Chapter 211: Fifty-Three Men (1)

"We Hunters, who have borrowed the power of the God of Patera, will invade the Black Kingdom," Kim Ki-Rok began. "We will do so with all our might, attacking openly with enough force for all to notice."

The Black Kingdom would dismiss the threat of fifty-three Hunters, assuming that, no matter their strength, humans had limits to their stamina and resolve.

"Both the Black Wizards and the demons will ignore us at first, thinking that, as humans, we have our limits. But as we draw closer to the capital, the Black Wizards will start to take action."

Krayvan raised his hand and asked, "Not the demons?"

"Yes. The demons would actually rejoice, eager for the confrontation to happen sooner. They would wait for their opponents with great anticipation."

Then Pilarin spoke up, "But you're saying that's not the case for the Black Wizards."

"Correct. Believing that the Hunters and the Continental Alliance have a reason to hasten the confrontation, the Black Wizards of the Black Kingdom will desperately try to block the invasion of the fifty-three," Kim Ki-Rok explained.

"Even though ending the confrontation would mean the demon is released from their promise?"

"That's right," Kim Ki-Rok said as he worked on the laptop he had prepared in advance, switching the screen to an aerial photo of himself and Mammon.

"The confrontation with Mammon," muttered Laon, the temporary Beastfolk representative.

"Yes. Though I won that bet with him, I suffered serious injuries and permanently lost a great deal of my strength—my levels. I've since recovered, but... Anyway, to return to the main point: if you look only at the result, I defeated Mammon."

Kim Ki-Rok changed the screen again. This time, it showed images of the Black Wizards watching the confrontation between him and Mammon, and a photo of a Black Wizard who had appeared at the country's border.

"The Black Wizards would have concluded that the fifty-three invading the Black Kingdom were prepared to defeat the demons," Kim Ki-Rok explained. "So, they would try to stop our confrontation with the demons, even if it meant suffering casualties themselves."

"So you're saying the Black Wizards will definitely try to stop you?"

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "Yes."

Pilarin crossed his arms, and Krayvan tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers.

"What about the war between the Continental Alliance and the Black Kingdom?" Pilarin asked.

"It's currently very favorable for the Continental Alliance," Krayvan replied.

"Since the demons can't move because of the wagered duel, it's possible the Black Kingdom would open the way to begin the duel instead."

"But as Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok predicted, if they suspect the challengers invading the Black Kingdom have a secret weapon, they might try to stop them."

"Hm! Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok," Pilarin said.

Both men turned to look at him, one with his arms crossed and another tapping the armrest.

"Yes, Sir Pilarin," he responded.

"Are you also among the fifty-three?"

"I am."

After hearing his resolve, Pilarin and Krayvan looked at each other again.

"If the one who proposed the bet is still alive, the promise holds, even if their opponents are gone," Pilarin said.

"But if the one who made the bet is gone," Krayvan added, "the bet is void, and the sealed demons will run rampant again."

"Demons live for their own pleasure," Pilarin added. "They would be enraged at the Black Wizard who, despite being given orders, blocked the path of the fifty-three and killed the proposer of the bet."

"But that anger won't last long."

Pilarin nodded. "That's right. The Black Wizards are responsible not only for the demons' food, clothing, and shelter but also for their pleasure."

"They might turn and invade the Continental Alliance after killing a few high-ranking officials."

"How likely do you think that is?" Pilarin asked.

"I estimate about a seventy percent chance. What do you think, Sir Pilarin?"

"I also estimated it at about that level."

"Hmm..."

"Hmmm..."

Let's see...

Kim Ki-Rok thought.

He glanced around the meeting room as people hesitated, listening to the discussion between Krayvan and Pilarin. The risk for Operation Peace turned out to be greater than expected.

Then, he said simply, "The longer the war drags on, the greater the damage to the continent."

The meeting participants, who had been quietly conversing with their aides, as well as the representatives of various species and nations, stopped talking and turned their attention to Kim Ki-Rok's words.

"The power the fifty-three participants have borrowed from the god will disappear over time. This power can be used not only to fight the demon, but also to reclaim territory."

When a few people's eyes lit up at this second option, Kim Ki-Rok smiled and dampened their enthusiasm. "But as long as the demon remains on Middle Earth, the power of the Black Kingdom remains intact."

Everything would be over if the demon resumed its activities.

"Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok," someone suddenly called out with a raised hand.

"Yes, Ms. Serena."

"Can we win?"

"Against the demon? We can. There are two reasons I hastened the confrontation between the Hunters and the demons. The first was the power we've borrowed from the God of Patera. The second is the resources we've acquired from the Patera Dimension."

"You're referring to Pastera," said Travis, the dwarves' representative.

"Ah, Pastera," someone else in the meeting murmured, recognizing the metal that resisted all mana.

Kim Ki-Rok slowly turned his head to Travis and answered with a gentle smile. "That's right. There are two things the Hunters have prepared to face the demon. The first is the power received from the god of another dimension. The second is Pastera."

