Chapter 7) A Real Hero

The avians gradually reduced their air bombing. It was because the Haven Empire and Hermes Guild users hid behind cover.

The avians completely dominated the air through some considerable sacrifices.

“Let’s go. To the fortress!”

“This evening, we will eat pork belly in the fortress.

The Gra.s.s Porridge Cult ran towards the walls.

Krobidyun hid his body behind a high pile of bones and led the undead.

“Block them. My servants.”

Skeletons and ghouls attacked the northern users from several areas.

“Get off. These pile of bones!”

“Just push through!”

Many archers and magicians lost their lives so they weren’t any help as the northern users pushed through the undead.

The northern users had to overcome the undead. They couldn’t miss the opportunity created through the sacrifices of the avians.

Priests and paladins moved to destroy the undead with holy magic.

Krobidyun just smiled.

“Stupid. A necromancer will always have the advantage on the battlefield.”

A necromancer looked at the situation from a different perspective.

Thanks to the sacrifice of the avians, many imperial soldiers and Hermes Guild users died. Losing troops wasn’t always a disadvantage on the battlefield.

Thanks to their corpses, advanced undead could be made.

“Rise. Open your eyes, ghosts that never sleep. Live and get revenge on those that killed you! Undead Rise.”

The undead summoning spell was used once again.

On the walls of Puhol Fortress, undead such as death knights, doom knights and specters were made.

“Kill them all.”

“Hyas!”

The undead flocked over the Northern users.

The redemption of the soul and blood! Krobidyun consumed mana and was successful in supplementing the undead.

“Tough warriors that reject death. Sign a contract, those who want to be on the battlefield. Appear in response to my call. Animate the Dead!”

A stage 4 undead summoning spell unfolded. The souls of strong warriors would inhabit good bodies and display the skills they had in life.

More than 100 bodies rose up. An intense and blackened radiance emerged from Krobidyun. The innate strength of undead warriors was emitted.

Krobidyun often led an undead army when hunting alone. These undead warriors were enough to overpower boss level monsters.

“Everybody go forth. There are many enemies.”

The undead warriors bowed to Krobidyun and entered the battlefield.

With big swords and shattered armour, the undead ghosts penetrated through the northern users.

Krobidyun summoned 500 skeleton archers in the vicinity to shoot arrows into the sky. It was an offensive to keep the avians in check.

None of them could stop him due to the strong barrier of bones. Once a necromancer had summoned the undead, there was no need for them to fight directly.

Durururururu.

At that moment, Puhol Fortress and the entire region started trembling.

‘An earthquake? It is too weak to be an earthquake…’

‘Weed?’

They knew that Weed could cause a disaster so Alcard sent an emergency notice to the troops.

-Alcard: Have all troops prepare for a disaster. The intelligence has determined that we only need to endure it once.

The magicians expanded the protection spells while the soldiers and Hermes Guild users hid behind cover.

The priests were sent to a safe area inside the fortress.

The shaking in the entire area vanished.

“Nothing happened.”

“Maybe someone used a big magic…”

Then the land around them started to collapse.

“Ehh. My feet are falling.”

The hard rock had turned into fine mud that was pulling their bodies in.

The land had changed into a swamp. The buildings inside the fortress collapsed or were pulled down sideways.

“Aaack!”

The soldiers and users inside the fortress were struggling to emerge from the ground.

In an instant, the land had gone up to their knees and then their waist. It only took a minute before the earth covered their heads.

“S-save me!”

At this moment, the Hermes Guild members were only thinking about escape.

An instinctive fear!

Their levels were high so they might survive, but there was an instinctive fear of being sucked into the ground.

And a dense poison fog.

“Poison…this poison swamp is a disaster produced by Weed!”

The whole terrain was changed due to the disaster but not all of them freaked out. The magicians and priests used detoxification magic on those close to them. But there were numerous imperial soldiers gathered at the fortress.

“Kuweeek!”

The imperial soldiers breathed in the poison fog and suffered. Even if they didn’t die, their combat capabilities were significantly reduced.

The members of the Hermes Guild hastily went to look for priests or an antidote. And the earth shook again.

Grrrrrung.

The earth shook severely as a heinous monster could be seen through the poison fog emerging from underground!

“Uwaaaack!”

Five magicians near the centre of Puhol Fortress were eaten.

“What is this?”

“It is a tremendous size. A giant monster?”

It disappeared only to shortly pop up in the vicinity of another magician.

“W-what?”

They couldn’t see properly due to the poison fog.

The loud noise was close by but it was hard to see properly.

“Kyakyakyat!”

Weed noticed this fact after jumping out of the ground.

The poisonous swamp gave symptoms to the soldiers but wasn’t strong enough to wipe them out.

Even so, Puhol Fortress was locked in horror as bodies were stuck in the swamp or poisoned.

“It is almost too easy.”

He hid in the ground and attacked enemies at random. His 40 feet moved forward at the same time while his horns and tail broke the buildings.

A large centipede was hunting in swampy ground. He also raised his strength with Sculptural Destruction so the Hermes Guild users and soldiers could barely last a few seconds.

If two sides had a similar brute power, the one with the advantage was likely to win. Weed’s size and b.l.o.o.d.y appearance was a psychological advantage.

“W-Weed? He has appeared. Help me!”

Weed was strong. He almost beat Bardray alone and overpowered Myul.

Some Hermes Guild members didn’t want to die and chose to run.

