The slaves who were fending off the hellhounds with their bodies started dying one by one.
Whenever that happened, Lee Shin, who was gathering magic, sent another slave from the gatherers to fight.
“Argh!”
It took the sacrifice of four slaves to finally stop six hellhounds. It was thanks to the summoning of two additional archers.
Two more hellhounds attacked, but they barely managed to hold them off.
‘It’s so hard to stop them.’
Lee Shin was disappointed that the archer’s bow attacks were weaker than expected.
It was unclear whether the bows were poorly made or if the hellhounds’ skins were thick like that of a monster.
“We won!”
“Yay!”
The four archers and the two surviving slaves shouted in triumph.
Lee Shin then sent the two remaining slaves back to the magic gathering like the others.
And he thought deeply.
‘The damage on our side is four slaves. Gremory has lost eight hellhounds.’
Since hellhounds are summoned two for 50 magic power, both sides had expended 200 magic power.
However, Lee Shin’s losses were actually much greater.
Considering that slaves are production units.
Many slaves had been sent to fight, preventing them from gathering magic, and the gathering was still delayed by the four sacrificed slaves.
‘But it’s strange that already eight hellhounds have appeared.’
His pro gamer instincts gave him a strange hunch.
Meanwhile, two more archers had been summoned from the barracks.
“Six archers and four slaves, attack!”
Upon his command, the total force, consisting of six working archers and four slaves, automatically set out.
The forces left the camp and moved out through the entrance.
While Lee Shin hadn’t confirmed Gremory’s position yet, he had a guess.
[The starting points of the First Battlefield of Astaia are at four locations: 11 o’clock, 1 o’clock, 5 o’clock, and 7 o’clock.]
[Lee Shin’s camp is at the 11 o’clock area.]
‘It’s 7 o’clock.’
He learned this from a scout who was the first slave killed by the hellhounds.
At that time, five hellhounds had rushed in from the 7 o’clock direction.
***
Directing the demonic tribe, Gremory was surprised.
[An enemy has appeared!]
‘What?’
Gremory was shocked to realize she was being counterattacked.
She had thought that after the earlier attack which had inflicted damage, he would focus on defense and study more about the ranking battles.
But a counterattack, out of nowhere?
‘It doesn’t matter. Human archers are weak.’
She had been focusing on gathering magic power, so there were only two hellhounds available.
However, she decided it was enough to summon hellhounds now and use the Clor, who were gathering magic, for defense in the meantime.
But the enemy included six archers and four slaves.
‘Slaves too?!’
The four slaves formed a scrum at the front blocking the path, while the six archers shot from behind.
Lee Shin’s forces were wreaking havoc on Gremory’s camp with their sophisticated tactics.
Incredibly, one slave started constructing an arrow tower right there.
[Arrow Tower: A human defensive structure. Can accommodate four archers to shoot arrows.]
Building an arrow tower right in the middle of the enemy camp! It was her first experience of this kind.
When the arrow tower was completed, the surviving forces of Lee Shin were two archers and one slave.
The two archers tried to enter the arrow tower.
“No! Stop them!”
Just then, six hellhounds that had been summoned charged all at once.
“Argh! You bastards!”
The sole remaining slave shouted as he blocked the way.
“Ignore it!”
Gremory shouted furiously.
But the slave desperately blocked the hellhounds’ advance.
“Growl!”
Crunch!
“Snap!”
The slave was instantly killed, his throat torn out.
However, the slave’s valiant struggle bought some time.
Just a bit of time.
Enough time for the two archers to get inside the arrow tower.
From the arrow tower, the archers fired their arrows.
Coincidentally, the arrow tower was built near a magic stone.
The arrows flying from the tower made it impossible to gather magic there. It was too precise to be a mere coincidence.
‘It was a calculated operation!’
It was just the first mock battle…
Gremory felt a shiver.
But at the same time, she felt a rising thrill.
She was certain she had chosen her contractor very well.
***
[The Demon Lord Gremory has declared defeat. Victory to Lee Shin.]
[Since it’s a mock battle, there are no changes in magic power or ranking.]
“We won.”
Lee Shin clenched his fist tightly.
Whoosh!
Soon after, he was summoned somewhere else.
Gremory was waiting there with a smile.
“You did really well,” she praised.
“I was lucky.”
“How could such precise fortune just happen? It’s hard to believe this was your first time.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Shin felt pleased with the continued compliments.
“But why did you decide to counterattack?”
“When I had just completed the barracks, you already had six hellhounds.”
“That’s right.”
“So, you squeezed out the early magic power for a surprise attack, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Yet you stopped attacking without seeing it through. If there had been more hellhounds, you wouldn’t have stopped.”
“So, you guessed that I had no more combat monsters and decided to counterattack?”
“Yes, I guessed that you were playing a longer game focusing on gathering magic, perhaps even sparing me as a beginner to learn more about the ranking battles?”
“Oh my, you turned even that to your advantage? That’s so naughty!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
As Gremory’s praises crowned his victory, Lee Shin thought to himself.
‘She’s really bad at this.’
To think that she would lose to a beginner like him…
“Oh, did you just have a rude thought?”
Gremory suddenly pointed it out.
“Not at all.”
Lee Shin quickly denied it with a poker face, though Gremory’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, and even that look was charming, making his heart flutter.
“Ahem, there’s something else I wanted to ask.”
“Oh, do ask.”
“What happens to the people who were summoned to the battlefield?”
“Are you concerned for them?”
“…Yes.”
“Hehe, you’re a kind person.”
“I’ve never thought of myself as kind, but it still troubled me a bit, them being people too.”
“Ho ho, as I mentioned before, those people were suffering in hell originally. Being summoned to the battlefield to follow your commands is much happier by comparison. Moreover, if they achieve merit, they are also given rest as a reward.”
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