novelraw Chapter 20 : Chapter 20
Chapter 20 : Chapter 20
Chapter 20. The Second History Alteration
When he opened his eyes again, Lee Han-seong realized he had become the ancient Athenian courier, ‘Pheidippides’.
This was because in a barracks full of soldiers in ancient Greek-style clothing, a figure who appeared to be a commander was saying something.
“Now that the Persians have conquered even Eretria and have landed in the Marathon region, you must deliver a request for aid to Sparta. Pheidippides.”
And the commander was just then giving him instructions.
But he couldn't concentrate on the commander's words.
This was because the second History Alteration had a big difference from the first.
-Yaong.
The Constellation's projection was already sitting on the terrain map in the center of the commander's barracks, looking this way.
As its rank had risen after recruiting its third follower, it seemed to have become able to intervene in the History Alteration.
Sure enough.
Tat.
The moment the cat, visible only to his eyes, leaped and settled on Pheidippides' head.
[Due to the intervention of the Unnamed Constellation, some clues for the History Alteration are revealed.]
[First clue: Full moon.]
[Second clue: Sparta's Guard's
[Third clue: Battle of Marathon.]
Unlike before, the clues were revealed in a row without him having to deduce them one by one.
Keeping the three clues in mind, he reviewed the original history he had seen when he first synchronized with Pheidippides.
September 1, 490 BC.
The Athenian side, having confirmed the Persian expeditionary force that landed in the Marathon region, sends a messenger to Sparta to request aid.
That messenger was Pheidippides.
‘But Sparta didn't send support.’
When he arrived in Sparta after running the 240km distance in two days, a religious festival called the Carneia was being held there.
If it had just been a festival period, they might have sent a modest support force.
But Sparta had a tradition of not marching to war on the day of a full moon.
And as luck would have it, the day Pheidippides arrived was the day of a full moon.
‘The festival and the full moon. For these two reasons, the support was refused.’
If only this history had remained, Pheidippides would not have become a spirit.
But several centuries after this time.
Around the time the Olympics were held, a legend arose that a messenger who ran endlessly without caring for his own body to report the victory of the Battle of Marathon, announced the victory and died, and history became legend.
Thanks to that embellished legend, Pheidippides was able to become a spirit with the blessing of the Sun Constellation.
‘This History Alteration probably needs to proceed by recreating both the history and the legend.’
No, to complete the 2-Star, he had to go beyond recreation and create a new achievement.
He reviewed the skills he could currently use.
【Pheidippides (★☆☆) (Transcendence Applied)】
Common Skills:
Rare Skills: , .
Regular Awakening Skills: 《Blink Step Village》, 《???》
Destiny Awakening Skill: 《???》
【Lee Han-seong (★☆) (Transcendence Applied)】
Common Skills:
Rare Skill:
Regular Awakening Skill: 《Transcendence》
Destiny Awakening Skill: 《???》
“Ah!”
Perhaps because he had activated History Alteration before the duration of Transcendence ended, Pheidippides' and his rank had each risen by one stage.
Thanks to that, unlike last time, he could also use Transcendence.
Blink Step Village caught his eye.
“They can't march on the day of a full moon? Then, I just need to arrive before the full moon.”
Since the reinforcements couldn't come because of the full moon, if he arrived before then and requested reinforcements, he should at least be able to receive the support of the Spartan Guard.
The first clue, the full moon, must have meant this.
Utilizing Blink Step Village, it was sufficiently possible to shorten the two-day period to a mere moment.
If he used Blink Step Village with the ki of a 1-Star level, the limit of the movement distance was around 100m.
But that distance was bound to increase tenfold as the star level rose.
Now that he had reached the 3-Star level with Transcendence applied, he could blink up to 10km at once, and if he activated Transcendence once more within the History Alteration and raised it to the 4-Star level, it would increase to 100km.
‘The limit of using Blink Step Village consecutively without consuming a life is three times, so that should be enough.’
Goooooh!
As Transcendence activated, Pheidippides' rank, which had been at the 3-Star level, soared to the 4-Star level.
The distance from Athens to Sparta was 240km.
Paaat! Paaat! Paat!
He activated two blinks with all his might, and then unleashed a third with less power.
