The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

“It’s the Imperial Army! The Imperial Army is coming!”

Outermost edge of the Elemental Jungle. Players atop the palisade of Town Tree, held by the First Knight Order, shouted. Eight months had passed since the new scenario “Coexistence or XX” began.

Now, battles were constantly erupting along the newly drawn borders. Especially in the eastern parts of the Mercenary Marcus Kingdom. The vicinity of the Elemental Jungle was a hotspot for fierce battles.

“Alright, let’s earn some hefty experience points today!”

“Just a few pieces of Imperial equipment will set me for life!”

“Let’s rack up some merit points so we can move our guild house.”

Standing at the forefront of the battles against the Imperial Army were numerous players. Most of them were second-job change players who had just surpassed level 50.

The invading Imperial Army consisted mostly of undead and cavalry. Their levels ranged between 50 and 70. Making them perfect opponents for leveling up players who had completed their second job change.

Of course, many high-level players also participated, aiming for the Imperial knights and elite cavalry. The front lines had now become the hottest place for players looking to grow.

“Damn it. What are we even doing?”

However, many were disgruntled. It wasn’t just players atop the walls. Marcus Kingdom had dispatched soldiers, mercenaries, and knights, stationed all around.

Naturally, if this place fell, the Imperial Army would directly advance into their homeland. And the Marcus Kingdom sought to avoid such a situation and had no choice but to dispatch reinforcements.

“To be played by these outsiders and to fight alongside them… What music are we dancing to?”

The commander of Marcus Kingdom grumbled incessantly. The reason the Imperial Army had approached so closely in the first place. It was because the player guild alliance based in the Elemental Jungle had opened the path for the Imperial Army.

The Pioneer Alliance. A newly formed alliance of numerous players, joining the existing large guild alliance, making them the largest player force in the Elemental Jungle.

Most of the kingdom’s territory was already under the control of the First Knight Order and the First Player Association.

Yet, there were always those dissatisfied, and they eventually took control of the Elemental Jungle and declared independence.

The problem was that they had colluded with the Empire to open the southern path of the Elemental Jungle.

– We couldn’t fend off the overwhelming Empire’s forces with our strength alone.

– We fought valiantly, but in the end, lost the frontier to the Empire after a brutal battle.

That was their claim. In reality, it was only the overwhelming presence of the First Knight Order that had masked the Empire’s strength. No one doubted the Empire’s power.

– If the Empire wasn’t strong, why would kingdoms have left them alone in the first place?

So initially, players believed the Pioneer Alliance’s statements. However, the real problem arose not in Connect, but in reality.

It was revealed that some of the core backers of the large guilds forming the backbone of the Pioneer Alliance were directly implicated in the ‘Connect Kidnapping Incident’.

At the same time, the First Knight Order released certain materials. Players were dumbfounded after reviewing dozens of videos and documents. Videos showed the alliance pretending to fight while deliberately opening gates for the Imperial Army.

The alliance casually taking over the deserted frontier left by the departing Imperial forces. And scenes of secret meetings between the alliance and the Empire in the middle of the forest.

Coupled with video maps illustrating rapid changes in frontier developments, the situation became unmistakable.

“The Pioneer Alliance colluded with the Empire!”

“They deliberately opened the path to the kingdom!”

“They are traitors!”

The thoughts that players subconsciously held under the influence of the First Knight Order were now coming to the surface.

– The kingdom is on our side, and the Empire is the enemy of the continent.

This realization galvanized the players. Not just the players, but also the kingdoms were enraged. Even though royal authority had shifted and players’ influence had grown, the unchanging fact remained that the Empire was everyone’s adversary.

The kingdoms immediately condemned the Pioneer Alliance. And it wasn’t just words either. Players affiliated with the alliance were banned from all kingdom territories and placed on wanted lists.

Their assets within the kingdoms were seized as well. They had achieved “independence” on the Connect continent in the truest sense. No one traded with them, they were denied entry everywhere, and were branded as traitors even in the communities.

Belatedly, Gene Ryan, the representative of the alliance and powerful corporate owner in the real world, sought to explain and ask for forgiveness.

We have no relation to the instigators of the kidnapping incident. We’ve already expelled those elements from the alliance, and we have no intention of associating with them in the future. As for opening the path to the Empire, it was due to coercion. How could we have defended against them with our own strength? If given a chance, we will prove ourselves on the battlefield.

However, the response was cold.

If they were struggling to fend off the Empire, there were plenty of places to seek help. Even the First Knight Order was already clashing with the Empire in various fronts, and it was well-known that all kingdoms were hostile towards the Empire.

Who would buy their excuses now?

Raul summed up the situation in a single sentence.

“Fine, just survive on your own.”

The same went for the elves and the Pioneer Alliance.

-Having these thorn-in-the-side factions isolate themselves made things easier for Raul.

‘Although I did steer things in that direction.’

Releasing their videos meant that Raul had known about the alliance’s betrayal from the start. He hadn’t intervened because he wanted them to be completely isolated.

And it was also time for the Empire to reveal itself.

‘The kingdoms need to understand who’s keeping peace. They can’t afford to be complacent.’

No matter how powerful the First Count’s domain and the First Knight Order were, they couldn’t single-handedly stop the Empire or save the continent from crisis.

As the scenario hinted, something was bound to happen soon, so the players needed to fully grow. And what better place for growth than the battlefield?

Thus currently, battles with the Empire were ongoing in various locations: The Monster Forest in the west, occupied by the First Count and the Ashton Marquisate.

