NOVEL NEXT Ch. 27
“Swordmen, at the front. Thieves, flank,”
ThuckThuck*Clak*
Close to eighty players moved as per Zyrus’s command. It had been half an hour since they departed from their location. None of the players had thought that their first assignment under their inhuman leader would be a military drill.
“Shielders at the center! You three at the back, run three laps.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The three swordsmen replied with haggard breath and moved aside to run around in circles. There were ten more who were doing the same thing. What prompted their enthusiastic response was the fact that two of the previous ten who didn’t reply had to run two more laps.
Zyrus kept one eye on the players and opened the map to check the position of (I) marker. The average marching speed of a well-trained infantry was about 5 Km/ hour. The players weren’t the least bit trained, but their stats weren’t for show. He had more than enough time to reach the destination.
“Mages, attack on 4:30.”
BOOOM
Brilliant sparks lit up the dark plain. Fire, water, wind, and earth were the common elements. Whoever got the quest related to it from an elder soul and awakened mana was a remarkable talent in their respective zones.
“Pathetic. Only 7 out of you lot reacted, and even then, 2 missed their mark. Draw clocks and learn to coordinate. I want you ready to act by this time tomorrow.”
His sharp words cut through the rhythmic marching as well as the mages’ vain arrogance. Having remarkable talent meant nothing if it wasn’t turned into battle prowess.
“Ria, you’re in charge from now on. Do as I did.”
“Understood.”
Zyrus yawned and jogged ahead of the others. He wasn’t pulling the players’ leg while giving them these tasks. The humans were struggling because except for rare cases like Kyle and Lauren most had lived a peaceful life. They lacked the willpower and training needed to fight in a proper battle. It was fine to be a step late or misfire a spell, but what if it was in actual combat?
The mistake of a single player could jeopardize the whole operation. Even the VR games required strategy and practice to master, much less actual life-and-death combat.
The figures of the players became smaller and smaller as he ran at full speed. A leader had to set an example for others to follow. None would feel defiance against his orders when he trained harder than anyone else.
Two hours later, the dog-tired players and Zyrus who was the same as ever arrived at their marked location. It was just past midnight, so they were right on time.
‘And there it is,’
Zyrus spotted the strange object before anyone else. It was a brown furry carriage that was rolling towards them at a steady pace.
Rugdug*rug*dug*rug*dug*
Its creaking grew louder and louder and soon enough, everyone had noticed its presence.
[Transport Vehicle (White grade)]
[HP: -]
[Note: Attacking the vehicle will result in lowered reputation with Elder souls]
Zyrus walked out from the crowd and stood in the path of the rolling furball. There was an additional option on his screen compared to others.
⦕ You have found a Rank I dealer! ⦖
[Initiate trade?]
[Yes/No]
[Cost: 10 copper coins]
Zyrus clicked ‘Yes’ without hesitation and in the next moment, he was left with 725 coins.
RugDug*Shwooooo*
White smoke and dust billowed out as the vehicle screeched to a halt. In front of everyone’s curious eyes, a white cloaked man walked out from what looked like a hatch.
"Greetings players. I am at your service,” the man gave them a slight bow and looked at Zyrus. His voice was similar to an insurance agent; just hearing it was enough to make one clench their pockets.
“Well met. Show us your goods.”
“With pleasure,” the dealer waved his hand and a gigantic hologram appeared in front of the carriage. Zyrus had lost count of how many times he had spoken the same words and seen the same sight, but it was a novel experience for the players.
There were no discernible details about the dealer except for the golden embroidery on his mask. Their ranks correlated with their cloak’s color with white being the lowest rank.
“All of you should have some coins at the very least. Prioritize getting a spare weapon or armor. If you can afford then buy some potions as well, they’ll come in handy.”
Zyrus looked at the screen after instructing the players. Just like before, there was a separate screen for him which had higher quality items as well as some necessary things for army camps like tents, rations, signal flares, and so on. This was the system’s way of aiding the newbie players in this event.
[Consumable Items]
Standard Ration Pack x 1 - 10 Copper Coins
Field Bandage x 1 (Crude) - 30 Copper Coins
Signal Flare x 1 (Red) - 50 Copper Coins
Smell-Erasing Powder x 1 - 70 Copper Coins
Stealth Potion x 1 (Diluted) - 100 Copper Coins
[Weapon and Armor]
Common Tunic - 80 Copper Coins
Wooden Shield - 100 Copper Coins
Leather Cloak - 50 Copper Coins
Iron Dagger - 65 Copper Coins
Militia Spear - 150 Copper Coins
.
