Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Shall We Walk Together?
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But the reinforcements never came.
It had been two months and a half fortnight since they left the Eastern Border Fortress, yet still no reinforcements.
It was winter.
Even wrapped in a thick blanket made from beast hide, they awoke each morning shivering from the cold.
People forced their reluctant bodies upright, rubbed themselves to generate warmth, then observed a moment of silence.
A prayer for the soldiers, knights, and riders who had perished pointlessly during their guerrilla campaign. As so many died, at some point a morning moment of silence had naturally become tradition.
The situation worsened by the day.
Viscount Ryk Heiend, the strategist of the Eastern Border Fortress, had dark circles under his eyes that hung like icicles.
"Hoo...."
The viscount let out a sigh without realizing it.
The past two and a half months. A battle endured through sheer force of will.
They had lost their stronghold, but waged a vicious guerrilla war that relentlessly disrupted the enemy from establishing a foothold in the Eastern Border Fortress.
But even that had reached its limit.
"Hoo...."
Viscount Ryk Heiend sighed once more as he lifted the flap of Countess Kali Stehold's tent.
The countess, who had been tending to her sword, glanced at his face and furrowed her brow.
"What's wrong? Your expression looks grim."
Viscount Ryk Heiend handed over the report he carried.
"These are the results of compiling our recently gathered intelligence."
The countess's face hardened as she scanned the report.
"This... don't tell me the enemy plans to...?"
"Yes. They're going all-in. They're undoubtedly planning to build a Giant factory at the Eastern Border Fortress. If that happens...."
"We'll never reclaim this eastern border region."
Assembling Giants on-site and mass-producing them would mean that even if reinforcements arrived from the capital, pushing back an enemy swelling in real time would be a pipe dream.
Tap, tap.
Countess Kali Stehold drummed her fingers on the blade, lost in deep thought.
Viscount Ryk Heiend's face darkened further as he watched her. He hesitated, then spoke.
"Your Excellency."
"Yeah?"
"Don't you think... it's time we considered retreating?"
The air in the tent froze.
The countess stared at the viscount without a twitch.
Viscount Ryk Heiend swallowed hard and pressed on.
"Of course, I know. Retreating all the way to the inner territories wouldn't be easy. We'd have to push through countless untamed lands."
The nations of Raniakea often claimed territories far larger than what they actually controlled.
The Linecal Kingdom was no different.
If the inner territories—where nobles held domains and people lived—accounted for three parts of the total territory, then the untamed lands beyond the developed mining zones made up the remaining seven.
The eastern border region was at the farthest edge, the most remote developed outpost from the inner territories.
Retreat wouldn't be simple. They'd have to carve through perilous untamed wilderness for quite a distance.
"But we don't need to go all the way to the inner territories. There are other kingdom outposts along the way, so if we aim to fall back to one of those first, it wouldn't be so daunting. Above all.... Staying here for guerrilla ops would be far worse."
Then, after a pause, the viscount revealed his true concern.
"Above all.... It's been over two months and a half fortnight since we sent the dispatch to the capital. No word from them in all that time, right? Perhaps... the kingdom has already abandoned us."
It wasn't just his thought. The same murmurs leaked from countless soldiers and knights.
'The kingdom has abandoned us.'
Morale had hit rock bottom.
But the countess stated firmly.
"His Majesty isn't the type to do that. Reinforcements will come. Don't doubt it. And...."
Flames seemed to flicker in the countess's eyes.
"I'm not the type to do that either. Give up the Eastern Border Fortress and fall back?"
Crunch.
The grinding of teeth echoed through the tent.
"Out of the question. Ryk Heiend. We have work to do. Don't Giants factories require an Origin Furnace?"
"Yes.... They need massive amounts of power fluid and miranium too.... But the most crucial facility is the Origin Furnace."
"Right. Destroy that furnace, and we thwart their factory. So scout the route it's taking and destroy it first. Draw up a plan!"
Viscount Ryk Heiend clenched his teeth.
"Your Excellency. Please reconsider. We can plan an op to destroy the Origin Furnace.... But honestly, I have no confidence in a plan to escape alive afterward...!"
The viscount's heartfelt advice. But the countess didn't yield.
"Even the slimmest chance is enough. Find a gamble that lets us destroy the Origin Furnace and escape alive. That's an order."
"Your Excellency...!"
The viscount snapped his head up. His voice burned with passion.
"Crafting that plan would put you in the most danger, Your Excellency! You're who the enemy is hunting with fire in their eyes! You're who has to lead the vanguard to make an impossible op succeed! Please reconsider. It's too risky."
Viscount Ryk Heiend's face twisted in anguish. To him, his lord's safety mattered more than anything.
Countess Kali Stehold smiled faintly.
"I know. I'm grateful. But you know, right? I've fought my whole life. I can't just retreat like this."
She slid her polished sword into its sheath and spoke calmly.
"It's a total mess, nothing going our way.... But what can we do? We fight. Go. Draw up the plan and report back."
* * *
A total mess.
Day after day teetering on the brink, utterly uncertain.
The everyday guerrilla life where nothing went as planned.
Yet amid it all,
Kang Geohan stuck to the exact same training every single day.
Bench presses with a barbell carved from demonic stone, squats, deadlifts....
Even in battle, he snatched bites of monster meat and jerky between fights, never skipping a meal or a set.
In this guerrilla existence devoid of normalcy, Kang Geohan and his golems pumping iron day in, day out became the new routine.
