The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 393: Monarch (1)
NET Media had hit a home run twice in a row with its exclusive contract with Unknown, also known as Kai. The result of that contract had been the entertainment shows "Battle of the Bir Plains” and “Dungeon of the Absolute.” As expected, both programs had become unprecedented hits and thanks to that, NET Media had firmly secured its place as a top game channel.
Naturally, there was no way they would pass up the war content that all the players were focused on. They hurriedly scheduled a new program and even brought in a famous ranker to sit in the commentator’s seat. That commentator was none other than the solo player Clark, who was active in the Black Market guild under a hefty salary.
“I see, so Clark, you're saying you expect Rashion to win, correct?” Do Joo-Wan, a handsome anchor hosting the show, smiled as he asked the question.
“Well, saying I expect them to win might sound arrogant but it's not wrong,” Clark responded with a confident voice. “You may not know this, but it's actually much harder to attack than defend.”
“I suppose that's true. Defenders only need to block the enemy’s offense.”
“Exactly. Now take a look at the fortresses Rashion Kingdom has locked down.” As Clark pointed, a 3D map appeared on the broadcast screen. “The north gate, Siris Fortress in the east, Ontarina Fortress in the west... They’re all natural fortresses known to be impenetrable.”
“Oh! That must be a nightmare for the attackers.”
“One versus a hundred. In other words, it’s a territory where one soldier can easily hold off a hundred enemies. And the Aldebaran players? Honestly, they can’t be compared to the Rashion army who leveled up while steadily growing strong on fertile lands. The same goes for the skill level of the players as well.”
“As expected of you, Mr. Clark. You deliver commentary with the ease of a true ranker. It’s truly an honor to have you with us today.”
As the compliments continued, Clark puffed his chest with pride.
Just then, Xao Lin led the Black Dragon army, and stepped forward to the front lines.
“At this very moment, the Black Dragon army appears to be constructing siege weapons on the spot under Xao Lin’s command. What are your thoughts on this?”
“Siege weapons... Well, it’s nothing surprising. As you know, territorial wars have been quite active for some time now.”
“It's been consistently popular content ever since the update.”
“I don't know about other guilds but we even have a territory war strategy department in the Black Market guild.”
“Territory war strategy department? That’s quite a name. I’m curious what kind of work it does exactly.”
“It does exactly what the name implies. It’s a department that studies how to efficiently capture enemy territories. Naturally, it also researches various types of siege weapons.”
“Ah yes, MID Online is famous for its freedom. I’ve heard rumors that even specialists in jobs that have nearly disappeared in the real world are now finding opportunities because of this game.”
Clark nodded. “That’s true. And as you know, Black Dragon is a group with massive numbers.”
“Indeed. Not even India, which has the second largest population after China, can boast a guild with 22 million members.”
“Yes. That’s why I think Black Dragon will attempt a breakthrough today using a large number of siege weapons.”
“I see, quantity over quality.”
“It’s a strategy Black Dragon likes to use. Not that they have anything else worth showing off.”
Just as Clark delivered his remark, Black Dragon’s siege weapon was finally completed. The catapult launched its first projectile.
“Huh?” It was at that moment that announcer Do Joo-Wan’s eyes widened and he let out a high-pitched sound. “Mr. Clark, how... how should we interpret this?! Looking closely, it seems the catapult is launching not rocks, but people!”
“Uh...” Clark’s gaze slightly wavered as he was left speechless.
What the hell are those lunatics doing?
The curse he couldn’t say on air lingered in his mouth.
The siege weapon prepared by Black Dragon was a common catapult. It used a counterweight mechanism to launch projectiles. Of course, the reason one used catapults in war was simple. Walls. They were meant to destroy walls with heavy rocks to breach fortresses. But right now, they were tossing people instead of rocks. Naturally, people weren’t heavier than rocks, which meant...
“Look! The player launched like a shell just flew right over the wall!”
They could fly even farther.
Clark furrowed his brows as he watched players fly through the air in an arc.
“If they fall from that height, no tank would survive even with top gear...”
He was right. No player could survive a fall from hundreds of meters. That was common sense, and there was no way Black Dragon didn’t know that. They knew, but they still launched them anyway.
Players who had been launched through the catapult fell into the interior of the northern gate. The moment they landed, a thunderous roar shook the fortress.
“What the fuck?!” Clark blurted out a curse without realizing it as he watched the scene.
Now it was clear that the Black Dragon side hadn’t recklessly launched players without any preparation.
“C-Clark, what on earth is happening here?” Anchor Do Joo-Wan urgently asked, unable to grasp the situation.
Pillars of fire were already rising and black smoke was beginning to rise from inside the fortress.
“Alchemists...” True to his ranker status, Clark calmly explained with a glint in his eyes, “Do you know about the Alchemist class in MID Online?”
"Of course. Aren't they the ones who make various potions that help players?"
"That's right. There are explosive potions and fire potions among the potions they make."
"Oh! Then could it be...?" Anchor Do Juwan asked with widened eyes.
"Yes. If you look closely at the players flying through the air... There! Please zoom in on their upper bodies."
