Arthur's Heartfelt Letter! And Subjugating the Amazons While Hunting for Sub-Heroines!
The third night had fallen since entering the Sahara Desert region. Geum Taeyang sat inside the temporary command tent pitched at the third oasis, reading a letter he had brought along while taking a well-earned rest. It was a letter from his admirable junior, Arthur Lucien Elias.
[Senior, I have been training in a new sword technique lately.]
After our last meeting, I gained many insights. It became an opportunity to look deeply into myself. So after you left, I spent time poring over ancient texts, wondering what kind of swordsmanship would suit Arthur Lucien Elias best.
It was a letter he had received shortly after returning from Memphis, but at the time he had been too busy to read it. How could he skim through a letter from his beloved junior? That was why he had brought it along to read during the journey to Grace.
I'm starting to get the feel of it little by little. But I'm still not confident enough to show it to you. I want to let it mature a bit more before demonstrating it in front of you. Please look forward to it. —Your junior, Arthur Lucien Elias—
‘Kuh… Respect and affection for his senior practically drip from every word.’
Geum Taeyang savored Arthur’s letter, deeply moved. He had worked hard to guide and enlighten his junior, and it seemed to have paid off. Was this what it felt like to be a true mentor? Unlike some shady cult leader, it felt genuinely heartwarming.
‘If that’s the case, Arthur’s path of conquest might accelerate a little sooner. He’ll probably want to participate in that event.’
Arthur was gradually transforming from a cross-dressing woman into the true female Arthur Lucien Elias. And Geum Taeyang, the master of Records of Another World Conquest, knew exactly what kind of path she would walk once she started down that road. He intended to give her additional stimulation at every key juncture to further train her.
[Great Khan!! The Ragnarok tribe has begun their attack!]
At that moment, an urgent message via magic stone arrived from Security Commander Darius.
‘So they’ve finally shown themselves?’
Geum Taeyang grinned. Darius’s voice had been urgent, but Geum Taeyang had been waiting for this very moment.
“That’s less of a raid and more like a miniature all-out war, isn’t it?”
No direct clash had occurred yet. A considerable number of Ragnarok warriors had simply formed ranks at a distance.
“They’ve brought not only Shakra but also desert golems.”
Besides the demonic beast Shakra already mentioned within Geum Taeyang’s camp, another monster lurked in the darkness, its red eyes gleaming—desert golems made of sand.
“It seems the Shakra tribe has also noticed the Great Khan’s presence.”
“Yes, I agree, Advisor Camilla. That’s probably why they’ve been observing us for two days.”
Geum Taeyang’s group had maintained strict vigilance from the first night, yet the Shakra tribe had not revealed themselves. They had been carefully assessing the opposing forces, and as a result had decided to launch this miniature all-out war to plunder.
“According to the information I received, the Ragnarok tribe’s Great Chieftain is currently in the middle of a fertility rite and shouldn’t have the spare capacity to remotely control desert golems.”
“A fertility rite… praying to the desert’s Life Tree for children?”
“That is correct, Great Khan.”
The Ragnarok tribe was a very special race. What made them special? First and foremost, they were a female-centered society.
‘During the transitional period between the Mythic and Ancient Eras, wars were so frequent that there was a shortage of men. Other races compensated with polygamy or concubinage, but the Ragnarok tribe overcame it through a matriarchal system. That was only possible because of the Life Tree, a special tree with unique powers.’
The backgrounds of the races in Records of Another World Conquest were full of special elements, and Geum Taeyang had thoroughly enjoyed studying them. According to myth, the female chieftain of the Ragnarok tribe at the time prayed to the desert god Icarus for a way to preserve their race. From the tears she shed during that prayer, the Life Tree grew. The Life Tree that appeared possessed tremendous power—one of which was the ability to allow women to bear children without men.
‘Once they grew accustomed to that lifestyle, women completely seized the initiative. Even now, when the Life Tree no longer grants pregnancies as readily, the men remain docile, serving only as seed-bearers for the women.’
Among the children conceived through the Life Tree, females overwhelmingly outnumbered males. Moreover, the girls born through the Life Tree possessed considerable combat ability and the power to command monsters. However, over time the number of children the Life Tree produced had dropped to one-tenth of its former level. Even so, most of those children rose to important positions within the Ragnarok tribe and succeeded the chieftain’s line.
