“Oh, Lady Lily!”
I arrived at the location Yena marked after a quick chat with her.
Yena waved her hands excitedly towards me.
It’s clear that her figure has gotten noticeably sturdier since we last met.
‘This should be no big deal.’
I should be able to replicate about half of the Spear’s roar without much difficulty now.
“Is this your castle?”
“Yep, it’s my castle.”
Yena invited me into her castle.
Come to think of it, Yena, as the Guild Master of the -Ye- guild, once made a huge fuss trying to invite me to join their guild.
But she realized it was a pointless endeavor and gave up.
[Oh]
[Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a guild castle]
[LOL]
[Are you trying to make Lily join the guild?]
[No way]
[Is it because of the siege war?]
[Siege war?]
[There are quite a few people, huh?]
[It’s bigger than I thought]
People bustling around Yena’s castle.
It seems there are residents from this place as well as a few users.
Yena patiently waited for me to explore before clearing her throat and continuing,
“Sieg war. You know about it, right?”
“To some extent.”
Siege war.
It’s a contest where the side that occupies the opponent’s castle first wins.
There was already a tournament held in April called “Mock Siege War,” where we achieved a record of 3 wins and 0 losses.
Nodding at my explanation, Yena continued,
“That’s right. The Mock Siege War is a scaled-down version of the Siege War. Unlike the Mock Siege War, which proceeds like an AOS, there are no level-ups or growth in the actual Siege War.”
The rules of the Siege War aren’t much different from the Mock Siege War, such as breaking the core, limits on personnel, and resurrection restrictions.
The main difference from the Mock Siege War is that there are no special monsters for growth or balance adjustment.
“Of course, there are buff or defense and attack items, but they don’t have much impact on the rankers. Hence, that can lead to overwhelming differences.”
The method is simple.
First, two factions with their own castles declare that they will engage in a Siege War.
One side can refuse, but with declarations of war, external influences, or various other factors, the Siege War can be enforced.
Both sides must gather their forces and break through the opponent’s defenses to smash the ‘core’ before their rival does to win.
If the core breaks, the losing side must pay the opposing faction gold coins or special resources as ‘rewards.’
“Of course, there are instances where one might lose their castle due to lacking funds… but that’s a bit of a gray area.”
“Why is it a gray area?”
“Well, most of the castles are in the kingdom’s territory. Even if it’s a fight, simply taking over a castle can cause issues between kingdoms.”
Yena shrugged her shoulders.
“While some guilds don’t operate this way, most users manage territories under the pretext of protecting them for the kingdom.”
“There are quite a few users managing territories in the name of protecting the castle for the kingdom.”
“Hmm…”
“If the reward money becomes really scarce, the kingdom sometimes provides support. It’s better than losing the castle.”
“So, if it’s a group that doesn’t care about issues between kingdoms, they could occupy the castle?”
“Maybe? But those places aren’t common…”
“……”
It’s definitely not common.
Most of the continent is balancing out among all but one absolute group, and there isn’t a kingdom bold enough to disrupt that balance.
If one were to look for it…
[Empire…?]
[If it’s the Empire, it could be possible.]
[Hmm]
[But the Empire doesn’t have a user guild, does it?]
[The Empire’s siege wars are pretty scary, haha, a guild member being Leo the Sword Saint, lol.]
[If it’s Leo the Sword Saint, unification of the continent is possible, haha.]
[Sword Saint, come back!]
[So, what is the Sword Saint actually doing?]
“…The probability that the Sword Saint will participate in the siege war?”
“Zero.”
When asked about frequent chat messages lately, Yena shook her head firmly.
“He hasn’t shown up for over a year. Participating in a siege war? That’s not like him, and even if he did, he would be someone who could threaten the continent’s stability…”
It would rather make more sense if Lord Leo joined.
Yena laughed heartily but then thought, isn’t that risky…?, and shivered.
‘…The Sword Saint.’
I’m looking forward to it.
■
A labyrinth filled with traces of swords.
The powerful monsters living in the underground space made up of dozens of layers perished just like that.
“A crazy monster is coming!”
“Everyone, stay alive!”
“Run for your liiiiiifes!!”
Why are the monsters running away?
They’re strong enough to crush even young dragons, and their ferocity is rougher than that of ogres.
Is that all? They also possess intelligence, allowing them to move strategically based on their opponents.
Skaĝak…
But what does that matter?
Puquakakakakak!
In the face of disaster, it all lacks meaning.
Strong power, strong will, outstanding intellect.
None of it matters.
Shwaak!
“Looks like there’s nothing special here either.”
The purplish sword, radiating an ominous energy as fierce as their ferocity, sheathed itself.
He, the Sword Saint, illuminated the dark space with his purple eyes, surveying around.
Level 110 ‘normal’ monsters were lying around like garbage in the streets.
