165 < (5). Dangerous Gambling -2 >

* * *

This warfare (?) traces of Jinsung's sensitivity.

“That's... Harina. Misunderstanding?”

“What's wrong? ”

“Lauren's just the first person I know today. Thank you for helping build our Guild Fortress. I was just having a conversation. Conversation!”

“I see... You were talking... He was talking to me, like, right on the side. Isn't it nice to have a pretty girl right next to you? ”

“Oh, no… that…! ”

“Hehe, I don't know who Park Jinsung's girlfriend is, but I feel so bad... Hehe. How sad.... ”

“Ahhhh... ”

In fact, Harin knew the truth better than anyone.

For the sincerity she knew, the game quest would be 20,000 times more important than the beautiful woman.

That's why Lauren and Ian were already aware of the relationship, even if they didn't listen to the excuses.

"But you're still nervous, right? If you ask me to play next time, I'll follow you around without a word. ’

Advancing our relationship with Jinsung (?), Harin continued to act with a blurry face, rationalizing that he was a little sorry but couldn't help it.

“(* Sobbing *) I'm so sad... ”

Then Jinsung became restless.

“Come on, Harina, it's not really like that. ”

“It's nothing, sob. I didn't even say I liked him once, but there was a reason for everything...! ”

Harin provokes words he wants to hear.

However, sincerity was not a lover.

"Since Harin came to the Central Continent, he hasn't improved his culinary proficiency. ’

Amazingly creative interpretation!

Jinsung carefully opened his mouth.

“Ugh, I've been so busy lately, I'm sorry. You've been so bored lately, haven't you? I'll make a kitchen on the Central Continent Node. Take it easy, okay? ”

Harin shudders for a moment because he's out of his mind.

“What...? ”

Jinsung continued to speak.

“The next time I go hunting, I'll get more Cooking Ingredients. There will be many rare ingredients in the Central Continent that you haven't used before. ”

“ …. ”

Harin barely managed to control the boiling insides and closed his eyes.

‘Ha... What should I do with this fool...?' ’

On the other hand, when Harin calmed down, Jinsung thought to himself with a proud look.

That's why I was so sad! Harin knows I'm a choreographer, but he can't be pissed off by a girl! ’

After a while, only anger (?), Harin opened his mouth again.

“Do you like me? ”

The profound and difficult question is ten times more profound than the frantic philosophical question.

Harin's Anger (?) was supposed to be resolved.

Jinsung replied with a calm voice.

“Well, then...! I like you so much! ”

Harin sighs deeply and says again.

“Really?"

“I told you so?”

“Then prove it. ”

“Oh, how...? ”

Harin closes his eyes, raising one hand to his cheek.

“Kiss here... try it. ”

The embarrassed sincerity reflexively asked.

“What...? ”

“Hurry up and do it. Then I'll take care of it just this once. ”

I was really embarrassed by the unexpected development, but Harin was serious.

Harin urged his hesitation toward sincerity.

“What are you doing or not? Did you lie about liking me? ”

“Oh, no! I'll do it, I'll do it! ”

Jinsung jumped up and sat next to Harin.

Then I closed my eyes slightly and put my face to Harin's cheek.

I couldn't help but kiss Harin's cheek.

It was just that my heart was beating because my mind was not ready.

‘Let's calm down, Jinsung...! ’

But after a while,

Page -!

Jinsung felt his whole body hardened, as if struck by lightning.

It was because the lips, not Harin's cheeks, touched his lips.

“ …! ”

But I didn't want to take it off, and Jinsung raised her arms and slightly embraced Harin's back without even knowing it.

Then I felt the slight tremor in Harin's body.

For a long time, I didn't know that the two lightly touched lips would fall off, as if time had stopped.

* * *

As the forces of the three major guilds, the typical giant guilds belonging to the Ruspel Empire, left the front, the pushed defense lines began to move eastward at a faster rate.

With the defense front pushing down faster than I thought, the Lotus guild had to buy as much time as possible until the fortress was completed, but it was not enough.

Ian participated twice, but he couldn't win the battle the way he did before, no matter how much he did in the East and West.

‘At this rate, it's really close.... ’

Fioran approaches, next to Ian, who sits on the wall with a troublesome look on his face.

“What are you thinking, Ian? ”

Ian sighed and replied.

“Well, I was thinking about how I could buy some time. ”

“Aha... ”

Ian stood up and opened his mouth again.

“Fioran, what happened to you? Did you get some cooperation? ”

When Ian asks, Fioran shakes her head powerlessly.

“No matter how much I try to convince him, he won't budge. ”

“What are they saying? ”

Fioran scratches the back of her head and replies.

“Um... just give me a flipper. They're doing their best in the guild.They just needed some manpower in the rear, so they took out the guild members in front of them. ”

Ian's eyebrows narrow a little.

