Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Half-Elves Enter the War (2)
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The Half-Elves, who had shown no movement even long after the war began, started deploying their forces en masse alongside their declaration of participation.
They didn't specify the exact reason, but they couldn't hide their intense hostility toward the Undead race.
Just as Rokan had intended, they had mistaken the culprits for the Undead.
"Good. In that case, it's about time for this..."
Seizing the opportunity, Rokan sent a gift to the Half-Elves in his own name.
Growth Potion.
Originally an item that increased experience gain, it was a consumable that, true to its name, also promoted 'growth.'
With so many promising seedlings that could become World Trees having withered away, it was an urgently needed item for the Half-Elves, who had no choice but to rapidly cultivate the young World Trees they had already nurtured.
[Your reputation within the Half-Elf race has greatly increased.]
It was only natural that his reputation among the Half-Elves skyrocketed the moment the item was delivered. Buoyed by this, the Half-Elves became even more proactive.
[The Half-Elves have requested the transfer or lease of ownership rights to Death Castle.]
Rather than stopping at forward deployment, they had decided to commit their full forces to the front lines.
However, they needed a base to do so.
Even for nature-attuned Half-Elves, it was impossible to indefinitely camp and defend in the open plains, where maintaining a position was difficult.
That's why they requested the transfer or lease of rights to Death Castle.
As humans would struggle to maintain and defend two bases anyway, the Half-Elves proposed to station themselves there and handle the defense.
It was a bold offer: ideally, they'd pay for a full transfer, but even if not, as long as the rights to Death Castle were acknowledged and an environment was provided for their troops to garrison, that would suffice.
'Not a bad deal.'
Upon receiving the request, Rokan immediately relayed the news to the Emperor.
No matter that he was a Marquis with full authority on the battlefield, deciding on transferring or leasing a base was beyond his sole discretion.
Soon after, a reply came from the Emperor.
"Cool."
The Emperor's response was simple. No full transfer, but Rokan could decide on lease terms himself.
It seemed his trust had surged after the recent traitor purge.
The reply also stated that Rokan could take a portion of the lease payments from the Half-Elves.
If they paid in gold, he could keep 10%; if they substituted or mixed in items, he could claim one of those items, whatever it was.
[You have decided to enter into a lease agreement with the Half-Elves.]
[A Half-Elf emissary will arrive shortly.]
Rokan gladly accepted.
He sent a message of approval to the Half-Elves right away and decided to finalize the details via a 'contract.'
[You have transferred rights to Death Castle to the Half-Elf race for 12 months.]
Shortly after, Rokan met with the arriving Half-Elf bearing the contract draft and concluded a satisfactory deal.
War required no small amount of funds, so the Half-Elves wanted a long-term lease paid in a mix of gold and items—and Rokan readily agreed after reviewing the item list.
"Got this now."
[You have acquired World Tree's Leaf.]
The other items held little meaning. To Rokan, who already had an exceptional item setup, most were insignificant. But among them was the World Tree's Leaf.
[World Tree's Leaf][Epic]
A leaf fallen from the World Tree. Though the World Tree is gone, it still brims with vibrant life force.
-HP +500 when held
-MP +300 when held
-Basic HP regeneration +300% when held
-Basic MP regeneration +300% when held
-All recovery effects +200% when held
-Full recovery of all statuses upon consumption
Simply keeping it in the inventory granted massive boosts to stats, regeneration, and recovery effects—an Epic-grade item known as the World Tree's Leaf.
'Still, it's a shame.'
The Half-Elves' offer wasn't limited to the World Tree's Leaf. They also proposed the World Tree's Ring as an alternative.
A ring item with similar effects to the leaf, plus rapid recovery capabilities.
Rokan pondered it but chose the leaf, as the ring would occupy a slot—and he already had the Investigation Team's ring for rapid recovery.
'Besides, there aren't many other items worth swapping for.'
The accompanying items were all Unique or above, but Rokan's resolve was firm.
His equipped weapons and armor were top-tier, hard to replace unless it was the Lion King's set, and his accessories were filled with those pried from others as 'life debts' during the racial alliance, leaving no room for swaps.
He had targeted accessories for that reason back then too.
[Eye that Pierces All Things][Epic]
[Soul Collector's Authority][Epic]
[High Orc's Might Ring][Epic]
[High Elf's Tear Necklace][Epic]
[Dwarf Warrior's Battle Ring][Epic]
[Goblin Shaman's Transformation Ring][Unique]
[Gnome Engineer's Puppet Show][Unique]
Four rings from that haul alone.
