Mixed Novel Haha91.61%

312 - 319

Chapter 312: The Ragnark begins! (3)

Translator: Leyy3

"There were a few materials left over..."

Vulkan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Please take a look."

"I will."

Kang Chul-In nodded.

The item's options were as the following:

[Invincible] Iron Curtain

Equipment type: Defense (belt) / Consumable good (once)

Application limits: Nothing

Special functions: Nine Lives

*The item Iron Curtain will be destroyed as soon as the "Nine Lives" function is used.

"Iron Curtain... nine lives? What is this?"

"Lives."

"Lives?"

"This special function will save your life when in danger. After all, your defensive equipment was so bad..."

"..."

"Of course, because you're very strong, so you probably won't be in danger, but... you never know. Danger is never expected."

"You're right."

Kang Chul-In nodded.

"Death is really like that. It always wavers around us and comes when we least expect it."

"Haha! You speak like someone who has died before!"

"Maybe."

Kang Chul-In had a mysterious smile on his face.

I did die.

It was the truth. Even when he exuded the aura of a demonic god ruling over Pangaea, he crumbled easily under Aleister's betrayal. Kang Chul-In was someone who knew well that life was a bundle of surprises where no one knew when they were going to die.

"Anyways, thanks."

"It's nothing."

Vulkan shook his head.

"I wanted to make you a perfect suit of armor, but I didn't have any materials. So instead, I just provided a temporary solution..."

"..."

"My only regret is that I can't repay your generosity enough..."

Strangely, Vulkan's attitude was extremely polite. It was hard to imagine that they had just had an intense battle.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Kang Chul-In asked.

"I expected you to hate me..."

"Of course not!"

Vulkan shouted with urgency.

"No way!"

"...?"

"I wasn't able to tell you before, but you're the true savior of my life!"

"Why?"

"I-I... gave in to the temptations of my youth..."

"Of your youth?"

"I was a blacksmith of darkness who created magical soldiers."

"Mm."

"I created all kinds of evil weapons because of my desire to become the greatest blacksmith and spread them across the continent..."

It was a fancy past.

"I even worked with dark magicians to summon demons into the weapons I created... I even..."

"...?"

"While creating Kaiforce... I... I don't know why I did that back then..."

Vulkan looked down.

"What happened?"

"There's a saying that your tail will be stepped on if it's too long. One day, when I was trying to create the masterpiece of my life, even greater than Kaiforce... someone burst into my smithy with Kaiforce in hand."

"It must have been the Emperor of Blood and Iron."

"Yes... I made my own bed."

"I see."

"So I was punished. I had to spend a thousand years here at the peak of Mt. Hephai. It was more painful than death..."

That was a great length of time... a whole one thousand years. To some, it's just a thousand years, but if one had spent all that time alone...

"I think I went crazy about 20 times..."

"Mm... so is that why you were in the lava? The Emperor of Blood and Iron..."

"That's not it."

"Hm?"

"It was like an act of repentance... my body couldn't be destroyed after being cursed, but I could still feel pain. But after about 500 years, I became used to the pain of lava and..."

"..."

"Haa..."

Vulkan scratched his head.

"Anyways, I'm able to escape from here now... wait!"

"...?"

"Sir?"

"What?"

"Why... other than your eyes, you look exactly like the Emperor of Blood and Iron..."

The moment Vulkan said that,

"Do you want to be beaten up again?"

"...!"

"I'm warning you, but you better not even bring up the E in the Emperor of Blood and Iron again. Understand?"

"Ah, yes, sir..."

"Anyways, thanks."

"T-Thank you..."

Vulkan bowed.

"Thanks!"

"You did well, monkey."

Dorian and Hecate also expressed their gratitude to Vulkan.

"Are you leaving now?"

"We should, since we don't have any more business here."

"I see... oh, then..."

"Then?"

"If you ever happen to visit the central castle in Esmeralda..."

"...?"

"Try going into the sewers."

"The sewers? Why?"

Even without his reputation as the Supreme King of the West, he had no reason to go somewhere filled with rats and wastewater.

"I remember hearing something about that place."

"...?"

"The Emperor of Blood and Iron was constructing a great underground cavity... it was a massive project with 50,000 dwarves involved."

"Hm?"

"Wouldn't such an underground structure be the grave of the Emperor of Blood and Iron?"

"The grave?"

"Yes,

sir. I'm not human, so I don't understand... but strangely, human emperors have a strange tendency of constructing their graves as soon as they come to power..."

"Are you telling me to go to that guy's death site?"

"Yes."

"Why should I?"

Displeasure was drawn on Kang Chul-In's face.

"Are you telling me to go spit at the bastard's death site?"

"N-No! Of course not!"

"Then why?"

"It's been about a thousand years since the Emperor of Blood and Iron began the construction."

"I guess so."

"Wouldn't it be complete by now?"

"Are you stating the obvious...?"

"I'm talking about the remains!"

"...!"

"Considering the ridiculous bloodline of the ancient emperor's imperial family..."

"Ridiculous bloodline?"

"Yes, their family was messed up... apparently it was infamous among humans..."

"..."

"Anyways, the Emperor of Blood and Iron protected his throne until the end, and it's not known if he was buried safely in that grave... but you have to see to find out, right? Humans tend to stack up gold and silver in graves..."

"Tomb raiding."

Kang Chul-In understood Vulkan accurately.

"Are you telling me to loot the Emperor of Blood and Iron's grave?"

"Yes, that's correct?"

"Oho?"

"You never know."

"...?"

"You might find the Ectoplasm Oversuit that the Emperor of Blood and Iron wore when he was alive."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Of course! From what I know, there is no artifact greater than the Ectoplasm Oversuit in all of Pangaea."

"Even Kaiforce and Mitra?"

"I guarantee that it's superior to them."

"...!"

"I have no idea what it's made of although I once called myself the greatest blacksmith of all time."

The armor that the Emperor of Blood and Iron wore really did sound like the greatest item.

"You'll never know unless you see it. Try visiting if you have time... but don't look too forward to it. It's already been a thousand years..."

"It might already have been looted."

"Yes..."

"Thanks for everything."

"It's nothing, sir."

"Anyways, I'll be off now."

Kang Chul-In turned around.

"Live out the rest of your life to the fullest."

"Thank you."

"Oh, and this."

"What is this?"

"Use this for your travels."

"What is it?"

"It's beef jerky made from a dragon."

"Huk!"

"It's not natural, so it doesn't have effects like increasing mana, but it's better than most supplements. You look tired, so try this."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Also," Kang Chul-In added on, "I think you repented enough."

"Huh?"

"Enjoy the rest of your life."

"S-Sir Savior!"

Vulkan's eyes started to become misty.

"Men don't cry. I'll be on my way now, but don't see me off. Let's go."

Kang Chul-In led Dorian and Hecate out.

"Savior... good... bye..."

Vulkan waved his hands at them. Their first meeting was violent, but it was a fairly touching goodbye.

***

About 3 kilometres away from the port-city Venetz, in Hartum River...

"Kang Chul-In's military is the symbol of victory, huh?"

In the strategy room of the ship [Poseidon], Neptune Spear, who had become the King of the South Sea, had a cruel smile on his face as he looked at Ventetz.

"Today, I'll crush that ideal."

He had a confident smile. Neptune Spear wasn't scared of Kang Chul-In's military in the slightest, and that was understandable. All of the battles over Pangaea had taken place over land, and not only Kang Chul-In, but most Lords didn't have experience with naval battles. The Gullveig Alliance only now realized the importance of the Hartum River and was growing its fleet. On the other hand, Neptune Spear was different. He was an experienced man when it came to fighting on the sea.

Naval battles? He could do those with his eyes closed.

"Kang Chul-In... I'll teach you what true defeat is..."

It was well-founded confidence. Kang Chul-In had never lost before, but those were all things that happened over land, so it didn't matter much to him. Neptune Spear was also someone who hadn't lost naval battles.

[Your Majesty, the first squad is done loading the cannons!]

Just then, a soldier reported to Neptune Spear.

[Should we shoot?]

"Of course."

Neptune Spear nodded.

"Don't stop shooting until the ports and fleets of the enemies are completely destroyed! Shoot!"

[Yes, your Majesty!]

As soon as his command fell,

Pew, pew! 150 cannons shot at Kang Chul-In's naval fleet.

"Weak land bastards... I'll show you what the military from the south is like."

Neptune Spear muttered to himself in a confident voice.

***

Pew, boom! The firepower of Neptune Spear was incredible.

"Aaaack!"

"W-We're falling!"

"Hey, you sons of bitches! Stop shooting! I said to stop!"

In Venetz, the soldiers of the Valhalla Kingdom couldn't do anything other than curse their enemies.

"Dammit!"

James grounded his teeth.

"Our allies! When are our allies arriving!"

"N-Not yet!"

"And the barrier?"

"I don't think it'll last for too long!"

"Shit!"

They were between a rock and a hard place. Neither Kang Chul-In nor Kwak Jung had anticipated Neptune Spear's participation, and Venetz wasn't ready to take an attack on this scale. The moment that the magic barrier surrounding the entire city broke, Venetz would be reduced to ashes by Neptune Spear's attack.

"S-Sir!"

Just then, James's secretary came running towards him with an urgent report.

"What is it?"

"Our allied magicians who have been retaining the barrier are exhausted!"

"...!"

"If this keeps up, it'll be safer to throw the city away and leave..."

Kashing! James pulled out his sword like lightning and held it towards his secretary's neck.

"Don't say that again."

"...!"

"If you say that again, I'll kill you."

"Commander James!"

"The moment we lose here, don't you know that our entire kingdom will be in danger?"

He was right. Venetz was in the perfect position to attack the heart of Pangaea, Esmeralda, and the moment it was taken, the kingdom would be driven into a corner. Of course the Gullveig Alliance would want it.

"Even if you and I die..."

James growled.

"Even if all our soldiers and our citizens turn into ashes from the attack of our enemies..."

"...!"

"There is no retreat!"

That was James's resolve.

"Do you want to put our kingdom in danger just to save our lives?"

"N-No! I made a mistake!"

Just as his secretary was apologizing,

-Kwoooo...!

A loud roar shook the ground they were standing on.

[You've done well enduring until now, soldiers.]

Kang Chul-In's voice began to ring out.

