ACT 9 Caretaker of the Battlefield
Arkās eyes quickly looked around after hearing Raidenās voice. He was soon able to see Alan wielding his sword along with the cavalry troops in the middle of the battlefield.
āOkay, I wonāt stop until I take him out this time!ā
āDark Eden troops depart, attack Alanās unit!ā
āAh, Ark-nim. What about us?ā
Baron asked in a surprised voice.Ā After Ark led Dark Eden to destroy the Defense Tower, Baronās attitude had a complete 180 degree change.Ā His personality was the type that would prostrate himself if he judged that someone was superior to him.
Ark replied with annoyance and approached Alanās cavalry troops.Ā Now that Alan appeared, he had no interest in Fugetsu.Ā Alan was leading the 20 man cavalry unit as well as 100 soldiers through the battlefield.Ā The pioneers including Jewel and Duke were confronting him. But even the pioneers of New World were pushed back by Alan and his cavalry unit.
āUgh, whatās with these monster like fellowsā¦ā¦.!ā
āYour best dark attribute magic only did 10% damage at most to them?ā
āThese bastards, what on earth are their levels?ā
āAll 20 paladins are wearing gloves that have recovery magic!ā
Then Ark jumped into the battlefield leading Dark Eden.
āSir Cross, you and your soldiers take up defensive stances and prevent enemy attacks! The raccoons and thieves, please shoot the enemies with cannons while supporting Sir Cross. Roco, assist from a distance! And JusticeMan ajusshi, Hyungs and the Meowā¦ā¦take care of the fighting!ā
When Arkās troops stormed in, a violent sound was immediately heard.Ā Thanks to the influence of JusticeManās Tactics III, the NPCs followed Arkās commands perfectly.
Cross prevented the enemiesā offensive using the shield while pointing at a priest. A bullet flew 40 feet across the battlefield.Ā Its damage couldnāt even be compared with normal arrows!Ā It was difficult for even a warrior to endure without dying.Ā Much less compared to the priest wearing robes with much lower defense.Ā The priestās health quickly reached the bottom and he collapsed.
āHuhuhu, the enemy wonāt stop with just this! It reminds me of the time I was stranded in the middle of an uprising! Good, the more the better!ā
āIt reminds me of the incident in the nightclub.ā
āItās time to show our true characters! Come onā¦ā¦.these beep-beep bastards!ā
JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members jumped into the battle with excited faces. But it was the Meow who went through a complete reversal.Ā Ark had not seen the Meow fight yet.Ā While the Meow clan fought in the battle against Debra, there was no chance for during when fighting Andel. The Meow also didnāt want to go underground so they did not participate in the destruction of the Defense Tower. The cat was a really selfish species, who he had only seen eating and eatingā¦ā¦..it was to the extent that Ark thought he brought them for no reason.
But that thought was completely blown away in this fight.
āLetās show them why weāre called the best warrior beast species!ā
āIāll show you how an elegant cat fights.ā
The Meowsā battle was truly phenomenal.Ā They used incredibly quick foot movements that couldnāt be seen, and then avoided attacks using their flexibility before jumping across several metres to deal damage!
Yes, he had forgotten for a while-no, he just did not believe-but the Meow were descendants from Hero Maban! Once Ark switched jobs to Dark Walker, the skills he learnt were originally from the Meow.Ā They were a naturally gifted warrior clan!
āHuhuhu, slow, slow, too slow!ā
The Meow quickly avoided the sword and attacked in the weak spot.Ā Ark looked for weaknesses using Eyes of the Cat. However, the Meow were the origin of the cat eyes.Ā Even if they didnāt use the skill, the Meow could just look and they would see the weaknesses.Ā In addition, they were born with Arkās Cat Paws. Their sharpened nails pierced the areas that the armour exposed such as neck and wrist and tore the flesh.
āWhat, what the? Who are they?ā
āWhat kind of NPCs are they? First there is the raccoons firing the cannons, and now isnāt that a cat?ā
āWhat kind of quests would you have to do to be able to hire these mercenaries?ā
It wasnāt only the people in Dawn Blade, but the Hermes Alliance was also watching in confusion. But the person who had the most brilliant performance was of course Ark!
