Time flew by, and three weeks passed in the blink of an eye. It was already June 30th, and the invasion of the beasts, as warned by the system, was just a day away. All preparations were perfectly in place. The magic stones needed to activate the dimensional gate bug were gathered without shortage, and the preliminary checks were completed. All that was left was for me to go to the Forest of Nightmares and set things up.
'The military training is proceeding without issues, and soon, I should attack the Ronella territory.'
I was waiting for the right time to attack the Ronella territory. The initial plan was to do it in June, but I decided to delay it slightly. This time, I planned to deal with the monsters in the Forest of Nightmares first, raise my level sufficiently, and then proceed.
The groundwork was thoroughly laid. Many of the vassals of Lord Bartman had already turned traitor. When offered gold and jewels along with sweet proposals, they promised betrayal.
In a way, it was wise. My power was like a rising sun, while Bartman's power was like a setting sun. Moreover, Count Capri had received a royal command and was out to subdue a large bandit group in the western part of the kingdom.
For Count Capri, who constantly dreamed of entering central politics, it was a sweet proposal. But thanks to that, he couldn't keep an eye on the Ronella territory. Perhaps by now, he might have already lost interest in the small territorial disputes.
Before departing for the Forest of Nightmares, I gathered all the promising trainees in one place. As soon as the order was given, they all gathered. Mia, Lena, Isabel, and Hayes. They were all talents growing rapidly under my close supervision.
"Lord! Teach me new magic! I want to wield the power of the wind freely!"
The first to greet me was, as expected, Mia. Lately, I had been teaching Mia wind-based magic intensively. As Mia began to train in magic in earnest, she developed a new special trait.
[Special Trait: Mana Detection S / Song of the Wind D / Mana Circulation E]
Despite being a trait that appeared later than Mana Circulation, its growth rate was steep. A mage can naturally handle all attributes, but there are clear differences in personal preference and suitability. In my case, fire-based magic was particularly easy to handle and suited me well.
"Then, let's learn the magic that creates a wind path. I'll teach you the attribute."
I taught Mia the Wind Way magic, which creates a wind path. It's a first-class magic like Magic Missile, but it's used more as a support tool than for attack. It was a magic that added propulsion from behind, allowing moving allies to ride the tailwind and move quickly. Since it only required a slight twist of the basic principle of Magic Missile, it was possible to teach the attribute.
"Lord! So, I just need to train hard until I master it, right?"
"Yes. Practice diligently until you can use Magic Missile and Wind Way with your eyes closed."
"Thank you, Lord!"
Among the four gathered here, Mia's energy was the most abundant. It felt like she was happy to study something she really wanted to do, rather than being forced to study something she didn't want to. I should have studied like that when I was young. Suddenly, memories of my school days in my previous life came to mind, and I scratched the back of my head for no reason.
As Mia left her spot, Isabel stepped forward and spoke.
"I've been pouring almost all my time into the spell of lust! It seems like a spell that can cause the most fatal mistakes, regardless of gender."
"Shall we test it?"
I immediately took off Gorjas' necklace and waited for her spell to take effect on me. Shaaa. In an instant, a gloomy gray aura enveloped me, and the surrounding environment began to change rapidly.
'The detail of the spell has improved significantly. Before, it had a strong artificial feel that anyone could see, but now...'
For about five seconds, I forgot that this was an illusion of the spell and admired the scene created by the spell of lust. In the spell, Hayes and Isabel were wearing garter belts and black stockings - the truth! - in a provocative appearance! Fortunately, the spell didn't affect me regarding Mia and Lena, who were still minors. This was certainly a relief.
"Whew!"
I exhaled roughly, forcefully pushing away the illusion of the spell. To do this, one needs a high wisdom stat. The lower the wisdom compared to the spellcaster, and the greater the gap, the harder it is to escape the influence of the spell.
For this reason, I had recently been training Isabel to use the spell in a virtual combat form against the territory's soldiers. Experience cannot be increased by casting and canceling the spell on one's own.
However, if used repeatedly against soldiers without hostility, it is possible to safely increase the proficiency of the spell and the wisdom stat, catching two birds with one stone.
As I escaped the spell of lust and looked around again.
"Lord... I'm disappointed! Of course, there's no reason I can't wear a garter belt! But imagining me wearing only that and nothing on top is too much, isn't it?"
"Hayes, what's the big deal? Jared's head is always full of lewd thoughts! You'd better break the illusion quickly."
"...I'll pretend I didn't see anything, Lord."
Hayes, Isabel, and Lena each threw harsh words at me in turn. Isabel mischievously revealed the illusion I saw through the spell of lust. Especially Lena's face turned bright red. I felt sorry for showing such a disgraceful sight to a child.
"Alright, Isabel. Your spell training status is satisfactory. But you still lack overwhelming power. Try to increase its strength through repeated practice."
"Don't act all serious, you pervert! It's not cool at all!"
Isabel jabbed at my weak points harshly until the moment she turned away, leaving with a mischievous smile.
And then.
"Lena, Hayes. Of course, you two need a mid-term check as well, right?"
Though it was quite embarrassing, I continued speaking seriously. Embarrassment is one thing, but I have a duty to be responsible for the growth of my promising talents.
A few hours later.
