8) Emergence of a Tyrant

Weed’s army had a series of winning streaks.

They smashed through any resistance in the small princ.i.p.alities. The cities that didn’t surrender were looted or decimated by arson. The slave soldiers reached 200,000 people and the number was enough to fill the plains.

Funds looted from war torn castles or cities were used to improve the equipment of the soldiers. All the cities and villages that surrendered would rush to produce war equipment.

His story started to change and more weight was placed on the t.i.tle of Great Emperor Weed.

“The weather is very nice. Show mercy to the family of those who enlist. But take all the gold.”

“Yes, Great Emperor.”

“In order to maintain the army, conscript one in every three houses. If they don’t come voluntarily then cut their necks…no, sweep them all away.”

“I will do as you command.”

-Forced conscription of the ma.s.ses.

There is a decline in the city’s security and loyalty.

Economic activities and production has received a big setback and long term technological development will be reduced. People have reluctantly joined the military and there is resistance against the invaders. The residents perceive that you are more interested in war than a stable rule.

Conscripted soldiers who have their family killed will have a deep antipathy.

It is impossible to comfort them.

Weed’s ruling policy wasn’t far-sighted.

If he had enough time then he would invest in the city’s development and plan a huge empire. However, he didn’t have a lot of time to fight the Embinyu Church. Furthermore, in the future the Hermes Guild users would be raising their levels through hunting.

If Weed failed this quest then he would lose everything. And people who he could trust in this world was really rare. If he took too long for this quest then his Arpen Kingdom might be eaten.

“You can’t drag this out. I’ve already entered the boiling water.”

It was a truly irreversible situation. Even though he took control of the territories, he couldn’t worry about investing in development or internal affairs.

This was the only method in a time of war!

Weed just increased the forced conscription and looting. Flags representing the Red Knife Army were driven into the ground of the cities and villages that fell.

Once the troops reached 250,000 people, the elderly and young children under the age of 14 were allowed to go home.

“The king who rules this land has granted you mercy. Return home and live happily with your family.”

Of course, they would be naked and starving at home so there were some that had no interest in returning.

-After seeing the tremendous power of the army, the lord of Teitun Castle has surrendered out of cowardice.

He is sick from the infamy of the invaders and will give up his riches as long as he can live.

-All the n.o.bles have fled from Erun Castle.

The soldiers have surrendered not long after.

“This is a place that contains the Embinyu Church. Youths of all ages who can hold a sword shall be taken into captivity. And light it on fire.”

Weed had a lot of fun leading the army in these warring times.

A conqueror. His unrefined wild ambitions could be released.

Soon his army reached a place with walls endlessly lined up to the left and right. There were parts that crumbled due to not being repaired but it wasn’t a huge hindrance.

“This is the border of the Keltun Kingdom.”

Keltun Kingdom was a powerhouse in this warring period. The border had a large fortress to prevent invaders. Troops that tried to invade the borders of the Keltun Kingdom had no guarantee that they wouldn’t be wiped out.

“Pa.s.s.”

The border defense of the Keltun Kingdom was also defeated! Weed’s combat capability was something that the knights at the border couldn’t face. His devastating skills caused even the knights to tremble with fear. Weed’s desert warriors were also skilled in combat and broke through the enemy territory on their camels.

Weed’s tactics when dealing with common soldiers were radical and destructive. The number of enemies continued to pile up as they aggressively invaded. He would seize prisoners with each landslide victory.

He also struck against the screaming Embinyu fanatics. The 250,000 military force consisting of warriors and surrendered soldiers had significant fighting power. Yet this constantly shrank to as low as 140,000 soldiers due to killing the Embinyu fanatics among the prisoners.

“The ruler of the vast sandy desert and caller of water, His Majesty Weed who is destroying this land, hooray!”

“Kilkilkil. For the glory of His Majesty!”

Some of the fanatics decided to follow Weed instead. Their apt.i.tude was perfect for his current actions.

