Ch.141Chapter 141: The Decisive Battle in the East (9).

Balt also bared his teeth in a grin toward Zerdin.

“The Gerungtu do not fear the battlefield. I am grateful for your wise decision.”

“However, I will not permit you to directly participate in the battle against the Orc King. You may do as you please otherwise. I’ve heard you can handle an Orc Lord. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is.”

When Balt answered with such confidence, Zerdin’s expression showed genuine surprise.

“Well now. I knew about it, but it’s still impressive. Such achievement at your age. I suppose you’re capable enough to be entrusted with the small fry.”

To Zerdin, the Grand Master, Balt appeared to be more than just a 5th Circle magician.

The 5th Circle magic that Balt possessed, and the unknown power residing within it.

Zerdin had firmly assessed Balt to be at Master level.

Lient and Veron, who were listening nearby, were greatly surprised.

At first glance, it might have sounded like Zerdin was belittling Balt, but they knew that coming from Zerdin, this was extraordinary praise.

‘Is this Gerungtu youth really that impressive?’

It was natural for Veron and Lient to be surprised.

Zerdin was known to be somewhat arrogant, matching his exceptional abilities.

There were only a handful of people on the continent stronger than him, so his attitude was understandable.

He typically treated even talented individuals who had reached Master level, like Grace, as “youngsters,” treating them like children. Yet with Balt, he showed none of that attitude.

In fact, Zerdin was having an interesting thought.

‘Hehehe, this fellow has achieved this much while only in his twenties? He’s more promising than Kwan or the Emperor. I’d like to face him properly when he’s fully matured.’

“Thank you, Commander-in-Chief.”

Until now, Balt had been a guest of Lient and Grace. Because of this, he had felt somewhat like an outsider.

But now, at this moment, Balt and his companions had been incorporated into Zerdin’s unit, which could be considered the main force.

Of course, it was clear they wouldn’t participate in the main battle, but for Balt, who intended to keep the Orc King in check, this was an even greater achievement than he had expected.

“Good, then. Prepare yourself and follow along with your companions. How many are there in total?”

“Including myself, three people.”

Balt’s group consisted of four people including himself, Lisa, Arias, and Liris, but he was reluctant to bring Lisa to the battle against the Orc King.

Of course, the same applied to Arias, but Balt thought that in an emergency, it would be difficult to look after both Lisa and Arias, though he could manage with just Arias.

Moreover, Arias’s healing abilities were extremely helpful. And the swamp magic they had created together had proven far more useful than expected, which was why he had decided to bring Arias along.

“Excellent! Summon them immediately. We don’t know when the decisive battle against the Orc King will take place, so I’ll introduce you to the unit members right away.”

***

A short while later.

Having finished preparations, Balt, along with Arias and Liris, found Zerdin again and was being introduced to his unit.

Indeed, Zerdin’s army was impressive, befitting the elite of the Eastern Alliance forces.

‘Incredible. It’s rare to see so many powerful individuals gathered in one place.’

Zerdin’s unit included numerous Masters from the Eastern Alliance.

The number of Masters gathered here was 30 in total.

Led by Zerdin, the Grand Master, they were the selected elite warriors of the Eastern Continent.

This unit wasn’t originally planned, but with Veron’s advice, Zerdin had been able to bind all these Masters into a single unit.

The key was competition.

Who could guarantee that it would be Zerdin who would take the Orc King’s head?

Of course, Zerdin would primarily face the Orc King, but claiming the Orc King’s head was another matter entirely.

If Zerdin were in danger, pushed back by the Orc King, the Masters could help, and in such a situation, it might be a Master other than Zerdin who would behead the Orc King.

Through the military strategist Veron’s scheme, the strongest warriors who should have been active in their own kingdoms were now bound to Zerdin’s unit.

All with the intention of opportunistically claiming the Orc King’s head.

Since Zerdin had sought advice and Veron had provided the strategy, Zerdin had appointed Veron as the military strategist of the Eastern Alliance forces.

“Now, this is Balt Gerungtu who will be joining our unit. You all know him, right? The Southern Gerungtu? The youngest son of that Kwan.”

As Zerdin introduced Balt, he stood proudly and proclaimed in a resonant voice:

“I look forward to working with you all. I am Balt Gerungtu.”

However, the expressions of those greeting Balt weren’t particularly welcoming.

In a way, Balt was their competitor.

And some of the more perceptive ones were already thinking that Balt might be much stronger than he appeared.

‘Tsk tsk tsk, I know exactly what you’re all thinking. I can’t let you focus your vigilance only on me.’

This was another reason why Zerdin had assigned Balt to this unit.

