I Crush It Alone
“Chwiik, how dare you...! A punk who's barely been at this territory war for two weeks!”
“You dare lay hands on our territory folk?”
Arthur twisted his lips into a smirk.
And that was just the start.
“We helped you out, and now you're gonna shake down the lord?”
Ben flinched.
His eye twitched. How the hell did this guy know about lord-shaking, the lords' secret slang?
“I can't let this slide.”
The air crackled with savage tension, the orcs on the verge of clashing with Arthur's soldiers right then and there.
“Chwiik, and what if you can't?”
Ben laughed derisively. This protection-period lord thought he could touch him?
Arhan Territory had the full backing of the tyrant Zakan.
That made it far stronger than any other protection-period territory.
“L-Lord...”
Gremori wore a look of disbelief.
“Listen up!”
Arthur's voice boomed with authority.
The soldiers standing behind him—they'd toured dungeons with him, guarded his side, witnessed his uncanny prowess firsthand.
Unlike Gremori, they were living proof.
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers snapped to attention.
“I, Arthur de Press, hereby declare war on Arhan Territory.”
Arthur de Press declares war on Arhan Territory.
Arhan Territory's lord Kasha accepts war mode.
“Chwiik, you're insane. Totally nuts. Hahaha!”
Ben clutched his belly, roaring with laughter. The orcs behind him joined in.
Just two weeks in.
Ben was confident he could sweep them aside right here. Orcs were a race stronger than humans by nature.
Thirty green soldiers who hadn't even hit the two-week mark?
Orcs could handle that easy.
And Ben himself was an orc warrior to boot.
“Chwiik, kill 'em!”
Plus, Arthur had done something utterly stupid.
Triggering war mode with the enemy right in front of him?
War mode meant way more loot, gold, and resources on the line. It was hugely in their favor.
Thanks to Arthur's idiocy, Ben figured he'd swallow everything the kid had.
As Ben grinned wickedly at the thought—
Thud!
Roll...
One orc's head hit the dirt and tumbled.
“Chwiik?”
Ben blinked in confusion.
Then another head dropped.
Thud! Roll...
He scowled at the severed orc head.
It was Bred, hidden in stealth at the rear.
Riiip!
Space tore open as Fenrus revealed itself.
Krrkrr!
Arthur gripped Kazaven's unique tightly and commanded.
“Kill every enemy except proxy Ben.”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers roared in unison.
Arthur launched into the air first.
Gremori moved, and the soldiers surged forward with deadly speed.
Thud!
Ben had no choice but to drop to his knees in defeat.
He stared at the slaughtered orcs in disbelief.
How could a lord and his forces, not even two weeks into territory wars, be this strong?
And those soldiers—they fought like D-rank or better.
But that wasn't all.
The mystery dark elf and ashen wolf were impossible for a current-gen lord to have.
Yet here they were.
“N-Now, guide us.”
Guide? Ben blanked for a second—what the hell was he supposed to guide them to?
War mode was on, so both sides would prep: muster troops, scout, strike.
“Chwiik, what're you talking about?”
“We're hitting your Arhan Territory right now.”
No prep needed.
Strike while the iron's hot.
Arthur planned to smash Arhan solo today—clearing his Solo Territory Smash tutorial quest.
Tyrant Zakan?
Arthur swallowed a laugh at the codename.
Who the hell calls themselves a tyrant?
Arthur had known a real Tyrant once—a challenger lord truly deserving the name.
Countless territories crushed solo, with armies that could level mountains.
This clown wasn't even close, yet he strutted around with the title.
Protection period over? Arthur would claim another tutorial through him.
“L-Lord, at least inspect the troops first...”
“I'm going alone.”
“Pardon?”
Gremori's eyes went wide. The soldiers gasped too.
“W-What do you...”
“Gremori, go to Zabes and tell her I punished the orc who got bread tossed at him. Soldiers...”
Arthur paused, then said,
“Train as usual.”
“Alone? That's too dangerous!”
What lord in their right mind solo-raided another territory?
“That's an order.”
“...Yes, sir.”
Gremori bit her lip, submitting. She had no choice.
Arthur bound the orc Ben tight with Fenrus, ordered him to lead the way, and set off.
Kasha lounged in his chair, chin propped lazily. A middle-aged man with cropped blond hair.
He eyed the woman before him with half-lidded gaze.
“Not stripping?”
“Y-Yes?”
