The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Chapter 321

The 31st Piece Turns the Tables

While sitting in the chair, Brutul found himself frowning upon being faced with an unexpected situation.

"How did you get in?"

"The security was lax. What other reason could there be?"

"You aren't wrong…"

"I-I will immediately issue an order to strengthen security."

"There's no need. Even with the increased security, it wouldn't have been enough to stop him."

"…"

At first, Ishi and Yeva were overjoyed upon seeing Seol come to rescue them. However, they became uneasy when he started speaking the troll language.

"H-He's speaking troll, right?"

"Be quiet…"

"Could they be on the same…"

"Geez! Please, be quiet."

As Seol began talking in fluent troll, Brutul and the Shaman grew intrigued by the peculiar being standing before them.

"Interesting. Where did you learn the language?"

"I've dealt with matters related to your kind from time to time."

"Hmm…"

"I have a proposal for you."

"A proposal?"

"Tell me how things have come to this point."

The Shaman looked at Brutul. It probably meant he had no right to speak and would wait for Brutul to open his mouth.

"Hmm…"

After pondering for a moment, Brutul said.

"What will you do after hearing the whole story?"

"I'll think about that later. Anyway, I have no desire to clash with the Frostmaw."

"So you plan to escape from here with your subordinates? Do you think that will be possible?"

Seol smiled brightly.

Upon feeling a chill from that smile, Brutul briefly held his forehead before continuing.

"Fine. This is something that would be soon known to humans anyway."

He anxiously fiddled with his hands, then explained how things had progressed this way.

"The Emon have stirred up."

"The moles? Haven't you been holding them off well so far?"

"That too, has reached its limit. We can no longer stop them."

It was strange. The Emon had existed for a while.

Despite not being known for their intelligence, they were one of the few beings who had survived in this harsh polar region.

"The situation didn't become like this for one reason… First, the Emon have grown cunning."

"Cunning?"

"In the past, they relied on numbers and simply charged ahead. But… After some incident, they became completely different from the old Emon. Now, they can even speak."

"They speak…?"

This would be as if wild dogs had gained intelligence and found themselves in an equal position. Seol hadn't expected this at all. Hearing something so unexpected only made him more curious.

'It seems things are more complicated than I thought.'

He initially thought that this was probably a mere shift in power dynamics. However, if what Brutul said was true, then this might be a huge issue that could affect the entire northern region.

"If they've gained intelligence, couldn't you have made something like a truce?"

"You say that because you don't know the Emon. Those creatures are full of greed, desire for reproduction, expansion, and conquer. They move in huge groups and leave everything in shambles. Reason doesn't work with them."

"They even killed our envoy. The Emon are beings who cannot be dealt with." The Shaman added a comment.

Seol briefly glanced at him.

"Ugh…"

The Shaman flinched upon seeing him.

It wasn't that he looked at him with killing intent, but he made an exaggerated reaction.

'It's because the gap is vast.'

Typically, the Chief of the Frostmaw would be at least a Great Chief, and his closest aide was often a Great Shaman.

'But this guy…'

His power was far from that of a Great Shaman.

Furthermore, he didn't seem to have any particular skill.

'How much have the Frostmaw fallen?'

Putting aside his evaluation of them for a moment, Seol focused on the topic at hand.

"How far have they advanced?"

"The Emon's eyes and ears reach nearly every corner of Hwigeltong. They might even be eavesdropping on our conversation right now."

"The situation is bad…"

The entirety of Hwigeltong had become the domain of the moles.

Under these circumstances, the other transferees would have considered the easiest solution—to leave Hwigeltong.

However, Seol's way of thinking was a bit different. He didn't think from the perspective of a piece. He viewed Pandea as a huge game board and considered how the events unfolding within it would play out.

'The power balance will shift if the Emon are left unchecked.'

There have been a few instances like this in the past.

He refrained from stopping the excessive expansion of certain forces only to face significant difficulties later.

If the Emon expanded, they would inevitably clash with the humans and the dwarves. 

The game board shaking would inevitably negatively affect the transferees who lived there.

So, for the Northern Federation, it was better for the Frostmaw trolls to control Hwigeltong than the Emon. After all, the Frostmaw could be reasoned with, at least.

"But the Frostmaw have really fallen for just that reason?"

"That's not all. As I said, it's due to a combination of reasons… The Frostmaw are far from our days of glory."

"Why?"

"It's all due to my lacking."

"Brutul! That's not true! It's all because…"

"Enough, I'm just stating my thoughts. The spark that gave the Emon a chance was because I lacked the talent of my predecessor."

"…"

He wasn't wrong.

Seol thought of Brutul as a leader who couldn't measure up to even half of his father.

It was sad but true. The era of Bron and Branka marked the peak of the Frostmaw Tribe's prosperity. They possessed not only personal strength, but their leadership had fortified their tribe.

"I'm having a hard time believing you lost the snowy mountain merely for such a reason."

The snowy mountain had been the domain of the Frostmaw trolls for a long time. It was a great natural fortress with fierce snowstorms that would drive out even the toughest enemies.

Even the Frostmaw struggled to survive there.

"They got their hands on some kind of artifact…"

"Artifact?"

"A being called Zakcha, one of their generals, attacked the fortress along with the Great Shaman Krom. Although we were at a disadvantage, I thought we could repel them thanks to the terrain, but…"

Brutul trembled.

