Chapter 2: Message (2)
Following Lorias words, a notification window scrolled open before Kim Hyunwoos eyes.
Beast King
Absolute Darkness
Crimson Dragon
Hero King
Spectrum Witch
Olunga's Descendant
..
.
Whats this?
Responding to Kim Hyunwoos puzzled voice, Loria answered.
[This is a list of heroes who left after you departed, naturally leading to the decline of the territory. You can flip through the pages by touch, so it might be good to check]
Following her words, Kim Hyunwoo quietly flipped through the pages of the notification window.
The names of numerous heroes appeared as he swiped with his finger.
Naturally, among them were the names of heroes who had left soon after being drawn from the gacha because Kim Hyunwoo did not nurture them, as well as those he frequently used.
And then.
The names of the five individuals who could be considered Lartanias greatest strength, whom Kim Hyunwoo had nurtured by spending a tremendous amount of money, were also there.
[You can send a message to one of them]
Only one?
[Yes, only one. You cannot send it to everyone]
Thats stingy as hell.
Loria did not respond.
What should I do?
Kim Hyunwoo thought, stroking his chin.
In his current situation, the only heroes Kim Hyunwoo could feasibly call upon were naturally one of the individuals from The Round Table, whom he had raised with tremendous spending and affection ten years ago.
Bringing back just one of them could neatly solve the Labyrinth Break situation Kim Hyun-woo was currently facing.
However, the reason Kim Hyunwoos mouth did not easily open, despite knowing this, was because this was not a guaranteed right to definitively bring heroes back, but merely a message.
In other words, even if he sent a message, the hero might not return.
The message system itself was designed to make heroes reappear at a certain probability within the game, wasnt it? Well, this isnt a game, so its not about probability, but that makes it even more crucial.
Kim Hyunwoo thought coolly.
About which one of the heroes, who are likely to have lost all affection by now, that sending a message to would yield the highest probability of success.
And after some time had passed.
Can I send a message to the Beast King?
Kim Hyunwoo made his decision.
[As you said, I will proceed to send the message]
Following Lorias words, Kim Hyunwoo made a puzzled expression and asked in confusion.
Wait, message? Dont I need to write something?
[No. The function of the message is merely to notify the hero that the Lord has returned; it cannot contain any text]
This is really dizzying.
Kim Hyunwoo, about to curse without realizing it, then smacked his forehead again and sighed.
It would be quite troublesome if I cant send the message.
Kim Hyunwoo had raised the Round Tables 5-star characters, who could be considered Lartanias greatest strength, from when they were 1-star.
Meaning, he was somewhat familiar with the background stories of the 5-star characters, which is why he decided to send a message to the Beast King.
Based on the background information he knew, he believed that conveying a few words to the Beast King would be enough to move her.
Is there really no way?
[There is no way to include text in the message. Moreover, the message has already been sent. It will be delivered to the hero about a day from now.]
Wait, why does it take a day to send a message?
[Because it's express mail]
Muttering This is absurd, Kim Hyunwoo shut his eyes tightly and sighed deeply, but,
In the current situation, this is the best I can do. Besides, theres a chance that the Beast King will come just by receiving the message-
With that thought, he shook off his regrets and opened his mouth.
Loria, show me what I can do in the current situation first.
Although everything would be resolved if the Beast King came back, Kim Hyunwoo, not wanting to rely on such luck, decided to look for actions he could take in the current situation immediately.
After all, if he staked everything on the Beast King and she did not come, Kim Hyunwoos life there would be over.
However,
Isnt this a bit too much?
After rummaging through the game window Loria had created, similar to when he used to play Arteil, for several hours, Kim Hyunwoo realized the harsh reality.
How can there be nothing that I can do?
Literally, there was nothing Kim Hyunwoo could do at the moment.
Theres no population to recruit troops, no resources to erect barricades, and not even gold to distribute among the workforce.
This is fucking-
Truthfully, up to this point, Kim Hyunwoo wouldnt have been so angry.
But the reason he was cursing at this moment was:
If the territory is destroyed, the territory level should also drop to 1, whats the point of having a territory of Level 30!?
Kim Hyunwoos territory, Lartania, was not at Level 1 but at Level 30.
Of course, even Level 30 for a territory could be considered weak compared to when Kim Hyunwoo used to play Arteil.
Because ten years ago when he played Arteil, the level of Lartania he was building had exceeded 60.
Having a high territory level comes with many benefits.
Immediately, it allows for the unlocking of higher-level buildings, increases the number of territory residents that can be accepted, and also increases the area of land that can be affiliated.
Furthermore, the total number of gacha characters, i.e., heroes, that can be held increases, so the territory level is quite important.