āThe reward was worth going through all that trouble!ā
Ark ran around the battlefield pushing back enemies.Ā The Dawn Blade members mostly consisted of candidates.Ā Only they would be so enthusiastic about the game.Ā But he confirmed that they were only around level 150 using Eyes of the Cat. The highest level users were no more than level 150.Ā On the other hand, Arkās level was 159!Ā With his darkness attribute bonus it was 222!
He was finally receiving some compensation for not sleeping a lot.Ā Dying and then coming back to find yourself at a higher level than other usersā¦ā¦.wasnāt that a glorious moment for all users?Ā Of course other professions had abilities that increased the stats or gave special effects, none of them could beat Ark in a 1-on-1 fight. With his dark attribute bonus, it wasnāt even hard to fight 5 people at once.Ā It was the result of grinding! Andā¦ā¦.
āThat warrior is using the skill Shield Shock!ā
Once Ark saw the warriors pull their shields, he was able to read their attack patterns.Ā Thanks to the Evil Silrion, he was able to see the skills of most professions and read their attacks by looking at the special movement.Ā Ark reflexively closed the distance, avoided the shield and attacked at the weak point. After the practical training at the gym, his transitions were so fast and sharp it couldnāt even be compared to before.
āIn the past I didnāt even dare fight against other candidates but nowā¦ā¦..Iāve become stronger!ā
He was stronger than other candidates.Ā That meant he had a higher chance to pass the entrance examination.Ā Since his confidence increased, Arkās movements became livelier. The battle situation once again became strained thanks to that.Ā Alan became confused because he never thought that Dark Eden would have such achievements.
āUgh, what on earth are these NPCs? Huh?ā
Just then the sharp sparkle of a sword appeared in front of him.Ā Alan reflexively lifted his sword and a sharp clanging sound rang out.Ā 3~4 warriors died as he leapt forward and struck a blow on the shield.Ā Rough curses flew from Alanās mouth as he confirmed who it was.
āArk, you bastardā¦ā¦.!ā
Ark had confirmed that it was Alan from a distance and ran towards him.
āWhy are you surprised? You were the one who called me here. Isnāt that right?ā
āWhat are you saying?ā
āWell? Didnāt you ādareā me to come here?ā
āYou cheeky bastard! Shield Blow!ā
Alan ran to him with his shield raised.Ā However Ark quickly lowered his body and counterattacked with Dark Blade. It signalled the start of the wild clash between Ark and Alan.
Holy Knight and Dark Walker!
Two people who walked the road in different directions yet they were destined to clash.Ā No, if only the facts were looked at then Ark would be inferior in strength.Ā Alan had always been ahead of him from the beginner so he was like a tough mountain pass Ark had to climb. Butā¦ā¦ā¦..
āAlanā¦ā¦ā¦doesnāt seem as strong as I thought!ā
After receiving Alanās attack, Ark felt quite confident.Ā As Dark Walker was a hidden profession, he received a 40% bonus in the dark which was something general users would have a hard time imagining.Ā The bonus was how Ark had managed to defeat opponents a lot stronger than him.Ā It was evening at the moment so the perfect for a Dark Walker.
However, Alan was not an ordinary user.Ā He also had one of the hidden professions. Moreover, his character was that of a hero walking in the light. He also received a bonus of course. While Ark received a bonus in the dark, Alan received a bonus proportional to the number of troops he led.Ā The more troops he commanded the higher his stats would rise.Ā And if he was on a warhorse, there was a slight boost to his damage and defense.Ā After the bonus stats were applied, they were almost equal!Ā The rest of it was levels and skills!
āAlanās level is lower than mine!ā
After checking with Eyes of the Cat, Alanās level was surprisingly lower than Arkās.Ā Ark was level 159. Alan was level 158.Ā At one time he was an opponent that Ark had to crane his neck to look up at. But after several months had passed, Ark was now ahead. It was an inevitable result.Ā No matter how much bonuses and experiences he got from being in a party, Alan had focused on creating a guild and capturing the castle while Ark had only focused on hunting.
Ark had continued to hunt and hunt while sleeping less.Ā Any turtle could overtake a rabbit if it was sleeping. Especially if the turtle had a motor attached to its foot!
āI can win. I can take Alan down here!ā
However, the situation was not as simple as he thought.Ā It wasnāt a 1-on-1 fight but a bloody battlefield with hundreds of users. Unlike Ark, Alan also had strong support in the form of his cavalry unit. If Ark pushed Alan back even a little bit then a cavalry member would rush over and attack.
