Chapter 40
Feeling a bit stiff, I stretched and took a moment to gaze at the blue sky.
“The Black and White War, huh….”
So, it’s already time for that?
In this place, there are a total of ten stages.
The first stage we passed through, The Forest of Evil Spirits, was a simple game, almost like a game of tag.
But the second stage, The Black and White War, is a bit different.
As the name suggests, the Black and White War involves the black and white factions, along with a third faction called Void.
These three factions compete over territory, like a game of capture the flag.
In the original story, it was a stage known for its intense psychological battles and strategic planning.
‘…This is bad.’
Caught up in other thoughts, I haven’t even thought about any strategies, let alone a plan of action!
Just like a typical K-fusion novel, there’s no time to catch a breath.
I sighed deeply and looked at the quest window hovering in the air with tired eyes.
[Stage 2: The Black and White War]
[You have 12 hours to choose one faction among Black, White, or Void!]
*[You must belong to a faction to proceed with this quest.]
As expected, it was following the same course.
I let out a breath of relief.
‘Nothing major has changed, it seems.’
I lowered my gaze to read through another quest window that appeared below.
<Rules>
- Two representatives, known as the Commanders of Black and White, will be selected by a vote from the constellations.
Other teams can join either the Black or White factions or participate as part of the Void faction. - The capturable strongholds are:
- Qian (Heaven)
- Kun (Earth)
- Zhen (Thunder)
- Kan (Water)
- Li (Fire)
- Dui (Lake)
- Xun (Wind)
- Gen (Mountain)
Each of the nine strongholds has different environments and characteristics.
Note: The central area, Heaven, is considered a prime battleground and counts as three strongholds.
- Each stronghold is structured like a dungeon themed to its environment. Capturing a stronghold’s boss will allow you to occupy that territory.
The faction that occupies the most strongholds wins. - When a Commander is defeated, the person who defeats them becomes the new Commander, and the stronghold is absorbed into their faction.
- Commanders cannot attack, but they can manipulate the terrain and environment of their strongholds.
The rules were a bit more complex than the previous stage, The Forest of Evil Spirits.
While the explanations were lengthy, it was a simple game where the person who used their skills to capture the most strongholds would win.
‘It’s like a mix between Go and chess, but…’
In any case, in the original story, Lyria’s team joined the White faction and achieved a great victory in the Black and White War.
They won with a 3:8 ratio of strongholds—an incredible result.
‘Wonder how it’ll turn out this time.’
Back then, Lyria had awakened, too.
The main focus was on Lyria, the protagonist, effortlessly capturing strongholds with everyone cheering her on….
But the emergence of Wendy as an anomaly has started to create cracks in the once-solid original storyline.
From not being able to form a team with her original allies, to Xenon taking on the special role of a traitor.
Even Yeriel awakened before Lyria this time.
So, I couldn’t just assume we’d win by following the same flow as the original.
‘First, we need to recruit as many people as possible to our faction.’
This game favored those who could draw more people to their side.
With more members, you could attack dungeons more easily.
And while other teams focused on a single stronghold, we could split up and conquer two or three strongholds simultaneously.
The problem was how to recruit people and who would become our faction’s Commander…
[The vote to select the Commanders of the strongholds is currently in progress.]
[67 constellations are still voting.]
I stared at the notification window floating in the air.
It was certain that one of our team members would become a Commander.
Compared to others who only focused on the game, our team had left a strong impression on the constellations, whether for better or worse.
The top candidates were Yeriel and Xenon.
Yeriel had awakened, earning great expectations from the constellations.
Xenon had made a significant impact by breaking the rules and establishing his presence.
“It’s likely to be one of them…”
“What are you mumbling about?”
“Ahh!”
Startled by the sudden appearance, I let out a loud yelp.
Yeriel, who had instinctively stepped back, scratched his head awkwardly.
“Sorry, you seemed deep in thought, so I was worried something might be wrong.”
At his concern, I softened my tense expression and shook my head.
“No, I was just… thinking about what to do next.”
It was a vague excuse. If anything, there were a lot of issues to address.
Though the Commanders are supposedly chosen through a vote by the constellations…
They usually pick the ones who have made the most impact.
If Yeriel were chosen as a Commander, that wouldn’t be so bad.
After all, his skills were more about helping others rather than attacking…
‘Even with the no-attack clause, he’d manage.’
But if Xenon became the Commander, that would be more troublesome.
It’d be like discarding our strongest card from the start.
‘That’d be difficult…’
As I pondered with a serious expression, Eden, who had just woken up, approached with slow steps.
