Chapter 114: A Blessing and a Curse (2)

Kim Ki-Rok had to deal with those three core problems to ensure success this time: the Hunters' lack of strength to deal with their enemies head-on, the High Elves arriving too late, and the World Tree's blessings coming even later.

The second and third problems were closely linked. If the revival ritual could be completed faster, both could be resolved. However, the first issue was the most serious and hardest to fix.

After dozens of Attempts spent trying to reduce casualties while still securing victory, Kim Ki-Rok had finally figured out how to reach the most optimal outcome by his 77th Attempt.

In one of his many lives, he had deliberately delayed meeting Aylphirane, which in turn delayed the appearance of the Gate. His reasoning was that the Hunters, still too low-level to contribute meaningfully, could use that extra time to grow stronger and be more prepared for battle.

Despite all that, the Attempt had ended in failure. By the time Kim Ki-Rok deemed the Hunters strong enough, the Dying Forest Gate was still open, but the spirit of High Elf Aylphirane had quietly faded away sometime during its long slumber within the World Tree.

There was also an Attempt where he just barely managed to reach her in time and receive the quest. But in that one, only a single High Elf had survived by the time they arrived in the Yuashiel Dimension.

So, just as he had calculated during his 77th Attempt, the best time for the Gate to appear was February 15. In other words, the Hunters could not be given any more time to grow than that.

Kim Ki-Rok then tried a different approach, pushing the Hunters to their limits during the short window of time they did have and preparing them as best he could for the danger ahead. Yet, it had proven extremely difficult even with such rigor.

Despite leading them to repeatedly clear high-difficulty Gates in rapid succession, the only ones able to benefit and level up meaningfully were the C-Class Hunters. The most important A-Class Hunters simply didn't have any means of raising their levels. In the end, Kim Ki-Rok had to find another way to increase their strength.

"Skill window, Cooking."

[

Cooking (B)

]

Description: Adds a time-limited effect to completed dishes

In his 77th Attempt, Kim Ki-Rok had finally raised his Cooking skill, which had been stuck at C-Class, to B-Class. He pulled a lunchbox out of his subspace pocket and appraised it.

[

Kim Ki-Rok's 8-Layered Lunchbox (B)

]

Description: An 8-layered lunchbox made by Kim Ki-Rok

Effect: Vitality +5, Strength +4, Magic +4

Duration: 120 minutes

Kim Ki-Rok hadn't made just one of his signature lunchboxes. In the three days before the Gate appeared, he temporarily hired several Hunters with Cooking skills at C-Class or higher to help him prepare a large quantity of lunchboxes. The ingredients were harvested from Gates and naturally imbued with mana. He had even made enough portions to feed the elves.

[The Time Rabbit applauds and says, "You've really worked your ass off."]

The food quality would normally degrade over time, but that issue had already been handled. Using scrolls created by Scroll Maker Cha Min-Ji, Kan Cho-Woo repeatedly cast his time-stopping spell on the stockpile to prevent any decrease in class.

Kim Ki-Rok also wasn't the only one working to raise his skill class. He had pushed the DG Guild's crafting Hunters to improve across the board.

Thanks to all that effort, Cha Min-Ji could now craft scrolls capable of storing 4th-Circle spells and C-Class abilities, while Potion Brewer Lim Yun-Ju had expanded her repertoire with stronger, more versatile potions.

Their blacksmith, Kang Woo-Hyuk, had made the biggest leap. By refining both his Crafting and Reinforcement skills, he reached a level where he could reinforce a single piece of equipment twice over.

[

Mark's Longsword (A) +2

]

Description: A longsword forged by the blacksmith Mark using the rare metal, Red Iron

Effect 1: Vitality +4, Strength +6

Effect 2: Absorbs 0.8% of the target's mana with each blow

Effect 3: When infused with mana, slicing power increases by 35%

Effect 4: Mana consumption for skills in the Mana Sword series (including aura-based variants) is reduced by 35%

[

Mark's Light Armor (A) +2

]

Description: A suit of light armor forged by the blacksmith Mark using the rare metal, Red Iron

Effect 1: Vitality +9, Willpower +6

Effect 2: Can activate the Mana Shield ability

Effect 3: Reduces all magic and skill damage by 35%

Effect 4: Reduces damage from Mana Sword series skills (including aura-based variants) by 25%

After using his Appraisal skill to check the status of his armor, Kim Ki-Rok took out his pocket watch and confirmed the time.

