Chapter 46

I summoned my executives.

“What is the current composition of the villagers?”

In response, the swordsman took out several return command scrolls. It was obvious that they weren’t going back to any village but were being used as notepaper on the reverse side. There was a risk that if I accidentally tore the scroll, it would send me flying to the central square and erase the contents written on it. Unfortunately, there were limited resources available within the castle, so we had no choice but to repurpose these scrolls for record-keeping.

“Since rescuing women from the castle and accepting refugees who approached upon hearing about our fortress, the total number has increased to 3,471 people.”

“And how many elite soldiers do we have now?”

“They continue to grow steadily, currently standing at 1,153.”

That was quite a staggering number. Naturally, each of them represented money.

Considering how much I’ve spent on Class Summoning Rights alone, it’s well over fifteen million won.

Among those summons, two heroes had appeared, but they were automatically registered to jae-yeon’s collection, so he couldn’t assign them to anyone else.

“How is Quick Advance training going?”

Hundred responded first. “We’re currently training thirty-five soldiers. By converting some of their stat points into mana and having them repeatedly use Battle Cry, we’ve seen definite progress. Nine have already succeeded at detecting mana and started channeling energy.”

Stonestone chimed in next. “I’m training twenty elite soldiers. And…an additional forty-three women as well.”

“The women?”

“Of course, unlike the elite soldiers who train full-time, these women only receive three hours of training per day.”

Hundred, Smile, and even Flower wore surprised expressions at Stonestone’s words. I asked on their behalf:

“Do you accept all volunteers?”

This question caught the other executives off guard; they had likely expected me to ask, ‘Why women?’ But I understood the reasoning behind it.

‘Once awakened with an aura, gender distinctions become meaningless. Especially if there is a class card involved.’

There were undeniable physical differences between men and women, but that didn’t apply to auras. In some aspects, women might even have certain advantages.

“No, there were many applicants. Around four hundred.”

“Four hundred?!” Flower sounded surprised, but it wasn’t surprising at all. It was natural for women to seek power after losing their families and homes due to monster attacks.

“Then why did you only accept 43 out of those 400?”

“We first checked their physical strength and combat sense. And although this may sound strange…” Stonestone hesitated before continuing, “We also accepted those who gave us a good feeling—those we believed could excel.”

”…Excuse me, Sir Stonestone, but that does sound quite peculiar.”

Hundred, who had been listening quietly, made an incredulous expression. The other two also looked the same. However, I could understand his words.

‘The power of divine arts.’

In the era of macrocosms, most martial arts were quantified and developed over long periods of time. It was only in underdeveloped civilizations where someone learning a third-rate martial art would be considered trash while another person with a divine art would be hailed as invincible. In the macrocosm era, there wasn’t much difference between martial arts. There were just differences in directionality and tendencies that each martial art ultimately pursued.

‘Just take Quick Advances for example.’

It was a martial art that abandoned high realms entirely, focusing solely on rapid acquisition and development. Among countless martial arts, it was chosen by the largest number of practitioners, making it arguably the pinnacle of apostle martial arts.

Even Quick Advances didn’t require much innate talent to master. As long as one wasn’t spiritually handicapped like me, anyone could reach its pinnacle with enough practice and time.

On the other hand, the martial art Stonestone has learned is different.

‘Reverse Flow Water Visualization Technique.’

It’s commonly known as Divine Art Mastery. Unlike Quick Advances, which incorporated advanced principles of martial arts, this technique maintained its roots while continuously evolving over centuries, steeped in history and tradition.

Despite having some natural aptitude, it would take at least four years without any significant results. Even after ten years of training, one would barely lay the foundation. However, enduring the arduous process and persistently cultivating… eventually, they can effortlessly break through barriers and achieve boundless growth.

It was considered the most suitable path for those aiming to transcend their limits.

“I see your spiritual perception has awakened.”

It had been over fifteen years since Stonestone began practicing the Reverse Flow Water Visualization Technique. During that time, he trained diligently like an ox, and his innate talent could be described as prodigious. After all, detecting mana without any guidance from others within the forest-dweller village was no small feat.

If only he had started training at five or even ten years old, he would have reached the mastery level by now. Heck, if he’d chosen Heavenly Dragon Sword Art instead of Reverse Flow…he would already be a sword master.

Whether it was due to reaching the right stage in his cultivation or obtaining the class card, what was certain was that with his exceptional talent and steadfast determination, he finally began comprehending how to utilize his upper dantian.

While I couldn’t yet predict destiny by looking at the sky, I could detect his spiritual talent.

“Spirituality…is what you mean?”

“Yes. The feeling you have now. It is mostly correct, so don’t neglect it. You’ve been doing well on your own lately, even though I haven’t paid much attention.”

The corners of Smile’s mouth twitched as he received my praise. Despite being stubborn like an ox by nature, even whales can dance with compliments.

“Fast Three?”

Initially bewildered, Smile quickly composed himself and responded, “I’ve gathered twenty capable individuals for training. Thanks to possessing mana from their wizard class, ten of them have already achieved circling. However, due to their lack of foundational knowledge, none have mastered any spells yet.”

