Volume 42 Chapter 1

Weed stood in front of the collapsed Earth Palace.

The mountains and Royal Palace of the Arpen Kingdom had turned into a colossal pile of rubble.

A few days ago, the magnificent palace had been built on the peaks in the form of a crown but it was impossible to see that past appearance now.

“Only our honour was wounded…no, we are exhausted but the invaders have been defeated.”

Weed gave a deep sigh.

“Indeed, a person really can’t relax in life.”

Even so, at least he managed to stop the Haven Empire from conquering the north.

A new myth had been created.

“Weed the God of War!”

“The Arpen Kingdom will flourish for generations to come.”

“Hooray Grass Porridge Cult!”

The uphill battle had ended so the northern users raised their weapons and cheered.

Weed turned nicely with his cloak waving behind him towards the people. He stood on a pile of rubble and could see the users that completely filled the plains.

They were users of the Arpen Kingdom. The war had ended but more people continued to gather. But despite this strong sight, it was natural to think they would lose to the Haven Empire.

Among the crowd of onlookers, there were quite a few who had just recently come to participate in the war.

The Hermes Guild users and Haven Empire troops would give a lot of fame, contribution and loot.

The brave warriors of the north.

The guardian knights of justice.

The hunters of wickedness.

2nd class mercenaries.

A number of useful titles could be obtained from the battle.

The elementalists and magicians also had the chance to summon spirits or experience rare magic.

Weed chose not to discriminate against the users who joined the war late. Such thinking was unsuitable as the King of the Arpen Kingdom.

‘Anyway, they will all pay taxes later.’

A lot of taxes!

“I will just say one word.”

“Weed-nim, please declare victory!”

“Hooray His Majesty!”

The users shouted towards Weed. They wanted Weed to make a clear declaration of victory.

The chests of the northern users were still hot despite the battle being over. The sun was about to set but they were burning from overcoming a difficult battle.

It wouldn’t be difficult for Weed to ask for a little bit of money from their pocket.

“I’m glad that many people are happy. I can share the great joy of victory with you.”

Hestiger, who had the best achievements in the fight, came to Weed’s side.

A piece that had been revived with Sculptural Resurrection and a target of Weed’s jealousy in the warring period.

In this battle alone, he had swept away the armed forces of the Haven Empire and some of the best users in the Hermes Guild. The palace collapsing had dealt with the 1st commander Draka and 3rd commander Porcal but Hestiger had killed the 6th commander Drom by himself.

‘It was because of me. I just had to lift the rice spatula.’

Weed had tried to kill the 2nd commander Balbaro but the high level northern users had come out of nowhere and deprived him of it.

Many high level users in the north had a popular name. The leaders of several large and small guilds in the Central Continent had moved to the north.

There were also players with a bad reputation. They quietly lived in the north until swarming like vultures once the Haven Empire were at a disadvantage.

As a result, Weed failed in hunting a commander.

Even so, the knights of the Haven Empire and the Hermes Guild still jumped at Weed despite the disadvantage. Hestiger and the sculptural lifeforms assisted in killing them as they rushed.

A typical quantity over quality!

Weed gained 3 levels and reached 422 in the war. His strength, agility, honour, charisma and dignity also increased substantially.

He looked at the handsome Hestiger and felt regret. He could feel the jealousy and hatred towards Hestiger again.

Even when he was just standing still holding the scimitar, he looked like a cool piece of art. An attractive charm that would cause the females to pounce like moths.

‘How much time is left with Sculpture Resurrection? He will continue to be like a live painting until then.’

A situation where he wanted to spit!

Weed thought highly of himself. He was the king of the Arpen Kingdom.

‘I raised my subordinates well. Hestiger is outstanding. It is thanks to meeting such a good master.’

The conclusion was self-pride!

“Yes, let’s share in the victory together.”

Weed turned his head towards the crowd.

He attracted the attention of many eyes. Of course, it would be broadcasted through the stations. Millions of people were currently watching Weed through the television.

In addition, the users of the Arpen Kingdom gathered here would remember this day for a long time. It was important to consider the ruling of the kingdom after a war was won.

‘I need to give a great speech.’