“Ignore the defense and break through. Fight until all the troops are dead.

Cut the throats of anyone who tries to run away without fighting.” The enemies that encountered the elephant unit was panicked and terrified. The enemies were destroyed in one breath.

Ddiring!

-A war achievement has been gained.

Among the novice soldiers, 438 have been upgraded.

613 skilled infantry soldiers have been upgraded.

4 knights have been promoted to junior commanders.

The Embinyu members partic.i.p.ating in the battle have woken up like cold water has been poured on them. They have realized that life is more important to them than religion! Of course, there were the fanatics who still wors.h.i.+pped Weed and threw themselves at the enemy soldiers.

“I believe in and will follow the Great Emperor until the end.”

“I will give my life.”

The loyalty of the soldiers towards Weed kept increasing.

-Loyalty of the army has risen by 3.

Your amazing charisma and combat ability has controlled the army!

“It is like I desired.”

Weed had become the undisputed lord in this time of war. Apart from the desert areas, he had seized numerous princ.i.p.alities, the Dagan Kingdom and the Eluna Kingdom.

His army had overwhelming power and he didn’t pay attention to things like people, goods and internal affairs. It soon created a spectacle where carriages stretched out for thousands of kilometres.

“The Keltun Kingdom contains believers of the Embinyu Church so they are our enemy. It can’t be helped. We need to pa.s.s through here to reach the Mapon Kingdom.”

They had 3 consecutive victories in the Keltun Kingdom. They pa.s.sed through the remote regional knights and n.o.bles as they headed towards the centre.

By the time they reached the Nomega Plains, an army consisting of 50,000 soldiers and 70,000 elite knights appeared.

“Valles Knight. The heads of the barbarians are rotten. Don’t show them any weakness.”

A chivalrous knight of the Kallamore Kingdom decided to challenge the representative of Weed’s army.

“I will be grateful if you voluntarily let me through.”

Weed shrugged and came forward.

He easily settled the battle without much force exerted. The level of the knights and magicians in this warring period was very high but Weed was like the sky to them.

“Brilliant. This great swordsmans.h.i.+p… I’m honoured to be defeated by you. Kill me.”

“Your age is still young. It would be a waste if a precious talent like you died in a place like this. Would you like to follow me?”

He gave proposals to decent knights.

“I have pledged my allegiance to the royal family of the Keltun Kingdom. How can my honour be satisfied if I follow the leader of the barbarians?”

“If you follow me then you can obtain as much gold and jewels as you want.”

“Right now the momentum is in your favour. But once you are defeated, your troops will be scattered and you will have a miserable death in the wilderness.

Your skeleton will start rotting to reflect your true appearance.”

“Your words are severe.”

“There is still more that I want to say. Your ugly…”

Slice!

“Keeook!”

But not all the knights were so foolishly honest.

“If you follow me then I will show you the true meaning of the sword. And I will conquer the continent.”

“A knight always has dreams to advance in the wider world. If you spare my life then I will swear my allegiance to you.”

The knights who faced Weed sometimes became his subordinates. Other n.o.bles surrendered and their subordinates became his.

“I want to follow King Weed-nim.”

“I eagerly waited for this day to come. It is an honour to meet you. I will give the allegiance of generations of my family.”

Weed saw the eyes of the n.o.bles. They gave the impression of cunning fellows.

“Good. If you sincerely follow me then I will give you a large number of slaves and land.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“But have you come empty handed?”

He didn’t trust the forces of the n.o.bles so he placed them at the vanguard. In the occupied territories, he placed some desert warriors as necessary to manage the slave soldiers. Some kingdoms would try to recapture the conquered territories so he needed to leave a minimal force behind. They were commanded to burn the city if the enemy invaded!

The desert warriors took the lead in real battles but the slave soldiers also played an active role. They continued conscription every time a battle was won so the army continued to be filled up.

