after mastering sculpting, he had dreamed of catching up with everyone very soon. His ambition was to become the strongest of all, by putting all other matters aside and just focusing on hunting and combat quests. But just as he was enjoying the benefits of a necromancer’s hunting speed and a sculptor’s other secondary effects, he was put into the position of having to conduct a war against the Haven Empire; if not because of Weed’s popularity, because of his position as the king of Arpen Kingdom.

“Would it be better to fight them now before the Hermes Guild gets any stronger? It doesn’t look like the Haven Empire will back down so easily, seeing how they revealed their secret weapons. Hmm. It’s more difficult for the strong ones to be patient.

Weed thought about the Haven Empire’s future.

They showed their great military forces, which had been formed by monopolizing benefits of having the Central Continent under their control.

‘After establishing the Empire, they would have been able to build up wealth, army, everything; It must have been a lot easier because unlike me, they had an organization.’

Now that the Imperial army was fully committed to the war, the rebels in the Central Continent would eventually be suppressed. However, as soon as that was done, the Haven Empire would turn the tip of its sword towards the Arpen Kingdom.

Now the stakes were too high for both the Hermes Guild and Weed to step back. “The advantage I’ve got…is that I can take the lead in this war, in any case.”

Every broadcasting station was discussing the war of the Haven Empire.

Their viewpoint was that while the Haven Empire was absolutely superior in terms of military power alone, since the rebellion would cause their production to decline and the users to leave, the Arpen Kingdom would have an advantage if the war dragged on for a long time.

Weed thought from a different perspective.

‘The overall situation looks pretty good. The Haven Empire has to protect its land. And it has to take back the land it lost as well. On top of all that, it has to conquer the Arpen Kingdom.’

Troubles were brewing in the Southern desert region, rebels were fighting in the Central Continent, and the angry users of the Arpen Kingdom were attacking in the North.

They had great power, but there were a lot of debtors who wanted to take everything little by little. And debtors are supposed to be the most terrifying beings in the world.

‘My chance is now. If I miss this opportunity that Seoyoon created for me and peace returns to any one of those regions, there won’t be any future for us.’

Kallamore region.

This region of the Central Continent, blessed with an emerging prosperity and a liveliness rivaling even other regions in the North, was ruled by Dain.

An Excellent governor!

Receiving an overwhelming support from the local residents, she boasted astonishing power of influence over the region. However, as it was under the reign of the Hermes guild, rebels continually emerged from within.

“As we are currently at war, we cannot tolerate the rebels any longer.”

“I am confident that I can negotiate with them. Besides, they haven’t caused any serious damage yet.”

“I know that the situation in Kallamore is better than in any other region. However, if we leave them as they are, we risk the possibility of the rebels spreading extensively. The Central Authority ordered us to suppress the rebels, and you as a governor are obliged to comply.”

“…”

“I will retrieve your authority over military forces and battle engagement only. I will not intervene in the internal affairs.”

Gigad of the Guild Administration took away part of Dain’s governance.

It was decided that many talented people of Kallamore, a renowned birthplace of valiant knights, would be absorbed into the Imperial Army.

“Ugh.”

Dain sighed, but she could not make any protest other than that.

She was a so-called “parachuted employee ”!

While it was true that she did great service by ruling Kallamore well, she got her position through appointment by the top authority of the Hermes guild, which meant that she had a lot of internal enemies who were jealous of her.

Since Kallamore was a stable region, the Imperial Army was not deployed to the region and the private armies of the local lords carried out the task of suppression by themselves.

“Eliminate them all!”

“Crossing the Mepon River is now prohibited. Let’s show them that Kallamore is no weaker than other regions!”

The lords and users of the Hermes Guild, free from all the restrictions that had been put upon them, were wreaking havoc.

Eager to make public contributions, they executed groups of rebels, sometimes getting overexcited and waging battles beyond their strength.

“Is this really necessary?”

“I know, right? We have always been playing nice, even holding festivals and whatnot.”

“This has been such a peaceful region, free from any fight… and now they ruined it.”

Even in the Kallamore region, which used to be firm and stable like a stone bridge, deep hostility was spreading among the users, just like the other regions of the Haven Empire.

