Chapter 134

I upgraded the World Tree Castle and Storm Castle to hero rank, installing defensive buildings and modification objects. Ideally, I wanted to upgrade them to legendary rank but my budget was insufficient. It wasn’t just about buying one castle; there were also additional buildings and objects that needed to be purchased.

‘Even with this much done, it should be able to easily block nearby monsters…’

The problem was the monsters on the mainland.

Huk.

As my consciousness sank, my inner world opened up. The room had clearly expanded after reaching the fifth floor of chakra boundaries. I looked at the Go board occupying one side wall.

“As expected…this is happening.”

Attribute-type monsters occupying hotspots were undoubtedly troublesome enemies, but they also acted as barriers preventing high-level monsters from the mainland from venturing outwards.

Now with the deaths of Ice Queen from the right flower shop, Edward from the left flower shop, and Storm Pirate from the bottom flower shop, their previously occupied territories have been reset, reverting to how monsters naturally emerged. As a result, it’s natural for hero- or even legendary-ranked monsters from the mainland to gradually expand their domains outward.

‘Hero-level monsters will claim the anchor points. No, eventually…most anchor points might be dominated by legendary monsters.’

Although Players of the Human Empire possess considerable power and continue to grow stronger, overcoming such adversaries in large-scale wars seems impossible under these circumstances.

In other words:

‘We need more castles to fight effectively.’

We require higher-ranked castles in greater numbers. Additionally, fully upgrading both auxiliary buildings and siege objects is essential.

“Ah.” The realization caused him to groan involuntarily.

“How much money do I need to make…?”

Despite working tirelessly every day, it felt insurmountable. The cheat of multiplying stocks by ten became useless due to the charging power, making the situation even more daunting.

“Ahh… Originally, castles were purchased with funds raised by guild members! Upgrades for附属 buildings were financed through taxes collected from the castle! How am I supposed to earn all that alone?!” He shouted in frustration from the pilot’s seat.

The land worm grumbled irritably.

“[Oh, stop whining.]”

“I’m sorry…” After apologizing, he slowly formed hand gestures, channeling Land Breaker and gathering energy throughout his body.

“Log out.”

Upon returning to Earth, he swiftly struck the neck of a golem approaching him head-on.

Crack! Boom!

Cold air cascaded around as the impact shook the ground.

“Log in.”

Upon returning to Ardenia, his trembling hands barely managed to drink a potion.

“Ahhh…I’m dying. Accumulated fatigue limits how much Songpyeon and potions can help.”

He closed his eyes while sitting in the pilot’s seat. Even using Perfect Sleep’s chakra technique only provided minor relief from mental exhaustion; it couldn’t fully eliminate it. The Land Breaker skill demanded immense strength and drained his Inner Force rapidly, akin to overexerting oneself with manual labor, despite his body being akin to a living weapon.

“One more shot, then I need a break from Earth for a while.”

With this determination, he activated his chakra. Through continuous practice, he had become proficient in the Ice Slash hand seals. Now, he could complete them within three seconds.

It was truly remarkable progress, constantly improving day by day. The difference between using a skill once every nine seconds, six seconds and then three seconds wasn’t just about doubling its usage. It made a huge difference in tight battles whether or not you could use a technique. Of course, it didn’t mean much to me.

Indeed, it didn’t matter at all. If I used the spell in Ardenia, the few seconds difference had no meaning. I focused on Land Breaker and tensed my muscles.

“Log out.”

As soon as I tried to swing the sword…

“I can’t move! Just despair!”

Blood pouring from all directions grabbed onto my body. That wasn’t all…

“Kuaaah!”

The corpse golem grabbed my body. The corpses forming its body desperately clung to me all over. At once, several tons of weight were attached to my entire body.

“D-Death’s One Strike!”

Then, with my movements restrained, Death’s Knight swung his sword towards me. A menacing black sword energy was attached to the blade. In that moment…

Ice Slash and Land Breaker.

Snap!

The blood covering my whole body was torn apart like paper.

Papapang!

The corpses clinging to my body exploded, scattering debris everywhere. I already halted the swing of my sword as I spoke:

“You can’t bind me with this much weight.”

Zzzing!

The monster bodies swept away in a fan shape, freezing belatedly. I heard groans from behind me.

“Wah, it is really brutal.”

“What? Why did you come out already?”

For a moment, I relaxed and turned to see Sungjae emerging from the horse-drawn carriage. It wasn’t just him; Hye-young, Olia, Lia were all checking their weapons and activating psychic energy.