“Hmmm... I've got at least two metal plates on my face. I can see it's going to throw away the front wire and fall backwards... ”

“I know. So I asked him to help me block the base if I could buy a little more time, but the seeds didn't work. ”

In Fioran's words, Ian nods and answers.

“Of course. They don't want the front lines to form in the first place. ”

Fioran asked with a curious expression.

“Why?”

“If a guild of our size is formed at the front line, which is usually dense, their stomach will ache. The more you specialize in combat, the more rewards you will receive, including your specialty points. ”

“No, are we the only ones fighting? Shouldn't they be stationed over here? ”

Ian shakes his head and starts explaining again.

“Of course, but if you have a Node on the front line, you can use it to attack your enemies up to the Defense Tower. ”

“Aha...! ”

“You've seen the Defense Tower built on our Node, but its power is enormous. Even the most basic defensive towers have more power than two or three messy upper-level users. Perhaps when the fortress is completed properly and the wires continue to form around our stronghold, we will have a tremendous advantage. ”

Fioran grunts and replies.

“That's... that's right. Moreover, in the absence of a battle, NPCs and users participating in the war will be able to make money while staying. ”

“Yes. If they use the shops or auction houses on our Node, they'll be back in taxes soon. ”

Fioran opens her mouth, looking at Ian with astonished eyes.

“Wow... So Ian thought since he took over the Node in this position that everyone was reluctant to take over? ”

At that question, Ian shakes his head, smiling bloody.

“That's not it. At first they were just looking for niche markets. ”

“Aigoo... aren't you being too modest? ”

“I'm not being modest, I really am. Did you really think that the defensive towers I could build on the Central Continent Node or the soldiers I could produce would be this powerful? I got it somehow. ”

“It is, indeed. ”

Ian said:

“And in fact, if it weren't for the Holy Grail, we wouldn't be doing this massive construction right now. The Holy Grail doubles the speed at which a Node grows, so that's how far it's been. ”

Ian turns his head and thinks about the fortress, which is only a few steps away from completion.

‘The anglers really fit perfectly. Without either the Holy Grail of Holdream or the War Depot, we wouldn't have made this plan. ’

Towards Ian, who is deep in thought, Fioran asks in a worrying voice.

“But I can't be relieved. If the Ruspel Empire and other small guilds survive somehow, the front lines will form from our stronghold... If they don't, we're doomed, right? ”

Ian cuts his head off in Fioran's words.

“The line will continue to push east. ”

“Yes?”

“We'll be isolated. ”

After the giant guilds got hit and were bitten backwards, the line would have to be pushed east no matter how hard the middle and normal users tried.

‘Then we'll be stuck in the middle of the enemy, but our Node. ’

At first, Ian wasn't sure, but now he was almost sure it would be.

After participating in the battle a few days ago, I became more confident.

If so, it was about how long this fortress, which was poured out of all its resources, would endure the brute force.

‘How long will it last...? ’

I don't know how long I can hold out in the middle of the Kaimon Empire, but Ian is determined to try his best.

‘Two months? No, I think I can pull out more than I've had in a month. ’

You could have won an immense reward for stopping the Kaimon Empire from coming from all over.

It should be difficult, but the longer I endured, the more exponential the Lotus Guild will grow.

Fioran opens her mouth again.

“So, Ian built a fortress to survive in the middle of the enemy? ”

Ian nods.

“That's right, Fioran. ”

Fioran shakes her head.

“Ha... I knew Ian was reckless, but this time it's the best I've ever seen. ”

Ian smiled and replied.

“I admit that. ”

Fioran smiles.

“No, isn't it too sunny in such a serious situation? ”

“Don't worry, Fioran. It's a win-win bet, though. ”

Ian opened his mouth again slowly, with a few moments of excitement.

“If I can't, I'll pull the plug. Trust me. ”

* * *

Three days later,

Operation of the Kaimon Empire.

Officers from both sides of the Empire and the knights behind them were in a serious meeting.

But within this conference room, with a total of 30 people, there were only five users.

Irahan, the guild master of the Dark Cruna Guild, and Shakran, the guild master of the Titan Guild.

They were the three ranker users who joined the Kaimon Empire Knights individually and were promoted to senior knights.

Irahan and Shakran were not part of the Imperial Knights, but they were the only ones with the high status of 'Marquis’, so they could be here.

The middle seated Commander slowly opens his mouth.

“Thanks to the bravery of our armies, our Kaimon Empire has been battling back and forth against the weakened forces of Ruspel. ”

He takes a few moments to look around the left and then he speaks.

“As a result today! We have complete control of the Central Desert. ”

The central continent was mostly barren land.

But the middle desert, the most central part of the continent, meant a barren area where there were no nodes, where two continents have had fierce collapses to date.

In other words, the Kaimon Empire army had arrived just ahead of Lotus' stronghold on the front line.

< (5). Dangerous Gambling -2 > End