The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor

Imperial Army’s subjugation of Ritten region was led by Trakis the Conqueror of the Third Legion.

“We will destroy it thoroughly in a week. Not only will the Kingdom of Arpen be driven out of this land, but given any chance, we will invade it in return.” Trakis declared to his commanding officers.

The 250,000 elite soldiers of the Third Legion formed the basis of the army under his charge. In addition to that, there was a reinforcement of 100,000 troops recruited from the nearby cities under his order as a lord of Haven Empire, and another 100,000 Imperial soldiers deployed by the commanding center of the Empire.

A total of 450,000 powerful troops! And there were none less than 50,000 Steel Knights following behind them.

“The estimated number of Northern users that landed on Ritten region is one million.”

“And how many of them are above level 400?”

“Our guess is about 5 percent of the total number.”

The reports from the secret agents working in Ritten region were arriving in a stream. Hermes Guild actively utilized secret agents during the conquest of the Central Continent; over a hundred of them had been sent to Ritten region, so naturally any new information arrived through them immediately.

‘We could simply trample on them right now…’

Trakis was one of the top 20 rankers of Royal Road, but he still took some time to think carefully before going to battle.

‘Judging by the combat power alone, they would not be able to match even 10 percent of our military strength. But there will be a lot of unexpected variables.’

He was so convinced of their victory while watching the broadcast that showed the Northern expeditionary force attempting to conquer the Earth Palace not long ago. But the sight of the huge army being destroyed as the castle collapsed on them gave a considerable shock to Trakis; an unbelievable twist, during that dramatic moment.

‘Weed’s intervention is more likely than ever. There will be more Northern users streaming in, too…Then the answer is a lightning war; don’t give them time to prepare.’

Trakis thought the situation will become more difficult if the battle dragged on. Nonetheless, he took care not to show these inward thoughts during interviews with the broadcasting stations.

“Weed and the Northern users? They are nothing.”

“You seem to have great confidence before the battle.”

“Of course I do. We are not going there to fight. We are going there to trample on them.”

For the morale of the whole troops as well as his own popularity, he decided to talk big.

Na Ye-seul, a field reporter of CTS Media with an unusual choice of race as a bear, asked him with a smile, “A contest between Weed the God of War and you, Mr. Trakis-it’s only natural that this event is highly anticipated by everyone. Are you willing to fight if there is a one-on-one match against Weed?”

“…”

This gave Trakis a pause.

’one-on-one fight?’

He had to be cautious; if he said yes in the interview, then a situation might arise in which he has to face Weed directly by himself. Not only would his life be at stake, but also the whole Third Legion might be defeated before even having a proper fight if things went wrong.

‘This is rather uncomfortable…’

His mind raced as though he was just caught while stealing. True, he was one of the very top-class rankers of Royal Road, but still, he would rather avoid a duel with Weed; the man’s fighting capability was not something that could be predicted by normal standards. He got stronger in unusual ways such as causing disasters, or changing race or form. There were even rumors that claimed he had an ability to stop time.

“It was so strange. I clearly remember my skill was just about to hit him directly, but instead, I was the one who got killed the next second.”

“A short-range teleportation skill? But it was a bit different. Normally a skill attack does not hit at the same time you move.”

“Even if you manage to disable his magic, it’s no use; you cannot block that particular movement no matter what you do.”

These were some of the comments given in unison by Hermes Guild users who had fought Weed face-to-face. They were all strong in their own ways, but their general sentiment was that Weed was comparable to a mirage that couldn’t be reached.

“Fighting Weed? I must say, that is an exciting thought. However, as a commander-in-chief, I’m afraid I cannot carelessly rush into a fight when there’s such an important battle ahead.

“Ah yes, I understand. It would be rather overwhelming, fighting Mr. Weed directly.”

“No, I don’t mean…”

“Then, would you accept if Mr. Weed challenges you to a duel?”

“…”

***

The Imperial Army of Haven led by Trakis moved swiftly, night and day.

“Move faster, move!”

The Third Legion troops were even wearing specially-crafted armors; these equipments improved the resistance against nature in case of disasters, and maximized the longevity of the soldiers to the limit.

‘With these, we can prevent death by natural disasters up to some extent. Also there are no factors that could maximize the damage like in the sea…’

‘Trakis employed a massive number of scouts, preparing for ambush. The troops avoided terrains such as canyons, rivers and swamps whenever possible, even if they had to make a detour. Taking advantage of their horses and carriages they tried to compensate for the longer distance with speed.

As there was also a teleport gate installed in the middle, they arrived at the border of Ritten region just two days after they left the center of Haven Empire,

“The small damaged villages can be restored later; we will continue advancing towards Shelgium, the heart of Ritten region, at full speed.”

The Northern users had already conquered Shelgium, which was once the capital of the old Ritten Kingdom.

To be precise, the word ‘conquest’ was not quite appropriate, because hundreds of thousands of Northern users approached Shelgium,

“Finally, the day has come to repay Weed’s kindness.””

…and one of those users used to be something like an elder citizen of Shelgium.

Mandol!

He once asked Weed to carve his unborn daughter. He was willing to pay any price, but the cost of this commission was 1 Copper.

‘He wouldn’t give something like this a lick and a promise, would he?’

Mandol was anxious, but he waited for the completion of the work.

That 1-copper-sculpture turned out to be a mythical work depicting the life of his daughter.

Even an art center was built in Moratta, and Mandol settled down in Arpen Kingdom with his wife. He was the first one to come forward and take the lead when Grass Porridge Cult started their march.