āUgh, whatās with these bastardsā¦ā¦ā¦?ā
Alan had stumbled after Ark kicked him in the knee.Ā When he had the perfect opportunity for continuous attacks, the cavalry unit interrupted again.Ā Meanwhile, the other paladin poured recovery magic at Alan.Ā Of course Ark also had his health restored thanks to Rocoās help. Thanks to that both of them were unable to strike the killing blow.
āDamn, this would normally be the time to use Blade Stormā¦ā¦..ā
In this melee it wasnāt as simple as it sounded. Arkās ultimate skill was Blade Storm. When used correctly, its destructive power was enormous. But to use Blade Storm he had to take a sword out of his bag. And the preliminary action to trigger it was more time-consuming than his other skills. Ā It wasnāt a skill that he could use against Alan.
āI have to use a more advanced skill!ā
If Alan saw any signs then he would immediately disrupt the offensive.Ā Ark was the same as well. If he saw signs that Alan was using a dangerous skill then he would immediately disrupt it.Ā Since they both had hidden professions, the power of their best skill would be unimaginable.Ā In such a situation, the person who managed to use the skill would strike the killing blow. It was like they both had access to nuclear bombs but were fighting with rifles.
āThat Ark, when did he become this strong? Itās not simply a problem of his level. Something elseā¦ā¦.ā
Alan was unclear about the situation.Ā At that time, two unexpected variables entered the fight.
āGod dammit, die! Burning Force!ā
Jewel who was fighting the cavalry unit cast a spell.Ā It was a powerful magic from a level 180 pioneer!Ā However, it just bounced off the overlapping reflection shield that the cavalry troops created.Ā The intention was probably to have the magic bounce off and hit the enemy troops.Ā But ironically, the magic flew behind the enemy line to where Ark and Alan were having their bloody battle.
Alan reflexively raised a reflective shield after hearing the paladinās shout.Ā It was an intense magic!Ā It caused a violent impact which shook the shield.
Alan shook and fell off his horse.
āItās a chance! That guy fell off his horse!ā
āIf we catch him then itās Hermesā victory!ā
At the same time, the Hermes Alliance flocked at the opportunity. After the close fight with Ark, his health had fallen to 30%! Fortunately the 20 Holy Paladins stopped the Hermes Alliance and protected Alan.Ā They had swift agility!Ā However, Alan had no interest in the Hermes Alliance.
Alan stiffened and turned his head.Ā The person who was closely approachingā¦ā¦ā¦his nemesis, Ark!During the confusion Ark didnāt miss the opportunity.
āThanks to the impact from falling off his horse, he must be stiff! In this situation he wonāt be able to disrupt my skill. Thereās also no time for the Holy Paladins to use their recovery magic! It is the ideal chance!ā
Ark ignored the attacks flying around him and shouted.
āSnake, Magic Swords!ā
He didnāt want to give Alan a chance to use recovery magic.Ā Ark used a magic sword just in case.Ā It was a magic sword that could be sold for 10 gold in stores!
Cracks spread like a spider web on the 100,000 won magic sword.Ā Alan instinctively sensed that he was in a crisis.Ā A formidable amount of magic seemed to be emanating from the cracking sword!Ā In this condition he would surely die!Ā If he died here then he would lose the castle!Ā Panic spread throughout his body and he instinctively grabbed the nearest user.Ā At the same time, a surprised word emerged from Arkās mouth.
The person that Alan grabbed was Lariette of all people!Ā Ark reflexively turned the sword. The users who were running on that side were unfortunately shredded by the 100,000 won Blade Storm. At that moment, Alanās eyes lit up.
āWhat a stupid guy, Grand Cross!ā
After receiving the recovery magic from 20 people, Alan used the Holy Knightās strongest skill.Ā Hundreds of lights shot from Alanās sword into the sky. And it created a huge cross made of swords which plunged towards Ark.Ā It was a holy scene, but to Ark it appeared like a reaper was swinging a huge scythe at him. And just before the giant scythe was about to pierce his neck, an angel flew in front of him.
With her long hair flying, it was Roco who jumped in front of Ark.Ā The black light pierced through Roco and into the ground.
āSaint-nim! Youā¦ā¦.you bastardā¦ā¦.!ā
JusticeMan, the rehabilitation members and the thieves headed towards Alan furiously. However, the cavalry troops blocked them before they could reach Alan and Ark and a fierce battle took place.Ā Ark turned his head slowly away from Roco with vacant eyes.Ā Lariette looked at Ark with guilt.
