Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Ana Paksio Caldera
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Ana Paksio Caldera.
The tallest mountain on the continent's central region, Ana Paksio, was a dormant volcano. An ancient eruption had hollowed out its peak into a vast basin.
The caldera alone spanned several kilometers in diameter. Looking up from its center felt like being inside a massive bowl cradling the sky.
Yet despite the stunning vista, the five players gathered there wore grim expressions.
"We've been had."
Wisdom said calmly.
"I forgot the golden rule: never trust Nebula, no matter what. I must've gotten too chummy since we crossed paths so often. Playing Go was pure fun, and I never suspected any ulterior motives."
Jang Wan responded.
"Spare me the sentimental whining. Like I care if 'Go was fun' or whatever."
Jang Wan raised the eyebrows on his lion mask and shook it wildly.
"So what now? Wasn't the wizard our secret weapon? Losing her means we don't have much to throw at Heukrin in a war. They've got gunpowder too, you know."
"Uh..."
Runda chimed in hesitantly.
"Bit awkward saying this with the mood being so sour, but even without a wizard, Nebula doesn't have one either, right?"
Krampus nodded.
"Not yet. And she doesn't seem interested in becoming one anytime soon."
Jang Wan tilted his head.
"Not becoming a wizard? Why do you think that?"
"Her history shows no desire to become one."
"Huh. That's surprising."
"More importantly, Nebula's strategy seems to be 'anti-magic'."
"...Anti-magic?"
Anti-magic was one of the established strategies.
Controlling a wizard could provide a huge edge in battle.
The problem was that wizards weren't easy for players to handle.
Beyond just losing control, they could turn against the player's race, creating massive downsides.
Indeed, the three wizards from the five-nation alliance—Yann, Talley, and Mazdari—had all harmed player nations before fleeing.
To avoid such risks, players could strictly ban magic and wizards from the start, instilling distrust and fear in their race.
This playstyle sacrificed magic's advantages but boosted science through tech demands magic couldn't fulfill, while avoiding the faith resource drain from magic worship.
Jang Wan said cautiously.
"But for an anti-magic strategy, Heukrin seems pretty lenient on wizards and magic. It's punished by national law, but the king turns a blind eye."
"True, but Heukrin had access to extra magic knowledge. Plenty of alchemists fled the Alchemist Tower; they could've reached out to one. But they only needed Hwi Ravina Muel—no other alchemist knowledge. Ravina herself too."
Jang Wan nodded.
If they could make a wizard but chose not to, it had to be acknowledged.
AR, listening in, spoke from behind her black veil.
"By the way, Krampus, Wisdom. Have you tracked where your wizards went?"
AR1026, Krampus, and Wisdom had each guided their own wizards into existence.
Gold-eyed Yann, Single Flame Talley, Asbestos Mazdari.
Krampus shook his head.
"From experience, lost wizards are hard to find. Right, Wisdom?"
Wisdom agreed.
"Wizards come with 'Illusion' magic by default. A nearby priest could pinpoint them, but scouring this massive game world ourselves? Impossible."
Lost World had no search functions.
Even with info on a random person, it took effort; hunting someone deliberately hiding with god-evading powers? Near impossible.
"...That's if we're searching ourselves."
Wisdom and Krampus turned to AR.
Wisdom said.
"Ah, could it be..."
"Yes."
AR1026 pulled up a system window as she spoke.
The window showed a pig-like beast.
Krampus asked.
"Why a pig?"
"Pigs have great noses, don't they?"
"...Usually dogs?"
"Pigs are better than dogs at scents. They find truffles, those fancy mushrooms."
"Oh yeah?"
"Name's Dasamu."
"...Name doesn't matter."
AR1026 continued.
"Anyway, packed it with tracking features. Lucked out with 'Excellent Sense of Smell'."
Wisdom finally sounded impressed.
"Nice. That'll find them eventually, even if it takes time."
Players hunting personally took ages, but creations made it feasible.
And wizards left traces—items they'd touched.
A creation with that skill had solid odds.
Finding and dealing with wizards was crucial for those who'd lost them.
Wisdom said.
"Handle the wizards, and variables vanish. Even without, like Runda said, no big worry?"
"Right?"
