The Art of the Siege

Tae-hyun was planning to use bombs as well, but there was a limit to what he could accomplish on his own. Moreover, the ancient beastman warriors were incredibly resilient and sturdy, meaning standard explosives would only go so far. The answer was simple: bigger bombs, and more of them!

The problem is, I don't have many guys who can actually use them right now.

Among the forces under Tae-hyun's command, the only ones capable of handling explosives were the goblins. But they were currently fighting tooth and nail in the forest, so he couldn't afford to pull them out.

"But Your Majesty, our blacksmithing skills and magic alone are more than enough to fight," one of the dwarves protested.

"Indeed. We have our own traditions."

"Hmm. In that case, do you want to go one-on-one against those beastman warriors?" Tae-hyun asked.

"..."

"..."

The dwarves instantly shut their mouths. Isn't that a bit unfair?! they thought.

"If we ward the defensive walls with magic, perhaps the beastman warriors will find it difficult to cross..."

"Ah, quiet. How long do you think it'll take to defeat them if we fight like that? Besides, a person needs to fight proactively. Offense is the best defense. What good does it do to just endure?"

Wait, why are you the one getting persuaded?

The one moved by the words meant to convince the dwarves was none other than Duke Gellendel! The duke clapped his hands enthusiastically and shouted.

"Exactly! As expected, Your Majesty truly understands! That is precisely how we must sweep away those Orcs!"

"Thank you, Duke Gellendel. But could you perhaps take a step back?"

Regardless of his request, Gellendel ignored him and stuck close to Tae-hyun's side, following him everywhere. The Galkad dwarf envoys grumbled, but realizing they had no other choice, they accepted the situation. The ancient beastman tribes were simply too terrifying for them to face with their strength alone.

"Elder, it is too dangerous to fight them head-on. No matter how strong we dwarves are..."

"Indeed. Perhaps just this once, we should let it slide..."

The Galkad dwarves' style of combat was very similar to standard warriors. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠They wore heavy, solid plate armor and traded heavy blows! The only difference was that dwarf warriors possessed magic. This didn't mean they were mages; rather, they engraved various spells onto their equipment before battle. With armor that radiated light and axes that unleashed flames with every swing, these dwarven magic warriors possessed terrifying power.

Dwarven warriors were already naturally sturdy and strong due to their racial traits, so adding enchantments on top of that made them formidable. Yet, even taking that into account, the ancient beastman tribes were still too dangerous!

"But Your Majesty, isn't engineering an unstable and dangerous skill? Even if we try to learn it now, would we even be able to use it?"

"That is why you all will be standing at a distance to fire the bombs..."

"..."

When the dwarves' expressions turned dead serious, Tae-hyun quickly placated them.

"Of course I'm joking. Naturally, it would be difficult since you don't have the engineering skill, but since all of your blacksmithing skills are high, that should cover for it to some extent."

A high blacksmithing skill granted bonuses when utilizing engineering.

"And you don't have to worry about the bombs; I will craft all of them myself."

Tae-hyun's engineering skill was now at a master level that no one could match. Highest-grade Mechanical Engineering Level 6! It was a level made possible only because he had blown up countless castles, fortresses, and even dragons! He was unrivaled among players, to the point where he could seriously aim for a legendary engineering skill. Even among NPCs, it was difficult to find one with a higher engineering level than him.

Shut up.

In any case, with this level of engineering, combined with the crafting methods he had learned while hanging out with the goblins, Tae-hyun was highly capable. Just as high-level blacksmiths could design their own blueprints, Tae-hyun could do the same.

A siege weapon that can be easily operated by those with low engineering skills, requires minimal materials, and can be crafted quickly.

It was an incredibly shameless set of conditions, but with Tae-hyun's skill level, he was well within his rights to demand such miracles. A truly master blacksmith could take ten dollars, craft two swords, three sets of armor, and a shield, and still return one dollar in change!

This is actually quite usable.

For the first time in a while, Tae-hyun felt the pride of a crafter. To think he could produce such a useful item from siege weapon engineering rather than just standard bombs! At this rate, he could seriously make a living as a high-ranking player solely through crafting.

The random durability and attack power can't be helped, but the skills are better than expected.

The fact that they were all passive skills made it incredibly user-friendly for those with low engineering levels. After all, players with low engineering often ended up taking self-inflicted damage when trying to activate active skills! Archisus's Guidance corrected accuracy, Archisus's Might Amplification boosted damage, and Archisus's Bonus was... a classic Archisus-style perk where firing a single shot occasionally launched two or three!

Best of all, it was quick to craft and compact in size. The dwarves of the Ancient Empire had a notorious obsession with massive, beautiful cannons.

—Hehehe! Bigger! More beautiful!

—We're launching them using the demons' energy anyway, so it can be even bigger! Make it larger!

They loved giant cannons like the Titan's Roar, which required giants just to drag them around!

