Chapter 120. Survivor (2)
“Are they really planning to advance in this state?”
The 4th Battalion had completed their supply replenishment through us today.
Therefore, according to the orders from the headquarters, they had to participate in the battle at Callum Castle.
The problem was that the battle nearby the barracks set up at the Lacrimal Valley was too intense.
“I heard the damage to the knights is significant.”
The news of the 4th Battalion’s struggle had even reached my location in the rear. When I heard that news, I recalled Jerome, whom I had learned about through Alio. I vaguely remembered the unit he was assigned to in the reorganized religious army.
If there was a priest or holy knight from the Palao order in the 4th Battalion, it wasn’t difficult to have real-time conversations.
I contacted Jerome through the Palao priest accompanying the 4th Battalion for the soldiers’ confessions.
And through him, I could subtly probe Baron Bolvita, the person in charge of the 4th Battalion.
“I suggested having players accompany the next battle.”
It wasn’t difficult to plan this out. The outcome, however, wasn’t very favorable.
“Sigh.”
I couldn’t help but swallow a sigh that naturally came out. The reason I took up the escort mission was to accumulate contribution points.
However, the reason I chose the escort mission bound for the 4th Battalion among the many supply escort missions was different.
“I thought it was an opportunity.”
According to what Jerome found out, the 4th Battalion had lost nearly 20% of their knights. This meant they needed reinforcements.
“But it’s impossible.”
Bihar had not been successful in training new recruits from the start. With a desperate population shortage, how could there be new recruits?
Every year, squires were knighted, but the number of dying knights was always greater.
The number of those volunteering as soldiers was also continuously decreasing. In such a situation, calling for troop reinforcements was futile.
Knowing the current state of Bihar, I subtly introduced the idea of players.
It would have been a tempting proposal for Baron Bolvita, who had lost nearly 20% of his knights.
Indeed, through my conversation with Jerome, I discerned that his inclination was leaning towards wanting reinforcements at any cost.
‘I spent four days coming all the way here.’
“Why hasn’t he made a decision yet?”
What did he hear in those four days? Did the religious order put pressure on him?
There was no way to know the exact reason unless I directly asked the Baron. Yet, even without knowing the reason, it wasn’t hard to understand the situation.
With little time remaining and if the Baron continued to delay his decision, the outcome was obvious.
‘Wasted effort.’
If Baron Bolvita ultimately chose not to advance with players, the past four days would be wasted. Even if I intensified hunting on the way back, time once lost wouldn’t return.
“Tch.”
In the end, unable to restrain myself, I clicked my tongue briefly. Jerome noticed my mood and apologized.
“I apologize. I wanted to be of help…”
“Sir Jerome, it’s not your fault.”
I was the one who proposed it in the first place. Jerome had willingly stepped up to assist in what might be an inconvenient task, so he had no reason to apologize.
“If it works out, great; if not, we’ll just have to find another way.”
“Even so… I’ll try speaking more assertively one more time.”
“Don’t push yourself.”
I was an outsider, but Jerome would continue to work with Baron Bolvita, who was an insider.
If my unreasonable request put him in a difficult position, the network would become meaningless.
To maintain a network where one can exchange necessary favors when needed, one must also consider the convenience of their counterparts.
Hence, I diverted the topic so Jerome wouldn’t broach the same subject again.
“By the way, how is Callum Castle?”
The Palao order provided some information, but it was my habit to collect data from various sources when the opportunity presented itself.
“It still seems too early to claim dominance.”
For some reason, despite the relentless pressure from the religious army, the primary enemy forces were not showing any movement.
While clashes between evolved species and the main army were occurring outside the castle walls, they were just meaningless battles with no real significance to the tides of war.
“There seem to be a lot of meat shields.”
The conversation with Jerome continued for quite a while after that. But everything has an end.
“When we meet at the base, let’s have a meal together.”
“I’d love that. Reach out through Sir Alio once you’re back.”
“Alright, then I’ll take my leave.”
I promised Jerome for our next meeting and headed back to my party members deep in thought.
The reason I put so much effort into finding a spot to be involved, even arranging behind-the-scenes maneuvers, was that there were too few ways for players to accumulate contribution points.
‘Whether it’s because they think we’re not ready yet or they don’t trust us, I’m not sure.’
There was no move to involve players in the front lines. Although this meant the number of casualties was not high, it also limited the players’ roles.
Players could only participate in supportive areas.
‘It’s not a promising picture.’
In this state, we couldn’t expect great rewards. But given the episodes of the main scenario were finite.
‘Retaking Callum Castle isn’t a recurring mission.’
I needed to maximize the rewards obtained when the opportunity presented itself. If I remained quietly on the sidelines, players would miss out on chances.
However, Palao, who could actively reflect my opinion, had a weak voice.
“Although recent successes have brought back some devotees, they haven’t regained past glory.”
So what choice do I have? I’d have to jump in even if it’s by my efforts alone. When I heard about the 4th Battalion, I thought it was a great opportunity.
“If it’s canceled, I’ll need to find another route.”
I pondered once more on ways to accumulate contribution points.
“Hyung, come quickly! The soup is getting cold!”
It was at that moment that I felt a strange gaze irritating my senses along with Kim Yul’s urging voice.
I frowned and strode toward the nearby rock. However, there was nothing where I’d expected someone to be.
I frowned further, scanning the surroundings thoroughly. I did not forget to use Mana Detection, focusing mana in my eyes. But nothing was going to appear even if I did that.
Staring into the empty space for a moment, I turned away with an uneasy mind.
“This is strange.”
