Chapter 261
Chapter 261: Thanks for the Meal
The Valhalla army’s intentions are clear .
Kwak Jun spoke .
“Clear?”
What they need is time .
“ . . . !”
Isn’t there a cliché saying that attack is the best form of defence?
The crux .
Kwak Jun was tackling the fundamental reason behind this war .
The Valhalla army is not aiming for victory .
“ . . . !”
It hasn’t even been a year since the nation’s birth . Hence, its main priority would be to stabilize the domestic affairs and achieve harmony within . That alone takes time! The enemy would rather launch an attack first than to be attacked by a gigantic force called the Gullveig Alliance . And while its soldiers fight outside the nation’s borders, Valhalla plans to strengthen its cohesion .
“Yes, that’s right! You are right, Kwak Jun!”
Vilhelm nearly slapped his forehead in epiphany .
The Valhalla Kingdom has no interest in achieving victory . It would be good if they could, but it’s difficult to expect anything from its smaller-scale army . Moreover, the Supreme King of the West himself is not participating in the war .
“Does that mean…?”
Yes, the enemy only desires small victories or defeats . Consequently, Valhalla will try to sign an armistice after multiple small battles .
“Those sly bastards…! You think I will let you?”
You certainly will .
“Why would I? What do I have to lose…?”
Vilhelm stiffened up, but Kwak Jun quickly corrected his thoughts .
Isn’t the Gullveig Alliance similar?
“ . . . !”
A mob - that is the reality of the Gullveig Alliance . Great in number, but poor in quality .
That was the truth .
The Gullveig Alliance had comparable equipment and supplies to the Valhalla Kingdom, but the quality of soldiers was vastly inferior .
The soldiers of Valhalla were extremely well-trained through high intensity battle simulations .
In addition, they were proud to be soldiers thanks to Kang Chul-In’s policy which respected the veterans . The fact that they were part of the ‘unbeatable army’ also reinforced their morale .
To top it all off, the Valhalla soldiers possessed the most battle experience in Pangaea .
“Ahem…!”
Vilhelm cleared his throat . He didn’t feel comfortable listening to this “insult,” but it was a gesture that he agreed .
Tactician Kwak Jung is a scary man, but what made Valhalla so strong is the quality of its army . Strictly speaking, isn’t the Valhalla army objectively the greatest army in Pangaea?”
“ . . . ”
Our Gullveig Alliance is fighting against those men . If we do not achieve good results in this war, your Majesty would have to withdraw your army and sign the armistice . We would be running low on resources .
That was the reality .
The Gullveig Alliance boasted an incredible economic power, but that wasn’t enough to sustain through a long, tedious war .
“If that happens . . . ”
Yes, we would be playing by Kang Chul-In’s rules . As you know, the combination of the Supreme King of the West and Overlord Lee Chae-Rin is a threat . Power and money . What could be scarier?
“ . . . !”
With time, Valhalla will eventually be on par with the Gullveig Alliance in strength . And then . . . ”
“That must never happen!”
Vilhelm shouted .
“How could we ever let that happen!?”
Yes, that’s right .
Kwak Jun nodded .
That should never happen . Therefore… don’t be fooled by Kwak Jung’s tricks and just charge at the enemy with brute force . It’s wiser to deploy the whole army to conquer Deathwin .
“But . . . ”
Yes, Kwak Jung will do anything he can to stop this all-out attack . But do not be swayed by that . We can trample on the enemy soldiers with a sheer number of men, which is indeed the main advantage of the Gullveig Alliance .
Thump!
Vilhelm was shocked .
Brrrr!
Even his body trembled .
Right, why didn’t I think of this? I shouldn’t have been swayed by Kwak Jung’s schemes!
It was a simple but effective solution, as the Gullveig Alliance lacked the strategizing mind of Valhalla . Even if it was tedious, the best action was to conquer the land of Deathwin, which was situated at the two giants’ boundaries .
“Kwak Jun…!”
Vilhelm stared at the screen .
Yes, your Majesty?
“You are right . ”
I’m flattered . It’s just a trivial suggestion .
“No, I will follow your plan . ”
Your Majesty, please think about this carefully . If you just hastily follow my plan, you may end up in a sticky situation .
“There’s nothing to think about further . If we fail, the blame lies on me and my army, not you . I’m not an idiot who blames it on others . ”
In other words, Vilhelm had decided to heed Kwak Jung’s opinion fully, and attack the land of Deathwin .
“Kwak Jun, can you help me for a while?”
I beg your pardon?
“If you come here and command our alliance army . . . ”
I apologize .
“ . . . ”
His Majesty Vito Clemenza is currently very ill . I can’t leave Paramount at such a critical time .
“What a pity . ”
I, too, wish to help your Majesty to the best of my abilities . I apologize once again .
Kwak Jun bowed at Vilhelm via the screen .
Damn it!
Vilhelm was dying from anxiety .
He wanted to observe Kwak Jun’s abilities personally, but he had refused to join him in the war .
Vilhelm couldn’t threaten or kidnap him as well . Kwak Jun had a valid reason to decline .
I will make you my subordinate no matter what .
Vilhelm swore .
Kwak Jun .
