Chapter 130
Chapter 130
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Aid or Withdrawal
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Whether to actively help Krampus and AR1026 right away,
or to retreat immediately and bide their time with Wisdom and the remaining second expeditionary force.
Jangwan instinctively knew that the outcome of the battles to come hinged on his choice.
The problem was,
"I'm afraid I can't help."
AR1026 seemed ready to charge in and say something, but Krampus stepped forward first to hold her back.
"Then... no helping it. That makes sense too."
Jangwan nodded.
'No choice.'
With his divinity level having crashed to rock bottom, there wasn't much he could do even if he wanted to pitch in.
Besides, if word got out, he'd have to explain the reason to the two of them.
'Saying I helped Wisdom create an apostle is easy enough. But I'd have to admit I didn't reveal how. And that I suspected the others.'
It wasn't some massive secret.
He'd planned to spill it eventually.
Just not now.
'Their feelings are already bruised enough. Runda's betrayal toppled one pillar of the alliance. One of the five defeated, one turned traitor. Now another in the thick of defeat. No reason to air out extra baggage when the whole pact could shatter any second.'
Krampus struck Jangwan as the type to take it coldly.
But AR1026, suffering catastrophic losses in real time, wouldn't.
Jangwan spoke up.
"I'll redirect the army. The Black Rin cavalry setting out from Daymerit will probably give chase."
It was a given.
Troop-for-troop, the Golden Eye forces had been utterly crushed by the Jeokgwa army.
The battle itself wasn't over, but soon it'd devolve into Jeokgwa pursuit and slaughter rather than combat. Golden Eye's only goal now: salvage as many troops as possible. Black Rin help wasn't even needed.
And the Mangul army was nearly at Daymerit.
Come sunrise, they'd be close enough to spot troop movements with the naked eye—easy pickings for pursuit from Daymerit.
Infantry-heavy Mangul would need to sacrifice detachments nonstop and ditch all supplies just to pick up retreat speed.
No time to torch them and deny Black Rin or Jeokgwa the loot.
'We won't gain much jumping ship right this instant anyway...'
Jangwan said,
"I'll hold off the Black Rin cavalry somehow."
Krampus nodded at that.
"Yeah, that'll do. You've pulled your weight."
"Krampus!"
AR1026 shot Krampus a glare, then turned to Jangwan.
Jangwan braced for whatever curse was coming—suspecting betrayal, now sitting out the fight, sins aplenty—but AR1026's demeanor wasn't what he'd dreaded.
She lifted her muslin veil and said,
"Can't you reconsider just once more?"
Allies for ages, yet Jangwan was seeing AR1026's bare face for the first time.
He noted how attractively sculpted her features were.
'Or is that her real face?'
Unlike in Lost World, players here could reveal their true Earth faces now.
But no way to know.
Jangwan answered still masked in his lion helm.
"Sorry. Actually, let me counter-suggest: abandon your forces. Chance still there, right? No point dumping faith here. It'll hamstring your next fight."
AR1026 let out a soft sigh.
"I get it. But we've all got our reasons."
"Reasons?"
"Just... playstyle stuff."
AR1026 fiddled with system windows every which way, grasping for any tide-turner, as she spoke.
"Sorry I held out till now, but Golden Eye's internals are rough. Gotta be Nebula's schemes. Tons worship Night Heaven here—even nobles. Not purge-level bad, but cracking down hits trade too hard. King's grip weak, so big loss now means no second expedition this scale. My screw-up seals it."
Jangwan said,
"Why hide it this long?"
"Can't burden the others, right? Everyone weathers Nebula fine but me—embarrassing. Plus, spilling details sharpens suspicions. Real traitor aside. And who could help anyway?"
Jangwan was speechless.
'Who could help anyway' rang true.
One god per nation—outside god aid looks fishy. That tight? Needs true system-backed alliance, not loose pact.
'Everyone had troubles, couldn't share. Allies, sure, but distant. Not just AR. Me, Wisdom too. Hell, maybe that bastard Runda.'
Jangwan wondered if he'd missed a window to head off Runda's betrayal.
AR1026 said,
"Water under the bridge. Stay sharp. No dumb slips like mine."
"Yeah. Here's to minimal damage all around."
"Yep. Thanks for everything. See you again sometime."
Those last words startled Jangwan—and Krampus too.
"AR?"
AR1026 tapped a system window lightly, like it was farewell.
To Jangwan and Krampus, she vanished.
They locked eyes.
"No way?"
Krampus blurted in shock; Jangwan peered down.
Someone hovered over Golden Eye's camp.
Jangwan clenched his jaw.
"Avatar manifestation... right now?"
Didn't look huge. Human or elf woman scale, maybe.
Silhouette swayed with black dress fluttering; bare feet dangled unsupported below.
Face shrouded in shadow, invisible—save eyes glowing red.
A mere floating doll, yet its eerie presence prickled spines amid chaos; soldiers craned necks to stare.
Jeokgwa troops clueless, but Golden Eye priests knew.
Priests cried out.
"The Dark Scripture has descended!"
Cheers exploded from retreating Golden Eye ranks.
"Hey, snap out of it."
Jangwan lifted his head at Krampus's words.
"But... avatar death wipes insane EXP, right?"
"Insane" understated—if Golden Eye wiped and manifested AR died too, level could hit zero.
Zero: semi-deity. Functional death.
Jeolubi'd gone semi-deity exactly that way.
Krampus said,
"Means... AR's all-in. Power play for Runda and Nebula. Push too hard, and I won't play nice."
"But..."
Jangwan couldn't spin it positive, even with manifestation active.
Avatar skills were ultra-rare strategically—death penalty nightmare—or skipped unless odds decent.
Krampus cut him off.
"Drop it. Not backing out now, are ya?"
Jangwan wavered, then nodded.
Truth: even total wipe for these two, he'd banked on clean retreat.
Krampus said,
"Then roles: you evac troops. Bonus if you shield Golden Eye."
"Gotcha. You?"
"No avatar for me. Yet..."
Krampus glanced skyward.
Clouds flashed.
The worrywart showing signs.
"Max support for AR."
Rear of Golden Eye camp, battle raging—shaded rock behind.
Runda shrieked.
"A-AR manifested! Now what?!"
Seong-un beside rebuked.
"You're winning? Chill."
"B-but avatar?!"
Seong-un conceded avatars were nasty.
In Lost World, hands down: solo strongest was avatar.
Avatar might scaled with faith level and domains held.
Higher faith, bigger/more domains = beefier; no creation matched it easy.
"AR's level though?"
"18-ish?"
"See? Barely above Jeolubi."
"Jeolubi ain't AR. Dude couldn't play for shit."
Seong-un nearly countered, but got Runda's point.
Avatar size from faith/domains, sure—but style was player flair.
Avatars flexed myriad ways per tendency.
Jeolubi? Maxed physicals into giant-god form.
Not meta though.
Dumb, even—creations/apostles handled brute force.
Physical pump spiked per-tick faith drain: upkeep hell.
Cut physicals to trim costs. Avatar divinity shrugged most hits anyway; dump savings elsewhere.
Runda yelped.
"Moving!"
AR's hand rose—as Runda spotted.
General Tobe Volko sensed doom, bellowed.
"Fall back! Fall back!"
Too late.
Black thorns erupted under hundreds of Jeokgwa feet.
Screeches from dodgers.
Thorns speared up, guts through mouths, scalps, spines.
One divine flick: 300+ Jeokgwa instant-dead.
Runda gasped.
"Nebula!"
Seong-un grumbled.
"Relax, still time."
AR hand rising again—
Lightning crashed ground.
Electricity-wreathed black lizardman appeared.