Chapter 313: Local products are the best (1)

Translator: Leyy3

When Kang Chul-In arrived at Venetz, the second ship was already passionately spewing out their third attack.

"Look at you..."

Kang Chul-In was genuinely furious when he saw Neptune Spear's fleet.

"You dare to step into my territory?"

His anger was understandable, after all the enemy's fleet had invaded his territory and was shooting cannonballs at his people.

"He's pretty good, too."

On the other hand, Hecate looked amused.

"It's a shame he doesn't have flying abilities, but that's pretty incredible firepower, huh?"

"Well, sure."

Kang Chul-In replied carelessly.

"So what are you going to do?"

Hecate asked.

"I'll kill them."

"Huh?"

"You're not saying I should just look at that and stay still, right?"

"..."

"I can't just stay still when that damned bastard is shooting his cannonballs into my territory."

Hecate was flabbergasted at Kang Chul-In's response.

"How? There's probably about ten ships including that large military ship."

"Funny."

"...?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Hey, Kang Chul-In."

Hecate raised her voice.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"Why do you think I don't?"

"I acknowledge that you're strong. But to me, it just sounds like you're trying to commit suicide. How do you want to take care of the fleet yourself? Using what?"

"Hmm."

"This shouldn't be coming from me, but you need to keep your temper in check. This isn't it. Wait until backup comes."

"What are you talking about? They're coming from over there."

"Hm?"

Kang Chul-In pointed at the sky. A black flying object, namely the Full Metal Dragon, was approaching rapidly with a large toot.

"Huh? Back there!"

Dorian shouted.

"Zeppelin is coming from Temeraire too! Did only the available troops come because they were in a rush?"

"Probably."

Kang Chul-In replied with a smirk.

"Alright, how about it?"

He turned around and asked Hecate.

"Do I still look like someone who wants to kill myself?"

"T-That's..."

Then, Dorian jumped into their conversation.

"Hey~! Kang Chul-In's pulling a scam again!"

"...?"

"You would've gone in by yourself even if they didn't come~!"

"..."

"Don't pretend like you wouldn't have~!"

Kang Chul-In shut his mouth.

This bastard is pretty smart, huh?

For some reason, Dorian was quick to catch onto things.

"What?"

Hecate squinted her eyes at his words.

"Is this loser correct?"

"..."

"You were gonna go in by yourself? Against that fleet?"

"Mm."

"Kang Chul-In, you..."

"To be honest..."

"...?"

"This loser is right. I was going to fight even without any backup."

"W-What are you talking about!?"

"Look for yourself."

Then, Kang Chul-In pulled out a magical voice amplifier.

-You've done well enduring until now, soldiers.

The response was immediate.

"H-His Majesty has come!"

"Finally!"

"Woohooooo!"

"We won, we won!"

"Hey, you bastards! His Majesty is back! He is!"

"You guys are all dead!"

The soldiers of the Valhalla Kingdom all cheered like they had already won.

"...Huh, Kang Chul-In's popular."

Hecate muttered to herself in disbelief.

"He's like a celebrity."

"I'm a bit popular."

"I bet."

"Gee, it's so hard being this popular."

Kang Chul-In grinned jokingly.

"Anyways, I think it's time to cause a ruckus. I needed a good ship, so I guess things actually turned out for the better."

"...!"

"Local products are the best, aren't they?"

This was ridiculous. Local products were the best? If he really thought that, Kang Chul-In was a true psycho.

"Ten iron ships... and if the one that Neptune Spear bastard is on is added in, isn't it 11?"

In the end, Hecate wasn't able to refute him any further or shut his mouth. She realized that she would be the one at a loss if she spoke anymore.

"Let's go, loser."

Meanwhile, Kang Chul-In grabbed Dorian.

"H-Huh? M-Me too?"

"Then did you want me to go in alone?"

"Of course you..."

It was then.

Crunch! Kang Chul-In put more strength in his grip and tossed Dorian away.

"Aaaaack!"

Where to, you ask? To the middle of Neptune Spear's fleet!

"K-Kang Chul-In! You bastard!"

Dorian screamed.

"Psh, he's loving it."

Kang Chul-In had a proud smile on his face as he watched Dorian fly away. Although, contrary to Kang Chul-In's words, there was nothing about Dorian's response that showed he was enjoying it.

"Then, I'll be off. I'll leave the firepower backup to you."

Kang Chul-In threw his body towards Neptune Spear's fleet.

"Wow..."

Hecate clicked her tongue watching

Kang Chul-In's back.

"That crazy bastard... Psycho... Crazy... bastard..."

She was definitely cursing. But the nuance...

"I want to eat him up even more now. Hng... he's really my style."

***

"Commander-in-chief!"

"Hm?"

"We have a report from Commander James from Venetz!"

"What is it...?"

For a moment, anxiety flashed through Kwak Jung's head.

"Has Venetz..."

"No."

"Hm?"

"Weren't you thinking that the city might've been destroyed by the enemies' attack?"

"That's not it?"

"No, sir."

"Whew..."

Kwak Jung sighed in relief.

"That's a relief... I was thinking that we might have to check the water temperature of Hartum River."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, what is it?"

"His Majesty has arrived."

"Mm!"

"A-Also... he threw himself into the middle of the enemy fleet..."

"..."

"There's some backup in the air... but the enemies have anti-aircraft guns... It's also not known if his Majesty is..."

Kwak Jung didn't let the messenger soldier finish.

-Ah, ah, this is the commander speaking.

Instead, he gave his commands using the magical voice amplifier.

-All troops, stop your march and wait where you are currently located.

It was a sudden order.

"C-Commander?"

"What?"

"Why did you suddenly stop our march...?"

"Listen if you don't know, kiddo!"

"Ah, yes, sir..."

Kwak Jung began to speak through the magical voice amplifier again.

-From this point on, our army will change our final destination. Letting all troops know again. From this point on, we're changing the final destination of our army.

It was an unexpected order. What was he thinking? Venetz was about to turn into ruins from the King of the South Seas', Neptune Spear's, attack, but they were going to change their location? Even the foot soldiers knew that the moment they lost Venetz, they would become disadvantaged in the war.

"Attention!"

"Report our numbers!'

"Everyone stand in line!"

However, the Valhalla soldiers didn't question Kwak Jung and silently followed his orders. It was an amazing sight. Soldiers who followed commands no matter what! Any commander would want soldiers like that.

-Our new destination...

Kwak Jung ordered.

-Is Esmeralda territory. Saying it once again. Our new final destination is Esmeralda territory. I'll be giving new routes to take, so commanders stay on standby. Once again, we will be going to Esmeralda, not Venetz.

It was a shocking order.

"W-Why?"

"Are we throwing away Venetz?"

"If we lose Venetz, even if we have Esmeralda, our supply route will be cut off."

"It's not just our supply route. We'll be surrounded by those Alliance bastards on all sides!"

The reactions of the commanders were reasonable, but,

-Yes~! I know what you're saying, I do, but you know... his Majesty will be taking care of Venetz by himself.

When Kwak Jung used the Kang Chul-In card, all the questions from the commanders were answered.

"Ah, his Majesty?"

"I see!"

"Ah~! Then we don't have to go to Ventez~!"

Everyone agreed. Kang Chul-In would defend Venetz by himself, so there was no one willing to raise any objections to that decision. If there was someone who did, they would be considered a soldier without any trust, and be suspected as a spy.

-Then, until we find a new route, everyone stay on standby.

Kwak Jung put down the magical voice amplifier.

"Bastards."

He had an evil smile.

"Run as fast as you can. See who'll arrive first."

It was a winning move. He would leave Venetz to Kang Chul-In in a bold move and swallow the Esmeralda territory faster than what their enemies expected. It was a tough strategy made from his trust in Kang Chul-In, his courage, and his competitive spirit.

***

"Aaaaack!"

Dorian, who shot up into the sky because of Kang Chul-In, crashed into the bottom of something after having flown kilometers high. Of course, that bottom was one of the decks of Neptune Spear's fleet.

"Owww..."

Dorian pushed himself up with effort.

"Owww... my body... I'm gonna die... die..."

His head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes... not. Obviously, his entire body would be throbbing after being thrown by Kang Chul-In. Most people would've died on impact.

"W-Who is it!?"

"Reveal yourself!"

Neptune Spear's soldiers shouted at Dorian.

"Heh..."

Dorian smiled.

"Well, since I was thrown anyway... I guess I should fight first?"

At the same time,

Urrrrng!

An Invincible-rank item, his Handgun Gauntlet, began to shine brightly red.

Then,

Boom! Shotgun fist! Dorian's specialty skill that even Kang Chul-In acknowledged to be a "crazy level of destructiveness" covered Neptune Spear's subordinates.

***

Boom! Kang Chul-In speeded towards the nearest ship, [Alligator].

"It's an enemy!"

"It's Kang Chul-In!"

"Shoot! Shoot!"

The soldiers on Alligator tried to stop him with long-range attacks.

-Shoot!

It was an order from the Alligator's captain.

-It doesn't matter if he's the Supreme King of the West if he can't get on board! Stop him from getting on board!

He was right. The Hartum River was in between Kang Chul-In and the Alligator. It was a long body of water without any footing. Humans couldn't get across it without any...

"He's running on water?"

"Shit!"

"..."

"No... way..."

The soldiers on Alligator stood there agape at the unbelievable sight. Kang Chul-In, that demon...

Swaaaaa! He was splitting through the water... running on top of it, at a quick pace at that... while avoiding all their attacks at the same time!

Let's see your new functions.

The man running on the water, Kang Chul-In, had a twisted smile on his face as he gripped Kaiforce in his hand and kicked off from the Hartum River.

"...!"

Everyone was surprised. That "human" didn't just run on top of water and then jump from it, tens of meters into the air, right? They couldn't believe their eyes. But their surprise didn't last for that long. When Kang Chul-In swung Kaiforce at the head of Alligator, something even more shocking occurred. The head of Alligator... the head... began to sink... in a neat single slice. Kang Chul-In had split a ship in two with just one stroke of his sword!

Chapter 314: Local Products are the Best (2)

Translator: Leyy3

"...!"

Neptune Spear was completely taken aback and couldn't hide his surprise.

"W-What is...!"

It was an unbelievable sight. One military ship had been split into two with just one stroke of a sword. He couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.

"Is Kang Chul-In... human?"

It seemed he lived up to his reputation. Rumors were always twisted and blown out of proportion, but it seemed that in Kang Chul-in's case, they were all true.

