Chapter 93

A legend spanning more than twenty chapters…

“Shit.”

It had become several legends now.

“No matter what, it isn’t right. Ha…this is how things turn out.”

Of course, I applied for recovery. It was a fraudulent privilege, with tens of millions won secretly charged each month! The problem was that even with this advantage, obtaining a mythical card seemed far away.

‘Recovery can only be requested three times a month. This means attempting Synthesis once a month through recoveries alone is impossible. It isn’t a joke…extracting a Mythical card could realistically take years.’

Now, realizing my foolish and naive assumption, thinking I could obtain a Mythical card just by consuming flower points, made me feel utterly misguided.

Indeed, my mind was filled with happiness and euphoria.

‘I was misled by the internet strategy.’

The statement seen on the internet, ‘[For the owner of the flower shop, it is virtually free]’ was just their own story. A player who spent enough to consume the flower shop would already have most legendary cards, and they could obtain a mythical card just by synthesizing duplicate legendary cards. However, what about me? I was hurriedly trying to fill up my collection. Of course, the collection effect was substantial but it pushed away the possibility of obtaining a mythical grade even further.

“I have to go slowly.”

Naturally, there was no way to shorten the wait that spanned several years.

Monetization.

Yes, I could just pay for it. By using diamonds to purchase Summoning Rights and Synthesis, I could immediately challenge the mythical grade without waiting. If I did that, I wouldn’t just aim for gatekeepers and pets but also mythical-grade classes!

“Ha…” In other words, if only I had the money.

“For now, let’s clean up here.”

Ultimately, I decided to give up on aiming for the mythical grade immediately.

“I need to make some money.”

However, contrary to my determination, I couldn’t return to Earth for quite some time. There were too many tasks keeping me incredibly busy. After all, we had captured around 500,000 prisoners from the Ming Empire, making it inevitable. Fortunately, due to their initial defeat and our significantly higher individual power levels, there were no issues with controlling them.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Cease fire, adjust sights for stability.”

“Sights stabilized!”

“After inspecting the chambers, report from each position.”

“Reporting!”

Machine-gun fire continued unabated on top of the castle walls. The deafening noise caused both merchants traversing along the vein route and trainee soldiers riding wild boars north to either marvel or tremble with fear.

One might question if this disturbs civilians, but conducting necessary training in public is preferable. This overwhelming firepower demonstration further ingrains the strength of the Human Empire in people’s minds.

‘Furthermore, shooting can only be done from the castle walls. Machine guns disappear once taken off them.’

These items are commonly referred to as ‘objects’. In this case, machine guns are siege objects.

An object refers to something that operates independently of the user’s level or abilities. Whether wielded by a level-50 mythical-grade cleric or a beginner at level one, it would deal the same damage. In the original game, objects were intended for guild members with lower specs. Rather than having them stand idly on the sidelines due to their lack of power, these items allowed them to contribute by firing away and supporting allies.

However, there was a slight issue:

The ammo should naturally regenerate from the belt, not individual bullets!

Unlike in the game where reloading occurred automatically, reality required manually loading each bullet before firing. This discrepancy led to the comical sight of using a machine gun like a sniper rifle.

“Private Running Man! 987 points! First place!”

The announcer’s loud proclamation elicited ‘oohs’ from those around us.

The hunter first lieutenant standing next to me whistled admiringly.

“Amazing. The average score for guards is less than 500.”

I nodded at his words, pondering internally:

He achieved this score with a machine gun, not a sniper rifle, from one kilometer away. Is it due to his Agility stat?

However, compared to him, the scores of others were quite poor. As he stepped down after laying down the machine gun, the next shooter took their position on the castle wall.

“Commence firing when ready!”

Tak-tak-tak! Tak-tak!

“The scores are excellent. Some even stand out as exceptional. You’ve trained them well.”

“I merely passed on what Your Majesty taught me.”

It wasn’t just polite talk; it was true. After all, who else could teach someone to shoot a machine gun in medieval Land of Midgard? Naturally, I had to be their instructor.

“Yes. Keep up the good work.”

“My loyalty is yours!”

Iron Castle, which now served as the new capital, quickly stabilized. The 500,000 war prisoners were dispersed among various castles, either becoming trainees at military camps or laborers for frontier development. They were absorbed more smoothly than expected.

Considering how taking in refugees numbering several times its own population would typically lead to a country’s downfall, the Human Empire found itself in a unique situation.

Considering that Wild Boar Castle continuously supplied ham to the Human Empire, this outcome was inevitable.

Running a country is quite different here. It’s like having a cheat code activated all the time.

The power of food suppressed any potential unrest, rebellions, or protests that would have otherwise occurred under normal circumstances. Ironically, citizens from the defeated Ming Dynasty now fervently chanted “Long live the Human Empire!” and pledged their loyalty more passionately than ever.

Whenever former Ming nobles attempted to plot rebellion or cause trouble, common people reported them swiftly or thwarted their plans themselves.

“We finally have enough to eat, so don’t screw it up!”

“That’s right! Now we can enjoy meat every day!”