“So, when do they announce this Commander stuff, or whatever it is?”
He yawned widely, looking at the notification window in front of him.
[57 constellations are still voting.]
The voting was still ongoing.
Though it had decreased since before, only ten votes had come in.
Even if we’d just woken up, the constellations had likely been voting since dawn…
“Is there some internal strife going on?”
In the original, I think the announcement came right after the quest window appeared.
“But at this pace, it should be revealed soon enough, right?”
Maybe they heard the commotion and came out.
“Hello, sis.”
Sylvester, who had approached us, waved lightly.
“Sorry, we’re a bit late because we were trying to understand the quest.”
Next to him, Celestine bowed her head in apology.
“It’s fine. The other teams are just starting to wake up too.”
As I patted down Celestine’s tousled hair, I glanced around.
“Where are Lyria and Xenon?”
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t seen the two of them for a while.
The penalty time should be ending soon.
It’s a critical time to regroup, so where did they go?
“They woke up early at dawn to train.”
Celestine’s words made me tilt my head.
I could understand Xenon, since he’s obsessed with swordsmanship, but Lyria? That was unexpected.
And I thought Lyria didn’t like Xenon very much…
‘Was I mistaken?’
“They went to train together?”
Celestine nodded at my question and then spotted something, waving her hand.
“Oh, there they are.”
Ahead of us stood a head of pink hair like cotton candy and another of jet-black hair, standing side by side.
“Sis!”
Lyria, who had been looking around, spotted me and ran over, embracing me like a puppy meeting its owner.
“Sorry, was I a bit late?”
Covered in dirt, Lyria’s downcast face suggested that she had indeed been training, just as she said.
“No, it’s fine as long as you’re safe.”
I patted Lyria’s head, casually sneaking a glance at her stats.
[Lyria]
<Stamina: 27 / Strength: 18 / Agility: 44 / Magic: 60>
‘What kind of training did Xenon put her through?’
Her stamina and strength had each increased by two.
It hadn’t even been a full night—how was that possible?
I’ve never gained stats no matter how many sit-ups I did!
Is this what natural talent looks like…?
As expected, a broken character is a broken character.
“Sis, I think you’re going to make me bald.”
“Oh.”
Oops, I must have been patting her too hard in my frustration.
Lyria, who had scooted away from me, rubbed her now flattened hair.
“Sorry, I got lost in thought for a moment….”
Xenon, who had been watching us with his usual stern expression, spoke up.
“The time limit has ended.”
[A party member has joined. Member: Xenon]
His actions were direct and without hesitation.
As soon as the notification of his joining the party rang out, I turned to look at him.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Now that I think about it, the time to reform the party—disbanded after the appearance of the traitor—had come.
I hadn’t expected Xenon to come forward and join first…
“No reason, just… welcome back.”
Yeriel, who was watching from the side, nodded in agreement.
“Oh, right. Since the quest is about to begin, it’s good that we’re reforming the party first.”
[A party member has joined. Member: Yeriel]
“We’ll join too.”
“Me too!”
One by one, the team members, who had seemingly forgotten that the party was disbanded, began joining.
[A party member has joined. Members: Sylvester, Celestine, Lyria Porcelain]
Looking at the map now visible before me, I let out a sigh of relief.
‘Seeing those red dots finally puts my mind at ease.’
Alright. The Wendy team is back together.
Just knowing we won’t lose track of each other is a major win.
At that moment, as if the voting among the constellations had concluded, a notification window appeared in the air.
[The vote for the Commanders has concluded.]
[The Commander of the White faction is Agatha.]
It was just as I had expected.
Though we weren’t in the same zone in The Forest of Evil Spirits, it was clear Agatha must have made a significant impact.
If it’s Agatha, being chosen as a Commander makes sense.
‘If Agatha is leading White, then it means we’re Black?’
Though this is a reversal of how it played out in the original story, with the Black and White roles swapped, it’s still manageable.
I stared at the air like a student anxiously awaiting their exam results.
Why is this making me so nervous?
[The Commander of the Black faction is…]
I quickly started drafting a strategy for whatever might happen.
‘Ideally, Yeriel should be chosen as the Commander. But if it turns out to be Xenon, we should focus on a defensive strategy while finding a new main damage dealer.’
I began thinking through the game’s dynamics, planning our next moves.
Losing Xenon’s strength would be a blow, but we’d need a backup plan, regardless.
[For a standout performance in Zone 12 of The Forest of Evil Spirits,]
As I was frantically working through strategies, the announcement that followed left me speechless.
[The Commander is… Wendy Porcelain.]
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