Episode 195
'…Now?'
News of the invasion arrived sooner than expected.
Normally, it should have started at dawn, a few hours later.
No plausible reason could come to mind.
“Catch your breath.”
The captain calmed the subordinate who had rushed over.
At the calm voice, devoid of any reprimand, the gasping knight soon regained his composure.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“Report the exact situation.”
“Yes!”
The knight quickly approached the map of the kingdom attached to the wall.
He pointed to a few spots with his finger and said,
“The reported locations of the invasion are as follows! Starting with the largest area, Eastern Edlen, then Southern Ifrit, the Pupene City Hall, and extending to the front of the Temosha Castle Gate.……”
The knight, too, did not have a precise grasp of the situation. He
was merely aware of the flood of distress calls pouring in.
“Are they all cities on the outskirts?”
An attack occurring in a city closer to the periphery than the central royal capital.
Although the captain was naturally fully aware of the situation on the anti-state side, he remained unfazed by the smoke.
“Accurately assess the situation and identify nearby cities that can be linked. I will have the Royal Guard Knights mobilize after reporting to His Majesty.”
“Yes!”
The commander and the knights immediately scattered to fulfill their respective roles.
Leon, who had been watching their retreating figures, approached them.
“Black Dragon, what will you do?”
“…For now, I will observe the situation as well. The nobles’ forces likely won’t move immediately, but please stay by His Majesty’s side, Mr. Leon.”
“Understood.”
Ta-ta!
Nodding, Leon kicked off and headed toward the castle.
At the same time, an alarm rang in his ears.
Ding-
[Main Quest #5 completed.]
[2,300,000 Gold received.]
[7 Stat Points awarded.
] [Experience increased by 2,500,000.
] [Level increased.
] [1 Stat Point awarded.]
[Progress rate increased significantly.]
[Main Quest #6: Invasion I]
Immediately after confirming the movements of the nobles, including Lakmos.
News reached us that invaders had appeared throughout the kingdom.
We need to assess the situation quickly.
Objective: Return to the hideout and meet with Zenith.
Reward: None
*Current Progress: 40 percent
-You're finally here.
-Let's go in~
-If we do it right, won't it be a quick wipe?
-Yeah, we just need to block them well and capture them.
-Let's kidnap the Crown Prince and finish this.
As the viewers predicted, this episode concludes with stopping the invasion by anti-state forces and capturing the ringleaders.
If things go according to plan, it is a task that can be wrapped up quickly. However,
the priority was to identify the cause of the variable.
Hanbit, having examined the message that popped up, took Riventia outside.
“Everyone will be okay, right?”
she asked with a worried expression. This
was because she was concerned about not only Edlen but also the people preparing at various locations.
“Let’s head back for now.”
Whoosh—
As soon as she used the ring, a sensation of teleportation enveloped her body.
The two arrived at the criminal group's hideout.
“The remaining personnel are moving immediately!”
“Make sure you have your weapons ready!”
People were moving busily amidst urgent voices.
Janice, too, was giving instructions to her men while holding a crumpled map.
“Ms. Janice.”
“Ah, you’re here!”
As I approached, she turned her head sharply to greet me.
Her face showed she had been waiting anxiously.
“How is the situation?”
“It’s an invasion by those bastards. It’s just that they stormed in with everything bizarre, from the timing to the composition.”
“Bizarre?”
“I mean the operation has changed from when I was here. No one would make such a judgment…”
Janice frowned, finding it difficult to understand.
Considering the key figures at the center, it was odd that a decision to revise the operation was being made. After
all, they were all conservative and narrow-minded fools.
“We’ll find out the reason by fighting it head-on. What is the status of the final line of defense?”
“That area is fine as it is in the final stages. The problem is that our troops, who are supposed to feign defeat and flee, have been deployed to the battlefield in an incomplete state.”
These were troops that had taken several more hours to assemble.
Their proper numbers and composition were not even known.
Right now, they had no choice but to rely purely on the reality on the ground.
“Fortunately, Lord Black Dragon’s companions were already deployed to their respective cities. They are individuals who are easily capable of taking on a hundred men each, so I believe we can handle any variables to some extent.”