“Let’s go! Take revenge upon Hermes Guild!”

As Mandol took his place in the front line, young users of Grass Porridge felt afraid.

“Who’s that old guy? I’m scared…”

“H, he looks really intimidating…”

Mandol, who was making even his allies feel frightened just because of his threatening looks.

When he arrived at his old home Shelgium, a lot of users in this place voluntarily came out to welcome him.

“Dear sir Mandol!”

“You’ve finally come. I have waited.”

In spite of his appearance, Mandol was a kind and considerate guy. There were users all over Shelgium who had played Royal Road and leveled up with him, or who owed him favors.

“If Mandol needs our help, then of course we should be there for him.”

“Yes. And it’s not like it’s a bad thing if Arpen Kingdom takes control of the region.”

As there were signs of an uprising even among the users of Shelgium, Vegus, the governor of the city, chose to open the castle’s main gates and flee by night. Publically, this event was known as the downfall of a parachuted officer who had got his position through money and connection, but in fact this was planned by the heads of Hermes Guild.

“We must not let the war drag on for too long; we need to subdue the rebel forces all at once in order to show them the power of the Imperial Army, and we need to overpower Arpern Kingdom.”

Thus they decided to let their enemy take Shelgium, the capital of the Government-General, without bloodshed for now; a scheme to confine all of the Northern users in one place and exterminate them in a single assault!

“We must make sure there is no space for even an ant to escape.”

When talking about a siege, total annihilation of the defending force inside the castle would show just how big the gap between the two sides is in terms of military power.

The Siege of Shelgium!

The dawn was breaking on the day of the battle between Haven Imperial Army and the Northern users.

***

“Wow…Look at all those tents.”

“That’s the splendor of the Imperial Army for ya. I must say, it IS quite amazing.”

Northern users were standing along the castle walls of Shelgium.

Looking over the tents of the Imperial Army which were more than 10,000 in number, the air was surprisingly relaxed.

“Let’s just go and have a large meal.”

“Good idea. If we die, we die, right?”

These Northern users didn’t even fear defeat; they were none other than the advance party of Grass Porridge Cult!

The main force was on their way down from the borders with Haven Empire, little by little.

“We don’t have enough stone!”

“Is there a mountain nearby that we can use as a quarry?”

“There’s one about 2 kilometers away from here. There are a lot of rocks by the river, too.”

“Then let’s go and dig them all!”

The main force of Grass Porridge Cult was on the march, even paving a road that leads to Haven Empire in the process.

If Weed had made an explicit suggestion to conquer Haven Empire in the first place, he could have easily formed an expeditionary force of more than 10 million people. As the news of Seoyoon’s sacrifice was extensively spread among people through broadcast, more than half of the whole Northern users were advancing southward in anger.

As they were descending in thousands of smaller groups, it was impossible to know the exact number. Their architects were even securing a traffic route on their way down, paving roads to ensure the swift movement of the main force.

“It’s fine if we die. But we are the frontline liberation army against Haven Empire.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I bet our sacrifice will be remembered throughout the history of Royal Road.”

Crowers, a user with the level of late 400s, were talking to his comrade Zenthal at the castle wall.

-There is no chance of winning this battle.

Meanwhile in the Emergence Situation Room of Grass Porridge Cult, people were analyzing the fight against Haven Empire.

While continuously monitoring the status of the military strength of both sides, they came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to defend the occupied area with the advance party alone before the main force comes to join them.

A second lieutenant, who had been kicked out of Korea Military after reporting a corruption case regarding the ingredient used in the meal service , voiced his opinion.

-It would be best to abandon Shelgium and back off for now. Even if that means we need to hand over our victory to Hermes Guild.

He also explained about the difference in strength between the two sides to the representative users of Shelgium.

“It looks like a planned movement that the Third Legion is marching to this place immediately after Hermes Guild gave up Shelgium. We need to retreat.”

The advance party of Grass Porridge Cult and Mandol were determined not to follow that plan.

“We are not going to back off.”

“But this is too reckless!”

“Grass Porridge is a legend. Grass Porridge! Grass Porridge! Grass Porridge!”

The core of this advance party consisted of Grass Porridge fanatics; they did not want to retreat the moment after they reached the Central Continent.

Mandol smiled as well.

“It’s going to be fun, fighting to my heart’s content. I’m going to join them.”

“Mr. Mandol…”

“Nobody’s forcing other people to join. Those who do not want to take part in the fight can choose not to go online on Royal Road for some time, or withdraw from Shelgium. Those who decided to stay; please don’t blame them. We are doing this because our hearts demand it.”

After listening to Mandol’s speech, the users of the Central Continent couldn’t easily make up their minds.

As they were high-level users, death was a very big loss. But their pride would be hurt if they decide to flee, tail between the legs.

“So, we are a scapegoat…no, not a scapegoat. I’ll die as a warrior, fighting against Haven Empire.”

“It would be my pleasure to fight alongside you.”

About half of the high-level users of Shelgium decided to join. Once they made up their mind to lay down their life, the only thought left in them was the hope to fight without regret.

***

-The siege of Shelgium has begun.

-Haven Imperial Army is swarming the castle walls.

– Siege weapons. Flame carts and Ice catapults are being used.

– Look at those fireballs and ice shards with the size of a house; they are being shot from the distance and even hitting the buildings in the city, flying over the walls!

-Those weapons haven’t been used after the conquest of the Central Continents.

-With each shot from Flame carts, tens of Northern users are killed.