"How can that..."

It was then...

Kwaaang! The second military ship, [Nemesis], exploded, and the bridge came toppling down in seconds.

"...!"

Everyone was shocked.

"Aaaack! D-Don't shoot...! Save me!"

A blonde young man wearing a shining red gauntlet was smashing Nemesis to pieces, screaming at the others to let him live.

"Just who is that crazy bastard...!?"

Another unbelievable sight was played out in front of Neptune Spear's eyes. He couldn't pull himself together.

"His Majesty! That crazy blonde guy is...!"

"...?"

"Dorian Explorer!"

"What!? Was that loser that strong...!?"

Neptune Spear couldn't acknowledge that Dorian was strong. He didn't know how he was maintaining his high rank, but from what he had seen so far, Dorian was just a lucky loser. Furthermore, Neptune Spear had a tendency of looking down on Lords who ruled territory on the ground. It was the pride of one who ruled over the rough seas.

Kwaang! But unlike his bias, Dorian was breaking apart his ship with just his fists.

"That damned...!"

Neptune Spear shouted with fury. However...

Kwooooo! A roar that shook the skies! The center of the Valhalla Kingdom's forces, the Full Metal Dragon, began to split through the sky.

-Shoot, pause! Pause!

-Change all the guns to anti-aircraft guns! Change all the guns to anti-aircraft guns!

Ding... click! Clack, clack! The first and second naval ships under Neptune Spear stopped their attack on Venetz and responded to the Full Metal Dragon's air raid instead.

-Enemies in the back! It's a flagship-rank plane!

Neptune Spear's fleet felt danger once more at Zeppelin's arrival.

-I-It's Temeraire...! Temeraire has joined the battle...!

The arrival of the strongest weapon of Pangaea made everyone in his fleet uneasy.

Crunch! Neptune Spear grounded his teeth. They would be at a disadvantage because they didn't have any forces in the air.

"So you're gonna stand against me through the air... fine, do whatever you can..."

However, Neptune Spear didn't feel threatened in the slightest by Temeraire, Zeppelin, or the Full Metal Dragon. He had already experienced air forces. Lords had air forces in the South as well. Kang Chul-In was undefeated over land, and Neptune Spear was undefeated overseas. That meant that he already qualified to fight back.

"I'll get rid of all of them."

As he muttered to himself, he gripped his Soul Core, the trident [Triton].

[Activating anti-aircraft system!]

['Exocet' system online!]

[The angles of the guns are being adjusted...]

[All guns are ready to attack at 360°!]

Neptune Spear activated the system, Exocet, that allowed him to dominate over the South.

[The barrier is being set up!]

['Barrier of the Sea God' system online!]

[Intensity of the barrier increases by 40%!]

Also, he strengthened the barrier that protected his ship from attacks from enemies.

-Speaking to all ships.

Neptune Spear commanded.

-Of the three, for the dragon and the plane, endure with the barrier and be on guard only against Temeraire. Speaking to all ships again. Our target is only Temeraire!

It was a wise judgment. Although Zeppelin and the Full Metal Dragon were hard to deal with, they weren't comparable to Hecate's Temeraire. The moment that all 74 guns speed fire, even the greatest ship in Neptune Spear's fleet, the one that he was on, [Poseidon], could become a clump of scrap metal. Because of that, it was wisest to ignore Zeppelin and the Full Metal Dragon and focus only on Temeraire.

"Kang Chul-In..."

Neptune Spear didn't stop there.

"I admit you're strong, but..."

A confident attitude. He was surprised to see Kang Chul-In split his ship into two, but he didn't feel discouraged by it.

"I'll show you how scary the seas can be... will you be able to fly around like that when you're facing the horrors of the deep-sea?"

At the same time, Neptune Spear thrust Triton up.

"Emerge, monsters of the deep sea...! Show that arrogant and foolish one the fury of the great sea...!"

It was a summoning. It was a calling. The monsters of the abyss that Neptune Spear was calling for weren't from somewhere far away but from under the Hartum River. Under the surface of the water, a dark shadow reached the shores, and "it" revealed itself.

Kyaaaak! Kyak..! Krrrr...!

It didn't have just one head. It had

nine of them. It had multiple heads attached to its long green body. A monster that was once the ruler of the South was a pet of Neptune Spear that only he could handle with his Authority. It was a hydra serpent, a monster that lived in the ocean and was about 100 meters long. On top of that, it had 9 scary heads.

"Kill him."

Neptune Spear commanded.

"Rip him to shreds and swallow him!"

As soon as he finished,

Kyaaaaak!

The invincible head that was at the center of the hydra serpent's head screamed and moved towards Kang Chul-In.

***

In a moving carriage in the camp of the Valhalla soldiers...

"Ahh, humans~! These poor humans that can only walk~!"

"..."

"They should just fly."

"..."

"Everyone's so useless."

"..."

"Hey, lazybones."

"..."

"Do you have any more of that thing called ice cream?"

Desdemona spoke as she licked the ice cream cone in her hand.

"This is so good..."

"You're already on your 5th one."

Kwak Jung narrowed his eyes and glared at Desdemona.

Fuck... is she going to take responsibility if my blood sugar runs low...?

Kwak Jung didn't like Desdemona. He used his head all the time and he quit smoking, so he always moved with a magic icebox with ice cream in it, but Desdemona had eaten everything, and he felt extremely frustrated.

"You'll get sick if you have too many of those."

"Nah, it's okay."

"..."

"Getting sick is what humans do; I'm unaffected even when I swallow an entire ogre."

"..."

"But."

"Yes?"

"Do you have any more of these macarons?"

"..."

"Those sweet things are sticking to my mouth just right."

Dragons could probably build up and save sugar like stocks for humans.

"Hey."

Kwak Jung, who was already angry because his sweets were taken, growled at Desdemona.

"Hm?"

"I mean, if you're a dragon, you should act like one. Why are you following us around in battle and stealing all my sweets?"

"Are you mad?"

"..."

"What a stingy bastard. Will it hurt you to share?"

"That's not what you're doing right now!"

"Stingy bastard!"

"What do you mean by stingy? This is a warzone! What are you trying to do by taking all my desserts? Hm?"

"I'll buy some for you! I'll buy more!"

"I don't need it! Can you please leave the carriage!? Please!?"

"No!"

"Why don't you want to!? Why!?"

"It's boring sitting around in the kingdom!"

"..."

"I want to watch humans fight each other!"

"Do you perhaps struggle from voyeurism..."

Desdemona's fist landed on Kwak Jung's solar plexus.

"O-Ow..."

"Bastard."

Desdemona looked at Kwak Jung pathetically.

"I let you live and you're acting up."

"I-I apologize..."

"Being stingy over snacks."

She wasn't completely wrong. Even if she had eaten everything up, Desdemona was still Kwak Jung's savior.

"Mm..."

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Enough with that. Let me ask you something."

"What do you want to know?"

"Do you think your leader will become the Emperor?"

"Pardon?"

"Do you think he'll be the Emperor?"

"T-That's..."

Kwak Jung seemed confused at Desdemona's question, but he spoke of his opinion without hesitation.

"Isn't that obvious?"

"Hmmm..."

"Of course, the power of our kingdom isn't that great, but it isn't something we can't overcome."

"Really?"

"Also, that strength of his... His Majesty has the strength to destroy an army of machines. To be honest, he doesn't have any rivals."

"Mm... I see..."

"...?"

"That rude bastard has the regeneration of the world in his hands..."

"Pardon?"

"N-Never mind."

Desdemona, who had been muttering something, looked away.

"Hm?"

"Desdemona?"

Kwak Jung narrowed his eyes at Desdemona with suspicion.

"Why are you not finishing your sentence?"

"You don't have to know, kiddo."

"Argh...!"

"So just go ahead and bring more snacks."

"..."

"This is pretty good."

Rustle, rustle! Desdemona finished her ice cream while they were exchanging conversation and now started on a Choco pie.

Stuff yourself with your own money! Don't take others' food!

Kwak Jung let out a silent scream. If his snacks were stolen like this every time, he would return to smoking again.

***

"Huh?"

A vile smile spread across Kang Chul-In's face when he saw the hydra serpent. This monster of 95 levels had the monstrous regenerative ability to grow two heads in the place where one was cut off (after some time, one of the two would fall off naturally) and had a deadly poison that could kill tens of thousands with just one drop. However...

"What are you looking at?"

Kang Chul-In faced off the monster, but there wasn't any trace of fear on his face.

Heh.

Rather, he was laughing.

"You're trash compared to the octopus... you dare to open your mouth wide in front of me...?"

Kang Chul-In called it an octopus, but it was actually a monster that Kang Chul-In had hunted in the past. It was a leviathan. A monster that could use vortexes to bring disaster upon sea cities. Even Kang Chul-In admitted that it was strong. In the past, Kang Chul-In had experience slicing up the monster for sushi. But a hydra serpent? It probably wouldn't even be a single meal. From Neptune Spear's perspective, it might've been a hidden card that he prepared, but the problem was that the opponent was too strong.

Kyaakkkk...! The hydra serpent screamed horrifyingly towards Kang Chul-In to threaten him.

"That fucker..."

Kang Chul-In muttered to himself in an annoyed voice and tightened his hold on Kaiforce and Mitra.

"I'll make sushi out of you."

Kang Chul-In didn't plan on fighting the water snake any longer than he had to and tossed his body at the great monster.

Kwaaang! Kang Chul-in's fancy sword technique followed his extreme speed.

Swooooosh! The edges of the blades of darkness and light crossed each other to create a great net that was ranged 2 kilometers around Kang Chul-In. The hydra serpent froze in place like stone and couldn't move. Rather, it couldn't even if it wanted to. This was because...

The hydra serpent's body had begun to come apart.

Splash! Splash, splash! Pieces of the hydra serpent's body began to fall into the Hartum River. Even if it had an amazing regenerative ability, its entire body was cut into pieces, so it was impossible to survive.

"You dare aim your guns at my territory?"

Kang Chul-In didn't stop there. He didn't raise his swords to play catch with the hydra serpent. He needed to show the country bumpkin how things went around here. Kang Chul-In kicked off from the surface of the water. He couldn't fly in the sky, but running across the water wasn't hard for Kang Chul-In. After Kang Chul-In jumped up high into the air,

Koong! He landed on the deck of Poseidon, right in front of Neptune Spear.

