NOVEL NEXT WORLD C45
Chapter 45: Lords Meeting (1)
The next afternoon, after finishing the joint funeral for those who had fallen in battle, Yoo Seong received various reports in his office.
First, the number of casualties.
Excluding Camelot’s army and the battle priests, about 100 out of the roughly 600 soldiers had either died or been injured.
Considering they fought against an army more than five times their size, it was a significant achievement.
The death army had launched visually threatening attacks like corpse explosions and snake-like corpses, but in the end, the height of the walls and the unexpected intervention of Jillian’s holy magic played a huge role in the victory.
‘If it weren’t for Jillian’s barrier, the casualties from the bat corpse explosions would have been tremendous.’
Even now, it was a dizzying thought, but remembering the scene where Jillian’s holy magic had unfolded, Yoo Seong couldn’t help but smile.
‘Who am I? A commander with a saint under my command.’
Saints were a rare resource, even in Fantasy Monarch.
As a high-ranking cleric chosen by the gods, her strategic and tactical value was immense.
‘Moreover, Jillian is also good at internal affairs.’
She’s an all-around talent who excelled both in peacetime and wartime.
Just thinking of Jillian’s face made Yoo Seong feel content and full.
‘Rene is also really capable.’
Rene, skilled in elemental magic, was proficient in both fire and ice magic, and her power was extraordinary.
Moreover, Rene wasn’t just a bombardment-type mage who poured out firepower.
She was also capable in reconnaissance and defense, making her a true all-round mage.
‘In terms of Three Kingdoms, she’s like Zhuge Liang.’
Rene, as the right-hand, and Jillian, as the left-hand.
An incredibly solid combination of witch and saint.
‘While I’m at it, let’s check some stats.’
Now, just like Rene, Jillian could also grow through the status window.
Both of them had leveled up in this battle, so it was time to develop them further.
‘Rene’s growth is already decided.’
They had already discussed prioritizing mana growth first, and if there were any points left, they would be allocated to mana storage for Rene.
Yoo Seong selected Rene’s status from the window.
[Hero Management]
King’s Mage: Rene Baltois
Level: 9
Points Available: 15pt
Weapon: Oak Staff / Mage’s Robe
General Skills: Mana Enhancement Lv5 / Combat Meditation Lv1 / War Horse Summoning Lv1
Unique Skills: Mana Storage Lv1
Unique Spells: –
[Rene acquires Mana Enhancement Lv6: 10pt]
[Rene acquires Bare-Handed Combat Lv1: 3pt]
[Rene acquires Combat Meditation Lv2: 5pt]
[Rene acquires Mana Storage Lv2: 5pt]
[Rene acquires a new spell: 5pt]
[Rene acquires War Horse Summoning Lv2: 5pt]
[Rene’s Strength increases: 1pt]
[Rene’s Agility increases: 1pt]
[Rene’s Endurance increases: 1pt]
‘Mana Enhancement and Mana Storage are perfect choices.’
He still wasn’t planning on investing in bare-handed combat, but Yoo Seong felt a bit disappointed about not improving combat meditation and acquiring a new spell.
‘But I really can’t stop Mana Enhancement.’
It was the most efficient growth, so it couldn’t be helped.
‘Next is Jillian.’
[Hero Management]
King’s Saint: Jillian Ynatri
Level: 2
Points Available: 5pt
Weapon: High Priest’s Robes
General Skills: Surveying Lv3 / Shield Mastery Lv1 / Horseback Riding Lv1
Unique Skills: –
Unique Prayer: –
[Jillian acquires Divine Power Enhancement Lv1: 3pt]
[Jillian acquires Shield Mastery Lv2: 5pt]
[Jillian acquires a new prayer: 5pt]
[Jillian acquires War Horse Summoning Lv1: 5pt]
[Jillian’s Strength increases: 1pt]
[Jillian’s Agility increases: 1pt]
[Jillian’s Endurance increases: 1pt]
‘Oh, she does have skills.’
As expected from the High Priest of the Omphalos Order.
‘She even has Shield Mastery.’
Although her level was low, it was impressive that she had these skills from the start.
‘Of course, I’m not planning to level them much.’
Both Rene’s bare-handed combat and Jillian’s shield mastery felt like traps to Yoo Seong.
‘Let’s go with War Horse Summoning first.’
Though Divine Power Enhancement was tempting, considering that he would keep her on the battlefield, War Horse Summoning came first.
Unlike Rene, who had already discussed her growth direction, Jillian’s growth path hadn’t been settled yet, but since her starting build was effectively fixed, Yoo Seong chose War Horse Summoning without hesitation.
‘Okay, let’s finish the others too.’
Kate, Vanadain, Diana, and Hector had all leveled up.
Yoo Seong filled the units to their maximum capacity and then checked the heroes’ and units’ growth progress.
[Unit Management]
Kate’s Regular Infantry Lv5 (Promotion Possible!)
