Chapter 281
Chapter 281 . Kwak Jung, Kwak Jun, and Lee Ji-Tae
“Oi, Kwak something . ”
Kwak Jung said . Yes .
“You saw that right?” I did .
Kwak Jun, the tactician of Lord Vito Clemenza replied over the screen .
“Our king is this awesome, hah!”
Kwak Jung shrugged arrogantly .
“In other words, your trickeries have nothing on us!” Haha, what do you mean by trickeries… that’s an exaggeration . I had to gain Vilhelm’s trust… .
Kwak Jun denied Kwak Jung’s accusations .
“Oh? You bastard still haven’t learnt your lesson after that beating… . ” Ah, if tactician Kwak says so, then it must be true . Yup, definitely true .
Kwak Jun smiled and tried his best to curry favor with Kwak Jung .
“Changing words, are we?” Not at all .
“Well, if you do it again then I will break your bones into tiny pieces . ” ……
“Anyways, how is the Baldur conquest going?” Good .
“Any chance of a third superpower emerging from the Baldur region… . ” I will prevent that at all costs!
Kwak Jun promised .
“Hmm! Sounds good . Alright, keep up the good work . ” Yes .
“Good to see you working hard, huh?” Haha! It’s all thanks to the Supreme King of the West and tactician Kwak’s everlasting care and love .
“Keh… bastard knows how to flatter… . ” Not at all!
“You must have breezed through army . ” Yes, I’m quite… .
Despite the ongoing casual conversation, Kwak Jung was incredibly cold towards Kwak Jun inwardly .
There’s a chance that you bastard may become the third superpower . You think I will let that happen?
Kwak Jung was hiding a dagger behind his laughter .
He was fine with letting Kwak Jun grow his influence, but he would never let him be a bigwig .
“Well then, continue to report in the future . ” Certainly .
“Ah, and . ” Anything else?
“If Vilhelm looks for you… you know what to do, right?” Of course!
Kwak Jun immediately replied . I will report every detail of the conversation without mistake . Nothing… .
At that instant . Gasp!
Kwak Jun was taken aback .
“What is it?” A-An incoming call from Vilhelm!
“……!” It’s classified as ‘top secret’ some more . Seems like he wants to have a secret conversation .
“Hmm… ok, hurry take the call . ”
Kwak Jung nodded .
“Let me reiterate… . ” I will definitely report every single detail .
“Good . ” Well then, I will go talk to Vilhelm… .
“Be my guest . ” Alright!
Beep - !
The call ended .
“Hmm… Vilhelm seems to be in the soup, huh?”
It was obvious as to why Vilhelm was looking for Kwak Jun .
Vilhelm was in a politically precarious position .
He had already lost the war due to Mei Ling’s trolling (?) and had lost the trust of many Lords . Vilhelm desperately needed an opportunity to turn things around .
The fact that he gave Kwak Jun a call meant… .
“Now now… it’s going to be interesting! Keke!”
Kwak Jung grinned .
***
Overlord rank 9 .
Atal Ramanujan .
His specialty was to increase population and overwhelm his enemies with sheer numbers, just like Ao Xin . He was the true ruler of the Baldur region, who governed the Shatyameba territory .
Of course, Atal Ramanujan wasn’t a man with the abilities to become the ruler of one of the three large divisions of Pangea .
He could amplify his population to activate his domestic economy and cultivate a large army, but that was all .
Shatyameba was a tropical territory with harsh terrains . It was impossible to feed that many people .
Moreover, the territory lacked a skilled magic-engineer, thus the level of technological advance was extremely meagre . Regardless of the population, Shatyameba was inferior to other territories .
Because of this,
“I have to get out of this cursed land no matter what… . ”
Atul Ramanujan wished to advance towards the center of the Baldur region .
“And recruit talents… . ”
He also wished to have capable subordinates under his wing .
Despite the large population, talents were nowhere to be found . This drove Atul Ramanujan insane .
“Now’s really the opportunity . . . we need to make a move now… welps… . ”
In his office,
Atal Ramanujan kept licking his while reading the map .