A chase scene that could often be seen in monster movies! They splashed through the swamp but failed to be quick enough.

Weed’s wings and 40 legs allowed him to jump at the Hermes Guild users.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Finally, the tail struck down the Hermes Guild users.

Big items!

“There is a monster out there. Don’t panic and attack…cough!”

A sticky swamp and poisonous smoke! Weed couldn’t see but he could use his ears.

Despite the darkness, he could use the antenna to detect things.

He sometimes ate knights hiding behind walls or pillars but he preferred priests and magicians.

It was a terrible way of fighting unleashed by Squashy Wriggler. Once in a while, black smoke would be blown out from his rear due to indigestion.

Bbuuuuh!

The poisonous Squashy Wriggler unleashed powerful poison gas.

“My nose is rotting!”

“M-my armour is dissolving.”

It was strong enough to melt stone.

The large centipede reached its peak in the swamp. Due to the terrain change from Great Disaster Nature Sculpting, he had maximized the effectiveness of Sculpture Transformation.

Meanwhile, the avians joined Weed in slaughtering the Hermes Guild users.

“Weed-nim is partic.i.p.ating. Kokodaek!”

“Really? He didn’t sing a song…”

“He is beneath the ground. Caw!”

The avians viewed the devastation occurring inside Puhol Fortress. Suddenly, the earth had been turned into a swamp and buildings were torn down.

A poisonous fog rose in the military fortress of the Haven Empire.

Some of them also saw poison mist being released from the centipede’s body.

“I-is that really Weed-nim?”

“Let’s help. Help him.”

“Somehow my heart doesn’t want to get near him.”

The avians had only shown the suicide attacks against the Haven Empire.

They received requests from the airborne troops of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult.

“Drop us in the fortress. I would like to fight with Weed-nim.”

“It won’t be a normal fight because of the poison. The imperial soldiers are melting.”

“It doesn’t matter. The gra.s.s porridge air troops are prepared to sacrifice our lives for the freedom of the Arpen Kingdom and Weed. Thousands of avians have already struggled for us.”

“If so, I will give you a lift. Please stay alive.”

The avians dropped thousands of the gra.s.s porridge air troops into Puhol Fortress.

They used feathers that reduced weight and drifted down from the sky. By default, they learned archery due to the war.

Pu shu shu shuk!

They fired arrows towards Puhol Fortress as they fell to the ground. Visibility was limited due to the poison fog. They indiscriminately fired towards soldiers on the walls or stuck in the swamp.

“From the sky.”

The Hermes Guild aimed magic in the sky after discovering them and dozens lost their lives. However, the arrow attacks of the airborne troops just headed towards that area.

The gra.s.s porridge air troops split up as they landed on the ground.

“It is up to us.”

“For the Arpen Kingdom!”

Their levels were different. But the elite gra.s.s porridge air troops gathered their courage and loyalty.

They went up to the imperial soldiers.

“C…come get me!”

They wielded their swords without hesitation towards the soldiers found in the swamp.

“Cough. Why are they…?”

The magicians and priests were hit by axes or stabbed by swords.

“B-betrayal?”

The gra.s.s porridge airborne troops wore the typical clothes of the Haven Empire’s army.

Some of them were wearing the clothing and items typical for the commanders of the Hermes Guild.

The Hermes Guild had swords and armour equipped that was optimal for combat. The airborne troops wore identical equipment so it was impossible to distinguish between them.

Drago who dreamt of becoming a master and his disciples had made clothing for the airborne troops.

“You want some fakes?”

“Yes. I’m sorry for asking this of Tailor-nim but it is necessary.”

“Heh. I’m not a star. I will make it exactly the same. And I will use particularly good b.u.t.tons.”

The life of sewing b.u.t.tons on clothing!

Tens of thousands of airborne troops were dressed as Hermes Guild users and Haven Empire soldiers.

Initially it didn’t make a difference as some airborne troops were kill in the air. The archers and magicians with low health aggressively a.s.saulted the airborne division.

But due to the poison fog inside the fortress, the airborne troops could cause severe confusion.

“Completely secure places on the eastern wall.”

“Take control of the armoury. Immediately destroy any buildings.”

“Start fires at the lodging of the soldiers.”

The Haven Empire soldiers and Hermes Guild users were easily eliminated through joint attacks.

The airborne troops gathered into units and attacked different areas. The only thing that could distinguish them from the enemy was the b.u.t.ton on the collar.

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“D-dammit!”

Alcard threw the operational plan of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult onto the ground.

“I was deceived. Almost nothing is following that plan.”

The imperial soldiers were dead or poisoned.

Those with the ability to heal them were in a safe place.

He also heard news about the disaster that Weed caused.

But there was nothing he could do as the commander. He couldn’t go down and give commands because it seemed like troops were being killed by the same side.

The Hermes Guild in particular were keen to save their lives and attacked anyone that tried to approach them. The elite airborne troops would pretend to be involved and then stab soldiers from behind with a poisoned dagger.

Even Krobidyun and Myul was useless.

Krobidyun was active as a lich but he had to block the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult members outside the fortress.

There were side effects from the ma.s.s of undead. Some undead not controlled by them attacked the Hermes Guild or Haven Empire soldiers.

Krobidyun hastily tried to control them but he was reaching his limit. Bodies were piled up everywhere and there were reports that the undead were attacking their allies.

“Krobidyun. Is he crazy? What the h.e.l.l is he doing?”

In fact, the death knight Van Hawk had been summoned in the swamp.

