Chapter 233
Chapter 233
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: Lion King (3)
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[Lion's Strike][Quest]
Belong to the Lion Legion and exterminate the enemy.
-Achieve condition: +1 level per 3 bases captured 0/3
-1.5x EXP during war participation
-Additional EXP and fame proportional to merits
Rokan, now incorporated into the Lion Legion, confirmed that his Lion Unit joining quest had been newly updated.
It was similar, but upgraded with the special perk of gaining a full level for every three bases secured.
‘Sweet.’
Considering how tough it was to gain even a single level from Master rank onward, this war was nothing short of a honey pot.
On top of that, he was with humans—the race deemed the strongest among all—and in their frontline Lion Legion, no less.
If he played his cards right, he could probably rack up ten levels or more here.
“Alright, advance!”
“Yes, sir!”
Soon, all resupply and troop formations were complete, and the Lion King, Lion Legion, and Lion Unit began to move out.
They were certainly a massive army, but the ones radiating an overwhelming aura were unmistakably the Lion King and Lion Legion.
Leading the vanguard, they barreled forward with the ferocity to rip out the throats of anyone who dared stand in their way. Their sheer presence alone scattered the monsters that appeared, as they scanned the enemy lines with the eyes of apex predators.
‘Orcs, huh... Perfect.’
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—the first foes they encountered were orcs.
These born warriors hadn’t lost their instincts; they didn’t cower at the Lion Legion’s arrival and instead bellowed with savage momentum. But this side was burning with battle lust just as fiercely.
“Let’s go.”
The one at the forefront of it all—the Lion King—spoke to them as if heading out for a casual stroll.
But what followed was anything but light.
“GRRROOOOAAAARRR!”
The unified lion’s roar from the entire Lion Legion swept across the battlefield like a war cry.
It robbed the orcs of their freedom of movement, allowing nothing but their eyes to roll in terror.
What came next was pure, one-sided brutality!
Their overwhelming power made it clear why the administrative NPC had been so confident of victory—they obliterated the orc horde.
Even without the Lion King stepping up in any grand fashion, the Lion Legion alone massacred an orc force ten times their number.
‘They’ve got reason to be confident.’
Amid it all, Rokan displayed exceptional skill, but without unleashing Storm Incarnation, he didn’t stand out as exceptional.
Even as he clashed with the hostile forces again, activating Tyrant and Mass Murderer only brought him to parity with his peers.
Of course, Storm Incarnation would have changed everything, but this time, Rokan wanted to gauge himself properly.
He pushed his limits using only control and basic skills.
“Hey, newbie. Not bad.”
“The Lion King acknowledged you, huh? You’re the real deal!”
“Tch, I could do that much.”
“You idiot. Don’t you know that guy’s a ‘Berserker’? You barely kept up with a berserker who didn’t even use Berserk!”
Thanks to that, his reputation within the Lion Legion soared.
From their perspective, he was a parachute drop-in, not a long-term fixed member, so they could’ve resented him. Yet they acknowledged his skill right away.
And understandably so—in a racial war like this, bonds and trust between allies ran deeper than ever.
“Next time, show us that Berserk!”
“Hey, you lunatic. What if he goes berserk and turns on us? I’d bet my paycheck you’d lose 100% against him.”
“What the hell, you punk!”
Of course, they bickered like that too, but in the end, they were comrades he could trust with his back on the battlefield.
Rokan chuckled at their banter and checked his EXP bar.
Perhaps due to the 1.5x EXP boost, it was visibly filling up, and the base capture count for his level-up condition had ticked up to one.
Just two more bases, and he’d get a free level.
“No one’s tired already, right? Leave the cleanup to those guys and let’s move! We’re just warmed up—time to really have some fun!”
“Yes, sir!”
It had been a brutal fight despite wrapping up quickly, yet the Lion King claimed he was only now getting loose.
The Lion Legion responded in kind.
They seemed pretty hardcore, but Rokan couldn’t lag behind.
He gripped his battle axe and summoned his Heavenly Horse, then charged at max speed to ambush a nearby enemy unit.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leve—]
Unrestrained rampage.
Unstoppable momentum.
Turbulent waves.
What words could capture their advance?
True to Gaokan’s words, as battles piled on, the Lion Legion’s might only grew fiercer.
From up close, Rokan had witnessed plenty of perilous moments, but their tightened teamwork turned those into crushing victories over the enemy.
Thanks to that, they swallowed up several more bases, letting Rokan level swiftly. He even thought it’d be fine if they kept picking off small outposts like this.
But the High Masters wouldn’t let them ride the bus that easily.
“Dwarf legion, joining up.”
“Gnome legion, joining up.”