“Firstly, focus on teaching one spell and try to increase the number of students as much as possible. The more mages we have, the better… Ah, and.” Suddenly remembering something, I added, “If any student quickly learns or shows exceptional growth in psychic energy within a day, halt their training and report it to me immediately. Quick Advances and Fast Three are excellent training methods, but they have clear limitations due to being designed for aura users and 3rd-class masters. For someone truly talented, these methods could be more of a hindrance than help.”

“But even a 3rd-class mage is considered advanced…”

Regardless of Smile’s reaction, I finished my instructions and turned to Flower.

“How’s the healer training progressing?”

“We’ve selected volunteers from among the women and are currently educating them. Since our healers use skills, rather than focusing solely on mana talent, we prioritize surgical abilities, medical knowledge, and herbalism.”

Fortunately, it seemed to be going smoothly. I also asked about other issues she was managing.

“How is the condition of the women rescued from dungeons?”

“Thankfully, there are no problems.” Flower spoke cautiously after briefly looking around. ”…Um, hmm, none of them have become pregnant.”

I pondered her words.

‘It means that monsters can’t reproduce.’

Indeed, since the monsters in Revenge were designed to respawn, implementing pregnancy and childbirth wouldn’t make sense. However, what about within the game’s lore?

‘While reproduction wasn’t explicitly depicted in the game…that’s because it was a game, not implying goblins couldn’t engage in reproductive acts.’

I believed that goblins could impregnate and give birth to females. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have kept human women alive after violating them. However, pregnancy didn’t occur because these creatures regenerated.

“What a mess…” The consciousness of monsters was formed by ‘settings’, but actual phenomena were composed by the ‘system’.

Unlike the Revenge monsters who only spoke fragmented dialogue or unconditionally attacked, how would intelligent monsters capable of conversation react? I decided to keep this issue in mind while giving instructions:

“Since there is no problem, release the area separation. And Swordsman.”

“Yes, Lordship.”

“Select 100 elite soldiers and 500 regular soldiers for a northern expedition. Soldiers…”

“If you only select 100 elite soldiers, it won’t be 500 troops.”

That was true. Most of my soldiers had already acquired classes gradually. However, it wasn’t a problem.

“Select new ones. It doesn’t matter if they are women, children or elderly, as long as they volunteer. After all, the enemies in White Mountain Territory are just wild boars and wolves. Instead, arm them well and record their achievements clearly. Notify that those who perform their role sufficiently will be granted a class.”

“I’m worried there might be too many volunteers.”

“No matter how many, we need to filter out anyone who could hinder the expedition. In any case, lead them northward. I’ll go ahead and complete the siege, so gather people nearby and settle them within the castle.”

“Yes sir!”

“The remaining three should stay here, fulfill your duties, and maximize your levels.”

“Understood!”

“Yes sir!”

“We lack talent. We have obtained a solid base, so mobilize all means to gather people.”

After giving various instructions to my executives, I left the room and organized my thoughts.

“By the way, why hasn’t Khan Slasher come yet?”

He had said these words while dying:

-Ku…kuk. You…bastard…I will return…

Due to those words, I urgently upgraded the city and stayed waiting for him. It wasn’t strange for someone who had already visited once to return again. However, there was no news of him. Could it be that he was bluffing?

“It doesn’t feel like that.”

Then there were two possibilities.

‘Did he forget about coming here after losing his memories when he died? Or is there some reason why he can’t come?’

I organized my thoughts for a moment after the executives left the castle and then went outside. Then I summoned Sky.

“Keeek!”

With a sharp sound, the large hawk appeared, causing the soldiers guarding the castle to be shaken. Instead of explaining the situation to them, I just spoke briefly. There would be many surprises ahead, so it was too troublesome to explain each one individually.

“If anyone asks, tell them that I will return by dinner.”

“Yes!” He replied before flying off immediately. The direction was south. Originally, I planned to head north or east before this, but now I had to resolve this uncomfortable feeling.

Then several hours later…

It was easier to check everything than I thought.

“O~rooooo!”

“Kill the invaders!”

The orcs were fighting against an invading enemy. Ridiculously, they seemed destined for defeat.

“What is that…?”

I looked at the invaders.

[Ice Elemental (Advanced)]

“Monsters fighting monsters?”

In my moment of confusion…

“Don’t retreat! Show the spirit of the Vulcan Orcs!” With his roar, sword energy surged and swept away the ice elementals. From Sky’s back, I could see Khan Slasher standing at the forefront of the orc army, sweeping aside the elementals. He had a truly heroic aura, but I focused on their enemies instead.

They took the form of giants made of ice—a type I was familiar with.

These are the monsters from the flower shop.

However, I couldn’t understand why monsters from dungeons over 62 miles away were attacking the same monster.

‘Wait? Hold on.’

Suddenly, something occurred to me.

No way! Why did you come all the way up here just to cause trouble?!

That’s right. Upon reflection, this wasn’t the first time such an event had happened. Khan Slasher also had a history of traveling more than 62 miles to wreak havoc.

“Well, anyway, there is no need to worry about those orc guys anymore.”

I put away the Return Spell Ticket back into my inventory as we slowly descended towards the sparsely populated forest. With the reason for Sword Master Khan Slasher not joining the fray now clear, instead of merely scouting and leaving, it was time to take more decisive action.

“Actually…”

A grin spread across my face involuntarily.

“Why would they join when their own territory is under attack?”