Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Preparations for War
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Elatra said that Han had lost the power of an Ascetic.
She explained that after pouring all her divine status into the Heart of the Golem, nothing worthy of being called divinity remained.
Therefore, Han was now nothing more and nothing less than an ordinary human.
While there was no reason to search for Han, she was still someone who had once striven for the peace of the continent.
Elatra said she wanted to find her as a comrade.
*I understand. Thank you for telling me.*
- *By the way, since the Apostate's seal was completely broken, Gellahan's power has been growing stronger. It affects not only Tranpeion but Earth as well. The situation over there probably isn't much different from here.*
*That means…!*
- *That's right. Dungeons are increasing, the number of monsters has surged, and so have dungeon breaks.*
"Hmph..."
Do-jae grunted.
The problem wasn't just here.
He didn't know how many monsters and dungeons had appeared, but Korea had lost many hunters and Suppression Corps members since the Busan subjugation.
After that, not only the Guardian Guild but all the guilds had become incredibly busy.
Helen's prophecy flashed through Do-jae's mind.
- *Nothing will change.*
- *Unless you deal with Havik, you cannot cross over to the other side...*
Do-jae crossed his arms, lost in thought.
Until now, he had been thinking rather leisurely.
It hadn't been long since he'd arrived here, but instead of actively seeking Havik, he had figured Havik would eventually come to him.
But after hearing what Elatra said, he couldn't just stand by.
He had to move quickly and find Havik himself.
Only then could he twist causality without any spatiotemporal errors and return to Earth.
For now, he had no choice but to trust the Guardian Guild and the other S-rank hunters.
"Sari, Oson."
Do-jae's call startled the two, who had been chatting, and they answered.
"Huh? What's up?"
"Master! You called for me...!"
It seemed Do-jae had been listening to Elatra's voice in his head, so to the other two, he must have looked like he was just spacing out.
They seemed to have been talking about something, but Do-jae, focused on his internal conversation, hadn't noticed.
"I have something to tell you."
"What is it? Anything for you, Do-jae!"
"That's right! I, Oson Ironhammer, am all ears."
Sari and Oson moved closer and sat down.
Do-jae downed the cold tea in one gulp and spoke.
"A war is about to begin."
Sari and Oson flinched at Do-jae's words.
But having already seen and heard things, they weren't greatly shaken.
"No... the continent is already at war."
"Sari is right. The war has already begun."
The expressions on their faces were quite serious.
Do-jae was grateful that they had quickly grasped his meaning.
"There's something I need you both to do. First, Sari."
Do-jae tasked Sari with gathering the elves.
Not only that, but he also asked her to meet with as many other races as possible and warn them that a war was coming.
Do-jae could fight the Apostates alone, but he couldn't fight all the countless monsters.
They needed to be prepared to at least protect themselves when the war with the monsters broke out.
"Next, Oson."
He asked Oson to do what the dwarves did best.
Crafting various pieces of equipment and weapons.
Born blacksmiths, everything they created was of the highest quality.
Arming the other races with their creations would be a great source of strength.
"I need you to make them until you're overflowing with them. It'll probably be a lot of hard work for many of the dwarves. I'll give you all the materials you need."
Do-jae went a step further, asking for even more equipment to be produced.
He planned to distribute the items made by the dwarves to the hunters and the Suppression Corps.
For a moment, a mischievous thought crossed his mind: *'What if I sold them for money?'*
"Do you understand?"
"Of course!"
"Understood!"
Sari and Oson answered spiritedly.
With this, he had secured reliable allies.
Next, after meeting the sealed Eurabia, who might be an Ascetic, he could prepare the Titans for war as well.
Looking back now, it was truly fortunate that he was able to ally with the leader of the exclusive Titan race.
"Alright, shall we head out?"
***
- *It's been a while, Herteias.*
Elatra greeted him cheerfully.
But Herteias feigned ignorance, pretending not to hear.
"Do-jae, what did you decide?"
- *Huhu. Are you playing a game? The games of dragons are always so amusing.*
Herteias glanced past Do-jae.
But that was all.
He didn't respond.
Indeed, dragons were truly a remarkable race, capable of sensing even the unseen Ascetics.
"I suppose it's time to head to the North, right?"
Do-jae looked at the group of other races where Sari and Oson were.
He planned to travel to the North without them.
They had both agreed to this.
Without the two of them as a central pillar, the group would not be able to unite.
In return, Do-jae had no intention of leaving them unprotected.
Unless they had someone on the level of Tahul, their skills were still too weak to handle the increased number of monsters.
"Gong-gol, Bang-gol, Man-gol!"
*Vwooom—.*
Do-jae summoned the three black golems.
Their current levels were around 130.
These golems were strong enough to be ranked among the top-tier A-rank hunters.
Moreover, as their levels rose, so did their intelligence, improving their judgment and allowing each to move independently.