"K-Kang Chul-In...!"

"Hey, fisherman."

Kang Chul-In had a vicious smile on his face.

Crunch! His fists let out a violent noise with Kaiforce and Mitra inside of them.

"T-That's not what I..."

Neptune Spear tried to excuse himself, but Kang Chul-In's hand was already holding his head.

Then...

"Aaaaaack!"

A horrifying scene began.

Chapter 315: Local products are the best (3)

Translator: Leyy3

With the sound of something being cut off,

"Aaaaah!"

Neptune Spear screamed loudly.

Flutter... Hundreds of black strings fluttered in the wind.

"Oh dear."

Kang Chul-In smirked.

"You should've taken better care of your hair. It's so weak... Hmm... Should I get you some glue to stick your hair to your scalp?"

"Arghhhh...!"

"Well, it's not that bad actually."

"..."

"It looks like... that two-block style that's trendy these days."

Of course, it was all a load of bullshit. Neptune Spear's hair on the sides of his head had fallen out from Kang Chul-In's ridiculous strength. Obviously, other than the fact that he didn't have any side hair, it looked nothing like the two-block style.

Crunch!

Neptune Spear grounded his teeth together.

"You dare... I'm the King of the South Sea...! Do you think you'll be...!"

"Be what?"

"..."

"You're not trying to threaten me, are you?"

As soon as he finished speaking,

Kwannnng!

The second ship, [Monocle], exploded. It was the work of Dorian Explorer.

"...!"

Neptune Spear was surprised, but that wasn't the end of it.

The Full Metal Dragon... No, the Full Metal Drake had pierced through the barrier of the ship, [Atlanta], and began to thrash around.

"Oh no...!

It was a tremendously shocking sight. In the blink of an eye, out of the eleven ships, Alligator, Nemesis, and Monocle were reduced to pieces of scrap metal. Now, even Atlantica was taken over...

The captain's ship, Poseidon, also had Kang Chul-In aboard.

-Heeheehee!

It was then.

-I'm gonna be the only one you beat up, is that it?

Hecate's maniacal voice spread out through the magical voice amplifier.

-Fine... let's do it... just you wait... I'll break you to pieces...!

It was a voice filled with frustrations from being held back. Hecate naturally enjoyed blowing things up, so being held back because of the anti-aircraft guns was horrible for her. However, the tables had turned, because Alligator, Nemesis, Monocle, and Atlantica were all unavailable for battle!

That meant...

"Gun one, ready!"

"Gun two, ready!"

"Gun three, ready!"

"Gun four, ready!"

The soldiers of Temeraire all shouted at the top of their lungs.

Fire. The 74 guns of the greatest firepower in Pangaea were about to teach Neptune Spear what the price was for messing with them.

-Wait!

Kang Chul-In's voice shook the battlefield.

-Hecate!

-What?

-Stop.

-Hm? Why should I stop? This is our chance.

-Victory is already ours, so there's no need to use Fire.

It was true. With Kang Chul-In aboard the captain's ship, Poseidon, this battle was already the victory of the Valhalla soldiers.

-So?

Hecate asked.

-Are you telling me to stop the attack?

-Of course.

Kang Chul-In nodded.

-Why would you break all of these when they're worth a hefty amount of money?

People had to look for opportunities at any chance they got. Neptune Spear's fleet was worth an astronomical amount, and breaking all of them would be a waste of supplies and manpower.

-But I don't want to.

Hecate continued to argue.

-I'm gonna break all of them!

-...!

-So what if all those ships are crushed?

She seemed to be furious because Neptune Spear's fleet had only targeted her.

-I like breaking things too, but this time...

-No.

-It's an order.

-I'll break them.

-...!

-I can't let this go! So this time, you let it go!

-Whew...

A long sigh escaped Kang Chul-In's mouth.

Dammit... He bit his lower lip.

From his experience, whenever Hecate was stubborn like this...

It's the real deal this time.

She didn't know how to let others have their way. Hecate didn't have the "female Kang Chul-In" title for nothing. Of course, she was a lot easier to talk to, but once she started being stubborn, she would never change her mind.

How should I convince her...

Kang Chul-In contemplated.

She probably won't budge...

He thought of threatening her, but because Hecate was already angry, it would cause the situation to become worse. But he couldn't just tell her to shoot to her heart's content.

There were 10 ships in the fleet of iron. If it's worth was exchanged for financial and tactical assets, it was greater than the Full Metal Dragon by 5 times. It was too priceless to be thrown away to appease Hecate.

-I'm gonna shoot, so move.

Hecate warned.

-Shoot.

Kang Chul-In shot his shot.

-Huh...?

-If you want to shoot, just shoot. There's nothing I can do about it.

-...!?

-Instead...

Kang Chul-In shut his eyes tight when he spoke.

Drip...! Sweat and shivers appeared on his back.

This is the only way. There was nothing else he could do. "That" was

the only way to make Hecate bend to him this time.

-What! Instead what?!

Hecate raised her voice.

-Are you threatening...

-You'll never get what you want.

-What do I want?

-I think you spoke about this every time you opened your mouth.

A heavy silence descended on the battlefield after Kang Chul-In spoke. What was he talking about? He was bringing up the relationship between a man and a woman in the middle of the battlefield with the magical voice amplifier?

-S-So...? Are you saying you'll give it to me?

-Of course not.

-Are you playing with me right now?

-No way.

Kang Chul-In decided to handle Hecate in the calmest attitude possible.

-I don't sell my body like that, so making a deal like this doesn't seem right. I am the king of a kingdom. I'm saying that I can't give it over just because I want to.

-So what do you want to say?

-The possibility.

-...!

-I'm not saying I'll give it to you, but if you don't bend this time, the 1% chance will completely disappear.

It was a cowardly offer, but,

-Huk..!

Not for Hecate.

-If I shoot, you'll never sleep with me?

-I won't speak twice.

-And if I don't shoot, we can sleep together?

-That's up to you.

Kang Chul-In didn't say what Hecate wanted until the very end,

-Hng...

And Hecate was left pondering. It might seem like a pathetic struggle to others, but it was important to her. Would she destroy Neptune Spear's fleet and give up the "lustful night" with Kang Chul-In forever, or would she leave the chance open?

What should I do?

Both of them were so tempting, that Hecate was deep in thought.

Then...

-That's it?

She began to set conditions.

-What do you want?

-Mm...

Hecate thought to herself for a moment and spoke.

-If you become my man...

-...!?

-You have to sleep with me once a week.

-...!

-You can't say that you're too busy as an excuse. You have to.

Hecate had brought up conditions for when she and Kang Chul-In were completely connected.

-That's not hard.

Kang Chul-In readily accepted the deal.

It's a profit. He had to reason to refuse. The conditions that Hecate brought up all hung on an "if," and if he didn't marry her, nothing would happen.

-Sure, then do that.

Hecate seemed to be taking a step back.

-Oh, also.

-...!?

-Take 26 guns from that bastard's ship.

She wasn't satisfied with her 74 guns and wanted 100 of them.

-Sure.

-Good.

The strange deal was finished like that.

These bastards...!

Neptune Spear was flabbergasted. Kang Chul-In and Hecate were treating him as an "extra." In front of the perfectly healthy King of the South Sea, they were making a deal about whether to destroy his fleet or not? It was humiliating. He was looked down upon.

"Hey, you..."

Rage! Neptune Spear shook the Epic-item Triton and screamed.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Hm?"

Kang Chul-In saw the trident that was aiming for his chest.

"Mm..."

It was slow. Very slow. It might've been a fast attack for normal people, but it looked like it was moving in slow-motion to Kang Chul-In.

Swoosh! Kaiforce scattered darkness in 10 different directions, and Neptune Spear's chest split into ten pieces. Bright red blood spewed out.

Plop! Neptune Spear fell to his knees on the deck. He didn't have the strength to stand anymore.

Kashing...! Kang Chul-In held Kaiforce at Neptune Spear's neck.

"Hey, fishermen."

"Y-Yes."

"Give me everything you've got."

The Supreme King (king/thief) of the West. Kang Chul-In was faithful to his profession like always.

***

Meanwhile, at the same time, about 30 kilometres away from the Esmeralda territory, Kwak Jung was receiving a report from a soldier.

"Commander-in-chief!"

"Yes?"

"His Majesty has succeeded in defending Venetz!"

"...!"

"And that's not it!"

"What is it? Didn't he break everything to pieces?"

"No!"

"Hm...?"

"Of the 11 ships, he completely destroyed 2 of them, made 2 of them unfit for war..."

"...!"

"But has succeeded in taking the remaining seven ships in good condition! Including the two that aren't able to be used for war, he has captured 9 ships!"

"W-What!?"

"Also..."

There wasn't an end to the soldier's report.

"He has even taken over the Aquatica Kingdom that's under the King of the South Sea Neptune Spear's rule...!"

"Huk...!"

Kwak Jung was taken aback.

That guy...!

He couldn't tell how much stronger he had become.

I thought he would take a break for a day or two...!

He knew that Kang Chul-In would defend Venetz properly, but he didn't imagine that he would destroy Neptune Spear like that...

"S-So? What did his Majesty say? He must have said something!"

"T-That's..."

The soldier hesitated.

"What is it? Say it quickly, you bastard!"

"His Majesty said to..."

"...?"

"Take over the Esmeralda territory before he arrives..."

"..."

"If the Esmeralda territory isn't dominated in two days... His Majesty will..."

"M-Me...?"

"Give you mental training."

"E-Eek?!"

"That was his message..."

The soldier carefully handed Kwak Jung a piece of paper.

The content was the following:

To the subordinate I cherish the most...

Work.

-The Supreme King of the West, Kang Chul-In.

"..."

Kwak Jung was speechless.

"Shit..."

It would take at least 3 days to take over the Esmeralda territory.

But two?

"Aaack...!"

Kwak Jung groaned painfully.

"C-Commander-in-chief!"

"Hey..."

"Yes?"

"Go tell this to everyone..."

It was a wise decision. The defense of Venetz was a great accomplishment. It would influence the morale of the soldiers.

"Increase the speed of the march! Unless you want to see me die!"

"Yes, sir!"

There was no time. He had to get to work if he wanted to take over Esmeralda territory in 3 days.

***

In a secret lab 10 floors underground in the Pentagon of the Bifrost territory.

"Useless bastard..."