The next moment, Pheidippides was stepping on Spartan soil.
“…Keuk, kkeuk.”
His stamina hit rock bottom from the consecutive activation of the Awakening Skill, but he used
There was no time to rest.
“A messenger from Athenai!”
***
Upon revealing his identity, Pheidippides was immediately guided to the royal palace of Sparta.
As he moved, he saw that the Carneia festival had already begun.
‘Tsk, I won't be able to take many reinforcements.’
Pheidippides handed the letter from the Athenian commander to the king of Sparta.
“Since Darius' dogs are bullying the weak Greeks, our Spartan warriors cannot stand by.”
The king of Sparta, after reading the letter, seemed to readily accept the request for aid.
“Then…?”
“However, as Sparta is in the midst of an important festival, I don't think we can send many soldiers.”
It meant they could dispatch troops, albeit a small number.
“I expected as much. Then how many…?”
“I will send 300 of my royal guards.”
The royal guards could be called the best elites of Sparta.
Especially since those 300 warriors, though small in number, were those who would carve their names in history in the second Persian War 10 years later, they were sufficient as reinforcements.
“Thank you for the king's grace!”
After that, the preparations for departure proceeded quickly.
Since the full moon was near, they hurried to depart on that very day.
“Are you the messenger from Athenai? What will you do?”
The question from the captain of the guard, asking whether he would return first to deliver the news of the reinforcements or move with the reinforcements.
Since the second clue was the guard's
‘The second clue probably means… the blossoming of the common skill .’
And seeing as the third clue was the Battle of Marathon, he would probably have to participate in the achievement of victory with them to complete the 2-Star promotion.
For now, blending in among them was the priority.
‘Anyway, since I shortened the travel time with Blink Step Village, I have some leeway.’
The standoff at the Battle of Marathon would begin two days later on September 3rd.
The standoff would continue until the 11th, so it was enough as long as he arrived before then.
“I wish to be with the warriors.”
“Oho. But with such a weak voice, do you think you can follow us?”
The guard captain asked as if testing him.
“I can do it!”
“Is that your best? Hey everyone, show him how it's done.”
The guard captain, as if dissatisfied with Pheidippides' voice, urged the other warriors to demonstrate.
“Woohuu!! Woohuu!! Woohuu!!”
The shouts of 300 men yelling in unison echoed thunderously.
Goosebumps rose at the shout that was loud enough to hurt the ears.
The vocalization of each and every person was different.
The volume of the voice was directly linked to confidence, and an overwhelming fighting spirit swirled among the 300 guards.
[You have been exposed to the Spartan Guard's
[The common skill reacts to
The system message announced that an opportunity for a new skill to blossom had arrived.
Whether the skill blossoms or not depends on the result of what he does now.
“Did you see? Try again!”
“Uwoooaargh!!”
Thus, Lee Han-seong did his best.
Utilizing the extended breath from
[Conditions have been met, and the common skill blossoms into
Then, a success message followed.
“See. You can do it if you try.”
The guard captain smiled with satisfaction, as if pleased with the voice that burst out with the blossoming of the new skill.
It was the moment Pheidippes was accepted by the Spartan Guard not as a frail Greek, but as a member of the warriors.
***
Ten days later, the morning of September 11, 490 BC.
The plain of Marathon.
Callimachus, the commander-in-chief of Athens, who was observing the Persian camp, was waiting for the time to attack.
“As expected, Sparta is not coming.”
It was a little strange that Pheidippides had not returned even though the time for a reply, be it acceptance or rejection, had already passed, but seeing as he hadn't come until now, it was right to assume there would be no reinforcements from Sparta.
Callimachus briefly recalled the standoff of the past 7 days.
The Athenian force consisted of about 10,000 heavy infantry, including 9,000 troops gathered by offering freedom and citizenship to slaves and non-citizens, plus 1,000 from the Plataean army.
But the Persian force that landed on the plain of Marathon numbered close to 25,000.
The number of troops was clearly Athens' disadvantage.
‘But just because the numbers are large doesn't necessarily mean it's good.’
The more troops there are, the more supplies are consumed.
Food that would last 10,000 for ten days would only last 25,000 for four days.
The longer the standoff, the more advantageous the situation became for the Athenian side.