Most of the broadcasting stations related to Royal Road were relaying the scenes of the siege of Shelgium.

Haven Empire versus Arpen Kingdom!

The broadcasting stations couldn’t ignore this event especially when Weed himself could join the battle, and the viewers were showing great interest as well.

Weed gave a sigh.

“They would have been better off giving up Shelgium…”

His catastrophic nature sculpting would not have been enough to sweep off the whole Imperial Army from a normal plain.

The big gap in their military force might have been overcome with a lot of resurrection sculpting or life grant skills, but that would have meant losing at least 20 levels per every battle; the situation was impossible to handle, even for a necromancer.

Even without Weed, the advance party in Shelgium will give their best effort to fight against the Empire, and they will be annihilated.

‘Hermes Guild might have a feast, after killing all the Northern users and the users of Shelgium.’

The event will be exaggerated as a great defeat of Arpen Kindgom or the Northern users through broadcast as well.

Weed wanted to get something in return for Shelgium.

‘If you give me sour grapes, you bet I’ll trample them with my feet.’

He has already contacted some of his trusted acquaintances, and a couple of users active in the Central Continent.

Calis from Black Lion Guild and Roam of Roam Guild came bringing the entirety of their troops as soon as they got the whispered message from him.

The place for their gathering was the united region of Britten; it was a strategically important area, holding about 30 percent of the economic bloc of Versailles Continent, a free city that became the center of trade and commerce.

Inside the underground sewer, a dungeon meant for starting users of around level 35, Weed had a meeting with a thousand high-level users.

They were in the deepest part of the sewer dungeon, crawling with fist-sized cockroaches.

“We are going to take the free city of Somren.”

“Hmmm.”

Roam and Calis just listened to him in silence.

Their state of mind might be complicated, but in any rate, the free city of Somren was a big game.

‘Taking Someren…with just a thousand soldiers?’

‘How many troops are there? Quite a lot, as far as I know. Easily over forty thousands.’

With the two users who once had unmatched fame in the entire Central Continent keeping quiet, the rest did not even dare to ask questions.

There were so many things they wanted to ask, but this was a plan designed by Weed himself.

‘He must definitely have something in mind.’

‘He probably has prepared a lot of hidden cards that he hasn’t told us about. After all, he is the hero of legend who hasn’t been defeated once.’

‘He is even willing to give up Shelgium in order to concentrate on this scheme; it must be huge! I’m so honored to have been included in this battle. I’ll tell my girlfriend and parents all about it when I get back.’

A thousand was not even enough to alert Hermes Guild of their existence, and their fighting power was definitely insufficient, too.

People like Pale, Python and Romuna were dragged in to join in as well, after being contacted by him.

“Do you want to go hunting for about a week?”

“N, no…”

“I was about to say I’m going to fight Hermes Guild in Britten.”

“Oh, in that case, You could count me in…”

The moment when all hope was about to be drained from them, they were tempted by this offer and decided to participate.

Seasoned Crab was also hiding in darkness, listening to Weed.

“The first step of our plan begins in the Central Plaza of Somren. The place has a lot of floating population.”

“hmm.”

The users gathering inside nodded. Everyone who was present was a top elite user with level near 500 or higher; they were Weed’s acquaintances, or the top-class members of Grass Porridge Cult. They had also visited the Liberty City of Somren before Haven Empire united the Central Continent, so they knew how prosperous that area was. The united region of Britten was the true heart of the Central Continent, controlling its economy.

“Due to security reasons, I’ll reveal the second and third steps when the time is right.”

“Umm.”

Weed’s suggestion went through; there wasn’t a single objection.

Swhooooosh!! (Note: his is supposed to be the sound made by a teleport gate when there’s a user teleporting in; just in case it’s not clear.)

The users had arrived through the teleport gate of the free city of Somren.

“Come buy some flowers! You can even eat these when you are hungry.”

“Unbelievably cheap Wakame! If you don’t like having bread while exploring dungeons, try this seaweed after boiling it. It’s good for your health, and also has a useful effect that increases your HP recovery rate!”

“Anyone need professional help with repairing broken iron swords? Repairing fee only, no extra charges!”

“I’m selling sculptures! The same pieces as the sculptures made by Weed! They make great gifts. They are yours for only 1 gold piece each! “

The users passed through the merchant stalls gathering in the Central Plaza.

Britten region’s growth was based on free trade, with highly developed industry and tourism. Due to the city’s prosperity, there were still a lot of users active in this region, including novices.

“Hmm. That’s… “

A few users found some items that intrigued them, but they chose to pass by.

There were a lot of users doing business in the plaza, and all of them were watching their crystal balls; they were spectating the battle taking place in the distant Shelgium via television.

“Wow…Look at that Haven army. They are just overwhelming with their material superiority.”

“So they are reducing everything to rubbles with their siege weapons alone. People cannot even attempt to escape.”

“Feels like they were really determined to make things difficult for the rebels when they were preparing for this battle. Still, Weed would not be so easily defeated.”

“A fight between Weed and Bard Ray…it would be so exciting if that happens again.”

The users in the plaza were chatting with each other while watching the crystal balls.

In the city’s restaurants and accommodations as well, most users were watching the battle of Shelgium through crystal balls. At this moment, probably even those who were in the dungeons would be taking a break from the hunting to watch the broadcast.

The general public thought that Arpen Kingdom and Haven Empire would have a serious all-out war; in fact, that was at least Calcus’ exact intention when he ordered his Third Legion to march.

