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Chapter 117 – Fierce Combat (7)

“What’s the matter?”

Rasen’s demeanor was cautious. He knew he was more powerful now, but the fact that his opponent was also a mage made him flinch a bit.

Especially since the magic he had learned was not through academia but skills, almost like instincts.

“In the last battle… I saw a great grand magic. Not some inexplicable sorcery like a hammer falling from the sky, but clear magic. You used it, didn’t you?”

Rihar was also cautious in his demeanor, knowing his own status. However, his eyes sparkled. Rihar and ordinary mages were fundamentally those who had studied magic academically.

Only those who genuinely showed interest and diligently researched or trained would see their accomplishments rise. They were chosen among those persons, so even in captivity, their curiosity could not easily be quelled.

“How dare they…!”

“No, it’s fine.”

As soldiers grumbled and tried to drive Rihar and the mages away, Rasen stopped them. It wasn’t a significant action, but rather akin to an impulsive emotion.

‘Why is that?’

Rasen himself was perplexed about why he felt this way in the moment. What was certain was that the heartfelt magic shown by Rihar, who looked at least 30 years older than him, had rocked the hearts of fellow mages.

Even if they had just been fighting moments ago, accepting defeat and treating one another as juniors was the culture of the grasslands.

“You’re right. If you’ve seen it, there’s no need to lie.”

“P-please!”

As Rasen nodded, Rihar suddenly dropped to his knees. The other mages were startled and awkwardly followed suit, but Rihar didn’t care at all.

“Please share just a bit of that vast knowledge with us. How on earth is such grand magic possible?”

“Is it really that impressive?”

At Rihar’s earnest shout, Rasen scratched his head in confusion.

Unlike other magics, grand magic, like Fire Rain, had been tough to master, but it was not impossible once he tried.

“No, it’s just…”

The reaction of Rasen, who seemed unfazed by the magic he used, surprised Rihar and the other mages. It meant he was using magic without even realizing how remarkable it was.

Thanks to that, Rihar had to fuss and shout about how incredible Rasen’s magic was.

“I get what you’re saying, but the help I can offer is minimal. The grimoire [Restra] was introduced to me by the Guardian Deity.”

“Aah, as expected.”

The Guardian Deity. A true divinity involved in every aspect of the Arin Tribe.

Upon hearing Rasen’s answer, Rihar shut his eyes tightly. Without the Guardian Deity’s blessing, explaining this village and fortress would be impossible.

The food eaten by the Arin tribe, the clothes worn, the houses lived in, weapons, and even mana and skills.

The beginning of all the civilizations and cultures that could be called miracles of the remote grasslands was not due to spies from foreign lands secretly interacting with them.

They were granted by the existence known as the Guardian Deity.

‘Its true form is unknown, manifesting in various incarnations in the world.’

Rihar had also heard about the Guardian Deity from the Arin tribe. Even though Rihar didn’t know the concept of ‘divinity,’ it was a miraculous being that helped the residents directly or indirectly in different ways.

‘I want to know more.’

His heart naturally trembled. He wanted to explore and study that existence he could not understand. It might have been a natural thought for a mage.

“Still, it’s not entirely hopeless, is it?”

“Is that true?”

At that moment, Rasen burst into a grin as he saw Rihar’s expression noticeably darkening.

When Rasen said it wasn’t completely hopeless, the mages began to buzz in surprise.

“That one will only see one thing. Can you sincerely fulfill your mission? Our tribe is made up of factions that used to fight and clash. However, for those who faithfully fulfill their mission, the deity bestows grace regardless of tribes and origins.”

“Mission. That means…”

“Right. Fighting against the Black Monsters.”

Rasen nodded nonchalantly.

As he said, what Junyoung prioritized the most was stopping the bugs. He cared for the residents, but unfortunately, it was impossible to protect them while also keeping the bugs at bay.

So, he utilized the best talents regardless of their origin or status in the most efficient way. It wasn’t particularly problematic.

His intentions became the laws of the Arin tribe.

‘There’s still a chance. If we fulfill our mission. If we achieve merit.’

The sound of drums echoed. Just then, the enemy’s great army, which constantly lurked, was approaching this place, the most significant obstacle to devouring this world.

Rihar was convinced that if he proved himself in this crisis, even as a captured spy, the Guardian Deity would surely recognize them.

“Hmph, it seems you’ve become a bit more serious, but you didn’t need to inform us.”

“However, there’s a difference between fighting out of obligation and fighting voluntarily.”

As Rasen smiled faintly at the soldiers grumbling while watching Rihar and the mages return to their places.

Looking back, everything he just said was something he had personally experienced.

“The size of their forces. And the situation for support?”

“Considering we’ve only confirmed over 10,000 of them so far, it could be double that… Most of them are small ones, but there are many bigger ones too. Support is still arriving.”

