Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Territory War
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[A temporary alliance has been formed!]
The alliance between Lee Shin and Count Rodin was finalized.
The effects were immediate.
*Ting.*
[A Territory War has begun!]
[You can now support the allied forces and participate in the Territory War.]
[Victory in the Territory War will grant rewards, which will be distributed according to contribution ranking.]
[However, be warned. If you are defeated in the Territory War, you will share responsibility for the loss!]
“!”
This was the message that appeared before all the players staying in Edgar territory the moment Lee Shin formed a temporary alliance with Count Rodin.
The players, who hadn't even known why they had been gathered, stared with wide eyes.
“Huh?”
“…Gasp!”
“A Territory War?”
They had expected something was up when Dokgo and Tae-yoon urgently gathered them, but no one had imagined it would be a large-scale event like a Territory War.
“I just thought it was some big territory quest or a guild request…”
“Me too.”
It was an unexpected turn of events!
But from the players’ perspective, it wasn't a bad thing at all.
The rewards from a Territory War would be far greater than those from an ordinary territory quest or guild request.
And what’s more…
“…Huh, wait a second. We’re supporting the allied forces? What does that mean?”
“Does it mean we’re jumping into a fight between other territories?”
“Looks like it.”
“Which ones?”
“Hold on… it says Amphiri and Killaris territories.”
“Oh, them?”
The enemy territories’ forces were significantly weaker than Edgar’s!
Furthermore, they had already been beating each other up, so they were bound to be exhausted.
At this rate, the possibility of defeat was practically nonexistent.
The only potential risk had vanished!
*Murmur, murmur.*
A stir went through the players as they grasped the situation.
Their reactions were largely divided into three types.
“This is huge. Doesn’t this mean we profit just by participating?”
“The competition for ranks will be fierce, though…”
“Well, we’ll just have to deal with that.”
Those aiming for a small but certain gain.
“Hey! Call everyone who’s nearby right now.”
“The ones who aren’t logged in? Go offline for a sec and contact them too! When else are we gonna get to do a Territory War…!”
Those burning with ambition for the rank competition.
“We’re giving up on the ranking competition.”
“What? Then what are you gonna do?”
“We… are going to focus on looting!”
And those planning to make a fortune from this opportunity.
This tendency was particularly prominent among small parties, especially groups of players who were already active as plunderers in the Eteun Kingdom.
“Looting?”
“Yeah. Think about it. Look how many people are gathered here. We don’t stand a chance in the ranking competition. Right?”
“…That’s true.”
“Then it’s better to just give up on what we can’t get and secure a definite profit.”
“And that’s looting?”
“During a Territory War, we’ll eventually end up invading the enemy territory, right? We just need to plunder as much as we can then!”
“Uh… is that allowed?”
“Why not? What’s the problem? We’re going to win anyway.”
“Ah!”
In short, they were planning to engage in banditry.
Normally, it was something they wouldn't dare attempt for fear of the guards, but the story changed when victory was a given.
Ordinarily, they would be punished according to the territory’s laws, but a victory would wipe the slate clean!
“We just have to endure a bit of infamy.”
Thus, the players swelled with anticipation, each for their own reasons.
In the midst of this, a whisper from Lee Shin reached Arthur.
-Come now.
“What about the players?”
-Bring them all.
“Yes.”
After receiving Lee Shin’s whisper, Arthur immediately went to find Dokgo and Tae-yoon.
“He says to come now.”
“!”
* * *
“…There they are!”
“Let’s go!”
*Waaaaah!*
The support troops charged upon spotting the enemy soldiers in the distance.
The once-tense balance of the battle tipped in an instant with the entry of the allied forces.
Edgar territory’s soldiers were far more elite than their opponents, and having just entered the battlefield, they were fresh both physically and mentally.
They overwhelmed the enemy soldiers with little difficulty.
Above all, the strength and motivation of the players were far greater than Lee Shin had anticipated.
*Stab!*
“Kugh?!”
“…What, they’re nothing special.”
“Maybe it’s because they’re tired?”
The enemy soldiers collapsed with little resistance, exhausted from the previous battles.
The players, who had hesitated at first, changed their tune after realizing their opponents were pushovers.
If they could just kill them, every single enemy soldier was a point toward their contribution score.
“…Kill them all!”
For the sake of the ranking competition, they had to sweep through them as quickly as possible before others could.
And this was the result.
“Hey, hey? They’re running away over there!”
“Chase those bastards down and kill them too!”
“…You crazy bastard! That’s one of our soldiers!”
“Huh? Oh! You’re right…”
Total chaos!
Over the past three days, nearly a thousand players had gathered.
Considering that even large guilds rarely had more than a few hundred members, this was an enormous number.
Moreover, since this force was mostly composed of individuals, it was impossible to control them properly.
“Kill!”
“…Uwaaah!”
*Stab!*
[You have killed an enemy soldier!]
[You have acquired Contribution Points.]
“Hey, excuse me! We were fighting that one!”
“There’s no such thing. First come, first served.”
“What did you say!?”
Thanks to this, such disputes broke out frequently.
It was an unavoidable side effect of intense competition.
Aside from Lee Shin, who was indifferent to the players’ squabbles, even Dokgo and Tae-yoon, the only ones who could control them, were too busy looking after their own guilds, which only added to the chaos.
‘We have to take what we can. Why else did we stay in the Eteun Kingdom?’
‘We’ve already lost so much to that guy… This is the perfect chance to recover!’
But despite all this, the battle was completely one-sided.