“Let’s get to our position and wait.”

“Um. Alright.”

The users who had arrived through the teleport gate waited in the corners of the plaza according to their rather loose plan. New users arrived each time the several teleport gates flashed with light. As the free city of Somren was a very busy place, this was nothing particularly unusual. Nonetheless, the users who had joined this grand scheme took some care to avoid suspicion by going around those several teleport gates before arriving.

A few other users including Weed and his party arrived using Yurin’s painting teleportation skill.

Just a simple look around the city was enough to show the evidence of its great prosperity; the weapons and armors were sophisticated and of fine quality. There was a wide range of high-class trade goods, too. Merchants could make a great profit by buying the goods from Somren and selling them in faraway regions.

“There are about 53,000 troops in this region. The problem is, there are quite a few Hermes Guild members-around 4000 users belong to that guild. However, we don’t know exactly how many are currently in this vicinity.”

Pale took the role of an intelligence source; he could obtain the information possessed by broadcasting stations through Maylon, and he also managed to get in touch with Darius.

Desperate to get on the good side of Weed, Darius was trying to make himself acknowledged by showering his colleagues with presents.

“Tracing, Armor-piercing, greater-ranged, explosive…are you sure you can just give out these fine arrows to me for free?”

“Of course! He he he. Fine tools recognize their master, you know. Even in Hermes Guild, there aren’t many people who use these kinds of arrows.”

“Thank you, Mr. Darius.”

Pale had once completed a quest with Darius when he was in Rosenheim Kingdom, but he didn’t recognize Darius at first, having met so many different people since that time.

“Although, I should let you know, I don’t have that much authority over things.”

“But you are one of the closest associates of Weed’s! Ha ha!”

“Well I’m not saying we’re not close, but I’m more of his slave than a frien-”

“Same difference!”

He accepted the gifts without too much concern, not thinking they might be bribes.

‘So he wants a position of a lord? Sigh…I don’t think I’d have a say in this. I shall just accept what is given.’

But while reporting this encounter with Darius to Weed, he recalled the old memories.

“Huh…So THAT was him.”

“Yep. I think he is that jerk we met.”

The fate of Darius had not crossed too much against theirs ; true, they were not on best of terms during their discovery of the Island of Heaven, but the real problem was Geomchi and his trainees.

“Wouldn’t they be angry if we accept Mr. Darius as a lord?”

“Well, they don’t generally hold their grudges for a long time.”

“Even so…”

“He’ll probably be fine, after enduring some hardship for a couple of months. It would be best for him to avoid meeting them at all, but we don’t have to show that much care about him.”

“…”

Pale was actually feeling more pity for Darius.

‘He’ll be manipulated by Mr. Weed now, after leaving Hermes Guild. I really dare not say which is better.’

Since then he had been contacting Darius regularly, receiving information on the inner status of Hermes Guild or soldier deployment. These sorts of information might change a little over time, but the numbers regarding the default placement of troops would still be quite accurate.

“The total of 53,000 troops. If we assume that only half of Hermes Guild members are around, then there will be 2,000 of them. 3,000 if we are unlucky.”

“Yes.”

“Then…”

The users scattered around the plaza were waiting for Weed’s next words; through the users near him, his words were transmitted to everyone on the group communication channel.

The second, third, and the fourth steps.

They were eagerly awaiting the perfect plan for invading the free city of Someren.

“Now that we are all here, let’s start marching to the lord’s castle.”

“…Pardon?”

“Just like that?”

Looking at the confused faces of the users, Weed took out a big chest from his backpack.

“Here. I’ll give these to you.”

For about 0.1 second, they thought he had actually prepared something.

‘Are they siege weapons?’

‘No, they are too small. Legendary magical weapons, maybe?’

‘Is he giving us some items of humongous power?’

It turned out that what Weed passed around to the users were flags made of cloth; each of them had a picture of beautiful grasslands and cities painted on it. As Grass Porridge Cult did not have any official flag, the painting depicted the cities in the North. The manufacturing process of these flags involved a couple of tailors shamelessly exploited by Mapan.

“What on earth are we going to do with these flags?”

“We are going to march while holding them.”

“What?”

These tailored items were nothing unusual, but once they hoisted the flags high, there were users who recognized them for some mysterious reason.

“Wait…are those…Grass Porridge Cult?”

“That’s a Grass Porridge flag!”

“Why are they here…? Wait, that’s Mr. Weed! The god of war!”

Several merchants who gathered around the plaza shouted loudly.

A sudden and brief suspicion dawned on Pale and Romuna.

‘Even I sometimes have trouble recognizing him because of his featureless face, and I see him often. How are they all recognizing him instantly?’

‘It’s so strange. All we are doing is holding a few flags with some grass painted on them. How are they associating that to Grass Porridge Cult in a second? When we don’t even have an official banner?’

Not even bothering to check the identity of those merchants, once a commotion broke out about Weed’s appearance, users were quickly flocking into the plaza.

The users who were doing business or watching broadcast with crystal balls in taverns were gathering.

“Wow….it’s really Weed! I thought you would be in Shelgium.”

“Mr. Weed! Are you really Mr. Weed? I was around there when you got that quest from Freya Order.”

“All hail great Weed!”

“Long live Arpen Kingdom!”

Weed’s popularity in Somren was truly at its peak. For many users from free cities, Weed was simply their hero and role model.

“What’s this, what is going on?”

“I don’t understand. There’s no point in the ambush if we get our identity revealed like this.”