When Alan tried to use the skill again, Lariette shouted in surprise and grabbed his arm.Ā Thanks to that it only skimmed Arkās side but he still lost 500 health just from that.Ā However, the damage was not the problem. When the sword of light flew past, he had been surrounded by the cavalry troops.Ā Ark was hit repeatedly and was forced to withdraw.
āOh my God, I canāt die here!ā
āSlimeās Time, NO1!ā
Since Ark was in a critical condition, he regretfully used the skill.
āSlimeās Time was something I learnt when I made the Slimeās Immortality Pill.ā
It was a skill which could defend him from physical attacks by 100% for 10 minutes!Ā When he used Slimeās Time, Arkās body was immediately covered in a smooth viscous liquid. Then Ark managed to withdraw from the paladins.Ā It was the perfect invincible state!Ā Ark easily ran away from the maces flying all over the place.Ā However, there was a penalty for using Slimeās Time.Ā While it blocked attacks for 10 minutes, his sword couldnāt inflict any damage.Ā Even though he could see Alan, it wasnāt possible for him to do anything.Ā Meanwhile Alan got back on his horse and shouted.
āConcentrate everything on your attack! Their recovery priests have all died!ā
Ark was forced to just watch.Ā While he had averted the attack on Lariette, he couldnāt forgive killing Roco.
Ark wasnāt so stupid that he would just blindly run up to Alan. Roco died in the game, but if Ark died here then there was no way to recover the 5,000 gold.Ā Andā¦ā¦even if it wasnāt Ark, there were already enough stupid people.
Bul-kkun was impaled by a spear.Ā In addition, Jjak-tung and Yapsab were also in a critical condition and close to dying.Ā Thanks to their fury over Roco, they just fought randomly. But that wasnāt the problem.Ā Roco was the only person who could use recovery magic in Dark Eden.Ā With her āGentle Reverberation,ā the recovery magic was even able to be stacked 3 times.Ā After Roco died, Dark Eden was immediately on the defensive.Ā 5 Sylphid Knights had already died while 4 Meow had collapsed.Ā Thankfully the raccoons were still intact, but the thieves had rushed towards Roco and 12 of them died from the cavalry unitās attack. Frankly, their deaths caused more pain to Ark than Rocoās did.
Roco would revive perfectly fine tomorrow.Ā But once the NPCs died then it was the end.Ā So he had put all the effect into building intimacy for nothing.Ā But was that all? Ark was the one who dragged them into the battle.Ā If they were all wiped out? While he wasnāt sure about the thieves, his intimacy with Jacksonās Lord, the Meow elders and the raccoon clan representatives would be negatively affected. No, there was no need to think.Ā When Dark Eden started to be pushed, the Hermes Alliance that had managed to maintain its balance started to wobble.
They didnāt have a lot of recovery potions left.Ā On the other hand, the 20 mounted troops could all use recovery magicā¦ā¦..
Nevertheless, Ark couldnāt attack the enemies for 10 minutes.
āIf the formation collapses then it is the end!ā
Then, Cross was struck by a critical hit and stumbled.
āAh, no! Gather your energy! You might be tired but you still have strength left.Ā Real courage isnāt fighting for breath. Sometimes fighting to save lives is true courage! Wield your sword and shield to survive!ā
Ark desperately used Nursing.Ā Nursing was not recovery magic.Ā But if the spirit and courage rose then it could increase the recovery rate.Ā And the blessing would increase various resistances and stats which would make the survival rate a little bit higher. Ark ran around the entire battlefield using Nursing.Ā He was immortal so none of the attacks could stop him. But once the battle situation was pushed then it started to get out of control.Ā Although there was a difference in power, their health and recovery potions in the Hermes Alliance were starting to run low.
āPlease gather your courage. You arenāt supposed to collapse! We can win!ā
So Ark used Nursing even when he got a sore throat.
Thenā¦ā¦..a miracle literally happened!
The Miracle Nursing was successful.
You have understood the deep sorrow of the heart on the battlefield.
The battlefield is a trench of endless sins. In the place where the importance is placed on a sword and shield, you have used your power to heal the wounded. With hundreds of enemies to fight, it takes great courage to heal instead of fight. Your heart has considered that saving lives is more important than killing. Thus you have given an impression of a strong attachment to life to many soldiers. You will also get a chance to save their lives.