Commander: Kate
Trumpeter/Deputy Commander: Jimmy
Members: 50+1 (Maximum: 50+1) / Reserve: 0
[Add 5 Infantry: 2pt]
Commander: Kate
Level: 8
Equipment: Camelot’s Flag / Ordinary Longsword / Spiked Leather Armor / Round Wooden Shield / War Horse
Chivalry: Camelot’s Glory Lv2
Title: ???’s Champion (Locked)
Skills: Kingdom Swordsmanship Lv3 / Aura Blade Lv3
Vanadain’s Elite Archers Lv5
Commander: Vanadain
Members: 50+1 (Maximum: 50+1) / Reserve: 0
[Add 2 Archers: 3pt]
Archer Commander: Vanadain
Level: 8
Equipment: Elven Longbow / Dagger / Leather Armor
Chivalry: Piercing Strike (Enhances the penetration and power of attacks)
Title: ???’s Marksman (Locked)
Skills: Rapid Fire Lv3 / Multiple Shot Lv2 / High-Speed Maneuver Lv1
Diana’s Elite Cavalry Lv5 (Promotion Possible!)
Commander: Diana
Members: 30+1 (Maximum: 30+1) / Reserve: 5
[Add 1 Elite Cavalry: 2pt]
[Add Trumpeter to Elite Cavalry: 2pt]
Heavenly Knight: Diana
Level: 8
Equipment: Pike / Longsword / Leather Armor / Wooden Shield
Chivalry: Diana’s Shock
Title: ???’s Trumpeter (Locked)
Skills: Acceleration Lv1
Hector’s Heavy Infantry Lv2
Commander: Hector
Trumpeter: Hans
Members: 35+1 (Maximum: 35+1) / Reserve: 0
[Add 1 Heavy Infantry: 2pt]
[Blacksmith Additional Effect: Shield Enhancement: 10pt]
Commander: Hector
Level: 6
Equipment: Large Shield / Large Axe
Chivalry: Camelot’s Golem
Title: ???’s Champion (Locked)
Skills: Aura Weapon Lv2 / Hardened Body Lv1
‘Good, they’ve reached the promotion level again.’
With Kate, Vanadain, and Diana’s units all reaching level 5, promotion was now possible.
“Wait, why is the promotion route like this?”
Without realizing it, Yoo Seong had voiced his surprise and then checked the status window again.
[Upgrade Regular Infantry to Elite Infantry: 20pt]
This was normal.
[Upgrade Elite Cavalry to Heavenly Cavalry: 30pt]
This was also as expected, so Yoo Seong wasn’t surprised, though he felt pleased.
However, the next part was strange.
[Upgrade Elite Archers to Elven Archers: 30pt]
[Upgrade Elite Archers to Mechanized Unit: 30pt]
The promotion route for the archers seemed a bit odd.
‘Elven unit? Does this mean the current unit members will change species?’
Or perhaps it meant that the current unit members would remain, but they could receive elves as new recruits?
‘Wait, this isn’t like the ship of Theseus, is it?’
As casualties occur, the proportion of elves gradually increases, and the unit eventually becomes an elven unit.
Until then, it would be an elven-less elven unit.
‘It would be better if the current unit members just turned into elves.’
Yoo Seong decided to check the Elven Archer unit details first.
‘In simple terms, this is an upgraded version of a human archer unit.’
They shoot farther, more accurately, and move faster.
‘Definitely tempting.’
Not only was the range longer than the current archer unit, but the mobility was also incredibly appealing.
‘Mechanized unit…ohhh.’
By the time Yoo Seong had reached the last option, he was momentarily lost in thought, but it was understandable.
‘Ballista!’
The mechanized unit wasn’t equipped with individual weapons like bows or crossbows, but with siege weapons—huge ballistas.
‘Does this mean they’ll eventually be firing cannons too?’
Very tempting.
This option was also incredibly appealing.
Elven unit or mechanized unit?
Yoo Seong closed his eyes, pondered deeply, and then made up his mind.
‘I’ll go with the elves.’
The mechanized unit was also attractive, but considering the combination with the commander Vanadain, the Elven unit seemed like the better choice.
‘A unit where everyone is Legolas. Just thinking about it sounds strong.’
And another reason, though it was just a guess, was that Yoo Seong felt that he could potentially acquire the mechanized unit later.
‘If needed, I could always recruit a regular unit without heroes.’
Having made up his mind, Yoo Seong chose the Elven unit without hesitation and then unknowingly widened his eyes.
“Oh.”
[Unit Management]
Vanadain’s Elven Archers Lv1
Commander: Vanadain
Members: 30+1 (Maximum: 30+1) / Reserve: 20
[Add 1 Archer: 3pt]
All the existing unit members had turned into elves.
Yoo Seong quickly activated Yoo Seong Castle and looked for Vanadain’s unit members.
‘It’s true. They’ve all become elves.’
The archers all had long ears and handsome appearances.
Though they were all 3-head tall, they should look the same, but somehow, it felt like their limbs had gotten longer.