Only the users who trusted and followed Weed were left flabbergasted by the sudden turn of event in the course of about half a minute.

“Now, these sculptures are only 50 gold pieces each! I have limited stock, so hurry up! I’ll take the first three people only!”

“…”

He even started selling his rip-off sculptures until the words of his arrival spread.

If you are thinking that he is being quite unbecoming of a master sculptor, selling cheap works to grab a couple of coins, you would be very mistaken; the carvings like rabbits, foxes and deer that he had been making repeatedly ever since he was a novice sculptor were able to be produced with lightening speed, at the rate of about two hundred per hour. Soon he achieved an unbelievable feat of selling 980 sculptors in 6 minutes; this town was rich, and there were a lot of users buying 10 or 20 at once as gifts.

“Mr. Weed is here!”

“Grass Porridge Cult has appeared.”

In the meantime, the words of Weed’s arrival kept spreading throughout the city, drawing even more users and heating up the atmosphere.

“Is he still selling the sculptures?”

“They are already sold out!”

“Woow….I really wanted to get one.”

Innocent little lambs, such easy preys!

Having completely sold his sculptures, Weed raised his hands.

“I came, I sold, I earned!” (Note: This is a very obvious reference to “Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered”)”.)

“Weed! Weed! Weed!”

In that rather strange air, the users of the free city of Somren went wild. They were not sure exactly what was going on, but they were happy that Weed, the master sculptor and the most popular figure in the whole continent, appeared before them. They even felt as though THEY had earned all that money. There are good reasons why politicians spend a lot of time and effort on street campaigns.

-Weed: Raise the flags high, everyone.

Weed gave an order to raise the flags on the group chatting channel.

Peil, Romuna and even Python hoisted up the flags with two hands and waved them.

About two hundred flags were waving in the air, and that was enough to form the right atmosphere.

Weed delivered a roaring speech.

“The free city of Somren! I have come to reclaim the freedom that has been lost!”

“Weed! Weed! Weed!”

Pale felt a great shudder traveling down his back as he saw the reaction of the audience.

He had sensed a similar atmosphere when Weed was moving the crowd to build a pyramid in Rosenhaim Kingdom; a feeling of being mesmerized and swindled without realization.

“I will fight for you all.”

“Weed! Weed! Weed!”

“Do not chant my name alone. My hope is that everyone will achieve happiness and prosperity!”

“Grass Porridge! Grass Porridge! Grass Porridge!”

The heat in the air was enough to melt a falling scoop of ice cream before it reached the ground.

In no more than a couple of minutes since Weed’s arrival, the users present in the Central Plaza of Somren became intoxicated by this excited atmosphere.

“Let’s reclaim the freedom we have lost. By our hands!”

“Yeeeeeeaaaaaah!”

With each word blaring out of Weed’s mouth, a roar from the audience followed.

“We will be grateful for your help, however small. If you are afraid, you can just walk with us in the back. Let’s show the pride of Somren’s people to that arrogant Hermes Guild!”

In a blink of an eye, Weed managed to form an army of 40,000 in the plaza.

“March to the castle of the lord!”

“Let’s go!”

Weed took the lead, and the users followed, weapons in their hands.

Those who they met on the way to the lord’s castle, or those who came running after hearing the news, all joined in the crowd.

They were not even properly organized according to classes or levels, but that didn’t matter; people were gathering, and their potential for destruction was impossible to predict. Some time later, Mapan wrote about this event in his memoirs in a form of a dialogue.

– Preparation in advance? It took me exactly 30 minutes. I just had to recruit some novice users with the daily payment of 3 gold pieces. I think there were about 100 of them…I was originally going to get about 1000 people, but Mr. Weed objected, saying that it was a waste of money. I really like Mr. Weed when he shows such great consideration towards money, even if it’s MY money.

-Their task? Things I had to teach? There were none. I simply told them to shout Mr. Weed’s name loudly when he arrived. That was all the preparation needed.

-There was no need to recruit the soldiers through official means, no need to supply for combat. Are you asking what would’ve happened if the troops of Somren had tried to stop us?

-How would they have done that, when they were stabbed in the back so unexpectedly? Still, it wouldn’t have made much of a change even if they had tried. It’s Mr. Weed we’re talking about. He would have stabbed them again. Harder.

-You mean there would have been the 2nd, 3rd and 4th preliminary steps in reserve? I told you, there were no such things! True, one of Mr. Weed’s many strengths is his preparedness, but his occasional boldness is another.

-Yes. Mr. Weed once told me, miracles are made by hard working people with quick wits. He often handles a situation with his hunches and wits, and that surprisingly works out very well.

A combat is all about timing!

Kgoltha, the lord of the free city of Somren, was lying down watching a crystal ball.

“There’s no way we could lose this time. Even if Weed has an ability to fly. Kekeke.”

Kgoltha and other Hermes Guild users were eagerly waiting for Weed’s defeat; with Weed and Arpen Kingdom gone from the face of this Versa Continent, there would be nothing that could stand in their way.

Even with their current situation about the rebels, they thought that the heads of the guild could find a way to resolve it once they lost the central force that united them together.

“We have a trouble! There’s a revolt!”

“Ugh…Of all the time, why now?”

A former merchant, Kgoltha raised his big and heavy body.

“Size of the revolt?”

“We can’t know clearly yet, but the estimated number is 100,000.”

“Well, that’s not too bad…”

He wasn’t happy with the large scale of the uprising, but thought that it would be subdued shortly.