* Due to the success of miracle nursing, all stats increase by 1.
* Affection increases by 10.
* Alignment towards Good increases by 50.
* The defense of all allies increases by 20% for 2 hours.
The Miracle Nursing was a success and you have acquired the title āCaretaker of the Battlefield.ā
Fame as a Caretaker has increased, so you will receive praises from many soldiers.
* As a title bonus all stats will increase by 2.
Thanks to miracle nursing, the defense of the Hermes Alliance increased by 20%! But the miracle didnāt end there. His Nursing skill which had stopped at 290 increased to 300! Nursing was now an advanced skill.
Thanks to your sincerity and caring, your Nursing skill has risen.
Nursing (Advanced, Active): You can take care of the patients for a long time and use various treatments more effectively.Ā In addition, the performance of any type of potions has increased by 30%. <when>* Advanced Nursing bonus effect: Great Sacrifice <your>= Minimum trigger limit of 10: Minor recovery effects on allies within 10 metres.</your></when>
<when><your>= 50~100 potions: Intermediate recovery effects on all allies within a 100~200 metre radius.</your></when>
<when><your>= More than 100: High recovery effect on all allies within 300 metres. (Every additional 5 recovery potions used will increase the range by 5 metres and recovery amount by 50.)</your></when>
<when><your>āGreat Sacrifice!ā</your></when>
<when><your>Ark looked at the message window with bemusement.Ā An advanced magic that recovered 800~1000 health was only possible with holy magic.Ā If he used Great Sacrifice then he might be able to reverse the battle situation. But that thought was overwhelming to Ark. It had a reckless penalty where he had to use all the recovery potions in his bag!</your></when>
<when><your>At the moment he had 107 potions in his bag!Ā 100 of it were the intermediate potions he took from Raiden. It cost 2000 gold to buy 100 intermediate potions in shops! Yet he had to use it to recover the health of the people hereā¦ā¦.!</your></when>
<when><your>āIāve received 100 potions thanks to Raiden! Why nowā¦ā¦ā¦..?ā</your></when>
<when><your>How could he possibly use it in this way? Were they purposely taunting him by giving him 100 potions and then making him use it like this?Ā Even if he hit someone, it wasnāt possible for him to kill them.</your></when>
<when><your>āBut if this siege fails then there would be no other opportunity to defeat Alan. Then Sidā¦ā¦ā¦ā</your></when>
<when><your>HIs 5000 gold was confiscated because Sid was trapped in jail!Ā Of course 5000 gold was a lot more than 2000.</your></when>
<when><your>āI may regret this decision! Butā¦ā¦.I canāt lose to Alan! Yes, Iāll just have to extort more out of Raiden. But first I have to turn this siege around!ā</your></when>
<when><your>Ark convinced himself and shouted with a voice filled with tears.</your></when>
<when><your>āGreat Sacrifice!ā</your></when>
<when><your>His bag automatically opened and 100 potions rose into the sky.Ā The potions formed into a huge jar before scattering around the battlefield.</your></when>
<when><your>āAh ah ah, my 2000 goldā¦ā¦.!ā</your></when>
<when><your>Ark shed tears like a waterfall as he looked at the scattering potions. All that money gone.Ā All that money certainly had a huge effect.Ā The health of the Hermes Alliance began to recover at a tremendous pace. The effects of advanced Nursing were also successfully applied! The defense and health recovery was immediately converted to combat power.Ā But the Hermes Alliance didnāt use its powers to attack immediately.Ā It was the first time that they had experienced such an absurd situation.</your></when>
<when><your>āEh? Why has my defense increased?ā</your></when>
<when><your>āThe Miracle Nursing effect it says, what is that?ā</your></when>
<when><your>āWhat is with the huge jar just then? Was there such a potion?ā</your></when>
<when><your>āDo you know? This might be a pioneerās skill that we are seeing for the first time.ā</your></when>
<when><your>āIndeed, there are a lot of pioneer skills that we donāt know about.ā</your></when>
<when><your>Then Ark shouted in a threatening noise.</your></when>
<when><your>āThese damn slow beepā! Why are you just standing around chatting?ā</your></when>
<when><your>Even though he had just wasted 2000 gold on their recovery. Why? His spirit heated up. Even though 1 minute and 1 second had passed, they were just standing around discussing the 107 potions that had scattered!Ā Those stupid idiots havenāt even grasped the situationā¦ā¦..Arkās resentment echoed through the battlefield in the form of curses. However, he didnāt use intimidation for the effects.Ā He really felt like cursing deep inside.Ā It was a situation which caused Intimidation to have the best effect.</your></when>
<when><your>-āIntimidationā has triggered a critical effect!</your></when>
<when><your>The intimidating effect couldnāt affect his allies.Ā Thanks to that the Hermes Alliance wasnāt affected but the members of the Dawn Blade coalition became frightened and had the morale decreased.Ā Lowering morale in a battle had a significant impact on overall combat power.Ā The laws of reality were also applied to the game.</your></when>
<when><your>āIntimidationā has lowered the courage and morale of all Dawn Blade coalition members in range by 30%.</your></when>
<when><your>Morale affects all troops no matter the size of the party.Ā The most important role of a commander is to raise his troopās morale, if the moral of the troops under the commander falls then the effects of āCommandā, āLeadershipā, āTacticsā and āStrategyā will also fall until morale is recovered.</your></when>
