novelraw Chapter 251 - 247: That sucks.
Chapter 251 - 247: That sucks.
'Lionel King. What an incredible [Innate Skill] you possess.'
Shade admired the young man's determination and couldn't help but analyze the skill. 'Doubling his power with each kill. It's like he gains a [Prestige Level] with every elimination… But it's not perfect since his body can't keep up after a certain number of kills. To help him master this technique, I'd need to understand exactly how it works.'
Satisfied with the discovery of the young talent, he focused again on the war.
'81 defeats, and 19 victories. This really isn't going well. We're getting steamrolled…'
Watching the worried, defeated, or disheartened faces of players reappearing in the stands, he shook his head.
As the next wave of players was teleported to the field, Amélie appeared at his side.
He turned to her as she said, "Commander Shade, the company lineups are unbalanced. At this rate, we're going to get massacred in the finale battle."
Shade opened the score interface before answering.
Battle results:
[Dark Elf Kingdom: 41,100 points]
[New World Kingdom: 19,900 points]
"Did you check the scores?" he asked the woman.
Amélie opened the results board and quickly replied, "They've got more than twice our points!"
Shade shook his head. "Use your head. We lost 81% of the battles and only have half their points. If Sora Hashino had followed your council's recommendations, we would have lost fewer battles… but the enemy would've earned even more points."
He pointed in front of him, and a list of names appeared. Colonels, captains, vice-captains, and soldiers.
"All of these high-level or exceptionally skilled people were placed in terrible companies. Can you guess why?"
Looking at the list and recalling the earlier results, she quickly understood. "They were meant to carry those companies and avoid total wipes at all costs—or at least secure a kill each time, right?"
Shade smiled. "Exactly. Of our 81 defeats, more than 60 battles were lost after someone from this list managed to score kills in the most desperate situations. They were all ordered to deny the enemy an [Ace] or [Flawless]. We've suffered 15 [Aces] and 3 [Flawlesses]. And we've delivered two [Flawlesses], including yours, and 8 [Aces]."
Amélie looked stunned, her mouth agape for several seconds. "You're incredible, actually!"
Shade, feeling insulted, lost his smile. "Get out of my sight and go rest until the next battle."
She didn't look offended. Slightly reassured, she smiled and headed toward her troops.
Shade kept watching the battle unfold, and a few minutes later, the first four series were complete.
'Time to kick ass,' he thought as he was teleported to the arena.
Some among the hundred players behind him looked thrilled at the idea of fighting alongside the commander of the first [Tier 2 War] in Europe. Others were more skeptical.
"With the commander leading, it's a guaranteed [Ace] for us," said a young recruit around level 120.
"I'm not sure he deserves his rank. I heard a rumor that he got promoted thanks to the Supreme Commander's backing," replied someone who seemed to know more than the others.
"I heard that too, but I don't think it's the whole story… I mean, he's level 180… There aren't that many Europeans at that level. He can't be just anyone. Plus, we're talking about Sora Hashino here. If he promotes someone, it's for a reason," whispered a third person, worried about being overheard.
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Shade turned to the company. "Shut up and buff your allies during the battle preparation phase. With mistakes like this, you're risking your life and your brothers'. Focus."
Not counting on their participation in the fight, Shade shook his head, erased his presence completely, and focused on the countdown in the sky.
'3… 2… 1… Let's go.' He counted in his head.
The moment the timer hit zero, darkness fell on the battlefield, plunging the arena into blackness, silence, and spreading fear among both Dark Elves and humans.
Before the Dark Elves could even understand what was happening, a creature leapt from each soldier's shadow and took their life.
As the shadows disappeared and the darkness retreated, Shade read the notifications appearing in front of him.
[Your Company won a Company Showdown. +100 points.]
[Your Company won a Company Showdown Flawlessly. +1000 points.]
[You Aced in a Company Showdown. +2,000 points.]
Shade, remembering a famous line his father would use in PVP games, blurted out, "Easy."