***

“If it’s going to be a big war, we have to accomplish something from it.”

“I guess we have been too idle lately. We need to start taking the rust off of our swords.”

“Ahem. We don’t fight to gain popularity. We also don’t fight to boast in front of women. We fight, to the very limit of our strength, because that’s the reason for our life!”

“You’re right, of course!”

“Well, then let’s show them what we’ve got.”

Geomchi brought all of the masters to the Desert region; along with the Desert warriors, he intended to have a proper match against the Haven Empire.

The disciples who reached the Southern Desert region earlier had established a firm ground. The users playing in this area responded sharply to the news that Geomchi and the masters arrived from the Arpen Kingdom.

“Do you think there will be a fight?”

“The current system is just perfect as it is… good for plundering, too.”

“Yeah, pillaging the Great Plains went really well. Even now there are plenty of opportunities for plundering, seeing how the Central Continent is in disarray.”

“The Imperial army might be strong, but we can always avoid fighting, using our camels’ mobility.”

“I’m worried the current system might lose its balance.”

The number of Desert users was still quite small, and they were feeling uneasy towards the arrival of Geomchi.

They were worried that the tradition and the system of the Desert among the disciples would be shaken, but their concerns turned out to be unnecessary.

“Masters, you came.”

In the Desert, the disciples lining up on both sides greeted Geomchi and the masters.

What a scene: all those burly men wearing leather clothes, bending their backs and bowing deeply!

Silver, Ben and Elix, who were in an adventurer party, were speechless after witnessing this.

“More people like them have come.”

“It looks as though they consist of 505 people, these are the ones who were chosen among the warriors of the south, those who were selected among the whole humankind.”

“Right, those who have muscles instead of brains…ahem.”

Geomchi’s gaze fell upon the clothes made of leopards’ and tigers’ leather that Geomchi5 and other trainees were wearing.

“Those clothes look good.”

“Hehehe. We caught the beasts ourselves. Nothing is better than leather clothes in the Desert. We also prepared one for you, master.”

Leather clothes in a desert, not in a jungle!

Since something about them looked very impressive, Geomchi thought it was a pretty outstanding decision.There were quite a lot of things being resolved in this manner between them.

“You must have had a tough time. How do we play here?”

“Well, no big deal. Just hit and break things. Since you are here, we will entrust everything to you.”

“I heard you’re working on a commission.”

“It’s nothing huge. They say that we are founding a new Pallos Empire .”

The Pallos Empire had been a strong country blessed with the glory of the desert, its territories spreading over a vast land. Despite the fact that some of the Empire past territories had been lost to the Central Continent, a wide area of desert remained. It was composed of tribes and cities, with a population that even included nomads and wanderers, so establishing an Empire was a big quest.

Geomchi folded his hands behind his back and smiled contently.

“Sounds like a pleasant job.”

“Yes. As a kid I used to charge into the den of the local gang with an iron pipe in my hand and now… Ah, sorry, Master.”

“It’s alright. We all used to be immature. 10 is a quite good age to hold an iron pipe.”

“As always, you speak wisely, master.”

Geomchi2 was responsible for the organization of the Desert warriors.

As someone who was a top student of Geomchi and had worked as a master of a martial art academy for a long time, dealing with the Desert warriors wasn’t a difficult task for him.

As for the users, only a few words were enough.

“Give a good fight.”

“Y-yes! I, I will fight till the very end.”

“Even if the battle is disadvantageous, please don’t run away.”

“If my legs and arms get broken, I will fight on with my teeth!”

Geomchi2 spoke gently for certain, but somehow it looked as though the users were carving his words deep into their very bones.

Humans are said to have the ability to use reason, but when people met Geomchi2 and talked to him, an animal-like instinct that had been lying dormant within them was awakened.

‘He would kill me if I crossed him. He’d knock me down without effort, and once he starts swinging his arms…’

‘If he hits me, I’m dead. That’s the best outcome. That, or becoming a vegetable. I’ll be beaten until I feel like I would rather die.’

‘This is the person who you must never turn into an enemy.’

Geomchi2 even had a girlfriend, but people’s view of him hadn’t changed.