.
.
The list went on and on with all sorts of low-grade yet necessary items. Zyrus didn’t bother with the weapons as his bloodspine spear was the best weapon there was in the entire first ring. He also had an armor in mind which he could obtain once his troops grew larger.
In the end, he decided to buy two sets of Signal Flare, Smell-Erasing Powder, and Stealth Potion. These things were needed to make a proper scouting team.
“Ria, select two skilled dagger users and give them these. Their task is to scout the closest enemy camp.”
“You’re…generous.”
“Just an investment. A leader who does everything by himself isn’t well liked. Let them contribute even if it’s something minor, and when the victory comes, they’ll feel like they’re a part of it.”
Ria nodded in seriousness and went behind to convey his order. Zyrus planned to let them strategize and gather resources while he himself would read from the cube.
He had to prepare for the trip back on earth as well.
…
One and a half days later, at a camp a few kilometers deep in the wastelands.
A one-sided fight was taking place during the wee hours after midnight. The sentry from the defending camp was vigilant throughout the night, and yet, they were mercilessly attacked two hours before the break of dawn. It was a planned attack launched at the time when most of the players were in deep sleep.
“Damn it!” A goateed man in his late forties cursed after looking at the ongoing scuffles. This was a barren area without any vegetation. The flat terrain favored neither the defenders nor the attackers and both sides could only fight head-on.
A group of 200 players were attacking them from all sides. The defending leader had dozens of more players, so it shouldn’t have been an issue to hold their ground.
Originally, he had thought that the enemy’s strategy of scattering their manpower was rather foolish. But now he realized that he couldn’t have been more wrong.
One man's misery was another Sylvarix’s joy. Zyrus was very satisfied after observing his players’ progress. The plan he devised alongside Ria was quite straightforward.
They evenly divided the melee attackers into teams of thirty. The sword and knife users were given the role of engaging in a dogfight against the defending camp, accompanied by a few spear users who moved in and out, disrupting the enemies' formation.
It seemed to be a boorish method at a glance, but the next part of the plan suggested otherwise.
Unlike the usual strategy where tanks were stationed at the front, Zyrus stationed all of them ten feet away from the enemy’s camp.
Not only that, he also stationed the long-range archers in the middle of this group. They were protected by the group of tanks who had formed a circular iron wall around them.
As for the rare mages who only numbered a dozen? They had yet to make an appearance in this battle.
Even with a numerical advantage the defending camp was being suppressed on all sides. The core of this strategy lay with the group of archers.
“It’s a rather cruel tactic.”
“No one has died from our side.”
“Yet.”
“Getting brave now, aren’t we?”
“Humph! I know that ‘Your Majesty’ wouldn’t kill little old me.”
Zyrus only chuckled at her answer. Ria was quick in adapting to her role. After hearing about his current and future plans, she was confident that she wouldn’t be killed by him unless she crossed his bottom line.
Why? It was because of a very simple reason.
Zyrus hated to manage logistics from the bottom of his heart. He preferred strategies and fights where he was a part of them.
“Also, are you sure my skill would work here?”
“You think I’d waste so much time explaining things otherwise?” Zyrus replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
His goal was clear: to impart his knowledge about various war strategies to her. It wasn’t just to win these small fights.
If he wanted to, Zyrus could’ve won the battle by using poison breath on the enemy’s core players.
He wanted to train the players and most importantly, he wanted to train Ria. He knew firsthand how annoying a commander with foresight or clairvoyance ability was. He couldn't trust anyone completely, but time wouldn't allow him to be skeptical of everyone. Thus, it was better to recruit his main followers early on.
Only this way could he observe them for long and make a judgement.
“What do you think will happen next?”
“They’ll deploy their mages to the front?” Ria answered after a bit of contemplation.
Neither side had used the mages in this battle. It wasn’t because they wanted to preserve their combat power.
Quite the contrary, a mage’s aoe spells were most potent in large conflicts. However, if both sides were to let their mages attack wantonly, it would only result in the deaths of their own troops.
Thus, unless the defending crown wielder was sure about his defeat, he wouldn’t use such a mutually destructive method.
Zyrus predicted as such from the beginning. If it weren't for avoiding such an outcome, this whole façade of a bitter struggle would be meaningless.
Just as he was about to explain, a sudden cry of bugle resounded across the wastelands.
[Eye of Annihilation]
Reflected in his red vertical eyes was an army of goblin riders. And unlike their kinsmen in the tutorial, they were being led by their totem chief.
A new crown holder had joined the fray.