Taming Master

* * *

Kaimon and Ruspel.

After the destruction of the Great Empire, there were numerous kingdoms where they lived.

East, west. And the central and northern continents.

A vast piece of land splits into hundreds.

However, it was not similar to the size of the kingdoms that were divided.

In the case of a great kingdom, there were places that were six times the size of a small kingdom.

So how big is the Kingdom of Lotus today?

The Kingdom of Lotus, consisting of 35 territories in total, could have approximately an average size.

In fact, the smallest kingdom that existed had ten lands, and the largest kingdom had fewer than eighty, so simply averaging that number 45.

However, since the number of small kingdoms is much larger than large kingdoms, the average size of the 35 territories is more than average.

Of course, the Kingdom of Lotus was by far the greatest of its size.

And the Kingdom of Lotus was running towards a greater goal.

It was the server's first declaration of empire.

Absorbing the Kingdom of Elika would be the starting point for that goal.

A Lotus royal army barracks on the front lines of the battlefield.

Inside, Hers and Sincerity were having a strategy meeting with a serious face.

Now, if the war resumes tomorrow, it was because the war was scheduled every day for the next full moon.

And during that full moon, the Kingdom of Lotus intended to completely absorb the Kingdom of Elika.

“Yoohyun, what is the status of the territory of Elika at this point? ”

“Well, wait a minute. ”

Herce, who is looking at the map of the kingdom of Elika, opens his mouth again with a slightly startled look.

“The kingdom of Elika is secretly gathering eggs. ”

“Really?"

“Yes, there are about forty locations in the area, of which there are fourteen eggs, about the size of Katen. ”

“Oh, you mean there are 14 or more erlands? ”

“Yes. Seven earls, four earls. Even the Duke is three places. ”

“The baron, the baron...? ”

“Ten barons, fourteen barons. ”

“Fourteen, twenty-four. Thirty-eight total.”

“Yes. Quick calculation. ”

“Hmm……. ”

Of course, the larger the territory and the higher the level, the more difficult it was to attack.

It was because the defensive facilities and territorial armies were much higher.

There are also many variables involved in warfare, such as nearby terrain and commander stats.

So when attacking the kingdom, we had to strategize well.

There are more than one or two areas to consider, such as troop deployment planning and terrain utilization, even if there are practical leadership skills.

Herce, who explained the nature of each territory as he knew it, took a look at one of the maps and opened his mouth in a serious voice.

“But here's the thing. ”

“Huh?"

“Everything else is worth doing, right here. ”

Ian's gaze shifts towards where Herce's finger naturally lies.

“Latafel Territory? ”

“Yes, this is a very tricky place. I don't even know if I can break through, and even if I could, I think we should just blow it up here for a week. ”

“Really? Is that it? ”

With an interesting look on his face, Ian starts looking at the map in more detail.

I wanted to analyze it in my own way before Hers told me.

It's because you have to think for yourself before you hear the answer, so that you don't fall prejudiced.

Because Hers knew the same thing, he waited until Ian opened his mouth.

‘Hmm, there's only one entrance, so it's vague to attack...' But what's the point of having the duc here? ’

Territories grow in rank, exponentially increasing their Defense Power.

Because of this, if the Grand Duke Latafel territory is more difficult than the other dukes, there must be some special reason.

‘What? That's why. ’

Ian searches the map of Latafel territory thoroughly.

And after a while, he looked very embarrassed.

“Gosh, crazy! This is the sanctuary of darkness...! ”

And Herce, who heard Ian's resilience, nods, smiling deeply.

“Yes. The Sanctum of Darkness. That's the biggest problem. ”

* * *

What is the Sanctuary?

To grasp the name as it is, it would be a sacred place.

And Sanctuary in Kailan also functions in a similar context.

It is the only place where you can receive God's blessings without the coming of God or the mediation of the Pantheon.

The place where you can receive the best buff, "God's Blessing," is "Sanctuary."

But there were certain drawbacks.

It's a constraint of place.

As soon as you leave the sanctuary's power, the buff's effect immediately dissipates.

However, we couldn't artificially build a sanctuary, so the word "meteor" matched.

In fact, the sanctuary was famous.

Occasionally, dungeons were created within the Sanctuary, so they enjoyed enormous premium, but rarely.

‘But if there is a sanctuary in this location, it's a different story. ’

Ian's eyes were still fixed on the map.

A wall in Latafel's territory that bends along the ridge.

And the dark sanctuary sits inside.

Otherwise, because there is only one entrance, surrounded by mountains and rivers, the sanctuary, the best buff facility in Latapel territory, has become a "fortress of Heaven and Heaven."

