Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Seven Sins, Twilight Blacksmith Oswen (3)

Two days later, Torium came to me while I was meditating .

"He never takes off the gloves . He values the gloves more than his weapons and even hates to have water touch them . ”

Those gloves were cherished . It wasn’t simply because they were one of the Seven Sins . The weapons he used were also very good . There had to be a hidden reason why he didn’t want water to touch them .

‘I need to figure out the reason why . ’

I needed to do it myself . I stood up .

"Good job . ”

“No . I just followed your command . ”

I laughed . A fire similar to Krasla’s had risen inside Torium . It was an attitude that indicated they would do everything to complete off my commands .

‘I need to resolve this quickly and go back . '

At the same time, I was curious about the situation of the dungeons .

I didn’t know what would happen while I was stuck here .

Okullos had died but the sensation he created was still there . The balance of power would be disrupted in the aftermath . It was highly likely that the other grand dukes would move .

"Ah, I’ve heard rumours about Makdalli . He has begun a full scale offensive . Lord-nim should be contacted soon . . . ”

“Tomorrow . ”

“Huh?”

"Tomorrow I will participate . ”

"T-that is abrupt . ”

"I was just informed . I am going to see the soldiers . ”

20 minutes before Torium arrived, a dark warrior had entered the training hall and announced it .

It was quite abrupt . I needed to be prepared to move in just one day .

I turned and exited the training hall .

‘If I am going anyway, I should prepare as much as possible . ’

There were things only available here .

I couldn’t ignore them .

My growth rate here was remarkable . I was changing every day . Simply pushing myself wasn’t responsible for the abnormal growth .

This world itself seemed to be helping my growth .

As long as I was stepping on this ground . Once I returned to Earth, I would notice the difference as I engaged in a competition with the other grand dukes .

2,000 soldiers .

The majority of them were skeleton soldiers so the configuration was simple . They had low intelligence, meaning complicated commands couldn’t be given .

But it was still good . At least they could steadily follow my orders .

Approximately 30,000 soldiers left the fortress . It was a considerable number that was prepared overnight .

Oswen shouted from the front .

"This is a sudden move because we have received intelligence that Makdalli’s 4th subordinate, Gudeos, is moving to ‘Dry Land . ’ Catching him will be like cutting one limb off Makdalli . Southern heroes! Save the south and sweep out the invaders!”

"Protect it!”

"Protect it!!”

The shouts rang out .

The remaining people in the fortress waved as we left . If it went as planned, there would be a landslide victory .

At the same time, Oswen raised his six swords up high .

"To war!”

The suffering south had finally drawn their swords .

Thanks to the intelligence obtained and great mobility, they successfully punished Gudeos .

Gudeos only had 10,000 troops prepared . The south only receive a mere 3,000 casaulties .

A great victory! The spirit of the south rose in a flash .

And . . . I also obtained some great achievements .

"Did you hear? The new lord of Pabrum carved a path to Gudeos and cut off his head!”

“Is that all? He also showed the best leadership when commanding his troops . Where did he come from? I’ve heard rumours about his talent . "

"The heavens are helping the south . Makdalli is no longer a match for us . ”

Stories about the war were spreading everywhere . I was always at the centre of the stories .

I had directly cut off Gudeos’ head . There was a large-scale propaganda campaign . Oswen seemed determined to make me the ‘Hero of the South . ’

‘Success can bring bad luck . ’

I was authorized to lead 2,000 soldiers and that number increased by a further 3,000 .

Oswen worried me . He seemed to instinctively be drawn to me . Maybe Wrath and Sloth were affecting him . . .

Anyway, there was no harm in my authority going up . If I became a close associate of Oswen, he might sense the Heart of the Hell Monarch or the Emperor’s Sword .

He might try to stop me from climbing to the position of commander .

The Underground World was a place where I needed to be careful . Right now I was somewhat lacking and I needed to catch up to Oswen .

I would continue to become stronger as he made me into an hero, causing more southern troops to follow me .

In order to do this, I needed solid performances .

The south continued to achieve victories .

"Makdalli isn’t a big deal . The south will take revenge . . . he will fall quickly . ”

It was already the fifth one .

Torium muttered from outside the fortress . The south had conducted four raids that succeeded . Makdalli lost his 4th subordinate Gudeos as well as the 5th, 6th and 7th subordinates .

"It is thanks to the spies giving us definite information . ”

The previous four raids had taken place suddenly . Oswen moved quickly after verifying the information .

Torium had a smile on his face .

"Well, those are just words . Lord-nim has become the hero of the south . Right now, the south is only talking about Lord-nim . ”

"Soon it will calm down . ”

"We’ll see . The southern commander is rising rapidly thanks to you . This has spread through the entire Underground World . Then . . . will you stay in the south with the southern commander? The value of Lord-nim will become higher . ”

If things flowed smoothly then it was likely to end up like that .

However, that was only a possibility . I had no intention of being satisfied with my current position .

"When did the last commander die?”

I asked Torium who replied .

“150 years have passed . ”

Indeed . . .

I nodded .

It had been stagnant for 150 years, with the wind of victory not blowing in this world .

The wind started blowing out of hand once I arrived .

‘Strange . ’

Then I felt the surrounding atmosphere rapidly changing .

The number of soldiers assigned to this battle was 40,000 . The moving troops quickly fell silent .

After crossing two mountains, something felt wrong as they stepped onto the wilderness .

