The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military - Chapter 217: A New Possibility (3)

68. 68. A New Possibility (3)

As soon as Iron and the Central government showed their firm resolve to go to war with the Southern Confederation, everything began to proceed at lightning speed. To aid the troops that would be the first to go on the expedition, the Central government sent a number of administrative personnel to the Commands that would be going to the Southern Confederation. They also discussed sending necessary supplies for the expedition.

It had not been that long since two attacks had laid the Capital to waste. To add to that, the Empire was also plagued with all the big problems that had arisen in the different territories.

But because it was the Empire, it was able to still function like this despite all those troubles. The Empire lived up to its name as the strongest country on the continent, its economy recovering quickly in spite of all the crises. In fact, it seemed that the Empire was developing even more – the caste system, the misuse of personal connections, the blood ties that had stood in the way of progress were now disappearing, allowing the speed of development to rise sharply. Those who were considered prodigies but had been hindered by their status and lack of personal connection were now being appointed rapidly, allowing the Empire to quickly recover lost ground.

However, there were people who stood in opposition.

“(Even though) the Empire is currently on a steep rise, do we really have to provide such enormous support?”

“What we should do is expel the Southern Confederation to a certain extent, and then use the rest of our strength to advance the Empire.”

“We need to prepare for bigger threats!”

Those who opposed the war against the Confederation did have a point. Beyond the mountain ranges of the northeast, the frost giants were preparing for war, and in the east, there were the external gods, and they had no way of knowing how strong the external gods were. Through the victory of the Mobile Field Army, they had learnt that the ancient gods were not as strong as they had thought.

But these arguments were met with the fierce resistance of those who had received the quest from the Lord God. Not everyone had received the quest, but those who did were of one voice.

“We cannot miss this chance!”

The system had promised them immense rewards. Already, news had spread of how the Mobile Field Army had received great rewards and had entered closed door training.

This was the main quest of the Apocalypse’s first story. And because they knew how tremendous the reward for it would be, everyone was attracted by it. All of the troops of the Mobile Field Army had received the quest, and a large number of people at the southern command had also received it. Even some folks from the eastern command who were in the south had gotten it too.

Everyone was envious of those who had received the quest. Now that all the citizens of the Empire had awakened through the system, many of them could receive on appropriate quests. But those quests were only sub-quests or ordinary quests, not the main quest. The risks involved in those quests were low, but the rewards they gave were just as low.

But the main quest was different. It came with great risk, and an equally great reward, a  reward great enough to completely change their lives at once.

As the people were envying those who had received the quest, one man, feeling that he had to do something, ran to the south. He simply thought that if he lingered in the vicinity of where the main quest had been assigned, at the very least, he would get quests that were better than what he had at the moment.

As soon as he arrived at the southern command, he helped the troops there and received a designated reward.

“It increased.”

The man saw that the level of his quests had increased and smiled. Having confirmed his conjecture, he didn’t remain there and instead headed for the southeast.

If it increased that much at southern command, what about at the Mobile Field Army?

He believed that he would get an even better quest than what he had currently. And his thoughts proved to be true. He got a quest that was much more difficult and several levels higher. The Mobile Field Army was at a very high level, and helping them in their operations was also difficult in and of itself. But he didn’t mind.

‘I am getting stronger!’

He could feel himself getting stronger with each passing day.

One day, less than a week after he arrived, the man was resting his exhausted body when he heard the familiar voice of the system.

[You have received the second quest of the Apocalypse’s first story. The difficulty level of this quest is much greater than your current level. Will you proceed? Please note that this is the main quest.]

The system’s voice came all of a sudden. Once he heard what it said, the man, who had been staring vacantly, cheered loudly.

“I will! I’ll do it! Hahahahaha!”

Seeing the man burst into laughter out of nowhere, the soldiers who were around him looked at him oddly.

The man had identified himself as a mercenary when he came. But he was famous even in the Mobile Field Army. He had gone around saying that he would receive a better quest if he was in the vicinity of the main quest, and he had indeed achieved that.

“Why are you laughing?”

One soldier, unable to bear his curiosity any longer, asked the man, to which he laughed and responded.

“Me too! I received the main quest too!”

The eyes of those around him widened when they heard him.

“For real?”

“Really?”

One of the reporters who was with the Mobile Field Army rushed up to him and asked, and the man nodded heavily in response. His smile looked more radiant than it had ever been, so much that no one doubted his words.

“Thi- this is breaking news!”