The enemy was already exhausted, and their own numbers were simply overwhelming.
Before long, the support troops from Edgar territory had literally wiped out the enemy forces.
*Stab!!*
“Pant, pant, is it over?”
“I think so.”
The last remaining soldier fell.
A message appeared before Lee Shin’s eyes.
*Ting.*
[Victory!]
[As a commander bonus, you acquire a portion (3%) of the total contribution points.]
[As a commander bonus, you acquire a portion (3%) of the total experience points.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You have annihilated the enemy in a single engagement.]
[Your fame increases slightly.]
[This is a great achievement! You have acquired the title, <Ruthless Commander>.]
Ruthless Commander
Your ruthlessness on the battlefield will instill trust in your allies and fear in your enemies.
You now exude a ruthless charisma, granting beneficial effects when commanding large forces.
• All stats increase by 1.
“……!”
Lee Shin’s eyes twitched.
An incredible reward for just watching from the back!
After checking his status window, Lee Shin nodded with an even more satisfied expression.
[Level: 197]
‘I’ll hit 200 soon.’
This was quite significant.
It wasn't just that the number was satisfyingly round; it had practical implications as well.
Most classes underwent an evolution at level 200.
Commonly known as the 2nd job advancement, it unlocked new skills and boosted the character’s overall stats.
Because legendary classes had an extremely small sample size, it wasn’t certain if this rule applied universally, but Lee Shin thought it probably would.
No, it had to.
‘…I have so few skills as it is.’
The few skills he did have were so powerful that the lack of variety hadn't been a major issue so far, but it was still too few.
‘That’s enough checking for now.’
Closing his status window, Lee Shin assessed the state of his soldiers.
Thanks to the overwhelming victory, morale was naturally very high, and there were almost no casualties.
Their stamina also seemed fine, so Lee Shin judged that they could march on the enemy’s territory immediately.
The remaining problem was the players…
“Ah, damn. My contribution points are a little short.”
“Anyone else to kill?”
“…Next! Next!”
Before Lee Shin could even persuade them, the players were already clamoring for more.
“Hmm…?”
It was the result of the bloated confidence from their overwhelming first victory and the desire fueled by the ranking competition against other players.
Bring the enemy to me, now!
‘Good.’
This was not a bad situation for Lee Shin.
He had intended to finish this as quickly as possible anyway.
Having made his decision, Lee Shin summoned the allied commander and the Amphiri territory commander.
“I think we can end this now, don’t you?”
“That is my thought as well.”
“And you?”
“I agree.”
The two voiced their agreement.
Lee Shin nodded and said.
“Then it’s settled. Let’s go immediately.”
“Yes!”
* * *
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Attack! Push through!”
*Thud! Thud!*
The allied forces battered the castle gates and scaled the walls.
The soldiers of Killaris territory tried their best to defend from the walls, but they were outmatched.
Most of their troops had already been wiped out in the previous battle, leaving them severely short on manpower.
*Crack!*
[The castle gate has been destroyed.]
“…It’s breached!”
“Go, go, go!”
Before long, the castle gate was shattered.
Through the gap, players and allied soldiers poured in like a flood.
“Kill them!”
“Open the rest of the gates and clear the top of the walls first!”
Once one area was breached, the others began to fall like dominoes, and soon, the remaining defensive forces of Killaris territory were completely neutralized.
[Victory!]
[The enemy’s defensive forces have been annihilated.]
The territory had fallen.
“…Is it over?”
“Then…”
Simultaneously, the players rushed toward the residential areas.
It was time to fully enjoy the spoils of victory.
-Who… who are you! Kuaargh!?
-Kyaaak!
Soon, the screams and cries of residents echoed throughout the territory.
With a hardened expression, Gillaim approached Lee Shin and spoke.
“…Sir Arthur.”
“Yes?”
“Should we not stop them?”
“Why? Just let them be.”
“The residents’ discontent will rise. That could have a negative impact on managing the territory in the future.”
Lee Shin’s ultimate goal was to permanently expand his power, not simply to win the battle at hand.
To do that, he needed to be able to take over the territory completely and then govern it, which would be difficult if the residents’ discontent piled up too high.
“Wouldn’t it be better to stop them now?”
That was Gillaim’s concern.
But Lee Shin had a plan for that too.
“No, it’s fine. Discontent can be easily eliminated.”
“…? You can do it easily?”
“It’s simple.”
He would just have to raise the taxes on the players for a while.
“Will they pay it willingly?”
“They’ll have to, won’t they? Where else in this area has facilities as good as Edgar territory? For most of them, the benefits will outweigh the tax rate.”
“……Assuming that’s true, how does that quell the residents’ discontent?”
“That’s simple too.”
He would use the money absorbed from the increased taxes to support the residents of the victimized territory.
Then, from the residents’ perspective, the perception of Count Aaron and the adventurers would be perfectly contrasted.
The adventurers would be seen as shameless villains who stole their property. In contrast, Count Aaron would be seen as a true lord who liberated them from a corrupt ruler and even provided relief afterward.
Of course, if one dug into the truth, it was merely taking the money stolen from their pockets and giving it back…
“As long as we manage the optics, there’s no problem.”
“……Ah!”
A brilliant idea!
But if it went according to plan, it was a method that was bound to be extremely effective.
A smirk formed on Lee Shin’s lips as he continued.
“It’s always best to take credit with other people’s money. Don’t you think?”
“You are correct. Truly incredible!”
[Gillaim is in awe of your brilliant strategy.]
[Gillaim’s loyalty increases.]