“Really?”
The four members of the party who had been unable to move with Hanbit.
Perhaps because he had left them with the assurance that they could make their own decisions, it seemed they moved as soon as the situation arose.
He opened the voice chat on the party channel, which he had previously turned off.
“Is everyone okay?”
(Lord Black Dragon!)
(We are out east of Temosha!)
The twins were the first to answer.
It must have been Zenith’s decision for the two to move to Temosha together.
“How are the enemies?”
(They are all dressed as adventurers, and monsters are swarming in with them! There are quite a few of them, but I think we can manage to hold them off and retreat!)
Haneul replied, sharing his screen.
A large number of monsters were scattered throughout the mountains.
Behind them, at least a thousand people were visible.
Still, thanks to the adventurers, including Asid and Bolt, being on our side, it seemed we would have sufficient strategic judgment.
(You don't need to worry about Ifrit!)
Kim Jae-ha also shared his screen and relayed the situation.
The combined attack of the Magic Research Institute, the Adventurer's Guild, and the Dwarves was absolutely impenetrable to the enemies.
Right now, they were actually luring the enemies out.
“Mr. Avant-garde went to Edlen, right? How is it there?”
Hanbit called out the name of the last remaining comrade.
But…
“Mr. Avant-garde?”
For some reason, no answer came.
***
“Then I will go to Edlen.”
Shortly after Hanbit left for the royal capital,
the remaining party spread out to major cities to ensure a safe journey.
The twins, Haneul and Noeul,
headed to Temosha, which was expected to be the most dangerous. Kim Jae-ha, who had relatively lower combat ability but was close to the Dwarves, moved to Ifrit.
Edlen, with its moderate risk level, was Avant-garde’s responsibility.
-The moderate Avant-garde. -It
’s true that Avant-garde is ambiguous.
-But his level got pretty high. Haha.
-Let’s bow down to the Black Dragon.
"—Seriously, I was just a loafer who did
nothing but travel…" He could agree with every single comment in the viewers' chat.
Reaching a level of a whopping 200.
It was an obvious fact, even if you asked a passing dog, that this was all thanks to the Black Dragon.
Choosing the path of the black market and intelligence gathering was also to find his role and help the Black Dragon.
He wanted to share, even just a little, the unrealistic burden the Black Dragon carried.
Clunk—
boarding a magical carriage, he headed to Edlen with members of the criminal group. He
also made sure not to miss keeping a close eye on the Black Dragon's progress.
"Thank you for coming all this way."
It was Cowen who greeted him upon his arrival.
"Of course I should help. How are the preparations?"
"I have contacted and gathered as many available personnel as possible. The defense of Edlen is the top priority, but it seems we can also execute a decoy operation."
He had nearly completed the troop composition for the invasion defense.
Since the force was composed mostly of adventurers, he could operate with a bit more flexibility.
"Let's go this way."
Cowen led me to the Adventurer's Guild, where a strategy meeting was underway.
Inside, a considerable number of people were chatting about various things.
“The scope of this area is quite wide. Wouldn’t it be better to call in some low-level adventurers?”
“Wait, who are these guys planning to invade the Kingdom? Surely not the Holy Kingdom?”
“Surely they wouldn’t do something like that. Unless they intend to start a full-scale war.”
These were adventurers who were Cowen’s acquaintances and from the Kingdom of Raven.
Among them were quite a few retired knights and soldiers.
“I will explain the overall strategy.”
Cowen’s map was filled with various markings.
He conveyed detailed information regarding the enemy encounter locations, battle times, and retreat routes.
This was the result of conversations with Zenith that had taken place through the Adventurer's Guild.
“Understood. It would be best for me to handle the front lines.”
The Avant-garde, having reached level 200, is a formidable force.
They possessed enough power to easily handle even a force of hundreds attacking an enemy of a moderate level.
“I look forward to working with you. I also intend to observe the situation from the very front and issue orders. Furthermore, among adventurers of A-class or higher…”
Cowen added various explanations, including troop deployment.