The desert warriors were hard to replace if they died but it was easy to supplement the ordinary soldiers. The ruthless conscription kept the quality and quant.i.ty of the troops constant.

“The Keltun Kingdom is known for its chivalry so the Embinyu Church hasn’t spread too much. But it will later become the Kallamore Kingdom that is incorporated into the Haven Empire.”

Weed thought about the upcoming future.

By the end of this warring period, the Keltun Kingdom would become the Kallamore Empire. It was once a proud empire but eventually declined to a kingdom until it was eaten by the Haven Empire.

However, the Embinyu fanatics would spring up in devastated cities of the Keltun Kingdom. Rebels would appear in the current Kallamore area of the Haven Empire and public security would worsen.

“The Mapon Kingdom is also integrated into the Haven Empire in the future.”

Weed’s thoughts were busy rolling around his head. His brain tried to make excuses for his bad actions!

“A king should be free and strong. I don’t need to worry about eyes gazing from the outside. Or personal ill feelings. The Mapon Kingdom and Beiner Kingdom will be completely destroyed!”

A declaration was made against the two kingdoms! There was no need to invade every city but they set fire and took prisoners of war along the way. The type of behaviour from Weed would greatly reduce the population of the Haven Empire in the future.

“Move diligently. I need to complete my quest so my subordinates can’t take too long.”

If he destroyed everything then the existence of the Haven Kingdom itself would completely disappear from history.

Weed took the desert warriors and swept through Central Continent, changing only a short history of the Versailles Continent. The Mapon Kingdom would just rebuild and recover. Important moments in the entire history couldn’t be reversed. Nevertheless, medium cities and monster habitats could fly away.

“I need to gain more power in this war!”

Bad things were highly addictive.

“Some cities have been surrounded by desert sand and disappeared without a trace, Emperor!”

“Huhuhu, I’ve cut the necks of more than 300 people.”

“Let’s wage a b.l.o.o.d.y feast!”

As the looting and killings continued, the regular soldiers gradually became similar to the desert warriors.

Weed’s sculptural lifeforms directly led 700 subordinates. However, the desert warriors he accepted later didn’t have that degree of mental strength.

They became drunk on the brutal destruction and victories. They were constantly disciplined but they would plunge into insanity if Weed left them unchecked.

“If they don’t maintain the tension in battle then it would be hard to win the battles.”

Weed’s 20,000 desert warriors and the soldiers fought continuously with no breaks. They would become crazy enough to destroy and kill.

But the thing that Weed wanted right now was indiscriminate destruction!

“Mapon Kingdom, Beiner Kingdom. You can smash all of it.”

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“There are troublesome variables in the military. If we stay silent…”

The leaders of the Hermes Guild held an emergency meeting.

“The Pisaro area in the south is experiencing a collapse in transportation, trade and taxes collected.”

“The population around the Herr River is shrinking and it is rapidly becoming a farmland. There will be some yields but it is half of the expected harvest. Maybe less.”

The matter of Weed destroying the cities on his adventure couldn’t be taken lightly. Some large cities had vanished or been cut in half.

Weed burned the occupied cities but they would recover after a long history. Despite that, the deterioration still caused enormous damages. They suffered significant economic harm and it also caused inner agitation.

The lords had control of the cities they conquered in the war. They invested a lot in urban development so this caused unprecedented damage. The leaders of the Hermes Guild profited from the vineyards and silver handed over by the lords so they couldn’t do nothing in this situation.

It became troublesome as Weed moved closer towards the capital of the Haven Empire.

“Cologne hasn’t been damaged yet. There is the training centre for the heavy cavalry there.”

“Who doesn’t know that? The problem is that we can’t do anything!”

Weed’s quest had forced the Hermes Guild’s hand. According to information obtained from broadcasting station officials, he was currently adventuring in the past so they couldn’t stop him.

“What about the matter of the Allied Forces?”

“We are continuing to defeat them. They will not recover.”

