Chapter 381
Chapter 381
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 381
Chapter Title: Vampire's Assault (3)
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The traces left by the vampire Sharlock were devastating.
Most of the buildings in the Gromohto territory had collapsed, and all the infrastructure had been utterly destroyed.
On top of that, over eighty percent of the demon race NPC forces, which had been stocked up at great cost in coins, were dead and gone.
It was, in effect, total annihilation.
Of course, most of the destruction wasn't from the vampires but from Rokan's own doing, yet the damage was so severe that rebuilding would be no easy task.
"Guess I'll have to shell out some serious coin."
That was also why he hadn't bothered to take the inner castle, even though some Russian guild members had successfully infiltrated it.
What he'd gain wouldn't make up for what he'd lose.
Just rebuilding the basic structures would require an enormous amount of coins, wouldn't it?
Sure, the Russian guilds had been saving up coins with this possibility in mind, but it was like pouring water into a bottomless bucket.
That's why the infiltration team hadn't seized the castle and had simply watched the showdown instead. The moment Sharlock and his elites fell, they bolted without looking back.
No need to step up and take the punishment, right?
Of course, now that Rokan had won, the Russian guilds that had plotted the coup would face iron-fisted retribution—but as long as it wasn't them personally.
Some had even already deserted their guilds and fled.
"Where do you think you're going?"
They flinched.
Rokan spotted some among the ruins of the destroyed buildings. They were Russian guild users who had respawned.
They'd dared to set up a base in his territory and then betrayed him? Fine, that could happen.
But shouldn't they be prepared to pay the price?
"L-Lord Rokan..."
"Please forgive us...!"
"We were just following orders!"
Truth be told, though, tormenting these guys wasn't satisfying. The ones respawning were just small fry.
Whether they were clever or just shell-shocked, none of the high-level key figures had respawned yet.
They were probably planning to slip away while Rokan was away.
Respawning now would just mean getting caught by him and dying over and over.
So instead of slaughtering them, Rokan bared his white teeth in a warning grin.
"Tell Cheryshev and the other guild masters to come crawling here right now and beg for mercy—or pay the price."
"Yes! We'll relay the message. Please, just spare our lives...!"
Watching them grovel made even Rokan's interest wane.
They'd have guild chats or private networks to pass the word along.
Of course, whether that would make the leaders come running to kowtow was anyone's guess.
They'd already completed their race conversions, and those weren't undone by a single death. It wasn't mere infection; they'd willingly accepted the change.
To revert to their original races like half-elf, they'd need to fulfill special quests and other conditions.
Having seen Sharlock use them so freely this time, they might rethink things—but with Sharlock dead, they could just think the danger was over.
Forgetting that another bloodkin equal to or stronger than Sharlock could show up and do the same or worse.
"Full repair."
While waiting for them, Rokan restored Gromohto Castle to its original state.
A warning popped up about the massive coin expenditure, but he didn't care. That was just burdensome for average players.
Rokan already had the wealth to build an entire new city without batting an eye.
And right now, potions sales, spirit realm shops, illusion demon realm vendors, and more were piling up insane amounts of money.
More than all the Russian guilds combined could earn.
"So they really aren't coming, huh?"
About thirty minutes passed, but none of the Russian guild masters showed.
It meant they had no intention of taking responsibility.
Maybe they figured since Rokan was just one guy, they could avoid him if they tried.
Plus, he hadn't shown his face much in the Heavenly Realm where they operated lately. If things got dicey, they could hide in other countries' Earthly Realms—so dodging responsibility seemed the smarter play.
Whether that was the right choice remained to be seen.
"Now, what to do with these losers...?"
With them logging out, Rokan had no immediate way to deal with them.
He couldn't kill or harass offline players, and the best he could do was use a rainbow transmitter to hit the Earthly Realms where Russian users hung out—but for him, that was a waste of time.
Destroying their bases would be easy, but it wouldn't ruin them.
Better to wait and ensure they could never set foot in the Heavenly Realm again—that would hit harder.
"Yeah. Once I hit level 450, we'll see."
Hitting the Earthly Realms would be more effective later anyway. He had plans in mind, so he shelved revenge for now and moved to the next step.
Namely, the users from various countries who had subtly aided the race-converted Russian guilds.