Van Hawk was the Commander of the Dark Army. He took some of the undead away and made them his subordinates.

Krobidyun could stop this if he knew but his attention was focused on the enemy.

A necromancer only had a limited field of vision so he was paying attention to the large scale forces instead of what was happening inside the fortress.

Torido was also summoned to a corner where he drank blood, but he didn’t have a major impact on the battlefield.

Myul was even more pathetic than Krobidyun. Krobidyun might be doing some damage but he was still doing his share.

Myul didn’t take the opportunity to repel the avians. His mighty griffon troops were on the ground or hiding in towers.

The griffons were a precious power so there were many troops a.s.signed to protect them. The griffon troops fled to try and find a safe area.

The famous griffon knights. The lords of the sky, were useless on the ground.

The avians were carrying heavy rocks and would be no match for the griffons in the air. The griffons’ speed and breakthrough power would easily be able to eliminate the avians. If their wings were injured, they wouldn’t instantly crash down into the ground.

Even if they didn’t move early, just taking to the sky would give the Haven Empire dominance.

“Kelruk!”

The griffons suffered as they breathed in the poison fog.

A group of griffons were now taking to the sky. The avians that occupied a high position for the suicide attacks weren’t helpless against the griffons. The griffons had high health for flying creatures but was vulnerable to attacks from all sides.

Alcard sighed deeply.

“I shouldn’t have believed in anything. Should have disregarded the operational plan and just stopped them. Then I wouldn’t have been caught off guard.”

The ground troops of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult were rus.h.i.+ng over the undead.

“The airborne troops are fighting due to the sacrifices of the avians. Weed is also fighting in the interior…there is no need to hesitate. Everyone!”

The users plunged without hesitation into the poison fog.

To the imperial soldiers, the swamp was very deep and dark.

The airborne troops approached the gates to let the enemy outside the fortress in.

“It is here. Open it!”

The disaster had also damaged the northern users.

High level Hermes Guild users, knights and armoured infantry were placed near the gates. The airborne users penetrated through the bodies to try and open the latch of the gate.

“Stop them!”

The Hermes Guild users tried to prevent it but they were blocked by the avians.

Thanks to the impact of hundreds of avians, the gates slowly swung open.

“Let’s go.”

“Gra.s.s porridge, gra.s.s porridge, gra.s.s porridge!”

The Gra.s.s Porridge Cult rushed frantically. Some turned into grey light from the poison fog but they didn’t hesitate.

“Attack all those you see!”

“Among them are the gra.s.s porridge air troops.”

“I don’t care. Don’t worry about distinguis.h.i.+ng between them and just attack!”

The Gra.s.s Porridge Cult scattered inside the fortress despite the poison.

They easily overpowered the waist deep imperial soldiers in the swamp and ran towards the base of the fortress’ walls.

The avians resumed their offensive from the sky.

Arrows and spears flew towards the Hermes Guild users.

The duck species that had the largest number among the avians brought the airborne troops directly to the towers in the fortress.

After taking over the towers, the archers secured a foothold and aimed at the imperial soldiers.

The melee fighting widened as the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult entered Puhol Fortress. The avians flew over the walls and through the gates to join the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult.

“Block them. Kill them and recapture the gates.”

The cries of the commanders were quickly buried under a commotion.

“Gra.s.s porridge, gra.s.s porridge, gra.s.s porridge!”

The weak died under swords but the northern users were running everywhere.

Puhol Fortress was already unable to escape the confusion.

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Kwarurung!

Weed twisted his body among the imperial soldiers inside the fortress.

A tail as thick as a pillar struck the imperial soldiers. Of course, dozens of soldiers died and some buildings even collapsed.

The 40 feet and thin membranous wings gave him quick mobility. He randomly attacked any imperial soldiers he saw inside Puhol Fortress.

“Kill him!”

The Hermes Guild users and Haven Empire knights hid their bodies behind cover and raised themselves up.

Weed noticed 100 people at first glance!

If the high level users of the Hermes Guild attacked together then he would quickly fall into danger.

Weed just laughed while revealing his ugly teeth.

‘Minor effects of the disaster still remains. And my body is in the best physical condition so I can escape any unfavourable situations. In particular, the best advantage of this body is the high health.’

Weed gave a large roar.

“Kwaaaaaaah!”

The female users among the Hermes Guild screamed.

“Kyaaaak!”

“Ggyagggyag!”

It was like a mental attack.

Even the male users of the Hermes Guild couldn’t make eye contact with Weed at that moment.

“So ugly.”

“Abhorrent…”

Squashy Wriggler had an appearance that was hard to even look at.

At any rate, there would be an opportunity in this tense moment.

Weed’s 40 legs moved forward.

“He is moving. Fight!”

The Hermes Guild users jumped to higher ground and the archers fired arrows.

Weed’s large body was like hunting a boss cla.s.s monster. The wriggling body in the fog was like an approaching train. The body was big and needed a lot of vitality and strength to act.

The Hermes Guild users felt confident after the weaknesses were exposed.

“Sword Slas.h.!.+”

“Flame Advent!”

“Seize the Soul!”

“Axe of Broad Constraints!”

The users cast various attack skills. Their brightly s.h.i.+ning weapons tried to attack Weed.

“Huwaaaah!”

Weed opened his mouth wide towards them.

The users’ hearts sank and their bodies froze. Poison was filling up their bodies.

‘B-breath!

