Chapter 106

Despite not being part of the same force or alliance, enemies were converging simultaneously. The attacks came from three directions: Thunderbird’s army marching from the west, the fanatics’ forces advancing from the south, and a swarm of wyverns flying from the southwest.

Which one posed the greatest threat?

It’s hard to say.

Common sense dictated that the two groups with special bosses would be more dangerous. While I focused on establishing the Human Empire’s foundations internally, monsters from the flower shop had taken control at the edges of the board.

They might not have reached Mythical grade yet…but they’re likely stronger than the Ice Queen who couldn’t even capture ten castles.

However, the danger posed by the wyvern swarm approaching from inland shouldn’t be underestimated either.

Their average level is quite high.

Even the regular wyverns scattered across the battlefield were hero-ranked monsters. They couldn’t be dismissed as mere foot soldiers, even without being elites or bosses. Moreover, these creatures possessed flight capabilities, allowing them to bypass castle walls effortlessly.

“They’re coming! The monsters are approaching!”

“Archers, prepare! Wait for my signal!”

“Do as you’ve been trained! Trust your guns; they’ve improved significantly!”

“Aim steadily!”

Soldiers densely packed along the castle walls, which was counterintuitive due to the risk of mass casualties from a single wyvern’s breath attack. Indeed, flames began gathering in the mouths of the flying wyverns overhead. Each one, classified as hero-level, could have slaughtered over a thousand soldiers in the past!

“Snipers at the ready! Fire!”

However, not one soldier fell victim to their fiery breaths.

Bang-bang-bang! Bang! Bang!

“Ack! The recoil is…!”

“Hold on tight and keep firing! Stop whining; you’ve leveled up quite a bit already!”

Four thousand sniper rifles simultaneously spat fire. These defensive objects dealt identical damage regardless of a Player’s level or stats. In the game, there was a limit of about a thousand due to space constraints, but here, jae-yeon could utilize them as much as he wanted.

If it weren’t for the restriction that keeps me from carrying these outside the castle walls, I would’ve formed a special unit.

He couldn’t help feeling disappointed by this limitation, given how powerful snipers were.

Bam-bam-bam-bam!

“Kree?!”

“Skraaah!”

The sky was filled with wyverns swooping down on them, but they began to plummet one by one like bugs sprayed with insecticide from as far away as 700-800 meters.

“Wow, this is working well.”

It had less to do with their intensive shooting training and more with how numerous and large the targets were that flew too close for comfort. Regardless, what mattered most was being able to attack at a range much farther than the enemy’s reach.

“It’s even better than I thought. This is exactly why we need interceptors against flying enemies.”

In truth, hero-rank monsters boasted extraordinary defense and health stats. If these incoming creatures were land-based heroes, it would take dozens of bullets just to inflict significant damage. However, when dealing with beasts weighing several tons soaring through the air…

Even just tearing their wing membranes would be catastrophic for them.

Krakoom! Bam! Boom!

“Kreeee!”

“Skraaah!”

The wyverns screeched as they plummeted to the ground, tracing parabolic arcs through the air. Despite being hero-rank monsters, there was no way they could survive falling hundreds of meters with such massive bodies. The impact rendered them unable to get back up easily, and all they could do was flap their wings feebly. A few unlucky ones broke their necks upon landing.

And when a wyvern dies like this…

He turned his attention to check on his soldiers. As expected, it had happened.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

Level-up notifications erupted from various locations along the castle walls. It was inevitable, considering the buff granted double experience points for defeating high-level wyverns.

‘I didn’t bombard them for this reason.’

It was natural to utilize the 200% experience buff. Of course, there were risks involved, such as wyverns breaking through the firestorm!

Hwahk!

Wyverns entered within 100-200 meters and spewed their breath. Fireballs the size of human bodies flew towards the soldiers.

“Yikes!”

“Defend! Shield wielders!”

“Don’t panic! Do you doubt His Majesty’s words?”

As someone shouted, there was naturally a countermeasure in place. After all, this wasn’t just any mythical castle.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

A translucent barrier blocked the breath attacks. I checked the numbers appearing on one side of the screen:

[Mana Shield]

998,176/1,000,000

The mana shield was one of the main functions installed in the guild tower’s integrated control room (legendary). It couldn’t directly block enemies like castle walls but could certainly defend against long-distance attacks. Above all, it wasn’t charged with diamonds like Restoration Points, which was a huge advantage. Even during battles, mana would automatically recharge over time.

Of course, there were wyverns that somehow flew over the castle walls to attack soldiers.

“Shield wielders!”

“Don’t face them alone! Stick together!”

Boom!