The reporter shouted as he rushed off, some other reporters following right on his heels. A few other reporters remained and asked the mercenary for more details on how it had happened.

[Breaking news! Mercenary receives main quest!]

Once the reporters quickly sent the scoop to the capital, it instantly spread to the rest of the Empire. But at first, no one believed it.

“This is a lie, isn’t it? If it was so, then all those mercenaries who went south should have received the quest too.”

“Exactly!”

“It’s all a cock and bull story.”

They all thought that the journalists were overzealous and pulling some tabloid bullshit again.[1] But as the newspapers, one after the other, began carrying the articles with all the information the reporters had found, that thought changed.

[Conditions for receiving main quest!]

1. 1. Must aid Mobile Field Army or Southern Command in operations

2. 2. Aid must be for a certain amount of time

3. 3. Must agree to participate in main quest (crucial!)

As the detailed conditions appeared, one by one, the mercenaries and adventurers began following them. Those who had gone to the south, thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to try, saw that even just going to the south raised their quest level. When they shared news of this, the Central government too provided them with support. After that, seeing that the rewards of those who helped the Mobile Field Army and the southern command had increased, and that there really was someone who had received the main quest, people from all over the continent began swarming to the south.

“I…… I did it!”

A man raised his two arms high as he shouted. It made those around him tilt their heads, wondering what made him so happy. But they were shocked to hear his next words.

“I successfully crossed from the ancient gods to the Lord God! Hahaha! I even received the main quest!” [2]

An other-worlder had crossed over from the ancient gods to the Lord God. This was just as shocking as the news that they could receive the main quest.

“You mean if we go now, we can reawaken and even receive the main quest?”

“Hey! Let’s go.”

“Yeah, we have to go no matter what.”

As the other-worlders began discussing the news, some of them began leaving the southern confederation. [3] The large guilds took action to stop them, but because so many of them were running away, it was impossible to control the situation.

Once those who’d escaped reached the border area, neither the southern confederation nor the other-worlders could chase after them any more. This was because both the southern army and the Mobile Field Army had their eyes trained on the border.

“At this rate, the confederation is going to collapse.”

“The number of deserters among the other-worlders is so high!”

“It’s not just them. A considerable number of our citizens have started crossing over too. They are returning to the Lord God’s side and becoming our enemies!”

Some of the key figures in the southern confederation complained.

“Shouldn’t we surrender now?”

A man who was considered a big merchant in the southern confederation suggested with an anxious expression. As soon as he spoke, the others nodded their agreement.

What would happen if they surrendered now? They may not become part of the Empire, but they would at least be able to keep their lives. If they were lucky, they would still be able to keep some part of the power they currently had.

But those who were on the opposing side shook their heads. Their representative, a dark-haired man, spoke.

“Those useless things are always going back and forth anyway. What is important is the war.”

Most of the people who were gathered there nodded their heads to what the man said.

“Just once. We just have to win one time. The Empire’s northern and eastern armies will not be able to move. So if we are able to gain victory just once, from then on, the continent will truly be divided into three parts.”

The listeners looked at him anxiously.

“What we’ve prepared, just trust in it.”

“But even the giant was defeated……”

The giant had been the killer punch prepared by the expeditionary troops of the southern confederation’s army. Everyone gathered there had been appalled at the news of its demise. They could not believe that that overwhelmingly strong giant, the giant that had been touted as surpassing master-level power, had been defeated by one man.

“This time will be different. It will not be just a strong body.”

Some of them who were aware of what he was talking about nodded heavily. The others seated at the round table asked him to explain. Not long after, they were convinced by what they heard.

This time, it really was different from the giant. No one could deny that it would be much more powerful.

“For how long shall we be wary of the Empire? This time, we must gain complete independence from those accursed Empire bastards. The time to do so has come.”

The dark-haired looked around at those present as he spoke, a murderous look in his eyes. Everyone nodded their heads. They clenched their teeth, remembering their history of being exploited by the Empire in the past, or receiving all sorts of contempt even as they had to offer tributes.

“Let’s defeat the Empire together.”

“Good!”

“Agreed!”

When the dark-haired man made that declaration with one hand raised, those around the round table voiced their agreement one by one. Eventually, even those who had been hesitant agreed to the plan, deciding to remain in the confederation.

The same situation occurred on the side of the other-worlders too. Having chosen the ancient gods, they had no choice but to fight back. Even if they crossed over to the Lord God and built their strength anew, they would only fall behind those who had crossed over first.