In these uncertain times, one stable fact alone.
Kang Geohan would train today, too.
The civilians and soldiers grew ever fonder of him.
They'd liked the young hero Kang Geohan before; now they loved the knight who trained daily, becoming a new landmark in their routine.
One by one, drawn to that appeal, more joined Kang Geohan's workouts.
At first just those close to him—Calts, Helena, Gerot, Loen, Harkrux—but over time, nameless knights and soldiers, even civilians, slyly joined in alongside.
Among those working out together was Master Knight Kulran Black.
He'd suffered a major injury defending the fortress, spent time recovering, and returned to duty a month ago. He'd been training with Kang Geohan for three weeks now.
In that time, he'd become Kang Geohan's ardent supporter.
"That's it! Unwavering daily training, not missing a single day! That's the essence of courage!"
Kang Geohan asked back.
"Courage?"
"Yeah! Look at your body. Isn't it brimming with courage?"
As he spoke, Kulran pointed straight at Kang Geohan's muscles.
[Kang Geohan]
Height: 180cm
Weight: 59kg
Willpower: 386 / 453
Strength: 41 / 139
Mana: 137 / 373
Fat Mass: 4.13kg
Muscle Mass (Skeletal): 21.68kg
Demonic Essence: 3,678 pindem
Spiritual Essence: 63 spirit
59kg.
In the past two and a half months, Kang Geohan had regained his previous weight level.
Typically, growing demonic essence reduced body weight, but he'd increased it by about 450 pindem *and* gained 10kg—a double win.
The ordeal had boosted his willpower by nearly 100 points.
Of course, at 180cm and 59kg, he was still an anchovy by absolute standards.
But his immense demonic essence sculpted his body ideally, so now he looked quite robust and muscled.
Kang Geohan himself wasn't satisfied yet.
"Brimming? I'm still scrawny. Need at least 80kg bodyweight."
"Huh? Bodyweight? Knights just need lots of demonic essence. Why bother with weight?"
"Weight supports muscle growth. Strong strength becomes a hidden ace in emergencies, right? And it looks good."
Indeed, just 10kg heavier, and his strength had jumped from 79 to 139 points.
The synergy of demonic essence and muscle growth was tremendous.
"Well, muscles are great. Honest, you know? That's why I call 'em courage. No matter how fearsome the foe, what you've carved into your body day after day never fades."
Kulran Black laughed heartily and glanced at Kang Geohan's golems.
The Blood Golems, who never skipped training with him, had noticeably bulked up over the two and a half months too.
[Blood Golem]
Height: 512cm
Weight: 2,489kg
Willpower: 271 / 733
Strength: 14,110 / 14,110
Mana: 1,018 / 1,018
Fat Mass: 0kg
Muscle Mass (Skeletal): 1,567kg
Demonic Essence: 10,187 pindem
Spiritual Essence: 8,133 spirit
Compared to the start, muscle up 167kg, strength up over 15%.
Regrets existed, sure.
Demonic essence only rose 187 pindem, and spiritual essence—the stuff that dulled the golems—dropped just 567 spirit.
But the strength gains overshadowed those shortcomings.
"In that sense, your golems are truly courageous too!"
As if understanding, the Blood Golems heaving massive stones in deadlifts seemed to flex even harder than usual.
Those gathered around working out began fervently agreeing with Master Knight Kulran Black.
"Ooh! The Master Knight speaks true! I wanna be more courageous too!"
"Come on! Next set, quick!"
They mimicked the moves they'd seen from Kang Geohan.
Hammer curls squeezing biceps together, military presses hoisting heavy stones overhead.
The energy was electric.
This spot seemed free of the despair over absent reinforcements, untouched by guerrilla life's anxiety.
A smile crept unbidden onto Kang Geohan's lips.
'This is it.'
Ironic.
The situation was utter hell.... Survival day-to-day wasn't even guaranteed....
Yet Kang Geohan was living the happiest days since being born on Raniakea continent.
Intense training.
Not alone, but with friends—and more and more people.
Encouraging each other's growth, showing off gains.
Wasn't that the life he'd dreamed of?
War made daily routines grueling, but the joy outweighed it, letting Kang Geohan finish each session smiling.
So immersed was he.
"Hoo! Done!"
Only after slamming down the barbell on the final set did he notice someone in the training area.
A voice pierced the sudden hush.
"Looks good."
A low voice for a woman. But magnetic, one Kang Geohan couldn't pretend not to recognize.
"C-C-Countess? S-S-Sorry! Didn't notice you there!"
How long had she been watching?
Kang Geohan snapped to attention, military stiff, mortified at missing a superior—Countess, no less.
"At ease. Be at ease. I was just strolling to clear my head and stopped by 'cause the vibe looked so good."
Countess Kali Stehold wore a soft smile, rarer than rare. Truth be told, she felt better than she had in ages.
"Sir Kang Geohan White Knight. Care to walk with me a bit?"
On impulse, she extended her hand, like a lady to her escorting knight.
Kang Geohan took it without thinking.
"A-Ah, yes. Of course."
But the instant their eyes met with hands clasped, they both jolted and dropped them. Too familiar for countess and subordinate knight, they realized belatedly.
They walked off awkwardly, keeping distance,
Wheee-!
Someone among the workout group whistled.
"Hmm.... Hope it goes well."
Kulran Black muttered slyly. Quietly, out of others' earshot, glancing around.