Realizing he was now leading an army of 50,000 players, he instantly regretted saying that.
But to his surprise, turning around, he found the human players celebrating his overwhelming victory.
The cheering was so loud he felt the entire Coliseum vibrate beneath his feet.
Seeing the joy of his company's players, he couldn't help but smile.
"I told you, idiot! Nobody reaches level 180 without knowing how to fight at least a little... And even limited to level 130 for the war, our commander is a beast!"
Shade disappeared from his position and reappeared in the stands to watch the rest of the battles.
Confident and satisfied with their commander's overall strategy, and individual performance, Jérôme Figaro and Amélie had positioned themselves near him in the stands. They congratulated him as soon as he arrived.
"Great victory, Commander Shade! That was very impressive." Amélie smiled, pleased by the presence of this man she had never heard of until a few hours ago.
Shade saw in her eyes a mix of worry and hope. He simply nodded and sat down between the two of them. The battles ended one after the other, and after a few minutes, he could read:
Battle results:
[Dark Elf Kingdom: 195,000 points]
[New World Kingdom: 103,000 points]
"We earned fewer points than I expected." Shade frowned, expressing his displeasure to the two generals.
"I'm not sure there's much we can do about it, considering the enemy army had an extra month of training while we were stuck behind our walls," Jérôme replied, defending his region.
Shade shook his head. "Being stuck in the city didn't mean everyone was deprived of training. In other regions, they set up entire districts for training, but that wasn't the case in London or Paris. I'm not even talking about levels — I'm talking about skill mastery, elements, or even physical strength. What have the players been doing these past thirty days?"
Amélie, noticing the admiral's silence, spoke up. "I was in Seoul with other comrades last month, but I'm surprised too... Our elite troops are so weak compared to the enemy elites."
Jérôme Figaro, embarrassed, replied after a few seconds, "The union almost collapsed the day after the update... Extreme tension appeared because all the European powers were forced to relocate to Paris or London. All those forces didn't want to lose status or power, and the first weeks were full of restrictions and internal problems within the two cities. By the time things calmed down, a month had passed. And we didn't use that time to train anyone."
Shade did his best to remain impassive and hide his disgust at the situation.
"So while the world burns, everyone is busy doing their best to keep their piece of the cake..."
He noticed that ten fields had appeared to host the battles, and reading the text in the sky, he said, "We'll get a chance to turn things around later. For now, let's focus on the next fights. It's time for the battalion battles."
[Battalions who have been notified, advance to the field number prepared for you, and fight.]
Ten thousand players vanished from each side of the coliseum, and Shade was disappointed that his battalion wasn't selected. Next to him, Jérôme Figaro's seat was empty.
"Can't wait for this to be over. These battles are endless," Shade commented. Seeing Amélie's worried look, he turned slightly and was surprised to see her hands trembling.
"Your first war?" he asked, curious.
She nodded. "Yes…"
"That sucks," he replied, before remaining silent.
Surprised that the conversation ended so bluntly, she stared at him—then burst out laughing after a few seconds.
"That sucks? That's your answer, Commander? Why even start talking if you've got nothing to say?"
Shade smiled. "Now you seem a bit more relaxed. If it's your first war, watch the ongoing battles and get ready mentally for the final showdown. In my opinion, the early fights aren't for scoring points, but for identifying the enemy's strengths and weaknesses."
He pointed to a battle in progress. "Look at that field. Our troops are getting destroyed, right? Do you think this one is lost?"
Amélie glanced briefly and answered, "That's an enemy battalion with an average level of 140, so I find it hard to believe we can win… Even if the battalion led by Admiral Figaro is strong, they got a bad draw."
Shade shook his head. "You're wrong. In that enemy battalion, there's no one we need to worry about. Even if we lose the majority of our forces, the players under Figaro's command will win. Simply because there's no exceptional player or group on the other side."
Amélie and Shade fell silent, watching the battle unfold.