"In five minutes, the ritual will start. The monsters in the Black Forest will be the first to sense the threat and come flooding in. After that, the Black Wizards will eventually show up," Kim Ki-Rok reminded everyone.

The Black Wizards weren't the only ones who might appear, but Kim Ki-Rok couldn't say anything for certain since he had no proof.

Still, he offered a warning. "Well, in the worst-case scenario, the revival of the World Tree might be enough of a threat to bring the demons alongside the Black Wizards."

—Hah, you're really bringing up such a scary possibility without any hesitation.

Baek Min-Hyuk's voice crackled through Kim Ki-Rok's earpiece.

But I'm telling the truth,

Kim Ki-Rok thought, sighing inwardly.

Five minutes after the three High Elves began the revival ritual, the Black Wizards would appear in front of the Northern Fortress via teleportation. The real problem was that the demons would appear with them.

Richard, Commander of the Holy Knights, also weighed in through his earpiece.

—It's unlikely the demons will show up in person. Their bodies are too large and slow to mobilize. They should only appear if they believe the Black Wizards and monsters alone can't prevent the World Tree's revival.

Although Kim Ki-Rok had once believed that as well, he pressed the issue. "When the Black Wizards first reappeared across the continent, the very first thing they did was destroy the World Trees. Because of that, they suffered massive casualties. None of them were able to appear on the front lines for the next three months."

Richard knew this, of course.

Kim Ki-Rok continued speaking, "Even so, why did they go to such lengths? Why destroy the World Trees despite being so short on numbers? I believe the demons were afraid of the World Tree—and they forced the Black Wizards to act on their behalf."

—In other words, out of fear of the World Tree's revival, the demons may truly appear alongside the Black Wizards. Is that what you believe, Hero Kim Ki-Rok?

"Yes, that is what I believe. Of course, as Lord Richard has said, given the size of their bodies, it's more likely they'll simply observe while letting the Black Wizards and monsters fight in their place. Still, we should move forward prepared for the worst-case scenario."

—I understand. Then, considering the possibility that the demons may appear, I will prepare a reserve force.

"Thank you very much. Now, with only three minutes left, let me quickly review the basics. In order to germinate the seed of the World Tree, the High Elves have chosen to use the Growth Elixir. With its help, it should take approximately thirty minutes for the seed to fully germinate and grow into a sapling."

Guildmaster Lee Yeon-Hwa's surprised voice came through the earpiece.

—That's faster than I expected.

"That's because three High Elves are working together, and they're using their precious Growth Elixir—made from ingredients that have been lost ever since they ceded territory to the Black Kingdom. Even if they reclaimed that land today, it would still take a long time to gather what they need."

—I see. My apologies for the interruption. Please continue your explanation, Guildmas... Hero Kim Ki-Rok.

It wasn't just the Hunters who wore earpieces. The elves, along with the priests and knights from the Holy Kingdom, also carried radios and had earpieces in place.

"As long as we can hold out for thirty minutes, the High Elves will complete the ritual and join the battle. So there's no need to recklessly sacrifice yourselves to hold the line. Once the World Tree is revived, the reserve forces must first move back into its domain, receive its blessings, then return to the battlefield to relieve the main force."

Nearby, the Hunters, Holy Knights, and elven warriors all nodded in understanding.

"Also, even if the worst-case scenario we discussed comes true and the demons appear, we only need to follow the plan. Delay them as long as possible, then pull back from the walls and engage them in the streets."

—Wasn't the plan to buy time for the ritual by holding the siege, then continue delaying the enemy by retreating and forming a last line of defense within the streets?

"If we try to hold the walls until the World Tree is revived, the casualties will be far too great."

—And you're saying that fighting them in the streets would lead to a different result?

"Yes. If we want to block the enemies while they're besieging our walls, we will have to defend against the wide area spells of the Black Wizards while also fighting the monsters scaling the walls. But if we fall back and fight them in the streets, the tight spacing of the streets will prevent them from casting their wide-area spells effectively, which neutralizes one of their biggest advantages."

