"Let's go! Overgeared Skeletons!”

Clack! Clack clack clack!

Reidan’s desert. A black-haired man was crossing the desert with two skeletons.

Hwiiiing~~~~~~~

"Ah!” Spit! Spit spit!

A young man felt pained as the wind blew sand into his eyes and mouth. Two skeletons followed obliviously behind him.

Clack!

Clack clack! Clack!

The skeletons couldn’t withstand the pressure of the wind and their joints twisted in different directions. They were like gentle dancers as their limbs broke down.

[The Overgeared Skeletons have suffered catastrophic damage!]

[Overgeared Skeleton (1) has returned to the soil.]

[Overgeared Skeleton (2) has returned to the soil.]

[The Overgeared Skeletons won’t lose experience.]

"...”

After capturing the 8th city. Grid wanted to try hunting young scorpions in the desert with the skeletons. The level of the young scorpions was only 20~30. Rather than being classified as monsters, it was classified as a monster’s prey. If Grid supported them well, the Overgeared Skeletons could hunt them and raise their levels.

But what was this? The Overgeared Skeletons were destroyed by the wind before they could even meet the scorpions! Grid was stunned.

“Wow... Seriously trash.”

Undead monsters were known for their weak durability. Their bodies were easily broken and this was directly related to a decline in fighting ability. But the Overgeared Skeletons were different. Since their basic stats were garbage, their bodies were broken and they were killed. These skeletons were pathetic and were among the weakest undead Grid had ever encountered.

“The power obtained from defeating a direct descendant...”

He knew that the Overgeared Skeletons were highly likely to have great growth potential. But no matter how well they were raised, it was evident they would never compare to a death knight. Was it worth the trouble to raise these guys? Grid couldn’t help questioning.

‘But if there’s one good point...’

The Overgeared Skeletons didn’t lose experience if they died. They just died. If he repeatedly summoned them to hunt, he might be able to raise their levels.

"I should hunt rabbits when I return to Reidan.”

Grid lost motivation and logged out. It was time to sleep. He hadn’t been able to sleep well for two days, so his head and body were very tired.

***

While Grid was sleeping. As always, Lauel was working on behalf of Grid. The appearance of the hard working staff member became an inspiration for the Overgeared members, while inspiring compassion at the same time.

The Gauss Kingdom. A kingdom located on the northernmost point of the continent, bordered by the Eternal Kingdom. The east and west areas of the two kingdoms were close to each other and had a bad relationship. The Eternal Kingdom and Gauss Kingdom didn’t have a good relationship.

In order to advance into the central part of the continent, Gauss must pass through Eternal. In order to advance to the sea, Eternal must pass through Gauss. A separate tariff had to be paid in order for them to trade with each other. The Gauss Kingdom was in a worse position than the Eternal Kingdom, which could easily enter the center of the continent.

“If it wasn’t for Earl Ashur...!”

Marquis Valtin. He had been serving the Gauss Kingdom for generations and was responsible for the defense of the fortified city Borneo. Borneo was a very important base for defending the border of the Gauss Kingdom. It faced the fortified city of Patrian in the Eternal Kingdom and frequently clashed with Patrian.

Historically, the number of battles between Borneo and Patrian had reached the hundreds. But war didn’t occur in the present day. It was due to one of the 10 great magicians on the continent. Earl Ashur. Since he became lord of Patrian, Marquis Valtin didn’t dare go against Patrian. What did it matter how well trained his army was? They would be burned to ashes by the magic!

"I should’ve learned magic when I was young...”

Instead, he learned swordsmanship. Marquis Valtin was staring out the window when the voice of a deputy entered his ears.

"A guest from the Eternal Kingdom has come to see you.”

“Hrmm.”

The Gauss Kingdom might be at odds with the Eternal Kingdom, but that didn’t mean there were no interactions. As a neighbouring kingdom, there were many superficial policies implemented. In order to enter the Gauss Kingdom from the Eternal Kingdom, everyone had to go through Borneo. Therefore, Borneo was often visited by the king or nobles of Eternal.

“Come in.”

Marquis Valtin politely welcomed the guest. No matter what he thought, he was a professional politician. He couldn’t be rude to guests visiting from Eternal. After a moment. A man entered Marquis Valtin’s office. He was a young man with silver hair.

‘No, isn’t he a boy?’

The guest was very young. The inwardly confused Marquis Valtin smiled and spoke, "Welcome to Borneo. But what should I call you?”

The silver-haired boy bowed and introduced himself politely.

"I am Earl Lauel of Eternal. I come on behalf of Duke Grid of Reidan.”

“Hah...”

Marquis Valtin’s eyes sharpened. The names Lauel and Grid. Marquis Valtin were familiar with them. There was no way he couldn’t know their names. A few years ago, they were the ones who rescued Reinhardt from the golem invasion. Marquis Valtin was interested in those who were praised as the ‘Kingdom's Heroes.’ Thus, he was familiar with the latest situation.

‘Grid killed Prince Ren, who was first in line for the throne.’

