Chapter 5) Exposed Plan

All users belonging to the Haven Empire received a message window.

Ddiring!

-War has been declared.

In accordance with the defense at Puhol Fortress, the morale of all soldiers has increased by 310%.

The soldiers will have absolute faith in victory and will be able to unleash their fighting skills.

The strong mentality will have a big impact on attack power.

The defense skills of all combat troops +1.

Depending on the height of the walls, the damage of arrows fired will increase by 161%.

Damage from enemy arrows will be reduced by 44%.

Due to the protection granted by the fortress, the damage of all magic attacks from the enemy will be reduced by 47%.

These effects will be reduced or disappear when the durability of important facilities decreases.

The luck of all soldiers will increase by 54.

Depending on the facilities in Puhol Fortress, the recovery rate of the wounded will increase by 63%.

Vitality will recover 67% faster than normal.

Alcard’s preparations for the war were near perfect.

“Fire!”

Arrows flew into the sky and fell between the northern users.

“Kuweek!”

“Uwaaaack!”

Users disappeared into grey light from the a.s.sault.

Alcard had placed the defense troops in suitable locations.

“Fight. Kill anyone that comes!”

A full scale war broke out as the northern users pounced towards the fortress. The other side knew their tactics and were well prepared.

The northern users ran towards the fortress with their maximum power.

They used s.h.i.+elds to block the arrows and tried to climb the walls using the ladders bought from the merchants.

Ttoduk!

“Ugh. The ladder has been broken.”

“It is defective!”

31 out of 100 ladders ended up breaking!

In fact, the quality of the ladder was normal. The ladders just couldn’t withstand the weight of hundreds of users trying to climb it.

The high level users of the Hermes Guild were nervous.

“Funny guys. Don’t let them step one foot on the walls!”

The soldiers of the Imperial Army station on the wall stabbed with their spears. The siege environment made them think the fight would be easier than they first thought.

Alcard turned his gaze towards Krobidyun.

“It looks like there are already many dead bodies…do you want to start?”

“Not yet…there are many bodies but the quality is lacking. The undead made from them would just be stepped on.”

“Myul-nim?”

“He won’t move until Weed is seen. He wants to repay that bitter taste.”

For the time being, Krobidyun and Myul would stay in the background.

The walls of Puhol Fortress were built high and thick to prepare for such waves of northern users.

‘We are encircled on all sides but Puhol Fortress can handle it. There is a siege on at least three sides but the defense makes it 10 times more advantageous for us. There are only fools on the ground.’

He felt very lucky that he was given the right to command the Hermes Guild users.

-Alcard: All Hermes Guild users, don’t leave the walls. We will have a chance to trample the enemy in a while. For now, just defend your place.

The position of a commander on the battlefield would bring strength, power and fame. Alcard was ready to compete in a favourable environment.

The Hermes Guild users will be wiped out by the northern users if they left the walls. Discipline was important in the Central Continent so they followed the commander’s orders.

The northern users were like an angry tidal wave.

They pushed the ladders against the wall but died trying to climb it.

-Alcard: We have perfectly obtained their plans thanks to the spies. This battle will be the prelude to peace in the north.

Alcard confidently called out.

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The Gra.s.s Porridge Cult held an emergency strategy meeting.

The team consisting of former senior military members and war movie screenwriter-made plans.

The soldiers needed to maximize their imagination when it came to a war in Royal Road.

Of course, all types of ideas popped up.

“We should have the avians drop poo on them. As well as make them eat rotten fruits.”

“I would rather use the orcs as guerilla soldiers. There would be able to get food for every 100km they advance.”

“I don’t know what you are thinking. There are at least 10 million swords that we can push. We have the unbeatable beginners unit.”

There were many fanciful ideas like the bird droppings operation.

“The merchants at Port Varna suffer from seasickness. I am a former construction worker so do you mind if I say something?”

“Of course.”

“If you have a good idea then go ahead and tell me.”

“The large s.h.i.+ps should be pulled through this river here. If the s.h.i.+ps are sunk then they should be able to completely block the water. It will disable the drinking water at Puhol Fortress.”

A grand plan based on blocking the river in order to build a dam!

The farmers were in favour of the idea.

“Water is scarce in the region so changing the waterways will be a large help.”

The architects and s.h.i.+pbuilders were recruited for ideas and showed their excitement.

“If we overcome some of the technical difficulties…ah. It isn’t an impossible suggestion. We can do it.”

