Second World Novel

“They truly come as you said,” Motherboard said. She was controlling the guild soldiers beside Linda who operated the war table that gave instructions to Liguritudum’s native soldiers.

“It was one of the several scenarios I figure they will take,” Linda said. “This one is riskier but also gives them a good advantage. That is, of course, if they succeed.”

“They will be in for a surprise,” Gridhacker chuckled.

Behind Gridhacker lined the six guild leaders and their guild army command platforms. Their guild armies were currently sacrificed as meat shields in the battle between the native armies. They had no choice about it. They didn’t dare to defy World Maker’s will.

The little consolation they had was that their members were not sacrificed as their guild armies. Their players were now supporting World Maker’s guild army in slaughtering Hydrurond players.

“That incoming ambush is insignificant, leave them to Master,” Linda said. “Focus on vanquishing the players and their guild armies.”

Herald and the other guild leaders might be falling on their heads if they heard Linda’s words. While their target was Liguritudum players, they were also the enemy’s target.

That was because the one plan Linda didn’t hope the enemy players to take was what John told Jeanny to first propose to the Hydrurond guild leaders, by working with the native army and helping them survive longer. Hence, buying time.

If the enemy did that, the war would be prolonged. Many changes could happen in a prolonged war, and Linda didn’t want this. Liguritudum could suffer more casualties. Because even if their force almost outnumbered the enemies by twice, they were not at a complete advantage. There were plenty of high-level officers on the opponent’s side and she had just learned that there was this thing called morale when they last sent the native troops on a mock invasion to Aurebor.

She had tasked people to find more information about this Morale. Some players found out about it in the palace’s library. Morale of 70 or higher gave buffs to the army. While below 60, debuffs were applied.

Their current morale was at 62. It was 66 when the army first departed from Liguritudum. She figured this morale would increase and decrease based on how the war went.

She did not doubt that a difficult battle when their army outnumbered the enemy would pull the morale lower. Hence, she needed an early win to boost this morale. Players with low HP were the easiest targets.

Furthermore, taking the players out now would remove the chance of them supporting the native force. This should give her an easier time dealing with the Hydrurond native army. Even if these defeated players wore amulets of rebirth, it would take time for them to return and they would also return one level weaker.

Luckily, those players stupidly separated themselves from the native army. But considering Hyrdurond’s native army and players had never fought together before, this was to be expected. Additionally, she had also implanted a ploy in Hydrurond cities that lowered the trust between natives and players.

To entice the enemy players further, she even purposefully separated Liguritudum’s native army and players and placed these players facing Hydrurond players. All to incite those enemy players to come at them.

Linda controlled one regiment of their cavaliers, which was the upgraded variant of the cavalry units, to separate themselves from the fighting with Hydrurond’s native army and head to the rear of Hydrurond’s player force.

She could have sent this regiment to the enemy’s unprotected guild command platforms, but she didn’t do that. Because she wanted to not only obliterate the enemy players but also their guild armies. This way, it would take the Hydrurond’s guilds longer to recover. Taking out their effectiveness in influencing the remainder of this war.

*

While the cavaliers were charging to the rear of the struggling Hydrurond’s players, Jeanny and Megan led their people to the enemy’s command base.

They saw four figures in the distance standing in their way.

“Four? They are underestimating us,” Megan said. She then yelled an order to her followers behind her, “CHAARRGGEEE…!!!”

Everyone increased their pace.

As they got closer, Jeanny saw that she recognized three out of the four. The three were all World Maker’s Heavenly Enforcers. Spring Crown, Wong, and Ronald Dreary. She didn’t recognize the fourth, but one look and she knew who this fourth one was.

This fourth one was an Ethereal who wore heavy armor while holding two magic staffs in his hands. The ethereal was none other than Master.

“Wait! We shouldn’t charge recklessly. There must be a trap!” Jeanny shouted at Megan. No way the enemy boss exposed himself like this. But Megan was too far ahead already, she couldn’t hear Jeanny’s warning.

“Jeanny! There are invisible things around us!” Domon yelled.𝑛𝔬𝒱𝔢𝓁𝐧ℯxt.𝗰𝗈𝓂

Jeanny also sensed them at the same time Domon gave the warning. Unfortunately, mana sense had limited range. With their charging speed, they were already too close when their mana sense warned them.

A lot of figures materialized around them. These figures looked like humans in ninja getups. They immediately attacked the players once they appeared. They struck in melee using short swords and could also fight in range using throwing weapons.

They were very fast and agile. Their hit dealt huge damage, especially their first hits which received an ambush bonus.

Everlasting Heavenly Legends’ core members fared better since all of them had at least basic mana sense. They managed to dodge or at least negate the ambush bonus from the attacks, but the others didn’t do so well.

“Dread Stalkers!” Carnelia, Leavemealone’s fairy companion, exclaimed after seeing these previously invisible units. “They are guild soldiers.”

Once the dread stalkers revealed themselves, Master also took action. He cast spells with incredible speed, summoning one minion after another. All of a sudden, it was like a small army had appeared in front of him.

He was not done, he called his companion and also his royal agents, which now numbered five agents. This indicated that his sovereign level was at least level 4.

He then cast a spell that had seven runes. When it was completed, a large number of shadow creatures poured out of a dark portal. It was Master’s Shadow Army spell. The shadow creatures he conjured this time numbered a thousand, much more than when Jack faced this spell during the destruction of Council of Virtus. This was because Master had max-level this spell.

Master stood his ground while his heavenly enforcers and his royal agents advanced together with his summons and charged into the players who were in chaos due to the Dread Stalkers’ ambush.