Due to that, the relationship between the Eternal royal family and Reidan was very bad. Perhaps Reidan was already isolated within Eternal. The fact that people were sent here...

‘If it’s true, this situation will be fun.’

Marquis Valtin was filled with anticipation. He didn’t show it as he asked calmly, "You’re the famous Earl Lauel? Huhu, we have heard of you even in the Gauss Kingdom. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Lauel shook the thick hands of Marquis Valtin as politely as possible. Then he replied, “It’s an honor to meet Marquis Valtin, the lion of Gauss. Isn’t even Earl Ashur, one of the great great magicians on the continent, afraid of you?”

“Hahahat! I guess so!”

Marquis Valtin had an inferiority complex towards Earl Ashur. Lauel’s flattery was sufficient. In addition, Lauel wasn’t telling a lie. Marquis Valtin had mastered a specialized combat style. The ruler of Borneo. There was no person more suitable for the role of defending the Gauss Kingdom. In fact, the reason Earl Ashur didn’t invade Borneo was due to Marquis Valtin.

Marquis Valtin laughed pleasantly and naturally asked, “Why did you come here?”

Lauel explained bluntly. "Eternal’s royal family is making Reidan impoverished. Duke Grid can no longer endure it and has decided to become independent from Eternal.”

It was a well-known story that Grid only pledged allegiance to King Wiesbaden when he became a duke. In addition, he was currently framed for Prince Ren’s death. On the surface, there was a bad relationship between Grid and the Eternal Kingdom. That's why Lauel was certain. Marquis Valtin wouldn’t doubt his words.

“Duke Grid needs Marquis Steim’s help to become completely independent. In order to connect the north and west, Duke Grid made a plan to invade and occupy Patrian.”

"...”

Marquis Valtin waited patiently. He tried to suppress the smile that wanted to leak out. He was inwardly filled with joy as Lauel asked him.

"As you know, Reidan is a desolate land. The population is less than 20,000 and the troops are few. It’s natural for the quality of the soldiers to be low. We can’t occupy Patrian with just our strength. So Marquis Valtin, please help us. Send the powerful soldiers of Borneo as reinforcements and help us occupy Patrian.”

Lauel bowed his head and begged as much as possible. He was showing his desperation. Marquis Valtin didn’t doubt the current situation and nodded.

"What will the Gauss Kingdom get in return for helping Duke Grid?”

"If the occupation of Patrian succeeds, the north and west of Eternal will be connected and ruled by Duke Grid.” Lauel passed the papers he prepared in advance to Marquis Valtin. “Duke Grid has promised to remove all tariffs, as well as give a monthly tribute to the Gauss Kingdom. The details are contained in this agreement."

“Hrmm...?”

Marquis Valtin’s smile became progressively larger as he read the contents of the agreement. The conditions were so great that it was difficult to control his facial expression any longer. He finally made a suspicious expression.

"I know that Duke Grid is Marquis Steim’s son-in-law. Marquis Steim is ruler of the north. Why don’t you borrow his power to occupy Patrian instead of coming to me?”

"King Aslan is blocking all communications with the north and there’s no way to contact Marquis Steim. Due to that, Duke Grid has become more obsessed with Patrian.”

It was an answer that was easy to guess. Marquis Valtin nodded. “Okay, I understand. However, Duke Grid needs to handle Earl Ashur. We want to avoid losing as many troops as possible.”

"Of course. Believe in us. I’m sure that you’re aware of our skills.”

“Kingdom's Hero... It should be enough to keep Earl Ashur in check. Okay, I will send the army.”

The soldiers of Borneo were the elite. They were trained to participate in war at any time, making them thirsty for it.

‘Of course, it’s the same for me!’

The first thing the excited Marquis Valtin did was to send a letter to the Gauss royal family. After delivering the story about the war to the royal family, the army was reorganized and headed to Patrian with Lauel. The final number was 10,000 troops.

***

Reidan had a total of 4,000 troops. 3,000 of them were involved in this expedition. If this expedition failed, the base of Reidan would be shaken. But the Overgeared members weren’t nervous. It was difficult for them to think they would be defeated in a war where all the Overgeared members except for Grid were participating. In particular, the presence of Blood Warrior Katz gave a strong belief to everyone. It was difficult to find a stronger presence on the battlefield.

“But why is the marching speed so fast?”

The Overgeared members wondered as the 3,000 soldiers crossed the desert. The marching speed of the army was much faster than expected. Reidan’s soldiers might be accustomed to the desert, but wouldn’t this fast marching speed make them tired more easily?

Toban soothed his worried colleagues. “Commander Asmophel must have a reason. His strategies are above ours. We just have to believe in him.”

"Hmm, indeed.”

The Overgeared members were in the rear to protect the supply wagons from being attacked by giant worms. They thought that the man at the forefront of the army was Asmophel. They never dreamt that Asmophel would be missing in such an important moment.

“Go. Destination. Patrian.”

His maximum intelligence was 20. The commander who didn’t know anything, Jude, started the rapid advance.