It was the same technique as an extra-large monster or dragon! They never expected that Weed, the G.o.d of War, would use a breath attack.

The 100 people that had been feeling confident felt sweat flow down their backs.

And nothing happened for a moment.

“Kuweeek!”

A burp emerged from Weed’s mouth.

He needed to burp thanks to all the humans he ate.

“W-what?”

“Poison. It is poison. Watch out for the poison…”

The users flinched back but there was no damage.

Weed moved quickly. He hurled himself at the users of the Hermes Guild and knights of the Haven Empire.

“Kuweeek!”

His strength and body weight was thrown towards the skills.

“Come on!”

The users kept attacking.

Weed’s huge body was struck with various skills!

The biggest benefit of Squashy Wriggler was that the high health meant he could keep attacking.

Despite being besieged by the Hermes Guild users, he wasn’t concerned about dying.

Weed closed the s.p.a.ce and ate a furiously struggling person.

“Yum yum yum!”

He unleashed the final attack of Squashy Wriggler.

However, the Hermes Guild was famous and wouldn’t just die.

Weed suffered a horrible experience as he ate the opponents. After chewing on them with his teeth, they would be moved along to his stomach. And was finally discharged at his bottom.

The person that was discharged was covered in a sticky liquid that smelled disgusting.

“Ugh…”

He had swallowed five people with swords so he felt dizzy

“Will we end up dying like this?”

“I have to wake up and continue the fight. But my body isn’t listening…”

The archers were also startled.

“That is a terrible skill!”

Squashy Wriggler was already ugly and seeing him eat the bodies of the colleagues frightened them.

People absolutely didn’t want to go near Weed’s strange appearance and emissions.

But up to here was nothing. There was something more terrible.

“They were alive? As expected, I should chew my food.”

Weed once again swallowed the bodies that emerged from his a.s.s.

“Kuaack!”

A long tongue wrapped around the users.

“Kuwaaaaah!”

The user once again entered Weed’s mouth and didn’t come out this time.

“…….”

Even their colleagues couldn’t feel any desire for revenge at the scene!

Weed looked like the devil to his enemies. He wasn’t a flimsy villain but the true final boss.

A creature that acted in a cruel and despicable manner. The 40 legs moved as he endlessly ate a number of humans.

If someone didn’t know the situation, the Hermes Guild would seem like heroes fighting evil.

“H-he is still alone! We can beat him!”

“Get rid of Weed!”

The Hermes Guild regained their courage and once again pounced.

Weed had 10 legs that supported his huge body. The remaining 30 legs were to move forward, backwards and sideways for avoidance.

It couldn’t be helped since he didn’t have any attack skills. The long body was easy to target but it was also a dangerous weapon. The body moved like an elastic rubber band and knocked down the users.

Collapsing the buildings and walls could also be used to damage enemies.

But soon the archers and magicians at the base that the priests secured, blasted attacks at his body.

The flames soared and arrows pierced his body.

“Kuoohhh.”

Weed’s health declined rapidly. If he was in his original state then he would already be dead.

Of course, Squashy Wriggler had a tough body but there was no need to take risks.

“Catch him!”

The Hermes Guild users swarmed like bees.

The strong members of the guild dropped everything and came running.

“Over here.”

Weed dug into the ground. It was a bizarre sight as the 40 legs dug backwards and the tail went in first.

“What is this…?”

It was a scene that made all the users gathered feel dejected.

Weed appeared in a faraway place.

“Over there. Chase him!”

“Catch Weed!”

No matter how vigilant, he would appear and eat a Hermes Guild user before going back into the earth.

It wasn’t a formal battle.

The antennae were used to navigate when hiding in the ground and he would use his long tongue to pull someone towards him.

“S-save me!”

The users were literally dragged into Weed’s mouth.

He didn’t stop there.

A few griffons were trapped in a tower. Due to the disaster or the bombing of the avians, they failed to come out of hiding.

“My food!”

Weed shot through the earth.

The long and heavy body broke free of the ground. He jumped up 5 metres while next to the tower. After that, he used his 40 legs to ascend the tower’s walls at an angle. Finally, there was an open window on the 10th floor where he could see a griffon.

Weed didn’t try to attack the griffon.

Jjuuuuup!

His tongue lengthened and forcefully pulled the legs.

“Kyakyakyat!”

His whole mouth opened and swallowed the resistant griffon.

“Tasty. It feels like a whole chicken. A little bit of salt would have been nice.”

Even the experienced Hermes Guild users were terrified of Weed.

“Aaah…a monster. Monster!”

The ugly appearance was clearly shown in the broad daylight and he looked like the worst villain.

He was also tough and strong. He had plenty of health that never seemed to end and he consumed plenty of NPCs from the Haven Empire.

After supplementing his health through eating, poison gas would be emitted towards the place where users were gathered.

Bueooooong.

“M-my nose is rotting.”

“Don’t breathe it in…”

Weed couldn’t be seen due to the poisonous fog so the morale of the northern users wasn’t affected.

Eating the Hermes Guild user allowed him to gain experience and loot. Plus, they were medicine that restored his health. Thanks to that, he easily gained 2~3 levels in this battle.

“Maybe I should make a creature that I can hunt with next time…or I can bring my allies.”

He imagined Pale firing arrows while standing on his head or Irene healing him. He fought alone after using Sculpture Transformation but it would be upgraded one step further if he fought with his colleagues.

Chwachwachwachwa.