“This is a time of war. I’ll make several s.h.i.+ps in this field.”

It was a grand plan. Many people were in favour of it.

The report was forwarded to Weed through Mapan.

“Not bad.”

“Really?”

“Mapan-nim. If you could change the flow of the river…to the east.”

“Is there a reason why? The east area has many sandy areas hard for farming as well as cliffs.”

“Luxury villas.”

“…….”

“We can build luxury housing of different colours on top of the cliffs. It would be really breath-taking. After importing sand and causing some flooding, beaches will form.”

Mapan and Weed exchanged sticky gazes.

It was the smell of money!

They acc.u.mulated wealth through smuggling in the Haven Empire but they didn’t know how long that would take.

The surest business was land speculation.

“The housing project will be a jackpot.”

“An opportunity to earn a fortune.”

“When looking at it in the long term, the costs of building the facilities and management is quite scary. There is a chance that n.o.body would come.”

“Admission is free and we can supplement it with food and drinks. Souvenir stores for tourists, hotels, nightclubs and casinos can be opened in the area. It isn’t far from Dawn City so this place could be a potential golden egg.”

Weed’s land speculation spread throughout the north!

However, this proposal wasn’t executed because there was only a few days left before the war began.

It would have to wait as the north was advancing towards the south.

It went without saying that Weed bought the land.

The soldiers and scenario writers decided to refine basic concepts.

“We need to create a sketch of the overall battle. We need to travel to the Central Continent and deliver an overwhelming victory for the Arpen Kingdom.”

“What about the movie scenario writers? Taking into account the Central Continent, there should be some long term plans for liberating cities and kingdoms. If so, what is the plan?”

“Gather the warriors. It is necessary to figure out the time and numbers. Once the enemies are fatigued, we will wipe them out.”

There were the world’s top generals in the army, air force and navy.

The elderly soldiers were puzzled.

“So the writers. Will the soldiers be able to understand their explanations?”

“Looking at the plains, it is similar to a scene I saw of swarming ants. Nothing is left behind them.”

“There isn’t any specific methods.”

“This is what I think.”

“…….”

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The soldiers and users stayed up all night thinking of plans.

-Military plan 9891.

Strategic goals.

The perfect liberation of the Arpen Kingdom and conquest of the Central Continent.

Available a.s.sets.

The number of troops is impossible to measure.

More are still accessing the cities so there are at least tens of millions.

It is possibly even over 100 million.

Given the characteristics of the orc reserves, a close to infinite food supply is required.

Individuals will have to purchase combat supplies themselves.

There are no siege weapons.

100% of the terrain has been identified.

76% of the enemy’s nature has been measured.

Based on the military and economic power of the Haven Empire, it is expected that they would have some hidden power.

360 soldiers partic.i.p.ated in establis.h.i.+ng the plan.

The Gra.s.s Porridge Cult were divided into troops that fit their characteristics and battle plans unfolded according to the terrain.

The meeting started a few days before the battle of Puhol Fortress and continued around the clock as they made plans to conquer the Central Continent.

“This operation is the best we can do. Once we deal a serious blow to the enemy, it will act as a bridge to liberate the Central Continent.”

“The estimated damage at Puhol Fortress is 6 million…the population of a country lost their lives.”

“The operation has left our hands so it needs to be done well.”

The high ranking officials of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult divided their plans with the northern lords.

A chunky book that was 490 pages was distributed to key figures in the north.

“Operational plan 9891…great. It seems like we will be able to do something.”

“If we have this…just wait. Haven Empire b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!”

“A perfect plan. It completely suits my personality.”

“Huhu. I’ve verified it twenty times and it is amazing. Victory is close.”

The key figures in the north opened the book containing the operational plan.

“Ah…so great. Um. That’s right. Kuooh!”

“Well. Why am I sleepy?”

“Well, it seems like a good story! So I will read it today and tomorrow.”

“It is complex. So I am part of the alpha squad. Bravo squad. The pa.s.sword is…drurang!”

The problem was that the operational plan had a greater effect as a sleeping pill.

As a result, the users couldn’t understand and follow the operational plan properly.

The users noticed it even as the war was going on.

“The occupy an area plan. It needs an explanation…I don’t understand it.”

“So it is telling us to fight. Or are we supposed to infiltrate from the rear? There are several complicated tactics depending on the situation. Anyway, the smart guys…”

“Um. We need to join with the unit next to us.”

The Toadstool unit of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult were in the vanguard.