When he smiled, the users trembled in fear even more.

“Is there anything you find uncomfortable?”

“Un…uncomfortable? Not at all! I’m living in great comfort.”

“If you need something, feel free to tell me anytime.”

“I’m really, REALLY very happy, thanks!”

Geomchi3, Geomchi4 and Geomchi5 envied his leadership.

“He’s different from people like us who only get angry all the time.”

“Right. There’s a lot to learn from him.”

“Wasn’t he going around beating people a lot in the past, though? He’s the one who taught me how to hold an iron pipe correctly.”

“What are you talking about, N°4? I don’t remember that at all.”

“But we learned together… Ah, right, you were hit in your head quite a bit that time.”

“Aha. That’s why I don’t remember!”

***

A massive rally of the Desert Warriors!

Countless warriors flocked to the Southern border of the Haven Empire.

“Are we going for some more plundering again?”

“Of course, let’s go for another round.”

Most of the users active in the Desert area have also joined.

The desolated, unforgiving Desert region naturally was strikingly different from the fertile Central Continent or Northern Continent.

When you were active in the Desert under the scorching sun for long, you were bound to dream of plundering the Central Continent.

“Who’s the captain? Is it Mister Geomchi5 this time as well?”

“No. It’s Mister Geomchi.”

“Very similar name, but I don’t really know him.”

“He is not very well known around here, but he’s truly a powerful man. He is said to be Weed’s swordfighting teacher.”

“Huh… Really?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it.”

Geomchi, together with the masters and the trainees, assembled the main forces in the Southern Desert.

“I’ve heard that I’ll get a sword if I come to this place.”

“You know how to wield it?”

“Yes, that’s all I have done in my life. That’s what every man had to do in order to protect our tribe.”

In the Desert, warriors came to the reputable heroes, asking to serve under them.

Due to the harsh conditions of the Desert region, it produced a lot of great warriors, who gained experience through battles and wars.

If one accomplished a feat during a war, one could gather a lot of troops, so their military force was remarkable even though their population or economic power was small.

The warriors who gathered under the banner of Geomchi alone amounted to 500 000, a striking number.

“Khmmmm.”

Geomchi and the masters felt quite a burden.

“So all these people’s lives depend on us.”

“Yes, master.”

“What would happen if we hurled all of them into the fray in one go?”

“I think everything here would be pretty much ruined.”

The decisive battle that will determine the fate of the Desert region.

Through the plundering of the Great Plains and the trade with the Arpen Kingdom, the Desert region was gradually establishing an economic foundation. If all these Desert warriors lost their lives, the region would suffer from monster attacks and the new Pallos Empire would be a very distant dream indeed.

“Master, shall we turn back?”

“No. Once a man has drawn out his sword, he has to cut at least a radish .”

The Desert warriors led by Geomchi and the other masters and disciples raided the territory of the Haven Empire.

About half of them were cavalries riding on camels.

A large-scaled assault by the Desert warriors, intending to bypass ramparts and fortresses, using their swift mobility to pillage granaries and villages.

– Congratulations! We welcome all of you from the Palos Empire!

– Welcome. Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge.

– We are friends of the Desert!

– Hurray to Weed!

Huge signs and placards hung on the city and castle walls welcomed Geomchi and his Desert Warriors.

“What on earth are those…?”

“No enemy left for us to fight, Master!”

“Where did they go?”

“Probably fled. The remaining people are welcoming us.”

The lords of the Great Plains and small principalities gathered.

Following the first wave of pillaging, they watched a massive Desert Army rallying for the second wave through the broadcast.

“Looks like they are ready for another strike, what shall we do?”

“Any news from the Hermes Guild?”

“They said that they are sending in the defensive forces… but the number will probably be quite small.”

“Again?”

“Well, they have always looked down on us, so what did you expect? Besides, since everything was taken away during the last raid, it’s pretty obvious that they’re thinking we’re not worth protecting.”

The Hermes Guild dispatched about 30% of their forces against the rebels and about 60% to fight against the Arpen Kingdom.

Even if the warriors struck the Southern Desert region, it wouldn’t result in a loss of territory.