Weed moved through the muddy earth at a high speed. His 40 feet moved at the same time so it was much faster than a horse.

He pierced the walls of the fortress or thrust his tongue at Hermes Guild users.

Gulp gulp!

His tongue even grabbed the players falling from a high distance. It was like a frog catching a fly with its tongue.

This wasn’t something that he had trained separately. He used his accurate eyesight to capture the motions and then used elaborate tongue movements.

Weed’s health fell only when he was digging into the ground or he was caught off guard.

A basic strategy in battle was to hide behind pillars or in alleys.

Soon he had managed to eat more than 60 Hermes Guild members.

A tremendous amount of energy was released from Squashy Wriggler’s mouth.

Keeeeok!

Squashy Wriggler had acquired a new attack skill. It was a racial skill acquired by over-eating.

Before long, the disaster started to gradually disappear. The muddy earth hardened and the poison fog was lifted.

The Haven Empire quickly regained their spirit.

“Unleash a full force attack. Drive out those who have broken into the fortress.”

Alcard commanded the troops hiding in the fortress to drive out the northern users. Puhol Fortress would recover and the long war would begin again.

But the northern users didn’t miss this opportunity.

“We can’t lose. Come on!”

“We can knock down this pillar.”

It wasn’t just soldiers inside the Puhol Fortress.

Among the northern users were a team of architects and blacksmiths. An architect was an essential job for the development of the Arpen Kingdom.

“Maybe the architects could do something?”

“If we figure out the structure of the fortress then an attack route can be organized. We can help but…”

“Shall we jump into the battlefield?”

“We can kill the enemies by destroying the fortress.”

“Building Collapse!”

While the Haven Empire was fighting, they used the skill on the walls.

Pavo, Mibullo and numerous representative architects of the continent worked on the walls.

Kurururung.

Soon the walls of Puhol Fortress started cracking and formed holes that were large enough for people to pa.s.s through.

“Wah, a path!”

The users who saw the architects tried to stop them.

“It can’t be. If that continues, there is a risk of collapsing…”

“Kkiyahu!”

People threw themselves at the thick walls. They kept moving forward despite the falling rubble.

The northern users had realized something after the last war. It was meaningless if a person didn’t move quickly.

The combat troops in the rear of the battlefield weren’t helpful. If they gave the powerful Haven Empire even a moment of rest then they would win.

Overwhelming them with volume!

-Die a quick death.

-Being slow is a crime.

This was widely spread by the users who had experienced a war.

The northern users reckless attacks hadn’t changed from the last war but their strength had increased by three times.

“Push. Pus.h.!.+”

In fact, there were some special agents among the northern users.

They were there to push the lines as much as possible.

The mission of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult was to fit as many users as possible inside Puhol Fortress.

It was a superior but uncomplicated strategy.

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Geomchi took a deep breath.

“It is high.”

He was riding on a wyvern through the clouds.

His students on wyverns and avians flew around him.

Geomchi and his students played the role of airborne troops in this war.

Of course, he was in a bad mood whenever he heard the maknae’s commands.

“It is dangerous. I can only entrust this to Teacher-nim and the other sahyungs.”

“Then you will be fighting in the fortress.”

“Yes. Because your task is more dangerous. Please help me in this fight…don’t you know that it will be broadcasted to hundreds of millions of people?”

“Hundreds of millions?”

“The ratings will be higher than the last World Cup in our country. And Teacher-nim is already a celebrity.”

There was nothing wrong with Weed’s words.

Geomchi, the instructors and the students had strange experiences after their faces appeared on the broadcasts.

People would look at them on the streets or when they were riding the subway.

‘In the past, it was rare for people to meet my eyes.’

There were even girls who glanced at each other and asked ‘is that him?’, ‘yes.’ He was proud to hear such conversations.

‘This is how a famous person feels.’

The popularity he experienced now was like winning a sword compet.i.tion.

‘Kill. I want to fight strong people.’

Geomchi and the students borrowed the wyverns and avians and arrived above Puhol Fortress.

“I will bring you down to the ground.”

“This is far enough.”

Geomchi ignored the words of the friendly avian and jumped from the sky. The leather cloak he was wearing streamed behind him due to the wind.

It was reckless behaviour that could only be experienced in Royal Road!

“We are going!”

The other students also jumped down from the sky.

Warriors falling towards Puhol Fortress! They turned their bodies in the air and flew towards the enemies.

“It took some time before we adapted to the sky.”

The avians admired them.

Then Geomchi-170 said bashfully.

“Excuse me…can you bring me down to the ground? I am a little bit afraid of heights.”

“…….”

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The high level users of the north had configured a team to hunt the Hermes Guild.

They were users who had lost territory to the Hermes Guild and migrated to the Arpen Kingdom when it was founded.

They were people who made strange sounds while holding swords.

“Aren’t the Hermes Guild users delicious?”

“I want to catch them. I sacrificed so many taxes to them.”

Despite the freedom of the north, vengeance was still burning inside them.

They had seen Weed actively hunting the Hermes Guild users in the Central and Northern Continents through the broadcasts.

Both the low level and high levels users asked a question as they watched Weed the G.o.d of War.

“Why can’t I be like Weed?”

“If there is the proper chance…”

Of course, the high level Dark Gamers also jumped forward.

They had already tasted the Hermes Guild several times in the north.

“Even if it is risky, isn’t there a major income? We will be able to buy whole chicken and eat steamed ribs.”

They entered Puhol Fortress to hunt the Hermes Guild users.