The main army of the Haven Empire cornered the Allied Forces and didn’t allow them any room to regroup. The commanders of each unit, including Bardray, performed well above expectations.

Now they headed towards the elf forests and barbarian areas in order to unify the continent. But their performance there was surprisingly bad.

The elves were like ghosts in the forests but the infantry used their broad s.h.i.+elds to block the arrows and advance. The elves knew the entire forest so they formed a tight encirclement around the army. Not long after, a large number of elves arrived for a final, decisive battle and managed to win.

Humans needed to obtain food and security to expand their population. In the case of the orcs, they had no criteria to expand their family.

A few injured orcs would enter the mountains and an orc castle would appear there 1 month later. Gifted hunters would be quickly upgraded to warriors or orc fighters. The orcs lived in a harsh environment so they become more powerful but there was also the risk of being wiped out.

However, the elves had a slow birth rate. They were proficient in magic and spirits and promoted the growth of plants and water purification rather than combat. Of course, they had outstanding archery, agility and magic so many users selected the elf race. Many people enjoyed the advantages of the race.

The elves and users didn’t cooperate to fight for the forest. Building kingdoms were human like activities so they hadn’t been interested in the Hermes Guild’s attempt to conquer the continent.

Some users who left the forest early had been lured by the prestigious guilds. Paradoxically, the Hermes Guild was the one with the most elf users.

“There might be some damages but the most important part of the war still remains. After occupying the Central Continent and getting rid of the Embinyu Church, Bardray will lead troops directly north.”

There was no more need for a war against the Allied Forces. The cavalry dispatched overwhelmed the military fortresses and weak cities. The Haven Empire was gaining a vast amount of territory and residents on a daily basis. They would demolish the Embinyu Church after the completion of their empire.

“There is no tolerance. This was their plan from the very beginning and then they would destroy the north so badly that people couldn’t live there again. The necromancers and warlocks will plant a strong curse throughout the entire region.”

The Hermes Guild planned to ravage the north! They thought it was impossible for the Arpen Kingdom that hadn’t grown properly to resist the full economic and military power of the Central Continent.

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-Weed’s adventure, KMC Media will start broadcasting it today.

-CTS Media, this time Weed’s adventures will be shown live!

-LK Games has prepared an exclusive interview. Weed in the era of war!

-The broadcasting stations dedicateing 24 hours a day to Weed’s adventure!

The Royal Road stations started advertising about the live broadcast. All the stations were only showing one adventure. It might be a risk for someone else’s adventure but it was natural when the person was Weed.

-I can’t wait to see what he does next. I’ve been waiting for this.

-Life is fun.

-I can always laugh when seeing Weed.

The viewers already had an explosive reaction. The stations had already consulted in advance with the senior officials.

“Should it be just a few hours or is it worth the risk to broadcast Weed’s adventure all in one day?”

“I think so as well. And put time for advertisers in the early morning reruns. So far more than 150 companies have contacted us for advertising s.p.a.ce.”

“There will be high ratings but I don’t think we can ignore the demands of the advertisers.”

“Based on the reports from the production PDs, there isn’t even one scene from the video that can be missed.”

“The growth in the desert quest. There is a sense of urgency flowing throughout the quest that doesn’t need any editing to be shown.”

The stations talked about dividing up Weed’s adventure. They decided on a set amount to be shown every day for five days.

The broadcasting stations agreed not to pre-disclose any scenes in the promotions and trailers. In particular, the final secret sculpting technique quest. This was a very sensitive issue so it would be great if they used it for publicity.

But they would start airing from noon so they decided not to announce it to viewers. The stations wanted to hear the stories of how thrilling and interested it was to see on television. Viewers could fall into Weed’s adventures throughout the five days.

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The Death Knight Van Hawk and Vampire Lord Torido!

Immediately after Weed and Seo-yoon left for the warring period.

“Hrmm, I don’t feel Master’s soul all of a sudden.”

“Even the smell of blood has gone away.”

