NOVEL WEB Ch. 26
Compared to Zyrus who was walking ahead while reading his status, the woman wasn’t having a good time.
Her heart trembled in trepidation as the blue monster approached her team. A lot of her subordinates had argued that they should run away while others were fighting. But unlike them, she was able to predict the fight's outcome even before it had started.
Her ‘Clairvoyance’ skill gave her future visions whenever her life was in danger. A pity it didn’t give her the power to change her fate.
“Have you made your decision?” Zyrus halted a dozen steps away and looked at the fidgeting woman in front of him.
She had black hair with a height that barely reached his shoulders. Standing behind her were the 100-plus players who waited in nervousness.
‘They’re much better when it comes to loyalty and teamwork, but their strength leaves much to be desired’
“Yes,” the woman replied after a bit of hesitation.
“You can glimpse into the future, right?”
“Y-yes?”
“Well, don’t rely on it too much. Treat it as an advanced analysis instead of something like Words from a god,”
A shiver crept up her tanned skin as Zyrus read her like an open book.
“What’s your name?” Zyrus asked after sensing the awkward atmosphere. He had thought that giving her a useful tip might be a good way to start the conversation, but it didn’t look like it.
‘I wish those two were here,’
Zyrus thought about Kyle and Lauren who were stranded who knew where. It was difficult for him to communicate with the others even before he became a Sylvarix. Regardless, he had no choice but to prioritize this. He needed a command structure in order to control 10,000 people.
“I’m Ria.”
“Welcome to my Empire. You may address me as Your Majesty.”
“Uh.. Y-Yes your majesty,” Ria replied in an awkward tone. She wasn’t the first one who was perplexed by his mention of an empire.
Zyrus had no intention of explaining it to her or anyone else for that matter. They’d know the answer themselves if they stuck with him long enough.
“Your first task is to gather all players and divide them according to their fighting style and weapons.”
Ria nodded and left without further ado.
Zyrus knew that it was important to have a cohesive mindset at the start of the crown hunt. Since those with bronze crowns had no means to control their subordinates’ actions, the battles were chaotic in the first few days.
It didn’t take long for Ria to sort out the players according to his instructions.
Zyrus’s yellow eyes scanned the crowd as he walked to the front. His presence became ever more ominous as shadows cast by the campfires hovered around him.
“I don’t care what you think about me as a leader, but I must remind you of something.”
His gaze landed on one group of players after another. There were around 50 swordsmen and the same number of knife users.
“Although I have no means to control you, things will change after I obtain the silver crown.”
The despondent faces of players became a bit curious as they snuck a glance towards Zyrus. It was no surprise as neither of their previous leaders had mentioned anything about the crown. Most of the leaders were like this as they didn’t reveal their knowledge to their subordinates.
Zyrus, however, was different. Knowledge was power, true, but it was more like an inkling of power. The more you spread it the stronger it would become.
“I won’t beat around the bush, so listen carefully from now on,” he commanded in a serious tone and gestured Ria to come over.
Be it the mages who only numbered a dozen or the thirty archers who stood at the back, everyone perked their ears at his deep voice.
“As some of you might’ve figured out, we will be attacking more camps in the following days. And I’m sure most of you think that you have nothing to gain from this, right?”
No one dared to meet his questioning gaze.
“However, let me remind you this, the loot and benefits after we subdue 1000 players will be ten times greater than now.”
Ria twitched her brow as she looked at Zyrus. Her thoughts were along the lines of ‘What’s the point of saying all this? They’d be no better than pigs if they couldn’t figure this out on their own.’
Of course, she didn’t have the guts to say it out loud. Since Zyrus had called her over to the front, she'd just wait for his arrangement.
Zyrus knew what others were thinking, but he already had a plan for that. He continued in a deep voice filled with enticement.
“Not only that, every time we obtain a victory, one of you will have a chance to obtain a bronze crown.”
This caused a no small commotion in the group of players. Compared to the sweet dreams of the future, this immediate reward was far more appealing. This was also the reason why Zyrus didn't talk about the exp buffs they'll get by following a silver crown holder.
“So, the choice is yours. Right now, you have a one in two hundred chance of obtaining a bronze crown. However..”
Zyrus didn’t need to complete this sentence. It was a clever strategy where everyone had something to gain and nothing to lose.
“How will your majesty determine who gets the reward?” Ria asked as she saw the others' hesitant expressions. She had figured out her role after hearing the speech.
‘What a clever woman, she’s already starting to establish her position amongst the group.’ Zyrus gave her a praising glance and replied,
“I will form a plan in which every one of you will have a role to play.”
Making sure that all the shining eyes were on him, Zyrus continued at a measured pace. The shadows at his sides elongated as his arms pointed towards the players.
“Those who perform exceptionally in their field will have a chance to receive the reins of the subdued group. Even if you don’t succeed, you’ll get other equipment and materials as compensation.”
Although everything he declared were common policies, saying them aloud made a big difference. What differentiated an army from a motley gang were rules, discipline, and faith.
“We will rest for a few hours and attack the next camp at dawn. Any objections?”
Not a single soul dared to object. The vivid scene of him killing over 50 players was still etched in their memories.
“Very well then, you may excuse yourselves.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Ria was the only one who replied as she pointed the others away.
With a satisfied smile, Zyrus watched them disperse into organized groups and opened his map. The army that would conquer the sanctuary was getting ready to take its first step.
‘Still, we need more preparation,’
Now that he had a crown on his head, the map interface had changed. The terrain was more detailed with annotations for natural resources which included food, water, and even some mines. In Zyrus’s opinion both of the leaders were idiotic. They didn’t carry a single day’s worth of ration and still dared to wage a war.
‘Well, as they say, the ignorant are fearless.’
The bare minimum job of a leader was to ensure that his army was well fed and decently equipped. Zyrus zoomed out and looked for resources that were clustered together as well as searched for a special marker.
‘There it is,’
His eyes gleamed as he spotted a tiny roman numeral of (I) speeding through the map. Based on its speed and direction, he’d be able to cross paths after a three-kilometer march.
“We’ll be setting out after half an hour. Tell everyone to trade among themselves if they want; we’ll be using our coins soon enough.”
“Got it.”
“And you can relax. Your role is going to be that of a Chief in Command. I trust you because I believe that with your clairvoyance, you’d never even consider betraying me.”
Ria was both nervous and excited as she heard those words. Although the title was empty right now, who didn’t like status?
“…May I ask a question?”
Zyrus nodded in response while still looking through the map. He’d have told her some things either way since he didn’t want someone ignorant to lead his army when he was away.
“I believe you’re aiming to arm them and gather rations before attacking the next camp, but wouldn’t that backfire? The reason they’re following us is because only we have the detailed maps to find food.” Ria didn’t know what the (I) markers were, but it wasn’t difficult to guess after Zyrus told her that they were going to spend the coins.
“Empire, Ria, Empire. We’re not forming a bandit gang. One with a crown shouldn’t stoop so low as to use hunger and weakness to reign over his own army.”
Zyrus closed his map and looked at the faraway horizon. He referred to them as an empire because an empire wasn’t defined by its land or military might. It was a thought, a belief, a desire. As long as that remained intact, an empire would never fall.
Not even when the time itself had changed.
“Give your men something worthy to fight for, something worthy to die for. Only then will they heed your every word like a law of nature.”
“I understand,” Ria muttered while looking down. The crown on her head felt as if it was made up of thorns. They were both holders of the bronze crown according to the system, but they were far from equal.
“Get ready, we have a long way to go.”