Chapter 316

[Ash (EX)]

- Level: 50

- Titles: Lord of Crossroad / The Crazy Third Prince

- Job: Tyrant of the Battlefield

- Strength 13, Agility 22, Intelligence 50, Stamina 20, Magic Power 35

After my third job advancement, my designated job title became [Tyrant of the Battlefield].

'A cool name! But let's move on for now!'

I glossed over my mediocre stats, barring Intelligence!

I scrolled down and opened my skill window.

Gritting my teeth, I looked through the content. Oh gods, let this be good!

- Owned Skills

> Passive: Unyielding Commander

> Skill 1: Gaze of Command

> Skill 2: Become Mine!

> Ultimate Skill: Imperial Edict

"Ultimate Skill, Imperial Edict...?"

I stammered as I read the name of my ultimate skill.

It made sense; I'd never seen this skill before. After all, this 'Commander' class was not a role existing in the game.

Anyway, I opened up the description for the ultimate skill.

[Imperial Edict]

- Declares a large area as the territory of the faction you belong to, exercising authority within it.

- For allies within the territory: Apply all beneficial effects that the user possesses.

- For enemies within the territory: Apply all harmful effects that the user possesses.

- There is no limit to the number of summoned entities within the territory.

- If the declared area is enemy territory, it enters a [Conquest War] state, and winning will transfer control of the area.

"What is this..."

My mouth fell open slightly.

Indeed, the Commander class had abilities that were entirely distinct from other jobs.

I'd never seen or heard of an ultimate skill that functioned like this.

'Let's take it step-by-step.'

First, the prerequisites.

Special equipment— a flag is required.

'A flag... what's that? Am I supposed to wave the imperial flag around?'

So, am I going to fight using a flag from now on?

I briefly imagined myself wielding a flagpole to strike down enemies. Hmm.

'Could be cool, I guess.'

But it seems heavy!

I'd already set aside the Commander-exclusive longsword because it was too cumbersome; I was walking around with just a pistol and a staff.

Could I manage a large, fluttering flag?

'Come to think of it, my exclusive equipment was a flag, too.'

I've been collecting [Great Commander's Flag Fragments]. When I gather all of them, they become the [Great Commander's Flag (EX)].

'Am I becoming a literal standard-bearer...'

I'd have to stop by the forge to ask if any special abilities could be attached to the flag. If anyone would know, it'd be Kellibey.

Setting aside the flag issue for now. Next.

- Declares a large area as the territory of the faction you belong to, exercising authority within it.

A simple description of the skill.

So, what? I draw a line on the ground and say, 'From here on, it's mine'?

I'd need to look into the details to be more certain.

- For allies within the territory: Apply all beneficial effects that the user possesses.

All beneficial effects that I possess are applied to allies?

As I touched the system window, a list of 'beneficial effects' appeared. Let's see.

> Passive Skill [Unyielding Commander]

> Traits [Attack Totem], [Defense Totem], [Super Buffer], [Main Order]

"Aha, I see."

So, within the territory I've declared with [Imperial Edict], all my allies under my command could benefit from those skills and traits.

Immunity to mental statuses, attack power buffs, defense power buffs...

'Sweet deal.'

What's more, this isn't the end; if I obtain more traits related to ally buffs, they could be additionally applied.

'I should gather all the ally buff traits.'

I clenched my fist and reaffirmed my resolve. I'll become the ultimate buff shuttle!

Next up, let's see.

- For enemies within the territory: Apply all harmful effects that the user possesses.

As soon as I touched the system window, a list of my acquired beneficial effects appeared.

> 1st Skill [Unyielding Commander] Success Rate Increased, 2nd Skill [Gaze of Command] Effect Addition & Adjustment

"Interesting."

I nodded.

It declared the area around me as my territory, giving buffs to my allies and debuffs to my enemies, all within the confines of the skills and traits I possessed.

Normally, one could acquire an unlimited number of traits, but could only equip up to three.

That's why people usually pick and choose, a process known as 'trait work.' But I had to go the opposite way.

In this space, all my acquired traits could be applied. So, I needed to grab everything I could!

I recalled the list of useful buff & debuff traits and read the next description.

- There is no limit to the number of summoned entities within the territory.

"...Wow."

Did I read that wrong?

This seemed a bit crazy.

Summoning magic.

In the game, it was a player-exclusive skill, one of the few ways a player who always let game characters do the fighting could directly intervene.

I've been making good use of it since my possession.

I could use two types of 'summons.'

One was a 'boss monster' that could be summoned using a one-time scroll, luckily dropped.

The other was a 'defense tower,' which could be built by acquiring blueprints, researching in an alchemy workshop, and using a magic core as payment.

Both were classified as summons, and until now, only one could be summoned at a time.

Each was a powerful strategic weapon, deployed at just the right moments to tip the scales of battle.

But now the number restriction was lifted?

'Of course, the value of summons does decline in the later stages.'

In the early stages, when heroes are weak and soldiers are scarce, summons are incredibly helpful.

However, after heroes have fully grown and both the quality and quantity of soldiers have been supplemented, the relative strength of summons drops. Monsters get stronger, too.

But even so.

If there were no restrictions on the number, that changes the dynamics entirely.

