A Small Miracle
“Supplies? There was such a thing?”
Ho-yeong sounded pleased, but also puzzled.
I had tried to inform you several times already, but each time, Guardian, you delayed my guidance.
“Ah. Now that you mention it, I think I heard something about that.”
Since this can no longer be delayed, please listen carefully.
Daliha began her explanation in a firm voice.
Apart from the stage-clear rewards, items that help with game progression are issued from time to time. You may choose which supplies to receive. However, the collection point is limited to Tamer Territory.
Remaining collection time: 2 hours 58 minutes.
If you do not collect the supplies before the deadline, the item type will be chosen at random, so please be careful.
To view the supply list and detailed contents, move to the marked location.
“This is the first thing we need to handle. Let’s go, Ma-yeong.”
Ho-yeong rode out toward the supply point.
“Huh? This is that place, isn’t it?! The hill that was such a nuisance in Stage 1.”
It was the hill terrain that had been governed by a slipping penalty, impossible to climb for anything except Mandragorani. Ho-yeong had assumed it would collapse in a heap once the stage was over, but only the slippery debuff had vanished; the terrain itself remained exactly as it had been.
It still blocked the main road outright, making logistics and facility repairs a nightmare, but it took too much labor to dig out piece by piece, so it had been left alone for the time being.
You may choose 5 of the following 10 resources, items, and buffs. Quantities are fixed.
1. Karoum (Intermediate / plentiful)
An extremely sharp metal, though not very strong. It is mainly used as plating for spears and blades.
2. Turturium (Top-grade / scarce)
An ore that explodes when it takes a strong shock. It is buried throughout the mountain ranges of the Western Continent.
3. Dandanium (High-tier / ordinary)
An extremely hard metal.
A great deal of it is buried in the unexplored Dry Land north of the Gallia Kingdom and in the unexplored Dark Red Land west of Tamer Territory.
4. Dodum Tree (Top-grade / extremely scarce)
Drinking the sap of this tree, or applying it to a wound, heals injuries. However, because the sap is highly volatile and difficult to preserve, the common method has become to mix it with troll blood, purify it, and turn it into healing potions.
Due to indiscriminate logging caused by the sap’s usefulness, it is now difficult to find outside the Serak Mountains in the Dark Red Land. Unless it has a stable temperature, rainfall, and sunlight, it withers quickly.
Mandragorani especially likes the leaves of this tree. Could the secret behind the horn-leaf’s effects lie in this tree?
5. Mana Stone (Intermediate / scarce)
A stone filled with mana. Essential for making and using magical goods. Most of the deposits are distributed across the Kain Kingdom, though the quality varies.
6. Mana Water (High-tier / plentiful)
Water that springs from a source of mana. Unlike the solid Mana Stone, this mana-infused water is difficult to store and use. For that reason, mages carry it in bottles.
7. Ring of Vitality (Rare item / 1)
The aura recovery speed of the wearer increases by 30 percent.
8. The Wind of Angel Saliad (Advanced buff / one-time)
You gain 100 EP.
9. Suction Clay (Top-grade / extremely plentiful)
Soil with superb absorption power for fluids, meaning gases and liquids. It lies deep in unexplored land.
Even a very small amount can absorb a huge volume of fluids at high density and solidify them, and once a substance sticks to it, it does not easily evaporate.
Suction Clay itself is harmless to the human body, so it can be eaten and is easy to digest.
10. The Light of Angel Galliad (Normal buff / one-time)
You gain 100 RP.
Every one of them looked useful.
“Wait, hold on. About these supplies. What exactly do you mean by ‘receive’ them?”
Before deciding what to choose, one concern crossed his mind.
“Does someone bring them? Does the capital send out a supply convoy or something? Or is it more like, ‘We’ll tell you where the nearby mines are, so go dig them up yourselves’?”
But Daliha’s answer was far from what he expected.
They are summoned or generated here.
“Summoned? Generated? So they just rise out of thin air, literally?”
Ho-yeong was a little stunned.
“Well, come to think of it, this is inside a game, so maybe it isn’t that strange. It’s a place where the dead are brought back to life and magic can teleport people around. But how am I supposed to explain this?”
Convincing other people was a different problem entirely.
“If something just drops out of the sky, wouldn’t everyone be baffled? Unless I were a mage, I mean.”
Even in situations that seem unreasonable, persuasion is possible depending on the target’s level of edification. Recall the moment you announced the start of Stage 1.
“Right. Back then, Duonoraong and the existing citizens didn’t believe me either. On the other hand, the soldiers followed along without a shred of doubt. Yeah. I need to keep watching not just monsters, but people’s edification too.”
Once again, he was reminded of how important edification was.
Guardian, you have shown excellent handling of every unexpected situation so far. I believe you will resolve this one well too.
“Thanks. Yeah, this is trivial. What really matters is what to pick...”
He rubbed his beard, already dark with stubble, and thought hard.
“First, let’s think about the items and buffs. The Ring of Vitality definitely looks good. Daliha, can someone else wear it besides me?”
It is possible.
“It seems like it would have plenty of value, so I’ll set it aside for now. Aura recovery is also possible with Mandragorani’s horn leaves.”
Even taking into account that several people could take turns using it, he still found it disappointing that it only affected a single person at a time.
EP and RP both seem to come in the same amount, 10 each, but the EP buff is advanced while the RP buff is only normal. Does that mean EP is harder to get than RP?
He considered using RP right away to learn the next stage’s information, but...
“How much was it again? The RP cost to find out what monsters appear in the next stage?”
50. Your current remaining RP is 45.
So he decided to think in terms of opportunity cost.