Their language skills had also improved, and they had even developed vocal organs.
They could now speak with the outside world, not just communicate mentally with Do-jae.
"What is it... Master..."
"Master...! Why did you call us again...!"
"Master. I have answered your call."
Of course, their informal speech hadn't changed.
"You three are to stay with the gray elves and dwarves over there. You can draw as much mana as you need."
"Why...? I have nothing to do with them..."
"I don't want to...! Why should I...?"
"Understood."
Man-gol nodded and obeyed, but Gong-gol and Bang-gol refused.
Bang-gol, in particular, spun around and turned its back.
As their intelligence increased, their personalities grew stronger, and some of them became disobedient like this.
However, their master, mentally connected to them, was Do-jae.
"That's an order."
With that one word, they had no choice but to obey, whether they liked it or not.
However, this kind of coercion worsened his relationship with them, often causing them to act out, so he avoided using the word "order" as much as possible.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, like now.
"If it's an order... I understand..."
"Tch! Fine! I get it!"
Only then did Gong-gol and Bang-gol listen to Do-jae.
The golems approached the group of other races. The gray elves and dwarves were startled, but it seemed Sari and Oson explained the situation well.
"Why aren't you going?"
"Master. I have a question."
Man-gol stayed behind to ask.
"Go ahead."
"Are we to protect them unconditionally, or should we intervene only in specific situations?"
In the past, the golems would have simply fought whenever a battle broke out.
But now, they could think about the scope of their actions.
In other words, Man-gol's "specific situations" was a question of whether they should fight recklessly even when they were in danger, or if they should retreat.
"It would be best to protect them unconditionally if possible, but if your cores are on the verge of being destroyed, you should retreat."
"Understood."
"But if that happens, I'll come running right away, so don't worry too much."
The black golems were special.
As such, he couldn't afford to lose them carelessly.
If something happened to them, he would know immediately, so he planned to drop everything and return to them.
He had Teleport, after all.
"Understood. I have one more question."
"What is it?"
Man-gol asked another question.
Unlike Gong-gol and Bang-gol, who had just roughly understood and left, it had a meticulous personality.
But Do-jae actually preferred this.
Being meticulous meant it was careful.
"In my opinion, it would be better to have Magol with them instead of us. Magol's magic would be far more helpful for their survival."
Do-jae nodded.
Just as Man-gol said, a mage brought greater efficiency to a group.
For a small group of just a few people, the three black golems would be a huge help, but for a group of dozens like this, a single magic-wielding Magol could have a greater effect.
However, Do-jae's thoughts were different.
The group of gray elves and dwarves wasn't about to wage war immediately.
He had tasked them with finding other surviving races and preparing them for the war against the Apostates.
This meant there would be few large-scale battles, and a mage wouldn't be very effective when fighting just a few monsters.
"Understand? Magol's defense is pitifully low compared to yours, so it would likely become another one to protect. That's why I'm keeping Magol with me. Besides, Magol has its own role to play."
"I see. I understand. Then."
Even Man-gol walked toward the group.
The sight of the three black golems going to protect Sari and Oson was incredibly reassuring.
Do-jae also walked over to Sari and Oson to say his goodbyes for now.
"I'll come find you after I'm done with my business in the North and with that bastard Havik. With these guys here, I'll be able to know where you are."
"Really? We'll gather the other elves and races, just like you said, Do-jae. I don't want to lose the continent to those bastards!"
"We dwarves will produce the supplies needed for the war! With the minerals you gave us, Master, I think we can make some incredible weapons!"
Oson pointed to one side of the temple.
A mountain of minerals that Do-jae had taken out from his subspace was piled up there.
"It's probably best to make this temple your base, Oson. It's in the center of the continent, which makes it easy to gather the races from each region, and Elatra's blessing will last for a while, so building a fortress here would be a good idea."
"Ooooh...! Understood!"
*Pat, pat—.*
*Stroke—.*
Do-jae patted Oson's shoulder and stroked Sari's head before returning to Herteias.
He was yawning languidly with his arms crossed.
"Hwaaam. All done? Are we going now?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
While Do-jae was talking, Herteias and Harkes had already stepped onto a completed magic circle.
"By the way, we could come here directly because we had the exact coordinates, but we don't have any for the North, so there's no telling where we'll end up, you know?"
"Yeah. Can't be helped."
Unfortunately, the exact location where Eurabia was sealed was uncertain.
There was only a record stating she was somewhere in the Proa Mountains.
"Hey, old man! Scoot in closer. If you end up somewhere else, I'm not taking responsibility, got it?"
"Ah... Got it!"
Harkes waddled awkwardly and squeezed in right next to Do-jae and Herteias.
The once solemn and dignified Titan warrior had now transformed into something like a clumsy neighborhood big brother.