I arrived at the Outbreak Point deep inside the Forest of Nightmares. This place was the most remote in the forest, with no monsters appearing, so no hunters ventured here.
"I felt quite proud on the way here. Is this how a host feels when welcoming guests to their store?"
I encountered an enormous number of hunters during my journey. At the beginning of the year, there were only one or two teams a day, at most three.
But now!
A spectacle unfolded where hunters had to take waiting tickets at the entrance of the Forest of Nightmares and wait for the team ahead to come out before they could enter. It was truly bustling. Thanks to this, all the inns in the village near the Forest of Nightmares were always full.
Even the temporary inns hastily built were filled with hunters, to the point where some hunters had to sleep on the streets. Compared to the same month last year, it was a 50-fold increase! The Forest of Nightmares, which had undergone a dazzling transformation, had now become a sanctuary for hunters.
According to rumors I heard through Aki, the Ronella territory was now just like my territory in the past. Except for the occasional transient hunter or long-term resident hunter, the main forces had already left. The influence of opening Mahat III's tomb as a dungeon in the territory last time was certainly there.
'Steadily, steadily keep growing. Don't get complacent, and don't lose your initial resolve.'
I whipped myself into shape, gathering my thoughts.
I installed the facilities I had diligently planned one by one, drawing magic circles and linking them. Clatter, clatter. Click, click. In the dark forest, there was only one person. Jared, who was meticulously drawing magic circles on the magic stones and checking their precision, was the only one engrossed in his work.
'Two thousand gold is a bargain! With this money, hiring a few expensive mercenaries would end it immediately. It's much more profitable without comparison.'
A considerable budget was spent on the preliminary work, with 95% of the expenditure going into purchasing magic stones. Low-grade magic stones couldn't implement the magic circle Jared wanted, so he had to use only the highest-grade magic stones.
"Dimension Door, Dimension Door..."
Jared kept muttering the name of the same magic, enhancing the completeness of the magic circle.
'Thanks to Bullet's magical tool, I can freely engrave magic stones, which is a great relief.'
It was worth securing the artifact. Without the engraving tool, Bullet's magical tool, I wouldn't have even thought of utilizing the dimensional gate bug.
Before long, it was past 11 PM. In an hour, at midnight on July 1st, the main star Deus and the guest star Vendela would align in a straight line in the sky. Using this as a medium, a dimensional gate would be activated in the space visible before my eyes.
A gate connecting the world of beasts directly to the territory of Crivia would open. For decades, July 1st had always been a day that brought disaster to the territory of Crivia. Despite thorough preparations, there were always many casualties, and if the defense was even slightly lax, it was inevitably breached.
This was the reason why the territory of Crivia couldn't escape being a small local territory. Whenever the territory developed and reached a certain level, a monster outbreak would occur, overturning the territory. It was no wonder that Baron Barrett's lifelong wish was to have a powerful army capable of defending against monster outbreaks.
"It's done!"
Finally, having completed all the settings, Jared dusted off his hands and stood up.
Wiii- wiii-.
Dozens of dimensional gates emitted their unique red aura, each one blazing. The dimensional gates were densely created in a swirling pattern, centered around the location that would become the outbreak point, with a 50cm gap between each.
The narrow spacing between the dimensional gates was to allow monsters to cross over from the other world but prevent them from escaping outside the dimensional gates. The dimensional gate bug. Normally, dimensional gates couldn't be created in such close proximity.
Even when using the Dimension Door magic, the distance between the entrance and exit gates had to be at least 20 meters. But there was a bug. Permanent dimensional gates crafted by engraving magic circles on magic stones were not subject to distance regulations.
Each magic stone was treated as an independent dimensional gate.
'It was a method frequently used by the Holy Empire's army during the Holy War. An infinite loop from which one cannot escape without dying.'
Jared waited with a satisfied expression for time to pass. All that was left was to keep his mana in a charged state and be ready to deploy a firewall at any moment.
July 1st, midnight.
The legion commander of the Blue Ogre legion, Krund, standing before the dimensional gate, shouted vigorously.
"Kahahaha! Kill all the humans you see, and plunder their treasures and food! It's a blessed day granted to us by the gods!"
The army, nearly ten thousand strong, was composed of one-tenth ogre legion and nine-tenths goblin legion. Each was a well-armed elite force, making it the largest army among the regular invasions that had continued for 30 years.
"I'll lead the charge! Everyone, attack!"
"Kwaaa! Gwaaah!"
"Kwak! Krak! Kwak!"
With Krund's command, the legion's formation began to charge toward the dimensional gate at a fierce speed. Krund, leading the charge, was the first to leap into the dimensional gate, soon stepping onto the opposite side.
"Kahahaha!"
The air unique to the human world was, as always, fresh. It was a perfect day to enjoy slaughter. But something felt off. He thought he had crossed to the other side of the dimensional gate and kept running forward.
"Am I just circling the same space?"
He couldn't escape outside and kept circling the same space. The problem wasn't just that. Having already given the order, he couldn't retreat due to the ogres pushing in from behind. Just then.
"Welcome. Is this your first time in such a trap?"
Krund saw the sinister smile of a man rising from the gap between the dimensional gates. And then. Whoosh! A horrific hell unfolded. With no place to escape or exit! It was the beginning of a massive fire ceremony, faced while trapped in the gap between the dimensional gates.
End of Chapter 57