However, that size could sometimes be a major drawback. The current situation was a prime example! Because the cannons were so massive, neither Yong-yong nor Heuk-heuk could transport them.

"This size should be fine, right?"

"It looks perfect. I think we can even fit it inside Towang-i."

Weight limits meant nothing to Towang-i. As long as it could be shoved into its stomach, it was fine. If the size was small, it was a go!

—????

Of course, from the perspective of Towang-i, who actually had to swallow the thing, this was absolutely preposterous. Stop feeding me that crap!!

Clang! Clang!

Under Tae-hyun's command, the dwarves worked tirelessly. Since they were short on hands, even the elven warriors from Gellendel's fleet had to be mobilized to help.

Near the entrance of the underground city, a dwarven-style fortress was erected in the blink of an eye, and the dwarves warded its walls with protective magic. Simultaneously, Archisus's Makeshift Mortars were being mass-produced in a temporary forge.

True to their reputation, the dwarves' craftsmanship was extraordinary; using only the portable metals they had brought with them, they quickly assembled several makeshift mortars.

"Dwarves, do you think you can manage this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"If it is of this caliber, even we can..."

Even the highly cautious dwarves couldn't help but marvel at the small cannon Tae-hyun had designed. At this level of difficulty, they could easily operate it! Its stability was on a completely different level compared to the volatile engineering items crafted by goblins.

Of course, if the goblins had seen it, they would have complained: Your Majesty! Where is the high-risk, high-reward? Why did you make something so boring and plain?!

The message popped up right in the middle of completing the fortress. Tae-hyun clicked his tongue.

It eats even more than a giant. Well, I suppose its body is several times larger, but still...

It had barely been any time since the battle started, and the giant beast was already hungry! Tae-hyun found it annoying, but he had no choice. The beast was still fighting for him, after all.

I need to make more food.

Splashhhhh!

A massive wave swelled in the distance, and the giant beast could indeed be seen plunging headfirst into the ocean. Faced with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this completely unexpected turn of events, Tae-hyun's face went blank.

"..."

It was a situation that left even Tae-hyun utterly dumbfounded!

What do I do now?

Tae-hyun's original plan was to make thorough preparations, lure the beastmen here to inflict massive damage, and if that failed, immediately retreat into the underground city to drag the specters of the Ancient Empire into the fray...

"Dwarves, stay here and prepare! I'll be back in a moment!"

Tae-hyun decided to chase after the giant beast. He couldn't just stand by and watch when it was carving out a path like that!

The dwarves nodded at Tae-hyun's command. Since they were loyal, they would reinforce the fortress and deploy the cannons properly even in his absence.

"Your Majesty! I shall accompany you!"

However, Duke Gellendel rushed after Tae-hyun, hot on his heels. He had even brought his subordinates along! Of course, the expressions on his men's faces were far from pleasant.

Gellendel was the only one excited. Tae-hyun asked with a dubious expression, "Wouldn't it be better for you to just guard the fortress?"

If the duke's subordinates actually ended up rebelling, it would be a headache for Tae-hyun as well! But Gellendel was resolute.

"Is this not an opportunity to fight alongside you? Please, share that glory with me!"

Why are there only weirdos around me?

You're included in that, you know...

"Whoaaaaaa!"

The players who had participated in the siege let out heartfelt cheers. This was the most thrilling and exhilarating moment! Once you got a taste of this, it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠impossible not to get addicted to siege warfare. After fighting fiercely, the massive rewards finally poured in! Players chatted and showered each other with praise. Even those who had clashed earlier were now complimenting one another.

"Wow, I knew the Sagong Guild would pull it off. Is there really any other guild that fights as well as Sagong?"

"Hahaha. Hearing that from Guild ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Leader Padella makes me blush! I recall you saying we were terrible at fighting last time..."

"Well, that's because you really were terrible back then! Hahaha!"

"Hahaha, hahaha..."

But the ones who were the happiest were, without a doubt, the Woodstock Guild. To be honest, halfway through, they had thought they would fail. Count Tillau and his order of knights had been incredibly powerful. It would have been completely impossible without the help of the Archisus Crusaders—no, the warriors of Ernesto County!

I thought the Archisus Church NPCs were just a bunch of clowns who handed out weird blessings...

The Archisus Church was far stronger than they had anticipated! This came as a massive shock to the Woodstock Guild. They had assumed it was a weak, insignificant cult that would be nothing without Tae-hyun.

Galakpad approached with a warm smile. Woodstock felt a wave of relief wash over him at the priest's benevolent appearance. For some reason, he looked like a cozy, gentle grandfather! He had seemed strangely like a madman during the battle, but now that the fighting was over, his warm impression made that previous image feel like a lie.

Still smiling, Galakpad spoke.

"Hoho... Adventurer. I have something to tell you."

"Ah. Yes. What is it?"

"Now that the city has fallen, we shall proceed to tear down and clear out all other church buildings within the city."

"...Excuse me??"