Looking at Ian, whose eyes were fixed on the map, Hers opened his mouth.

“I knew it would be quick. ”

“Can't you see this? ”

“Cain and Clovan didn't even know about it for a long time. ”

“Caine is probably shortsighted, and Cloban is muscle to the brain? ”

“ ……. ”

Silence flows between the two.

Ian seems to be lost in thought, and Herce waits for him.

Expecting something clever to come out of Ian's head.

But it was just an expectation, and Ian, who was staring at the map silently for a moment, opened his mouth with a hollow expression.

“This isn't wrong with the map, is it? ”

“No way. The map is completely up-to-date. ”

“ ……. ”

“I never really thought about it. ”

“You know what? ”

“If you hadn't broken in without analyzing it, you'd have been wasted. ”

“It wasn't a waste. I almost lost my troops. I almost regrouped. ”

“Maybe.... ”

There are about twenty known sanctums in Kailan so far.

And the sanctums have different buff effects.

The sanctuary with the same attribute, of course, gives the same buff, but there is a slight difference in the coefficient.

But that doesn't make a big difference.

because it was about four to five percent different.

Ian and Herce continue their conversation with a serious look.

“The buff effect of the Sanctum of Darkness...... It was probably a dark attribute dot dam for increased attack power, right? ”

“Yes. Twenty percent increase in attack, three percent of attack for 20 seconds. And if the target has a Dark Attribute, the buff effect increases by another 50 percent. ”

“Twenty percent is minimal, up to 25 percent. It's a dotdem coefficient. It's a decimal difference. Don't worry about it. ”

“Yes. But the problem is that the entire army of the Kingdom of Elika is made up of undead. ”

“All buffs are doubled. ”

“That's right."

“ ……. ”

To put all this in perspective, it was a story in which the attacking power of all the mercenaries could be blown up by up to 37.5 percent.

Moreover, 3 percent of the dot damage that is accumulated is a bonus.

Although this buff is limited to attack power, the overall troop level rises by 10-20 percent.

Today, the average level of the royal army of Elika is 385 to 420.

In addition, for Desknights over 400 levels in the first place, you will have close to 500 combat abilities.

This was not a tactical level to overcome.

“Wow, I've been to countless territorial wars so far, but I don't think I've ever been on this crazy level. ”

In Ian's admiration, Herce grunts and shakes his head.

“That's right. It's almost developer's level of play... …. The sanctuary itself is very few on the continent, but only in the kingdom of Elika. That too in this position. And the Sanctum of Darkness. ”

“ ……. ”

There was silence between the two of them again.

But as much as I admired it, it was time to really point things in the right direction.

Ian opens his mouth slowly.

“There's no answer here. ”

“So what? You're giving up Latafel? If we dump it here, we'll have to dump the twelve territories behind it. Moreover, the largest land of the Kingdom of Elika, is beyond Latafel. ”

Ian shakes his head and replies.

“No, that's not what I meant. ”

“Hmm?"

“I'm not abandoning Ratafel's territory, I'm abandoning this wall. ”

“That's not it? ”

“No.”

Ian's hand points to a spot on the map.

Then Hers' gaze naturally moved toward the place.

Ian's words continued again.

“Here, let's move on. ”

“Across the mountain? I didn't think of that... ”

In a way, Ian crossing the mountain was the simplest and easiest solution.

But it was easy to remember and not even easy to implement.

It was because of the many variables and risks that these troops had to take in such a small battle.

For example, if you get hit with a Fire Blast, ordinary soldiers will be considered extinct.

Moreover, going to the mountains does not mean that there are no walls or defenders.

The mountain must have its own defenses.

“No matter how rough the mountain is, it's easier than going over there. ”

“Yes, I do. ”

“If you don't feel right, we should organize a high-level party to take down the Sanctuary. ”

“Well, it doesn't reach, but it could be a way. ”

Ian points his fingers at several territories and speaks.

“If we're going to make it to Latafel territory, it won't take us more than five days. ”

“Of course. At least seven territories must be taken down. ”

“In the meantime, I'll take a ride up the mountain. ”

At Ian's words, Hers' eyes widened greatly.

“What? It's too dangerous for you, isn't it? ”

Ian shakes his head and replies.

“No, I'm not saying I want to go in there alone and see something. ”

“Then what is it? ”

“Here, have a scout. ”

“Hmm…? ”

Ian's finger pointed right behind the Dark Sanctuary.

And there was a little writing that said, "underground chrysalis."

Without understanding Ian's intentions, Hers asked again with a curious look on his face.

“Basement Branch……. It's not a sanctuary. Why here all of a sudden? ”

Ian replied slowly, momentarily.

“I have a point. ”