V56C7P2 – Construction Site

Reverse, too, received a bowl of gra.s.s porridge and sat mindlessly on the ground nearby.

The front gate was crowded with players, several times more than usual.

“Mmm. Let’s have a taste.”

With a wooden spoon, he took a plentiful dip and scooped it into his mouth.

“Hoof!”

The porridge was so hot that it burned his tongue.

“Why is it so hot? It’s too hot for me to taste anything.”

Reverse skimmed the top of the gra.s.s porridge and blew on it heavily before he put it in his mouth. It was a delicate flavor; puckery and bitter but still a bit sweet, salty, and spicy.

It tasted like a huge amount of gra.s.s and berries were boiled and seasoned with salt, sugar, soy sauce, and a bit of pepper paste.

“How is this delicious?”

He couldn’t comprehend it and tried a few more spoons.

“…”

Fresh gra.s.s hung on his spoon.

The watery thin soup had a few rice grains and bits of meat.

“It looks like they put everything they could and boiled it. Especially a lot of gra.s.s…”

Reverse was a complete outsider when it came to cooking. He said it without much thinking, but that was the truth!

The secret of gra.s.s porridge in a big construction site was cooking without much care.

“This tastes really bad.”

Reverse left about half the bowl and followed the other players.

Usually, he would be too lazy but in an event like this, he wanted to partic.i.p.ate even in a measly task.

“Are you a novice? The stones will be too heavy… Will you drive the bull wagons?”

“Give me the stones.”

“It will be exhausting…”

“It’s alright, just give them to me. After all, I am different from other novices.”

Reverse trusted in his gear imbued with various enhancement spells.

“Call nearby players for help if you are tired.”

“I told you not to worry. Hmmf!”

The weight squeezed his lungs.

The immense weight that pressed down from his head down to his back made his legs shake like twigs.

Next, he had to walk all the way to the construction site like a swarm of ants.

‘Why are people doing such jobs?’

Reverse was filled with regret and questions at the same time.

All the other players were doing the same work, their faces filled with exhaustion and liveliness all at once.

The feeling of accomplishment!

After one transport of stones, he could understand by a fraction.

“So this is Weed’s influence. Leading the public…”

Reverse slowly came to understand while playing Royal Road.

People were like saucepans. They heated quickly and cooled just as fast.

No matter how good a deed is, they cannot continue for long. It is the same when they criticize others.

However, attaching some kind of meaning and encouraging partic.i.p.ation sometimes led to overcoming the impossible.

The atmosphere in firsthand partic.i.p.ation was different from observing through a monitor.

“Weed did not become the emperor because of power… But instead became an emperor because he changed the world.”

Reverse was shocked to see that the construction had doubled by the evening.

The following day would expand at least 5 times more because of players arriving from all parts of the world.

***

“It’s absurd. Outrageous… But it’s Weed. I can’t just ignore it.”

Michel hosted a secret congregation with 20 major lords such as Carlise and Roam.

The purpose of this gathering was supposedly for promoting friends.h.i.+p between lords, but they all knew that each one of them was full of greed and ambition to expand their influence.

“For him to bring in the Hermes Guild out of the blue. Who would have guessed?”

Roam groaned lightly.

Weed’s recent actions struck them hard behind their heads.

They themselves, after becoming major lords, got opportunities to expand their factions after slaying monsters.

In this crisis with Kaybern, they were thinking of watching idly, but for Weed to decide on a full-scale Kaybern hunt!

“I thought preparations alone would take at least a year. Will we be triumphant?”

Carlise let out his concern.

It was a question common among the great lords at the gathering.

‘For them to slay that mighty dragon so soon…? What happens if it fails?’

Though they had their doubts, they collectively decided to support the dragon hunt. They needed the shade under the Arpen Empire and also were conscious of the public consensus that no one should back out of the dragon hunt.

“This is the dragon we are talking about. It’s not a being we can think of in simple terms. The Hermes Guild joined forces and the Brazier of Sacrifice is in possession, but it will not be easy.”

Michel hid the fact that he messaged the guild members in the a.s.sault squad not to use the Brazier of Sacrifice.

It would have been the same for all other guilds.

They agreed on preserving their forces in the upcoming battle.

If the hunt were to fail, an era where military strength is the first priority will come.

Sherwood frowned and spoke.

“It all depends on how we fight and should expect to win anyhow. We don’t know the dragon. But what we do know is that the Hermes Guild is excellent in combat. Same goes for Weed.”

The major lords did not favor the current turn of events.

They were familiar with war between guilds that usually ended up being fairly even, but a dragon was on another dimension.

Roam predicted the events to occur in the near future.

“If Weed overcomes the dragon, he will gain an unquestionable authority on top of his current popularity.That Bard Ray could still be called a G.o.d of war would be laughable.”

If Weed were to defeat the dragon, they would have to bow before his will for 2 more years.

‘I would fail if I were him. It’s a dangerous adventure that I wouldn’t want to bet on probability. But it’s Weed… There might be a chance.’

‘I can’t even guess how this battle will turn out. The main forces of Versailles will be mobilized… Weed and the Hermes Guild, too, will be in full swing, meaning that the scale of this war will be well beyond imagination.’

‘It’s Weed. Bard Ray is likely to partic.i.p.ate in person as well. The use of the brazier and the Hermes Guild joining forces… Mmm.’

