The high-ranking shaman watched the fortress walls with growing unease.
Inside, a fierce battle was surely raging.
There had to be some unforeseen force inside the fortress that had eluded the shamans' predictions, hence his earlier advice for a retreat.
‘But if it's Hara-bal, one of the most powerful warriors of our tribe... maybe...’
Clinging to a slim hope, he continued observing from a distance.
However, that hope did not last long.
Pop.
-......
The shaman felt a spark of life extinguish.
Hara-bal, an elite warrior who had defied the limitations of his kind and become a legendary figure.
Now, that life was snuffed out.
-This is disastrous...
Since the resumption of the tribe’s invasion, this had been their first major battle.
Victory here was crucial, and they’d committed substantial forces to ensure it.
Yet the outcome...
-Relay the message to the warriors.
The death of their commander.
And...
-There’s no way to breach that fortress. Tell everyone to retreat as safely as possible.
...was a complete defeat for the tribe.
---
In contrast to my earlier grim resolve, the remaining enemies were surprisingly easy to handle.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re not as fierce as before.”
Even the monsters that had recklessly charged us despite heavy injuries seemed to have lost their earlier ferocity.
Their coordinated strategies with the shamans had vanished, and they looked unsure, scattered.
- H-Hara-bal...!
“Hmm?”
Some of the creatures were murmuring as they looked past me.
One monster was quivering, its body barely held together with torn flesh.
‘Now that I think about it, that guy was the [Green Mane Chieftain].’
While I couldn’t understand all their words, I understood one name they kept repeating: Hara-bal.
[Commander]
[Green Mane Tribe Warchief Hara-bal vs. Steel Legion Commander Lt. Kim Hyun-seok]
“Damn. He was the commander?”
No wonder he was so incredibly strong!
From their reactions, he wasn’t just any ordinary commander; he must have been highly respected among them.
The sight of his body was clearly throwing them into disarray.
‘Why would he come personally... then again, it makes sense.’
For the success of their attack, hitting the fortress’s inner defenses was essential.
Given the importance of this mission, it wasn’t unusual that he’d lead the charge personally.
If he hadn’t been there, we could have handled the monsters without major issues.
His presence alone had pushed Gwang-il to his limits.
‘Luckily, I dealt with him before he could cause more damage.’
If I’d been even a bit slower, he could have taken out soldiers across the battlefield one by one.
He’d been strong enough to take down Gwang-il, after all.
But thankfully, his death threw the rest of the monsters into chaos.
In the end...
“This one’s the last!”
“Take it down!”
We completely wiped out the monsters that had been catapulted into the fortress.
‘But we can’t let our guard down yet.’
Outside the fortress walls, countless monsters remained, blocked only by the gate.
Even if they attempted a desperate breakthrough, we had no plans to lose.
‘I still have some cards up my sleeve.’
There was Kkamang resting in my arms and even the vampires, who I hadn’t brought out yet.
If they tried another move, I’d reveal my hidden aces.
But just as I was observing the enemy's movements, I heard a shout.
“They’re retreating!”
“What?”
Contrary to my expectations that they’d push harder, the monsters began pulling back.
‘Already?’
They still had plenty of forces left; retreating seemed premature.
There was only one reason I could think of.
“Is it because they lost their commander?”
If they were still desperate, they might have tried a new plan.
But with their commander gone, coordinated tactics were unlikely.
Even if they managed to breach the fortress, their own losses would be massive.
The logical choice was to avoid such a costly battle.
Just then, my thoughts were confirmed.
*Ding*
[The siege battle has ended!]
[Combatants]
[Green Mane Tribe vs. Steel Legion]
[Commanders]
[Green Mane Tribe Warchief Hara-bal vs. Steel Legion Commander Lt. Kim Hyun-seok]
[Location]
[Metropolitan Area (3)]
[Result]
[Victory for the Steel Legion]
[First siege victory achieved!]
[Despite the overwhelming difference in numbers, you’ve secured a decisive victory.]
[Reward bonuses granted for your first siege victory.]
[Group Skill - War Song]
[You’ve gained experience points.]
[You’ve earned points.]
A message announcing the end of the war appeared.
And then...
[Level up achieved.]
[Intermediate Chef Lv. 30]
“...Oh.”
I’d leveled up.
---
As the enemy forces began to retreat, we had no intention of letting them go freely.
"Chase them down!"
“Get them!”
In this battle, despite the overwhelming number of enemies, we had the fortress as our stronghold, which led us to victory.
But if it had been a field battle, losing wouldn’t have been surprising.
Even so, there is a moment when such massive forces are vulnerable:
Retreat.
[You’ve gained experience points.]
[You’ve gained experience points.]
We relentlessly pursued the retreating enemy, causing maximum damage before pulling back to the fortress at the last possible moment, avoiding counterattacks.
Once we were back in the fortress, I received a guild message.
[Shaman: Incredible... truly incredible.]
The thrill in Tae-jun’s words was apparent, even through text.
[Shaman: The enemy’s losses are massive. ...How did this happen?]