However, thats assuming the territory is functioning properly; having a high territory level in Kim Hyunwoos current situation, with nothing in it, leads to adverse effects.
In Arteil, the number of monsters attacking is determined by the territory level, and the Labyrinth Break, which holds his entire life in balance, also varies in the number of attacking monsters based on the territory level.
In short, the current situation meant that a monster army equivalent to a territory level of 30 was swarming towards a city that couldnt even function properly as a territory, with a development of -20.
To summarize Kim Hyunwoos situation simply, in one line, or rather in one word, it was this:
Fucked.
There was no other word that could perfectly and neatly summarize the situation, so he grimaced, but
Loria.
[Yes]
Spread out the map.
Kim Hyunwoo did not give up.
Somehow, request reinforcements from the neighboring territories!
Although he knew the situation was the worst of the worst, Kim Hyunwoo valued his life too much to just mentally break down and pray to the heavens.
Ill try everything I can!
He looked at the map spread out by Loria.
The map was the same as he had seen ten years ago, with large dots continuously marked based on a perfect square.
Looking at the very familiar dot map, where brown terrain represented land, green terrain represented forests, and blue parts represented the sea, he soon checked the neighboring territories marked with green markers.
Loria, what are these orange dots on the outside?
He asked, feeling a spontaneous curiosity.
The orange dot, far away, that Kim Hyunwoo pointed out, would have sparked only minimal curiosity, even if found during his time playing the game, and he wouldnt have paid much attention to it.
The reason he suddenly became interested in that dot was because it was the first time he had seen an orange dot.
[Since I also awakened when you, my Lord, did, this is my first time seeing an orange dot as well, but upon examining the map system, it seems that the orange dot is likely a Boss zone]
Following Lorias words, Kim Hyunwoo asked again.
A Boss zone?
[Yes, if you send soldiers to defeat it, you could gain a considerable wealth. For your information, the name is-]
Loria paused as if looking at something, then continued.
[-It seems to be called 'Red Eye' by the surrounding territories and kingdoms]
Beastfolk are inherently a martial race.
They enjoy struggle and fighting, taking pleasure in battling beings stronger than themselves, truly a race that could be called living weapons.
Thus, territories or communities where beastfolk gather never have a quiet day, thanks to their inclination to turn fighting into a form of play.
Beastfolk love to fight at any opportunity and do not hesitate to confront those in higher positions.
Anyway, such traits of the beastfolk naturally apply to the community solely comprised of them, Red Eye, which is always noisy due to its nature.
Gerta, a beastfolk who had recently joined this community, could not understand the situation.
It was quiet.
By now, it wouldnt have been unusual for a fight or a drinking bout to break out in Red Eyes territory, but it had been silent for four days already.
Thus, it was already the fourth day of silence in Red Eye.
Being perceptive and good at fighting, even among beastfolk, and treated quite cleverly by one of the Four Kings, he could not contain his curiosity about the unending silence and asked.
Why has everyone been silent and not fighting like scared dogs since four days ago?
Gertas question came out with the rough tone typical of beastfolk, perhaps due to not having satisfied their urge to fight for four days.
In response, Giral, a member of the Langin tribe and one of the Four Kings of Red Eye, who had been maintaining silence like the other beastfolk, simply said,
Because we dont want to die.
What? What do you mean?
Gerta made a puzzled expression.
Thats all, Gerta. Its the period set by our Leader, so remain silent. If you dont, youll die.
The Leader?
Yes.
Regardless of Gertas expression, Giral closed his mouth after that statement, indicating the end of the discussion.
Gerta then turned his gaze towards the top of the mountain.
The Leader, unlike the beastfolk who were always fighting and drinking, had never come down from the mountain peak, a sight Gerta had rarely seen.
Thus, Gerta, who had never had much interaction with her, had a somewhat diminished respect for her as a Leader.
Understood.
Gerta decided to comply with Girals words and remained silent.
Of course, he had only seen the Leader a few times.
Yet, the reason Gerta kept his mouth shut without any objection was the power of her, who he had only seen a few times.
He had experienced a fear beyond shivering firsthand with his own eyes.
When she launched herself, dozens of soldiers exploded away.
When she swung her arm once, massive monsters were sliced as easily as cutting tofu.
Because he had seen with his own eyes how beastfolk who arrogantly gathered numbers to challenge her for the leadership were turned into mush with just a single gesture from her.
Gerta remained silent, looking at the top of the mountain where the Leader, revered by the beastfolk, resided.
At the center of that mountains peak.
She, with her slightly swollen, weary eyes forcibly closed, buried in her white tail
Thump-
?
Received a letter that fell from the sky.
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