The Goblin Shaman's Transformation Ring didn't need constant wear, but even excluding it, adding the Investigation Team's ring and other excellent equipped accessories filled even the abundant ring slots with no room left.
Thus, an item that provided effects just by holding it was the better choice.
"It's starting, huh."
After concluding the mutually satisfying deal, the Half-Elves began a massive relocation.
The moment the human forces withdrew from Death Castle per Rokan's orders, they entered like occupying troops, purifying all lingering dark energy and fortifying it in their own style.
In no time, the fortress transformed into a lush haven of grass and trees, belying its Death Castle name.
But the Half-Elves didn't stop there. They quickly reorganized and began marching on the Undead bases.
"We'd better hurry on this side too."
The Half-Elves' participation. Their advance.
Upon hearing this, the Dwarves and Gnomes wouldn't sit idle. They'd prepare for battle again, and it was time for the humans to unbolt their locked gates.
Now the real war would begin.
[Assembly][Quest]
Prepare for the Second Racial War!
-Assembly at Hushkan Castle
-Automatic unit assignment upon war support
-1.2x experience gain in battles against enemy factions
-1.3x merit points and fame gain for enemy faction kills
-Unit commander position possible based on level and class
-Some consumables provided for mission execution
-Support limited to Human race
Rokan immediately triggered the quest. Unlike before, it applied only to the Human race.
It called for assembly at Hushkan Castle to support the war, but the benefits alone spurred widespread participation.
Even those just hoping for supplied consumables came in droves.
Treatment would vary by level, but once operations began, additional quests would stack, ensuring ample rewards.
"Still crunching the numbers, huh?"
Yet some guilds remained on the fence, circling hunting grounds.
Unsure if joining the war for massive gains (if you didn't die) outweighed safe leveling—or if dying too often would lead to losses.
Rokan understood, as war was inherently high-risk, high-reward. Still, he noted participating and non-participating guilds.
"Hm, these guys showed up too."
From the participating guilds and users, he pulled a list of top levels and selected some.
[You have granted Geomryuhon the Thousand-Man Commander position.]
[You have granted ThisAreaCrazyBastard the Thousand-Man Commander position...]
To grant them Thousand-Man Commander status. But separately, Rokan selected a few more users.
[You have granted TamingMaster the Escort Unit position.]
[You have granted MuyoungShinThrow the Escort Unit position...]
-Rokan: Those designated as Escort Unit, please gather at my tent.
He assigned special positions unknown to others and used a unit message audible only to the Escort Unit to summon them to his tent.
"Uh... can we come in?"
"Lord Rokan, or should I say, Your Excellency the Marquis?"
The gathered individuals were an unusual bunch.
Not the highest levels, nor excelling in PvP or command.
Not even from top major guilds.
Over level 250 but with non-mainstream classes, their positions were ambiguous. Yet each had unique talents and potential.
In Rokan's previous life, they had made names for themselves without faction ties.
'In the end, the big ones grow big.'
He didn't know exactly how his actions had twisted the current timeline. Some likely missed opportunities, with growth paths utterly altered.
Yet the truly great ones thrived anyway. These people proved it.
Some hadn't yet acquired their signature skills from his past life, but it didn't matter. Rokan judged them capable of their tasks.
"As you know, we are now entering the Second Racial War. The reason I called you here separately is to assign you special missions."
Gulp.
Everyone's eyes sharpened at Rokan's serious tone.
They didn't know what, couldn't fathom why them specifically, but a special mission in wartime demanded tension.
"Therefore, everything discussed here from now on must be kept absolutely, unconditionally secret."
Nods.
Rokan glanced at their solemn nods and pulled out stacks of paper.
Contracts.
He trusted them, but not absolutely.
Real-world leaks were unavoidable, but he'd prevent spread within The Lord.
'Plus, it'll add psychological pressure.'
With accounts on the line, no one would take it lightly.
Some balked at signing, but Rokan coldly stripped their positions and ejected them.
Once all agreers signed, he finally explained the core plan for the Human race.
"From now on, you will scatter among the various races of the Golden Lion faction and participate in battles. But not to fight—conserve your strength as much as possible... and take only the last hits. Strictly last hits. The moment a base is captured, slip into the Lord's Hall somehow, last-hit the Scepter of Dominion, and steal the rights to the base."