The “Barrier” in the north, where the Kingdom Alliance had deployed their forces as a blockade. Further north, the dwarves’ underground city in the Ice Mountains and their snowy forward base.

The southernmost defense line of the Elemental Jungle. Everywhere, conflicts with the Empire continued. It was surprising that there were almost no changes in the fronts.

Despite the massive clashes, there were few actual territorial gains or losses. The reason was the absence of superhumans. Superhumans had begun to disappear from the battlefield at some point.

‘We don’t need to expand our territory further, so we stay off the front lines. But why is the Empire so quiet….’

This issue had recently been troubling Raul. Of course, it was true that the First Knight Order had previously defeated the superhuman forces dispatched to the front lines.

Perhaps the Empire was also cautious about depleting their superhuman resources. However, what Raul sensed was a bit different.

‘It feels like they’re waiting for something. Could it be that they’re also preparing for the next scenario?’

During this time, there were blatant attempts to lure their allies. Look, we’re defenseless, aren’t you going to attack?

In some cases, players managed to capture territories easily, but Raul found it unsettling. It felt like a trap to lure their superhumans. As a result, the current front lines had formed, and now, there were just over 100 days left until the next scenario.

‘Well, there’s no point in worrying about it, is there?’

It was a problem without a clear answer. What Raul could do was to improve his own abilities and prepare his allies, as the scenario suggested.

“Alright, let’s do our best today!”

In the secret training hall prepared underground in Calix Castle, the capital of the First Count’s domain, formidable figures had gathered.

Raul’s father Melvin, the Marquis of Ashton, along with his eldest brother Dylan and second brother Lawrence. They were joined by the knights’ captains and masters of the Ashton Marquisate.

Also present were Marquis Fidel de Greer, and his captains.

“There’s no room for complacency now. You’ve truly learned that swordsmanship well.”

Even Marquis de Templeton, the kingdom’s strongest swordsman, was in the training hall. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all the prominent masters of the Ruben Kingdom were gathered here.

In one corner, some players could be seen.

“Heck, I feel like my heart’s going to drop every time I come here.”

“Damn, when will we ever be able to handle those monsters?”

“They probably think we’re the monsters. They’ve trained their whole lives to reach this level, and we achieved it in just a few years.”

They were the top rankers from the Purple Guild and some allied guilds. Not just knights, but top rankers from various occupational groups were present, benefiting not only the players but also the NPC superhumans.

Training not only included duels among knights but also various combat scenarios, which would be highly beneficial.

“Joint training begins now! Gather into your predetermined groups.”

And so, over a hundred superhumans began training together.

Duels.

Team-based combat.

Skill exchanges.

Personal guidance from top-tier superhumans.

It was a pure gathering for training and exchange, beyond affiliations and interests.

‘The stagnation in the growth of superhumans up to this point was entirely due to a lack of exchange.’

Skill is developed through clashes and realizing deficiencies. Can sparring sessions where one always wins truly be called sparring?

In this regard, having superhumans gather and train together was naturally beneficial for everyone. It was the same for players. For players who rely somewhat on skills, there was nothing better than experiencing things firsthand to become truly skilled.

Up until now, Raul and the First Knight Order executives had played that role, but now they needed a variety of experiences as well.

‘There must be a reason why Connect requires players to grow.’

This was also the reason Raul specifically called the players here. Anyway, six months had already passed since the joint training, created through Raul’s mediation and connections, began.

The effects were already evident.

The First Knight Order’s executives.

Those who had risen to the position of initial masters had already surpassed the intermediate master level, and other kingdom masters had become adept at handling Aura.

Players also began to reduce their dependence on skills, now reaching a level where they could face top-class expert swordsmen with just their true abilities.

And the greatest beneficiary of all was, unsurprisingly, Raul.

Raul, who had been stuck at the upper master level before training, had now fully reached the pinnacle level. In terms of skill alone, he had caught up with the Sword Saint and his father, marquis Melvin.

The experience of crossing swords with strong fighters other than his master, Caldenas, had greatly benefited Raul. And the bigger harvest was not in swordsmanship.

‘Finally, the next level is within sight!’

Though swordsmanship was important, Raul’s true specialty was undoubtedly psychokinesis. His psychokinesis had shown remarkable growth, reaching the upper final mastery level, and he was now on the verge of reaching the next stage.

Moreover, when combined with his custom weapon acquired through the dwarves…

Thud! Crash!

“Ugh!”

“Splurt!”

The five masters surrounding Raul were simultaneously flung away, rolling across the floor. Among them were Philip, Jake, and Pierce, which perfectly demonstrated Raul’s current level of skill.

Jake, lying sprawled and lifting his chin, spoke up.

“Master, how long are you going to torture us? I think you could even hold your own against the Marquis or the Sword Saint.”

But Raul shook his head.

“I’m still far from ready. I’ll consider challenging them only after I’ve truly mastered this technique.”

“Sheesh. What more is there to perfect?”

Jake shook his head in disbelief, picking up his massive two-handed sword and standing back up.

“Whatever. Today, I’ll at least land one hit on you!”

Led by Jake, the masters who had been flung away charged at Raul once more. From the rear, coordinated attacks by the mages, including Nakia, were also in full swing.

Raul looked at the incoming barrage of Aura Blades and high-circle magic and smiled.

‘Yes, this level of difficulty is just right!’

Bababang!

Today, Raul continued to grow. The time remaining until the final scenario was now just 101 days.

(To be continued)

TL’s Corner:

We’re nearing the end!