Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Territory Development (3)
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Arteil didn't have any NPC territories when it first launched.
The reason was that in its early days, Arteil was praised as a decent game that blended the territory system well with the beautiful girl gacha system.
Up until then, all the territories on the field belonged to players.
However, once Arteil went all-in on monetization and started shoving predatory business models into the gacha, players began dropping out en masse.
At that point, Arteil desperately tried to fill the void left by departing users by converting abandoned player territories into NPC ones.
Thinking back, that was why later on, territories were everywhere, but there wasn't a single player left—just packed full of NPC territories. It made Kim Hyunwoo wonder if he was playing a single-player package game.
Anyway, the reason Kim Hyunwoo suddenly recalled those old memories was Sertova territory.
More precisely...
"Lord Sertova is truly delighted that Lartania's lord has returned."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. He also sincerely hopes for the revival of Lartania territory."
"It's good to hear that Lord Sertova thinks so highly of us."
...it was because of Sertova's envoy, who approached with a sycophantic grin, presented wine as a gift, and spouted empty compliments with a beaming smile.
And so.
"With that, I've delivered the gift, so I'll take my leave."
Watching Sertova's envoy depart with a smile, Kim Hyunwoo observed from the lord's castle as he left the territory, lost in thought.
'...What exactly is he after?'
Of course, he knew Lord Sertova was plotting something shady.
They had no idea he could check item info just by picking it up like in the game.
But even so, Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head in puzzlement because one mystery remained unsolved.
'Why go about it this way?'
Loria's map function, while not perfectly accurate, roughly showed nearby territories' development levels, so Kim Hyunwoo knew Sertova's Territory Development was around...
'Definitely about 2500.'
2500.
Territory Development wasn't purely a measure of military power, but at 2500, Sertova territory should have considerable forces, by his estimate.
In other words, there was no need for roundabout schemes like this to deal with him.
Unless he had some powerful backer, but he didn't.
"Hmm..."
Of course, a possibility did cross Kim Hyunwoo's mind at this point.
'Because of Merrillda?'
Merrillda—now known as Red Eyes—had recently obliterated Harancia territory.
Harancia was allied with Sertova, while Merrillda had ties to Lartania.
From Lord Sertova's perspective, he might be wary of Merrillda returning to Lartania, prompting this cautious approach.
But that didn't quite fit either.
"Loria, open the relations window."
As soon as Kim Hyunwoo spoke, a translucent window appeared before him, twisting his expression subtly.
Where had the tangled web of territory relations from ten years ago gone? What appeared before Kim Hyunwoo's eyes now was so simple it bordered on bland.
If rumors of Merrillda entering Lartania had spread, the relations wouldn't look this tame.
The territory window alone would have scrolled pages, and Harancia and Sertova's relations would be laughably deep in the negative hundreds.
'Looks like it reflects that Merrillda's actions weren't aimed at Lartania...'
After pondering Lord Sertova's motives for a while, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged and set the wine aside.
Overthinking each detail led nowhere.
He didn't even know Merrillda's intentions for smashing Harancia.
He questioned if the relations chart even worked like in Arteil.
And above all, why the wine's intangible poison was labeled with "Absolute Ruler of Darkness" remained a mystery.
'...Did Absolute Ruler of Darkness join Sertova?'
Kim Hyunwoo shook his head firmly after a moment's thought.
If that was the hero he'd raised from 1-star, Sertova's Territory Development wouldn't be stuck at 2500.
Ultimately, with a pile of unsolvable mysteries, Kim Hyunwoo realized dwelling on them was pointless and decided to focus on growing his territory.
Two days later.
As labor efficiency surpassed 80%.
And with more people to provide labor, reconstruction progressed at a startling pace.
From the terrace of the lord's castle office, the northern ruins that had always been visible were now dotted with new houses instead of rubble.
Not the whole territory, but around the lord's castle, they'd reached about 40% encirclement with wooden fences.
Even at 40% of a territory with decent level growth, construction took time, but Kim Hyunwoo smiled satisfactorily watching the fences rise from the castle.
'Finally starting to look like a territory...'
Truthfully, the landscape still seemed too crude for a proper territory.
The new houses in the ruins area were mostly shabby log cabins, and the fences were flimsy excuses for walls.
Honestly, it resembled a well-developed slash-and-burn village more than a territory.
But for Kim Hyunwoo, who had first seen Lartania as barren wasteland save the ruins, watching it take shape was deeply moving.
'Once the fences are done and we build the barracks and tavern.'
Then he could really start running the territory. As Kim Hyunwoo smiled...
Vista, the man who had delivered the wine as Sertova's envoy—now riding a carriage back to Sertova, two days' distance from Lartania—received a message.
"My apologies. The orb I brought this time seems faulty; it took time to infuse mana and connect."
He was conversing with Lord Malis, visible through the crystal orb.
"Yes, perfectly. He accepted the wine without a hint of suspicion, as expected."
"To be frank, it didn't look promising."
"Less a territory, more like a slash-and-burn village. The lord's castle exists but is dilapidated from neglect, no walls whatsoever, and they're only now building houses in the residential area. However—"
"If anything odd, resources were abundant."
"Yes. As you know, Lartania is just empty plains aside from the labyrinth, yet that wasteland had an unnaturally high amount of resources. Like logs, for instance—"
Vista glanced upward as if recalling details, briefing on Lartania for a while.
"Understood."
As he bowed to end the call and cut the mana flow...
Crack—Crunch!
Lord Malis saw it.
Vista's neck, mid-bow, snapped 180 degrees.
"?"
Lord Malis's face twisted in shock.
-Boom! Crash!
A massive noise erupted from the orb, the screen whirling chaotically.
Soldiers' voices—screams—filled the air.
"..."
The orb showed only a wrecked carriage, but the chilling screams and tearing sounds told Lord Malis something terrible had happened.
In under 30 seconds, the screams faded, and he realized the envoy and over 50 soldiers were all dead.
The screen spun wildly once more and stopped.
Lord Malis unwittingly held his breath.
There, in the orb, stood the one who had wrought the carnage: Red Eyes.
The woman he'd seen a decade ago as one of Lartania's Round Table members stared blankly yet with palpable fury through the orb.
"..."
Silent, she fixed her gaze on Lord Malis, raised a finger pointing at him, and said,
"Wait—"
Meaning: I'm coming to kill you right now.
Crunch!
Something shattered, and the connection cut.
"..."
That night.
"...?"
Kim Hyunwoo, settling into bed, blinked in confusion at the notification that appeared and vanished in under five seconds.
At the same time, Red Eyes—wine bottles in both hands—began moving toward Sertova territory.