The battle had ended but he hadn’t prepared any words.

” I remember a speech from a politician on television…no, I would be fed up listening to that. Then…’

Weed used Lion’s Roar towards the people.

“Don’t rejoice over the victory!”

“Uhh?”

The reaction of the crowd was like ice cold water had been poured on them.

“What is he saying?”

“Aren’t his words wrong?”

“A little odd?”

The crowd felt strange after Weed used Lion’s Roar. Then a louder Lion’s Roar followed.

“Winning was an inevitable result!”

“Wahhhh!”

The simple words caused an uproar among the crowd.

It had felt hopeless so they were desperately glad to defeat the Haven Empire.

The Arpen Kingdom was their home and the users could continue to freely live in it.

Despite the Arpen Kingdom not forcing loyalty from the users, they valued the loyalty and happiness. This was the ultimate reason for the defeat of the Hermes Guild’s invasion.

From Weed’s perspective, the users didn’t blindly follow the Hermes Guild.

‘Squeeze the crowd. Even a dictator would collapse from a successful revolt. A good politician knows how to take care of the people. I need to slowly raise their devotion like boiling water.’

An excellent long term dictator knew how to handle the balance between oppression and liberation. Weed had the patience to be a dictator.

Weed yelled again with Lion’s Roar.

“Now the war is over but the Hermes Guild’s endless greed means that they won’t give up. The real fight starts from now on.”

The users that had been cheering became silent. Tension filled their eyes.

Everyone knew the power of the Haven Empire. The strongest force on the Versailles Continent.

The northern users had fought bravely but they didn’t want to surrender.

Weed continued to use Lion’s Roar.

“The Arpen Kingdom is weak! We might not be able to stop them in the next invasion.”

“…….”

At this crucial moment, Weed’s lips were smeared with spit. A brazen face was required.

“But even then we will win. It is because we are not alone, we are together!”

“Ohhhh!”

Goosebumps started to form on their skin!

This was a great effect when talking to a large crowd.

Shortly after the dramatic victory, emotions were heightened and the atmosphere was wonderful.

“The Arpen Kingdom might be weak as a new kingdom but we can do it if we combine our power. Farmers plant the seeds. They raise grain to feed people. Knights hunt and guard the cities from monsters while adventurers risk their lives travelling to distant places. They have discovered unknown things that will benefit us. Painters, architects, merchants, sculptors, blacksmiths and tailors, all these jobs are important. If everyone enjoys their roles then the Arpen Kingdom’s freedom will never be invaded again!”

Weed enthusiastically finished the speech.

A speech that he didn’t learn in high school. All the citizens would work hard for the kingdom and would pay taxes.

“Hooray the Arpen Kingdom!”

“Weed-nim, we will keep the Arpen Kingdom moving forward!”

The reaction of the crowd couldn’t be repressed. The blazing hot air had already embraced the next person so it was a festive atmosphere.

Today the enemies had crumbled with the Earth Palace so they had expectations for the Arpen Kingdom’s prosperity. It might be scary and tough but they would work hard.

Those gathered here were thrilled.

“We have won! Victory!”

“Haven Empire, no matter how many of them come. We are the free Arpen Kingdom!”

“Huhuhu, I am one of the Toadstool Porridge members that have survived until the end. Now I can enjoy it heartily. And I can fall asleep eating a bowl of grass porridge.”

“Kuhahaha! Today I will drink and play heartily. I’ll shoot 20 wild boars!”

“The Walnut Porridge members gathered here. Play all night. Don’t let even one miss it.”

“All 404 members of the Bean Porridge unit will have a meeting to commemorate the victory. Come nicely dressed in front of the large pine trees in the east!”

Cheers of joy rang out through the plains.

And after a while, the news that the Haven Empire’s Imperial Palace had fallen reached them.

At first, they thought it was a ridiculous lie. But the rumour spread through whispers or guild internal chats.

The live broadcast from the stations showed the Haven Empire’s Imperial Palace collapsing so the truth was discovered.

The place where the Imperial Palace used to be was only filled with rubble and treasures.

It was a shock that the Imperial Palace of the Haven Empire that signified the honor and dignity of the rulers of the Central Continent had collapsed.