Andrei Ivanovich frowned after checking the rankings.

Rank 6: Overlord Neptune Spear (position revocated!)

"I can't believe he didn't even last a day..."

The result was disappointing to no end.

"Well, I didn't expect much from the beginning."

Milenius muttered to himself and looked at the great glass casket in front of him. A man was floating around naked in the boiling liquid. The man's hair was black, and he looked extremely similar to someone.

"You'll have to step up soon."

Milenius spoke to the man in the glass casket. Of course, the man didn't reply.

He was still incomplete...

Chapter 316: The System Supports the Lord Ahead of Others

Translator: Leyy3

Plop! As soon as Neptune Spear fainted from over bleeding, an alarm window popped up in front of Kang Chul-In.

[King of the South Sea, Neptune Spear, completely dominated!]

[Neptune Spear]

Overlord specialty: Shipbuilding (Can be absorbed)

-You can construct the "Dreadnought Shipyard" that can create the magical iron fleet. (Cost: 10,000 Gold)

Overlord authority: Call of the Deep Sea (Can be absorbed)

-Affinity with sea monsters +300

"Mm..." Kang Chul-In stroked the beard he didn't have. "What should I absorb...?" He couldn't absorb them both, so he had to choose between the [Shipbuilding] specialty and the [Call of the Deep Sea].

"Shipbuilding is nice... but the Call of the Deep Sea is nice too..." It was a hard choice for him to make because both abilities were S-ranked. If he chose Shipbuilding, he could construct the Dreadnought Shipyard and grow his fleet, and if he chose Call of the Deep Sea, he could train powerful sea monsters.

"I guess..." Kang Chul-In spread his hand out over where Neptune Spear had fallen.

[Would you like to absorb the Shipbuilding specialty? Yes / No]

[Yes.]

His choice was the Shipbuilding specialty that could construct the Dreadnought Shipyard. It was a reasonable decision. It was true that Call of the Deep Sea was useful, but he would have to hunt down sea monsters himself in the great ocean to train them. Kang Chul-In was already busy enough, so he didn't have time to catch all the Poke... no, the sea monsters.

"When would I be catching monsters?" He shook his head. It wasn't easy to find rare monsters like a leviathan. It was only a coincidence that he was able to hunt down a leviathan in the past. How would he be able to find one just because he wanted to?

"K-Kuk...!" While Kang Chul-In was contemplating to himself, Neptune Spear gasped and grunted.

"Now should I head over to Esmeralda territory?"

"Ugh... kuk...!" Kang Chul-In absorbed the Shipbuilding specialty without caring about Neptune Spear in the slightest and...

Plop! Neptune Spear died. The King of the South King, and the ruler of the south died futilely.

"Hm?" Kang Chul-In raised his eyebrows when he discovered the corpse.

"Tsk, tsk..." Then, he clicked his tongue. "This guy... he should've trained his stamina some more... how bad must his stamina have been to..."

This was a fallacious argument. Neptune Spear's stamina wasn't bad. Anyone would've suffered the same in that situation. His hair was pulled out, his chest was split into 10 pieces by Kaiforce, and after his bones and flesh were separated, his Lord position was stolen, and then his specialty was absorbed. It would be a miracle if he was alive.

[You have completed the absorption of the Shipbuilding specialty!]

[You can now construct the Dreadnought Shipyard!]

Messages popped up.

[You have captured the [Trident] fleet!]

[Along with the [Poseidon], the other 9 ships have been acknowledged as yours!]

Neptune Spear's pride, the fleet, was acknowledged as Kang Chul-In's.

[You have received ownership of the kingdom [Aquatica] from the King of the South Sea Neptune Spear...]

[The Aquatica kingdom has been absorbed into the Valhalla kingdom! (Percentage: 90%)]

[The title of Aquatica has been adjusted from 'kingdom' to 'territory!']

"Mm...!" Kang Chul-In was surprised. "90%... isn't that pretty much all of it...?"

It was rare to absorb 90% of the previous Lord's land.

Aside from right after the Great Summoning when Lords first chose their territories, it didn't happen. Right after the Great Summoning, faith from the people in a territory would be low, and the relationship between the Lord and the people wouldn't be that deep. Due to this, it was easy to absorb the territories of Lords earlier on. However, that wasn't the case now. It had already been four years since the Great Summoning, and Neptune Spear was a king (it didn't show because he was compared to Kang Chul-In, but Neptune Spear was incredible too).

Such a kingdom couldn't be absorbed smoothly. In the worst-case scenario, the entire territory would be filled with rebel forces who would fight over ownership of the territory. In fact, once in the past, when Kang Chul-In took over a different territory, people had caused rebellions, and Kang Chul-In sent an army to get rid of the territory as a whole.

"Why?" It was strange.

"How?" The Aquatica kingdom, no, the Aquatica territory was a vast land. Of course Kang Chul-In would consider it strange that he had absorbed a ratio of 90% of the original land. However, there was a reason behind this.

[Your charisma (S++) is high, and the people of the Aquatica territory don't rebel!]

[The people of Aquatica, who are satisfied at the way you rule the Valhalla kingdom, support the absorption actively!]

[The loyalty of the land-owners of Aquatica and their subordinates remain at 85! (Maximum: 100)]

His high charisma prevented the people

of Aquatica from rebelling, and his "give and take" method of ruling Valhalla seemed to have appealed to them.

"Yes..." Kang Chul-In nodded.

"It was good to focus on internal affairs... very good..."

Congratulatory background music should've been playing in the background. It was understandable. How much work had Kang Chul-In put into internal affairs after regressing? He used to shudder at just the "i" in internal affairs. All the stats related to it never exceeded C.

"I guess nothing is impossible if you work for it."

Of course, he hadn't mastered the area yet, but compared to the past, he had definitely improved.

And...

[The system supports the Lord who's ahead of others!]

Another message popped up.

"Hm...?"

The system supports a Lord who's ahead of others? He didn't understand what that meant.

"Your Majesty." Just then, someone approached Kang Chul-In. It was a lieutenant wearing a naval uniform of the Aquatica kingdom.

"Who are you?"

"Yes, I am the lieutenant of Poseidon, Clemenceau."

"Clemenceau?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"So?"

"First..." Clemenceau bowed in front of Kang Chul-In. "Clemenceau greets the Supreme King of the West!"

"Mm...!"

"I will do my best!"

A quick pledge of faith... it seemed like the message from the system wasn't false.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Why? I just killed your king."

"I saw."

"Is it possible to pledge your faith in such a short amount of time? Logically..."

"The heavens wish it, so how can I not follow their will?"

"...!"

"As your Majesty already knows, us Pangaeans have done nothing but accept the supernatural's will."

It was clear what Clemenceau was saying. This lieutenant general was saying that he couldn't escape from the influence of the system. Yes, it was like a heavenly order. The will of the system was like the heavens for the Pangaeas...

"I guess..." Kang Chul-In nodded.

"Well, I suppose there's no need to ask about it. Fine, Clemenceau. I will acknowledge you as my subordinate."

"Your benevolence is awe-inspiring, Your Supreme Majesty!" Clemenceau prostrated himself on the floor before Kang Chul-In.

"Get up." Kang Chul-In raised Clemenceau. "Here, take this." He even gave him something.

"T-This is...?!"

"Why are you so surprised?" Kang Chul-In shrugged his shoulders.

"O-Of course I would be surprised...! This is...!" His surprise was understandable. It was because Kang Chul-In had given him the fleet, Trident, and the Soul Core, Triton!

"You are the first to have pledged your faith to me."

"...!"

"This kind of treatment should be obvious."

"Your Supreme Majesty...!"

"Just call me your Majesty."

"...!"

"You don't have to call me anything fancy like that." Kang Chul-In winked, and Clemenceau was touched.

Ah...! His Supreme Majesty is so generous... were the rumors that he was the demon of the century just rumors...?

It was a big misunderstanding. Kang Chul-In was just a villainess boss who knew that positions were everything. The Gullveig Alliance had spread malicious rumors about him, but even the Valhalla kingdom knew that he was an authoritarian ruler.

"There's nothing to be so glad about." Kang Chul-In spoke to Clemenceau.

"I gave you this authority because I don't have any skilled lieutenants for the sea. If I left it to my subordinates, it would be a waste of this fleet."

"I-Is that so?"

"Also..."

"Yes...?"

"It's a mystery how Neptune Spear's secretary will act."

"...!"

"So I left the Soul Core to you."

"Your Majesty...!"

"I shall give you orders."

"I will follow whatever they are!" Clemenceau kneeled.

"From now, I will appoint you as the chief fleet commander of Trident."

"Thank you, your Majesty!"

"Also, I will assign you as the prime overseer of the territory of Aquatica as a representative for myself."

It was a shocking announcement, but it was reasonable. Kang Chul-In had no way of knowing about the southern military, and he was in war right now. He had no time to look around the territory. Because of this, choosing a high-ranked lieutenant general from the Aquatica territory was a wise choice. As a local, he would know well about the land.

"I shall follow through with your order!"

"And..."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"First, contact those in Atlantica that you can trust and have them observe Neptune Spear's secretary for any signs of rebellion. I don't know about anyone else, but that secretary will never serve me as king."

"Of course, sir."

Other than a few special cases, secretaries were like the shadows of their Lords, so it was likely that Neptune Spear's secretary would attempt to revolt.

"The Esmeralda territory now..." Kang Chul-In muttered to himself. "That guy..." Kang Chul-In grinned. "He left me behind and went to Esmeralda? It's definitely a decision that befits my tactician... but since he decided to do something that offensive, he better have a red carpet waiting for me." A vicious smile spread on Kang Chul-In's lips.

A villainess boss. No, it was the smile of a villainous Lord.

"Oh, and also."

Kang Chul-In added on.

"That dead fisher... I mean..."

"Pardon?"

"Take care of Neptune Spear's body and hold a proper funeral for him."

"...!"

"It's something that should be done. He was an enemy king, but a powerful commander who ruled a peerless kingdom. I don't have any bad feelings towards him. I just couldn't do anything else but kill him because I met him as an enemy on the battlefield..."

"Y-Your Majesty...!" Clemenceau almost looked like he was going to cry at Kang Chul-In's unexpected statement.

"I don't want to damage his body or mock the accomplishments he made in his lifetime."

"...!"

"So I hope you hold a proper funeral fitting of his status."