He was the key to fighting against Kang Chul-In’s tactician, Kwak Jung .
***
“Wishing you the best for the war, your Majesty . ”
Kwak Jun told Vilhelm and ended the call .
“Now to hint to the other party… Kwak Jung, let’s see how good you are . ”
He mumbled to himself and began to write on a scroll .
The encrypted, confidential message was as follows:
[To: Kwak Jung, the tactician of the Kingdom of Valhalla . ]
Instigated Albrecht Vilhelm to launch an all-out attack . (You should know the reason)
Target: Deathwin territory .
Will be difficult to defend .
I will observe your decisions .
Good luck .
[Sender: Kwak Jun, the tactician of the Paramount territory . ]
***
Kwaaaaaa!
The magma breath from the fire turtle Cyamodus announced the start of Rothschild’s gold dragon raid .
Success rate… around 30%?
Kang Chul-In predicted .
It was a risky raid, indeed .
In fact, it was almost an impossible mission . There was a reason why everybody who got the awakening quest left it for later .
To attempt the quest immediately after hitting level 70 was a suicide call .
Well, whether they succeed or fail is none of my business .
Kang Chul-In grinned .
Indeed, it didn’t matter whether Rothschild could clear the quest .
All Kang Chul-In had to do was watch with some popcorn in his hands and make his move when the timing was right .
“Now, Rothschild! Hurry up, make my throne! Hahahaha~!”
Kang Chul-In laughed like a crazy man .
“Huh?”
Dorian intervened .
“What throne? Don’t you have a throne? The one made from mithril? I heard Ms . Chae-Rin gave you that as the dowry?”
“I do . ”
“Then why is Rothschild making you a throne?”
“Not all thrones are the same . ”
Kang Chul-In smiled and replied .
“Isn’t a throne made from a gold dragon’s skull the most befitting for a classy king like me?”
“I-I suppose . ”
“Of course it is . And it’s more comfortable too . ”
“How do you know that? Not like you’ve sat on one before!”
“I have . ”
“Huh? When? Where?”
“Very long ago?”
“You are lying!”
“Believe it or not . ”
Kang Chul-In grinned .
Lying?
Nonsense!
His throne in the previous life was made from a gold dragon’s skull!
Moreover,
“I will leave it to you again, Rothschild…! Hehehe!”
That throne was loot from Rothschild’s territory!
In other words, Rothschild had successfully hunted down a gold dragon in the past as well .
***
The battle was incredible to watch .
Roarrrr!
50 metres in length .
The gold dragon that had come out of its lair was magnificent, vicious, beautiful and mysterious at the same time .
Just think!
Those brilliant golden scales!
They were emitting light .
From its head to the tail, the gold dragon was covered in a brilliant ray of heavenly light .
“Holding, holding!”
Rothschild shouted .
“The chains, chains!”
“Magicians, cast your AOE binding spells!”
“Arrows!”
All the explorers and soldiers were doing their job .
Bang, bang!
Meanwhile, magic-engineered artillery fired shells at the gold dragon and Cyamodus the fire turtle unleashed its magma dreathe .
Not bad .
It was a sight to behold .
Dragon hunting was a rare occasion . Kang Chul-In was even munching on some popcorn while he watched .
About four hours passed .
The entire area was in ruins, but the battle between the humans and the gold dragon seemed to come to an end .
“Let’s go . ”
Kang Chul-In threw his half-eaten popcorn packet aside and began to move .
***
Grrr, Grrrrr…!
The gold dragon growled in agony .
A total wreck .
Its brilliant scales were drenched in fresh blood . Two of its three horns were broken, and its right wing was completely torn into pieces .
To top all of that off, its long tail had been chopped in half .
However,
Roarrrr!
Dragon Fear!
The gold dragon did not show any signs of weakness . Befitting the strongest creature in Pangaea, it never lost its dignity even in its final moments .
“Huff… puff . . . ”
Rothschild gasped for air as he stared at the gold dragon .
“Let’s…end this . . . ”
Rothschild pointed his epic-ranked sword, ‘Sigurd,’ at the gold dragon .
The sword was in a bad state .
It had chips and crack lines everywhere, making it practically unusable .
Flick, flick!
However, the sword still had a strong current of energy surrounding it . That was because Sigurd was a ‘dragon-slaying sword’ .
Dragon Slayer!
Sigurd added +50% damage on any dragon-type monsters .
Thus, it was releasing its final bit of energy to fulfill its duty .
Rothschild grasped Sigurd tightly .
With this… I will surpass Kang Chul-In!
It was the final moment .
Awakening!
A new world would open up for him the moment he sliced the gold dragon’s throat .
Psst!
Rothschild propelled himself forward .
I did it, I really did it!
Rothschild’s eyes gleamed in excitement . He had a juicy prize right before him .
“Thanks for the meal!”
At that moment .
An irritating voice could be heard .
“ . . . !”
Rothschild’s face crumpled in horror .
The corners of his mouth were curved upwards .
Kang Chul-In . His arch nemesis was stabbing Kaiforce into the gold dragon’s neck .
“N-Noooooooooo! You fuckerrrrrrrrrr!”
Rothschild screamed desperately .