"The demons... no, not just the Black Kingdom, but even many within the Continental Alliance don't know about Pastera," one of the attendees muttered to everyone's acknowledgement.

Pastera would be instrumental in dealing with the threats from the Yuashiel Dimension and the Black Kingdom, so the Continental Allied Forces had hidden its existence.

Pilarin raised his hand again. "The powers given by the god can't be hidden. But weapons made of Pastera can. Are you advancing toward the Black Kingdom with the fifty-three people wielding both the power of Hunters and that granted by God?"

"That's correct," Kim Ki-Rok affirmed. "We plan to reveal the Pastera weapons during the battle against the demons. Their abilities will be showcased only in the first battle. If we begin the battles simultaneously, we could resolve this issue."

"So, you're saying we should start the battles simultaneously, even if the forces are split up."

"Precisely," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"You said the power received from God will fade with time, correct?"

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "Yes."

"How much time is left?"

"Ninety days remain."

"About three months..."

"That's right."

"Would it be possible to reach the kingdom's capital within that time?"

"We plan to contact the demons with about ten days remaining," Kim Ki-Rok replied. "I'll tell them that it's impossible for us to visit them ourselves because of the Black Wizards' interference, and ask them to come here instead."

Ask the demons to come to us because the Black Wizards are interfering?

Pilarin closed his mouth for a moment at the unexpected answer, then soon asked with a subtle expression, "Will the demons accept that proposal?"

"And what if they refuse? If they do, we retreat and delay their arrival as long as possible. As I mentioned earlier, the more time that passes, the greater the damage they'll inflict on the Continental Alliance, but there is no other way. Proceeding with a bet when we cannot be sure of victory would be incredibly foolish."

The wager duel was serving as a kind of seal that blocked the demons' movements. So, if the demons refused the Hunters' proposal to come to them, the Hunters would retreat immediately.

"You'll have ninety... no, more like eighty days. All fifty-three people have to gather before you're able to move."

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "That's right. Fifty-three people, including myself, will be participating within a week."

"Is the invasion necessary for growth?"

"Yes. The power borrowed from the god comes with a time limit. I plan to make the most of it to increase our chances of victory, and then proceed with the match against the demons."

"

Hrmm...

" Pilarin groaned at his answer.

"Is something bothering you?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"Wouldn't it be better to send a message and have the duel, rather than invade?"

"Is it because of the dangers that come with invading?"

"That's part of it," Pilarin admitted.

Kim Ki-Rok already knew the other reason that was troubling Pilarin. But since it was the first time he had heard this story in this Attempt, Kim Ki-Rok instead put on a thoughtful expression and kept silent for a moment.

"Ah, I see."

After a moment's thought, as if weighing the demons' and Black Wizards' perspectives, Kim Ki-Rok said, "You're concerned that if, despite our confident invasion, we're stalled by them, they'll refuse to agree to an early duel."

Pilarin was stunned, at a loss for words. "

Ha, haha...

Yes, that's right. I'm worried they would think there's no value in crossing swords with us if we can't break through the Black Wizards and monsters."

"And that a reckless invasion would only waste the power given by the god?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"Correct."

"Hmm..."

Kim Ki-Rok stroked his chin. The silence lingered, but the attendees seemed to be in agreement.

"I refuse," he said at last. "I don't want to give up a strategy that could increase our chances of winning."

"In other words, you're saying we should invade to lower the risk? That carries a higher risk," Pilarin contended.

"But we could become stronger through fighting the Black Wizards and monsters. Moreover, unlike a head-on confrontation with the demons, we would have the option to escape."

If they chose not to invade and instead contacted the demon directly for a confrontation, there would be no chance to escape. And since the demons had been eagerly awaiting the fight, the likelihood of allowing a defeated Hunter to live and return was extremely low.

Would they ever consider sparing the Hunters after seeing potential in the confrontation? If so, they should have allowed the continent's strongest, the Sword God and the Fist Emperor, to return as well. Yet, the demons had done so in the past.

"Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok."

"Yes, Sir Krayvan."

"What if the Continental Alliance refuses the operation?"

"Refuses?"

"Yes."

"This isn't a bad plan for the Continental Alliance."

"We're talking about the proposer of the wager invading the Black Kingdom themselves."

If the proposer of the wager were gone, the wager duel that served as a seal would be lifted. To lower the dangers looming over the proposer, they might simply refuse the plan.

"If you decide to reject my plan, there's nothing I can do. We would have no choice but to give up here," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"Is that... so?" Krayvan asked, seemingly surprised that Kim Ki-Rok wasn't pushing forward regardless of their opinion.

"If the fifty-three participants in the wager duel invade, the Black Kingdom would surely try to kill them. If they can't, they would retreat out of fear of the demon's wrath."

They would act to force the invading enemies to retreat.

So, what method would the Black Kingdom use to make the fifty-three fall back? What could they do to drive away enemies who had borrowed power from the gods?

The attendees considered the strategies their enemies might use, wondering what method would best drive back the fifty-three who had borrowed power from the gods.

"The Black Kingdom will strike..."