Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Surrender and the Pantheon
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Seong-un confirmed it all as well.
'It's over.'
The Black Scale Army had seized the high ground.
Even if the Asbestos Army regrouped and came back, by then the Black Scale Army would have fortified their position on the highlands. It wouldn't be an easy fight.
Seong-un's Destroyer, Slatis, had defeated Wisdom's Destroyer, Ostrow.
This mantis-like Destroyer had taken heavy wounds in pursuit of victory, but there was no denying it was a monster no ordinary army could even hope to face.
Apostle Rakrak had repelled Apostle Redin Bial Oser and his knight order.
Redin had fought valiantly, but Rakrak methodically cut down the enemy knights using the methods he knew and mastered, seeing it through to the end.
Jangwan stared at Wisdom in disbelief.
"How...?"
Wisdom paused as if deep in thought before turning to Seong-un.
"How did we lose? Yeah, honestly, I'm curious too. How the hell did we lose?"
Seong-un continued with a few light manipulations.
He instructed the priests on the battlefield not to let their guard down and hinted at the battle's victory to the revelation priests in Orzan. That hint would reach the ears of Kail Rak Orzan, the king of the Black Scales.
Kail would move swiftly, discussing postwar arrangements with his ministers and using the outcomes to dominate the continent.
He also spurred Slatis on and pondered what message to send to Rakrak.
Seong-un replied.
"Easy to explain, but you won't buy it."
"Doesn't matter, Nebula."
There was a hint of resignation in Wisdom's voice.
"You might not agree, but in terms of game strategy and tactics, I don't think there's a huge gap in knowledge between you and me. And this game doesn't have some special 'physical' factor either. Plus, my playstyle was all about moving units exactly as I intended. So..."
"So since I don't use the same method, I can't control my units as intended, which means I should've lost and you should've won?"
"Exactly."
Seong-un said,
"First off, I'd argue there is a physical factor, but it wasn't key this time, so let's skip that."
"...Fair enough."
"And 'controlling units as intended'? That's an outdated meta in the top ranks."
"Outdated...?"
Seong-un explained.
"I watched you, Jangwan, and Runda all build similar religious systems."
In Lost World, where players were gods, the religious systems and doctrines chosen in-game were crucial.
These systems wove together concepts of the afterlife, the player's chosen subdomain, and natural features or landscapes in their active regions, allowing believers to internalize them naturally.
And that religious system defined the player's playstyle.
"We called it 'manual' when it wasn't fully automated—when it followed the player's intent. Or 'player agency' when the player could steer the game their way. It was a powerhouse meta at launch, and even after other metas took over, it wasn't bad. But top-tier? No."
Wisdom muttered uncertainly.
"In a game where nothing goes your way, shouldn't controlling it as intended be... better?"
"Better than fully automated, sure. But manual play has a fatal flaw."
"Flaw?"
Seong-un answered.
"You can only do the plays you intend."
"And that's a flaw?"
"Yes. Manual play assumes player intervention is always better than letting things flow automatically. But that's not always true. Sometimes the player's choice is wrong, and the unit's is right."
For example, overseeing a battlefield and commanding a war.
God players usually looked down from above, thinking they knew the best high ground advantages and ordering troops accordingly. But soldiers in the thick of it saw all the obstacles en route. Draining stamina to reach a 'better' spot might be worse than settling for a decent one closer by, saving energy for the fight ahead.
"Above all, players can't control everything. In hectic moments, you can't issue detailed, precise orders, and that's when sloppy choices happen."
Seong-un figured Wisdom had been swamped.
The alliance's top priority was the enemy coalition army. Rakrak had them tied down, and the outnumbered Black Scale Army was trapped in the city, ripe for slow annihilation.
So while holding off 40,000 coalition troops, less attention went to Ostrow and Redin. They couldn't flee or evade on their own judgment and just kept executing the prior order to 'kill the enemy' until death. If they'd followed instinct over orders—like 'flee if danger detected'—things wouldn't have gone this bad.
"Always assuming your intent is best and trying to control what you can't? That's where problems arise."
Wisdom asked,
"So what should I have done?"
"Latest meta's simple: Don't try to micromanage units. Instead, make units follow you, while leaving room for their own possibilities. That way, you can look away briefly without key units dying, and intervene precisely when it matters."
Wisdom nodded as if it clicked.
He understood why Seong-un used mages.
Mages were powerhouse cards under direct control, but risky too. Their core nature made them impossible to puppeteer perfectly.