“Was he swept away by the sea?”

They searched around the area where Weed disappeared at sea and couldn’t find him.

In fact, they usually accompanied their master on quests and hunts so they didn’t necessarily want to see him. And after staying several days at the beach, Torido rose to his feet first.

“I am going to move around the world. I will go and meet beautiful girls.”

Van Hawk also wanted to travel. He had lost his freedom after becoming a Death Knight.

Barkhan ordered him to lead an army of darkness and Weed was awful.

“Master, I miss the Kallamore Kingdom. Should I travel there?”

“You have already left home.”

“I feel some nostalgia. In the past, I had sworn my allegiance to the Kallamore Kingdom so I want to see if it is doing well.”

“You are a Death Knight.”

“I will never ask for another favour. Only once….”

“Hunting!”

“I will return as quickly as possible….”

“Hunting!”

Van Hawk’s opinion was that his Master was wicked and didn’t respect him at all!

In fact, Weed knew that the Kallamore Kingdom had been taken over by the Haven Empire so he was worried about Van Hawk causing trouble.

Van Hawk now used a ghost horse to move towards the desired Kallamore Kingdom. A Death Knight moving in daylight was a great attraction. Sometimes he would cut people lightly as he moved!

“…This isn’t your place.”

Van Hawk felt the energy of darkness and death as he travelled and boss level monsters and ghosts of knights appeared.

“If you want to pa.s.s by then you need to defeat me.”

“Knights who have lost their lives, you have existed in this place for a long time. I look forward to facing you with my sword. This is the wish of a dead man. ”

He won almost daily!

As Van Hawk kept winning, he encountered stronger enemies that he defeated. He waged fights against the best boss cla.s.s monsters and knights and won.

Van Hawk was made of dark energy so he would lose his body if he lost. But right now, dark energy was flowing on the Versailles Continent.

The number of necromancers on the battlefield increased. The priest of the Embinyu Church used the powers of darkness so the dark energy flowed everywhere.

Van Hawk absorbed the dark energy as he travelled to the Kallamore Kingdom.

“Um, everything has completely changed.”

He didn’t see any signs of the magnificent cities and castles that used to belong to the Kallamore Kingdom. The flags of the Haven Empire were inserted and only traces of the destruction remained.

“Let’s go someplace else.”

Van Hawk rode up the hill on his ghost horse towards a royal area.

This was a secret place present since the early days of the Kallamore Empire! The Imperial Tomb of Kallamore was hidden here. The Emperors of that era slept within along with numerous relics.

If Weed knew about this place then he would come with a shovel and sack!

“U-unbelievable….”

Van Hawk was lost for words as he arrived at the Royal Family’s hill. The entrance to the secret tomb had already been dug up. The Hermes Guild had secretly excavated it.

“Even His Majesty….”

Van Hawk fell to his knees in front of the entrance. Emperor Theodore who he had sworn loyalty to had his grave robbed.

“It isn’t clear. I should check and see.”

Van Hawk entered the pit. He descended 10 metres underground where the brick walls were carved with the pattern of the Kallamore Kingdom. The Hermes Guild had shouted with joy when they dug up this land.

And the hidden entrance of the Tomb.

The Emperor who ruled this land with strict laws and knowledge, King Theodore sleeps here.

Intruders with respect for the Emperor, go back.

A monument had been erected but the doors were destroyed. Van Hawk entered with trembling steps.

It was a long and s.p.a.cious place with stone pillars supporting the ceiling. However, the landscape that unfolded underneath was unpleasant.

Empty boxes were all over the place and there were only traces left of the paintings and antiques that used to hang on the wall. The excavation team had packed all of it.

And the sarcophagus where Emperor Theodore was lying! He climbed up the 5 steps towards the altar the sarcophagus was lying on. The appearance of Emperor and Empress Theodore was carved on the altar. But the excavation team had brutally smashed open the sarcophagus and took everything buried with the Emperor.