<when><your><the>The morale of soldiers was clearly important in a battle. If there was high moral then the commanders could move the soldiers, but once moral falls then any strategy or order would fail.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āIntimidation can also be utilized in such a manner!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>It was indeed New World!</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>It was the miraculous effect of the combo of Advanced Nursing and Miracle Nursing! Therefore while the stats of the Dawn Blade members fell, the Hermes Alliance had their defense raised and health recovered. Thanks to the negative effect on the enemies and positive effect on allies, their combat power doubled.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āTheir attacks have weakened!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āWith our increased defense and health, now is an opportunity!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āThe cavalry unit has also run out of mana! Now is the chance to beat them!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>The Hermes Alliance who had its spirit recovered shouted and ran. The cavalry troops who had constantly used buffs and healing magic had run out of mana.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āCatch Alan!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āInflict our sorrow on the mounted troops!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>With their high morale, the Hermes Alliance had cornered the cavalry troops.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āSheesh, the catapults are already ruined. Retreat!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Alan had exquisite timingā¦ā¦.he had used the opportunity to inflict a blow that increased his chances of winning the siege to 70%. But thanks to Arkās Miracle combo, he had no choice but to retreat.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āGod dammit, it shouldāve ended thenā¦ā¦..!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Alan clutched his fist tightly.Ā The Hermes Alliance had been halved. While one Defense Tower had been destroyed, Noel and Hamanechi were still stuck at the other one. The game shouldāve been decided. He shouldāve clinched it. However, he missed the chance because of the absurd potion jar.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āFortunately, the summoners and catapults are destroyed so the walls should remain intactā¦ā¦..ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>If Noel and Hamanechi destroyed the tower then they would join the battle. Then he could no longer be confident of victory.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āAlan-nim.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>He turned his head to see Lariette walking from behind with a tired face.Ā She was not the only one tired, the users had been playing the game for 20 hours.Ā Then Alan remembered what happened on the battlefield and quickly explained.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āLariette-nim, I apologise about what happened beforeā¦ā¦ā¦ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āThatās enough. It happened.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Then Lariette hesitated before saying.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āI have something to say to Alan-nim.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āPlease say it.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āNo matter the results, after the siege I will withdraw from the guild.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āYes?ā What is thatā¦ā¦..is it because of what happened just now?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āNo, itās not that. Iāve been thinking about it for a while.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āFor a while? Did you forget? If youāre with me then you can pass the entrance examination. Iām someone who will definitely pass so Lariette-nim will pass as well!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āThatās right. I originally joined Alan-nim because of the examination. Butā¦ā¦.thatās not all. I also wanted to meet a good person and play this game happily. I had hoped that partner was Alan-nim. Butā¦ā¦..ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Lariette shook her head with a regretful expression.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āIām not amused right now.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āA fun game? I donāt see how that has anything to do with passing the exam!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āYou still donāt understand.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āI donāt understand? Me? It is Lariette-nim that doesnāt understand a thing.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āYou never know.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Lariette sighed and turned around.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āAlan-nimās thoughts on the game are completely different from mine.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āLariette-nim, wait a minute!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āAnyway, Iāve told you about my intentions. Thenā¦ā¦.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āDamn it, why on earth? How are you dissatisfied?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>The sound of something hitting the table could be heard.Ā However, she already couldnāt hear it.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āIn such a situationā¦ā¦..he didnāt attack me.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Lariette closed her eyes for a moment and remembered the situation. It was just something that happened in a game. To die or live wasnāt a very important issue.Ā And yet, at that moment her heart was fluctuating.Ā Ark stopped his sword. Why? She wanted to know the reason.Ā She became tired from thinking about it so deeply.Ā But the feeling when he stopped the sword and then the emotion that she felt when she looked into his eyes, she wanted to know what it meant.