The northern users were invigorated by the sight of the Hermes Guild users and soldiers of the Haven Empire emerging from the rubble.

“What the, did that happen while we were fighting?”

“Those guys got attacked!”

“No, it is different. We deliberately knocked it down. But the Hermes Guild are just fools.”

It wasn’t planned in advance but the atmosphere was good. Thus Weed used the loudest Lion’s Roar.

“This time I will raise the taxes to 60%!”

His dream of raising the taxes!

The users of the Arpen Kingdom laughed loudly.

“Hehehe.”

“Kilkil, that joke was said with really good timing.”

“I really can’t keep up with Weed-nim’s jokes.”

“Weed, the God of War, hooray!”

“Please lower the taxes to commemorate the victory. Free for everyone!”

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“Kkuung.”

Geomchi-3 collapsed weakly to the ground.

“Kukuku, the worst. Life itself is a miracle.”

Geomchi-3 had violently assaulted the Haven Empire with the instructors and students.

They needed to catch all enemies! He clearly recalled defeating 3~4 knight divisions during the battle.

Howling knights on horses. The instructors and students were invigorated as they broke through the knights.

Everyone relied on their own strength and determination. And the exhilarating thrill of combat.

-Take care of yourself and enjoy!

Geomchi commanded.

They needed to use their own strength to survive on the battlefield. There were no tactics and they just experienced the joy on their own.

This was true happiness compared to having a stable job, investments, retirement, etc. Whether it was 1 second or 1 minute, Geomchi-3 could enjoy life. Stress disappeared and his brain turned white from pleasure.

“This war experience is enough to make a man cry.”

Geomchi-3 fought against the enemy soldiers and knights.

The Haven Empire’s army weren’t shaken. They were like a solid wall as their ranged attacks wrecked indiscriminate havoc.

Geomchi-5 and Geomchi-7 made their last stand surrounded by knights while Geomchi-4 perished under the magic attacks. Even the Geomchis couldn’t escape death when surrounded by enemies.

Occasionally the avians would show up in order to help Geomchi-3 survive a containment.

Geomchi-3 continued to fight for the Arpen Kingdom.

“From now on, we will take over. Please rest a little bit.”

Northern users came up to him and said.

Geomchi-3 just passed them and said.

“This is my playground. My play hasn’t ended yet!”

Sometimes priests of the Arpen Kingdom would come up to treat him.

‘I don’t know. It is becoming harder to survive. But I can’t regret the way I lived my life. I can’t abandon my way of living.’

Geomchi-3 fought viciously.

He forgot himself while battling. In his disadvantaged childhood, he could only push aside his anxiety for the future when fighting.

‘I have nothing. Just fighting. Live life strongly by beating others in fights. That’s it.’

His whole body filled with joy!

Like a child, he enjoyed it like a game.

It didn’t matter how much his physical condition worsened. He jumped at any Hermes Guild users that neared.

Geomchi-3 survived each clash with his sword skills as well as luck. In the meantime, other students and even Geomchi-2 died in a similar manner.

And like a miracle, Geomchi-3 managed to survive until the end of the battle.

“Huhuhu.”

Geomchi-3 was satisfied.

Victory in battle and he gained the title of Superman of the Battlefield! His body had been abused but he felt proud.

“My life wasn’t in vain.”

At that moment, light came from Geomchi-3’s body.

Ddiring!

“Kukukuku.”

Geomchi-3 felt himself becoming stronger.

“I can fight better next time. Without missing any of the strong people.”

The divine magic granted healed his body.

Even if he wasn’t saved by the priests of the Arpen Kingdom, he could move by himself.

Geomchi-3 saw the female priests busily running around. He couldn’t help thinking their white uniforms were pretty.

Geomchi, Geomchi-2 and Geomchi-5. They were the only ones with girlfriends and were the subject of much envy.

Royal Road was a paradise for romance.

Geomchi-3 strongly clenched his fist.

“I don’t need it. I will live a man’s life until the end. Huhuhuhuk! Aigoo, so sad.”

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“Weed-nim! I wanted to see you.”