Thump!

At that moment...

T-This person is...!

Clemenceau was completely enamored by Kang Chul-In.

A true saint... he's different...!

That was also a big misunderstanding. Actually, Kang Chul-In was thinking, 'those kinds of funerals are a waste of time and money,' but revealing those thoughts was something that only an amateur would do. Kang Chul-In's political skills were maxed out.

***

In the Bifrost territory...

"Andrei...!"

Mei Ling frantically went to search for Neptune Spear after news of his death was spread.

"Oh now! Neptune Spear has...!"

"Calm down, Mei Ling." Milenius, who had on the face of Andrei Ivanovich, tried to calm Mei Ling down,

"What should we do now? Neptune Spear wasn't able to buy us the time that we needed...! Also, Kang Chul-In's main forces are coming to the Esmeralda territory!"

But Mei Ling didn't listen to what Milenius was saying because she was too shocked by the loss, and this was understandable. Even Milenius hadn't been able to expect Neptune Spear's loss. According to the report, it wasn't a fight between one army and another. Kang Chul-In alone had beat up Neptune Spear after going against Neptune Spear's fleet. That meant that Kang Chul-In's combative power was equivalent to one of a nuclear bomb.

"We'll be too late...! The speed of our enemies is faster than our Alliance's! At this rate...!"

"Mei Ling."

"If we lose Esmeralda...!"

Tsk tsk.

Milenius thought that Mei Ling was pathetic.

Why are human girls so dumb... well... she's perfect for using as a puppet...

However, Milenius didn't express his thoughts and tried to calm her down by pulling her close to him.

"Mei Ling."

"A-Andrei...!"

"You don't need to worry."

"B-But...!"

"That Esmeralda territory, we can give it away."

"...!"

"Instead, we can take something else."

"W-What? Will we gain something from giving Esmeralda...?"

"Of course, Mei Ling." Andrei whispered in her ear. "We..." What he said after that was extremely shocking. "We will give Esmeralda..."

"Yes..."

"The white knight Brynhildr..."

"...!"

"And take Kang Chul-In's life."

"W-What are you talking about? Andrei?"

"I have a way."

Heh.

Smiling a red vampiric smile, Andrei began to explain his plans to Mei Ling.

Chapter 317: An Approaching Great War

Translator: Leyy3

"I-I'm not sure..." Mei Ling was confused. "Giving up the white knight Bryhildr and Esmeralda... what are you talking about Andrei?"

"Exactly what I said."

"Pardon?"

"Look at the map." Milenius pointed at something. "Here."

"Styx?"

"Yes, the port city Styx. We'll give up Esmeralda and meet Kang Chul-In here."

"But... will Kang Chul-In's military come here?"

"It definitely will." Milenius guaranteed her. "Look."

"Alright..."

"This waterway is the heart of our Gullveig Alliance and the strategic point that stretches out to the Bifrost territory. And that's only half of it. From Kang Chul-In's perspective, if this waterway is taken over, he'll be able to decrease 40% of his losses."

"Ah...!"

"Actually, the reason why the Esmeralda territory is Pangaea's heart is not only because of its land routes, but also because it dominates Styx, and can rule over the Hartum river."

"T-Then that means... Kang Chul-In..."

"Indeed, Mei Ling." Milenius nodded. "Kang Chul-In will most definitely come to port city Styx. Because of that, our Alliance troops don't have to try to protect Esmeralda. It's already too late, and if we try to reclaim Esmeralda, we might suffer from great losses. We will meet Kang Chul-In at the port city Styx."

"Then we need to give orders...!"

"There's no need to do that."

"Pardon?"

"Tactician Kwak is probably already moving as I just told you."

"No way..."

"It's something that's already been spoken about beforehand."

"...!"

"Plan B."

"You already...!"

"Actually, even before the war began, it was impossible to defend Esmeralda."

"I-Is that so?" Mei Ling was taken aback. She hadn't been able to read the battlefield.

"Nothing could've been done."

"How come?"

"The method of ruling the land."

"...!"

"Our Alliance has been in a state of confusion since Lord Vilhelm and Lord Ao Xin's death. We announced war first, but it's true that it took longer for us to solve our internal problems. Didn't it take you 3 days until you came into power?"

"That's correct..."

"On the other hand, how was Kang Chul-In? Disgustingly, after he committed that atrocity, he said that he was innocent when we declared war and he raised an army like he had been waiting. In only a day. What about us? It took us a week."

"That's correct, we did."

"First off, unlike the Valhalla soldiers, who are ready to move as soon as their king's orders fall, it takes us quite a long time to gather our troops."

"So that's why you prepared Plan B..." Mei Ling was able to understand what Milenius was saying now. They had a fundamental limit. Gullveig was late to react because they were an "alliance," not a "kingdom"; Mei Ling realized this fact too late.

"Yes." Milenius nodded. "So the Plan B that we prepared is... we're planning on using the white knight Brynhildr as much as possible in this strategy."

"What are you talking about, Andrei?"

"The white knight Brynhildr is definitely strong."

"Yes."

"But the chance that Brynhildr will win in a direct fight with Kang Chul-In... is extremely low."

"But...!"

"Yes, I know that Brynhildr has mastered the sword, as you said. But look at Kang Chul-In, Mei Ling. He is a monster who destroyed Neptune Spear's iron fleet in a short amount of time."

"..."

"Even though Brynhildr has become stronger, Tactician Kwak Jun and I think that Kang Chul-In cannot be defeated."

"Then..."

"Yes, Mei Ling."

Tap, tap! Milenius moved the black king and the white knight on top of Styx.

"Our plan... in this port city Styx..."

"...!"

Milenius's plan that came after was quite aggressive. 10 minutes later...

"H-How...!?"

Mei Ling was extremely surprised after hearing Milenius's strategy.

"Andrei... what you said right now...! I-It's so...!"

"This is the only way, Mei Ling."

"B-But... this is really...!"

"Mei Ling!"

"...!"

"You have to have a strong mind! You didn't already forget about how your brother, Overlord Ao Xin, died, right?"

"...!"

"Why don't you know that you can't kill Kang Chul-In with that weak personality!?" He scolded her.

"A-Andrei...!"

"Blood of iron! Kang Chul-In is a demon who'll do anything to get what he wants! Fighting ethically against such a man means that you're going to lose!"

"...!"

"Mei Ling, you are the queen who rules over our great northern alliance! Also, you are also a little sister who lost her brother! How can you think about fighting with ethics in this situation?

"Andrei..." Mei Ling trailed off.

I-I...!

At the same time, a change occurred within her.

I am the queen of the north... I... I am the leader of the northern alliance...! Andrei is right... I have to change... I

have to become stronger... and crueler...!

Then, Mei Ling opened her mouth.

"Fine, Andrei."

"Have you come to a decision?"

"Yes. I will accept your plan." Mei Ling spoke with a stiff face. "Since we can't expect loyalty from the white knight Brynhildr... it's a card we can throw away..."

"Yes, Mei Ling. That's correct."

"Good, then now... I'll..."

"We need to raise our allies' morale."

"Right we need to."

With Neptune Spear, the one who bragged about being peerless, dead, the fighting spirit of the Alliance was bent.

"Mei Ling."

"Yes, Andrei."

"Please go to the frontlines."

"Sorry?"

"We need your abilities of motivation. Isn't Agitator the best ability to raise the fighting spirit of our allied forces?"

"Right!"

"Also, it'll be a great strength to the soldiers that you yourself are stepping up. No matter what anyone says, the leader of the great alliance is you, Mei Ling."

"Sounds good." Mei Ling nodded. "I'll head to the frontlines and lead our troops."

"You've thought well, Mei Ling."

"Then please handle the commanding of the Pentagon, Andrei. I'll give you all authority."

"Don't worry, Mei Ling."

Heh.

Milenius spoke with a smile.

Nice... what a stupid thing...

It was a smile of satisfaction. Mei Ling was going to leave the Pentagon, leaving all her power behind?

That meant that Milenuius's plot was progressing little by little...

***

In the Gullveig Alliance's troop's camp of the port city Styx...

"How should I do this..." In the middle of the night, Kwak Jun contemplated to himself. "Now I really have to stick to one side..."

He sensed that it wasn't time to push back his decision. The power of the Gullveig Alliance was greater, so it wouldn't topple right away, but it would be extremely disadvantageous if they lost the defense of Styx. In the case of the Valhalla kingdom, the instant they lost, their entire kingdom would shake.

"Is it Kang Chul-In or Mei Ling... dammit... it's so hard..."

It was a dilemma. Depending on what side he chose, what he would earn and gain was different.

"There's no way that guy wouldn't know that... picking Kang Chul-In in the end..."

The "that guy" he spoke about here was obviously Kwak Jung. Kwak Jung's existence was on his mind when he considered betraying Kang Chul-In. There was no way Kwak Jung wouldn't expect his betrayal.

"Whew..." His contemplation continued. "Just the way I've been doing it, then..."

It was then.

"Vito Clemenza's tactician, Kwak Jun."

"...!"

"Shh, quietly."

Kwak Jun was taken aback at the voice he heard from behind him.

"W-Who...!"

"I am..."

The woman who appeared through the darkness revealed her identity.

Her tight black bodysuit showed the curves of her body beautifully.

"I am the vice-director of the intelligence bureau of the great Valhalla kingdom, Niu."

"...!"

"I've come to deliver the words of the Supreme King of the West."

"I-Is that so?"

Shiver! Kwak Jung chills run down his back at Niu's appearance. Just when had she invaded the center of the Gullveig Alliance camp?

A scary network of information... if they have spies deep in enemy territory...!

That moment, any thoughts of betraying Kang Chul-In flew out of his head.

I have to go this way... no matter what...!

Betraying him was crazy. If the vice-director came herself, it meant that he was being observed for at least 12 hours per day. The moment he betrayed them...

I'm dead.

It was very likely he would move onto the Beyond without anyone knowing.

"The Supreme King of the West has something to...?"

"Yes."

"What...?"

"Just one sentence."

"...?"

"'Earn your keep.' That's it."

"...!"

"Then, I'll..." Swish!

Niu entered the darkness after that short goodbye.

"..."

Kwak Jung didn't have anything to say. He just thought of what Kang Chul-In said to him, to "earn his keep."

***

The Esmeralda territory.

Dum, dum dum! Dun dun! Dum! The war drum rang out.