“Gra.s.s porridge, gra.s.s porridge, gra.s.s porridge!”

“Our captain. What did you receive?”

“Ah. This…it is good to read.”

The operational plan was admired without reading it.

“Kya. This thing. It is telling us to do this. Now that makes sense. But it is just running forward.”

“Our meticulous defense plan…we just need to follow it.”

“Don’t scatter everywhere.”

“These guys. They will be executed in advance.”

Spies from the Haven Empire eagerly grabbed the operational plan.

Alcard, Lafaye and the highest members of the guild trembled with fear and admiration as they saw the operational plan.

“I had no idea there were so many smart people in the Arpen Kingdom. There are many disadvantages in the war. The shortcomings we were afraid of were exposed.”

“They are divided into groups to take advantage of these attributes. With just a few changes, they can naturally transition from a conquering army to an expeditionary force in the Central Continent. It is absurd!”

“We need to pay attention and strengthen our empire’s defenses in the future.”

“Introduce new weapons projects, village construction and operations to separate territories.”

The commandos, airborne division and the navy should perform special missions. Once these plans are implemented for one month, it will be difficult for them to deal with the empire.”

“The large commercial s.h.i.+ps should be used to fight against the avians. The aircraft carriers should perform containment operations off the coastal cities.”

“Hurry. Come up with urgent measures. If we start slow then it will be too late.”

The highest authorities in the Hermes Guild read the operational plan and came up with some corresponding tactics.

The meeting lasted all night and continued the next morning.

It didn’t matter what money or manpower was needed.

The Hermes Guild’s main power and a great deal of money was relocated to a response strike force.

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“Kuwaaaaah. Where in the world is this?”

“Straighten up. Anyway, all we need to do is kill.”

“Did you see those dead people?”

“I just picked up a loose cloth belt. It only has 2 defense. It is just annoying.”

The Hermes Guild users stayed inside the walls.

The northern users were trying to climb the walls.

They couldn’t secure a foothold to conquer the fortress and lost their lives.

Hundreds of troops took axes to the gates but it was made of 13 layers of steel.

Alcard conducted the defense from the highest place in the fortress.

“Stop those guys. Have the support troops be prepared so they can be called at any time!”

Rocks were also prepared above the gates.

“The rock attacks will come later. Maintain the current state for now!”

The Imperial Army had to conserve their resources as much as possible.

He had seen the operation plan of the northern users so he planned strategies with that in mind.

‘There will be a burst from the a.s.sault troops. They will appear soon. From then on, the battle will become real.’

The magicians of the Hermes Guild prepared their spells of ma.s.s destruction and aimed them at the northern users.

It was like pouring it into the sea. It was because there were many people waiting in line to fight.

“Gra.s.s Porridge! Gra.s.s Porridge! Gra.s.s Porridge! Gra.s.s Porridge!”

The gra.s.s porridge battle cry.

The Hermes Guild and Imperial Army were sick of hearing it.

“Attack!”

“Fight recklessly.”

The arrows and magic spells from the northern users also flew towards the fortress. The imperial magicians and elementalists intercepted them.

The battle that started in the north of the fortress expanded.

Although Alcard knew the overall tactics, the intermediate commanders needed to control their troops.

‘The avians should be storming to occupy the walls.’

The intermediate commanders considered this point and organized the elite units accordingly. Some urgently dispatched high level archers and magicians of the Hermes Guild were waiting.

‘But why can’t any avians be seen?’

There wasn’t even one sparrow in the sky.

‘Don’t tell me that plan 7 has changed?’

Worrying too much was also a sin.

The intermediate commanders had stayed up all night reading the operational plan.

‘Now it is the 11th plan, the reckless charge.’

Alcard sent some knights to the south to check if that was actually the case.

“Now. Slice that point.”

Soon some of the gra.s.s porridge members started using their axes against the walls. Since the ladders collapsed, they planned to make little footholds to climb up.

“Stop them!”

The axe troops were wiped out by the archers. The actions of the northern users were too easy to see.

The plains in front of Puhol Fortress were filled with hundreds of thousands of people that kept coming.

Explosive shouts came from among the northern users.

“Let’s pile those stones.”

“Good. Okay. We have the experience.”

People who were exploited while building a pyramid in the Rosenheim Kingdom. In the north, they had built the G.o.ddess of Freya Statue as well as a variety of Grand Buildings.

The users moved swiftly to build a pile of stones in front of Puhol Fortress.