"Originally this was a barren place . . . ”

Torium said with confusion .

I looked around and said .

"There are no soldiers in this location . The intelligence was wrong . ”

"The scouts will look around . ”

There was no end in sight to the wilderness .

It was necessary to have people scout around the entrance .

Oswen raised a hand from the front . Just as people were about to scout around .

Sururuk .

One hand appeared through the mud and grabbed a skeleton soldier .

Suruk!

Sururuk!

Hundreds, thousands of hands rose simultaneously .

"Cursed souls! Why are they in this place . . . ?”

Torium was shocked .

However, the danger hadn’t begun yet .

Sound could be heard in the distance . Soon soldiers arrived from the other side . There were more soldiers than I could estimate . They swarmed towards the army here .

Makdalli .

This place . . .

“A trap . ”

I took out Wrath .

I sensed that it wouldn’t be an easy fight .

A dilemma .

There was no place to escape .

The difference in numbers, the geographic advantage . . . wasn’t it too easy?

'The spies were caught or they planned to give false information from the beginning . ’

Everything had a cause . The previous victories might have been paving stones for this trap . But it was too late for regrets . It was wise to move before the situation became worse .

“Jeff . Block the rear with the soldiers . ”

Jeff had been placed in the role of a non-commissioned officer . 5,000 troops couldn’t operate alone .

“Lord-nim?”

That day . The day that Torium and others recognized me as a lord . Jeff’s tone had changed . His tone became really awkward but I left it alone .

Anyway . . . I looked ahead .

‘He is Makdalli . ’

Kuwaaang!

Makdalli was a dragon . It was the first time I had seen a dragon so I was amazed .

He flew in the sky and his breath dissolved troops . Oswen was currently engaged in a fierce battle with him .

But my role wasn’t to help him out .

“The fleet-footed soldiers will follow me . We will eliminate the ones on horseback first . ”

I chose the soldiers with great mobility . The quality of the troops was superior, but in a confusing situation like this, there was no control over the tactics .

I started moving with 500 of the fastest soldiers .

War wasn’t a simple numbers game .

There were bound to be dynamic changes depending on the situation of the battlefield .

However, there were also irreversible decisions .

I moved and succeeded in defeating two death knights and a lich . A considerable number of skeletal horses and soldiers were removed, yet the situation was worsening .

‘It is tough . ’

I decided quickly . The battle had started less than 30 seconds ago but the number of allies had dropped considerably .

Without Oswen, there were too many enemies to defeat when running around alone .

I quickly ran towards Oswen .

“Kuaaah! You! Makdalli!”

Oswen cut off Makdalli’s left wing . Oswen had lost two arms in the fierce battle .

"Did you think I wouldn’t know about the spies? You shouldn’t mess with me . Your fortress has already been decimated! Now return to the soil . Oswen!”

Kwarurung!

Another hit . The attack that could rival the magic power of a lich slammed into Oswen . His skin melted .

Kururung!

The breath was poured out once again .

It was apparent that Oswen would melt without leaving a trace behind if he was hit . However, I was a little bit faster than the breath attack .

‘I have to believe in Infinity Armour’s defense!’

It was impossible to avoid taking any damage . I quickly grabbed Oswen but my right chest was exposed to the breath .

“Huuk!”

I had dealt with many enemies so I was already at my limit . My eyes widened and my heart beat like crazy . The blood of a thunderbird couldn’t hide the loud noise .

Fortunately, the melted part of Infinity Armour quickly recovered . I bent to confirm it while running as hard as I could .

"Lord-nim . . . !"

Torium, Jeff and 2,000 soldiers approached me . That number increased to 5,000 .

I said through gritted teeth .

"Jeff, Torium, I will take the southern commander and leave the battlefield . ”

"Take my horse . ”

Torium agreed to my words . Jeff opened his mouth in support .

"Don't worry about the rear . The renowned warrior Jeff will block them . ”

It was impossible not to know his intentions .

"You won’t live . ”

Jeff just laughed .

"I am dead anyway . Why is it a big deal if I die again?”

"That's right . And I have no intention of becoming a skeleton soldier . I will get out of here and see you again . Lord-nim’s name will inevitably shake the Underground World . Go, there is no time . ”

The enemy had noticed and started to pursue Oswen . Makdalli had lost one wing and he needed to take care of enemies, but his mobility was still good .

"Find me . It won’t be hard once I become the master of this world . ”

Torium chuckled at my words .

"You will become the master of the Underground World! I understand . We will surely find you! By all means!”

I formed tight fists . I wanted to meet them again someday .

I climbed on a horse . The collapsed Oswen was placed in front of me .

Taak!

As my horse ran, I remembered Makdalli’s words to Oswen .

‘The fortress has already been decimated . ’

If that was true then I couldn’t head to the fortress .

‘I have to modify the plan . ’

Originally I had planned to help the south to test Maxium’s reaction . But now the south was captured, so I had to choose the next best thing .

'First I will save Oswen . He had ruled for a long time so he should have several hiding places in the south . And . . . the Seven Sins . ’

I looked down at the gloves . I tried to take them off but they didn’t budge . It was clear that only the owner could remove them .

Kurung!

Kururung!

It had been less than 30 minutes since I left the battlefield .

Noises were heard from behind me .

‘Trackers . ’

My keen eyes noticed the trackers .

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be a lot of them .

Tsk!

I clicked my tongue and got off the horse . Oswen didn’t move .