"This is a problem too."
But punishing them was tricky. They hadn't supported as full guilds; it seemed like individuals participating on their own.
Maybe they'd planned it that way, but either way, it was hard to pin guild- or nation-level blame.
Still, they'd clearly rebelled against him. So how to handle them?
As he pondered, unexpected news reached Rokan.
"War?"
While he mulled it over, the US, China, India, France, and others had launched simultaneous wars.
Not against him, of course.
Who would dare raise arms against Rokan after seeing Russia crushed so thoroughly?
Their blades were aimed at the weak nations.
"Finally starting, huh?"
Earthly Realm versus Earthly Realm.
Rainbow transmitters limited troop numbers, but powerhouse users who had already set foot in foreign territories via guilds were crushing weak nations that had barely sent one or two to the Heavenly Realm.
The numbers were no contest, but The Lord wasn't a game won by headcount alone.
A single powerhouse like Rokan could tip the scales, so the early Heavenly Realm entrants from advanced nations wielded overwhelming might.
Their gear quality was leagues apart too.
The powerhouses were decked out in top-tier Heavenly Realm equipment, while weak nations scraped by with basic gear from monster hearts.
Even that was a luxury for poorer nations, who sold off gold and coins abroad instead of investing in gear—making it impossible to fend off powerhouse elites.
The wars had just begun, but no one could predict how quickly they'd end.
"A diversion?"
Was this a long-planned invasion, or a ploy to draw his attention? Hard to say.
But one thing was clear: it worked.
Now Rokan had to prepare for foreign incursions, and check if Korean guilds were invading others.
War bred enemies left and right.
With Rokan often away, the odds of the palace getting raided during an absence like this were high.
Losing the emperor's vast tax reserves and seeing tax-collecting cities razed would hurt bad.
Being emperor meant collecting taxes but also funding repairs and defenses for destroyed outposts.
If several nations ganged up, even his bottomless pockets would run dry.
"Clever bastards."
In that sense, the powerhouse invasions of weak nations carried layers of meaning and warning.
Daring to warn him like that made him want to flatten their bases—but the time wasn't right yet.
Level 450. If his hunch was correct, once he reached Majesty Master, he could wage true war and reap the biggest gains.
- Hamel: Uh, Lord Rokan, the guild kids want me to set up a meeting with you. What should I do?
As Rokan pondered, Hamel relayed a request from Korean guilds for an audience.
Normally he'd shut it down, but with a clear reason now, no need to refuse.
He arranged the meeting immediately, gathering the heads of Korea's major guilds.
"Lord Rokan, we can't just sit this out, can we?"
"If we do nothing, the other countries will snatch up all the ripe targets. They won't stop at one spot. Once they have the resources, they'll make second and third colonies. And once they bulk up..."
They'd clearly discussed among themselves, splitting into clear camps.
The pro-invasion side argued sharply for striking foreign lands and colonizing.
Can't leave the advanced nations alone—they'd grow and eye Korea next.
Valid point. Just look at Russia.
Vampire traits might've amplified Sharlock and the Vampire Lord's will over theirs, but it was still a massive potential threat.
Korean users were pushing into the Heavenly Realm fast, but could they defend if two or three nations teamed up? Hard to say.
For now, Rokan's prestige kept them wary of Korea, but soon level 400s would emerge, and double-digit rivals to him would make them bold.
'Whether they outpace me or I do, we'll see.'
By then, Rokan would hit Majesty Master too.
"But colonies are..."
"They're junk weak nations anyway. Occupying them just means more places to defend. Better to push the Heavenly Realm while they're distracted with invasions."
The opposition had merit too.
Korea's history bred instinctive aversion to "colonies," and rationally, annexing a weak nation only added fixed income at best.
Monopolizing hunt zones could speed up leveling for locals, but funding rainbow transmitters for that? Only top guilds could swing it.
And the zones just had more monsters—no extra EXP.
Better to raid the Heavenly Realm and climb ranks instead.
Both sides had logic; no easy answer.
But ultimately, Rokan's will decided.
As human emperor and world's strongest, his choice would shape Korea's response.
"Hmm, here's what I think."
After mulling it over, Rokan finally spoke.
Issuing the directive that would guide all Korean players.