Gods Watch Over Us?
The ogre subjugation ended in a flash, with the gods watching over us.
In truth, the commission from Baron Akaron was complete. But we still had important business left: the red orc horde!
Assuming there were around two thousand of them, that meant we could rake in a whopping million gold. Of course, combat often damaged hides or mangled corpses, dropping their value, so expect a 30 to 50 percent loss rate. Even so, half a million gold was an insane haul. Every coin would go straight into the territory.
Next year promised the worst harvest in ages, so the plan was to clear every inch of the Erdene Plains and reap a massive crop. With Demeter's perk boosting food production by 50 percent, plus the farmland regeneration trait enriching the soil, we could probably harvest five times the normal yield.
"My lord! All clear!"
Rommel reported in, drenched in blood. The captain bowed low, fawning as always, but he'd single-handedly slain five ogres—a feat worth boasting about. I'd pegged him for a drunken slacker, but damn if he wasn't skilled.
It was barely noon, but preserving all these corpses would take the merchants hours. We couldn't just dump them in the middle of the mountains, though, and whether we'd tackle the red orcs today depended on time. Still, better to wrap it up quick if possible. Giantkin hunts were best in winter. We had to be back before planting season to focus on territory growth.
But teching up like that would bore the gods, so the pressure to pull off something flashy was already mounting.
"Hey, merchants."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Process the corpses."
"Oh! Thank you!"
The merchants were already in a frenzy, fighting over every extra body. Hard to believe they could move that fast. They'd clearly clocked how my rampage made short work of the ogres.
Amon scanned the surroundings, smile plastered on his lips but eyes ice-cold.
"Hey, Amon."
"Yes, my lord? What are your orders?"
"What do you think? Good enough value as corpses?"
"To be frank, about 30 percent are badly damaged, but we can still salvage half price on those. The rest should fetch mid to top-grade prices."
"Hm, not bad?"
Relief. I'd feared we'd get half off everything. Got too carried away in the heat of battle. Gotta hunt red orcs more carefully.
"Kainus."
"Your orders, my lord."
Kainus approached, fan unfurled. Bizarre how his white robes stayed spotless. Dragon perks, no doubt. The outfit screamed "intimidating," but he reveled in the stares.
"Tally the ogre corpses."
"Heh heh heh, as you command."
The sun dipped behind the mountains, casting a glow over thousands of red orc corpses bathed in crimson light. Spring meant laying the groundwork for the rebellion(?), so speed was key.
Whipping the knights and soldiers had led to a blistering advance. We hit the red orc village and butchered them in a frenzy. Barring times I got carried away and pulped them, most corpses were intact. Good practice in power control for me, real combat for the rookies chasing fleeing orcs.
But no level up despite the slaughter. Levels didn't climb like in a game, it seemed.
Lost in thought, a grating whine hit my ears.
"Huff! Huff! This is killing me—gonna drop dead."
"Maybe training was happier."
"Stick with this soldier gig and we'll die quick, right?"
Hah, rookies slacking off. Complaining on the battlefield? Thought discipline was solid. Time for the worst gift: downward punishment.
"Knights! Assemble!"
Snap! They formed ranks, at ease.
"Heads to the ground!"
"Yes, sir!"
Knights slammed foreheads down without question. I built the terror vibe. Ignoring soldier gripes could tank view count. Not that I had excess battle hype to burn—nope.
They dropped into position flawlessly, muscle memory from endless reps. Impressively uniform... but no time to admire.
"Flip!"
"Gah!"
Crunch!
"Arghhh!"
They flipped while foreheads ground in— a pose no civilian or grunt could hold, straining neck and body.
I casually stepped onto the captain's back.
"Aaaah!"
"..."
Had to hurt like hell. Rommel had fought all day, barely standing. This punishment-level torment drew screams.
Rookies paled at the cries, crushed by the fear I brewed.
"Rookies slacking hard? Whining after a little grind—what's your take, Captain?"
"I'll slaughter the wretches and make a bone mound!"
"Ooh, nice! Don't kill 'em, though. Just instill discipline. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Soldiers blanched. Gods seemed pleased, too.
The moment I spread Korea's proud military tradition to isekai gods. Nah, no butterfly effect, right?
Amid the fury, the captain bellowed.
"You bastards! Clear corpses and prep camp—now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Soldiers moved like they'd popped stimulants. We'd camp here tonight. Dawn meant resupply at Akaron's territory, then straight to the capital. A week out—emperor meetup imminent. Needed to blow something up at the palace...
This view count bullshit kept me on edge. Gods stayed hooked during rampages, but if I couldn't weaken Odin or things dragged, death loomed. Zero views equaled death—big pressure.
Maybe hit the gods' shop before the capital? Needed faster power-ups to drive the plot. Writers know munchkin routes ease storytelling, but keeping readers hooked without boredom? Tough. Ten years as an author taught me that.
Key was unique chaos while munchkin-ing.
Flutter.
"My lord! Settlement done!"
"Oh? Sit."
Amon and Kainus entered. They'd tallied for hours. Amon eyed Kainus with annoyance.
"This one's a shrewd merchant. Haggling so fierce, I couldn't keep up."
"Heh heh heh, can't shortchange my lord after his hard fight."
Whoosh! Kainus fanned and chuckled.
Amon losing a verbal spar to a human? Ancient dragon should've shape-shifted back to lizard. Amon looked fleeced... but no real losses. Kainus knew Amon's value to me.
"So? Total?"
"Don't faint, my lord. A million seventy thousand gold!"
"Seventy million? Wait, seventy thou—"
"Heh heh heh, excluding the Twin Headed Ogre hide."
"Insane!"
"Rare red orcs in hordes were a godsend. War jacked hide prices sky-high for this profit."
Kainus grinned. Enough to clear Erdene Plains?
"Kainus, link comms to Sharel."
"Right away."
Kainus dabbled in magic, disguised as low-rank mage. I knew he was a dragon. No crystal needed, but camouflage meant effort. Sweating through the act was kinda pitiful. Finish training quick, drop the theatrics.
Sharel appeared, haggard.
-Looking good? Little sis slaving here, what's your secret for that glow?
"Sharel, good work."
-Hmph! Raise my pay then.
"Done! Double it! But you've got work."
-Dou... ble? For real?
"Yep."
Sharel's greed stemmed from childhood poverty. Now comfy, she still hoarded for contingencies—family ruined by the original protag, probably. Good kid. No reason to stop her savings.
-Hmmm... shoot.
"Sending 600k gold via guild. Till I return, plow every field for planting."
-What?! Fields are already being cleared! If empire-wide bumper crop next year, we're ruined! Famine, total bust—you know!
I knew. Bumper drops prices; local famine wrecks us.
"Won't happen."
-Why?! Basis?
"Gods watch over us?"