Ever since I arrived in Lo Brazil due to the main scenario, I’d occasionally felt a gaze as if someone were curiously observing from the shadows.
The same feeling had prevented me from sleeping deeply during the supply transport.
Even when I tried to confirm the source of these gazes, all I ever found was nothing, like now.
“Am I becoming overly sensitive…?”
Though it was uncomfortable to dismiss it as such, I couldn’t dwell on this issue forever.
“Let’s just eat dinner.”
Upon returning to the spot, Yang Taeho and Kim Yul eagerly showed their interest.
“What did they say?”
Since I had already shared some information, both knew what was going on to some extent. I answered while finishing off the half-cooled soup.
“So it’s a wasted effort?”
Yang Taeho regretfully clicked his tongue and asked me back.
Kim Yul immediately countered his words.
“It’s premature to call it a wasted effort. It could just be a possibility.”
Correct, nothing was decided yet.
“The Baron will have to make a decision by tomorrow morning. Let’s wait until then.”
My words advised not to relax completely and to manage our condition well, so we could join the advance whenever necessary.
“So we’ll go if it happens?”
Kim Yul confirmed once more, and I nodded without any hesitation.
“Of course.”
That’s why I mobilized every connection possible.
“Okay.”
“Hmm… Got it.”
There was no opposition to the plan. By the time we concluded our conversation, I had finished my soup.
The party members, who had finished their meals before me, returned to the barrack immediately.
It was now time to distribute the loot obtained over the last four days.
As we gathered in the barrack and retrieved the items from our inventory, Kim Yul spoke first.
“We found two artifacts this time, right?”
The loot obtained in Bihar wasn’t limited to simple gold, jewels, or rusty weapons found in the field.
Occasionally, items that bore special powers could be discovered as well.
“The ones that are labeled as artifacts in the item window.”
They typically had descriptions related to someone’s story, history, or footprints.
The Kerak series that Yang Taeho and I obtained last time also counted as such artifact items.
“And the shoes we found this time.”
「The Cowardly Yoril’s Shoes」
• Category: Artifact
• Acquisition Difficulty: Unique
• Rank: ★★★
• Description: These shoes belonged to Yoril, who didn’t realize his shoes had fallen off while fleeing from his comrades. Witnessed by the gaze of the Seven Gods, these shoes attained special powers. They allow the bearer to evade danger once, following Yoril’s successful escape.
• Usable Count: 0/1
Found in a secluded rocky area, a single intact leather shoe lay abandoned, and picking it up revealed it to be an artifact item.
Artifacts that could be procured in the field without a specific mission were generally limited in usage.
Though they share some features with magic stones, they differ in their effects.
“Magic stones mostly belong to natural elements or phenomena.”
In contrast, artifacts focus more on events, creating very perplexing uses at times.
Another artifact item obtained this time around offered a prime example of such perplexity.
「A Handkerchief of the Intellectually Disabled Pomir」
• Category: Artifact
• Acquisition Difficulty: Unique
• Rank: ★
• Description: This handkerchief was given to Pomir by his mother on the day he was drafted. He used it to wipe his tears until his death. Witnessed by the gaze of the Seven Gods, it attained special powers. You can draw Pomir’s tears from the handkerchief at your desired moment.
• Usable Count: 0/3
“One’s a dud, huh.”
Neither Yang Taeho nor I disputed Kim Yul’s words. Artifacts are rare findings among loot.
“It’s amazing that we found two during the supply transport.”
Besides today’s two artifact finds, I had two more prior artifacts in my possession: the Spear of Kerak and another ambiguous object like Pomir’s handkerchief.
“I put it up for auction, but it didn’t sell.”
Given this situation, distributing the artifacts was tricky. After pondering over the loot for a while, I made a decision.
“Let’s give Yul the escape tool.”
With Invisibility magic, he might need to scout or reconnoiter alone. My suggestion of giving him the escape tool for emergencies met no opposition from Yang Taeho.
“Before you use it, hand it over if someone else needs to act solo first.”
“Alright.”
Kim Yul agreed straightforwardly while packing the shoes.
And as for the issue of the handkerchief…
“I’ll prepare a safe place in the party’s base and store it there.”
I planned to store other unsold artifacts like that securely.
“Alright, I don’t have any objections.”
“Neither do I.”
The distribution of other pieces of loot, besides the artifacts, was completed neatly.
Even worn-out weapons or dented shields might seem useless, but they can serve as materials when repairing gear through the shop’s custom-making function.
Managing equipment in this way consumes less mana compared to buying new tools.
“Mana is involved in everything from start to finish.”
With no major disagreements, we concluded the distribution via personal maintenance time. First on the list was checking equipment.
Swords often had pits to facilitate blood flow, but after battles, dried black blood would harden within those pits.
So one had to clear the pathways to allow blood flow once again.
There were numerous other inspections required. Cleaning leather or metal armor, tallying the number and types of magic stones possessed.
This routine became familiar in just a few months. After concluding my personal maintenance, I immediately started mana training.
Recently, my focus had been on reducing the time needed for mana condensation.
While conducting maintenance and training, I awaited Baron Bolvita’s decision.
As expected, the following morning, baron Bolvita visited the player area at dawn.
Subsequently, the same system notifications appeared in front of all players stationed at the 4th Battalion’s camp.
MISSION
「Sub Scenario: Participation」
Join the battle as support for the 4th Battalion belonging to the 2nd Regiment of the 2nd Division of the 5th Corps under the 1st Army Command of the Central Religious Army.
「Reward」
• Main Scenario Contribution 1000~2000, variable
The numbers suggested it was a good thing to have tried probing with all the connections I had.
Damned System