“We have a lot of troops. We can repel them by relying on the walls!”

Thanks to the avians and the airborne troops, the walls were now an obstacle to the Imperial Army.

The north had control of the sky and the archers had taken over the towers so it was easy for the northern users to fight on the walls.

The large tunnel Weed dug was also helpful as hundreds of users climbed out from it.

They weren’t interested in the buildings and only cared about killing.

“I see a Hermes guild user!”

Indiscriminate attacks that were only aimed at the Hermes Guild users.

The situation on the plains was much more hectic.

Hermes Guild users were dying everywhere and avians were diving down from the sky.

The human wave tactic was repeated by the northern users…

But the marching rate was several times faster and the difference was like heaven and earth!

5,000 of the 20,000 Hermes Guild users died in just one hour as the battle continued.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

The death toll rose from the heavy onslaught of the northern users.

“Kyahahahahat. I have surpa.s.sed Geomchi-100.”

Geomchi and the students made an uproar as they fought. There were countless high level northern users scattered through the fortress.

Weed hadn’t turned off Sculpture Transformation and still remained as Squashy Wriggler. He was weakened due to the swamp disappearing but the high health meant he could still fight stably.

The northern users concentrated on the place where Weed was fighting the Hermes Guild.

“I will come help…kuaaack!”

“Weed-nim. It is an honour. Fight together… Kuheok!”

The users were surprised by the appearance of Squashy Wriggler. The adults and young users fighting near him turned their heads with shock.

-Sukeok sukeok kwajik kwajik kuooooh!

Strange sounds were heard while Weed was fighting.

However, it wasn’t even 10 minutes before guards were following along after Weed.

They escorted Weed in the front and sides, and some were also riding on his head and body.

As many as 400 archers boarded Weed. It was similar to a siege weapon mobilized for war.

The northern users recalled something and said.

“Already…I’ve already abandoned my body.”

“I have to sacrifice my body. Somebody has to do it.”

“How does it feel standing on Weed-nim’s back? The back isn’t as firm as I thought. My ankle is becoming sticky…heok! It reminds me of trash. Well, there is also a strange smell. A very funny odour.”

“I didn’t have a choice. He seems to be eating anyone that appears in front of him so I had to climb on. What else could I do?”

However, not all users hated the rough texture of Squashy Wriggler. Some users encountered during the battle would salute Squashy Wriggler.

“I am from the Arpen Kingdom’s 27th infantry regiment. For Your Majesty…loyalty!”

“Tofu Gra.s.s Porridge unit. I’ve managed to reach level 220. Please remember me. I dropped out of high school and intend to fight for the freedom of the Arpen Kingdom.”

“Can I touch your whiskers? So cool.”

Among the northern users, there were those with strange tastes who were fascinated by Weed.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Myul heard that Weed emerged but couldn’t find the place due to the disaster.

Once the fog lifted and Puhol Fortress filled with northern users, the griffon corps prepared to move.

“Things can’t be allowed to go on like this. Griffons, be on standby.”

The griffons were too big to gather in one place.

They were distributed between underground facilities and defense towers.

The avians controlled the sky so it was expected they would take some damage from arrows and spears.

“Once we fly up, the sky will be our world.”

The Haven Empire boasted a dominance over the sky.

The griffon corps that made many prestigious guilds in the Central Continent were preparing to move.

Myul was sad over every griffon that lost its life or that crashed into the ground.

The Hermes Guild users and NPC knights talked to their griffons.

“Piyak piyak.”

“Kuki kuki!”

There was a certain type of relief.

A fixed procedure had been implemented after Weed hit Myul in the back of the head.

Myul told his griffon.

“Orurugolla.”

The griffon raised a paw to its chin.

“That’s right. Let’s go.”

Myul breathed lightly and boarded the griffon.

The biggest crisis in the land. But they were invincible once they flew in the sky.

Buuuuuong.

The griffons cried out in unison as they left the underground facilities and towers.

Avians could be seen everywhere.

“The sky!”

The griffons broke through vertically.

“Kkiyaaak. The griffons have emerged.”

“Avians gather together!”

The avians scattered through Puhol Fortress joined swarmed together to attack. A siege in the sky was ten times more frightening due to the height and speed.

Myul shouted.

“Open the path!”

The knights brandished spears at the avians.

A deadly strike!

The avians. .h.i.t by the spears turned into grey light. The griffon troops flew 30 metres over Puhol Fortress.

But the sky was completely filled with avians.

“Bring it on. If we fight then we will win.”

The avians joined from above and below them.

The griffons rose in a wedge shaped formation.

They defeated the avians with their spears and flew towards a high place.

This was the romance of a griffon rider!

Myul and the griffons were persistently hara.s.sed by the avians. The griffons were bitten by beaks or scratched by talons but there wasn’t high damage. And they were too fast to catch up.

In the past, the avians would have panicked and hesitated. But now the avians were filled with courage.

“b.u.mp into them!”

The avians covered their heads and rushed towards them. The griffon riders killed some avians but a third of them managed to crash.

They didn’t have great strength but the problem was that there were hundreds of thousands of avians in the sky.

The avians endlessly poured towards the griffons and captured their legs and wings.

“Hold on. Everybody!”

More than 100 avians were stuck to one griffon.

“Get off. Go away!”

The avians were clinging like leeches. Their claws were sharp enough to hold on to the griffons. The heavy weight slowed them down and the griffons’ wings increasingly lost strength. At any moment, the wings would no longer have the ability to fly.