“Pant pant. Here. Please send me to the front of the wall.”

“Stones. Move out of the way!”

People moved through the crowd carrying larger stones. One by one, the stones under the walls multiplied to a ma.s.sive degree.

Some northern users even rode bulls with large stones attached. Depending on the size of the stone, groups of 5~6 or even 20 people carried them together.

It wasn’t interrupted even when people were killed by magic and arrows. People continued laying the stones before the walls.

It was a plan created by some gra.s.s porridge members spontaneously but it was quite effective.

“Occupy the walls. Uwaaaah!”

The northern players came pouring in.

Soon huge piles of stones were completed and the northern users started to climb the walls.

Alcard felt like he had been hit in the back of the head!

“Nothing is different. Guard the places they are coming from and kill them!”

The Hermes Guild and Imperial Army had excellent skills and were able to defend the walls.

They had the advantage since the walls of Puhol Fortress were extremely wide.

Then Krobidyun rolled up his sleeves.

“Should I even it out a little bit?”

The battle had been progressing for two hours.

There was a large amount of bodies acc.u.mulated so he felt quite greedy!

Most of them would only be zombies or skeletons but the large scale would still make it fun.

Alcard was a little worried and carefully said.

“Please wait a little bit longer. It will be better when it can change the battlefield. Won’t an obvious opportunity emerge?”

Krobidyun could decrease the fatigue of the soldiers. But the Imperial Army had the best power and the walls still hadn’t been occupied.

Alcard wanted to correctly demonstrate the ability of a commander in this battle.

At the same time, he didn’t want to use a valuable card so early.

“I see.”

Krobidyun followed the words of the commander and retreated.

‘There will be more corpses in the future.’

There were be more opportunities against the northern users.

Myul who was waiting for Weed didn’t even come out.

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Weed belatedly arrived near Puhol Fortress after hunting the Hermes Guild users.

“Hmm. They are already fighting.”

He was at least three mountains away.

Puhol Fortress seemed smaller than his finger. As expected, the strategy of the northern users was to keep pus.h.i.+ng.

He didn’t need to look at the specific details to see the whole stage.

It was a shocking sight just looking at it while flying on Wy-1. The sight of people covering a few kilometres as they headed to the south was ridiculous. It felt like the entire population of the Arpen Kingdom.

“Becoming a lich is powerful but there are side effects and Myul will be coming after me.”

He already knew about Myul thanks to the broadcasting stations.

Once Weed exposed his ident.i.ty on the battlefield, he would be the focus of intensive attacks from Myul’s griffon troops. He would also notice if Weed took out the thunder spear.

One of the strongest powers in the Haven Empire, the griffon troops would jump on Weed.

“Even so, it’s not like there are no methods. In this world, there is something called choice. This time it is from the ground, not the sky.”

Weed pulled out the Sculpting Knife and used it on the rocks under the cliffs nearby.

“A large scale sculpture is needed due to the size of the war.”

Large sculptures gave overwhelming vitality and strength but were easy targets for the enemy.

“A mole or centipede will have some advantages.”

He made a long and ugly body and face, with a few feelers sprouting like antennae. Both arms were strong and sharp.

A sculpture of an underground monster!

By default, a narrow head was made so that it could dig and move freely in narrow s.p.a.ces in the ground.

“An efficient and simple beauty. It seems to fit the design trends these days.”

The face and body was like a chubby centipede. It looked even more horrible with only two arms and legs.

A visual that was enough to cause girls and children to cry in disgust!

Weed normally made sculptures that could be produced as dolls.

“I hope to sell a lot of dolls. The eyes should make an impression. I should make some innocent eyes. The head is too large so it is stretched, but the eyes should at least be crystal clear.”

The design of the body itself was like a heinous atrocity.

“I can’t miss this hunting opportunity. It should be incredibly loud.”

The mouth was about to devour half a dozen people at once.

“I need to be able to catch anyone that flees. Or I might have to run away. Versatility is needed.”

Wings and a net were attached to his sides. It would be able to fly as well as capture things with the net.

“In addition, there should be a tail.”

The thick and sharp tail would be able to be swung like a whip.

Weed was satisfied with the piece but it seemed too weak when Weed would transform into it.

“It isn’t murderous enough. It is too simple.”

He wanted to make a really strong piece for when he used Sculpture Transformation.

He needed something that wouldn’t be difficult to use on the battlefield.

