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Lee Hyun sprinkled the seeds for lettuce in the field at his house.

“I can wrap pork belly in it later to eat.”

He could easily buy lettuce but then money would be wasted. Eating lettuce, sweet potato, potatoes etc. grown in his field felt good.

The Haven Empire was coming to invade in Royal Road so he didn’t have a lot of time to spend in reality. He needed to establish countermeasures to stop them, raise Time Sculpting and recover the levels he lost in the quest.

Despite being busy, he made sure to spend 30 minutes taking care of the house. All the stress that built up would be cleared by cleaning.

Despite the stations depositing a large sum into his account, Lee Hyun’s life didn’t change.

“The most important thing is to earn money. A job like mine is unstable so I need to collect a lot.”

He didn’t drink, go to a coffee shop or have any expensive hobbies like watching home shopping.

He saved his income. Once a lump sum was gathered, then he would invest it in land.

“In the future….I need to give my condolences. All the money spent on education and hospital bills.”

In South Korea, a lot of money was used to raise their children.

If they didn’t want to fall behind others in this harsh world then it was important to be educated in maths, science and at least two foreign languages from a young age. Instruments such as the violin or piano should also be learned. In order to allow them to see the world, parents might send them abroad to study. There was also skating, shooting, horseback riding and golf.

The potential of children in South Korea was developed to its fullest! If the 24 hours in a day were divided into 10 minute units, most of their lives would be going back and forth to school.

Then there was the intense compet.i.tion for university admissions and employment.

“Well, I’m afraid of the future. When looking at the television, it is getting hard to hear good news.”

Lee Hyun felt a tremendous sense of responsibility.

At first he thought a family was more of a burden than a happiness. Meeting someone was something that wasn’t possible in his situation.

His ideal type was a strong woman with vitality. A woman who could take care of business at the market as well as fry a crispy chicken!

Lee Hyun muttered under his breath.

“But I’m already in a relations.h.i.+p so I should take responsibility until the end.”

In the opposite garden, Seo-yoon was holding a rake and planting pepper seedlings.

A few days ago, he went hiking with her and then shared a deep kiss with her in front of the house. It was a sudden event but the kiss lasted for quite a long time.

In fact, for some reason all the street lights had turned off so there was no need to stop early. The background music playing in the background made it a very good atmosphere.

He intended to release her lips when the song ended. But after a brief hesitation, the next song started playing.

‘Eh, I don’t know. It feels good so I will continue.’

At least 6 minutes!

Lee Hyun’s thoughts became clear after he kissed her.

‘I have to take responsibility for the rest of my life. I finally have a good woman so I should marry her.’

These days the world was different. Kissing occurred after meeting for a few days and there was even further progress.

Lee Hyun was old-fas.h.i.+oned in this aspect.

‘My love life is over. Well…it is better to fall in love early since there are a lot of expenses in dating.’

He heard Seo-yoon’s clear voice.

“Should I plant more?”

“There are enough peppers…change to planting carrots and cuc.u.mbers. It should be enough for 5 people to eat.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“After planting, mix it well with the fertilizer. Farming is fertilizer.”

Seo-yoon was wearing comfortable sportswear while working in the field.

Lee Hyun was also clad in sportswear but he looked scruffy compared to Seo-yoon’s brightness. She wore sportswear from a luxurious Italian brand.

If Lee Hyun knew the price of the expensive product then he would lose consciousness and be rushed off by the ambulance.

‘It is good that she can wear sportswear. In the future, we will live a frugal life together.’

Lee Hyun and Seo-yoon lived next door so it was natural to eat meals together. Right now Lee Hyun was busy concentrating on Royal Road so she prepared the meals.

She naturally a.s.sisted at home and warmly raised Lee Hyun’s animals. Dogmeat would wag its tail every time she came over to Lee Hyun’s house. Half Seasoned Half Fried and the baby chickens also had their crest perk up. The puppies that Dogmeat gave birth to were wallowing in the sun.

He was enjoying a happy life but the slightest slip meant it might disappear.

‘I have to prepare methods to defeat those guys.’

Lee Hyun contemplated ways to stop the Haven Empire.

The users of the Arpen Kingdom would help but he couldn’t rely on them. The Alkazar Bridge would block the Haven Empire’s army for a few days but they would eventually reach the Earth Palace.

“A disaster is necessary and I should use Sculpture Resurrection. The best person to revive…d.a.m.n, I really don’t like him.”

He thought about the skills that could be used.

He had fought the Immortal Legion as the orc Karichwi. The terrain and aggressive subordinates meant they followed his commands without any doubts. Furthermore, there was time to prepare.

However, it was close to impossible to configure a strong chain of command with users. Even if the users made large scale preparations for war, there was no guarantee there weren’t any spies from the Hermes Guild.

