Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Shacha's Judgment
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Shacha's judgment as the evil god was swift.
But contrary to expectations, out of Shacha's army of 30,000, only about 4,000 returned—not even half, let alone half of that.
Seong-un realized that their army was entirely composed of Deep Ones and that they possessed a "relic" capable of turning freshwater into seawater, which limited their movement routes.
"They came along the river anyway, so they have no choice but to leave along the river too."
Of course, being Deep Ones who were far better at swimming than marching overland, their speed would be much faster, but unlike regular paths, the river had its issues.
"First, while they can blaze a trail on flat land even as they march, the river's path is already fixed. Second..."
Seong-un looked down at the map.
"Rivers meander."
The Mobility's speed was only a bit faster than a person's walking pace, but since it never stopped or slept, its average daily travel speed was plenty fast.
And since following the river meant a fixed route, it was possible to arrive ahead at the point where Shacha's army would reach.
In the end, the 30,000 Deep One troops diligently swimming down the river encountered the Mobility blocking and squatting over it.
Cannon fire poured into the river water, and Deep One corpses floated buoyantly on the surface.
With no way to avoid it, they had no choice but to fight.
Wisdom asked about this.
"We're in a favorable position, but do we really need to force a fight with the Deep Ones?"
"You're right. Even if we whittle down their forces here, we'll have to fight again eventually. Instead of wasting time on small-scale battles like this, it might be better to focus on internal affairs even one day sooner."
"Then why?"
Seong-un answered.
"Shacha's main force is in the ocean, and attacking maritime targets requires more technological advancement. It's hard to settle things quickly, so it'll be a prolonged struggle. We need to gauge their current capabilities now."
Wisdom nodded in agreement.
So Seong-un got to witness the battle commanded by Shacha.
As Seong-un had thought, Shacha was a capable player.
The troops moved in perfect order. Some climbed onto the Mobility, but that was merely part of the strategy.
The main force, including the relic, came ashore to bypass the Mobility.
If Seong-un hadn't anticipated that and positioned troops accordingly, Shacha would have saved more forces than expected.
Just Gordius leaping into the midst of the Deep One unit sent dozens of soldiers flying into the sky.
Seong-un also saw Shacha's creation.
It resembled a gigantic Deep One, so Eldar called it "Dagon."
He would learn later, but Shacha judged its form efficient and had several similar Dagon specimens, so players like Seong-un often encountered Dagons.
However, the first Dagon to appear was utterly defeated in battle against Gordius.
Dagon stood over 30 meters tall on two legs, so physically it wasn't overwhelmingly outmatched by Gordius. But it was vulnerable to the breath incantation engraved on the body of the Great Asura. Unlike Hecap, who resisted flames despite his size, Dagon had no such resistance.
Even so, Shacha achieved his objective.
The main force that Seong-un had attacked, along with the relic they carried, had been fakes.
Judging success unlikely from the start, he sacrificed more troops as bait while a small group with the real relic escaped inland via another route.
Wisdom found it puzzling.
"But the ones who died were real commanders, weren't they? Or were they fakes too? Summoning a creation for defense seems excessive if so."
"They're real. He wanted to save both, but decided he could only save one side."
Still, a victory was a victory.
This battle ensured that Shacha's Black Church avoided large-scale clashes with Seong-un's Pantheon for the time being.
He had forced the Fabrang Alliance to surrender in the east, repelled the Black Church in the west, and the central Rakshasa tribes were divided, so Seong-un judged there were no external threats for the foreseeable future.
And AR1026 returned.
Because Basen exploring inside the Mobility fulfilled enough trials to revive one god.
Festivals broke out in the Golden Eye Imperial Territory now subjugated by Heukrin, and the Pantheon's high priests designated this day as a holy day.
AR1026, revived by the Pantheon, showed hostility and confusion toward Seong-un, but that was natural since his memories from enslavement were completely severed.
After hearing the full explanation, AR1026 joined the alliance without much resentment.
Of course, reconciliation with Runda seemed unlikely, but Runda seemed to accept it as his karma.
But much remained to be done on the 4th Continent.
First, the area of the 4th Continent that Heukrin had scouted was only a portion of its northern region.
There were likely five or six times that much land, much of it uncharted, including other dragons like the Great Asura.
Behind the surrendered RD lurked forces from the 1st Continent, and in the east, Shacha's Black Church remained strong.
Moreover, there were two more enslaved gods Seong-un decided to revive. Trials were still insufficient. The adventures had to continue.
Seong-un first decided to accept RD into the Pantheon.
RD seemed flustered.
"Wh-what? Why?"
From RD's perspective, there was no need to keep expanding the alliance's size if it was already an alliance.
Just extract resources and information, then discard them.
Having lost his main force, RD had braced himself expecting Seong-un to do the same.
Seong-un said,
"Can I be honest?"
"Yeah. Better honest than sweet-talk."
"I need a bulwark against the 1st Continent bastards."
"Kuh."
RD's round eyes squinted.
Runda whispered to Eldar from behind Seong-un that it was adorable.
Seong-un ignored it.
"...If I just squeeze you for this and that and leave you be, the 1st Continent guys will smash you. Then they'll absorb your established base and technology."
"Right. They've already taken our mainland facilities, so they're developing somewhat..."
"Nah, don't worry about that. Even with Fabrang Alliance tech, I doubt they'll produce anything impressive."
