“Surprised?”

  “Just spill it will ya?”

  “Saltwater can remain as liquid below 0 degrees as long as it remains undisturbed. Since the drop in temperature is caused by mana, it’s more stable than natural causes and therefore, more resistant to disruption. This allows us to use the timeframe of a few seconds to launch torpedoes when the temperature is just about to reach the limit.”

  “…I see. Are all arcanists like that?”

  “Of course.”

  What made one an arcanist wasn’t just their knowledge. The application of the said knowledge was just as crucial. An outdated lab experiment from Earth could cause devastating damage when combined with mana.

  Electric torpedoes didn’t just ‘disturb’ the saltwater below zero degrees. The explosion caused by it was filled with thunder attribute mana, and it hastened the speed and improved the piercing power of the ice crystals. What took the whales' lives was a combination of saltwater, low temperature, and high pressure– fueled by the reaction of two mana attributes.

  “Why didn’t you tell others then?”

  “They’re too inexperienced to use it. It’d take thousands of trials and errors before they get a success rate of over 50%.”

  Zyrus knew better than anyone that the process he mentioned wasn’t as easy as he made it out to be. What's the concentration of salt in the water? What's the area-wise temperature change caused by each cannon shot? These were just the first questions that needed to be answered. Only after doing dozens of micro calculations based on the environmental data can one successfully replicate the present hellscape.

  *Wuuuuuuuu*

  A deep vail resounded across the entire area. Just when the players caught a sigh of relief thanks to Zyrus, they were surrounded by whales from all sides.

  The dragon of war was under the most pressure as it sailed at the forefront. Nonetheless, Zyrus didn’t make a move. He simply observed the confrontation and gave a few pointers whenever he felt like it.

  This was bound to be a dragged-out fight as the one leading the fish didn’t want to be encircled by Zyrus’s fleet. They sent out just enough forces to batter the frontline and launched waves of seawater from afar. Under the circumstances, the players had no choice but to keep marching ahead.

  …

  5 days passed by without much of a change. The fearsomeness of the sea monsters was apparent as they were able to maintain the same intensity of attacks despite losing so many of their kind.

  “Our supplies might run out at this rate,” Ria pointed at the figure drawn on the scroll. Since she didn’t have a way to get out of the present situation, she had called Zyrus and the other to a roundtable meeting.

  “What about the materials we collected?” Shi kun scratched his head as he thought of a possible solution. It was reasonable to think that the whale’s remains were useful considering their high levels and large body.

  “Based on what we’ve learned, the war is in fact beneficial even after we factor in the cost of ammunition. But it’s useless for now since there are no production class players.”

  “Tch…too bad then.”

  “Can’t we just get the supplies from the base?” Jacob asked Zyrus who was silent throughout the meeting.

  “We can, but I advise against it.”

  “What about summoning some production class players from the first ring?”

  “Haha…take a guess,” Zyrus curved his lips and leaned back on the chair. From the moment the preparation for the final assault began, he was using his crown’s authority to summon combat-type players. They wouldn’t make a big change with their lack of experience and small numbers, but what about a year later?

  His smile led the others to the same conclusion. Why was he hoarding ammunition even when they were in the middle of a troublesome fight? The answer was clear once they thought about it.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Just…how long will we fight for?”

  “Two years at the latest. Add a couple more if you perform below my expectations.”

  His words sent a bucket of cold water above their heads. Just less than a week of nonstop fighting was getting on their nerves, then what about years?

  “I know it's too soon, but since I’ve appointed you as Marshals, act like one.”

  Zyrus’s words had a much deeper meaning which was hard to convey through words.

  “Leaving that aside, it’s about time we move on. Watch and learn,” he left the players to ponder on their actions and left the command center.

  The past few days were for them to experience the essence of war. And today, they would learn another lesson.

  ‘That is– in front of true strength, nothing else matters.’

  Can’t solve the enemy’s strategy? The environment is unfavorable? Can’t play the mind games?

  Just flip the chessboard then.

  “Disengage from the formation. Activate all speed and defensive formations and sail in random directions.”