‘They’re all surprised.’
Jimmy was so shocked, his eyes were wide open, and his mouth was hanging open. The soldiers, too, were jumping around in surprise.
The elves—well, the archers—seemed just as shocked, looking at their own reflections in mirrors or the water, bewildered.
‘But overall, they seem to like it.’
Some of them were even making hearts after seeing themselves in the mirror.
‘But where did Vanadain go?’
Now that he looked closely, Diana was also nowhere to be seen.
Are these two really dating?
‘Anyway, let’s head back.’
Yoo Seong promoted Kate’s unit and Diana’s unit as well.
The regular infantry had become elite infantry, and while their appearance didn’t change drastically except for the clothes looking a bit more stylish, everyone—especially Jimmy—seemed quite satisfied.
Considering how many times he fixed his beret, it was clear.
And then the Heavenly Cavalry.
Suddenly, winged horses appeared all over Yoo Seong Castle.
Alphonse, who had been the boss among the castle’s horses, looked very flustered, while Enika had a somewhat contented expression on her face.
‘Could it be that the boss is changing?’
For a moment, Yoo Seong was worried about Alphonse’s authority, then opened the status window again.
He checked his own status.
Name: Cheon Yoo Seong
Gender: Male
Class: Camelot’s Paladin
Level: 16
Rank: Mid-level Commander
Special Traits: Heir of the Light, Lord of the Legion, Successor of the Round Table, Heart of the Dragon
[Chivalry]
[Heir of the Light]
[King’s Skills]
Kingdom Swordsmanship Lv4 / Imperial Swordsmanship Lv4 / Dragon King’s Heart Lv4 / Dragon King’s Roar Lv3 / King’s Insight Lv2 / Warhorse Summon Lv3
[Holy King Cross Sword]
Sword of the Scorched Earth
[Paladin Skills]
Aura Blade / Aura Shield / Victory’s Roar / Aura Blast (New!)
[Commander’s Orders]
Storm Order / Guardian’s Order / Piercing Order / Giant’s Order
[Knight Order]
King’s Time
After reviewing the status window, Yoo Seong clenched his fist at the Paladin skill section.
‘It’s really here.’
In Fantasy Monarch, there were major changes at every 5-level interval.
Until now, his level had been 14, but after the recent battle, it had reached level 16, resulting in a significant change.
‘Aura Blast.’
In other words, it was a technique to launch sword energy.
Until now, Yoo Seong could only raise sword energy following the sword movements, but now he could actually send the energy as a ranged attack.
‘The difference between learning and not learning this skill is huge.’
A knight who can send out sword energy and one who cannot will have a stark difference not only in attack range but also in the number of targets they can attack at once.
This was a must-learn skill for performing a rampage as a knight in Fantasy Monarch.
Yoo Seong decided to try it. He lightly infused sword energy into a paper knife on his desk, then shot it at the wall.
Swoosh!
The crescent-shaped golden sword energy flew gracefully and left a sharp mark on the wall.
‘I wonder if I can also send out the Sword of Scorched Earth?’
Until now, it had been a wide swing that emitted flames, but just like Rene’s Fireball, maybe the Sword of Scorched Earth could also be fired in a condensed form?
As Yoo Seong’s eyes turned golden, golden flames bloomed over the paper knife.
Focus.
Then, fire!
Boom!
A small, thumb-sized golden flame hit the wall and exploded, turning into a flame the size of a fist.
‘Nice. Now I can act as a cannon in siege battles.’
Yoo Seong smiled contentedly and unconsciously began to gather more golden flames.
But at that moment…
“Successor!”
With a loud bang, the door opened, and Rene appeared, rolling smoothly inside.
“I don’t think it’s an ambush?”
Rene shook her knees and stood up. Yoo Seong nodded before speaking.
“That was kind of cool just now.”
“I… I’m a little…”
Rene laughed awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed, but it was only for a moment.
Soon, she furrowed her brows and approached Yoo Seong, saying:
“What happened? I heard an explosion, and I rushed over, startled.”
“Ah, that’s…”
Yoo Seong awkwardly smiled and explained the situation.
Rene then frowned and said:
“Successor! How could you do this?”
“Huh?”
No, I know I messed up, but was it really that big of a deal?
Flustered, Yoo Seong couldn’t answer right away, and Rene bit her lip before saying:
“We agreed to grow Yoo Seong Castle together!”
“Ah, that?”
“Ah, that? How could you treat it like that? How important is it?”
Rene said, looking at him as if in disbelief, and Yoo Seong laughed before responding:
“Don’t worry about that. I haven’t upgraded the facilities yet.”
“Oh, thank goodness—wait, not yet? Does that mean you did something else?”
“Huh? Uh…uh.”
Well, there were two big changes.
Instead of saying anything, Yoo Seong showed her Yoo Seong Castle, and as Rene carefully examined it, like playing a “find the difference” game and her eyes went wide in surprise.