"Hurrah for his Majesty!"

"Hurrah!"

"Hurrah for the Valhalla Kingdom!"

"Hurrah!"

The Valhalla kingdom soldiers all cheered, and Kang Chul-In entered Esmeralda on a red carpet. He had finally succeeded in taking over the strategic heart of Pangaea!

"Your Majesty, congratulations on your victory." The second-in-command of the Valhalla kingdom, Lucia, greeted Kang Chul-In first.

"Thanks, Lucia."

"It was a great victory!"

"It was nothing." Kang Chul-In replied with a grin.

"Hehe... Y-Your Majesty?" Next was Kwak Jung. "As you said, here's a red carpet...!"

"Hm..."

"Hehehe..."

"Good work."

"T-Thank you!"

"I heard it was an easy victory?" Kang Chul-In's expression when saying that looked mixed. He didn't like it. He should've been happy about finally gaining Esmeralda, the heart of Pangaea, but he thought that it was too easy. There was a saying from the past that people who liked free things became bald.

"Well... it might be okay since we have people with mustaches."

"Pardon?"

"Hm?"

"Y-Your Majesty?"

"What?"

"Are you planning on signing up for the Bald People's Union...?"

Kwang!

"Ack!" Kwak Jung shouted after being flicked by Kang Chul-In.

"Stop with the bullshit."

"S-Sorry..."

"Anyways, they basically just handed it over."

"Yes... the Alliance took some time to gather their soldiers. Also, your Majesty defended Venetz first..."

"They gave it up too easily?"

"Yes."'

Kwak Jung nodded. "Esmeralda is important, but not that important, so they must've thought that there's no need to be so desperate for this territory."

"You're right."

"Anyways, it's not completely free. If you hadn't covered Venetz alone, then we wouldn't have been this fortunate."

He was right. All of the Gullveig Alliance's plans fizzled away because of Kang Chul-In.

"Is that so?"

"Definitely." Kwak Jung nodded. "Who would've expected it? Even if Neptune Spear was able to stall for ten days, it would have been difficult to protect the Esmeralda territory."

"Mm...!"'

"Anyways, it was a great battle. The defense of Venetz is a story that'll be told for many generations. Hahaha~!" Kwak Jung complimented Kang Chul-In.

"Ha, that was nothing." And Kang Chul-In had an awkward smile, not feeling too bad.

"Then..."

"Yes?"

"Is it Styx?"

"Yes." Kwak Jung's eyes shined. "The battle at Styx is the focus of this war."

"Would they really have been waiting for us?"

"Of course."

"This time, strategies will be useless."

Kang Chul-In knew that the battle at Styx would be a direct fight from his experience.

"Wouldn't it? There's nothing to do but meet it head on..."

Kwak Jung agreed with him.

"Then..." Kang Chul-In spoke with a grin. "We should destroy everything."

"Of course!"

"But before that."

"...?"

"Let's do some tomb raiding."

"Pardon?"

"I'm planning on looting some bastard's grave."

The Emperor of Blood and Iron, Julius Berlineta Pon Aurangzeb. Kang Chul-In was going to listen to Vulkan and enter the sewers.

Chapter 318: From despair to hope (1)

Translator: Leyy3

In the middle of the night in the Gullveig Alliance's camp of the port city Styx...

Why now...

Kwak Jun was left deep in contemplation after Niu left.

Dammit... what do you want me to do...

Since he was told to earn his keep, he needed to do something, but there wasn't anything he could act as a spy for. Strategy? None of that was important for the battle that would happen in Styx soon. It would be a fight of strength against strength! Those trying to break through, the Valhalla Kingdom, and those trying to block them, the Gullveig Alliance. It was obvious that it was going to be a fight of strength, so what could he do as a spy? The most he could do would be delivering the battle tactics and plans of the Gullveig Alliance.

What is he thinking? This isn't the best time to make the most out of me. Hmm...

As his contemplation continued,

"Is he saying that I should raise our chances of victory by at least a 1% chance?" Kwak Jung came to his decision. "Well... I guess so... since taking over Styx is the most important right now."

It meant that Kang Chul-In had decided to use him actively starting from this battle, which was understandable. Kwak Jun really needed to start earning his keep considering the amount of money that Kang Chul-In supported Vito Clemenza with.

"And since I chose now..." Kwak Jung extended his hand towards a cube that had the strategies of the Gullveig Alliance stored inside of it. "I might as well do my best."

Because he was the commander-in-chief, his level of authority was right below Andrei Ivanovich and Mei Ling's. This meant that he could deliver nearly all information to Kang Chul-In.

"Sir. Her Majesty has come."

The knight who was in charge of guarding him announced the arrival of the Mei Ling.

His hand reaching for the cube paused.

"Y-Your Majesty!"

"You're working so hard... even though it's so late at night..."

"It's nothing!"

"Can I sit down?"

"Of course." Kwak Jun signaled for her to sit. "What happened? You should be commanding the sovereigns of the alliance at the Pentagon..."

"I left that to Andrei Ivanovich. His charisma is more outstanding than mine, so there shouldn't be a problem. Also... there's something that only I can do here."

"Ah...!" He realized why Mei Ling had suddenly come. "Neptune Spear's..."

"Yes, that's correct." Mei Ling nodded. "I thought we would need to raise the morale of our soldiers."

"That's a wise judgment of yours."

"Your compliments are too much."

"Haha..."

"Are you working late into the night like this usually?"

"Of course. Our forces are many, but our opponent is the unmatched army of Kang Chul-In. We have to make sure things go smoothly without a hitch."

"You're a very careful person, commander... it's fitting of the one who leads our alliance."

"It's only my job."

Kwak Jun didn't lose his humble attitude even after Mei Ling complimented him.

Dammit, just when I was trying to pass the information over.

Inside, he was cursing Mei Ling for coming at this time.

"How trustworthy... ah, also."

"Please speak."

"How is Lord Vito Clemenza?"

"...!"

"From what I know, he's never shown himself in public..."

"He's getting better."

"Ah, is he?"

"But he's still uncomfortable with walking around, so he's staying on Earth with his secretary. He'll probably come back soon, and he wants to speak with Your Majesty..."

"I see." Mei Ling nodded. "Alright. If you lead our alliance to victory in this war, we'll help you with anything to help Lord Vito recover."

"T, Thank you!"

"Also..."

"...?"

"Commander Kwak, we're planning on rewarding you separately as well. You'll like it."

"Haha...!"

"So I'll leave it in your hands, Commander Kwak."

"You don't have to worry."

"Then I'll be off. Since it's late, I'll relay news about my family tomorrow in the morning."

"Will you?"

"Yes. Oh, and..." Mei Ling looked back at Kwak Jun. "I hope you get

a few hours of sleep at the least... as the commander-in-chief of our Alliance soldiers, it's very important for you to maintain your health."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Then I'll really be off now."

Mei Ling stepped out of Kwak Jun's office.

"Whew..." After she left, he sighed in relief. "She came just when I made my decision..."

He wouldn't be suspected just because he was touching the cube, but he felt it prick at his conscience. Still, he wasn't going to stop handing the information over to Kang Chul-In.

***

Before leaving for the Emperor of Blood and Iron's grave, he promised peace to the citizens of Esmeralda territory.

"Y-Your Majesty...!" Skadi, who had rushed over in the Warp Gate after hearing the news, had tears brimming in her eyes.

"I promised." Kang Chul-In spoke with a grin. "When you left your body to me, I promised I would regain Esmeralda for you. Do you remember?"

"Of course...!"

"I'm keeping that promise now."

"Your Majesty...!"

"Sorry it's so late..."

Suddenly, Skadi jumped into Kang Chul-In's arms.

"Huk... huk huk...!"

"Why are you crying?"

"B-Because I'm so happy...! I-I really... didn't know... such a day would come...!"

"Skadi..."

"Your Majesty..." Skadi couldn't say anything while she cried in his arms.

"It's all okay now." Kang Chul-In was speaking in a rare soft voice that was reserved for his wife (technically, for one of his wives) and stroked her back.

A kind woman...

He felt how pure of a personality Skadi had again. A few years ago, right after the first Lords' Meeting, Skadi had given up her authority after predicting her death and left her body in Kang Chul-In's care. At that time, she had said this:

"The prediction that I saw last... had the citizens of Esmeralda territory suffering eternally. I don't care however long it takes... Unless someone takes complete control over Esmeralda, the citizens will be pained forever... I couldn't see a solution. Except for you."

She had sacrificed herself. Realizing that she couldn't protect her citizens herself, she had left her body to Kang Chul-In so the future of her people would be better. It was all for her people! Was it common to find a woman like her who had sacrificed herself for people she didn't even know? She had left her body to the rumored great villain, murderer, and demon, Kang Chul-In. It wasn't something that could be easily done.

"Huk... huk huk huk..."

Skadi cried for quite a while after that, and she continued until she almost fainted. She felt empathetic. After all, Skadi was a part of an oppressed group of people on Earth, the gypsies. Because the people in Esmeralda territory also trembled in near, not having any stable home, she couldn't help but relate to them.

"It's alright now."

"Your Majesty..."

"I'll repay all the pain that the citizens felt until now."

"...!"

"Also," He added on. "I'll promise you."

"What...?"

"This land won't be taken or become a war territory ever again."

"...!"

"So be at ease. Everything's really over now."

"Huk...!" Skadi burst into tears again. She was touched. Kang Chul-In's promise was held in higher regard than any other's. The words of the Supreme King of the West weren't to be taken lightly. Esmeralda would never fall into anyone's hands ever again, and this was because Kang Chul-In had said so.

After Kang Chul-In calmed Skadi down, he gathered all the citizens of Esmeralda.

Dum dum! A loud drum echoed in the air,

"His Supreme Majesty, Kang Chul-In~!"

And Kang Chul-In revealed himself, with the martial artists of the Valhalla Kingdom at his side.

But...

"..."

Kang Chul-In was speechless after seeing the people.

"...Are they ghosts?"

That was his first reaction after seeing the people of Esmeralda.

"..."

There was no cheering or applause. The citizens of Esmeralda didn't have any reaction to their new Lord. They just stood there like emotionless scarecrows.

"You dare...!?"

The generals of the Valhalla Kingdom spoke with rage.

"I've never seen such disrespectful people in my life...!" Amur bared his teeth and growled.

"You don't even know the 'R' in respect...!" Drakan, who was always composed, was also furious.

