Chapter 155

Chapter 155. Beneath the Surface (2)

Five days northwest of Habon Fortress lies Villea Fortress, nestled along the Bilomena River, known for never drying even during severe droughts.

In the past, countless merchant ships came and went, making it the trade hub of the south, where goods were concentrated.

However, that reputation was a thing of the past; a mere glory long gone.

After being taken over by monsters, it turned into a place where the remaining Demi-humans, unable to flee, were bred.

The reality was harsh, and so reclaiming it was given up on, watched over for years.

Finally, after long waiting, the moment arrived.

“Fire.”

This was the command given by Greg Tembon, the Third Apostle of Temoria and the Supreme Commander of the Southern Army of the Order’s forces.

His quiet voice had barely ceased before a massive flag fluttered.

Right after, the flame mages who stood in formation simultaneously cast fireballs.

Huge fireballs soared across the sky.

Boom-!

As the fireballs reached the fortress walls, they exploded with intense blasts, spreading everywhere, creating a spectacle to be called magnificent.

Watching the hundreds, thousands of monsters burning in the flames felt as though the resentment built over the years was washing away.

Greg, wearing a satisfied smile, took in the sight of Villea Fortress, now a battlefield, and spoke.

“The right side is urgent; inform them to match the pace so the formation doesn’t fall apart.”

Upon Greg’s order, the lieutenant and the communication officers waved the flags busily.

As the flags fluttered ever more, the screams and roars from the battlefield grew even fiercer.

Despite the strong offensive, the flow of monsters emerging from Villea Fortress seemed endless.

If anything, they seemed to increase as time went by.

Yet instead of retreating, Greg chose to press even harder.

Would he retreat from the land he had waited for years to return to?

Every time Greg’s order reverberated through the battlefield, the cacophony of explosions, screams, and brutal slaughter piled up.

By the time nearly half a day had passed, the corpses of dead monsters and Demi-humans had piled up so much it was hard not to step on them.

In addition to that, news of undesirable developments was delivered.

“A general-rank evolved species has appeared!”

“The forces heading towards the walls are suffering damage faster than expected!”

The voice of the aide, who had been reporting and relaying information to Greg, grew urgent.

He hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved in just one day.

A slightly unfavorable turn didn’t mean an immediate retreat was in mind.

Greg calmly inquired.

“Which side has leeway?”

In that instant, a massive surge of mana condensed right in front of the fortress gate.

In the rear of the battlefield, where a double barrier that disrupted teleportation magics was in place, a flurry of activity started.

Mages deployed on the battlefield to protect from large-scale magic were preparing counterelemental magics.

But, unfortunately, they were a beat too late.

“The barrier is collapsing!”

Barely before the shadow of the mage protecting the soldiers could speak, the protective barrier over the mages vanished.

And that wasn’t the end. A shadow fell over the spot where the mages were gathered.

Given how it acted alone, it was surely a general-rank evolved species.

‘They’re intervening more actively than expected.’

Unlike the Callum Fortress retrieval in the central region, where general-rank entities emerged only after several days of attrition….

‘Do they mean not to lose Villea Fortress?’

His speculations gathered weight, given what occurred next.

“The traitors are here!”

Even those who provoked bitter past memories appeared.

The turncoats, who suddenly vanished several years ago, had returned to the battlefield.

‘Truly, it’s begun again.’

The old war, where death and curses were exchanged.

In the brief moment Greg and the aides focused on the traitors, several magics rained down, and the battle among the mages ignited.

Greg slightly grimaced at the realization that the mages’ support was not something he welcomed.

‘We’ll have to account for the damage from wide-range attacks as well.’

As if anticipated, giant roots surged from the direction of the fortress gate.

Then, as if living creatures, they rampaged around the battlefield.

“Arghh!”

The soldiers skewered by those roots seemed to echo towards Greg’s hill.

Greg, alternating his gaze between the proximity of the gate and the rear where mages were concentrated, ordered,

“Rescuing the mages is the priority. Dispatch the knights quickly.”

It was necessary to throw additional knights, as soldiers without mana couldn’t face general-rank entities.

“Yes!”

The flags fluttered vigorously.

The mages had to be rescued as soon as possible.

It was the best way to minimize battlefield damage before it grew.

Moreover, opening the gates and breaking through the walls would be difficult without the mages’ support.

Greg kept an eye on the battle unfolding where the mages were gathered as he monitored the situation on the battlefield.

Then, unexpectedly without any sign, blue flashes burst from the western side.

Most eyes were drawn toward the western wall.

However, by the time they focused, the spectacle had vanished.

Just as he wondered if they had seen it wrong, another clear and bright spark decorated the wall.

The report came scant minutes after that.

“They’ve crossed the western wall. Currently, outsiders are attacking the interior gate!”

The ongoing siege had stagnated for over half a day due to the fierce resistance of monsters.

They had predicted it might take up to three or four days.

“They’ve crossed the wall.”

It was exceedingly welcoming news.

“Quickly, reposition the western forces. Once the gate is down, enter without waiting for orders…”

Even before Greg finished speaking, great towers of flame rose one after another beyond the western gate.

Massive rocks catapulted out from inside, shattering the gate.

Only then did it become clear.

Attribute mana users, who had drastically decreased after the mages’ betrayal, had recently begun to increase again.

‘They must have infiltrated a large number of Outsiders from the west.’

Until now, the Outsiders Greg had seen mostly seemed pitiful with their small mana reserves.

Though they had an attribute, the mana was so limited that training them into proper mages seemed impossible.

