Be it the mages who only numbered a dozen or thirty archers who stood at the back, everyone listened to his speech with keen attention.

“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 it has nothing to do with you, right?”

No one dared to meet his questioning gaze.

“However, let me remind you this, the loot and benefits after we subdue a 1000 players will be ten times greater than now.”

Ria twitched her brow as she looked at Zyrus.

‘What’s the point of saying all this? They would 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'll just wait for his arrangement.

Zyrus knew what others were thinking, but he already had a plan for that. Thus, he continued in a 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 to obtain 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.

That’s what the players thought at least.

“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 knowing 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 sparkling eyes were on him, Zyrus continued at a measured pace,

“Those who perform exceptionally in their field will have a chance to receive the reigns of the subdued group. Even if you don’t succeed, you’ll get other equipments and materials as compensation.”

Although everything he declared were common policies, saying it out made a big difference.

“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 led the others away.

With a satisfied smile, Zyrus watched the players disperse and opened his map. The army that would conquer the sanctuary was getting ready to take their first step.

…

The next morning, at a camp a few kilometers deep in the wastelands.

A one-sided fight was taking place under the tender sunlight. The sentry from the defending camp was vigilant throughout the night, and yet, just when they let down their guard at dawn, they were mercilessly attacked.

This was a barren area without any vegetation. The flat terrain favored neither the defenders nor the attackers, thus, both sides could only fight head-on.

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“Damn it!” A man in his late forties cursed after looking at the ongoing scuffles.

A group of 200 players were attacking them from all sides. The defending leader had dozens of more players, so it shouldn’t have been an issue to hold their grounds.

Originally, he had thought that the enemy’s strategy of scattering their manpower was rather foolish. Now he realized that he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Unlike him, Zyrus was very satisfied after observing his player's progress. His plan was quite straightforward.

He evenly divided the melee attackers into teams of thirty. The sword and knife users were given the role of engaging in a dogfight against the defending camp, accompanied by a few spear users who moved in and out, disrupting enemies' formation.

It seemed to be a boorish method at a glance, but the next part of his plan suggested otherwise.

Unlike the usual strategy where tanks were stationed at the front, Zyrus stationed all of them ten feet away from the enemy’s camp.

Not only that, he also stationed the long range archers in the middle of this group. They were protected by the group of tanks who formed a circular iron wall around them.

As for the rare mages who only numbered a dozen? They had yet to make an appearance in this battle.

Even with a numerical advantage the defending camp was being suppressed on all sides. The core of this strategy lay with the group of archers.

“It’s a rather cruel tactic.”

“No one has died from our side.”

“Yet.”

“Getting brave now, aren’t we?”

“Humph! I know that ‘Your Majesty’ wouldn’t kill little old me.”

Zyrus only chuckled at the unexpected answer. Surprisingly or perhaps not, the one he was bickering against was none other than Ria.

After hearing about his current and future plans, she was confident that she wouldn’t be killed by him unless she crossed his bottom line.

Why? It was because of a very simple reason.

Zyrus hated to command others from the bottom of his heart. He liked strategies and fights, but only when he was a part of them.

The role of a commander who ordered from the rear wasn't suitable for him.

“But are you sure my skill would work here?” Ria asked after a lighthearted banter.

She had grown accustomed to ‘His Majesty’ who refrained to give her a name. They behaved like colleagues in an office rather than a master and subordinate.

A few hours of small talks and strategic meetings had decreased the gap between them.

“Do you think I’d waste so much time explaining things otherwise?” Zyrus replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

His goal was clear, to impart his knowledge about various war strategies to her. It wasn’t just to win these small fights.

If he wanted to, Zyrus could’ve won the battle by using poison breath on the enemy’s core players.

He wanted to train the players and most importantly, he wanted to train Ria. He knew firsthand how annoying a commander with foresight or clairvoyance ability was. He couldn't trust her completely, but time wouldn't allow him to be skeptical of everyone. Therefore, it was better to recruit his main followers early on.

Only this way could he spare the time to observe them for long.

“What do you think will happen next?” Zyrus asked as he noticed her pondering expression.

“They’ll deploy their mages to the front?” Ria answered with a bit of contemplation.

Neither side had used the mages in this battle. It wasn’t because they wanted to preserve their combat power.

Quite the contrary, mage’s aoe spells were most potent in large conflicts. However, if both sides were to let their mages attack wantonly, it would only result in the deaths of their own troops.

Thus, unless the defending crown wielder was sure about his defeat, he wouldn’t use such a mutually destructive method.

Zyrus predicted as such from the beginning. If it weren't for avoiding such an outcome, this whole façade of a bitter struggle would be meaningless.

Just as he was about to explain, a sudden cry of bugle resounded across the wastelands.

“What is that?” Ria asked as she pointed at the dust cloud that was approaching the campsite.

Zyrus was just as perplexed as she was. Even his enhanced eyesight was unable to pierce the dusty clouds.

‘Wait, could it be…’ he recalled with a frown as a peculiar memory surged within him. Even though he knew a lot about the past, he didn’t know about minor fights such as these. Besides, with the butterfly effects caused by his actions, a new future was sure to unfold.

*BUUUU*

“What do we do?”

“We fight of course”

“Do you know what that is?” Ria could hear the sound of horns that were getting closer, but she wasn't worried by much.

“They’re goblin riders if my memory serves me right?”

“Goblin riders?” Ria gave Zyrus a questioning glance, urging him to explain further.

However, that was unnecessary.

*thump*thump*

Accompanied by the loud thuds, the figures behind the dust were revealed one by one. Over a hundred goblins were riding on gray wolves.

Compared to the goblins they faced in the tutorial, these had strange white and red tattoos on their exposed skin.

“How is that possible?”

“They have armors!”

“Fall back, idiots! Don’t you see the bows on their back?” Ria shouted from the top of her lungs as he looked at the scrambling players.

Even the defending players were caught off guard. Unsure of what to do against the new arrivals, both sides faced one another in a stalemate.

“Keep up with the plan, I’ll handle them.” Zyrus replied before Ria was able to ask.

“…”

“..?”

“Okay,” Ria responded after a bit of hesitation. Although she didn’t know how he’d deal with the goblins, she threw that matter at the back of her mind.

On the other hand, Zyrus had moved a dozen meters towards the goblin riders.

‘It’d be rude to decline a free meal’ Zyrus looked ahead with a menacing glare and took out his spear.