The major lords could not blatantly pray for failure.

If Weed could not resolve this situation, they had no way to address the dragon.

The dragon would continue destroying city after city, spread monsters, and eventually their turn would arrive.

For everyone to fall into oblivion or to extend their lives with their heads low to the ground and flatter the man in power.

Either path bore bad consequences and the worst of it all was the fact that they had no other choices but gossiping.

***

“You there. You are pretty st.u.r.dy.”

“Thank you.”

Bard Ray was finally acknowledged by the barbarians.

Every battle he contributed significantly and brought a hefty amount of game for the tribe.

Bard Ray also learned how to get along with the barbarians.

They set up a campfire in the evening and shared dinner, talking about the combat.

‘It was this easy… I have come a long way.’

Bard Ray felt empty at the thought that if it was Weed, he would have taken about two or three days to increase friends.h.i.+p levels.

Realistically, it would have taken less than a day!

“There is a land sought by no man. Have you seen beyond the ice walls in the northwest?”

“Isn’t it just filled with ice?”

“Nature is harsh. If you uncover the legend buried there, you will be called the tribe’s outstanding warrior.”

Blink!

< Prove your worth to become an Ironblood Warrior!

Climb the glacial walls in the northwest and walk endlessly.

The warrior’s heart will not cease due to hards.h.i.+p or cold. Each step you take will be the new milepost for the barbarians.

You must overcome physical pain and exhaustion.

When you collapse after transcending the limits, you will be reborn as an Ironblood Warrior.

This death will not result in a decline in level or skill proficiency.

The longer you travel, the more you endure, the more perseverance and defense skills will be enhanced.

The territory of the barbarian tribe will expand as far as you walk.

Continuing for more than 5 days will lead you to the location where the Glacial Sword is buried.

If you do not arrive at the destination, the ice will shatter and you will fall into the pitch black depths of the icy ocean.

Difficulty: S

Reward: Advancement into Ironblood Warrior. Glacial Sword. >

At last, the advancement quest appeared.

“The Ironblood Warrior has shown. The Glacial Sword… interesting.”

It was the first time Bard Ray unlocked a legend by proceeding through a quest by himself instead of with the Hermes Guild.

“I can become stronger.”

He heard the news that the Hermes Guild had knelt before the flag of Arpen, but that wasn’t important.

The stability of Haven and the survival of the guild were no longer his concerns.

‘Weed. I will allow you to take the seat of the emperor. But, the G.o.d of War t.i.tle will be forever mine.’

Bard Ray immediately headed to the glacial wall in the northwest. He was anxious to match the day of the Kaybern hunt.

It was the condition for the Hermes Guild maintaining control over Haven, but also because no one would acknowledge him after beating Weed who would have become weaker after the use of the brazier.

***

Pale led the a.s.sault squad with Python and Oberon.

They hunted for days against the overwhelming number of monsters in the Central Continent.

“Python-nim’s sword technique is always so dynamic.”

“Hahaha. It’s a style I picked up for the fun of blowing away monsters… Anyway, how did Pale-nim become an archer?”

“It was due to a quest.”

“Oh… A special quest for the archer job cla.s.s or a skill?”

“No. I was carrying out a request to hunt rabbits with a bow and I ended up an archer.”

“…”

Python and Oberon exchanged glances that clearly meant Pale was a total fool.

Pale caught the gist of their thoughts and smiled.

“Still, I never regretted once about becoming an archer.”

Python and Oberon nodded.

‘Of course he wouldn’t. But, judging by his personality, he wouldn’t have complained even if he became a swordsman.’

‘He would have been good no matter which path he took. It’s his own life after all…’

Many players knew about Pale’s life and acknowledged him.

Weed’s combat slave No. 1.

Even so, he became a major lord who ruled over a large area of the Arpen Empire and gained a fitting reputation.

Players similar in level to Pale did not have as much influence or popularity.

The success story of the combat slave was such that the fool could not be criticized.

“By the way, I heard that Oberon-nim’s personality is different in real life.”

Pale asked with curiosity.

In Royal Road, he was a committed warrior!

In reality, he was an heir to a megamillionaire, a charmful man full of confidence.

He did lead people around but did not provide for them unconditionally.

Borrowing from Weed’s words, he was ‘a man born with everything but a scrupulous side .’

Obern smiled brightly.

“It’s weird that whenever I log into Royal Road that I want to protect people. I think failing miserably at my first dungeon attempt is the reason for it.”

In the pioneer of Royal Road, he reached level 50 by hunting around town and went on a dungeon hunt with friends.

Every one of them were inexperienced and were wiped out before they could try anything. From then on, he was engulfed in his sense of duty to protect his comrades.

Pale spoke cautiously.

“I guess that emotion isn’t very… controllable?”

They all witnessed how Oberon protected his comrades. It was a touching sight, but eventually he died after diving in for no reason, so it could have been seen as a little nosy.

“It doesn’t work the way I want it. I do have the intentions to protect people, but I end up standing in front without me realizing it.”

“I see.”

Pale spoke after a short pause.

“Are you planning to use the brazier at the battle in Morata?”

“Of course. It will be a spectacular battle.”

Pale sighed.

He realized why people called him a sucker to such extent.

‘So this is what it’s like watching a fool.’

(To be continued…)