“Here you go.”
I handed over a bulk order of items purchased from the user shop. Go Yeon-ju snatched them up quickly, then tilted her head in puzzlement.
“These are…?”
“Bolas of Binding. Didn’t I give you one last time?”
“Yes, I know. But why did you buy so many? Because they were cheap?”
“Cheap? Each one costs 750,000 GP.”
At that, Go Yeon-ju’s drowsy eyes snapped wide open.
“Good heavens. So how much is that in total? One, two, three… ten? Seven and a half million GP?”
“I figured one wouldn’t be enough. Besides, right now you and I are managing things regularly, but soon the Central Continent campaign will be announced, won’t it?”
“Oh, right. Since it’ll be hard to manage once we go on the expedition, you want to bind them tightly with these from the start?”
“Exactly.”
Go Yeon-ju nodded knowingly and gave a faint smile. She fiddled with the weights dangling from the ends of the three long cords a few times, then slipped one neatly between the hollowed line in the middle of her cleavage. That woman really treats her bosom like a pocket whenever she’s bored.
Just as she was about to leave the room, she paused, half-turned, and said,
“Oh, Su-hyun? How did the angel react?”
“Nothing worth worrying about.”
“Hm?”
“She just said, ‘Thank you for dealing with Baal and Beelzebub.’ That was all.”
Go Yeon-ju smiled enigmatically. She seemed like she wanted to say more, her lips twitching, but in the end, she just stared silently and left.
After the door closed softly, I sighed and looked over at the Excalibur resting on the corner of my desk.
The blade gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight, as beautiful as ever. Yet it remained the same—stubbornly refusing to acknowledge me, its intangible edge sharpened to a painful degree. It was like looking at a hedgehog curled up, bristling with spikes.
In the end, the user shop had nothing that could sway the heart of a sentient weapon. Nor did I find anything that could change its disposition. The only possibility I saw was forcibly corrupting Excalibur.
But even that was opposed by Seraph when I explained the situation. What was it again? That a weapon with such a strong good alignment wouldn’t accept corruption willingly, and any clumsy attempt would just destroy it. So the only viable option was to steadily accumulate good deeds and gradually shift its disposition.
Though, judging by the way she kept glancing at me while saying that, I think she really wanted to say, “Just give up.”
“Why don’t you just admit it already? You know I’m a better master than Eldora.”
I tried to reason with it, but Excalibur didn’t respond. If anything, its sharp aura intensified. When I tentatively reached out, I felt a resistance as if pushing against a current.
For a moment, I considered locking it away in a dungeon for a month, but I held back and gently ran my fingertips along its pure white body. Softly, like tracing a woman’s waistline. The more I stroked, the more a needle-like pain prickled across my palm, but I ignored it, gripped the hilt, and lifted Excalibur closer.
Vibrating!
The blade trembled as if it hated me. Its resolve rivaled that of a noble martyr. I couldn’t help but admire it.
“Well, fine.”
At this point, rather than struggling, I might as well enjoy it. A tame sword like Victoria’s glory is nice, but Excalibur has its own appeal—the thrill of rebellion, the fun of forced submission.
It’s a little ridiculous to have these thoughts about just a sword, but whatever. I liked it.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how long you can hold out.”
I chuckled and lightly ran my tongue over the pristine blade.
Vrrrr… vrrr, vrrr…
Excalibur wept a mournful black mist, like a heroine betrayed by a villain and left to sob alone.
As expected, the official announcement from the Central Administration was met with enthusiasm in the Northern Continent. The war had left a bitter taste, but the timely reveal of the Central Continent campaign was welcomed with open arms.
This time, unlike previous expeditions, the participation requirements were greatly expanded, which played a big part. After all the sweet spoils from Atlanta, it was no surprise that many were dreaming rosy dreams.
With the situation like this, the formal meeting of clan lords went smoothly, like a ship sailing with the wind. Since it was promised that all users with two or more years of experience must participate, there was no room for arguments like “We want in” or “You should give way.”
Moreover, all the clans leading Atlanta had experience conquering the Steel Mountain Range. So it didn’t take long to reach the conclusion: “We’ll follow the same strategy as the Steel Mountain campaign.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be exactly the same, considering the demons, Western Continent, and Southern Continent had to be taken into account.
“Looking at it one by one, I don’t think we’re in a very favorable position,” said one lord, Seong Hyun-min, neatly organizing his notes.
“Even if we set aside the monsters… we have to worry about defending our home base in the Northern Continent and Atlanta, plus the supply fortresses along the route. This means our forces will inevitably be spread thin. But the enemy can concentrate their power wherever they want.”
Seong Hyun-min’s points were valid. At the start of the meeting, there was even a suggestion to send everyone together at once. The advantage was clear: immediate response to any sudden situation.
But that was the only advantage. This expedition would take longer than any before. Not just breaking through the Central Continent, but the real challenge would begin once we reached the region of the Promised Temple.
Breaking the law domain, the shadow zone, the sword zone, the iron-blood zone, the sacred zone, the trial zone…
Even in the first round, it took 10,000 elite users eighteen attempts just to reach the front of the Promised Temple. It took half a year just to discover the place.