  Zyrus’s orders dumbfounded all the captains, but they carried it out all the same. They had total faith in their leader’s ability to emerge victorious.

  The fish had a reaction similar to the players. It was obvious that scattered players were easy to surround and get rid of, but was it that simple? If the fish had the capacity to overpower the players then there was no reason to employ the kiting tactics.

  “The whales don’t consider the common fish to be of their kind. That’s the reason why they’re indifferent towards their death. The key here is this– the fish can’t sink our ships in a short time, and with the increase in area, the whales can’t cause tsunami-like waves either.”

  Zyrus’s plan was pretty straightforward. Face cruelty with even more cruelty. The 1000 scattered ships were bait to lure the true enemy.

  “Can’t they just use guerrilla tactics at the edges?” Ria asked with scrunched brows as she observed the scattering ships. She had to admit that she lacked the courage to use a bold move like this.

  “You overestimate their intelligence and underestimate their greed.”

  And Zyrus’s words were proven correct right after. More than a hundred whales surfaced on the ocean from all sides. 8 of them were as big as the one he had killed with glass shards, but what caught everyone’s breath was the gigantic creature leading them.

  The whale longer than 200 feet didn’t just emerge from the depths, it swallowed the entire stretch of ocean above it. It was terrifying to see a maw big enough to swallow whole ships.

  [You have encountered the Roaming Boss monster: Ketos]

  [Caution! The boss monster is showing hostility towards you]

  Ketos was similar to a baleen whale as well. Instead of teeth, it had baleen that could filter the swallowed food. The hairlike bristles in its mouth were shining like sharp swords. It was without a doubt that even a galleon wouldn’t survive against it.

  But unlike the players who were flustered after seeing so many enormous whales, the ones in the command center were relieved.

  “I’ll deal with it, so finish the rest.”

  Zyrus didn’t wait for the reply and dived into the waters below. It was easy to guess that Ketos was targeting the dragon of war.

  But Zyrus was prepared for it. He didn’t laze around in the meeting for no reason. No one had noticed when a perfect trap was laid out in front of the dragon of war.

  *KREEEEOOOOOO*

  Ketos trilled in an eerie note and rushed at the unmoving dragon of war. What it didn’t notice was that no one was on the deck of the galleon.

  [Avatar]

  Just as it was about to crash into the starboard, an azure dragon knocked it aside from below. Even after transformation, Zyrus was like a toddler looking at an adult.

  ‘But a big size has its own disadvantage…’

  30 green serpents joined the fray and bit down on ketos. The ten-foot-long Nidhoggs had no advantages against its size, but they weren’t just biting randomly.

  All of the 30 points were crucial in maintaining ketos’ mobility. Of course, with its huge size it had many other weaknesses as well. It was a pity that there were just 30 Nidhogg companions among the Aydahar Cavaler.

  “Freeze and land,” Zyrus shouted and clamped the baleen whale’s throat. Once its greatest offensive organ was neutralized, ketos was nothing more than a fish on the chopping board.

  *WHUUUuuppp*

  Ketos tried to flail around to get rid of Zyrus and the others, but it was futile. One of the major differences between the field boss and other types of boss monsters was that not everyone had the 'Phase’ assigned by the system.

  Field boss were foreign entities who were assigned their role. All of them had their powers restricted by the system. On the other hand, common bosses and even the more powerful roaming bosses were mostly the natives who evolved in the sanctuary. Unlike the field boss, they could leave their area and ascend to higher rings.

  They didn’t have their powers restricted, and as such, they didn’t have the ability to go into different phases.

  *Hruuuuuuu*

  “Oh no you don’t,”

  *Shatter*

  Franken slammed his antlers on the whales’ mouth and prevented it from activating a skill. The disadvantage of not having phases was this– once you were trapped in a disadvantageous scenario, there was no way to escape from the terrain or debuffs.

  The Nidhoggs poisoned it while Zyrus used his abyssal mana to corrupt its mana circuit. The battle was halfway over from the moment it started.

  *Awoooooooo*

  It was at this moment that 100 goblin riders jumped on the immobilized ketos.

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