The amount of wealth accumulating in Somren was such that they even had trouble finding ways to spend it all, so the renovation of the castle walls and defense facilities had been made thoroughly.

‘The troops in the city could stop them without much trouble; then the booty could make a considerable profit.’

He didn’t think much more ahead than contacting the guild for help in case things went wrong, but soon his adjutant came bursting into his bedroom and said, “The leader of the rebellion army is Weed!”

“Weed? Okay. It’s a common name, but I don’t recall hearing it around here.”

“Weed, the god of war!”

“Huh…there’s a user with such a title? It’s quite fancy, wherever they got it from.”

“You don’t know Weed the god of war? He fought against Lord Bard Ray, and he’s the king of Arpen Kingdom!”

“Of course I know THAT Weed. Who doesn’t? He’s the most famous person in Royal Road.”

The adjutant beat his chest with frustration.

“THAT Weed is invading this city, right now!”

Kgoltha jumped from his seat.

“WHAT?! Why is he…For what…HOW?”

“I don’t know.”

“He’s supposed to be conducting the siege in Shelgium…it’s being broadcast live!”

“That’s not important. We need to stop him, fast.”

Having made a great fortune early, Kgoltha had owned the stores in the central district of Somren. After securing the position of a lord by making connections to Haven Empire, he was practically rolling in money, but had little interest in war.

“You’re saying Weed is attacking us?!”

“How many times do I have to tell you? He is leading the uprising.”

“I suppose I have to fight, then?”

“If you are not planning on handing over the city, yes, definitely.”

The adjutant who were in charge of the administration of the free city of Somren had been a civil servant from the administrative department, and had been promoted when his competence was acknowledged in real life; a typical capable subordinate suffering from the dull governor.

“Who’s going to stop them?”

“I am not sure. Bushiri is the strongest user out of those who are online now. He’s a knight, too.”

“I remember him boasting during our last banquet. Did he say he’s level 512 now? Do you think he can stop them?”

“Things don’t look very optimistic. Hermes Guild wouldn’t have been chasing after him so obsessively if he could be beaten so easily.”

“Y…You’re right. What if we call the guild for help while our defense army fights them?”

“The guild will send people in an upmost hurry, but this city will have been taken when before they’re here.”

***

The broadcasting stations streaming the battle in Shelgium were faced with a nasty surprise.

“Quickly, connect to Somren free city!”

“It’s Weed! Weed showed up there!”

“That doesn’t make any sense, why is he there?”

“According to the news, he’s advancing towards the lord’s castle after gathering users.”

“Tell B Team to get ready right now, we need a real-time livestream if possible…Damn it! Shelgium’s important, but it’s urgent in Somren too! Which one should we broadcast? How are the other stations reacting?”

The broadcasting stations hastily decided to have live coverage of the situation in the free city of Somren, and organized their schedules accordingly.

Companies like KMC Media and CTS Media, despite being major broadcasting stations, gave up Shelgium and moved their focus to Somren.

Fortunately, as many users were active in the United Britten region, there were also reporters present in the area, and broadcast were arranged in less than 5 minutes.

“The waves of attacks from Haven Imperial Army are continuing on in the siege of Shelgium. Currently the outer walls have collapsed and the Empire’s infantry is approaching the city. Mr. Oh Ju-wan, the resistance from the northern users are very unyielding, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. Despite the large difference in strength they are still enduring persistently. Some are even hiding in the rubbles to attack their enemy.”

“The siege of Shelgium is still raging on, but we just received news of Mr. Weed’s appearance in the free city of Somren. We will move our broadcast to Somren for a moment.”

The users who have been expecting Weed’s arrival while watching the television also turned their attention to Somren.

“Charge!!!”

“Somren shall be a free city once more!”

“We do not want tyranny!”

It was Weed who struck the match, but once their firewood of fury that had been long piling up burst into a blaze, so did the crowd.

The number of users marching increased to ten thousands as soon as they got out of the plaza, and as people started to get a feeling that they could actually make this work, more users active in the city kept coming to join them; There were thirteen thousands when they reached in front of the lord’s castle, and then seventeen thousands now after a brief hesitation.

With the appearance of Weed, there was a stream of users coming online in the streets and the plaza, and some people even came from inside the castle gates.

“Bring down the Hermes Guild!”

“We are Grass Porridge! We are Somren Porridge!”

The users following Weed picked flowers or grass leaves from the ground and put them in their hair.

“Attack!”

The lord’s castle, which had been newly built by the Hermes Guild with the purpose of governing the free city of Somren, became the target of the rebellion.

The castle walls were high and strong, and there were cutting-edge defense facilities with the ability to cast spells.

From the archery turrets came down a hail of powerful middle-sized arrows, piercing the crowd.

“Do not let them approach. Prepare the hot oil, and all troops get ready!”

“Yes sir!”

As a knight with excellent leadership, Bushiri conducted the soldiers to defend the castle. It was one of the largest castles in the entire united Briton region; the Hermes Guild spent a huge amount of money to construct this castle as a fortress, to extend its control over the neighboring regions.

As Imperial troops were dispatched to the castle walls and other strategic points, users outside started to fight back.

“Focus your spells on the castle gates!”

“People with archer or ranger class, please don’t get in front! Climb to the top of the buildings in the city and direct your shots to the castle from there if you have it within reach!”

The users of the free city did not have a proper line of command, but each one of them were finding their role in the battle and managed to defeat the forces stationed in each district of the city.

Weed ascended the mage tower with Pale.

“Hmm…this is a nice view.”

“ Somren is indeed a prosperous place.”