The Emperor’s crown, clothing, shoes and everything of value were grabbed. The only thing left was the unpresentable skeleton of Emperor Theodore.

“Ohh, my Emperor…”

Van Hawk was seriously angry. Barkhan had pulled him from the grave and forcibly made him a Death Knight but he still had his loyalty. All the memories of the past awoke feelings of anger like a human being.

“Kuwaaaaah!”

Van Hawk yelled and the Emperor’s Tomb shook fiercely like there was an earthquake. And a horribly dark aura occurred!

Ddiring!

-An event has occurred.

Death Knight Van Hawk.

An army commander with the power of darkness!

During his life, he was well known as a knight of the Kallamore Kingdom.

A knight with sublime devotion, courage and honour.

Under the special favour of Emperor Theodore, he was an honourable subordinate with handsome looks and was popular with women.

However, he suffered a harsh fate after death. His undead master Barkhan planted a command for him to lead the army of darkness.

Van Hawk used a dark sword when commanding the army but lost his strength and became an ordinary Death Knight.

Now his deep despair and anger has caused the power of the abyss to wake up.

Event Limit: Van Hawk’s growing anger.

An Abyss Knight has appeared on the continent that is in chaos.

Van Hawk flew out of the Emperor’s Tomb with a black aura pouring out from him. His level was already over 400 due to hunting with Weed but his deep anger and the forces of darkness caused a rapid growth.

The legendary undead, an Abyss Knight had been born.

The aura of darkness flowed from Van Hawk as he roared.

“All of my anger will sweep through this land!”

His shout echoed through the catacombs! Then the sarcophaguses around Van Hawk started to distort.

“This is…no!”

Forced summoning magic. Van Hawk released the powers of darkness in an attempt to resist. But the boss level Abyss Knight couldn’t resist the force.

He was summoned and saw a familiar person. Weed with no hair.

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Weed had reached the temple of Atrock during the warring period.

In the process, he had wrecked many cities and villages. And he looted the gold and silver treasures in Atrock’s Temple.

“G.o.d… You have already left this world so give a little bit of this to me!”

He had robbed several wealthy princ.i.p.alities and gained a literal pile of gold and treasures! The charitable Atrock decided to grant him a wish.

-…Yes, I can give you something.

Weed’s actions on the continent couldn’t exactly be considered charitable. He needed a good spirit to receive things in return!

“I need subordinates with invulnerability to defeat the Embinyu Church.”

-The sacrifices required are too large.

Atrock politely refused.

Weed was undefeated as he swept through the Central Continent but he still needed to fight the Embinyu Church.

“Then what can you do?”

–

You have come back in time so I can allow you to bring 2 people from your original time zone.

They will fight with you until the end of your adventure.

“Is that so?”

Weed was quite satisfied.

Users from the original time zone would be a great help. Geomchi coming to the battlefield was beyond comparison.

But Weed thought he wouldn’t follow loyally like the desert warriors that he trained. Furthermore, he was busy with the Master Quest and special training so Weed shouldn’t interfere.

“It is too risky to bring sculptural lifeforms like Goldman and Yellowy.”

He could only bring 2 people and Pale and the others were on an adventure.

“Huhuhu, then bring Bardray here!”

Weed wanted to summon Bardray.

It was a despicable act but he had already been accused of cowardice and despicable behaviour.

“Life can only be lived once. Listening to curses everyday won’t permanently harm me.’

But Atrock rejected it.

-He is already my patron.

He has an important mission so he can’t come here.

“……”

Bardray contributed a lot to the G.o.ds so he had received all types of blessings and protection. This was the epitome of a wealthy son!

“Then I can only bring that fellow.”

Anyway, he needed someone for a long period of time so he decided to summon Van Hawk.

“Bring Van Hawk.”

-Understood.

Weed didn’t consider the situation at all and used Atrock to forcibly bring Van Hawk back to the warring period.

TO BE CONTINUED

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