“Message from the elves: unable to participate. Seems the aftereffects of losing the World Tree are severe.”
Having devoured all the mid- and small-sized bases in their path, the battle’s scale exploded.
The Lion Legion’s power and feats remained dominant, but the enemy’s numbers had ballooned.
Recognizing humanity’s strength, the troll, orc, and goblin legions had banded together for desperate resistance—and now the dwarves and gnomes had merged with them.
‘Interesting.’
The easy honey-sucking days were over, but Rokan found this just as fun.
A shame he couldn’t profit as much, but the dwarves’ and gnomes’ contributions were intriguing.
“Golems, huh? They hardly ever show up as monsters...”
He wasn’t clueless about golems.
Rare as they were, they occasionally appeared as monsters, and their forms were documented in lore.
But the golem legion the dwarves brought was clearly no ordinary batch.
At minimum, they were Master rank and above, with some unique ones packing High Master-level power.
“So this is what the ancient weapon was.”
That confirmed it for Rokan.
The root reason dwarves gathered special metals for their racial quest: ‘Revival of Ancient Weapons’ meant crafting these golems.
“Is that the real deal?”
And among them, one golem in particular stole the show.
Sturdy, robust armor that looked flexible too—an alluring machine. Rokan was certain it was the dwarves’ ‘ultimate weapon.’
[Mithril Golem No. 28][Lv 412]
“Whoa...”
He’d half-expected it, but a mere golem at Grand Master? Astonishing.
If they could mass-produce them—no, even just make two or three more—the dwarves might conquer the world.
‘He crushed one of those, huh...’
At the same time, he recalled why the dwarves had bowed to humans. Gaokan had smashed one mercilessly, they’d said.
How brutally must he have trampled it for them to grovel despite building such a weapon? The Lion King felt even more impressive.
‘That one too...’
But the dwarves’ wonder-weapons weren’t the only marvel. The gnomes, having lost their ancient city and airships, unveiled their own arsenal, drawing Rokan’s eye.
“Exoskeleton parts... huh.”
That’s what they were called—exoskeleton parts.
These powered suits replaced the tiny gnomes’ bodies with immense strength, agility, and reach.
And that wasn’t all. Worn almost like mounts, they came loaded with high-tech gear: bombs, beam rifles, and more.
They could even create variables, so a boost in combat power was a given.
At this level, no one could deny the gnomes as the ‘race of magic and machinery.’ Their physical specs rivaled the warrior race orcs.
Barring the slight issue of tricky repairs on destruction or damage, they were perfect warriors.
Rokan watched them quietly, then turned his gaze to the distant, teeming mass of enemies.
‘Not gonna be easy.’
Swarms of orcs and trolls, bolstered and amplified by goblin shamans’ magic.
But the scariest were the ‘powerhouses.’
Orc Lords, Troll Lords, and Goblin High Priests, each wielding so-called ‘divine weapons.’
Three Grand Masters holding the line, while this side had only the Lion King and the Mithril Golem. How could he not worry?
‘No, worrying would be ridiculous.’
Objectively speaking, maybe. But from Rokan’s view, fretting over the Lion King was the real joke.
He knew the future, after all. Who survived this war in the end.
He didn’t know if the Lion King took a fatal wound or not, but humans were the victors.
These were the ones who’d later be called the ‘Golden Lion Camp.’
So Rokan focused on himself.
For now, survive as long as possible and stick by the Lion King’s side, witnessing his feats.
“Ready?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Then let’s go!”
Moments later, facing the grand melee, the human-dwarf-gnome alliance moved first.
Leading the charge, as always: the Lion King and Lion Legion. Rokan was right there with them.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Following were the dwarves’ golems and gnomes empowered as warriors by exoskeleton parts.
Behind them, short-legged dwarf warriors and even tinier but nimble gnome mages hurried to keep pace.
The fateful clash of six—no, eight—races began.
“Lion King!”
“Gaooo-kannn!”
“This time... I’ll kill you!”
The enemy didn’t flinch or panic at the sight of vanguard Lion King Gaokan.
As if expecting it, their leaders came out to greet him, radiating thick killing intent.
This wasn’t 3 vs. 2. More like 3 vs. 1.
Whatever grudge they held, the orc, troll, and goblin leaders ignored the Mithril Golem entirely, focusing solely on Gaokan and unleashing their power.
The troops were mere support; victory began and ended with them.
The transcendents’ all-out assaults converged purely on Gaokan.
Rokan himself felt breathless just watching, yet Gaokan grinned in delight.
As is, even he’d take the hit.
So he drew forth another power. The true strength he hadn’t revealed in his duel with Rokan.
“Martial Soul Awakening. Golden Lion Set.”
A small yet immensely vast golden lion force descended upon the earth.