A group of shield wielders rushed forward and blocked their path. The battered wyverns, having barely penetrated the firestorm, were finished off by sword strikes or pushed down from dozens of meters above the castle walls.

But that wasn’t all.

“It’s our turn now! Finish them off!”

“All hands! Charge!”

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The Knights Guild had been waiting just outside the castle wall and rushed to attack the wounded wyverns lying on the ground. Naturally, they also collected any loot dropped by their foes afterward.

“Excellent. No problems here.”

Despite facing enemies much stronger than themselves, jae-yeon’s soldiers sustained minimal damage thanks to the overwhelming advantages afforded by this mythical-grade castle environment.

“Push boulders down! Shoot arrows!”

“Don’t let those bastards climb over the walls!”

“Defend the gate!”

At the western gate, things were progressing smoothly as well. Unlike the wyverns, which were all hero rank, most of these monsters were high- or rare-rank, making them susceptible to both rocks and arrows.

The only issue was that lightning-attribute monsters were raining bolts down on top of the castle walls.

Krak!

Sure enough, they were blocked by the barrier.

Graaaaah!

Stomp!

A rare elite monster, Thunder Giant, let out a roar and slammed its foot against the ground. Despite its enormous size, it executed an agile jump. However, even at over five hundred feet tall, it couldn’t clear the castle wall, which resembled skyscrapers more than traditional fortifications. Realizing this, the giant swung its right arm to strike the wall. It appeared as if it intended to anchor itself with one fist before attempting another leap.

Crack!

“Ahhhhh?!”

The monster with its right arm shattered slid down the castle wall amidst a spray of blood. The castle wall remained unscathed. These monsters were formidable… but the height and strength of the mythical grade castle walls were truly lethal. It was futile to attack walls that could withstand missile bombardment.

“They are blocking well.”

I slowly observed everything. Just in case, I had loaded Railgun-16 (Legendary) and Meteor Cannon (Legendary), but it seemed there was no need to fire them. No matter how powerful their strength, a Mythical castle couldn’t be captured by blindly rushing at it.

”…Oh?”

However, not all the monsters were charging blindly.

Step! Step! Step!

I was located in one of the auxiliary buildings installed at the guild tower—the Comprehensive Control Room—where I observed an army approaching through the south gate via display devices. Unlike hundreds of wyverns or thousands of lightning monsters, this enemy had a form that was too ‘un-monster-like’.

‘Humanoid monsters.’

Anyone who played RPG games knew that not all monsters were non-human entities like magic beasts. From minor enemies labeled as thug 1, thug 2 to soldiers, knights, mages, etc., depending on the story, various opponents antagonized the protagonist as ‘monsters’. The forces of the right side shop, the fanatical followers of the Heavenly Deity (Heavenly God believers), were also such cases.

According to the setting…

The Heavenly Deity religion was an extremist sect rejected even by the Holy Empire. They held exclusive doctrines stating that the Heavenly Deity was the only true god, while other gods were mere false idols.

‘When other humans were dying at the hands of monsters, this group received mysterious power and became a formidable force. In fact, according to the lore, their deity was an ancient sealed Outer God.’

The leader of these beings was Edward, the Special Boss with Light attribute, known as the Fanatic. He currently led the advancing army.

Bang! Bang-bang!

Shots fired from the castle walls had no effect on the Heavenly Soldiers (Rare), who wore full-body armor. Most of them carried large shields, making them even more impervious.

‘Huh? Wait… Something is strange here?’

jae-yeon already knew what Heavenly Soldiers looked like thanks to fan sites and forums.

‘The equipment they’re wielding doesn’t seem as sturdy as I remember…’

Hooooo!

Hoooooooooo!

Hundreds of elephants larger than dump trucks marched towards the castle in perfect formation. The problem was that they weren’t monsters.

“Wait, their appearance…aren’t these the killer elephants from the Great Forest?”

Magic beasts were creatures born when ordinary animals evolved after consuming ten humans. They were commonly called ‘ten-man beasts’ since exactly ten people had to be eaten for them to transform. Over time, as magic beasts continued devouring humans, they evolved by growing horns, increasing their size, thickening their hide, and so on.

Once such cannibalism reached one thousand victims…

These terrifying creatures became so powerful that it took an entire army just to defeat one. Such beasts were known as heavenly demons (thousand-man beasts).

In the past, I was considered an outsider when I acquired this territory due to the previous feudal lords being killed off by Akalan, the Great Wolf and heavenly demon who had established his domain nearby.

Before gates appeared and monsters started emerging from them, he used to be humanity’s greatest enemy.

But now, they’re on the brink of extinction.