“Uhhh.”

The crash of the griffons!

If they fell to Puhol Fortress then it meant certain death.

“It is already too late. We are going to heaven.”

Myul and the other griffons didn’t stop despite knowing the situation.

‘If there is sufficient s.p.a.ce in the sky then I can get revenge!’

However, there seemed to be no end to the dense crowd of avians.

The griffons had avians surrounding them on all sides.

Myul clenched his teeth.

Everyone knew that health running out in a battle meant death. However, a heavy crash could also be bad due to the nature of the sky!

‘It has to be returned. This grudge…’

The avians stopped flapping their wings and fell from the sky. The avians no longer chased them as the griffons rose higher.

At that time, Myul only had 300 griffons left at best.

The avians went and engaged in battle at Puhol Fortress.

“Now it is time to get revenge.”

Myul was speaking when something approached.

The clear sky and sun.

Bingryong and Phoenix’s indescribable beauty could be seen.

Golden Bird, Silver Bird, Imugi and the wyverns followed behind with sculptural lifeforms like Goldman and the fire giant riding on their backs.

The valuable sculptural lifeforms were waiting in the sky for the griffons to appear.

“Terminate those guys.”

Myul raised his spear. He hurriedly commanded the griffon troops to attack the sculptural lifeforms.

Bingryong opened its huge mouth.

-Kuwaaaaaah.

Dragon Fear!

A considerable amount of time had pa.s.sed since Bingryong was born and it was now level 534.

It would have gained more levels if it diligently hunted. Unfortunately, the dragon’s laziness prevented this.

When Weed wasn’t present, it would sleep for days on top of cold, snowy mountains.

Nevertheless, Bingryong’s growth was enough to cause fear in other flying species such as avians and griffons.

“Kkiyaaak!”

The griffons slowed their wings and avoided Bingryong due to an instinctive fear.

Some of them changed directions by nosediving towards the ground.

“Regain your spirit. Come on!”

The riders barely managed to regain control over their griffons while Phoenix spread his wings wide.

Flames poured from the feathers falling in the sky.

The fire was very painful for flying creatures like the griffon.

Even if the feathers on fire weren’t a problem, the pain caused the riders to lose their steering power.

The Hermes Guild users thought they could overpower the sculptural lifeforms with 300 griffons.

However, just two skills made it impossible for the griffons to fight for a moment.

The rest of the griffons had decreased vitality due to fear.

“Eurihya!”

At that moment, Bahamorg came forward on Wy-1 and jumped!

He landed on the back of a griffon and struck the rider with a two handed axe.

“I am the descendant of a great empire that led the Versailles Continent. It was a mistake to invade the Arpen Kingdom. You only have this much fighting spirit!”

Bahamorg jumped around in the sky and successively disabled the griffons.

Myul’s complexion changed.

“He is Bahamorg.”

One of the ringleaders who took his life along with Weed. He knew that Bahamorg had great strength, health and resilience.

Myul honestly didn’t know if he could win if he fought Bahamorg on his griffon.

“Concentrate your attacks! This is an opportunity to knock him out of the sky.”

The griffons rushed towards Bahamorg in accordance with their leader’s command.

Their goal wasn’t to kill Bahamorg directly.

Anyway, there was no s.p.a.ce to do so.

They threw a spear towards the griffon Bahamorg was riding.

“Kyauuuuh!”

Bahamorg’s griffon lost its life. They thought Bahamorg would fall to the ground but then Light Wings opened from his back like an angel. A presence that showed off its s.h.i.+ne after a long time.

Bahamorg flew under the influence of Light Wings and defeated the griffons.

Bahamorg sped through the sky while holding the b.l.o.o.d.y axe with both hands.

“We should go. Kukaaack!”

The wyverns were also adept at flying.

Naturally, sculptural lifeforms were riding them.

Goldman and Eltin accurately fired arrows while Gernika and Seville also jumped from griffon to griffon.

White Tiger also spread its wings. The fire giant on Phoenix’s back couldn’t be ignored.

Phoenix and the fire giant improved each other’s health. The griffons felt hot even if they were just nearby.

The power of the sculptural lifeforms was sufficient against Myul and the griffons.

The griffons dominated the sky due to their mobility and had a heavy advantage over ground troops.

But the characteristics of the sculptural lifeforms increased their power by many times.

The Hermes Guild users weren’t safe even in the sky.

-Kukwakakakakaka.

Bingryong took a deep breath as its mouth inflated.

And just like Weed named it, Ice Breath was unleashed!

Ice Breath flew in a straight line from Bingryong’s mouth towards Myul.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

The users looked up as a fierce battle unfolded in the sky.

Not knowing the exact situation in the sky had an influence on the military situation at Puhol Fortress.

But the ground was completely covered in melee combat.

“Charge!”

The walls of Puhol Fortress were crumbling.

Still, the wreckage made it difficult for the northern users to move.

The Haven Empire soldiers and undead led the defense of Puhol Fortress. The Hermes Guild members and soldiers lost their lives but the undead were still going strong.

There were a growing number of good bodies so this was quite useful for Krobidyun’s undead summoning spell.

“Come. Knights of h.e.l.l!”

Doom knights were summoned as hundreds of northern users were wiped out.

The power of death was growing thicker on the battlefield so a necromancer’s ability was stronger than usual.

“I, Krobidyun, will kill all of you and decide who lives again.”

