Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Guild Master Isn't Enough with Just the Game
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SpaceKing's guild members hurriedly erected a barrier and cast buffs.
But by then, the front line of the defensive formation had already faltered badly, with countless casualties piling up front and back.
Voice chat crackled to life.
["Keh. This time too, World's End, perfect success."]
["Fleet here. As expected, reinforcements are deploying from nearby like they were waiting. SpaceKing's NPC forces will join within five minutes."]
["We figured they'd send them, but those faces—pure salt."]
["They never imagined someone would show up on the front lines right before war mode."]
["Poor bastards without their guild master. What a tragedy."]
["Kyakyakya!"]
SpaceKing's guild master, Dart, was currently in Iska.
They couldn't fight directly since war mode hadn't started yet, but having personnel who could boldly stand at the forefront was a huge tactical advantage.
Everyone else was tiptoeing around, terrified of dying.
Still, they'd come this far.
"......"
After watching the scene from above Weichen for a bit, he sent Messiah back to the safe rear buff squad.
Voice chat lit up again.
["You just wrecked Weichen? They're missing a ton of manpower?"]
"If you're grateful, protect Iska well."
["You punk. Got it."]
"But is Helcannon there?"
["Yeah. Would owe you big if you took him off our hands."]
"Think you can manage?"
He was Dart's bound hero, after all.
["If you took Dart's ass with him, I'd be eternally grateful."]
"......"
Like hell he'd take that disaster.
He brushed it off lightly and ended the voice chat.
* * *
Meanwhile, Goldbunker's broadcast casters, having finished their meals, appeared on screen.
["Whoa. Kaisha, as expected."]
["Seriously a genius. A genius."]
The clash at Weichen had just wrapped up.
["Right before the first collision, she pulls off a surprise 'World's End' to amp up the impact."]
["With war mode right around the corner, all the users are hanging back to avoid getting hurt. She timed it perfectly for that."]
["Shows up at the front, lands one World's End, then watches from above."]
["Kaisha's Midgard rep is so huge that just appearing on the battlefield boosts the NPC troops' morale."]
["It's not just the NPCs—the guild members' morale skyrockets too."]
["Right? I'd be the same."]
Spotlighting Kaisha was great for ratings, but it was genuinely fun for the casters too.
["Weichen front stabilizing."]
Friday evening.
With war mode imminent, viewer numbers were spiking fast.
["SpaceKing's already seized the castle, and with all those nurtured heroes, it won't be easy to take."]
["Quick peek at Iska."]
The scene switched.
The broadcast feed shifted to Iska, where a fierce hero war was raging.
["It's basically a sea of fire."]
["Against SpaceKing? No helping it. Lucky they only took that much damage in the first invasion."]
["Of course, Iska's civilian NPCs were evacuated early to the rearmost Lopelta."]
["Civilians are just as crucial as military personnel."]
Especially for Goldbunker, which prioritized commercial growth and civilization development.
["Goldbunker is particularly weak to NPC wars, but Iska's their home turf, and with tons of users logged in, that's a big factor."]
["Yeah. They won't fold easily at their main base."]
["SpaceKing, sensing the Weichen news, sends some forces over."]
["And Iska's lines hold steady anyway—that's impressive. Gotta respect SpaceKing's hero training and NPC military power."]
["They've got the numbers, but SpaceKing's brutal hero training methods are legendary."]
Dart appeared on screen.
Cold, icy blue eyes overlooking Iska's warzone.
["SpaceKing guild master Dart directing personally."]
["The red-haired NPC next to Dart is the famed Midgard top dog, Helcannon. SpaceKing's ace and Dart's bound hero."]
Still a straightforward melee for now.
Even so, as Goldbunker members, the casters watched the Iska battle—packed with guildmates they knew well—intently.
One caster muttered.
["What do we do? Everyone's spooked."]
Tension radiated from Goldbunker's side on screen. Everyone frozen stiff, dreading death before war mode.
["That's why surprise attacks are rare usually."]
["But seeing SpaceKing's NPC power, you get why. They pulled forces to Weichen, yet they're getting stronger?"]
["Goldbunker's too scared."]
["That's part of it, but SpaceKing's hero lineup is straight busted. Grinding guildmates to build heroes really pays off like this."]
["Ahh. Helcannon's deploying."]
A sigh-tinged voice.
["We're screwed."]
The sword-wielding NPC hero strode forward with a blank face.
* * *
Dart floated above Iska, observing.
On the ground, massive NPC armies and users combined forces to assault Iska.
Watching Helcannon cut through the troops toward the front.
Voice chat pinged.
["World's End cleanup's mostly done, but it blew right through the first defensive line."]
It was Nix, handling Weichen.
["The whole point of setting up that first line behind the walls was for their World's End. Faster than expected, but strategically a win."]
Dart glanced at the Weichen feed shared via Nix's view.
Users always played ultra-safe right before war mode anyway.
Even if Fullminak's core roster was fully online, pre-war mode meant SpaceKing wouldn't lose a hero fight.
NPC power was so OP for SpaceKing they could handle Fullminak and Goldbunker combined, but post-war mode could be trouble.