‘Huh? Their physical conditions…’

Their condition had been almost near death before entering the flower carriage, but now they looked very good. The pallor on their faces was gone, and the wounds that nearly killed them were perfectly healed.

Olia shouted, “Teacher! What exactly is this Songpyeon? Its effect is truly amazing! I am completely recovered!”

‘Ah, it seems to have had a stronger effect on Olia. Her recovery was originally higher than her vitality.’

Still, everyone’s condition looked too good. The Songpyeon also increased mana recovery, so others would’ve benefited from that as well, but could they fully recover in such a short time?

As I stood amazed, Sungjae spoke up, “The flower carriage has a time acceleration function. We got plenty of rest, so you should go inside now.”

“Are you sure?”

Sungjae frowned slightly at my concern.

“Dude, we know you’re strong, but don’t underestimate us. There isn’t a single non-genius here, so stop worrying and get some rest.”

“You too, teacher! Don’t worry too much! It won’t spread as easily like before!”

“I have devised a plan.”

“It might be fine for you, Jae-yeon, but please take it easy.”

I pondered over their words briefly. Honestly, I could endure much more. My strongest advantage wasn’t my strength of over 800 points or various skill buffs, but rather the combat endurance gained from logging in and out.

‘However, I should moderate myself.’

In fact, I had already revealed too much of my abilities. No matter how much I pushed the concept of being a ‘power holder’, it was excessive.

“Yes. Then trust me and rest.”

“Ah, and Jae-yeon.”

“Hm?”

As I turned towards the horse-drawn carriage, Sungjae spoke with magic power surrounding his body.

“The Songpyeon… isn’t it?”

‘I see, he noticed.’

I let out a bitter smile but it wasn’t hard to guess. Songpyeon was common everywhere, but one with increased recovery and mana restoration effects lasting for four hours… The veteran Sungjae couldn’t fail to recognize its identity as ‘Revenge’.

“Later.”

“No… Are you the son or nephew of some game master? Or maybe a cousin?”

Hye-young paused at his words.

“It isn’t about being born with a silver spoon…” I ignored her grumbling and entered the flower carriage.

“Login.”

Then I entered Ardenia.

“Good. This time, we can rest on Earth.”

I thought there would be more intense battles ahead, but now we had some breathing room. There were still many monsters around, but Sungjae’s confident declaration suggested he might have a plan.

[Jae-yeon.]

“Ah yes. Stop talking to yourself…”

[That isn’t it. That woman has arrived.]

“Oh, then lift me up.”

The landworm quietly ascended at my words. It was a silent movement utilizing its earth attribute, causing no vibrations in the surrounding soil.

Sssuruk.

We emerged from the ground as smoothly as sand opening up. The landworm filled the hole and quietly settled down again. Despite moving with a body as large as a building, it demonstrated how subtle its earth attribute power was by remaining so quiet.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes. How is the situation with the humans?”

“As expected, they are confused.”

It was natural. Even if they weren’t Players, they could see world messages. With news spreading about the death of the Flame Monarch, who led the demonic people, those humans previously subjugated by them wouldn’t know what to do.

“But it is strangely quiet.”

“The magicians remain as before.”

If I had cleared the Flame Monarch’s Hellmode dungeon and succeeded in the siege, all the scattered magicians would’ve disappeared. However, that didn’t happen, so the magicians continued to manage the city according to their orders despite knowing about the death of the Flame Monarch.

‘Still, this isn’t right.’

I covered my face with the turban given by Harmony and crossed through the back alleys. It was a starry night, but the city was bright like daytime due to the burning flames everywhere.

“Come on, come on! Let’s have one more drink!”

“Don’t run away, come here!”

“The farewell ceremony of fire will take place in one hour!”

I spotted drinkers, harassers, and busy people running around shouting at each other.

Why does everything seem so peaceful here?

It didn’t feel like a city under demonic occupation; rather, it appeared lively.

“No, look closely,” Harmony advised me, her large cloth covering her entire body unlike my simple turban. I took another look around and realized what she meant.

Their eyes… They’re dead inside.

Indeed, despite their boisterous drinking and loud chatter, there was no life in their eyes. As I scanned the crowd, I noticed red-skinned magicians arguing animatedly amidst the humans, fire golems standing tall with bodies ablaze throughout the city, and hellhounds prowling menacingly on patrol.