After nearly an hour of conversation, he looked outside and said,
“The outpost must be complete by now. I will head to the site.”
The troops inside Edlen moved outside the city at his command.
Even excluding the bare minimum required for defense, the number was quite substantial.
“This way.”
Upon arriving at the basin-like terrain, a makeshift base set up like a base camp appeared.
It was a position suitable for defense, concealment, and cover.
“We will move to the positions assigned to each team to familiarize ourselves with the terrain. I am sure you are all familiar with it, but please double-check once more.”
The people here now are veterans.
They are bound to be familiar with the terrain around Edlen, but the more familiar they are, the more cautious they must be. After all ,
variables are bound to arise anywhere.
*Smack*—the
packed crowd scattered in their respective directions.
The task of integrating the operation details into the field.
When this had continued for over an hour, a voice was heard from somewhere.
“What is that?”
An adventurer standing by the ridge frowned as he gazed into the dark forest.
“What is it?”
A colleague standing beside him questioned.
And the moment he took a step forward and tilted his head.
*Boom!*
A massive explosion engulfed the ridge.
“It’s an ambush!”
“They’re coming from the east! Everyone, check your positions!”
“This way too…!”
Crash!
The offensive, launching from all directions, swept in swiftly and chaotically.
It was thanks to the veterans' experience that they did not panic.
"-What a mess;
" "-Are these those anti-state bastards?
" "-Did they say they were coming this fast?"
"-Banga, let's go wipe them out."
*Thump!
* Avant-gard immediately kicked off and plunged into the darkness.
Combined with the effect of the Twilight Boots obtained from the Vortex Tower, he became invisible. *
Swoosh !
* Dozens of yellow threads rippled from the twin swords in Avant-gard's hands.
As he ran, a group resembling enemies came into his sight.
*Whoosh!* Avant
-gard's twin swords surged into the interior of the enemy lines and traced a graceful arc.
The clear difference in power was evident in the result.
*Snip!
* "Cough!"
"Ugh!"
Enemies whose necks were pierced fell helplessly with their dying cries.
Avant-gard's gaze fell upon the main force,
particularly those who appeared to be mages.
*Pow!*
A blue magic circle appeared from a short distance away.
Shifting his gaze, he pushed off again and headed toward his target.
And the moment his swung sword headed toward the enemies' necks…
BANG!
A massive impact struck Avant-garde's back.
"Ugh!"
Boom!
Unable to withstand the force, Avant-garde was slammed into the ground.
"-Huh?
" "-What? "
-You slammed a 200-damage guy? "
"-??"
An unexpected situation.
With his vision blocked, he used his camera to scan behind him.
[Ostis]
A man standing tall stood there, clad in pure white armor and holding a large mace.
Enemies appearing in quest fields are usually powerful monsters or NPCs.
Given this, it was only natural that this was an NPC.
But…
"…What?"
For some reason, a dark red line was visible next to the name tag.
A color strangely different from that caused by a murder penalty.
At the very least, that mark did not belong to an NPC.
"I need to know what this is."
Despite the bewildering situation, Avant-garde concentrated.
If he could escape just once, he could use his speed to break away.
Just one chance… .
BANG!
As if reading his mind, the mace embedded in his back emitted a light and struck.
Even without any grand movements, it was clear just how much damage had been inflicted.
His body, having exceeded its damage limit, could no longer move.
“It’s hard to understand, isn’t it?”
Just then, a gloomy, low voice rang out softly.
Swoosh—
the mace of Ostis, the man visible through the camera, was raised high.
And just as the weapon was about to fall toward his head…
Whoosh!
A fierce whirlwind swept through the air.
Crash!
A figure emerging from the shadows struck Ostis in the chest.
The force was so immense that the struck man was thrown back significantly, as if flying.
“I apologize for being late.”
At the sound of a familiar voice, Avantgarde barely managed to move his head.
Standing beside him was a Black Dragon holding a pure white sword.
Swoosh—
He took out a potion, sprayed it on himself, and turned his gaze toward the man standing behind him.
Then, speaking in a cold, subdued voice.
I will take care of that first.