Since the cities suffered no serious damage and the granaries had already been mostly depleted after the last attack, they decided that there wasn’t much more to lose.

On the other hand, in order to defend against charging Desert warriors, the defensive forces would have to be spread further apart throughout a wide area.

The Desert warriors weren’t interested in besieging and taking over castles, so they ran rampant over a large open space.

The Haven Empire would have to stop them mainly using their cavalry as well, but that would require extensive dispersion of their forces, which would become their weakness.

Lafaye and the heads of Hermes Guild decided to focus only on the Arpen Kingdom.

Since they didn’t want to deliver another legendary triumph to the hands of Weed, their conclusion was to strategically abandon the Southern land.

However, they still could have saved the castles or the cities from the Desert warriors, had the local lords chosen to fight with all their might.

“Now they’re just being cruel. It would be too much for us to prepare for the war all on our own … They pretty much mean that we’ll need to throw everything we’ve got if we want to survive.”

“They have abandoned us, so why do we have to fight for the Empire?”

“Should we just flee?”

“But where would we go? We’re so far from Arpen Kingdom.”

“To the Desert. According to the rumors I heard, the Desert region is yet another place with Weed’s influence cast all over it.”

“It is? Could you tell me more details?”

“Ever since Nodulle and Hildren quests, the Desert region achieved a rapid growth thanks to Weed, and…*whisper whisper*… Also, it is said that the leaders of the Desert warriors are Weed’s acquaintances.”

“Is that so?”

Thus did the local lords decide to desert Haven Empire.

They were now welcoming the Desert warriors, while intending to dispose of their property and flee if things went sour.

– Territory Conquered!

Nedro Castle will be incorporated into the Desert region.

The residents are fearful due to the rumors about the vicious Desert warriors.

Public order +24

City development level -16

Religious influence -25

Culture -15

Economic strength -40

– Territory Conquered!

The city of Gosome will become part of the Desert region.

As the Desert warriors are entering through the main gates, the citizens refrain from outdoor activities. .

Even the children are too scared to cry, hiding themselves inside their homes.

Public order +31

City development level -21

Religious influence 30

Culture -19

Economic strength -44

Gosome is a metropolis of the Great Plains that has a population of 230 000.With the expansion of Palos Empire’s territory, each warrior’s strength, agility and stamina have increased by 7 as an achievement.

Geomchi5 and the trainees, who were on their quest for the Establishment of Palos Empire, planted the flag in the castle.

“Wow, all these stats…”

“Are they any useful though?”

“Weed always said that everything comes down to stats eventually.”

“Well, if our youngest said so, then it must be right.”

Geomchi and Geomchi2 had such great faith in Weed; they would even give their treasured sword to him if he asked.

“Second , thanks to our Little One I think I might finally get married if all goes well. I wouldn’t even know such a world exists if it weren’t for him; I’m the kind of a guy who finds a remote controller for a TV too complicated.”

“I am the same as you, master.”

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our Little One could be the host for my wedding?”

“We should definitely give him that role, yes.”

If Weed hosts a wedding ceremony in reality, the broadcasting stations might be present to relay the live event.

If the wedding takes place in Royal Road, it would be possible to have hundreds of thousands of people participating in the event in the Earth Palace.

“By the way, now that we have conquered this land, how are we going to rule it? The lords have surrendered, but we can’t leave our troops here.”

“It is true that there’s not going to be much difference once we leave.”

“Then what’s the point in conquering?”

So, while having this conversation, Geomchi and Geomchi2 realized they needed to face a very important fact.

The characteristics of the Desert warriors dictated that they weren’t bound to the territory and borders.

With their troops moving around like the wind, there wasn’t much they could do even if the cities and the castles that had surrendered to them joined Haven Empire again.

Of course, the lords of Haven Empire were having this in mind when they decided to surrender so easily.

“I think I’m going to have a headache. Let’s ask Weed about it.”

“That is a good idea.”

They briefed Weed on the current situation in an in-game whisper and waited for a reply.

What effectively was an unsolvable conundrum to them took exactly 15 seconds for Weed to come up with an answer.

– Weed: You need to fight like Desert warriors.