Now was really the right time .
Alex Rothschild, who wasn’t an Overlord but was affluent enough to pose a heavy influence on the Baldur region had suddenly disappeared from the ranking page .
Furthermore, Overlord Lee Chae-Rin and Lord Vito Clemenza’s army were fractioning the Baldur region from the west and east respectively .
In addition, six Lords who ruled over the central region of Baldur had mysteriously vanished, which instigated rebellion and uproar in those territories .
Therefore, if an Overlord like him could advance to the central region of Baldur, Atul Ramanujan could be the second person to claim the crown after Kang Chul-In .
“God damn it… where are the talents… . ”
The problem was that he lacked a genius who could command his huge army and share his insights regarding the political scene in Pangea .
“Hmm… . ”
At that moment .
“Your Majesty, an explorer named Lee Ji-Tae requests to be in your presence . ”
A servant spoke .
“Lee Ji-Tae?”
“Yes, Your Majesty . ”
“Peculiar name . But how can a mere explorer request to meet me?”
“A-Actually… . ”
“Speak . ”
“This explorer named Lee Ji-Tae has promised to hunt down and tribute to you the level 70 ‘Gulag lizard’… . ”
“G-Gulag lizard!”
Atal Ramanujan gasped in shock .
The Gulag lizard was a native species only found in Atul Ramanujan’s territory . It was a terrifying monster which spewed out toxic gas .
There was even a consensus amongst the explorers that hunting level 80 monsters was more beneficial than hunting a Gulag lizard .
And this stranger had just promised to kill this monster .
“A raid party?”
“No . ”
“No?”
“He claimed to have hunted down the lizard alone… . ”
“……!”
“There are witnesses as well . I believe Lee Ji-Tae is quite a skillful… . ”
“Hurry!!!”
Atal Ramanujan bellowed .
“Summon this explorer named Lee Ji-Tae in the Lord’s hall, now!”
“Yes, Your Majesty . ”
“I shall personally speak to him!”
Atal Ramanujan’s face was red in excitement .
A powerful explorer who could even solo kill a Gulag lizard had walked into his territory of his own volition .
It was akin to chancing upon a wallet on the street .
Talents like such didn’t come by often!
***
30 minutes later .
In the Lord’s hall of Shatyameba .
“So, you are Lee Ji-Tae?”
Atal Ramnujan asked the explorer charismatically, who was kneeling on one side .
“Yes, Your Majesty . I indeed am . ”
“You claim to have hunted down a Gulag lizard alone… is that true?”
“Yes . ”
“Woah… then you must be really powerful! That’s already as good as a general in Valhalla!”
“Not at all, Your Majesty . ”
Lee Ji-Tae was humble .
“How could I compare to the ferocious generals of Valhalla? I may be able to fight one or two Gulag lizards, but they can take down four or five . ”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes, Your Majesty . Moreover, Kang Chul-In, the Supreme King of the West, will just treat the Gulag lizards as mere pets . ”
“Right… you speak the truth . ”
Atal Ramanujan was aware of the reality . He agreed with Lee Ji-Tae .
“But that is not to say your combat abilities are insignificant . It is rare to find an explorer who can hunt down a Gulag lizard alone . ”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty . ”
“Well then, raise your head . Let me have a look at your face . ”
Lee Ji-Tae revealed his face .
Hmm! Seems familiar… .
Atal Ramanujan thought he had seen the face from somewhere .
Who is it… I definitely recognize this face… ah, Lee Gong-Myung!!!
The stranger’s face closely resembled Alex Rothschild’s tactician, Lee Gong-Myung’s face .
However,
No, that’s not it . Lee Gong-Myung’s eyes were not blue . His hair as well… those traits are more like Alex Rothschild’s… .
The stranger was definitely not Lee Gong-Myung himself .
At the same time, he wasn’t Alex Rothschild . He had a strange mixture of both of their traits .
Don’t tell me… he recognizes me?
Lee Ji-Tae, no, Lee Gong-Myung was slightly nervous .