"You dare...!"

"Are you looking down on our king!"

"Your Majesty! Punish them...!"

The other generals had the same reactions.

"Hmmm..."

"As I expected..."

On the other hand, Kwak Jung and Lucia observed the situation with amusement. They knew why the people of Esmeralda had to react like that.

"Your Majesty!"

Just then, Amur turned to Kang Chul-In with his fur raised.

"Those disrespectful servants have..."

"Be quiet."

"Please kill a few of those disrespectful..."

"I said to be quiet."

"...!"

"Everyone under me, close your mouths."

A scary light flashed from Kang Chul-In's eyes,

"...!"

And the generals all zipped their mouths. No one dared to refuse his orders.

"Whew."

Kang Chul-In sighed after giving the orders. He knew why the people of Esmeralda were acting like this.

They must have suffered so much.

The reason was simple.

They don't even have any thoughts of rebelling against the new authority.

Changing of the rulers in Esmeralda was all too common, and every time it happened, they had to suffer somehow. That meant that no matter who was ruling over Esmeralda, it was always at its worst. When they began to become familiar with the system, another war occurred, and the master of the territory changed. Also, the new masters of Esmeralda were usually all focused on their militaries and only built the most basic of structures like tents or camps. They didn't invest anything into it because they didn't know when it was going to be taken. The Esmeralda now and the one in the past that Kang Chul-In knew was cursed.

Now, they don't even have the strength to be angry... is this what true despair is?

Kang Chul-In smiled bitterly thinking of the Esmeralda in the past. He had dominated this land back then, and he hadn't acted much differently from other Lords. Rather, he had probably been worse than them. Back then, he hadn't known how pained the people were.

But now, he could see.

"Everyone, listen!"

Kang Chul-In's clear voice that rang throughout all of Esmeralda territory woke up the citizens from their blank looks.

"...!" The people of the Esmeralda territory all shuddered at the booming voice. Kang Chul-In's shout was the signal fire that woke up the Esmeralda people.

"I, the Supreme King, Kang Chul-In, know how much you have all suffered over the last four years." His speech began. "The endless war, exhaustion, and the change of authority... living in a war territory must've been like walking in a tunnel without any light. But!"

It was a promise.

"Not anymore!"

It was a promise to Skadi, one of his wives, and to the people of the Esmeralda territory.

"I know how you see me. I'm only a stranger that could leave at any moment. You probably think I'll leave after giving this place over to the northern alliance, the Gullveig alliance. Am I wrong?" He asked the people of Esmeralda.

"..."

A heavy silence. No one responded. Who would dare? The man in front of them was the evil conqueror of Pangaea. They might have lost all sense of hope, but they still valued their lives.

"Anyone can answer!"

However, Kang Chul-In didn't step back.

"..."

Even so, they just looked at him with blank eyes. The faces of the generals turned as red as tomatoes. Kang Chul-In raised his hands to calm them down. He had already given his orders, but he knew that their excessive loyalty could cause them to make mistakes.

They won't answer... well, I expected that.

Also, Kang Chul-In knew how the people of Esmeralda would respond to his speech.

"Is there really no one who would like to answer my question?"

"..."

The silence continued.

"Alright."

Kang Chul-In nodded.

Then...

"I will give the brave person who answers my question 100 gold pieces and first-class citizenship to my kingdom."

It was an incredible reward. A hundred gold pieces was about 40 million won in Korean currency. Not to mention, first-class citizenship? This was an honorable rank given to families who had soldiers in the army for over 2 years. First-class citizens had great benefits given to them. Moreover, for an ordinary person to become a government worker or support the kingdom internally, they had to be a first-class citizen. Because of this, the citizens of the Valhalla kingdom were all voluntarily joining the military to become first-class citizens. That was how valued being a first-class citizen was.

"Also." Kang Chul-In didn't stop there. "I'll reward a residence in the capital of Metalia that a family of four can live in, and I'll give you any job you want. Of course, I guarantee retirement too."

It was a reward that anyone would want. The price of land in Metalia was astronomical, and it was like saying that one would receive land smack dab in the middle of Gangnam in Seoul.

The response was immediate.

"R-Really?"

"No way... don't believe him... it's a scam..."

"He's lying... lying..."

"You never know..."

The people of Esmeralda began to murmur at his delicious temptation,

"Here!"

And a young man at the very front raised his hand.

Fuck it...!

The young man clenched his teeth.

He thought that the worst that could happen would be his death.

"Your name?"

Kang Chul-In asked.

"Mike Jackson."

"What?"

"Mike Jackson..."

"Can you moonwalk?"

"Pardon?"

"N-Never mind."

Kang Chul-In quickly turned his head around after seeing the young man named Mike Jackson's face.

Because...

Shit... why does he look so similar...

The young man was very similar to the great musician, the "King of Pop, Michael Jackson."

"Anyway."

Kang Chul-In spoke again, pulling himself together.

"I'll ask you questions."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Do I seem like a stranger to you?"

"C-Can I be honest..."

"Of course."

"T-Then..."

When Kang Chul-In nodded, Mike Jackson began to speak his mind.

"You are correct."

"Really?"

"Yes... those in authority in Esmeralda have always been evil bosses and strangers who would leave soon..."

"What do

you think the reason for that is?"

"That's..." Mike Jackson thought for a moment. "Because this place is a war territory."

This is how he answered Kang Chul-In's question.

"War territory?"

"Yes, sir."

"Be specific."

"It's exactly as I said. This Esmeralda territory... is a cursed land where wars don't ever end."

Yes, a cursed land. The important strategic land for Lords was only a cause of suffering for the people.

"I see." Kang Chul-In nodded after hearing Mike Jackson's response. "So?"

"Yes?"

"Have you... found a way to solve it?"

"...?"

"A way to escape from this suffering."

"T-That's..."

There was no way he had. The reasons were the following:

1. Rebelling?

Result:

A futile death. It was impossible to rise up against the Lord and his subordinates.

2. Running away?

Result:

Another futile death. The Gullveig Alliance had forced them to farm or work in the military, and even took women to satisfy the sexual desires of the soldiers. To them, the people of Esmeralda were just slaves or cattle that could be used when they needed them; animals that could be used if they were fed corn and water. No person in authority would ever let their slaves escape after they bought them.

In fact, the Gullveig Alliance had created a team called SCS, the Slave Chaser Squadron, to hunt down runaways.

"We have no way..." Mike Jackson replied in a weak voice. "How could normal people like us be able to escape from the hands of the Lords? We are slaves who can't rebel or run away... Just because of the fact that we are born in this cursed land, we must suffer forever..."

"Hmmm..."

"And we can't all toss ourselves into the Hartum River since there's 100,000 of us... even though we live like pigs..."

They lived because they couldn't die. That was what Mike Jackson was saying.

"It's simple." Kang Chul-In spoke.

"Pardon?"

"I can simply fix those lives of yours that are no better than pigs."

"...!"

"It's too easy for me."

But Mike Jackson didn't believe him, so he shouted, not able to control himself.

"Liar!"

He had lost his sense of rationality. Kang Chul-In's attitude of speaking of the pain of the people in Esmeralda like it was nothing infuriated him.

"W-What did that human just say?"

"Easy? Haha... hahahahah...!"

"Bullshit... what would a gold spoon know? Does he think he's all that just because he's a Lord?"

"What would he know... what would he know...!?"

The people of Esmeralda began to bustle with anger. Meanwhile, Mike Jackson was showing his courage by shouting at Kang Chul-In again.

"You hypocrite...!"

"Oho?"

Kang Chul-In wasn't angered. Rather, he had a smile as he looked at Mike Jackson and the people of Esmeralda.

"Do you think we'll believe that bullshit?"

"Why is it bullshit?"

"You don't know anything... anything..."

"Hm?"

"How can you speak about our pathetic lives so easily...? How? Look here, Supreme King of the West... Are you a god? To be able to change our pig-like lives?"

"Of course."

"...!"

"Other people might not be able to do it, but I can."

"How...!?"

"I'll show you."

At the same time,

Kashing!

Kang Chul-In raised Kaiforce.

"...!"

Mike Jackson shut his eyes thinking that the scary sword was raised against him. He could hear the sound of the sword moving through the air.

Fuck... so this is how I die...? That hypocrite...!

Mike Jackson cursed Kang Chul-In. He had said he would give money and a house but it was all a lie.

Boom...!

The castle entrance of the territory came crumbling down.

"...!"

"Why are you scared?"

Mike Jackson looked behind him at the entrance of Esmeralda.

"Go!" Kang Chul-In's shout rang in his ear. "You're free!"

Free? What was he talking about?

***

At the same time, in some old ruins of the sewers under Esmeralda...

"Hm... so disgusting... ugh...!"

It had been 6 days since Dorian had started searching for the Emperor of Blood and Iron's grave.

"Aigoo... your Highness... we're going to die...! P-Please, just a bit slower...!"

About 100 dwarves were following him. Along with the ant-species, dwarves were best in tomb raiding, so it was obvious that he was bringing them along.

"No!" Dorian didn't have any mercy. "If we can't find it soon Kang Chul-In will scold us!"

It was the truth. Kang Chul-In was obviously going to complain that they hadn't been able to find it after six days.

"..."

The dwarves all shut their mouths and began to move again. It was best to work hard during times like this. Another day passed.

"Wow...!" Dorian Explorer luckily found an iron door that was about 20 meters tall. "How do I open this...?"

It was made of strong iron, so Dorian was left contemplating for a while.

"W-We don't really know either..."

"Other than breaking it..."

"Hm..."

He thought to himself for a moment.

"Is that the only way? Hehe..."

Urrrrng!

The red gauntlet in his hand began to flare up.

"Y-Your Highness!"

"No way...!"

"You can't!"

It was too late. His Shotgun Fist burst forward at the door.

Clang! Boom...!

The door crumbled down.

"Cough! Cough cough!"

"Uk...!"

Dust covered them, but it was a relief. Only the door collapsed, and the sewers were still intact.

"Ugh... look at the dust..."

After some time, they entered what they assumed was the grave of the Emperor of Blood and Iron.

But...

"Huh?" Dorian was greeted by someone familiar... "W-What... why are you here?"

In the endless darkness...

"Kang Chul-In? You were here already?"

A man with Kang Chul-In's appearance was looking at him.

Heh.

With that shameless smile.

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