“Like Desert warriors?”

– Weed: When I founded Palos Empire… ahem…You could say I was rather brutal, although it was because I travelled in time, of course.

“Yes, I saw it. You wiped out practically everyone.”

It was one incident during which Weed’s true character was almost uncovered, as it was broadcast.

As a player of Royal Road he is now admired as a wise king or a great adventurer,, but in the days of Magical Continent, he was un unmatched tyrant; except his bullying was mainly directed towards the prestigious guilds of ill reputation, which was why he could maintain his popularity among the general public. He was the one who could fight against them on behalf of little people.

– Weed: Raise your army. Recruit the soldiers from the surrendered region by force. You’ll need to get everyone you could, such as commoners with some sword skills or mercenaries.

“It’s nothing impossible, but we already have big troops.”

– Weed: Since the land where you have to fight is wide, the more you have the better. Think about it; even as a kid, we knew 10 people is better than 5 when we played an ally captain.

“That’s true. Hmm.”

– Weed: When the lords surrender, take their troops and keep raising yours. After you take the army of the first couple of regions, it would become difficult to defy you for the next ones.

“Because our troops are that much larger.”

– Weed: That’s right. Once you pass through the Great Plains, the Empire will actively try to stop you because that means the entire Central Continent might be in peril. From then you just have to ruthlessly plunder and collect war supplies, and keep on fighting while continuing to raise the troops.”

“Hmm…”

A great prospect revealed itself in Geomchi’s head.

Haven Empire.

And the wild Desert warriors pillaging the Empire of such great power!

‘I guess that’s quite cool, right?’

That prospect was once a reality painted by Weed during his time as the Great King of Desert, and as his exploit became famous by broadcast, many men dreamed of such deed.

“Sounds fun.”

– Weed: Yes. Well, if we lose the fight then that’s the end for us, but what’s there to lose? Once a man has drawn out his sword-

“-he has to cut at least a radish.”

***

Weed did not intend to stop at just manipulating Geomchi and the trainees from behind when it comes to fighting Haven Empire.

‘I didn’t expect a war to break out… but still, I’m the one who attacked the Empire.’

And the war was not going to end so easily.

‘We have quite a good idea of the military strength of Haven Empire and Hermes Guild. Of course, there would be more hidden weapons like those Steel Knights…’

Weed thought he would have had several secret assets too if he had been the head of Hermes Guild.

With overflowing amount of money, an organization and information network that cover the whole Central Continent, it would be only natural to secure military strength using everything they could, quests and whatnot.

It wouldn’t be overly strange if they too had some sealed power like Embinyu Order.

‘So how many secret weapons would they have? 2? 3? That feels a bit too few. Maybe 8 to 10? They wouldn’t have had time to prepare so many after unifying the Central Continent. ’

Quests were often discovered by adventurers and excavators.

There were users with special professions and fame like Weed, but things like quests or sealed skills that can affect the whole continent were not very common.

‘Let’s say it’s 5. They probably have prepared around that number. And Steel Knights are one of them.’

A man of such quick wits; he would probably be able to correctly guess the number of chopstick pairs Lafaye had kept as spare after he got a delivery from a Chinese restaurant.

‘The number of Hermes Guild users… approximately 752 300, according to their guild website. And the Imperial Army has 3 000 000 people.’

From the point of view of someone who rules a Kingdom, it was a ridiculously large amount of troops.

Worse still, these numbers did not include the number of troops independently owned by their lords.

‘Thanks to Seoyoon’s sacrifice, the circumstances became more favorable. They need to station about half of their troops in fortresses or castles for local defense. The rest will be mobilized for the war.’

Weed was drawing a big picture in his head.

The Imperial Army with the strongest military force.

Even after the existence of the things like the Order of the Steel Knights was revealed, it didn’t pique Weed’s interest much.

Arpen Kingdom, the Southern Desert warriors, and rebel forces. He was going to gather all of them in one team and hunt the lands of the Empire.

“Hard work is often wasted easily (Note: Here I used an English saying “Hard work is not wasted.”The Korean adage used in the original text literally translates to something like “A tower built upon great efforts does not collapse easily” which has a very similar meaning to the English saying.). I was holding a grudge ever since they took over the whole Central Continent for themselves; and I bet there are others with the same grudge, too.”

