Despite my expectations, there had been no attack even after three days, which slowly turned the infusion of energy from a curse to an advantage. We rotated the divisions of our growing army, with elites targeting lower floors while the new recruits targeted higher floors.
While it meant we were dedicating almost five thousand people to two dungeons at a time to keep the corruption in check, the rewards were well worth the effort; especially with everyone armed with high-quality mana weapons to raise their impact even further.
I knew it wouldn’t be the end of it, but I couldn’t help but hope that, maybe, just maybe, everything was alright. Especially since, yesterday, Rosie delivered the news that Drakka had already launched a big assault against Asterion, committing most of their forces. Maybe they would leave us alone.
Those hopes had been dashed by the sudden appearance of Rosie, looking far more panicked than I had ever seen her. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“We have miscalculated badly,” she started.
“We assumed that the attacks were targeting us, and that is why they hit both dungeons at the same time.”
I looked confused. “But, they did hit both of them at the same time,” I commented, trying to understand where she was going.
“They didn’t attack only our two dungeons,” she delivered, her tone grim. “Apparently, they hit every single dungeon in the region, maybe even more.”
“But…” I muttered, but that was all I was able to say. I froze at the implications. If they hit every dungeon at once…
“Three different scout parties have identified hordes from dungeon break already,” she said.
I stood up, my hand already on my blade. It looked like a fight was not too far away. “That’s not the worst part, is it?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “Most of the dungeons in the region are operated by small crews, with elites visiting periodically to sweep and prevent a buildup. We’re not just looking at undiscovered dungeons breaking, but also ones that are actively being used by towns, even cities.”
“The cities have the ability to suppress them,” I commented, even though I know it’s not that simple, especially with the war going on.
“You would be right, if it wasn’t for the current state of the Drakka-Asterion war. The last report I had received, Drakka is pushing forward even harder.”
“That means neither could send smaller forces to quell the crisis, right?”
“That would be begging for assassinations,” Rosie said. “Even the other cities wouldn’t dare to send any force. It would be too easy for either Drakka or Asterion to assassinate them as a false flag operation to draw them into the fight.”
I closed my eyes, trying to process the situation. “Do you think it’s an alliance between heretics and Drakka, or is it just a coincidence.”
Rosie shrugged. “I don’t know, and it doesn’t make much of a difference either way. We need to decide what to do before half of the towns fall victim to beast waves. We only have days before the murderous monsters ravage the land worse than Cataclysm had done.”
I sighed. “I know. We can’t turn away while a crisis of such magnitude is going on, but intervening won’t be that easy as well. We should convene another council.”
“I’ll go and get them, but while I’m away, think about what you want to do. No one would blame you if you prioritize protecting the town. It’s not your duty to protect the world.”
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I slammed my hand on my desk, the reinforced wood that could carry an adult elephant shattering under my power, a display of my Strength, which was enough to count as a miracle.
A miracle that seemed to be useless against the challenge we faced.
“It’s not like you to act in anger,” she commented, her eyebrows raised.
“Sorry about it,” I said, feeling sheepish under her raised eyebrow. “It’s just… the situation. Just when I’m sure we found a balance, the world hits us with three new problems.”
“Don’t be,” Rosie responded. “It’s normal. You are carrying too much weight on your shoulders already. I wish I had the power to help but…”
“You don’t need to feel guilty. You are already vital to the situation. You could have stayed away, but you risked yourself to help me. I appreciate it.”
She moved next to me and squeezed my hand. We said nothing for a moment, just sharing the silence. Her presence helped. “Better?” she asked a minute later.
“Better,” I responded. “Go gather the council. Call everyone, including all my students. Even Ryan, and ….” I started, then added. “Soren.”
“We’ll be there in fifteen minutes. It’ll give you enough time to gather yourself.” With that, she left, leaving me with my sudden epiphany.
Only in the midst of a crisis, I realized how absurd my actions about Soren had been. I knew he wasn’t a farmer. I had seen many signs that he was hoarding secrets. Worse, with the clarity of memories given by Wisdom, I could remember every single occasion I had decided to do something about Soren, whether it was to inform Rosie to examine his situation, or to have a detailed discussion about his class.
Every single situation ended the same. I had decided I had something more important, and decided against it, the number was far too many to be a coincidence. Whenever I decided to focus on Soren, the decision just … faded.
I had no idea what it was, but I suspected it wasn’t magic. If that had been the case, I would have noticed the mana. An insidious effect, almost reflexively a part of the thought process… “Could it be Charisma?” I asked myself.
It was a serious situation, but once again, I decided I had more important things to do, though this time deliberate. If he was a spy, all the sensitive information had been long delivered; if he was keeping secrets for another reason, we could discuss it when we weren’t facing a local extinction situation.
So, I focused back on the upcoming council meeting. More importantly, what my position would be. I had every intention to listen and adjust my point based on their ideas, but I knew very well that they would have different opinions, and without a lengthy time to debate, my position would act as an anchor.
“I just need to make a simple decision, weighing thirty thousand lives I’m directly responsible for and the hundreds of thousands of others that are affected by us. What an easy task,” I said.
If it wasn’t for the war between Drakka and Asterion, things would have been much simpler. They would have handled the stronger dungeons, as they represented a great treasure for them, and we could have spread our forces around. But, without it, things would be harder.
One advantage was that, with the arrival of the latest refugees, we weren’t lacking in metal production, both in terms of dungeon-based alloys, and purer mana alloys. Not only our armaments were in place, but our storages were overflowing with simpler weapons like swords and spears.
Then, there were our growing elite teams. While their stats were rather underwhelming even after they passed level sixty, that didn’t make them invalids. Armed with high-grade weapons, and supported by the armored carriers and cannons, they represented a significant force; not only hard-hitting, but also able to escape from all but the fastest monsters.
The finest example of a mechanical infantry, is the System turning each into an elite, one that, in the absence of the cities, could do a
It would have been easier if I was a power-seeing tyrant. All I needed was to give them order, and they would burst out like Mongolian cavalry, raiding and pillaging the towns that surround us; the monsters giving us the perfect cover.
However, such a move was out of the question. Instead, I needed to decide between the safety of my people, and the safety of the other innocents, living in the surrounding towns, ignored and discarded. “I’m, without a doubt, a bleeding heart idiot,” I muttered to myself, feeling supremely unqualified to be any kind of leader, let alone a king; even if that title was there just as a statement for others, a paper tiger only.
I cursed myself, because, despite all, I knew exactly the direction I was leaning. For all the risks, I couldn’t let innocent civilians be massacred, especially when the cities that were supposed to be protecting them were busy their own battles.
But, even with the decision made, I knew that I wouldn’t be forcing people to act. A move like that would carry many risks. Wild beasts were driven mad by the increased mysterious energy, endless monsters due to dungeon breaks, possible counter-attacks from Drakka and other cities, assassins from heretics, and many other unknown dangers…
Even with the decision made, I stayed on my seat, looking at the desk I had shattered earlier, wondering how many people would volunteer for such a mission.
And, how many of them would never return…