episode_0021

The Lion King Therodamas had outstanding abilities from the moment he was born.

A strong body, a smart mind that can use that body efficiently, and even the characteristic skills he possesses.

Therodamas was a so-called chosen man who was endowed with all kinds of talents as if he were loved by the gods.

People always flocked to him, who was clearly the next heir to the throne, and whenever his talent shined, they never spared words that he would become a great king who would make the kingdom shine even more.

Because Terodamas was fully aware of his abilities, he was confident in his actions and grew into a man who was always confident and never backed down.

At this point, less than a month had passed since he had his coming-of-age ceremony.

His kingdom was invaded by other kingdoms, the peaceful era came to an end, and the entire country began to burn with the fire of war.

The kingdom, which had been immersed in peace for a long time, was unable to properly respond to the sudden war, and the king, who was praised as a saint, had no military talent and was defeated in wars day after day.

About a month after the war broke out, the enemy army finally approached the capital of the kingdom. In a desperate situation, the subjects were waiting for the king’s decision.

As the enemy’s blade, which was tightening by the minute, was pushed under his chin, Terodamas, who had been crouching until now, made a decision and drew his sword.

That was the prelude to a counterattack that signaled the beginning of a legend.

Therodamas led his soldiers and fought valiantly against the enemy nation, using all his talents to defeat the enemy army and sound the first victory.

Until then, morale, which had been sinking due to the strong signs of defeat, began to burn brightly thanks to the noble prince who did not spare his life.

Continuing their successive victories, they advanced and advanced again, following Terodamas, the vanguard.

Their advance, which finally recovered all the lost territory, was unstoppable. Terodamas, who invaded the enemy country, overthrew the kingdom and subjugated it.

Therodamas, who saw the enemy king declaring surrender in a humiliating manner, was able to realize a feeling that filled his heart.

It was a primal emotion deep within his heart.

It was a feeling of conquest.

For him, who could easily obtain anything thanks to his natural talent, the enemy country that he obtained despite the risk of death gave him new emotions he had never known before. It was a feeling of satisfaction called a sense of conquest, a sense of accomplishment.

After Terodamas succeeded to the throne, he could not forget his feelings at that time and devoted all his attention to the war of conquest. His talent and luck reached the sky and he was unstoppable, and he wrote a legend of invincibility until the moment he left only the last remaining kingdom.

But he became arrogant because he did not know defeat, he became irreverent because he had enough ability, and he only knew himself.

Anhamuin.

A maverick.

All of these were words referring to Therodamas, and he turned into a warmonger who did not care about his subjects and people, and was eventually betrayed and lost everything.

That was the truth about Theodamas, the Lion King, and it was a biography that was not described in history books.

***

Gilbert left the Obitus territory and rode east. Therodamas’ journal was located in a hidden safe house half a day’s ride away from the Obitus domain.

Originally, you would find the location by combining the bard’s song and the clues left in Obitus, but since it only describes nearby geographical features, newbies often waste time here.

There were many cases where I turned on the minimap or world map and went round and round in the same place, but this did not apply to Gilbert. Even though the minimap and world map were not applied in the game system, he was able to find the location just by looking at the general direction.

However, in the game, weathering did not occur, so the location could be found by looking at the terrain, but in reality, it could change as much as you want, so some concerns remained.

But as if his worries were unfounded, a familiar landmark caught Gilbert’s eye. An old tree whose age was difficult to guess was taking root at the entrance to the valley.

Have we finally arrived?

Gilbert breathed a sigh of relief at seeing that he had remained consistent with the game.

Once we arrived here, the first condition was almost solved. The difficult thing about this sub-quest was that the clues continued one after another, and the last clue was used to specify this location.

Since a line of ambiguous text that seemed to describe the location was the final clue, searching the entire large obitus area to find similar terrain was a common occurrence in the early days of Tactical Combat.

But it’s been a long time since the game was released, and no matter how hard people try to hide information, someone is bound to release it eventually.

Many newbies also skipped the cumbersome information search and looked for answers, so they did not explore the entire area to find this old tree.

The community’s newbie guide also describes this location, but it is not recommended to go there right away.

The Tactical Combat worldview basically followed the medieval era, and territories were ruled by feudal lords.

Security was maintained inside and around the territory by guards or the lord’s private soldiers, but other places were infested with robbers and thieves, and pirates often plundered the sea.

In the early part of Tactical Combat, it was rare to encounter thieves as it focused on the academy, but as you progressed through sub-quests, there were times when you had to leave the territory.

Every time I did that, I encountered monsters, but more often than not, I encountered and battled with thieves.

And that was the reason why the newbie guide said to go here later.

“How did an academy cadet come here?”

As soon as Gilbert had tied the horse he was riding to the old tree, people appeared one by one. He had already expected it and calmly counted the number of thieves who suddenly appeared.

The total number seemed to be around fifteen. There were differences in the stamina and number of thieves depending on the difficulty of the game, and fifteen was the number on the highest difficulty, which he always played after becoming a rotten water.

“Looking at his smooth face, I think he’s a master from a noble family… My heart is pounding as if it’s going to jump out of my chest when I think about receiving such a large ransom.”

“boss! Don’t forget to take care of your share this time!”

“Hey, you bastard. “I told you not to call me boss, right?”

Fifteen men with scary faces were trudging forward, each holding a knife, looking like thieves. Gilbert watched the thieves come out as expected and opened his mouth.

＂There’s a lot to be said about those mercenary gangs who became thieves. “Who said you would be captured obediently?”

＂…What are you doing, you idiot?＂

“There is no name to tell the thieves.”

It was part of a common quest chain. It was common in this era for members of well-known mercenary groups to become thieves because they could not overcome the tyranny of nobles.

As you progress through the Lion King’s Mana Practice quest, you will encounter thieves near the location where the journal is hidden. If you do not subdue them at this time, you will never be able to obtain the Lion King’s Mana Practice.

It was a tip that came out of consideration for the fact that it was a one-versus-many battle and that newbies who were not yet good at combat should not use the highest-grade mana exercises when dealing with thieves who suddenly appeared.

On the other hand, if you subdue them, you can receive a linked quest, which is not a bad quest that allows you to relieve their injustice and accept them as subordinates.

“I tried to say nice things, but since you provoked me like this, I think I need to cut off a limb to make you come to your senses. is not it?”

“I guess it was a rat, not a thief, that was squeaking.”

“Knock that bastard out right away and cut off his limbs one by one!” “You have to step on those bastards once so they can come to their senses!”

But Gilbert had no intention of accepting them as colleagues. It is true that there was a sad story behind the change from a mercenary group to a bandit group, but it did not mean that the crimes they committed while becoming bandits were gone.

Due to the circumstances, they could have disguised themselves as thieves, but seeing these guys coming with their blood dripping with murderous blood, I couldn’t just ignore them even if they knew what was going on.

In the first place, they were just mercenaries in the game who then became thieves and captured innocent people and trafficked them. It was unnecessary to give room for nothing.

Gilbert lightly grasped the handle of the sword worn at his waist.

It was my first time killing someone here, but that was a story that was limited to this world.

He had no intention of showing mercy to the enemy who pointed his sword at him.

It was the only way he could come back from that terrible war alive.

The moment the thieves came within Gilbert’s range, his eyes lit up and his sword was drawn out in an instant.

Suddenly!

The sharp blade of the sword shone in the sunlight, red blood decorated the sky, and the thief’s severed arm flew aimlessly through the air.

It was a terrible result created by a quick attack with a physical ability of 90 and a strength of 70.