'What if I construct dozens of automatic defense towers at the same time?'

I shivered involuntarily, imagining dozens of turrets spewing massive fireballs. Just thinking about it was exhilarating...!

'Of course, it'll eat up a lot of magic cores.'

Each defense tower required one magic core to summon.

Currently, I had access to three types of towers: an 'automatic defense tower' that fired magic projectiles, a tank unit called 'shield tower' that provoked enemies in a wide area, and a newly-acquired 'magic tower' specializing in crowd control and slow effects.

Each required a magic core of R-grade or higher, N-grade or higher, and SR-grade or higher, respectively.

For a one-time summon, it was a staggering cost.

Even though I had gotten fairly affluent, magic cores weren't a strategic resource to be expended lightly.

Still, if I could just dump magic cores to build as many towers as I wanted...

'The genre of the game changes.'

From character defense to tower defense.

This skill could literally be a game changer.

The more variables I could secure, the better. Satisfied, I skimmed the last line.

- If the area declared as territory is an enemy zone, it will enter a [Conquest War] state, and if victorious, you can seize control of that area.

"..."

I blinked, not quite understanding. What exactly did that mean? So…

'Go into a dungeon, plant a flag, declare it as my territory, and then activate [Conquest War] to fight and win... I can claim that dungeon as mine?'

Beyond just completing a dungeon and opening a safe zone, I could actually claim that specific dungeon territory as my own?

Really?

'If that's really possible…'

The future landscape of dungeon exploration would change.

I could slowly snatch away those lands tainted by nightmares…!

'I'll have to go and test the actual effects to verify.'

After reading the skill description multiple times and confirming it, I sank into my chair with a long sigh.

'Not bad. No, it's actually pretty good.'

What I wanted wasn't strong firepower or immense tanking capabilities. My party members were more proficient and competent at those things.

What I wanted was the ability to support those allies more efficiently.

And the ability to create variables, something unexpected.

In that regard, this ultimate skill [Imperial Edict] was exactly what I had wished for.

'…Or is it the other way around?'

The ultimate skill is a culmination of a character's essence.

In other words, it could be considered the 'conclusion' that character has reached through living and growing.

I had wished for this kind of skill, so my ultimate skill manifested in this form.

That seemed a plausible way to look at it.

'...I'll need to order some flags when the day breaks.'

With a legendary strength stat of 13 at level 50, I had no idea how long I could carry the flags around.

Should I start doing push-ups starting tomorrow…?

***

The next day.

I was about to head to the blacksmith in a good mood when an unexpected guest showed up in the morning.

"Your Majesty."

It was Godhand.

Why are you here after having such a good time with your girlfriend last night? Didn't have enough fun? Huh?

I stopped myself from asking half-jokingly (and half-angrily) because Godhand's expression was extremely serious.

"I came because I have something important to discuss."

"What is it?"

Once inside the mansion, Godhand quickly scanned the surroundings before leaning in and lowering his voice.

"You're aware that Crossroad is currently allowing unrestricted access for outsiders, correct?"

"That's right."

We don't discriminate against any guests. As long as they aren't monsters, there's no reason to turn away people who have made it all the way to this remote southern region.

Godhand scanned the surroundings once more before whispering to me.

"…Just yesterday, spies dispatched from the Imperial Family infiltrated this city."

I swallowed in surprise.

"Spies from the Imperial Family? Does that mean…"

"Yes. They are agents from the Aegis Special Forces, sent by Lord Fernandez."

I furrowed my brows.

I was busy dealing with Lark, so why go to the trouble of keeping tabs on me at a time like this?

"They didn't come to engage in any operations. Apparently, they felt their intelligence network had gotten weak and came to reinforce it."

It felt like quite some time ago.

There was an incident where we rooted out spies from the monster frontlines here.

Those caught at the time were Saintess Margarita and Godhand. Both were reporting to Fernandez on behalf of the Imperial Family.

Margarita had since ceased her spy activities and focused solely on her clerical duties. I had looked the other way.

And Godhand had become my double agent.

Still pretending to be under Fernandez, he had been reporting all information between the Imperial Family and me without fail.

This time was no different. The moment new spies were dispatched from the central government, he came to inform me right away.

"Leaving the fishing line out actually came in handy."

The implication was that using Godhand as a double agent had proven to be quite effective.

When I smirked, Godhand also gave a wry smile.

"The newcomers have infiltrated various parts of the city, posing as refugees. It seems they intend to gather intelligence on the city's activities and report it to the Imperial Family."

"Do as you please. I have no intention of stopping every little thing, just don't cause any trouble."

If they had deliberately sent spies to understand the city's dynamics, stopping them from the get-go would be impossible.

I had no reason to hide anything, nor did I have any grudges against Fernandez. So, I decided to let it be. If all goes well, I might even be able to turn the situation to my advantage.

"However, Your Highness, there's something I felt I should report directly to you."

"Hmm?"

"The leader of the dispatched spies is currently..."

Godhand hesitated for a moment but finally spoke.

"... meeting with Captain Lucas."

"...What?"

The unexpected news momentarily stumped me.

'What's going on?'

The spies Fernandez sent...

...Why are they meeting Lucas?