***

The elite soldiers of Haven Empire were gathering at Harpan and Litum regions.

40% of Harpan region was already conquered by the Northern users, and a landing operation was taking place in Litum region.

“We arrived at Litum. Everyone get off the ship!”

“Woow…. so this is the Central Continent.”

“Look at those beach houses. They’re so pretty.”

“Now I get why everyone’s talking about the Central Continent”

Quite unlike the scene of landing operation in which there was a fierce battle engaged by both sides, Northern users were disembarking from a large sailboat in a leisurely manner.

After the landing they visited the city shops in the coast, enjoying shopping and taking a look at the goods.

The ships of the line and Karaks stolen from Haven Empire and were also used to transport the Northern users.

“We have a ship with great ride comfort! No rocking in the waves. Sail to Litum for just 7 gold!”

“We’re going to depart in 30 minutes. You can have dinner at the Central Continent’s harbor Radek!”

“Anyone fancying some fresh-caught sashimi, get on board! We have a captain with Intermediate 7 level fishing skill! He can catch just about anything that’s not a Kraken!”

Merchants and adventurers were making good profits through the transportation of the Northern users.

In addition, they could raise a fortune by bringing food and other trading goods in large quantities and selling them.

Since the rebellious uprising, Haven Empire was suffering losses in their mineral mining, crop yield, and even goods production.

Indeed, even though there wasn’t any shortage of daily necessities, the price of groceries and other basic products was raised by 30%.

Most of the cities in the Central Continent bought products of Arpen Kingdom with expensive price, and with added benefits of specialty products, it was a jackpot for many merchants.

For the merchants chasing after profit, it was a good opportunity to create great wealth and business growth by selling the spare supplies of Arpen Kingdom to Haven Empire.

“So they are the Northern users…”

“Things got quite lively. It’s good to have more people here.”

The Central Continent’s users welcomed the new people.

When Arpen Kingdom came into control, the taxes were reduced to less than a half of the original amount; in addition to the official tax rate, various surtaxes and public usage cost, trade taxes were deducted

The profit would have been several times greater if it had been before the Empire reduced the tax rate, but even as in current state it was an enormous gain.

“Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge!”

The Central Continent’s users willingly joined in, chanting the words Grass Porridge.

“But what kind of porridge are we?”

“Well, I like Bamboo Shoots Porridge…”

“But it’s so hard to go through the procedure for joining. And it would be nice if we come up with something by ourselves.”

“There said to be about 130 porridge groups in the Grass Porridge Cult. Would there be any new names we could take?”

“um… How about Flower Porridge?”

“Flower Porridge?”

“Yes, small grasses and flowers blooming on the ground…It’s a nice harmony. Also, it’s beautiful.”

The beginning of Flower Porridge Army founded by a few users of the Central Continent!

They put flowers in their hair in order to show their membership in Flower Porridge group.

In a matter of just a few hours or a day, the size of Flower Porridge army increased remarkably and everyone in Litum region were walking around with flowers in their hair.

Elves and fairies showed their sweet beauty by having flower ornaments on their hair,

but the problem was that even tall barbarians and muscular warriors put flowers in their hair.

There was a small fishing village in the Litum region called Brundelheim; 7 novice users of level 70 from the Northern region came to this village, and by that evening the atmosphere of the whole place has changed completely. Now, each and every one of approximately thousand user of this village was having flowers in their hair.

“So this is what it feels like to be in Grass Porridge Cult. To feel somehow connected as one to someone who’s completely different from me.”

“We aren’t alone. We all live together.”

Meaning of Korean Expressions

parachuted employee:

This is actually a very literal translation of original Korean words which means an employee who got their position by having connections to people in higher positions, or people with money and influence. I couldn’t find any English word that was even remotely close to this meaning, so for now I settled for ‘parachuted employee’.

Once a man has drawn out his sword, he has to cut at least a radish:

This is literal translation of a famous Korean saying, meaning that once a person start to work on something, they must not give up until the end.

Original Source from

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