The beautiful medieval-style architecture of the city caught their eyes. After the doors of Royal Road opened, the enormous amount of wealth accumulated in this city turned into luxurious structures. Temples of various religions including Freya Order, merchant streets, and guild buildings were spread uniformly throughout the city. The mansions of the nobles and of rich people added to the beautiful scenery as well.

“Fight the enemy!”

“Full-scale attack! Don’t back off, climb over the walls!”

Shouts from both the Hermes Guild members and the local users were heard everywhere. Fires started in a number of places in the city, with flames and black smoke rising to the sky.

The free city of Somren had fallen into a war.

Pale cast a sidelong look at Weed’s face.

‘He just appeared in this place, and that was enough to start a battle of this scale…He really has a powerful presence.’

Before his thoughts got too complicated, Weed opened his mouth.

“I think it’s about time to begin.”

“Begin what?”

“Creating undead, of course. What’s more fitting to a large-scale battle than a hoard of undead?”

A battlefield where great users of the Central Continent are engaged in a fight; defenders and rebels alike, their corpses could be reanimated as undead after falling in battle. All the experience points and skill proficiency that would be gained by summoning high-level undead and leading them into the fight!!!

Even better, If the rebels could no longer have normal lives in Somren anymore, they would choose to flee to the Arpen Kingdom leaving only bitterness for Bard Ray and Lafaye. All things considered, the destruction of Shelgium, where a large battle was taking place, would not favor The Haven Empire either. From a long term perspective, the Haven Empire would have to defend against the Arpen Kingdom in the North, and the desert warriors in the South. On top of this, there would be a dangerous war front forming inside the Empire itself. With each exchange of blows with the enemy, the Haven Empire would have to suffer losses and their military strength will wear thin. It will be deprived of its users, its reputation, and finally, its territories.

‘Wow…This is just evil. Now I can see why Mr. Mapan always said that he cannot hold a candle to Lord Weed. He wasn’t being modest.’

This whole situation was truly comparable to a person inserting a penny in a toy vending machine and then taking the whole thing. (Note: A small vending machine which gives you a small, cheap and usually collectible toy in a plastic capsule when you insert a coin into it. These machines were very common in the streets of Korea about 10-20 years ago.)

***

The siege inside the free city of Somren!

The defending army led by Bushiri was doing an admirable job keeping off the enemy, but it could only hold its ground against the concentrated attack from the users.

“Return to the ground upon which you once walked. Here lies a dark place, a black and corrupt land. Engrave the eternal commandments of darkness into the heart of every living being. Undead Rise!”

Weed summoned Death Knights and Specters. As his Summon Undead skill had become Intermediate 7 level, he was now able to summon wolf assault warriors holding large war-hammers.

“Fight. Trample. I don’t need any offerings. Wipe them all!”

He spent all of his art stats on Wisdom using Destruction Sculpting skill. Weed was sending off an endless stream of undead into the battle; he summoned skeleton archers in hundreds at a time, ordering them to attack from a distance. Even when huge siege weapons hit straight into them, the skeletons just rose up again, their broken bones putting themselves together.

“Kekeke. We cannot be killed. Because we are already dead!”

“The immortal warrior calls. Who will stand against us?”

Even the weak skeletons posed a considerable threat when they were shooting arrows without end.

In order to deal with them, the defending troops would have to get outside of the castle walls. But Hermes Guild users were too preoccupied with their own safety to step forth. Not that they didn’t try, but everyone who did lost their life the moment they got outside.

Bahamorg, the warrior who served Weed, was there, and there was no user currently in this place who could match his power in a one-on-one fight.

In addition, there was Seasoned Crab the assassin, wandering among the battlefield aimlessly,

Python the fighter,

and other numerous high-level users harboring resentment towards Hermes Guild.

As the long-suppressed dissatisfaction felt by the users of the city was of no small amount as well, there was a focus fire against any Hermes Guild users who stepped out of the walls.

“We found a route into the castle!”

A hole was created from a crack in the wall, in a position obscured by buildings. As the city users were penetrating inside, the siege of the free city of Somren was reaching the final stage; while the defending army in the lord’s castle was growing exhausted and smaller in number, the size of the rebel forces only increased as time passed.

The crucial moment was when Weed appeared in the sky on the wings of light, thundering a lion’s roar.

“We need to forgive those who surrender to us!”

“…?”

That was indeed very out of the blue; from the very mouth of Weed, who had been summoning undead and beating the living hell out of the defending troops and Hermes Guild users, came a much unexpected suggestion.

“This is not just a fight against these few people. We need to fight to restore justice that has been lost from Versailles continent!”

Even an elementary school kid would know better than to believe this; People were living in the age in which children only had to switch on their phones to realize how heartless and dangerous the outside world is.

“Let’s fight when we must. But if any of them says they will give up the fight, let’s forgive them. An endless chain of retaliation would not do our world any good!”

Weed’s idea of justice!

Not many people empathized with it, but it posed a temptation to the users of Hermes Guild who were expecting to be massacred locked up in the lord’s castle after the walls were breached.

‘They’re going to let us live if we surrender?’

Their minds were torn between two conflicting values; the benefits of avoiding death for this one time and the disadvantages of deserting Hermes Guild. Of course, normally the latter would be much greater than the former, but circumstances were a bit different for the users of Hermes Guild who had been regularly active in Britten region. They were the users who joined the guild after Haven Empire took over the Central Continent. They had originally belonged to other prestigious guilds, but changed their allegiance when their strength was recognized by Hermes Guild.