[Chef: That bad?]
[Shaman: ‘Bad’? It’s probably worse than you can ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) imagine!]
Since Tae-jun had been stuck in the mountains, unable to descend, he hadn’t witnessed our efforts against the monsters.
[Shaman: The enemy likely didn’t even consider the possibility of losing... Honestly, neither did I.]
He hadn’t realized how much our unit had improved.
However, I knew it was too early to celebrate.
Though we’d managed to repel them this time, their retreat had happened quickly.
‘They must have decided to withdraw the moment they realized the warchief was dead.’
While we won this time, there’s no guarantee we’ll win again.
[Shaman: True, but the enemy won’t be able to launch a full-scale attack again soon.]
[Chef: Really?]
I expected them to return quickly, but Tae-jun thought otherwise.
[Shaman: They may have numbers, but few among them are fit to lead.]
Ah, that made sense. Among the monsters, special elites were rare; most were of similar strength.
The warchief I’d defeated had been an essential asset to them.
[Shaman: Since this attack failed, they’ll need an even stronger leader if they want to launch another siege... and I doubt they have anyone superior to the one you just killed. Maybe one or two, at most.]
[Chef: He was definitely powerful.]
[Shaman: Without a stronger commander, they’d need a far larger force to succeed. They might only send smaller squads for harassment until they can regroup.]
In other words, a large-scale attack like this likely wouldn’t happen again soon.
‘It seems this battle’s impact was greater than I thought.’
If we had failed or been forced to retreat, the enemy would have overrun the area by now.
We had thrown every possible defense at them, including the hidden trump card, our divine power.
“It sounds like their losses will make them hesitate to attack again.”
“Yeah, but it won’t last forever. They still have their main base to the west.”
“True...”
“To resolve this permanently, we’ll have to launch an offensive against them.”
Minjae commented, and one of the soldiers grinned.
“Aw, what’s the problem? Can’t we just use those tin cans?”
“Huh?”
“Come on, those steel giants make this whole thing seem easy.”
The soldiers’ gazes shifted to the iron-clad guards patrolling the fortress walls.
“Oh yeah. They’re on our side.”
“To be honest, I think those things are stronger than I am.”
The towering figures of the [Steel Soldiers] moved in an orderly patrol.
“If they add one every few hours, like Sergeant Shin said, doesn’t that mean we can eventually reach 200 of them?”
“Well, for now, it’s limited to 200 due to the barracks’ level.”
“200 of those? At that point, they could wipe out the enemy’s base!”
Hmm.
The soldiers seemed to view the Steel Soldiers as invincible machines after seeing their performance in battle.
“That might be a bit much.”
“Huh?”
They’d see soon enough. I called over one of the nearby Steel Soldiers.
“Hey, you, come here.”
The steel soldier, sensing my command, lumbered over with a clank.
“Whoa...”
“It looks even more impressive up close.”
Clad in gleaming black steel, it looked like the ultimate warrior, especially if it bore the unit’s emblem on its chest.
But as cool as it looked, that’s all it was.
I gave another command.
“Sit.”
...
The Steel Soldier stood motionless.
A few soldiers chuckled.
“Sergeant Shin... it’s not a dog, you know. ‘Sit’?”
Ignoring them, I tried another command.
“Shake.”
...
“Roll over.”
...
“Lie down.”
...
No matter what I said, the Steel Soldier didn’t respond.
“See?”
“See what?”
A few soldiers looked puzzled, but others started frowning as I continued.
Corporal Seo Soo-hyuk spoke up.
“You mean it only responds to
limited commands?”
“Exactly.”
These units understand basic orders like ‘come here,’ ‘go there,’ ‘attack,’ and ‘defend,’ but nothing else.
They reminded me of the NPCs from certain games—capable of basic attack commands but hopeless with anything beyond simple instructions.
“In combat, it’s the same. They’re fast and strong, but they lack flexibility and strategy.”
“Oh...”
“Physically, they may rival Gwang-il without buffs, but in an actual fight, Gwang-il would likely win.”
These soldiers perform best in specific situations, like the tight defense at the fortress gate.
In close-quarter combat, where there are few variables, they excel.
“But on an offensive mission, their limitations would be severe.”
“...In an offensive, you need quick judgment and adaptability.”
It was all spelled out in the description.
[Steel Soldier]
[Created to guard the dragons’ vault, Steel Soldiers possess immense strength and are formidable protectors.]
[As guardians, they excel in defensive combat.]
In summary...
“These guys’ AI is pretty lacking.”
The soldiers’ admiration quickly turned to exasperation.
Their once-proud gazes now looked at the soldiers like they were staring at scrap metal.
---
After the battle and the ensuing cleanup were mostly complete, I headed to a room in the barracks.
Knocking on the door, I waited a moment.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, Sergeant Shin...”
The towering figure of Corporal Jeon Gwang-il stood in the doorway, looking somber.
“If you’re free, let’s have a little talk.”
After all, it's about time I started acting like a proper commander.