After the battle, Weed met up with Pale, Surka, Irene, Hwaryeong, Romuna and their other colleagues. Surka was the first one to run and welcome him.

The survival rate of the northern users in this war wasn’t very high.

Despite the hardships and adversity, Weed and his colleagues were somehow able to survive.

Bellot laughed brightly.

“I saw your sculpting quest. Your persistence and tenacity until it was a success…really cool.”

“Thank you. I’m glad that everyone is alive.”

“That’s right. I really didn’t know if I would die or not.”

Except for Surka and Zephyr, the others weren’t close combat professions so they fought with the sculptural lifeforms.

After the Earth Palace collapsed, they attacked the confused Haven Empire troops. Of course, this took quite a while but it finally ended.

“Weed-nim, we made progress in the quest.”

Weed heard the news from Zephyr that they had found quite a few relics of the Pallos Empire.

“If you fight against the cursed ghosts then you can receive associated divine items and quests. If the right successor is found then the weapon can be used.”

“The level of the equipment?”

“Most of them are around level 300. Some are around level 400. But unfortunately, there wasn’t any really expensive or valuable things.”

“Um.”

Weed thought for a moment.

Most of the equipment of the desert warriors had been scattered somewhere. A lot of time had passed and the descendants had likely scattered them across the continent.

When looking at the bulletin boards, sometimes weapons and special items of the desert warriors were found. As history changed, new dungeons and ruins were excavated.

But Weed knew the approximate amount of treasures.

The warring period. There were numerous relics, treasures, equipment and magic research equipment.

That list alone was enough to fill several palaces. While sweeping through the continent, they had looted treasures from many royal families and nobles.

The gold, jewellery and silver was enough to build thousands of Grand Buildings.

‘The remnants of the Pallos Empire are all buried in one place. Those fellows have hidden it.’

Some equipment might be lost while bring it to the north.

Weed left a long command but he couldn’t help the habits of the desert warriors.

Absolute obedience! The fate of the desert tribes was to obey the Great Emperor.

But it was a different story after he was gone.

The desert tribes struggled so they considered taking some of the treasures of the Pallos Empire.

Weed’s influence meant his subordinates came to the north to bury the treasure but it wasn’t difficult to guess that there would be some funds lacking.

‘The picture is drawn roughly. And the rest of the treasure will come from somewhere.’

The equipment Weed used was likely to be encountered in the Find Traces of the Great Emperor quest.

“And there is a minor issue.”

“What is it?”

“Ghosts continued to emerge while excavating the artifacts until we couldn’t endure it anymore. Those completely purified were moved to a different place but it is really a heaven for ghosts.”

“It is kind of like a hunting ground. Ghosts need to be fought to obtain the treasure.”

“Something like that.”

There were too many ghosts stuck to the treasures of the Pallos Empire to deal with alone.

‘Ghosts would appear even if the treasures aren’t excavated. All across the continent. The artifacts will emerge even among the desert tribes. It is probably associated with the Find Traces of the Great Emperor quest.’

Weed’s gaze turned towards Hwaryeong. She was also staring at Weed.

As always, she was wearing a short skirt with colourful and pretty jewellery hanging from her ears and neck. The sparkling beauty would always go well with a woman like her.

“Well, I mean……”

Weed couldn’t easily broach the subject.

After the recent situation with Seo-yoon, he had no choice but to feel awkward with Hwaryeong.

His other colleagues were silent on the matter. They couldn’t interfere in the relationship between a man and a woman.

Weed politely spoke first.

“Have you been well in the meantime?”

“Yes.”

“You weren’t sick……”

Hwaryeong said spiritlessly.

“Nope.”

Pale felt like screaming.

This awkward and stiff atmosphere!

The women were watching with interest but the men felt like leaving.

Then Hwaryeong smiled brightly.

“It is okay. And thank you.”

“Huh?”

“A singer needs a lot of life experiences. Well, I need the experience to deliver the right emotional impact. Because a song will carry the emotion in my heart. And anyway……”

Hwaryeong slightly dragged out her words.

“There are a number of men out there who like me. It is a man’s instinct. These feelings are a decent gift.”

Endless optimism!

Hwaryeong was an attractive singer. She wasn’t going to lose confidence because of Weed.