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āI want to ask him. After we meetā¦ā¦I want to askā¦ā¦ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>However, if she was with Alan then she would have no chance to ask the question. So she decided to leave.Ā After she became free then she would like to askā¦ā¦.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āYou need 100 more intermediate potions?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Raiden asked in an astounded voice.Ā After Alan retreated to the castle, Raiden was reorganizing his troops for a counterattack.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āIt was because of the enormous potion that you evaded a crisis just now! That was a skill that I used!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āIt was a skill that you used?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āYes, and it used my 100 intermediate potions! You can ask the people surrounding me if you donāt believe it. You promised to supply me with the necessary materials for the siege so give it to me!ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Raiden nodded after a moment.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āOkay, then Iāll give it to you.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āR-really? Itās not a lie?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Ark asked again.Ā In fact, he hadnāt expected much.Ā But he was giving it obediently. Damn, if he knew then he wouldāve said 300.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āSince you defeated the Defense Tower, you were more useful than expected. So youāve qualified to receive it. But now right now. After we win the siege then Iāll calculate it. Iāve used almost all the guild funds on the siege. I canāt afford to pay for that many potions if I lose the siege.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āWellā¦ā¦ā¦.I guess I have to concede that much.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āBut it is frankly worrying. Alan ruined our catapults. Since our summoners are also dead, I donāt know if the castle walls can be broken in timeā¦ā¦ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Raiden said with a sigh.Ā If the special siege weapons broke down then users wouldnāt be able to repair it.Ā And since this was a siege battle, NPC craftsmen wouldnāt have been hired. But Ark just grinned and said.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āOkay, I can resolve that.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Ark and Raiden moved towards where the catapults were.Ā Then he immediately had the raccoons inspect it.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āIt should take half a day.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āIf it is half a day for NPCs then that is 2 hours. Is that enough time to reorganize the troops?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āThey can fix it?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āOf course.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Ark nodded and made a circle with his fingers.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āBut the cost of repairs is 50 gold. 20 catapults means 1000 gold.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Raiden muttered under his breath.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āThat greedy bastardā¦ā¦..heās also charging for the repairs?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āDoesnāt everyone have to eat? If you donāt want to then donāt.ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āI understand. Then a credit noteā¦ā¦ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>āI donāt want empty promises. Shall we sign a contract first?ā</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>The reason that Raiden was being so obedient was his need to win the siege.Ā Since he was willing to sacrifice everything to win, it was a golden chance for Ark.Ā Once he regained the money from Alan, he wouldāve also obtained Raidenās.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the>Merchantās agreement.</the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>If the Hermes Guild Leader Raiden wins the siege, once he becomes Lord of Silvana he will give Ark 100 intermediate potions as well as 1000 gold for the repair cost of the catapults.</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>In the end, Raiden drew up an agreement through a merchant in the Hermes guild.</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>āIām a bit uncomfortable but I had to do itā¦ā¦.ā</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Raiden had no other choice.</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>āIāve secured 3000 gold!ā</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Arkās heart rate rose at the sight of the contract.Ā It was money that would pay for war costs.Ā It wasnāt a few hundred old but thousands of gold. After making up his mind to knock Alan down, that was the biggest problem.Ā Heāll say it again. War costs a lot of money. That means that people who go to war will spend money like it was water. Thousands of people would have their money rolling on the ground. Then wasnāt there a chance for him to obtain some extra funds in this situation?</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>āYes, Iāve thought of everything.ā</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Although there were still a few hours left in the siege, Raiden was busy making plans to occupy the castle. Therefore he was paying no attention to where Ark was resting inconspicuously.</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>āSnake, from now on go around the battlefield and swallow whatever you can.ā</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Ark commanded Snake but he also gave a few precautions.