“Those fellows from the Hermes Guild won’t be noticed. And I need to predict what actions they might take.”

Lee Hyun thought about the things that might occur in the future.

Strategies and tactics weren’t a big deal. There were tips and tricks that could be used to solve a problem. In the case of a quest, a quick mind and using various skills were important.

Sculpture Transformation was a skill he used in many adventures. Blending into a crowd of opponents or changing species to maximize strength! However, Sculpture Transformation wouldn’t be useful against the army of the Haven Empire.

In fact, the Hermes Guild was the worst opponent for him. They had a thorough plan and used their momentum to quickly dominate the Versailles Continent.

Usually fictional villains would make a mistake by going slowly and giving the hero time to grow. But the Hermes Guild quickly secured important victories in the war.

Lee Hyun caused damage to them but when looking at the overall plan, it was only minor damage that didn’t cause them any disruptions.

“Completely unexpected…well, there aren’t any large changes to the army. And there are large plains in front of the Earth Palace.”

Lee Hyun was currently lying down in the yard with the warm sun s.h.i.+ning down on him.

“Hrmm, a tactic that can be connected to a disaster…I should buy some things. They can be used.”

He decided to do a bulk purchase through Mapan. Of course, there were still some gaps. The Haven Empire was capable of ma.s.sive ranged attacks so suitable tactics needed to be prepared.

It was necessary to change his battle approach.

“If I cause a large disaster while the northern craftsmen prepare rafts…no, many users would need to partic.i.p.ate and the Hermes Guild would certainly notice. Well, hopefully I can obtain some things for free.”

Lee Hyun steadily built up battle plans for the area in front of the Earth Palace. He questioned how much progress there would be but he had to try it anyway.

“I just settled a long quest and now there is a war. Will it be easier once the war is finished? Honestly, I don’t have high expectations.”

Later that night, Lee Hyun a.s.sembled old parts and turned on the computer. There was the sound of the old fan blowing as the computer started operating.

Lee Hyun wrote a post on the Dark Gamers bulletin boards.

It was understandable that the Dark Gamers took a neutral stance in the war between users. Even if Lee Hyun asked them for help, they would only become mercenaries if there was enough profit.

It was useless at the moment. The Dark Gamers would judge what was profitable based on information from the bulletin board.

“Well, I don’t know how many will appear but there is a dining table prepared for them.”

It was a post that only the top rated Dark Gamers could see.

And after that, he went to the homepage of Royal Road and sent an email to a user.

The architect users of the north. Pavo was on his friends list but he also needed to commission other renowned architects.

“In the worst case scenario, I can’t hand the Earth Palace over to them.”

He would break it before giving it away!

“It would be a tremendous spectacle.”

He was determined to win the war against the Haven Empire but contingencies were necessary. He could only hope they weren’t needed. He would rather destroy the castle then lose it.

“And what about the forces that were defeated by the Hermes Guild?”

Lee Hyun also sent mail to the leaders of the 5 prestigious guilds. It was a brief suggestion to join forces. In order to get rid of the juggernaut that swept through them.

A few responded but it was unknown if anything would come from it.

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Hwaryeong, Bellot, Maylon, Irene, Romuna and Surka were tired.

Normal people wouldn’t believe it. The girls had tired bodies because they had been shovelling at the earth!

Romuna’s shovel hit something firm.

-Uhihihihihi! Human, thanks for freeing me. In return, your flesh….

“Noisy. Fire Time!”

-Keeek!

Romuna used fire magic to get rid of the ghost.

Bellot dug at the ground with both hands. Her face was a mess as it was covered in mud.

“What is it?”

“Nothing big. Just rusted armour.”

Weed’s hidden treasures from the Pallos Empire were buried in a lake. They thought it would be piled up in a cave and s.h.i.+ning bright and gold. Of course, it would be good if there were relics from the Pallos Empire as well.

But the reality was that the treasures were hidden in a lake that dried up and became a mudflat.

Ddiring!

“We are being rewarded after acting as human moles.”

“Phew, now I have the t.i.tle Excavator of Hidden Land.” Romuna wiped the sweat from her forehead and spoke to Bellot.

Only girls had been digging but there was already a pile of treasures in the corner.

The treasures of the Pallos Empire had been buried for a long time so the sword and armours were rusty and needed to go through a purification ritual.

Therefore Irene used her divine power to purify the items while digging.

-Kyahahahah! I’m finally free! Being chained to this infernal sword for all these years…

“Bubi bubi dance!”

“The ghost is moderately strong. Yahap! Beating!”

Hwaryeong and Surka also partic.i.p.ated in the ghost hunting. The beauty with a perfect body did the bubi bubi dance while Surka continuously used her punch attacks.

“Iyahahap! Heavy Blow Vortex!”

Surka’s fists of lights dealt a powerful blow to the body of the ghost.