Her colleagues watched her and thought.

‘She still hasn’t given up. Although it didn’t even start properly……’

‘My mother always told me that love is unsure until the wedding. Isn’t that right?’

‘But why does she like Weed? I don’t understand it…women are truly mysterious creatures.’

Weed put down the backpack with a much lighter heart.

“Then let’s eat!”

“Hooray!”

The taste of dishes that Weed made with his own hands! They were busy on the quest so it was hard to find time to eat delicious food.

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“Unbelievable…this ridiculous thing.”

The proud users of the Hermes Guild were devastated as they stared at the collapsed buildings of the Imperial Palace of the Haven Empire.

All the power of the Central Continent was gathered at the Imperial Palace.

Decorated with gold and jewels, the Imperial Palace was the height of luxury and splendour. Vast buildings that more than 100,000 nobles, users and residents could reside in. The Imperial Palace that could house thousands had suddenly collapsed.

In fact, not many users died underneath the buildings.

“How is it possible that the Imperial Palace experienced such a terrible thing?”

“Is this an event?”

“This is divine punishment.”

The cracks in the ceiling and shaking pillars meant that many users quickly escaped from the Imperial Palace.

Still, it was last minute so a considerable number were buried underneath the Imperial Palace and lost their lives. It was a mess but those alive dug their way out from the wreckage.

Unlike the Earth Palace, the Imperial Palace was built on flat ground so it wasn’t a large threat on their lives.

But the Imperial Palace that the Hermes Guild were proud of and caused visitors to be overwhelmed was no more.

“The surviving people, respond!”

“Quickly rescue the survivors…no, it looks like not many are dead. Rather, what are we going to do?”

The general users of the Hermes Guild were baffled.

The users with a high ranking position in the Haven Empire. All the leaders at the banquet including Lafaye and Bardray had safely escaped the palace ballroom but they were lost as they watched the collapsed building for a while.

“The Arpen Kingdom’s Royal Palace just fell but this is……”

“What is happening? It wasn’t a magic attack.”

“An uprising? But who would dare say such a thing?”

“Weed. Weed plotted against us!”

“Weed. He is in the north so it would be hard for him to do this. And there is no evidence.”

“I have thought over the circumstances. In the end, he must be the one who did this to us.”

They couldn’t grasp the situation and tried to blame it on anyone.

But Lafaye coldly accepted the terrible reality of the palace falling.

‘How did something like this happen?’

Kurururung!

There were still some buildings in the Imperial Palace that were collapsing.

They didn’t want to see the sight of the pillars tilting and walls breaking again. All the gold on the walls that had been plundered from other kingdoms had collapsed.

All the Imperial buildings fell to the ground. However, the Hermes Guild users were sure that the gates wouldn’t fall.

“They are sound……”

“The last remaining place are the gates.”

They had equipped the Imperial Palace with defense gates. The walls were trimmed from large rocks and the essence of elf trees were used as adhesion.

The Imperial Palace could last all day against siege weapons! The gates were also made of intertwined branches and roots. It wasn’t made with gold but the gates had tremendous value.

Their relationship with the elves had deteriorated through numerous raids but the Haven Empire didn’t care.

As the users watched, rocks fell off the tight palace exterior walls. Just like the other buildings of the Imperial Palace, the gates soon collapsed.

“No way.”

“It is a lie.”

Ddiring!

“Unbelievable!”

They both lost palaces but the Haven Empire suffered much larger damage than the Arpen Kingdom.

The territory of the Empire was vast and its population contained various species. Commerce, culture and military exchange were larger so they were more affected by the collapse of the Imperial Palace.

The expedition sent to the north were wiped out and the Haven Empire had suffered serious damage to its fame.

“A meeting of leaders has been convened! All lords immediately report the circumstances of their respective territories in order to prepare for stabilization!”

Lafaye needed to do a lot in order to rule over the vast Haven Empire.

It was necessary to at least maintain the security and economy of the occupied territories. However, something unsavoury could occur with the rebels and recapturing the fortresses might lead to more substantial damage.

The absolute dignity and power of the Haven Empire that ruled the Central Continent was being tested.

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