Wisdom added.
"Nebula's provisionally anti-magic. Our strategies align simply put. But our scale's five times bigger."
Territory-wise, even AR1026's smallest Gold Eye nation dwarfed Heukrin absolutely.
Heukrin's economic powerhouse status came from Seong-un's strategic wins.
War was different.
Unlike culture, politics, or diplomacy, war was pure math.
Vaster lands yielded more grain, fed more people, swelled populations.
"Simple math: deployable troops differ by up to eightfold. Could push harder."
Jang Wan cut in.
"Don't get complacent off 'simple math'. I say stay vigilant. Sick of hyping them as rank one... but yeah, they're better in some ways."
"Tech parity, no magic either. But our troops outnumber theirs."
"Hm..."
"Sure, Heukrin'll go defensive. Miss this window, and advancing cannon tech erodes our asymmetry. Best timing's now—Nebula knows it. But with cannons, siege exchange favors us. What's the risk?"
Jang Wan pondered, then objected.
"I'm saying stay cautious."
"Agreed, but no need to invent fears. That's our weakness too."
"Elaborate."
Wisdom explained.
"Facing Nebula, but she's no stranger. We've seen her play. Against bigger foes, she has a consistent style."
Jang Wan said.
"Ah, got it. Divide and conquer."
"Exactly."
Wisdom continued.
"Same here. Her win bet's on us fracturing into infighting. She won't just hope— she'll intervene."
"So if our alliance holds firm..."
"We win easy."
Runda flinched inwardly but showed nothing.
Seated Starvation Valley.
One of the Yacheon Faith's holy sites: a gorge where vampires starved to death seated in devotion to Yacheon.
Barren land yielding no food, still dotted with vampire corpses enshrined in caves—a eerie place shunned by most.
But deep inside lay an unmarked passage.
At its end, three figures sat by faint light.
They shared one trait.
All were wizards.
Garuda Mazdari spoke.
"Finally all here."
Gnome Yann said.
"Only three escaped that tower. Regrettable."
Ent Talley asked.
"What of Hwi Ravina Muel?"
Both turned to Mazdari, who knew her.
"Ravina seemed uninterested in wizardry."
"Makes sense. Born cursed—why seek deeper torment?"
Mazdari nodded lightly in agreement.
The cursed endured constant trials conversing with their demonic spirits to stay sane.
Some spirits were benign, but others malicious—tormenting, harming, even killing.
Fusing with such a spirit corrupted the host.
Turning evil or mad.
Alchemists learned through ages: aversion to the cursed stemmed from this.
They trained by dialoguing internally, soothing the spirits' desires.
But becoming a wizard? Fuse fully with it.
The wizards hoped Ravina navigated her path well and began their meeting.
Each could thrive alone, but ancient pacts set reunion spots for such days.
Restore the fallen tower—not as Alchemists', but Wizards' Tower. Spread power and knowledge.
Mid-planning, Talley paused.
"Hold on, what's that sound?"
"Rain...?"
As Yann turned, Mazdari interjected.
"No, something amid the rain."
A sharp noise followed; wizards drew weapons.
The cave entrance's anti-intruder magic circle activated.
Dragging sounds heralded a Lizardman.
"Who are you?"
The Lizardman ignored Yann's question.
He dragged in a pig-like beast bigger than himself.
The Lizardman said.
"You the wizards? Hm. Yeah. Gnome, Ent, chicken."
"Garuda."
"Ah, Garuda. Sorry. Never seen one alive."
Mazdari reacted to 'alive'.
"One more time: who are you?"
"Name's irrelevant. Call me Yacheon's errand runner for now."
Mazdari frowned at Yacheon's name again.
Yann asked.
"How'd you find us?"
"Didn't track you. Followed this pig."
The Lizardman hoisted the oversized pig corpse one-handed.
"Knew instantly it wasn't natural. Other gods' creation for hunting you. Get absorbed, get careless."
His tone scolded the wizards.
They, who'd proudly fooled gods, grew smug.
Mazdari said.
"I know you now. Power to slay gods' creations easily, in Lizardman form—Yacheon's apostle."
The Lizardman looked up.
As if to say: go on.
"Rakrak, have you revealed yourself to kill us?"