Following Clark’s request, the upper bodies of the players were zoomed in. Dozens of potion bottles were hanging all over their bodies.
"They're flying with explosive and fire potions strapped to their bodies."
"Are you saying...?"
"Yes. Black Dragon intended to use them as disposable pawns from the start."
"Th-that’s ridiculous..."
"It may be ridiculous, but it's that effective," Clark muttered as he stared seriously at the screen.
Even though players could revive after dying, treating their lives as lightly as flies was not a strategy that could come from a sane mind.
This must be a tactic only Black Dragon could use.
They had numbers. Not just many, but overwhelming numbers. Even now, dozens of players were flying through the air each second, yet the idea that the Black Dragon army was shrinking didn’t even come to mind.
"This must be what that saying means: the one who starts a war is insane, and the one who wins it is even more insane."
Countless soldiers tried to put out the fires by hauling buckets of water and sand, but new players were falling from the sky even faster.
"Rashion’s northern gate is finished."
"Ah... The back gate has been breached. The generals, including Count Hind, are leading the troops to find an escape route!"
It took only three hours for Rashion’s northern gate to fall after the Black Dragon’s catapults were deployed.
***
-Wow, I’m speechless. Are they even allowed to do that?
-Why not? Winning is everything in war.
-Still, I don’t know... that tactic feels a bit inhumane.
-Why would you expect anything else from a global guild? They’re the ones who monopolized hunting grounds and extorted taxes in the first place.
The Black Dragon’s new siege method caused a huge stir in the community. Some criticized the strategy as inhumane, while others insisted that victory justified all means. As expected, the majority of players condemned the Black Dragon. Among them were many well-known rankers.
However, unlike the general atmosphere of the community, the Aldebaran army remained full of momentum. After capturing Rashion’s northern gate, they stationed only a minimum force there and split their army into three divisions. The first division headed west toward the Ontarina Fortress. The second marched straight toward the central Harlem territory. The third, the Black Dragon army, moved east toward the Siris Fortress.
“It is expected that the western and central fronts will take a bit more time.”
“Well, of course. I never had high expectations for them in the first place,” Xao Lin responded to the report with a calm voice.
The Black Dragon’s 3 million army was currently advancing slowly toward the east.
“But the walls of Siris Fortress are extremely tall, so I don’t think the previous tactic will work again.”
Xao Lin’s close aide, Kun Feng, cautiously asked, “Do you perhaps have another strategy in mind...?”
“Kun.”
“Yes, I am listening.” Kun Feng bowed his head.
“In the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian, there is a phrase in the section about the First Emperor of Qin. It says Ha-gyeol-bu-ga-bu-ong (河決不可復壅).”
“Once the river breaks, it cannot be dammed again. Once fish rot, they cannot be revived.”
“Yes, in short, the past cannot be undone.”
The current Black Dragon army was like a river bursting through a dam. No matter how well-positioned Siris Fortress was, it could only hold about 200,000 at most. That was far too few to stop an army of 3 million.
“And besides...” Xao Lin gently smiled. “It is said that the tiger cherishes its skin and the noble man cherishes his words. Wasn’t it for days like today that my information has been kept hidden so carefully?”
“Indeed, that is very true.”
Only a year ago, there had been quite a few rankers who had changed classes to hidden ones. Minerva from the Pray guild who became a Saintess, the hidden class of the Solarian Church, for example.
And Xao Lin was no different. He had changed to the hidden Hero class known as Monarch, but no one knew of that fact unless they were among his closest circle.
Information becomes more powerful the fewer people know it.
In fact, the Monarch class was not typically considered worth hiding. The more subordinates one led, the more the class holder’s stats increased, and it also raised the stats of allies. It was a standard Commander type hidden class seen in many games. But the moment Xao Lin acquired that class, he founded the guild known as Black Dragon.
Gain 0.1 to all stats per one hundred subordinates. Also, for every hundred of the Monarch’s highest stat, all allies’ stats increase by 1%.
With 1,000 people, all stats increased by 1. With 10,000 people, by 10. With 100,000 people, by 100. With 1 million, all stats increase by a staggering 1,000.
Well, the developers rushed to release a patch after the guild’s population passed 15 million.
They capped the total stat increase at 3,000. But from his point of view, that was more than enough.
In general discussions about global guild masters, people placed Vulcan of the Warriors guild at the top, and Xao Lin of Black Dragon was usually placed around fifth or sixth. However, that was simply because people didn’t know the truth about him.
I’m probably the only one whose stats are all over 3,000.
That was why he led an army of 3 million, and thanks to the Monarch’s effect, his allies’ stats increased by 30 percent. As long as his loyal army was with him, there was no force in the world that could defeat Black Dragon.
The only potential threat would be that Unknown, Kai.
A true expert could recognize another expert. After reviewing Kai’s videos dozens of times, Xao Lin estimated his stats to be at least 1,500.
But that one and only obstacle is now missing.
It felt like the heavens were smiling upon him.
“A report from the vanguard! Siris Fortress has come into view!”
At his subordinate’s report, Xao Lin showed a relaxed smile. “Then, let’s begin taking them one by one.”
He planned to take the treasure-like domains ruled by that one and only man, Kai.