She flinched, trembling.
A girl barely out of her teens.
Ilrena had caught Kasha's eye in the territory, landing her here.
Her vision swam with dizziness.
That other girl, Hairen, refused last time... her whole family got wiped.
Terror clawed at her. Tears threatened to spill.
Kasha wasn't a saintly ruler.
He treated his people like ants, thrilled to join the Monarch Game.
In reality, a fallen knight family's slave—now treated like a king here.
He summoned young territory women to sate his lust, killing the defiant and their kin without mercy.
He drew his sword from its scabbard at his side, prodding her clothes with the tip.
“Don't wanna strip? Fine, no need.”
Kasha smirked slyly, sliding the blade slowly under her skirt.
Each brush of cold steel against her leg made her shudder.
“I-I'll strip.”
As Ilrena gritted her teeth, holding back tears to undress—
Bwoooo!
Trumpets blared across the territory.
These signaled war mode activation—enemy intrusion.
Already?
Kasha scoffed inwardly.
Some lunatic lord, probably clashed with Ben out on patrol.
The intruder owned a territory pioneered just two weeks back—not far.
What the hell was a scrub like that thinking, starting war mode?
He'd planned to muster tomorrow and crush him.
“How many troops does he have?”
Kasha rose, approaching the girl and licking her neck.
“Ah...”
A whimper escaped Ilrena's bitten lip. Kasha grinned, whispering in her ear.
“We'll finish this later.”
“Y-Yes...”
She dreaded the bedchamber.
Then orcs burst in.
“Enemy numbers?”
“Chwiik, well...”
“...?”
Kasha buckled his scabbard, frowning.
The orc reported.
“O-One, sir.”
“Hm?”
Kasha tilted his head, sure he'd misheard.
“What about Ben?”
As the question hung—
An orc stumbled in, gasping.
Proxy Ben.
“Chwiik, Lord Kasha!”
Ben collapsed, forehead to the floor, panting desperately.
“Chwiik, that invading lord... Kughhh!”
Before he finished—
Green blood sprayed from Ben's mouth.
It splattered Kasha's boots.
Kasha's pupils quaked.
This can't be real...
Too unreal.
Opponent was under two weeks in.
Ben was D-rank.
And he'd lost.
The implication was clear.
All the orcs with him... gone too?
Among Cash Shop items was Speaker's Poison Grass.
Arthur fed it to proxy Ben before kicking his ass. The orc probably croaked mid-sentence with Kasha, vomiting blood.
Solo Territory Smash isn't just a tutorial clear.
Plenty of lords smashed territories solo—but usually far weaker ones.
Slaughterer Rendal took the most kills solo in peer ranks, triggering Tower of Records.
And more.
Brutal missions too.
Like Heart Devourer Mission—stab 66 hearts.
Or Eyeball Gourmet Feast—gouge and eat eyes.
Gourmet Bracken did the latter.
Arthur had zero interest in that.
Rendal got the Slaughterer Bonus.
Let lords level up without territory total level grinding—a cheat pass.
Problem is, more troops than I figured.
Status showed 200 troops.
Decent for a protection-period lord.
Now? 250 at least—50 extra.
His trait. Freshly bought units.
Similar trait existed.
Lords had unit caps.
Even using territory folk or war hires, owned or shop-bought had limits.
Kasha's territory total level: 5.
Barracks level 5—normally 150 troops.
Exceptions for trash units.
But all 250 orcs.
Not absorbed from other territories.
His trait: hold more troops than barracks level.
Key is how many more.
Unknown troop output, gold reserves.
Fine. I've got this guy.
Arthur had injected Madman Serum long ago.
Timed for arrival—hit an hour prior.
Alarms wailed, trumpets nonstop.
No killing civilians.
Challenger lords' creed: pointless deaths.
Arthur led that mindset.
What do you gain killing enemy civilians?
Valid point.
Though plenty ignored it, ant-stomping masses.
“Showtime.”
Rain poured from dark skies.
Civilians fled indoors at intruder alert.
Arthur drew Storm Fan.
“Harmin, hurry!”
He spotted girl Harmin, waved.
Lucky first foe's this trash.
Territory status revealed all.
Civilian satisfaction: rock bottom.
He ruled by brute force—no rebellion dreams.
“Harmin?”
The girl's mother stepped toward her gaze—nothing there.
And—
Whoosh!
The storm raged fiercer.