Chapter 313– Tier 3 Trial Part 9.

“How long have I been in here… was I able to get this far during the first attempt?”

Roland wasn’t sure of the time frame anymore. Time worked strangely in this place and his mind was becoming weary due to all the sleepless nights he had gone through. Even though there was a lot of the blacksmith NPC could automate he was left inscribing runes on everything. The dream of a rune-powered army went out the door after it became clear that it was impossible to upgrade the smithing building into a runesmithing one.

Due to this setback, he was forced to weigh the pros and cons of using his time. With a hundred men at his disposal, he could pull a few all-nighters to inscribe some basic runes on their weapons. However, when his armies started growing and reaching the thousands he could not continue this feat. Thus, he focused mostly on creating golems and equipment for his commanders. They were the most important units and with the magical equipment, they could turn the tide of battle.

At the moment he wasn’t really worried about that but at the length of this test as it had been multiple months since he had arrived. Things weren’t going that badly but they weren’t going exceptionally well either. He was able to build a large moat around his stone keep, expand the walls and finish all the guard towers. Due to the lack of runesmithing help, he only focused on creating enough generators to power the defensive turrets and then focused on generating some armor for his battle units.

Yet the life of a lord wasn’t so easy, there were so many things only he could decide on. If he didn’t make a decision the wooden people in this world would start making their own choices. There was a type of randomized factor in all of this as these NPCs had their own life. They needed things like taverns and pubs to keep them lively. Then they also needed guards to keep thieves in check and cloisters with clerics to heal the sick.

All of these things affected his cities in many ways. If there weren’t enough guards patrolling the street sooner or later a thieves’ den could pop up. Such a city would bring in less gold in general and some functions would be limited. Similar things would happen if they became sick or disgruntled.

Even though there was a lot to manage he was not supposed to do everything exactly himself. Just like in real life, he could give cities to retainers like a lesser lord or a higher-level soldier. If a city was located next to fertile land it was good to send out someone that was versed in cultivating the land. If there was a danger of getting attacked, a unit that was more inclined for combat was the right choice.

Then even if he made all the right choices it didn’t always work out but the reverse was also possible, this randomization factor was ever-present. It was as if the trial was telling him that there is nothing like over-preparing and that he should be prepared for the worst-case scenario at any cost. This he kept in the back of his mind but only for the locations with the most strategic value. Roland realized that he was doing the same thing the nobles did in the kingdom by ignoring most of the smaller settlements that didn’t generate much income. Even when the residents there were overrun by monsters it didn’t affect his bottom line at all.

‘Is it trying to tell me to be more ruthless? Would I be able to make these decisions as easily if the people were real?’

Roland asked himself while bringing down his hammer onto a piece of armor. His eyes were slightly bloodshot as he had finished his latest creation. It was a somewhat upgraded version of the armor he used for dungeon grinding. This one came equipped with two retractable shoulder cannons. With an updated code they were able to quickly pick up any enemies on the battlefield even when he was moving. It was tricky for them to not clip his own body during speedy movement and also to not aim at his allies. Luckily each faction in this trial had a unique mana pattern that could be easily calibrated.

Considering that at this point he would be going up against heavily armored enemies he decided to use his old trusted hammer staff design. It looked more like a bulkier version of a pole hammer. It had an elongated tip on the front that could be used for piercing and a slightly bent one on the other side of the hammer. With this, he would be able to pierce through heavy armor while also delivering blunt damage that it was more susceptible to than cutting.

Though cutting weapons like swords and daggers weren’t that great against heavy armor, they weren’t useless. After tenderizing an armored combatant with a heavy war hammer it was possible to deliver the final blow with a short sword or dagger. Stabbing through a visor in close range wasn’t that rare and he could also aim for the joints where usually the protection was thinner.

Still, this weapon was meant to support ranged magical combat at first. With its thickness and implementation of more exotic metals it would last through several battles and the runes would not deteriorate. The same thing could be said about his armor which was an actual improvement from his real-life counterpart.

“I’ll get to test this out pretty soon, that faction had fallen already while I was trying to expand my own influence. They will probably start conquering all the other nations before coming here…”

The Woodlanders had become rowdy in the north and conquered the western nation. The two middle ones were in a power struggle but now with the north getting involved, they would probably start buckling under pressure. He had not remained passive through all of this as he had already learned his lesson with the previous trial.

While the Woodlanders were attacking their western neighbors Roland’s lands were invaded by the southeastern faction. To his surprise, it was the same Kindlings that he had to compete against in his first trial attempt. They had gained new lands and were a lot better equipped than last time. Their first push was for one of the smaller settlements that they were able to easily capture.

Before they arrived he was sure to pull back most of his soldiers that then bunkered up at the fort that he first started in. It had been equipped with some runic turrets when he was there and had enough firepower to last through the first siege attempt. Soon after he was able to arrive with his own army to push them back. Just like after all battles he was sure to capture all the enemy soldiers and start his conversion tactics.

If the defeat of the Lumberling faction was the first step, then attacking his own neighbors was a big leap. This was the beginning of the first struggle and already months had passed since a few back-and-forth encounters with the Kindlings. None of them he took part in but instead it was up to his commanders and captain. Some fights were lost but most of them were won. Now there was one last thing to do and it was finally worthy of his time.

‘I guess the Overlord should never appear until the last moment, is that how it’s supposed to work?’

Finishing his new runic armor was just the first step, now he needed to test it out on the battlefield. While the largest faction was already looking at attacking their southern neighbors he still needed to add the finishing touches. His own target had barricaded themselves out in the mountains in a similar stronghold to his own. Now there was a moat and actual towers with defenders.

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“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Good, I’ll leave the place to you, manage it well, and follow the instructions that I laid out.”

A different aid bowed before him, this one was over level one hundred and had actually advanced into a prestige class called ‘The Lord’s Hand’. This wooden man was like a high-class noble and secondary commander. If this castle he established was attacked he would be able to give the defenders an almost identical morale boost as him.