-Ohuhuhu, it hurts. The ghosts that had been waiting a long time for revenge on the humans disappeared in vain….

Most of the treasures of the Pallos Empire had grudges attached to them. They had changed owners many times in the warring period. The ghosts had become stuck due to that environment.

Rowdy ghosts! The ghosts were dangerous but they just died after being excavated. The group dug all day for treasure but sometimes the ones that emerged were a failure.

But they recalled Weed’s words of encouragement before going to find the treasure.

-In the old days, our ancestors were absolutely brilliant. They eventually left this earth behind. But look.

There are many rich people in our country. There are a variety of treasures from the Pallos Empire to be discovered.

The hardest swords and armour. If they can be well restored then they can be sold for an expensive price.

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“Ahem, the army of the Haven Empire is definitely strong. The taste of a fight, Geomchi-5.”

“The taste of wielding my sword after a long time, Teacher-nim!”

Geomchi organized his disciples in the northern areas occupied by the Haven Empire.

[Kill Without Asking Porridge Unit]

They worried for one day and night before narrowly deciding on the name.

“This is unusual and nice.”

“It suits us perfectly Teacher-nim.”

“Life shouldn’t be complicated. Or my head will hurt.”

“Being simple and ignorant is the best!”

A name that meant they would unconditionally kill without asking!

The Haven Empire placed soldiers in the occupied northern territories for long term governance.

Originally, the traffic in this area was slow so the villages weren’t as developed. It was easy for the Haven Empire to expel the northern users and conquer the villages.

“What type of rubbish village is this?”

“The urban planning is a mess. Just burn it and take away the residents.”

“There are many mines nearby in the surrounding area. The slaves can quickly increase productivity. The development would turn it into a gold mine.”

The lords that settled in that area brought a large number of slaves from the Central Continent. The slaves were residents of the kingdoms conquered by the Haven Empire.

After having all their possessions on the continent taken away, they officially became slaves. Among the slaves were professional merchants, artists, blacksmiths, magicians and even combat professions like gladiators. The low management and slave engineers that managed to run away meant there actually weren’t that many slaves in the war between kingdoms.

However, the Haven Empire had a strong military force and turned many residents into slaves. The slaves were brought to the north to develop the area.

“Let’s go, everyone.”

“We will punish and kill them all. Hiyah!”

Geomchi-3 rode a bull in the front. And the reliable Sahyungs followed. Geomchi and Geomchi-2 each led troops comprised of 150 students. Geomchi-3, Geomchi-4 and Geomchi-5 led the remaining 200 students.

“Ambush from the enemy!”

“Ring the emergency bell!”

The enemy inside the wooden fence hurriedly rung the bell in order to signify there was a surprise attack.

“Shake them off!”

“Fight without asking questions. Smash everything!”

Ummoooooo!

Geomchi-3 rushed towards the wooden barrier while shouting. And the troops of the Haven Empire hastily fired arrows above the barrier. More than 100 arrows headed towards Geomchi-3 in the front.

“Times like these are the most interesting. Go!”

Geomchi-3 wielded a sword in both hands like a windmill. It was an amazing technique that caused the swords to rotate and hit the arrows.

The swords struck the arrow.

It was originally a warrior’s skill but Geomchi-3’s troops all learned it. If they learned it until master level then the pair of swords would be raised one level higher.

A martial artist could easily learn combat techniques or created different combinations themselves.

If the skill level of individual weapons reached master level then a skill could be created and their attacks would steadily increase. A myriad of master combat skills for the sword, spear, bow, axe, club, hammer, mace, s.h.i.+eld and armour! It could produce a blow similar to Black Knight’s Strike or Power of Birth.

These master skills could then be bestowed to their disciples. Of course, that was only possible if they had a complete understanding of the technique. In other words, they could only pa.s.s it onto others after fully mastering the skill.

“Uhahahaha! This taste is really delicious!”

Geomchi-3 laughed as the arrows bounced off his body. His strength would weaken when he got older but right now, he demonstrated his exceptional fighting skills.

“Sahyung, let’s go together.”

“Good!”

Geomchi-3, Geomchi-4 and Geomchi-5 rode their bulls together in the front. Stray arrows pa.s.sed by their ears and a large dust cloud rose up.

The archers were scared and hid their bodies behind the barrier.

They were now 10 metres away from the barrier.

“Smash into them. Heavy Strike!”

“Hmm, this much….one point attack!”

“There is no need for anything else. It is just cras.h.i.+ng against wood. Take this!”

The instructors strongly struck the barrier with their weapons. Then the barrier was shattered and torn. The residents and even the knights and soldiers were in a state of panic.

“The knights are mine!”

“Sahyung, the owner will be the first person to catch them.”

“We should handle the soldiers before it is too late.”

Geomchi-3, Geomchi-4 and Geomchi-5 attacked after penetrating through the barrier.