Especially Fullminak.
"Activate Weichen's shield the second war mode starts."
["Obviously."]
Territory systems turned owned territories into guild allies, providing buffs.
One was the war mode 'barrier.'
A territory system's barrier layer, plus guild items, meant double barriers around the walls.
The key reason guilds obsessed over seizing territories in sieges.
And why SpaceKing was pushing to take Iska before war mode now.
["How's Iska holding?"]
"Very well."
Helcannon was heading out for his ultimate right then.
Unlike Messiah's World's End, Helcannon's ultimate didn't need other heroes' combo.
And as Abrilian royalty, Helcannon's battlefield read was elite.
He knew perfect timing.
So Dart rarely gave Helcannon specifics beyond positioning start/end.
Helcannon close-range ultimate activated.
[Midgard's Guardian lv99]
Despite the defensive name, it boasted top-tier lethality.
Whoosh—boom!
Red aura exploded.
Goldbunker users spotting Helcannon yanked their heroes back desperately.
In that razor-thin escape window.
Madness flashed in Helcannon's eyes, his savage aura blade whipping out at blinding speed, shredding all flesh in range.
Splatter—!
Destructive aura too long to dodge even meters away.
SpaceKing's killing machine swung the laser-like aura like an extension of his body, charging at wind-like speed.
Shrieeeek—!!
Goldbunker's NPC troops spewed blood, parting like the Red Sea.
None survived Helcannon's path. Death incarnate had descended on the battlefield.
Dart smiled contentedly from above.
"Surprise attacks really ride on hero power."
The overhead view was artistically grand. Helcannon's sword seemed to draw a massive blood dragon on the ground.
A winding path of death.
Survivors crawled away; the dead painted Helcannon's trail in blood and bodies.
* * *
From Iska's walls, Gilgamesh watched, fury like death itself settling on his face.
"Fuck, that bastard really."
Not as NPC-obsessed as Kaisha, but Gilgamesh treasured his domain's NPCs plenty.
Watching Iska's troops die en masse, he glared skyward, grinding his teeth.
Credit sighed.
"Everyone, stay calm and regroup. War mode's almost here."
Credit issued orders to the guild in Gilgamesh's stead.
Gilgamesh's fists shook.
"Wanna smash him."
"Cool it. You charge in and die, this siege is over. War mode starts any second."
Goldbunker's vice master Credit soothed Gilgamesh as best he could.
"Please keep it together. If you flip out like in the surprise attack and cause chaos, we can't recover."
Referring to the nuke gun.
Credit handled all messes from Gilgamesh's Goldbunker ops rationally.
Gilgamesh was the ideas guy with killer planning and drive.
Just shitty at cleanup.
Gilgamesh muttered low.
"Regret nuking for real. Fullminak just profits again."
"Strictly speaking, we only lost future cash. Karma purge potions were prepped as our ace, and without the nuke, we wouldn't have held this long."
"......Yeah, we slacked too hard on NPC hero training."
The nuke was well-played.
Karma purge potions were stacked as hidden cards anyway.
Only future money lost.
Still, Credit worried Gilgamesh might lose it again like with the nuke.
Credit said.
"But don't go wild relying on those extra potions from the basement vault. Barely enough to wipe remaining karma, and war mode's here. We'll be busy just surviving."
Gilgamesh was Goldbunker's master and top fighter. His death ended the siege.
War games favored high-rank guild masters.
Vipa's server launch event quest 'Guild Creation' led to most users making guilds early.
Of those hordes, users flocked to rankers' guilds strong in sieges.
Concentrated repeatedly, guilds became ranker-centric.
Gilgamesh gnashed.
"Take the karma hit and kill a few?"
"Please play safe."
"Hah. Suck my thumb while Dart's dog trashes my front yard."
Helcannon's ultimate ended.
The insane red aura faded, but normal moves were destructive too.
Not the top NPC hero for nothing.
With war mode so close, Goldbunker users played pure defense.
No countering Helcannon.
He was wrecking Iska's palace front yard literally.
Gilgamesh muttered.
"Why does Kaisha like that nuisance? As enemy, I'd just delete him."
"He's hot."
"My custom's hot too."
"He's a hero. You're a user. Top-world performance plus sleek looks—like a premium Lamborghini. Yours? Flashy junk, useless, can't even sell it. Human car equivalent."
"......Pisses me off how logical."
Gilgamesh turned, glaring; Credit shrugged.
"Who in Vipa wouldn't kill for Helcannon? Just can't covet Dart's bound hero."
Anyone would crave Helcannon.
But as Dart's bound hero, folks dreamed of raising similar NPCs, not seriously lusting for *Helcannon* specifically.
"Kaisha's the one who covets."
Helcannon's ult over, Goldbunker's bound heroes reemerged one by one.
Ranged DPS resumed, now with melee added.
Gilgamesh scowled down.
"......"
Really wanna kill him.
But look up—SpaceKing's master watched from afar above Iska too.
Each guild's ultimate weapons.
Guild masters' biggest pre-siege duty: survive.