Just from Peach spreading rumors at the well, the RP went up by 5. If I keep developing the territory, won’t it come in automatically? EP too. Yeah, I’ve got plenty of time to earn points.
His eyes moved to the resources.
“Karoum, huh. The melee unit attack upgrade was called Karoum Blade, wasn’t it?”
In-game, it was implemented as fixed damage against enemies with high physical defense.
“It definitely wasn’t a common metal, if I remember right. The weapons plated with Karoum that we’ve got right now are... just the three of us: me, Lilian, and Senior Officer Berneval.”
Ho-yeong drew his sword once.
“Daliha, it says the amount is ‘plentiful,’ but exactly how much is that?”
700 ramken. In the units familiar to you, that is approximately 700 kg. It is enough to plate every weapon in the entire army and still leave more than two-thirds remaining.
“There’s more than enough of it, but the quality being only intermediate makes it awkward. If I wanted to smelt this, it’d eat up a lot of equipment and manpower, right?”
Metal supplies are summoned already processed, not as raw ore.
That was very welcome news.
“Next, Turturium. Ah, I’ve heard of this one.”
It was the main ingredient of the explosive stone used by dwarves.
“Top-grade? If I don’t choose this, I feel like Berneval will come down on me with a hammer. But it’s a shame the amount is small.”
Berneval Luntin was currently making Bakgyeokpo mk2, having fallen hard for the weapon’s power in the previous battle. He would be delighted.
“Dandanium. This is essential for making armor. You can’t leave defense upgrades out of defense.”
Dandanium, the metal of immense hardness.
The Kain Kingdom treated it as a vital strategic material and worked itself to the bone securing it, but supply was sorely lacking. The reserves themselves were not small, but the problem was where they were buried. They lay in unexplored lands crawling with monsters, or in rugged mountain ranges, so even surveying them was difficult. On top of that, the mining and processing stages required the help of dwarves, which only made things more troublesome.
Even in the Violet Flag Company, the only one wearing Dandanium armor was Joren Tamer.
Next, Ho-yeong turned his attention to the Dodum Tree.
“Finding even one of these trees was supposed to be lottery-level rare, right? If we can grow it properly, we can produce healing potions by the bucketload!”
Since Rubia’s healing had limits, he absolutely wanted another means of recovery.
Mana Stone and Mana Water. Choosing both would probably be inefficient. Suction Clay? What is this, anyway? They’re giving me dirt?
Suction Clay was the one that seemed strangest.
“Why bother saying it can be eaten? It’s not like I’m supposed to live off dirt. Daliha, what exactly is this mound of earth for?”
Suction Clay is an extremely versatile resource. How useful it becomes depends on how you use it, Guardian.
“So it comes down to what I make of it. It absorbs fluids and solidifies them at high density... in other words, if you pour water into sand, it becomes mud, except this stuff gets insanely hard? That could be useful for building a fort. Maybe bake it into bricks or something.”
Ho-yeong sank into thought, staring at the hill of earth.
* * *
Most of the Tamer Territory’s residents had gathered.
“What do you think the lord is about to show us?”
“How should I know? I can’t guess.”
They were all curious about this so-called major announcement.
“Why did he bring out a monster corpse?”
The hobgoblin’s body, left sprawled in the empty space, only deepened their confusion.
My precious people of the territory.
Standing with the afternoon sun at his back, the Border Count opened his mouth.
“As you all know, there are dangers lying in wait within our territory.”
He had already told them about the defense to come.
“And not only here. You must have all heard what has been happening across the kingdom these days. Monsters are appearing, children are vanishing, crops are withering, and disease is spreading.”
Shadows had fallen across everything.
“Some have said that the heavenly angels and the divine goddess have withdrawn their blessings from us.”
Several people looked up at the sky. The mild afternoon sun, poor as it was for easing their worries, was hidden behind clouds anyway.
“But even if the favor of the heavens has departed, there is still grace left in this land. So let us not abandon our will.”
The lord pointed toward the ground.
“Let us not forget that Angel Haria is still here.”
And then he shouted, loud and clear.
“I have received a revelation of hope from Her!”
The crowd began to murmur.
Taking advantage of the noise, Ho-yeong whispered low.
“Suction Clay first.”
“Faith alone can break the wall of despair.”
- RUMBLE -
“Wh... what in the world?”
The hill blocking the road collapsed all at once.
The dark red mound of earth turned into pure white sand.
“A strong will will protect us.”
Chunks of Dandanium fell from the sky.
- CRACK -
The hobgoblin’s massive body turned into raw meat.
“The fire of purification burns away evil.”
The scattered stones rolled together, then glowed a fierce red.
“And spring rain moistens the place.”
Ho-yeong gestured toward Meyril in the distance, and rain began to fall in the narrow area in response.
“Mystic mana springs forth.”
Where the rain had stopped, a gush of water burst up from the ground.
“And hope shall grow!”
Shoots sprang up from the place where the water flowed, then quickly grew into a tree.
“No... a Dodum Tree growing in a wasteland like this?!”
Ho-yeong raised both arms with vigor, and a beam of sunlight broke through the thick cloud cover to bathe the Dodum Tree.
At that exact moment, he cast a wide-area edification.
Massive increase in ability levels!
The level of passive skill Influence has risen from 8 to 13.
The level of active skill Edification has risen from 5 to 7.
Edification has risen sharply! The minimum and maximum levels of edification for all vassals and territory residents have increased greatly.
Achievement Unlocked!
Weather Alert Level
You, Guardian, have drawn out the people’s faith and fused it with the creation of supplies and the manipulation of weather. Truly splendid!
As an achievement reward, you have gained 20 EP.
You will now become known as the one who received the revelation of Angel Haria. You have gained 50 RP.