The knights of the Haven Empire. The knights were loyal to Emperor Bardray but now they were just tasty prey. The students also found the soldiers enjoyable.

“It is too quick.”

“I don’t want this taste to end too early.”

“Let’s clean this up quickly and go somewhere else.”

Geomchi and the students had continued working on their cla.s.s quest.

The Weapons Mastery quest still wasn’t over. They could choose to become a truth seeker or martial arts teacher.

A martial arts teacher had an unmatched ability to teach their disciples. Teachers could transfer their skills to NPCs or users.

On the other hand, a truth seeker didn’t teach anyone. They also couldn’t get honour. A human body could become strong so they used martial arts to cultivate their strength in nature and remove any fear of death.

And a merchant user of the Haven Empire surrendered.

“If you spare me then you absolutely won’t regret it.”

“…….”

It was rumoured that merchants became more talkative when surrendering!

“I have a total of 4,298 gold bullions so I will give if all to you and leave the north if you spare me.”

“…….”

Even a non-combatant merchant user would find their lives precious. If they lost their lives then their trading and accounting skills would fall. A high level would receive really big damage so they didn’t want to die in a place like this.

Geomchi-101 examined the merchant in silence.

“In fact, I have 3 more gold bullions in the business fund. I will give everything.”

“…….”

“Whatever you want to trade….”

“…….”

“I really have no more.”

Seokeok!

The merchant was executed by Geomchi-101.

He was able to loot an additional 5 gold bullion from the merchant. People always prayed that merchants would drop expensive items but such cases were rare. The only items attached to merchants were ones they wouldn’t mind losing in death.

Geomchi said towards his students.

“I’ll tell you this. There better not be anyone here willing to accept wealth in exchange for those cowards lives. You will forever carry a shameful face.”

“Of course we can’t do that, Teacher-nim!”

“We just need to kill everything.”

“Truly wise.”

“This is justice. It is a perfect morality, Teacher-nim.”

The policy of the Kill Without Asking Porridge unit was determined. No soldiers of the Haven Empire were left behind as the slaves tied with rope shed tears.

“The ones who hara.s.sed us finally died.”

“Even so, we can’t go back home. We can only live by following a new owner.”

“Our kingdom has already disappeared. We will live according to the will of the rulers.”

It wasn’t their occupation but they were knighted. Knights of the Arpen Kingdom could lead soldiers, carry out wars, conquer and absorb enemy territory and even dispose of prisoners of war. Including Geomchi-3, all members of the Kill Without Asking Porridge unit were knights of the Arpen Kingdom.

Geomchi-3 nodded and said.

“Just take care of your own lives.

“Eat if you are hungry and sleep if you are sleepy. Take care of the money you earned. It is hard on the body of the prisoners of war….”

“Come! We are heading to the next place.”

“Thank you very much. We were brought here without any consideration so thank you very much. We will become residents of the Arpen Kingdom and be loyal to His Majesty the King and all the knights.”

Geomchi-3 climbed onto his bull.

“Sahyung, there are 5 villages in the area so today will be very busy.”

“Teacher-nim doesn’t like being idle. Go quickly!”

Geomchi-3 and the students rode towards another settlement of the Haven Empire.

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The leaders of the Hermes Guild in the northern occupied territories had serious concerns about the actions of the Kill Without Asking Porridge unit.

“We can’t afford to leave those fellows alone. It isn’t on a large scale yet but it will be difficult once more join them.”

“The guild leaders should quickly quell this. But the leaders in the Haven Empire will just consider them a funny story.”

“But so far they’ve only caused minor damage. Will the core leaders really worry about this?”

“The terrain characteristics are very different from the Central Continent.”

“Yes, I’ve also had that problem.”

In the Central Continent, there were many fortresses so they could stabilize the area.

The prestigious guilds were composed of users so once a defeat occurred, there were serious internal splits. Who was good or bad and who was behind the defeat. The complaints piled up until they exploded.

The Hermes Guild would target the important people at that time and the guild would dissolve. The ability to resist would disappear and the Haven Empire could firmly conquer the territory.

In comparison, the north had large meadows where horses could run for hours. Even after the conquest, the settlements weren’t cities so they were difficult to keep.

In other words, the resistance army could move around on horses, other users would actively join and security would worsen. The occupied territory needed to be secured so they felt the need to respond to it strongly.

“We will dig pitfalls in the settlements.”

“That is insufficient. We need to annihilate their mobility with one strike. Their numbers are small but it will be difficult.”

“Should we direct the knights from the 5th army division to the occupied territories? The remainder of the army will continue marching towards the Earth Palace. They can return quickly and aid in the battle at the Earth Palace.”

“Good. I was getting bored.”

The commander in change of the 5th knights division was Banrommel. He was determined to destroy the Kill Without Asking Porridge unit.