‘This is the perfect race for me to create sub-heroines. Kekekek!’
Back when he played as Eugene Caesar, Geum Taeyang had obtained a considerable number of sub-heroines from the Ragnarok tribe.
“I’ve heard the Ragnarok Great Chieftain prefers to control monsters rather than participate directly in battle. In any case, besides the Great Chieftain, is there anyone else capable of operating that many desert golems, Advisor?”
“I believe it would be the priests and the Great Chieftain’s eldest daughter. The eldest daughter was born through the Life Tree and is said to possess tremendous spiritual power.”
“Then it’s not the priests—it’s the chieftain’s daughter who brought the army.”
Geum Taeyang already knew exactly who had come, yet he still asked Camilla the formal question. The person who had observed Geum Taeyang’s group through a telescope on the first day was none other than the eldest daughter of the current female Great Chieftain of the Ragnarok tribe.
“I’ll handle the main Ragnarok force over there by myself.”
“What???”
“What do you mean, Great Khan!!”
Geum Taeyang had once again begun his overpowered antics. Two hundred troops including monsters—he intended to face them alone. Advisor Camilla and Security Commander Darius were stunned.
“If it were me, I’d draw out most of the main force and then send in specialized plunder units from behind to strip everything clean. This victory of ours must demonstrate not only our superiority in troop strength but also our capabilities as a merchant caravan.”
In the vast Sahara Desert, the Ragnarok tribe was not the only group that engaged in plunder. There were also bandits organized from deserters of the Grace Kingdom and other nations. Yet the most powerful and renowned were ultimately the Ragnarok tribe. Geum Taeyang wanted to display overwhelming dominance against them.
“Understood! We will follow the Great Khan’s orders!”
“I’ll still contact Princess Nidaa and Chief Kyle just in case. They already have reinforcements on standby.”
“Do that, Advisor Camilla.”
Darius and Camilla had witnessed multiple times what miracles Geum Taeyang could create once he made a declaration. Both replied that they would thoroughly maintain internal discipline within the delegation according to his instructions.
“Hah…! What is that sight?”
It was exactly as Geum Taeyang had expected. The main Ragnarok force had hoped the Mohican delegation’s main army would come toward them. They had waited for that, yet when Ivy Viola, eldest daughter of the Ragnarok Great Chieftain, saw Geum Taeyang walking toward them alone, she found it absurd.
“As expected, creatures with male organs have no sense of strategy. That recklessness… the very thing that nearly brought about the extinction of entire races through great wars.”
Her words carried considerable anger. As Camilla had said, the Sahara was one of the three great cradles of civilization on the continent and had flourished greatly from the Mythic Era through the Ancient Era. Yet not content with that prosperity, they had waged wars of conquest. When the continent was stained with blood, the desert god Icarus punished them, creating the massive sand dunes and drastically reducing the number of oases. Having grown up hearing such legends, Ivy found Geum Taeyang’s current appearance extremely displeasing.
“Let us show that foolish male-organ creature the power of the Ragnarok warriors. Assume battle formation.”
“Understood, Supreme Commander!”
“Understood!”
“Yes!”
Ivy issued combat orders to her adjutants on both sides and behind her. On the right was Narsha, on the left Tia, and behind her Bianca.
“Oho! They’re starting to swarm.”
Having walked roughly fifty meters past the delegation camp’s barricade, Geum Taeyang witnessed clouds of sand rising beneath the bright desert moonlight. Ivy’s Ragnarok army was advancing toward him.
“Good. Let’s play.”
Shwaaaaaang—!!
Geum Taeyang summoned his demonic sword Luciena. At the same time, Shwaaa—!! The legendary artifact Celendis manifested upon his body.
The first things he encountered afterward were—
“—Kuaaaaaang!!!”
“—Kueong! Kueeeeng!!”
Hybrid desert wolves. Desert wolves mixed with monster blood, their size and combat power 2.5 times greater and three times stronger than ordinary desert wolves. Yet such creatures were nothing more than warm-up for Geum Taeyang, who wielded the absolute demonic sword Luciena that had risen from hero rank to legend rank while still in its semi-sealed state within the legendary armor.
“—Uwoooooork!”
“—Kuuuueeeerk!!”