Whether they sank or swam, they had to see things to the end.

*********

When, different from their expectations, the southern confederation that they’d thought would collapse and self-destruct remained standing strong, the leaders of the Mobile Field Army found it unexpected.

“They are more firm than we’d thought.”

“It seems so.”

The commanding officers were gathered in the Commander’s office for the first time in a while. Ariel, who had been in closed door training for the longest, was also there.

“It will be difficult to shake the southern confederation from this point on.”

Iron gave a small nod to Gaon’s report. Now all the people that desired to leave the confederation had left already. The only thing left was for the war to begin.

“What moves have they prepared?”

“……I’m sorry. We could not find that out.”

Faulden said, with his head bowed. Iron sighed before he spoke.

“Makes sense, I didn’t think it would be easy to do so. What we can be certain of is that it will be something much stronger than the giant we saw last time.”

The expressions of the commanding officers darkened at Iron’s words.

They had only managed to beat the giant because of luck. If the next one were much stronger than the giant……

Their faces darkened even more as they thought.

“Well…… if something like that giant appears, I will take it on, so there is no need for you to have such looks on your faces.”

Even Iron’s words could not ease the commanding officer’s expressions.

“Why are you being like this? You’re not thinking that I am still the same as I was then, are you?”

His question caused their eyes to turn round.

“Are…… are you…..?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves now. I didn’t even reach the Grandmaster wall.”

Iron chuckled at the questioning expression on Cardro’s face.

“Although…… I think I have indeed become a little stronger than before. Roughly……”

Iron paused as he glanced at the commanding officers. They were staring at his mouth waiting for him to continue.

“Roughly enough to beat the two family heads with my swordsmanship?”

“……huh?”

Ariel asked in a daze.

Everyone in the room knew that the two family heads he was talking about were the Lion family clan head and the Godly sword clan head.

As they looked at Iron with incredulous expressions on their faces, he smiled while turning his gaze to Ariel.

“That aside, what about you, Ariel? It seems you have not overcome the barrier yet……”

Ariel nodded to his question.

“Yes, sir. The barrier…… sadly I still have not overcome it.”

Ariel had a disappointed look on her face. The barrier to become a master was much higher than she had thought. Even Iron had had a hard time, so it made sense that it would take more time for her to cross it.

But she was almost there.

“Ah…… looking at your eyes, you can probably finish off a few incarnations on your own.”

The other officers looked at Ariel with surprised eyes. Ariel, on the other hand, did not deny what Iron had said. Seeing her radiate confidence, Iron nodded in approval.

The preparations were done, and all that was left was the war itself.

“I’m sure you all know how important this war is.”

His subordinates nodded, their faces serious as they listened to Iron speak.

“After this war, the outlook of the continent will change. It will develop in a new way. If we win, we will be at the centre of that change.”

Iron rose from his seat as he spoke.

“We must win. And become even stronger.”

“Yes, sir!”

All the commanding officers responded loudly to Iron’s injunctions. Excitement coursed through them as they thought that if they won this war, they may be able to reach the stage of master that they had dreamed of.

Already, all thoughts of the dangers of the war had disappeared from their minds.

Notes: 

[1] ‘Tabloid bullshit’: 기레기 짓; 기레기 is a combination of the word for journalist <기자> and the word for trash <쓰레기>. According to <a href=”https://en.dict.naver.com/#/userEntry/koen/59e60de7aa688502881e2da311e864f0″>Naver dictionary</a>, it is a derogatory term for an ‘unqualified journalist’. Think UK Tabloids, TMZ and clickbait.

[2] This is a bit of a tangent, but this reminds me of one PR stunt that rocked my country (Nigeria) when I was young. Etisalat and MTN are two of the biggest telecom companies in all of Africa. Etisalat used to have this spokesperson called Saka, and for years, Saka would wear the Etisalat green and appear on all our TVs and devices. But one day, Saka is in an ad wearing green, then the light changes and you see he is actually wearing yellow! He had ‘ported’ to MTN [like the guy here]! We talked about it for days, wondering what terms MTN had offered him (google says 20 million). Fun times. You can watch the ad <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUVdnzC19oU”>here</a>!

[3] ‘Those useless things’: 쪽정이들; 쪽정 is the chaff that comes out when winnowing rice.

[4] ‘Sunk or swam’: 죽이 되든 밥이 되든; this literally translates to “whether we become porridge or (cooked) rice”. A very interesting idiom.