In other words, this would be a long-term campaign, not a quick battle. So mid-expedition supply was essential. That’s why the idea of building fortresses, like in the Steel Mountain campaign, came up.
“That’s true. The situation is different from the Steel Mountain campaign, so it could be a weakness. But that’s why the mercenary lord suggested using warp gates.”
Seon-yul tapped her chin with her index finger and nodded.
My counterproposal to Seong Hyun-min’s concerns was to use warp gates as well. I’d been thinking about this since Seraph told me about it. If the enemy is using warp, we should do the same.
Though Helena isn’t here now, the source exists. After checking, the answer was clear: “It’s possible.”
If this plan works, the situation would be very favorable for us. We don’t know who will reach the Central Continent first, but the enemy is at a disadvantage after this war, so they’ll be cautious.
They might try to ambush us when the Northern Continent finishes its conquest and returns with the Zero Code. (The Zero Code isn’t activated just by holding it; it can only be triggered through the angel in the summoning chamber.) The ruins around the Promised Temple would cause significant damage to us as well.
But what if we set up warp gates nearby and slip through immediately after finishing our conquest? They’d be chasing shadows.
“If distance really doesn’t matter, I’d side with the mercenary lord’s opinion. Managing a large number of people is a headache, and feeding and lodging them is a job in itself.”
Seon-yul shrugged, and Seong Hyun-min opened his mouth.
“But—”
Before he could finish,
“Oh, sudden situations? What’s the problem? You said setting up warp gates takes just a few minutes, so we can just communicate immediately when the enemy appears. As long as there’s a portal, we can support right away. We just need to stay alert.”
Seon-yul went on.
“Also, once we finish our assigned area, we can rest while other teams are conquering theirs. Managing stamina during an expedition is crucial. That way, we can respond more vigorously to emergencies.”
“That’s a good point. But—”
“Now that I think about it, going all together? If everyone’s exhausted, a surprise attack would be even more dangerous.”
“Right now, the Magic Tower lord is giving extreme examples.”
“Anyway, I don’t want to give up all these advantages.”
“…Fine, I understand.”
In the end, Seong Hyun-min gave a wry smile, effectively surrendering. Most of the clan lords present agreed with Seon-yul, so dragging it out would only make the meeting tedious.
With that, the meeting was tentatively adjourned.
Soon after, as people sensed the session was ending, conversations began to stir around.
“To summarize, we’ll base the plan on the Steel Mountain campaign… Oh, but the Memoria Stones are a problem. One held by the mercenary clan won’t be enough, will it?”
“They’ll probably be airlifted from a small city in the old Northern Continent.”
“Users who can’t participate might protest.”
“It can’t be helped. We just have to ask for their understanding. Honestly, it would look better if the central management organization took the lead on this.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
As Han So-young and my older brother sitting to the left exchanged glances and nodded, Lee Hyo-eul, who had been quietly observing, awkwardly cleared his throat.
“Hmm.”
But the cough was so soft that no one even turned around…
“Ahem!”
Wait, what? I definitely heard that just now. Am I imagining it, or are they deliberately ignoring me?
Sigh. Anyway, I’m worried about the preparations. From what I saw last time, construction these days isn’t an easy task.
“Not just securing materials, but finding skilled builders is a problem too. Remember during the Steel Mountain expedition? We even competed over that, and there were some behind-the-scenes conflicts.”
“Then how about leaving this to them as well? The central management organization could secure the materials and technicians on behalf of everyone, then distribute them fairly to each expedition team.”
“Oh? Wow, then all we’d have to do is send the funds… Hey, that actually sounds fair. Great idea. Let’s do that!”
Seoji-hwan and Kim Deok-pil, sitting to the right, smiled broadly and nodded in agreement.
…Wow, this is a bit much. Especially Seoji-hwan, who’s supposed to be the leader of the merchant guild clan…
Before I could even process that, my face must have gone pale as I sat there in a daze, overhearing everything.
“Um… excuse me?”
I even raised my hand. But once again, astonishingly, no one showed the slightest interest.
“Personally, I hope there won’t be any unnecessary conflicts during this expedition.”
“Hey, excuse me?”
“You’re absolutely right. If we start off on the wrong foot, nothing will get done.”
“Please hear me out. The central management organization is currently busy accepting users from the Eastern Continent…”
I was desperately trying to speak, but for some reason, the murmurs around me grew louder, and my words were naturally drowned out.
A moment later, as if the discussion had wrapped up on its own, all eyes subtly shifted toward me. The strange thing was, even as they glanced my way, the chaotic atmosphere remained.
Caught up in the momentum, I found myself speaking without thinking.
“Uh… is there anyone who has more questions about the plan?”
No one.
What the heck? Why is everyone suddenly so tight-lipped?
“…Alright then. Shall we wrap up the meeting here?”
Yes!
They all answered in unison, then rose as one. As if on cue, they rushed toward the door, as if no one wanted to be the last to leave.
Astonishingly, the conference hall, which had been packed with nearly a hundred people, was completely empty in less than a minute.
Lee Hyo-eul broke down in tears.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
I’ll try to move the story along as quickly as possible until we reach the Temple of Promise.
It probably won’t take too long. :)