"...Kuh."
Seong-un cleared his throat and continued.
"Conversely, if you clash with the 1st Continent, it'd be a hassle for me too."
"So you're preemptively recruiting me?"
"Yeah."
RD fell into thought.
It wasn't a great deal.
Even as allies, the 3rd Continent Pantheon demanded he block 1st Continent attacks and hand over all technology—purely one-sided giving.
'No, wait.'
But hadn't he wanted the power to stand against the 1st Continent himself?
And seeing Heukrin, who rode a proper gunpowder build and recruited mages, synergy with rubberpunk seemed viable.
'...This could work.'
RD said,
"A-alright. What the hell, let's do it."
Kramphus nitpicked RD's attitude, but the Fabrang Alliance was incorporated into the Heukrin Empire.
At that time, attacks from the 1st Continent were imminent, but the Mobility proved its top-tier prowess once more.
The 1st Continent alliance fought desperately, even using Possession skills, but lost to Gordius and had to hand over 50 docked ships intact to Heukrin.
After repelling the 1st Continent's first assault, Heukrin used the Fabrang Alliance city of Ulror as its main port and began full-scale New Continent development.
Not just the Heukrin homeland on the peninsula, but most imperial territories started forming independent expedition fleets.
Ulror merged with the nearby western port of Pen to grow into the massive port city of Ulror-Pen, welcoming countless galleons from the 3rd Continent while attracting precious relics from the 4th Continent, rare flora and fauna, Duduwa rubber trees, Fabrang Alliance gear technicians, and hordes of Pengolians, Rakshasas, and other minorities seeking opportunities in the 3rd Continent—their "New Continent."
Ships departing Ulror-Pen sailed to countless 3rd Continent port cities like Maganen, then returned loaded with adventurers, merchants, and priests.
It was truly the Age of Exploration.
Pantheon priests like Yacheon built shrines on the 4th Continent and interacted with divine beasts and their follower minorities.
Pengolians especially served as bridges resolving conflicts between Heukrin and natives.
Pengolian King Mago, alongside divine beast Katyuru, earned the Heukrin Emperor's title of "Mediator" for such feats, a widely known tale.
Dangers lingered.
The continent's west remained under Black Church influence.
Only a few authorized merchant ships traded sporadically, and Deep One-ruled minorities barred passage beyond Black Church lands.
Adventurers ventured for artifacts and treasures in ancient ruins, sometimes attacked by tribes still fearing outsiders.
Basen Rak Orzan, with Tione Itimo and Mazdari, discovered the holy site Yobne and slew another dragon, Artneil. Astonishingly, no divine aid was needed.
Yobne was a high plateau of towering cliffs where the jungle ended.
The blue plains stretching to the horizon looked to Basen just like the primordial savanna his brother Shun described.
Slaying Artneil, lord of the savanna spire, fulfilled the trials, reviving two more gods: players Im Chun-sik and Solongos.
Im Chun-sik and Solongos were even more flustered than AR1026.
But first, all players shared a summoning reason that needed clarifying; second, with Heukrin Empire expanding, more gods were needed to manage it. That sufficed for alliance.
Eldar didn't tell Seong-un, but hinted a third reason to them.
Im Chun-sik asked,
"A third reason?"
"Something bothering him. About that person."
"Bothering him? ...Doesn't seem the type."
"Just my thought. Games are for enjoying together. No need to be so harsh."
"Hm."
Im Chun-sik pondered, hand on chin.
"Well, he'd deny it, so don't ask him directly."
Next to Yobne's spire rose Baseniol, city named after Basen.
Baseniol became the next landmark for New Continent arrivals via Ulror-Pen.
It also served as adventurers' second homeland.
The northern jungle was but part of the 4th Continent.
Countless explored it.
Pantheon players feared nothing.
Population exploded, making it impossible to spot high-potential individuals amid the masses.
Individuals had to prove themselves divine-worthy.
As expected, those born with aptitude achieved greatness.
New ancient ruins discovered, dragons slain, settlements defended.
But sometimes ordinary folk achieved greatness.
Reconciling feuding tribes, taming wyverns, devising new farming for new soils.
Building from barren land.
Forming vigilante groups in lawless boomtowns chasing quick riches.
Bargaining with divine beasts to guard water sources.
Meanwhile, great discoveries emerged in Orzan's court.
An iron machine sat in the palace garden.
It divided into large and small parts, linked by gears.
Keen eyes would recognize the large as a loom.
With warp and weft threaded through.
But no seat for an operator.
The small had piled coal nearby, resembling a furnace.
Kyle Rak Orzan said,
"Rump, aren't you too tense?"
"Pardon? Ah, haha. A bit, yes."
"No need to worry. This direction is right. The spiral wings were just too heavy."
Rump sighed.
Kyle's initial model was this, but mimicking spiral wings wasted time.
Past failures made him anxious for this demo.
"...But Your Majesty is right. What matters is self-motion."
"Among Yacheon's gifts is silk. Silkworms spin thread themselves. Yacheon wishes us to imitate that. Understood?"
Rump nodded.
"Let's begin."
At Rump's signal, a technician lit the small machine's interior, shoveling in coal.
Water boiled inside, coal burned, spewing black smoke through pipes.
Rump muttered,
"Please, please...!"
Slowly, gears on the small machine turned, meshing with the large one's.
The first power loom began weaving cloth.