That’s right; it’s the harsh reality. Ever since gates began spawning monsters, sightings of magic beasts have become exceedingly rare.

Yet here were hundreds gathered together, all heavenly demons without a single ten- or hundred-man beast among them. Having lived in Ardenia for over twenty years, this scenario seemed utterly implausible to me.

“I need to check this out.” Rising from my seat, I felt restless anyway.

“South Gate.” Pressing a section of the massive map covering one wall automatically connected me via communication channels—a feature made especially convenient during these times when stock trading is disabled and chat functions are inaccessible.

This feature was extremely convenient now that I had sold all my stocks and couldn’t chat anymore.

[L-Loyalty! Lieutenant Quickstep, commander of the Iron Castle’s First Army, Second Infantry Brigade, Third Company! Currently preparing for defense!] His pronunciation was so fast and clear it made me wonder if he was a rapper. It seemed like he must have practiced his rank and name every day to achieve such speed.

“Uh, yes. Send support from the snipers prepared for defense to the wyvern battle.”

[…]

Quickstep momentarily stumbled at my command. It was natural since I ordered him to withdraw maximum firepower just as the enemy was about to attack.

“But Your Majesty! The enemies are currently…”

“I’m going there myself.”

Quickstep’s tone immediately changed upon hearing my response.

“[Eh?! Yes! I will execute your orders immediately! Loyalty!]”

Beep.

I cut off the communication and looked around the integrated control room. It was empty since it was a newly constructed annex building.

“From now on, we need to have people stationed here.”

The ability to monitor the entire castle situation, detect Stealth up to high level, and send voice commands anywhere would be useful both during war and peacetime. Having commanders, staff officers, merchants, and administrators permanently stationed here would provide great assistance.

“Let’s see…”

I climbed onto the roof of the guild tower and pondered for a moment.

“Is it too much to equip full combat gear?”

I had already purchased the legendary rank equipment set with detailed options from the exchange. However, no matter how I thought about it… equipping that gear would be overkill.

It wasn’t carelessness but reality.

“Then this…”

Instead, I took out other equipment.

[Lucky Golden Crown Lv. 9 (Legendary)]

[Lucky Angel Wing Suit Lv. 9 (Legendary)]

[Lucky Black Suit Bottoms Lv. 9 (Legendary)]

[Lucky Brilliant Light Shoes Lv. 9 (Legendary)]

[Lucky Brilliant Light Gloves Lv. 9 (Legendary)]

After equipping everything, I looked at my appearance in the status window.

”…Damn it, even after carefully selecting them.”

A shining golden tiara. A top with angel wings attached. Glittering gloves and shoes. At least the suit pants were decent.

“It’s too flashy…”

The flamboyance was excessive. The aura unique to Lv. 9 items only added to the effect. And the icing on the cake…

[Lucky Rabbit’s Foot Hammer +9 (Legendary)]

“Oh boy…”

The weapon had the cute design of a rabbit foot, albeit one three times larger than a human head and covered with fur, making it look less menacing. Once again, jae-yeon had meticulously chosen his weapons based on appearance. These were the least offensive-looking items for each body part.

“The Anxiety Sprout set or Sexy Santa set? Better this than the Purring Heart set…”

Most luck-based items came from events, so they tended to have similar appearances.

“I just need to focus on their performance…”

Despite how awkward these weapons looked, there was no denying their benefits.

Luck: 47 (+590)

“Let’s check my drop rate first.”

I leaped from the rooftop towards the sky.

“Let’s draw it out!”

With my cry, I soared again from the roof.

“Graaah!” Kasim appeared with a roar and flew south after snatching up the day in the sky.

“Ah, at least maintain the minimum courtesy.”

I removed the Cold Protection Ring (Rare) +9, put it into my inventory, and took out the Light Dominance Ring (Legendary) +9 to equip it. In the buff window, cold resistance +90% disappeared, replaced by light resistance +90%. There was also damage +10% against light monsters and immunity to blindness added.

Matching one Resistance Ring with Legendary +9…

It was intoxicating.

Sssiiik!

The distance would’ve taken an hour by carriage, but Kasim reached our destination instantly.

Instead of going through the south gate, I flew straight into the middle of the monster crowd and cancelled Kasim’s summoning.

Kuuong!

The landing was rough enough to shake the surrounding ground. Despite not using Parkour, I felt no shock on my body as I stood up with satisfaction.

“God…”

“A madman.”

“How dare you…”

Everyone was watching me. The soldiers on the castle walls, over tens of thousands of fanatics. A man surrounded by a faint light—the special boss, Edward the Fanatic.