He had absorbed Alex Rothschild, hence his appearance carried some of his traits .
In other words, it wasn’t surprising that Atal Ramanujan found Lee Ji-Tae’s face familiar .
“Your Majesty . ”
At that moment, Lee Ji-Tae quickly spoke .
“May I request something… . ”
“Ah, do you have anything to say?”
“Please take me in . ”
“……!”
“If you take me in as your subordinate… I, Lee Ji-Tae, swear on my life to make Your Majesty the king of the southern region!”
“K-King of South!”
Atal Ramanujan exclaimed with delight .
King .
Ah, what a magnificent title!
The other Lords would look up to him, just like how they respected Kang Chul-In, who was the King of the West .
In addition, if he managed to establish a kingdom, he could become the one and only ruler of Baldur, unlike the Gullveig Alliance in the North .
Just like Kang Chul-In!
“Hmm!”
However, Atal Ramanujan immediately regained his composure .
The King of South?
A grand title indeed, but it was easier said than done .
He understood that Lee Ji-Tae was powerful enough to hunt down a Gulag lizard alone, but that was far from enough .
“Lee Ji-Tae, was it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty . ”
“Are you patronizing me?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I understand that you are proficient in combat, but that alone is insufficient to make me a king . ”
“I’m not talking about my combat abilities . ”
Lee Ji-Tae replied .
“I plan to make you a king using my brain and tactics . ”
“T-Tactics?”
“Yes, Your Majesty . ”
“Even though you are strong enough to hunt a Gulag… . ”
“To assume that a strong soldier is not brainy is a stereotype . ”
“……!”
“My combat abilities are far from perfect, but I am confident in my tactics and strategies . ”
That was hardly an arrogance .
Lee Gong-Myung (now Lee Ji-Tae) was a genius who had once pushed that incapable Alex Rothschild up to the same ranks as Kang Chul-In and Vilhelm .
He could do the same for Atal Ramanujan .
“I-Is that true?”
“Yes, Your Majesty . ”
Lee Ji-Tae replied firmly .
“Northern Expedition!!!”
“……!”
“Your Majesty currently rules over the southernmost area in Pangea, but you have to advance to the north to rule over the whole continent!”
Ba-dump!
That statement made Atal Ramanujan’s heart race .
Ah, the Northern Expedition!
What an exciting phrase!
“Don’t you boast a huge population? Your Majesty, think about your home country India and also China!”
“India and China… . ”
“These two nations invigorated their domestic economies by taking advantage of their large population . They eventually took over the world economy!”
He was right .
Population directly affected a nation’s economy, and a strong economy became the foundation for a strong army .
“What forms the fundamentals of a nation is none other than the people . ”
“……!”
“In that sense, Your Majesty possesses an attribute which is far more valuable than that of Kang Chul-In or Ao Xin!”
“I-Is that so!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Keh… I think you are right . ”
“However!”
“……!”
“As time passes by, both the Gullveig Alliance and the Valhalla Kingdom will enjoy an increase in population . ”
It was a race against time .
Both the Gullveig Alliance and the Valhalla Kingdom were equipped with a huge talent pool, abundant resources and advanced technology . Their populations were increasing exponentially .
In contrast, Atal Ramanujan’s finance was starting to take a toll due to the increasing population .
Thus, if Atal Ramanujan delayed his Northern Expedition and failed to advance to the center of Pangea, then he would never get a chance to rule over Pangea!
“Your Majesty!”
“What is it?”
“If you grant me 30,000 soldiers, I will conquer the Itaracia territory for you!”
“I-Itaracia!”
It was a strategic location that Atal Ramanujan had to conquer for his advancement .
The problem was that it had harsh terrain similar to the 18 peaks, and also burning hot weather .
In addition, the fortress was located 3000m above sea level, so it was wise to give up before trying in normal circumstances .
“Yes, your Majesty . ”
“Is that… even possible?”
“I will make you proud!”
A strong confidence!
Lee Ji-Tae was 100% sure of himself .
Why?
It was because he was Lee Gong-Myung, the tactician of Alex Rothschild!