After using the swift hybrid desert wolves to create chaos, desert golems three meters tall came crashing down. Though their slow movements couldn’t fully demonstrate their power against Geum Taeyang’s overwhelming strength, they at least managed to surround him.
‘They really are ridiculously huge and tough up close. With skin like that, even a treasured sword wouldn’t pierce them in one strike. That’s why people usually target the joints.’
Geum Taeyang clicked his tongue at the sight of the massive desert golems. Though made of sand, their outer layer was literally rock, befitting their name. Targeting the joints was the standard approach, but even that was difficult under these dark conditions. Nevertheless—
Shgeeeeeerk! Shgegegegeuk!!
“—Kuuueeeerk!”
“—Uwoooooork!”
“The feeling of slicing them apart is absolutely exquisite!”
Because he wielded a sword four tiers above a treasured blade. Hero swords were two tiers above ordinary treasured swords, and legend swords were two tiers above that. With every swing of Luciena, the tough, massive bodies of the desert golems were sliced apart as easily as cutting radishes.
“Vice Commander! The situation over there is unusual!”
Narsha, the highest-ranking adjutant riding a Shakra and observing Geum Taeyang, reported to Ivy, the supreme commander of the Amazonian Ragnarok forces. Her class was archer; combined with the night-vision ability Beast Eyes and the special skill Excellent Vision that granted both long-range sight and rapid dynamic vision, she could see clearly even at night.
“So the rumor that he wields a hero sword was true. No wonder he was so confident. In that case, we’ll switch to customized tactics. Activate Amazonian Tactic Part 3!”
Barbarians didn’t particularly care about other barbarian tribes. They only maintained close relations with nearby barbarian groups. Ivy, who had finally experienced the legend of Mohican Great Khan Geum Taeyang’s hero-item farming, quickly implemented countermeasures.
Chuaaak! Chuaaak!!
Then, above Geum Taeyang’s head as he finished off the desert golems, arrows trailing glowing strings flew past in rapid succession. They were clearly arrows fired by Ragnarok female warriors, yet they weren’t aimed at Geum Taeyang himself.
“Hoh. So that’s how they plan to catch me?”
Geum Taeyang already understood their intention.
Shwaaaaa—!!
Arrows fired from multiple directions in a cross pattern. The strings attached to those arrows branched out like spiderwebs, eventually covering the sky with a net.
‘Amazonian Tactic Part 3, mainly used when capturing giant monsters—an attack using nets woven from Life Tree flower vines grown beneath the Life Tree.’
If the Mohican tribe had Morti, the Ragnarok tribe had the Life Tree and its flowers. The nets made from Life Tree flower vines possessed magical properties, allowing them to change form freely and boasting powerful binding force capable of restraining high-grade monsters.
“Excellent! The net attack worked. Approach slowly and capture him alive!”
Geum Taeyang stared blankly at the glowing Life Tree net before deliberately draping it over himself. Seeing this, Narsha ordered the Amazonian female warriors to capture him. However—
Puaaaak! Puoeoeoeok!!
“I was waiting for you to approach, you fools!”
“Uwaaaah!”
“How is this possible—the Life Tree net?!”
This was exactly what Geum Taeyang had intended. His goal was to lure the swift archer unit—the Amazons—into close range and neutralize them. He tore apart the special Life Tree net with the now-legend-rank Luciena and charged at the Amazonian female warriors.
‘Not her. Hmm, not that one either… but this one’s pretty cute? Nice figure too.’
Geum Taeyang deliberately avoided aiming for the Amazonian warriors’ lives. He only targeted their legs to incapacitate them. The main reason he had openly provoked conflict with the Ragnarok tribe was to create sub-heroines. He had closed the distance to identify which women had the potential to become sub-heroines.
“Fall back! That guy is stronger than expected. The Amazonian command and I will handle him!”
Tudududududu!!!
The Amazonian female warrior ranks instantly descended into chaos. Supreme Commander Ivy mounted a Shakra with her adjutants and charged into the pandemonium.
‘Oh!’
Their momentum was tremendous. Yet Geum Taeyang’s eyes sparkled with joy, because—
Compatible with Conqueror Geum Taeyang’s Sub-Heroine auxiliary trait.
His sub-heroine auxiliary trait had reacted.