“Winning by a slim margin wouldn’t let us reach the nest for a counterattack. Furthermore, the chieftain can’t come right away. So, we must overcome this crisis among ourselves.”

Chieftain Rakum, who was unexpectedly appointed to lead a massive military force he had never commanded before. Thanks to the continuous influx of immigrants into the village, the fortress’s troops had already surpassed 5,000.

Rakum, who inherited a small tribe of a few dozen and joined Balun, was shaking at such numbers.

“I’ll place veteran soldiers on both sides and take charge of the central part with the new soldiers myself.”

However, hesitation born from fear was not permitted. This was their mission. It was something they, who had already received grace, had to complete.

Literally, it was a holy war to protect their sacred land while following the deity’s will.

“Their forces are getting closer.”

“The wall is complete. They have no choice but to climb over it.”

The ongoing battles did not only help the bugs evolve and grow. They too were learning to decipher and counter the bugs’ tactics.

By now, the fortress had completed a five-segment wall. The collective tactics that the bugs had learned and started to use were useless in front of the wall.

“Come, let’s go.”

Armed and holding his spear, Rakum stood at the wall with his comrades. Rasen and Rihar were nearby.

Everyone waited for the enemies with serious faces, weapons in hand.

‘A war that no one in the world acknowledges… is about to begin.’

Rihar grasped his staff with a pale face. He thought of the people back in his homeland.

The ones far away in the northeastern outskirts, who had no idea what was happening now, living their usual peaceful lives.

Since he had once been among them, it felt surreal that this moment was happening now.

*

“Oh no, that’s dangerous.”

I hurriedly recalled the scouts I’d sent out by dragging with the mouse and right-clicking repeatedly before they got surrounded by the enemies.

Controlling units in groups is pretty handy when mouse control isn’t possible.

I had fought against the expedition sent by Chieftain Luke and even attempted a counterattack, but before the counterattack could conclude, a different kind of war began.

Thankfully, this was being handled by those who had been preparing for war without actually engaging in one. Of course, I had to observe the screens for two rounds in a state of tension.

No matter how strong my body became, it wouldn’t protect my spirit, and I truly felt like I was bleeding out second by second.

‘The usual performances look sufficient to handle this.’

We were on the defensive end. Plus, we had built a decent wall. Having fought through even more adverse conditions in the past, I firmly believed we could win.

Yet, this unease stemmed from the fact that the monsters, the bugs, could appear in unexpected ways.

I worried if I should have invested more in desktop demolition; it felt like a useless concern.

‘The outer defense turrets are all level 5. Once the battle begins, I can raise their levels further.’

But right now, what I could do was reduce their numbers as much as possible with chainsaws before they arrived and thoroughly manage the defense turrets.

Thanks to reality defense, I had grown the defense turrets, achieving all of them at least to level 5, allowing them to launch stone-based projectiles and attribute attacks filled with mana.

While the residents held their ground, those turrets would rain down arrows and magic non-stop.

‘I need to hurry and bring Riena here.’

I glanced at the other monitor beside me. There, Riena was separating from Balun and returning to the village with the immigrants.

Though it wasn’t slow since the tunnel was directly dug, there were so many people that picking them up with the mouse wasn’t possible.

I could probably get her back just in time, but the battle seemed like it would commence without her.

“They’re really coming now.”

As I trembled in my seat, watching the bugs darken the ground in real-time, I stood up and headed for the restroom.

“—!”

I was worried that the countless guerrillas who had sacrificed their lives for the defense tower might have some unusual plot in mind, but the bugs’ large-scale siege was proceeding without any drama.

Using their numbers, they rushed the walls all at once, climbing up and creating chaos. Climbing up without ladders or siege engines was absurdly overwhelming.

Right now, Luke’s expedition, with only a few hundred soldiers on the wall, couldn’t do anything against the throng of bugs trampling the fields.

“—, —!”

Our side began to unleash arrows at them, opening the gates of battle. Of course, the first to act before their arrows were the defense turrets.

Huge spears wrapped in cold, fire, and electricity were shot, piercing and shattering enemies in one blow.

Magic-made bullets flew and exploded, knocking many nearby bugs down to the ground.

“Isn’t this too many?”

The problem was that no matter how hard the defense turrets fired, it felt like a cute number compared to the bugs. The firepower was lacking.

The bugs managed to stick to the walls through the continuous barrage from the turrets.

Almost immediately, they began to get shot down by arrows, but when the firepower focused for even a moment on the bigger bugs, the sheer numbers allowed them to climb the walls.

The barriers made with stone blocks by the transporters were long, thick, and strong, but they were far shorter than the walls in the village.

The residents brandished spears and started to stab down the ones who had quickly climbed up one by one.

 

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