This alliance was composed solely of Eastern Alliance nations. And now, a barbarian who was once practically an enemy was joining?

The rigid elite warriors of the Eastern kingdoms would never readily accept Balt.

They would naturally be wary of Balt, which would reduce the pressure of vigilance against Zerdin.

“Come now, he may be of that race, but isn’t he our friend now? Besides, haven’t some of you never seen Elves or Vampires before?”

The Masters turned their gaze to where Arias and Liris were standing.

It was worth noting again that Arias and Liris were truly exceptional beauties.

Arias, with her flowing, vibrant blonde hair, radiant skin, and the abundant energy she possessed from being with water spirits, looked like a forest goddess to anyone who saw her.

And what about Liris? Her pale skin contrasted with her deep black hair, creating a gap that enhanced her beauty even more.

Her cold expression, seemingly indifferent to worldly matters, was also one of the elements that highlighted her charm.

Of course, there were many beautiful women among humans.

But the beauty of these two was so outstanding that most people couldn’t even compare.

‘Who the hell is this guy to be accompanied by two such beauties?’

Naturally, some would think this way.

Already, several were lining up to greet Arias and Liris.

Seeing this, Zerdin chuckled, and Balt asked him:

“Are there no regular soldiers?”

“Of course there are. Besides these, we’ll be supported by elites with at least 6th tier abilities. Oh, and there are also numerous magicians of 5th Circle or higher.”

Relatively speaking, magicians who used magic were rarer than warriors who used aura, so the rank of magicians was slightly better, but that wasn’t a concern.

1 Grand Master.

30 Masters.

1,200 Experts.

200 Magicians.

This was the composition of Zerdin’s elite force assembled to face the Orc King.

Though small in number, this powerful unit could easily conquer a kingdom in half a day if they were to invade.

Their strategy was simple.

After the battle had progressed to a certain point, the orcs would inevitably suffer more casualties than the humans, according to their prediction.

While the forces on the plain might be tense now, as time passed, war would dull both humans and orcs.

Taking advantage of that moment, Zerdin’s elite unit would strike the Orc King from behind.

Simple but challenging, this was the strategy that Zerdin’s unit would execute.

This strategy could be implemented because of Zerdin’s overwhelming military power, but it could also change in real-time depending on the Orc King’s actions.

After hearing the explanation up to this point, Balt asked Zerdin again:

“So we have to wait until then?”

“That’s right. Even if they are elite troops, if surrounded by hundreds of thousands of orcs, I might be fine, but the others would perish, wouldn’t they?”

A pride beyond mere arrogance, a confidence that he would be fine no matter what happened.

But his words didn’t sound like mere bluster.

“The regular troops will suffer heavy casualties…”

“Ah, you mean because of that sorcery nonsense?”

“Yes. Right now, the effect might seem negligible due to the sheer size of our forces, but in a short time, the casualties on our side will increase dramatically.”

The second reason Balt sought out Zerdin:

To reduce casualties among the regular soldiers.

Once sorcery begins to dominate the battlefield, it would be too late. While the massive scale might currently be preventing sorcery from exerting its full power, debuff-type sorceries would surely flood in later.

But Zerdin displayed a relaxed smile.

“Hahaha, well now. A barbarian more concerned about humans than humans themselves. Interesting. But don’t worry. I have methods in place, hehe. The reason I didn’t accept Lient’s proposal wasn’t because I hadn’t prepared. Why would I prepare again when preparations are already in place, right?”

“You say preparations are in place?”

“Yes, it’s a matter I’ve kept hidden because it’s difficult to discuss openly. Just keep it to yourself. I’m only telling you because you’re temporarily part of the same unit.”

Zerdin’s plan to counter sorcery? Balt was puzzled, but one thought came to mind.

‘An artifact. He has an artifact.’

Zerdin was a warrior of Grand Master caliber.

It wouldn’t be unusual for someone like him to possess an artifact.

‘What kind of artifact? One that blocks sorcery? No, it can’t be just that. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll have to trust him.’

It was unlikely that an artifact would have such a limited effect.

While curious about its effects, Balt was certain.

Only an artifact could bring about such widespread effects across such a vast area.

‘He’s so confident, I’ll have to trust him. But I wonder if I need to prove myself.’

Looking around, many individuals were glaring at Balt.

Some were trying to impress Arias and Liris, but there were also those who found Balt’s presence uncomfortable.

Zerdin merely watched Balt with an amused smile.

‘Hehe, let’s see how you make them acknowledge you.’

Observing the situation, it seemed necessary to demonstrate his abilities to be formally accepted into this unit.

“Well, this should be interesting.”

Balt stepped forward with a toothy grin.

“I see some who seem displeased. Don’t just glare, step forward.”