But left independent, they became a force no one—not even you—could fully harness, acting as a balance weight on the game board.
And that weight could shift based on future player choices and influence.
'Handling mages in a small kingdom versus a continent-unifying empire? Totally different. Better to keep wild cards open for possibilities than risk them?'
Wisdom said,
"Lesson learned. ...I surrender, Nebula."
Seong-un nodded lightly.
"Good."
Then he turned to the remaining two.
'She said "I," though. Wisdom accepted easily, but these two...?'
Cramphus spoke up.
"Wisdom got one question, so I get one too, right?"
"Sure."
Answer a question, secure a surrender—Seong-un had no issue with that.
"Even a tough one?"
"What's the question?"
"If our situations were reversed, would you surrender?"
Seong-un crossed his arms, pondering.
Then answered.
"No."
"No?"
"I'd judge I still had chances."
"...Explain."
Seong-un did.
"First, no telling how Wisdom moves post-surrender. With Apostle and king Redin dead, his nation will be in chaos. Even if he subjugates Asbestos or allies aggressively, support has limits. And the other nations—Golden Eye and Single Flame—aren't outright enemies. They're mage-led, not Black Scale."
"More?"
Seong-un nodded.
"Plenty. Jangwan took minimal war damage. Full forces intact. And far from Black Scale. Buys time until Black Scale and the coalition mount an expedition. Enough to devise plans. Too early to quit."
Cramphus gave a wry smile.
"I was gonna ask for reasons to surrender and get convinced. Don't make it hard."
"Of course, you and I are different."
"How so?"
"I'd come up with those plans. You wouldn't."
Cramphus laughed instead of getting mad.
"Man, you really..."
"But if I'm convincing you to surrender? Got arguments."
"Like what?"
Seong-un held up three fingers.
"Even if this failed, I've got three more cards you haven't seen. First: Mage Mazdari."
"Mage..."
Cramphus nodded, as if that alone sufficed.
"And the other two?"
"One's enough, right? The rest are secrets. I'll tell you after you surrender."
Cramphus said,
"Fine. I surrender."
Now all eyes turned to Jangwan.
Jangwan said,
"What?"
Seong-un replied,
"No need to spell it out—you're the last one standing."
Jangwan shot back,
"You expect me to kneel and beg forgiveness?"
Seong-un wanted to say not to push it, but first things first.
"With that look? I'd rather you didn't."
Jangwan flushed.
She was still in the form of Jiwoo, Seong-un's little sister.
Jangwan pulled a lion mask from behind her back and slapped it on.
"...Wasn't meant that way. I'll fix the appearance soon."
Seong-un sighed.
"Is that necessary? Don't you want to hurt me?"
"Yeah."
"Can't claim it was all strategy."
"That too... yeah."
"Then no need to change avatars. Showing up like that will scare me every time."
Jangwan shook her head.
"Changed my mind."
"Why?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Honestly, I thought you'd never notice. Figured you were a lousy brother who didn't care about his sister. But I misjudged. Not sure if you're good, but not as bad as I thought. My... mistake. Sorry."
Seong-un thought to himself.
He was a lousy person. Jangwan might not be wrong.
Anyway, that kind of ploy didn't really wound him.
He'd use it himself if the chance arose.
'Wisdom's real mistake was not playing that card sooner.'
Deciding not to mention it, Seong-un voiced what had been bothering him about Jangwan.
"If you're apologizing, do it to Jiwoo, not me."
Jangwan, who had bowed her head briefly, glared up through the lion mask's eyes.
"No. I know my sister. She'd forgive me."
"...What’s with the confidence?"
"Not budging on this. Ever."
"Hold up. What’s your deal with Jiwoo?"
"Not telling."
As Seong-un pressed, Cramphus stepped forward laughing.
"Alright, everyone surrendered, right?"
"No, I haven't yet—"
Wisdom cut in too.
"Perfect. Now it's decision time, Nebula. Smash us all into figurines? Or form a 'true alliance' instead of this loose one?"
Seong-un thought,
'That was the real aim all along.'
Wisdom had pictured the alliance's defeat scenario from the start.
'Unifying a huge continent under one nation wastes too much time and resources.'
Sure, some games went that route.
Like seizing continental hegemony early-game.
But with similar powers rising mid-continent like now, 'true alliance' became viable.
Not the temporary loose pacts players made, but system-supported alliances.
Forms varied, usually set by the dominant player.
"Yeah."
Seong-un had already decided the alliance's form.
"Now's the time to build the pantheon."