Ā In Nagaran, the probability of users dropping items was less than 1%. In addition, there was a high probability that only potions would drop from the bag.Ā So Ark didnāt consider it at all until he destroyed the Defense Tower, and then he changed his mind.</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Improved Crossbow (Magic)</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Weapon type: Crossbow</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Attack: 15~35</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Durability: 55/70</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>Weight: 20</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>User restriction: Level 80 or more</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:>The latest modifications have been made to the traditional crossbow. The frame of the bow has been replaced with steel smelted using special techniques, increasing the damage and range of the crossbow by 3 times. However as it if heavier and more difficult to use, the shooting speed will decrease a lot.</contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>While attacking a bunker, one of the archers had dropped a crossbow.</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>āYes, the probability of dropping items in Nagaran is low. But that doesnāt mean that it absolutely wonāt drop!ā</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>Even if it was 0.1%, there were still 4000 people.Ā Wouldnāt the items start dropping once the body count piles up?Ā In addition, only high level players participated in the siege!Ā With luck, there was a huge probability of hitting at least one jackpot!</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>Fortunately, everyoneās nerves were focused on the end of the siege. If they saw him looking around dead bodies then a stir would be caused. No, even if he saw items fall he wouldnāt dare pick it up. But if it was Snake, no one would notice it snooping around the dead bodies.</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>āThis is a huge opportunity to take the items!ā</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>āSsak ssak ssak!ā</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>Snake boldly moved through the gap between corpses.Ā Ark was in a situation where he couldnāt afford to lose any money.</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>āAfter all, money is moneyā¦ā¦ā¦that Alan, I wonāt forgive him for killing Roco!ā</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>Arkās rage once again built up in him during the resting period. Anywayā¦ā¦.it was another reason why he couldnāt forgive Alan.Ā The Hermes Alliance had suffered a lot of damage during the attack.Ā Hermes and the Silver Moon guild had lost 40% of their forces while Fugetsu and Dark Eden had also received considerable damage.Ā In JusticeManās party, Roco and 6 rehabilitation members had died with only 4 surviving. Out of the 70 NPCs, 30 had died from Lancel Village and Jackson. After Roco died, the rehabilitation members started rampaging, causing their formation to collapse and more individual combat.Ā Since Dark Edenās level was low, it was too premature for them to take part in individual combat.Ā It was understandable considering the war.</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>āAlthough the deaths of the NPCs weigh on my mind, it is okay since the elders expected there to be some casualties. The war has been quite profitable, so I should pay attention to maintaining my troops.ā</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>While they were repairing the catapults, Ark took off their clothes and headed towards the well.Ā Even a 1% increase in defense would raise the survival rate.Ā Thus he used his laundry skill to increase the defense of leather armour by 5% for 4 hours.Ā All the skills he learnt had a use somewhere.Ā Ā Roco was dead but he could maintain the additional effects of laundry since Ark learned the skill off her.Ā Well thanks to the circumstances, Ark had a happy smile on his face even while washing dozens of armour.</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>āEverythingās sorted. Now all thatās left is to win the siege. And I will knock Alan down and become rich. Washing dozens of clothes is such a wonderful feeling! Hahaha!ā</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>Alan had led a unit and appeared directly.Ā The results of the siege hinged on his survival. Hermes had a huge problem when they couldnāt attack Alan. However, the attack failed thanks to Ark and he retreated after receiving a huge blow. And Noel and Hamanechi havenāt even joined up with Hermes yet.Ā As soon as they destroyed the defense tower than the chances of winning was 6:4. No, since Hermes was superior it would probably 7:3.</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>āItās possible to win. No, I have to win. Sidās 5000 gold is hanging on this! And the 3000 gold from Raiden! That is 8000 gold from this war. In addition, there are the 30% proceeds from the castle! All those things are mine once I beat Alan. I have to do whatever it takes to win!ā</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>Butā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦Ark was only thinking about Nagaran.Ā There were other things happening in the world that wasnāt visible to his eyes. Ā It was unclear just how much money this huge battle would take.</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>The remaining time was only 7 hours!</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>A bad relationship with Alan. And a battle worth 8000 gold!Ā The final phase of the siege where deceit and betrayals were swirling was beginning.</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>
<when><your><the><contractor:><option:>TO BE CONTINUED</option:></contractor:></the></your></when>