Weed’s eyes went straight to the gaping mouth. Although it was huge, his unique sense of aesthetics was mobilized.

“It isn’t overly noticeable but this is insufficient. Let’s have the tongue stretch out like a snake. As well as sharp, serrated teeth.

Even this still wasn’t enough. The majestic appearance of a large creature was still lacking.

“There should be some ranged attack skills.”

This time he made some improvements to the rear. The so-called rear reconstruction business!

“I will make a smell that is difficult to endure.”

He elongated it to have the same shape as a centipede.

An appearance that was impossible to look at for even one second.

“It has been a long time since a satisfactory work emerged.”

He had been working on pieces that would increase his proficiency in order to master sculpting. Among them, this work was his favourite.

-Please set the name of the new sculpture.

“Squashy Wriggler.”

-Squashy Wriggler is correct?

“That’s right.”

-Fine piece! Squashy Wriggler has been completed!

A work created by the sculptor Weed who is a hero that saved the world as well as an adventurer.

Rumours of Sculptor Weed’s abilities have already spread across the land.

He made the shocking work Squashy Wriggler!

The unpleasant appearance and unknown smell prevents people from coming closer.

Artistic Value: 30

Special Options: Squashy Wriggler will increase health and mana regeneration by 41% for a day.

The morale of your colleagues will degrade.

The residents don’t want to live in the vicinity of the sculpture.

Good luck is reduced by 35%.

The effect doesn’t overlap with other sculptures.

Number of Fine pieces completed: 144.

Health and mana regeneration was fast but the other options were rubbish.

In particular, the smell decreased the value of the land so that was really the worst.

“It doesn’t matter if it is useless. Sculpture Transformation!”

-Sculpture Transformation has been used.

The infinite affection for sculpting makes the sculptor and statue resemble each other!

Weed’s neck and body became thicker until they couldn’t be distinguished from each other.

He became a fat creature.

Thick arms and legs with sharp claws sprouted.

Thin wings were attached to his side and there was an attack tail.

It was lucky he didn’t have a mirror after the transformation.

-Your body shape has changed so a number of equipment can’t be worn.

New equipment is needed depending on the species.

-The influence of Sculpture Transformation has significantly increased perseverance and vitality.

Intelligence and wisdom has fallen to the lowest level.

The art stat has disappeared.

Good luck will often change to -350.

This misery will be spread.

Affinity to earth has reached maximum value.

The survival feature of the species means that health and vitality has increased to 600%.

You have become resistant to poison.

The skin is hard.

This will last until Sculpture Transformation is released.

-Five racial skills have been obtained through Sculpture Transformation.

Digging, 36% advanced level 8:

You can move underground through digging.

However, there is the risk of soft ground collapsing.

Shake the Earth, 48% advanced level 3:

A scary creature that lives in the depths of the earth.

Sometimes vitality can be consumed to create an earthquake and scare the creatures above ground.

However, great power is required in order to attack someone.

Formation of Wetlands, 11% advanced level 6:

You can change the terrain of the area. The moist earth is the best for farming, will enhance your speed underground and speed up vitality recovery.

Tenacious Health, 88% advanced level 9:

Maximum health has increased by 6.58 times. Your life will remain even when parts of the body is cut off.

Although there will be some decline in health, the damage won’t persist.

There is an 85% possibility of holding onto life even near the end.

Eating Master:

You can eat a lot of foods. The body will absorb the nutrients in the food to move quickly or recover from injuries.

Of course, you will be able to eat anything alive.

Maybe even humans…

It was an oversized creature but it only had some basic skills.

There were no attack or defense skills.

However, the health was outrageous.

Weed wasn’t a warrior but changing his appearance would give him over 200,000 health

Health was important for survival in Royal Road so it wasn’t hard to find users with more than 200,000.

200,000 was the lowest his health could be after using sculpture transformation and if he transformed into species known for their health, it could increase by a further 6 times.

The Tenacious Health also increased his health by 6.58 times. His final health surpa.s.sed 7 million.

Just having simple defense skills and resilience would allow him to endure.

“A nice body. But it is a shame that there are no special skills.”

It was unfortunate that he didn’t receive any wide area attack skills.

Weed’s mouth opened to revealed sharp teeth like saw blades.

“I think that there are some gaps because I made it in a hurry. If I create another similar species then it will be better.”

His research on creating even more horrible species would be continued.

Weed’s paws moved towards the ground.

Pabababak!

His body broke through the ground in an instant.

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