But he soon realized he had underestimated them.

Outsiders could absorb mana and continually grow.

Moreover, they systematically strengthened their bodies.

Unlike traditional mages who were protected in the rear and fought from there, they had no difficulty navigating the battlefield alone.

Outsiders simply had different conditions from the likes of Greg, whose limits were set from birth.

In truth, there were quite a few of them that grew rapidly enough to catch Greg’s eye.

The best among them, of course, was the owner of that recurring blue flash.

“K…”

The Outsider, appearing in a drastically different form than when first seen.

In that brief contemplation of K, the lieutenant’s ecstatic voice reached him.

“The western gate has collapsed!”

Greg, who had been waiting for this moment, knew what to say.

“Signal the main force to advance.”

They would pass through the gate opened by Outsiders.

And they would not stop until black blood flowed like rivers through Villea Fortress.

* * *

I stood atop the corpse of a general-rank evolved species I had just slain and looked down below the fortress wall.

As the tankers with earth attributes who infiltrated the fortress with our party took down the gate, the forces stationed in the center of the battlefield began to move.

Once they crossed the western gate, it wouldn’t take long to seize the fortress.

While I contemplated briefly, Kim Yul emerged from below and stood on the wall beside me.

“Is it over?”

“As you can see.”

“That ended rather quickly this time.”

“The attributes matched well.”

It had the advanced rank of earth attribute, wood attribute magic. An attribute that wasn’t very effective against fire made the fight easy.

“That’s good. But those troops, they’re coming this way, right?”

Kim Yul pointed at the troops moving systematically on the battlefield and asked.

“They were waiting for the gate to open.”

“We’ve taken out all the general-rank entities on the west… and those sticking with the mages can’t come here, right? It’ll end this way.”

I didn’t disagree with Kim Yul’s assertion.

With the wall breached, unless there were any special variables, the main scenario chapter 4, Villea Fortress Reclamation, would be cleared.

The only thing needed now was time.

Of course, clearing this mission didn’t mean our schedule would end.

“Once it’s over, we need to head straight to Bontar Plains, so stay alert.”

“Okay, don’t worry about it!”

With a cheerful reply, Kim Yul leaped off the wall over ten meters high.

For an ordinary person, it would’ve been likely to break something.

‘He’s flying.’

Kim Yul had purchased wind-type wide-area capabilities and a highly usable support magic, Wind Walk.

His range of action tremendously expanded afterward, making battles where he assisted as a sub-dealer much easier for me and Yang Taeho.

After watching Kim Yul join the skirmish below, I slightly shifted my gaze sideways.

The main scenario mission window was floating there.

MISSION

「Main Scenario Act 1 Stage 4: Securing the Supply Route」

The Order’s army plans to advance to Villea Fortress, the trade hub connecting the south and the central region, for the full-scale war.

Players are to support the reclamation of Villea Fortress and secure the supply route connecting to the central region.

「Rewards」

Participation Reward: Choose from the following.

• 500 Mana, 25 Reputation

• 250 Attribute Mana, 50 Reputation

Rank Reward: The following rewards are awarded differently according to rank (1st to ?th).

• Victory Ceremony Participation

• Order Rewards (Medals, equipment, Prize Money, etc.)

• Free Store Usage Voucher

• Achievement (Granted differently based on contribution)

• God’s Blessing

※ Ranks are tallied based on contribution.

The background for Act 1 Stage 4 was Villea Fortress, where I currently stood.

The difficulty based on the mission categorization was 6-star, the same as with Callum Fortress previously reclaimed.

And the Bontar Plains mentioned earlier was the setting for a sub-scenario revealed about two hours ago.

MISSION

「Sub-Scenario: Clash at Bontar Plains」

The enemy forces have begun moving in response to the Order’s aggressive advances. As a massive force assembles at Bontar Plains, tension mounts, and players are to support the impending battle there.

「Rewards」

Participation Reward: Choose from the following.

• 200 Mana, 10 Reputation, 100~300 Contribution Points for Main Scenario

• 100 Attribute Mana, 20 Reputation, 100~300 Contribution Points for Main Scenario

Bontar Plains lay two days north of Villea Fortress.

‘It’s classified as a corrupted area but lacks a large Messeo.’

Nevertheless, a fearsome number of monsters were gathering.

‘At least two million.’

Unlike low-grade corrupted areas naturally forming clusters, the enemy had artificially gathered a ‘force’.

There’s no estimating how fierce the battle there will be.

Yet, it’s not a region we could afford to give up.

The Bontar Plains is the region traversed by the Bilomena River next to Villea Fortress.

To connect a new supply route between the central and southern regions, controlling the area is essential.

‘Even if we seize Villea Fortress, we can’t launch supply ships without reclaiming the plains.’

The enemy would know this, too.

The way they threatened the plains right after the Order attacked Villea Fortress is telling enough.

Villea Fortress and Bontar Plains, neither was an area we could afford to lose.

Thus, if feasible, participating in both battles and amassing merit was advantageous.

This was why I tightly scheduled our next steps without any rest.

‘Contributions for achievements will be ranked based on the level of participation for this one.’

By the time the troops are assembled, even after finishing the battle at Villea Fortress, it won’t be too late to head out.

‘First, let’s wrap up things here.’

Leaving behind the general-rank evolved species’s corpse, I turned to raise my spear again.

This was to eradicate the remaining monsters in the fortress.

But barely a step forward later, I had to stop again.

– I will not acknowledge you like this.

It was because of Kerak, who kept contacting me unsolicited.

Damned System.