This time, an elven warrior spoke up through the comms.

—Are you really saying the Black Wizards would hold back on their spells just to avoid hitting the monsters?

"Yes, they would. Once the World Tree is revived, the closer they get to it, the more their Demon Realm mana is purified. That means their spells weaken the closer they come. Their only option will be to rely on numbers to overwhelm the Tree. In that case, they'll avoid killing any monsters themselves. So our goal is to hold the siege long enough, then retreat into the city streets and buy time."

Although everyone understood his reasoning, the elves were still concerned about the damage their fortress might take in a street battle.

Almost as if he had anticipated it, Kim Ki-Rok reassured them, "Please don't worry about any destruction to the fortress. The human nations in the Continental Alliance will definitely send support funds."

Even so, one elf remained skeptical.

—You humans would actually send money to support us elves?

"More precisely, those funds will be sent in order to protect the World Tree, since it weakens a shared enemy. But yes, the money they send will go toward rebuilding the fortress. So you can just think of it as the humans helping the elves.

Hahaha.

"

The elf who asked the question burst into laughter, as did nearby elves listening to the exchange.

—Hero Kim Ki-Rok.

"Yes, Lady Serena."

—If the worst comes to happen, what should we do?

The worst-case scenario was that the demons would arrive at the Northern Fortress at the same time as the Black Wizards.

"If it plays out the way we've predicted, then all High Elves should remain guarding the World Tree. Saint Renee and Holy Knight Commander Richard should do the same," he explained. "The Saint will be stationed in the rear and should move closer to the World Tree. Sir Richard, you should hand command over to your vice-commander and also fall back to the Tree."

—May I ask why we are being stationed near the World Tree instead of at the gates, where we expect the demons to appear?

"The reason the demons would arrive alongside the Black Wizards is because they fear the World Tree's revival. Once they arrive, they'll have two options. One, they stay behind and oversee the battle until the gates are breached, then charge directly toward the Tree. Or two, they abandon the Black Wizards the moment they reach the fortress and use flight magic to bypass the walls and head straight for the World Tree."

—Ah!

"Exactly. That's why, if the demons appear, we need the High Elves, the Saint, and the Holy Knight Commander at the Tree to protect it," Kim Ki-Rok said, glancing down at the pocket watch still in his hand. "Only one minute left."

Then, looking out over the Black Forest, he activated his comms and addressed the assembled forces. "The goal of this battle is to revive the World Tree. This is not a battle to decide the fate of the continent by slaying demons or destroying the Black Kingdom."

The nearby Holy Knights and elves all turned their heads attentively.

"So if you get injured, immediately rotate out and let someone from the reserve unit take your place. Head to the rear for treatment and return only when you're fully recovered. Even if you feel confident, do not stay on the front lines while wounded. You'll only get in the way."

The Holy Knights let out muffled laughter, while the elves gave Kim Ki-Rok confused looks.

"The same goes for all of us Heroes. No one should try to fight through their injuries. If you're hurt, pull back immediately, get treated, and return to battle only after you've fully recovered. Reckless fighting won't help anyone. It'll only lead to more casualties, create holes in our formation, and risk collapsing the entire front line."

Ten seconds remained.

Kim Ki-Rok gathered his thoughts and spoke once more. "By the way, Saint Renee?"

—Yes?

"Could you contact the Prime Minister of the Aians Empire as soon as the revival ritual begins?"

—You want

me

to contact him?

"Yes. Once the battle starts, we no longer need to worry about traitors leaking information about the elves' actions. So please ask him to send reinforcements, but only from those who've already been confirmed as loyal."

—Ah... Yes, understood!

Until now, the elves had refused human reinforcements for fear that a traitor might pass information to the Black Wizards, allowing them to attack before the ritual could begin.

Once the battle started, however, it would be too late for the enemy to change plans even if they somehow received word. So long as the reinforcements came from confirmed loyalists, there was no longer any reason to hesitate.

Suddenly, the ritual began with a burst of light and a wave of intense floral scent.

Kim Ki-Rok lifted his head, his eyes scanning the distant treeline. Sensing a deep rumble, almost like a distant quake, he saw the monsters pouring out of the Black Forest.