Krobidyun was excited due to the side effects caused by necromancy. He was reaching beyond his strength and abilities.

His head was filled with thoughts of appearing on numerous broadcasting stations.

‘I, Krobidyun, will surely be contacted after this war.’

Of course, Krobidyun was one of the most active in the Imperial Army when it came to facing the Arpen Kingdom. Therefore, he thought he deserved it.

Weed was eating the Hermes Guild users like they were dried persimmons but that was largely out of sight.

Krobidyun occupied a wide area on the walls alone, and was increasing the number and quality of the undead.

‘I will show everyone that the strongest profession is a necromancer. Weed also acted as a lich but he will soon be forgotten because of me.

The number of undead was still within his range of control.

The undead attacked the living. It didn’t matter if they were northern users or imperial soldiers.

Krobidyun’s ultimate goal was to create a legion of undead like Barkhan.

“That person at the top must be the necromancer.”

“What…there are too many undead. There are at least 1,500 high cla.s.s undead.”

Many northern users entering the fortress lost their lives.

The undead army was too large and the area too wide to occupy smoothly. The high level northern users gathered together for a strategy to deal with Krobidyun.

“I will seek a.s.sistance from our avian friends. Let’s do a pincer attack at the same time.”

“There is a wall of undead blocking him…”

“Rangers can utilize the terrain. I, Nechak, will finish him off.

Nechak lifted his sword.

“That sword…Lugh’s holy sword!”

“I am wearing Fargo’s Crown on my head.”

“I am holding Helain’s Grail.”

Nechak was a player active on the Central Continent.

In reality, he was born with a lot of money. He successfully bought a city from the Hermes Guild in the Central Continent.

Abend City. He successfully operated the city but was bored and was attracted by the freedom in the north.

“Indeed, I have an adventurer’s const.i.tution. Management is revolting.”

He enjoyed the adventures in the north more than spending money to manage a city.

He experienced too much adventure. If he received a marine quest then he would buy 7 large s.h.i.+ps with 24 sails to complete it. So he could be called the best spender in the north.

“Our plan will be more effective if Nechak-nim is our leader. Helain’s Grail can turn water into holy water so it is critical against the undead.”

“Fargo’s Crown. If you have it then your ability to conduct the combat troops will increase quite a bit. Nechak-nim, please lead us.”

“Please organize an army.”

Nechak receive encouragement from the users.

As his public value in the Arpen Kingdom acc.u.mulated, he was given a knighthood and was qualified to lead 30,000 troops.

Ddiring!

At that moment, someone shouted.

“I am level 350 so let me join!”

“Me too…”

“The efficiency is high. The undead will become our prey.”

Nechak’s army filled up in just 8 seconds.

Ddiring!

The northern users had an increasingly larger percentage of high level users.

They plunged recklessly into the fortress for a chance to join the army.

“I am level 400 so let me join. I’m sorry for those who signed in advance but please leave.”

“Really? It is a little…”

The recruiting capacity was exceeded but people were still signing up!

It was originally made of high level users from the north and settlers from the Central Continent there were between levels 300~400.

Now there were 30,000 users over level 400.

Numerous northern users also remained instead of scattering.

“We are not scared of anything. Let’s go!”

Nechak had Lugh’s Sword, Helain’s Grail and Fargo’s Crown so he took the lead.

The northern users weren’t afraid.

Nechak and his 30,000 troops pierced through the undead.

The undead shrank away from Lugh’s Sword but that wasn’t important.

30,000 influential northern users followed behind Nechak.

Among there were powerhouses of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult who defeated the undead.

Krobidyun raised a large army of undead to stop them but it wasn’t enough.

The infinite mana was blocked by Lugh’s divine power and the undead were overpowered by the army of users.

With the help of the users, Nechak managed to plow through the heart of the undead to reach Krobidyun.

“N-No!”

Krobidyun suffered from the aftermath of having 30% of his undead army destroyed.

“Protect me!”

Once it was a disadvantageous situation, Krobidyun fled to the rear.

However, the avians were blocking his path.

He couldn’t move quickly due to the dense concentration of undead and was finally surrounded by the northern users.

They were Nechak and 20 people with great skills.

Due to the side effects, Krobidyun had already half turned into a skeleton. His jaw made a rattling sound as he laughed.

“Lucky. It was impressive that you managed to beat my undead army. But next time I won’t be so careless.”

Krobidyun wanted to proudly meet his end.

This would be shown to the entire world through numerous broadcasting stations.

He wanted to show his family and friends an awesome end. If he could become a protagonist then he might receive sponsors.h.i.+ps and advertising offer.

Nechak just raised Lugh’s sword and laughed.

“Hahaha. Krobidyun, you have borrowed the false power of a necromancer. I have heard and seen your evils.”

“……?”

It was a somewhat awkward voice. Nechak sounded like a movie from decades ago.

“For disturbing the peace of the Versailles Continent, I Nechak, will punish you as an honourary paladin of the Church of Freya and knight of the Arpen Kingdom.”

A bard near Nechak suddenly started playing an instrument. The typical hero’s funeral!

“There is no place for you on the Northern Continent. Go well. Villain.”

The sword was plunged deeply into Krobidyun’s heart. Light emerged from the sword and his body started smoking.

It was like an evil spirit was being released. Krobidyun’s skeletal body started to shatter under the power of the sword.

Krobidyun had one last thought before dying.

‘N-no. I’m not going to be the protagonist, he is…’

TO BE CONTINUED

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