Originally, this place wasn’t allowed for users to enter.
At least, you would only see high-difficulty monsters after the upcoming update, ‘Great Cataclysm.’
Level 110 is the strength of a World Boss-level monster.
A level 0 is a monster as powerful as a World Boss.
Regular users can’t even handle a single World Boss, so what about a dungeon filled with dozens or hundreds of such monsters?
As of now, other than the Sword Saint and Leo, it’s absolutely a place that can’t be conquered.
“No, there’s one more.”
A new powerhouse who took the title.
Tick.
The sword in the sword house was slightly drawn out. And then it goes back in.
It’s drawn out again.
And again…
“…Hmm.”
Current level is 96.
Just like before level 90, the level is not increasing smoothly again.
Of course, if I keep challenging, I could reach the targeted level 100.
‘…If it happens again.’
Something I’ve already experienced once.
Would it be impossible to do it twice?
No, not at all.
‘In fact, it could be overflowing. The possibilities.’
“Lily Elbrite…”
I’ve become eager to meet her.
Ding!
[The dungeon has been cleared, and communication with the outside world is now possible!]
[There are a total of 982 unread chat messages.]
[There are a total of 21 main chat messages.]
[The Golden Empire, the Imperium has sent you correspondence! (12 days ago, 14 days ago, 17…)]
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1YkU5K2Zzb2pjcGdEU3o1ZEJZRy94Ynk0VFdxd3VWRGw0S1YyWkEvczJSKw
The Sword Saint frowned at the mountain of messages once again.
Even though he had blocked everyone except for rankers and certain users, this much still piled up.
The Sword Saint sighed and read the imperial letter first.
Whatever it was, the Sword Saint had the title and territory of the empire.
Not that he was using it much.
“…Three armies.”
First up, Duke Huangyeol.
《Sword Saint, how have you been? The Emperor and I are still doing well. I wonder how you are doing.
You, being the immortal, should have been training without any issues, but sadly, a minor problem has arisen in the empire.
You’ll need to come.》
[Letter from Duke Huangyeol, Robelian Chen Imperium.]
[According to the letter, if you head to the empire, the main quest, ‘March of the Empire’ will proceed.]
“…The empire.”
I’ve heard roughly, but is the empire planning to go to war?
I heard it was thwarted by Lily Elbrite.
Of course, war… I’ll have to think about that.
“Next…”
《Hello, Sword Saint? Has it been over a year since we last met? It probably has.
I don’t know if the Duke already sent you a letter, but there’s a minor. Just a tiny~ problem in the empire.
It happened.
Sword Saint, even though you’re an outsider, since you’re benefiting from the empire’s salary, I hope you come back soon.
Oh, and don’t forget to bring my gift when you come back?
p.s Of course, you should come through my Magic Road. Got it?
[Magic Lord, this is a letter from Karia Marchelfield.]
[According to the letter’s intention, if you head to the empire via the Magic Road, the main quest, ‘Division – Magic Lord’ will proceed.]
“…You held on for a long time.”
Main Quest, Division.
Though I’ve aligned with the empire, the current empire is too massive.
The concentration of power is skewed towards a select few compared to the land and influence they have.
Especially the factional struggles between Magic Lord and Spirit Lord are getting more intense by the day.
The Duke Huangyeol, a bloodline of the royal family, and Saintess Nea are holding them back, but how long will that last?
From what I see, it wouldn’t be surprising if the empire split into three at any moment.
‘Whether it splits into three or two is still uncertain.’
I checked the last letter.
《Hello, Sword Saint. It’s Arne Partia. Have you been doing well?
Unfortunately, the empire hasn’t been doing well.
Since the empire is in trouble, I hope you come here quickly. Of course, I will compensate you sufficiently, so don’t worry about your training.
p.s I’ve already sent someone to bring you, so just follow that child.》
[Spirit Lord, this is a letter from Arne Partia.]
[When the user ‘Leo’ heads to the empire, the main quest, ‘Division – Spirit Lord’ will proceed.]
“Leo.”
So, Leo chose the Spirit Lord, huh?
Since the Spirit Lord is Leo’s master, it makes sense.
If he sided with the Magic Lord, we would clash.
Under normal circumstances, I might’ve welcomed that.
I’d like to test this strength that’s grown much stronger than a year ago.
I’ve heard that Leo has also become much stronger.
But right now, things are different.
‘Which side will Lily Elbrite join? Given her connection with Leo, is it the Spirit Lord? Or will she avoid aligning with the empire altogether?’
Leo was no longer of interest.
I’m more eager to engage with the new powerhouse, Lily Elbrite.
The Sword Saint erased the two letters and turned his gaze to one.
‘Duke Huangyeol.’
This guy might know something.
The Sword Saint set off towards the empire.
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