As we trailed behind Harmony, she quietly explained to me:

“The Flame Monarch conquered all of southern Holy Empire territory and brought every human here. During this process, anyone who resisted was burned to death.”

“Many must’ve died.”

“Yes, at least several hundred thousand were slaughtered.”

And yet there were still one million left. I looked around me. There were so many people that the streets felt crowded.

‘This population density doesn’t fit with Middle Age Land. It isn’t like the well-constructed cities of the Ming Dynasty or located near huge granaries.’

Obviously, it wasn’t humans but magicians who created this abnormal city.

“The magicians provided unlimited alcohol and meat. Humans didn’t need to work or risk their lives fighting.”

”…It doesn’t seem free.”

“Yes, humans had to offer sacrifices to be burned by the magicians. It was 500 people per week. The humans themselves had to select the victims.”

People gathered together. This new city was far from dragon or spiritual veins. In the center of Ignis, numerous people were assembled.

‘It’s crowded.’

It wasn’t all the people in the city. It would’ve been impossible for more than one million residents to gather in this place. Nevertheless, such a large number of people had come together at midnight. Yet despite the many people present…

‘Five hundred every week.’

The number of sacrifices mentioned by Harmony defied common sense.

[A farewell message ♪ You are like the evening glow]

I listened to a woman singing on a podium set up in the middle of the plain and thought about it.

This was too systematic and costly to be simply a matter of preference.

Perhaps…offering humans as sacrifices strengthens these magicians.

Special bosses conquered anchor points to increase their numbers and power while simultaneously enhancing their influence through various means. Examples included Edward the Fanatic’s item factory and mass production of heavenly demons, along with the World Tree grafting itself onto other trees. Although the Flame Monarch met his end at the hands of the Flying Emperor, it appeared he had built this city for the same purpose—to strengthen his entire dominion.

In their own ways, monsters are adapting to reality. Thankfully, they aren’t unified against us.

“Excuse me.”

“Oof! Hey, don’t push!”

“What kind of strength is thi—?”

I pushed through the crowd toward the podium. In the meantime, the singer finished their song, and a middle-aged man ascended the stage.

“It is time to say goodbye once again.”

“Sob…!”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“We won’t forget your sacrifice!”

The people raised loud voices. Finally, as I approached the podium, I discovered several hundred bound individuals with their mouths gagged nearby. It was obvious who they were.

‘Sacrificial offerings.’

The middle-aged man continued speaking. “Today, let’s talk about sacrifices.”

With these words, the man on the podium began delivering a boring speech filled with wordplay, excuses, and self-justifying nonsense. Yet, the response from the crowd was overwhelmingly positive.

“That’s right! For the flames!”

“For the flames!”

“Waaahhh!”

After observing the boisterous atmosphere for a moment, I asked:

“What does ‘for the flames’ mean?”

“It is a variation of the prayer ‘Oh Light’. The minions are following the orders of the Flame Monarch. These religious people…”

We moved while talking. We were circling around a large podium and approaching from behind when suddenly, a kid blocked my path.

“Stop! This place is holding a farewell ceremony for Cardinal-nim. If you approach carelessly…”

“What?”

I hesitated at the sight of the child. It wasn’t because the boy, who was less than 150 centimeters tall, had a sword on his back. Nor was it due to his shining blonde hair or appearance that seemed suitable for a magazine photo shoot.

‘Eh? This guy… I seem to have seen him somewhere.’

Originally, I should’ve ignored him and passed by but the strong sense of deja vu prevented me from doing so.

“What? What do you mean? You don’t know me? Seems like you’re from outside…”

At that moment, Harmony stepped forward.

“It is me.”

”…!”

When Harmony lifted the cloth covering her face, the boy’s expression hardened.

“S-sis…?” He looked at Harmony with disbelief before embracing her tightly. “Sis… Sis…! You’re alive! I-I thought you were dead… Hic. Sniff…”

He burst out crying. Meanwhile, my thoughts continued to be occupied:

‘Where have I seen him before? It seems like he was an important person. No, how could I forget seeing this kid?’

As I struggled to remember, Edward spoke up.

“Have you been doing well, Edward?”

”…!” I paused and grabbed Edward by the shoulder.

“Ugh! What are you doing?! Do you want to get scolded?!”

He became angry but I just stared blankly at his face.

‘Impossible.’

Yes. It was him. The special boss of the right side shop—the fanatic Edward.