‘I want to remain active in this region…What if Weed liberates all the areas around here?’

Then they might be forced to abandon their homeland and move to the regions under the control of Hermes Guild. In the opposite case, they might have to move to the Arpen Kingdom, but at least that would mean they didn’t have to die right there. Besides, if they stay alive, then there might be chance to minimize their loss by selling off their property.

So, in the middle of a fierce battle, by that one word of Weed, suddenly users started dropping their weapons to the ground.

“I surrender!”

“I’m not going to fight any longer!”

With the desertion of these Hermes Guild users, the defense force of the castle collapsed in no time. There were about one third of the users who chose to fight until the end, but the rest left Hermes Guild as a price for their lives.

***

Trakis the Conqueror!

Even while conducting the army of the Third Legion, he could not release his tension.

‘I’ll have to fight against Weed…I don’t know what kind of unexpected things he will come up with this time…but even so, it will be my victory this time.’

It was all part of their strategy that they allowed the enemy to take Shelgium; now they were knocking down the city from outside with bombardment, using a huge number of high-performance siege weapons they had brought from Haven Empire. The presence of Steel Knights boosted their confidence even more, and the Nothern users’ signature human-wave strategy will be severely limited in this place as well.

‘I should be grateful of the fact that they have put me in charge of the battle. After today, I shall gain great fame for defeating Weed and his Arpen Kingdom.’

It was an opportunity to get one step ahead of other prominent users in Hermes Guild. Determined to break down the castle walls and devastate the entire city, he advanced his siege weapons little by little.

As Trakis gazed upon the battleground being all dramatic and such, Tanmell, another member of Hermes Guild, called him.

“Legion Commander!”

“What? I’m in the middle of conducting a battle. Unless it’s something important I must not lose my focus for even a sec-“

“It is! Did you hear that Weed appeared in Somren?”

“What did you say?”

While proceeding with the siege, Trakis got the news of Weed showing up in the free city of Somren. He didn’t believe it at first, but soon through his crystal ball he confirmed that the broadcasting stations also moved their live streaming to Somren.

His tension, as sharp as a tip of a sword just a moment ago, was gone very undramatically.

‘Weed abandoned Shelgium. Then this place…is left with nothing more than some Northern users.’

And even those Nothern users were not great in number. As many of them were below level 100 as well, they were just some enemy that could be defeated without any challenge.

‘How easy a fight it would be, compared to those days when Haven Empire was conquering the Central Continent!’

Trakis ordered the Imperial Army to launch a full-scale assault.

“Destroy it all. It will be a humiliation to drag this war until tonight.”

The siege weapons advanced, throwing fire and ice. Both Steel Knights and the Imperial Army pressed forward, slaughtering the Nothern users.

“Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge!”

“It’s not over yet; let’s fight until the end!”

The Nothern users fought heroically, and perished.

The military power that was impossible to match; the Third Legion under the command of Trakis dominated the users gathered in Shelgium with their strength. On some occasions there were users who surrendered, but most of them lost their lives in the battle.

As they had planned, the Third Legion could conclude the assault before the nightfall. The city was reduced to rubbles, and a great many users who had gathered in it were exterminated. On the other hand, there were less than 20,000 casualties on the Imperial Army’s side; it was an overwhelming victory.

***

While running his store, Mapan watched the battles of Shelgium and Somren.

“Ha! That’s our Lord Weed!”

He could react with nothing but pure awe; Weed’s backstabbing had a perfect angle, just the right amount of punch and delicate positioning, not to mention the excellent after-measures.

Mapan’s subordinate, Hidden Money,a younger cousin of his whom he had introduced to Royal Road-said, “By the way, brother,”

“Yes?”

“Why did Lord Weed let those people live? If he is as you said he is, wouldn’t he wipe them all for exp and skill proficiencies?”

“You’re judging him by scratching the surface.”

His great belly sloshing, Mapan imitated the evil smirk he had learnt from Weed.

“Experience points and skill proficiencies are just one-off benefits.”

“That’s true.”

“Lord Weed could show off his great influence by finishing the battle with just a word, and he even showed mercy. That will have an impact across the whole Versailles Continent.”

“But that’s not his usual self. Is that really worth the benefits he gave up?”

Hidden Money tipped his head to one side in confusion; judging by Weed’s personality that he had heard so much about, it was just really unlikely that he had followed his conscience when making a decision-missing the certain benefit right in front of him, just for some vague and abstract value? That was such a surprising aspect of him that Hidden Money was now reconsidering his impression of Weed.

‘I’ll need to leave him if he is not worth my obedience.’

Mapan could not hide his jowl-quivering smile, as if he knew exactly what he was thinking.

“They will become a great asset for Lord Weed.”

“What?”

“Do you think Hermes Guild will accept them even if they returned? They will go hunting, complete quests and participate in battles all for the Arpen Kingdom from now on.”

“But still, he gave up the potential for his own growth! That’s such a loss!”

“Haha.”

Mapan felt quite satisfied, seeing his cousin’s eagerness for profit; you wouldn’t make a decent merchant unless you lacked such ambition.

“That’s precisely the reason why Lord Weed deserves people’s respect.”

“What?”

“They are already stragglers, few in number. If he wiped them all off with his undead, certainly there would be people among the northern users who grow jealous of his power.”

“Ah…”

“That is the rule you have to remember when you are offered a free meal. You never finish the last bit of food, lest you lose your host’s goodwill. Then, you get another free meal.”

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