Initially, there was a severe shortage of people, leading to desperate cries for help. Consequently, the citizens of the Ming Empire seamlessly integrated into the Human Empire. They were provided with homes and land, contributing significantly to the empire’s productivity.

The number of Players continued to grow steadily. With over thirty guilds now established, numerous Players accumulated Honor Coins through attendance rewards, guild activities, and other content.

As their Honor Coin reserves increased, they could purchase Low-Grade Summoning Cards from the guild shop. New Players earned more Honor Coins, bought additional summoning cards, which led to even more new Players—a perpetual cycle.

‘Thanks to this, I no longer have to exhaust myself providing class cards alone… However, there are potential risks.’

So far, I have maintained complete control over class cards by referring to Players as ‘elite soldiers,’ implying that most of them should be military personnel. However, as guilds proliferate, controlling summoning cards becomes increasingly challenging. In extreme cases, this could lead to a weakening of imperial authority.

‘But there’s no other choice.’

The flower shop serves as a unique starting point, but it is not a high-level zone. As monsters with rare base levels and numerous Hero- or Legend-ranked creatures emerge, limiting the number of Players would doom the Human Empire’s future. While sheer numbers can be incredibly effective, they only go so far; overwhelming disparities render quantity useless. With no guarantee on the enemy’s scale, this consideration becomes even more critical.

Time passed…

Fall turned to winter. Although it wasn’t much time, the Human Empire grew rapidly with alarming speed. They accepted refugees from nearby areas and increased their ranks of Players.

Everything is going smoothly.

It was a peaceful period as the Human Empire advanced day by day.

The problem was that we weren’t the only ones developing…

“This is dangerous…” My face involuntarily contorted while looking at the game board. The once diverse chessboard, filled with various pieces, was becoming increasingly uniform—a clear sign of trouble.

“As expected…the other flower shops have expanded their territories to the outskirts.”

All dungeons on the periphery, populated primarily by low-rank monsters, had been conquered. Naturally, these dungeons would now be teeming with attribute-based monsters, making the special bosses even stronger due to their established footholds.

“The high-level monsters inside are gradually being eliminated.”

Unlike the stationary mythical-grade monster, Phantom Dragon, its surrounding creatures were constantly engaged in fierce battles every day. Yesterday’s Cyclops territory became today’s drake domain amidst utter chaos. As some monsters faced extinction while others gained dominance, once this reshuffling reached equilibrium, its aftermath would inevitably sweep towards us.

Flower: Lordship, reporting.

”…Sigh.” Exiting my inner world, I responded to Flower’s chat message, and she entered my study.

“What is it?”

“An enemy force is approaching.”

As she spoke, she handed me a tablet displaying a screenshot of what appeared to be tens of thousands, possibly more, troops converging on our territory.

“It has finally arrived.”

Currently, there were three types of monster forces encroaching on our territory. The Thunderbirds from the expanding left side shop to the west, the fanatics of Edward from the growing right side shop to the south, and internally—the flying monsters like wyverns or griffins occasionally emerging from high-level zones. I had previously used Kasim to destroy these intruders, preventing their advance, but now they have decided to swarm together.

“What is their target?”

“Here, Iron Castle.”

“Look at them?” I laughed incredulously. Initially, I was concerned about numerous weak castles along the Human Empire’s border, but it seems they chose to directly attack this mythical-grade fortress instead? Despite hearing that the fanatic group consists of intelligent humanoid monsters, this decision reeks of arrogance and stupidity.

“Flower, issue a level three alert to all forces. Stop raiding dungeons except with minimal personnel and prepare for a siege.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

However, at that moment…

Ping!

An alarm sounded from my pad.

”…What?”

I turned the page. There was a simple report along with new screenshots. A shining yellow thunder elemental, surrounded by various monsters adorned with lightning, were advancing in neat rows. Above them, flying majestically…

“A Thunderbird.”

Ping!

”…”

The simultaneous sounding of another alarm caused both Flower’s and my face to stiffen.

As I turned the page, there was a brief report accompanied by images of thousands of wyverns darkening the sky. According to the report, their destination was indeed Iron Castle.

“They will arrive simultaneously?”

If this were a coincidence, it would be a tremendous opportunity. If they fought each other, it could cause enormous damage. However, could this truly be a coincidence?

“Flower. It’s not level 1…no, it is a wartime situation. Tell them to stop raiding dungeons and prepare for defense. Not just Iron Castle, but bring all personnel into the castles and close the gates.”

“I’ll relay the message immediately.”

Flower hurriedly took the elevator down. After she left, I looked at the city below me. Soon, a noisy warning broadcast echoed through the city, and people started running around frantically.

“Sigh.”

I let out a sigh because I knew the reality. No matter how strong the mythical grade castle was, it couldn’t stop such a level of monsters with its current state. The fact that Thunderbirds were coming from the west meant Edward the Fanatic was included among the southern army forces.

However, I didn’t feel any fear.

“Money…I really need to make a lot more money.” Feeling overwhelmed by fatigue,

“I log out.”

It had been almost half a year since my last visit to Earth.