‘And if you consider the cavalry's warhorses, that consumption will inevitably increase even more.’
This is because a warhorse usually drinks about ten times the amount of water as a human, and its feed consumption is also beyond imagination.
As a result, last night, the long-awaited news came from a Persian deserter.
It was news that the Persian side, feeling pressured by the dwindling food supply, was going to make a detour attack on Athens by ship.
Callimachus, looking at the opposing camp, confirmed that a force of 10,000, consisting of 5,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry, had left, and sensed that the time had come.
“This is it! Now is our chance to strike them!”
The Athenian and Persian camps were positioned perpendicular to the beach.
The Persian army, superior in numbers, had its elite infantry and commander in the center, and deployed common infantry consisting of archers and shield-bearers on the left and right flanks.
In response, Athens, to match the length of the front line, reduced the central phalanx, which usually consisted of 8 ranks, to 4 ranks, and deployed to match the Persian front line on the left and right.
“All forces! Advance!”
The sound of drums and trumpets echoed, and the offensive began.
As the central phalanx had thinned, the commander-in-chief, Callimachus himself, was with the central front line to appease the anxious soldiers.
Cheok. Cheok. Cheok. Cheok.
The Athenian and Persian forces slowly closed the distance, maintaining their formation with synchronized steps.
When they had closed to the arrow's range of 200m, Callimachus shouted once more.
“Run!”
As soon as his command fell, the Athenian heavy infantry began to run quickly, as if they had forgotten the weight of their armor.
Cheok-cheok-cheok-cheok-cheok!
Yet, their formation hardly broke.
It meant it was a predetermined plan, not a sudden command.
It was also a strategy made possible because the Athenian discipline was excellent.
Shu-shu-shu-shu-shuk!
Most of the arrows shot by the Persian archers fell behind the passing Athenian army.
A smile appeared on Callimachus' lips as they passed the opponent's first attack without damage.
The start was good.
“Waaaaaaaah!!!!”
The front line of the Athenian army, which had closed the distance in an instant while shouting, clashed with the Persian front line.
If you only look at the level of the soldiers, it was natural that the Athenian heavy infantry was superior to the Persian light infantry, who were as good as naked with only weapons.
Chaeng! Pook! Chaeng! Pook!
The phalanx tactic that Athens prided itself on was pushing back the Persian left and right flanks, which were composed of common infantry and archers.
But the battle in the center was different.
‘Keuk. Was reducing the phalanx by half the problem after all?’
The Persian center, already composed of elite infantry, was pushing back the thinned Athenian center.
“We must not be breached! Hold them back!”
Callimachus, trying to hold on as best as he could by encouraging the soldiers in the center who were about to be broken through, could only buy time at best.
A battle where blood flowed freely and spears and swords clashed was continuing for a long time.
Tung! Chwaak! Pook! Seogeok!
And eventually, the central phalanx was breached, and an enemy blade reached Callimachus.
Seogeok!
His left arm was cut off.
Amidst the extreme pain starting from the severed part that blurred his vision, the opponent's next sword seemed to move slowly.
It was a sluggish attack that seemed easy to block, but his sword was just as slow.
Only his consciousness had quickened in the face of death.
‘Ah, I'm going to die.’
At this speed, he could not block that sword.
Realizing that fact, Callimachus sensed his death.
‘I leave the rest to you… Miltiades, Themistocles.’
It was when he was about to accept death with composure, entrusting the future to the next generation of commanders who had participated in this battle.
-Sparta!!
Suddenly, a huge shout echoed thunderously from all directions.
His heart beat rapidly at the shock, as if thunder had struck his ears.
The movement of his arm, which was being raised to block the opponent's sword, became slightly faster.
At the same time, the enemy staggered as if seasick, and the trajectory of the sword he was swinging was disrupted.
Chaeng!
Thanks to that, he deflected the blade and was able to live.
This phenomenon did not only happen to Callimachus.
Right after the shout echoed, the Persian army faltered, and the morale of the Athenian army was rising.
“The Spartan reinforcements have arrived! A little more strength!”
Callimachus, who had noticed the situation, shouted the arrival of the reinforcements with all his might and reorganized the central formation that was being pushed back.
It was the moment the tide of the war was turning.