"As Krom swung a staff, everything froze. A coldness even harsher than a blizzard swept in."

"A staff…?"

"It was a staff with a blue crystal orb."

A blue crystal orb…

Seol's eyebrows twitched slightly at those words.

"Do you remember what the crystal orb looked like?"

"Its appearance?"

After a brief exchange of glances, Brutul and the Shaman responded.

"Well… It had the pattern of a white bird…"

"Oh, damn…"

"What's wrong? Did you realize what artifact it is?"

"Ah, aah…"

Seol's heart trembled violently. The tremor even reached the Void.

- Why? Do you know that artifact?

Seol nodded.

'It's an artifact of Azran. The Crystal of Dawn.'

- Really…? It’s an item that belonged to Azran? 

'Yes. He didn’t use it after gaining enlightenment. But it's an artifact he used for quite some time.'

The Crystal of Dawn might be what Seol, or rather Ur, needed the most right now. Thanks to the Frozen Truth, he had been delving into Frost Magic. That's why something like the Crystal of Dawn could greatly help him.

- Seol…

Ur said in a serious tone.

-  It seems this matter isn't unrelated to us.

'I was thinking the same.'

Just as Seol was about to continue the conversation…

WHOOM…

The temporary outpost shook.

'An earthquake? No, this…'

The Shaman shouted.

"What's going on?!"

"It's the moles! The Emon have appeared!"

"Damn… Brutul, give us your orders!"

Brutul looked at Seol with tired eyes and then said to the Shaman.

"I'll go myself. Prepare for the encounter."

"What about them…?"

"Find an opportune moment to slip away if you can escape from the moles, that is."

Yeva and Ishi exchanged glances and then turned to Seol, who simply shrugged in response. 

* * *

"AGH!"

"Stop them! Watch your feet!"

The ambush started in the dead of the night.

Paf—!

"Cough…"

Red blood splattered on the pure white snow.

The moles wielding spears were, at best, less than half the size of the Frostmaw's trolls. Yet, the fight was evenly matched.

It was due to the one leading the moles from the front.

"Hihihi! Irizard has ordered us! We're going to kill you all!"

An Emon dressed in strange, flamboyant armor introduced himself.

"I'm the faithful servant of Irizard, Kuakha! Brutul, come out! I'm going to pickle you and roast you!"

Creak…

Brutul, who had rushed outside upon hearing the ambush, frowned upon stepping forward.

"Hihi… So you didn't escape."

"The Frostmaw don't flee from the likes of moles."

"Hihi! Your pathetic throne is already in our hands. That's why tell me!"

The mole's eyes shone.

"Where did you hide her?"

"As expected of a mole, you have a long snout."

"I'm going to kill you!"

[Kuakha used Icicle Barrage.]

[You strike three times. The wounds inflicted by the strikes freeze, lowering the body's temperature.]

"You won't!"

Whoosh—!

Brutul was wielding a spear that fit his massive frame.

Swish!

Tang! Tang! Tang!

Brutul blocked the three strikes without much trouble.

'Oh… Not bad.'

At best, the ice mole Kuakha was a warrior who had reached the middle of the Transcendent-rank. He shouldn't have been a challenge for Brutul, who led a large tribe, to deal with.

However, seeing how Brutul's eyes were trembling suggested that he was struggling.

"Hihi! Brutul, you're weak. How long do you plan on staying weak?"

"From how you put it, Kuakha, you seem to have already defeated me."

Swish—!

[Brutul used Shard Strike.]

[Ice shards rise from the ground along the path of the slash. Enemies hit by the slash are guaranteed to be frozen upon contact with the shards.] 

Swoosh—!

Crunch—!

Brutul's fierce attack.

"Hihi! You're making me yawn!"

Paf—!

Kuahka knew how to make full use of his nimble body. Neither the slash nor the ice shards even came close to hitting him.

'Brutul is going to lose.'

If the opponent's strength was speed, one should engage in close combat to hold him down, using their weight and block to stop the opponent. 

'Only a fool would keep getting hit like that.'

On the other hand, the mole probably thought the same way Seol did. Despite his age, Brutul displayed a lack of fighting skills.

It was understandable for one who lacked talent.

'The problem is he's the chief of the tribe.'

Swish—!

Clang—!

The mole effortlessly deflected his spear and taunted him.

"Hihi… Did you think you were the king of the North? Hihi… Nonsense!"

"…"

Swiish—!

Clang—!

"Can someone with no subjects be a king? Hihihi!"

Crack…

Kuakha wasn't a being beyond the Frostmaw's capabilities. He was in the middle of the Transcendent-rank, at best.

However, to Brutul, Kuakha's strength was probably comparable to a demon's.

That's how far behind Brutul was.

"Oof… Oof…"

"I heard that, unlike you, your son has talent… Is that true? If so, I should deal with him in advance."

"You bastard! Don't even think of laying a finger on my son! After all, you're going to die at my hands here!"

"Hihi… I'm going to die? Ah, I could."

Paf—!

"However, there's no way I'd die at your hands."

Thud—!

"Ugh…"

Thump…

Brutul fell after getting his shoulder impaled by a spear.

"Brutul!"

"Chief!"

"Hahaha! Now, Kuakha is the king! Kuakha is the king! I will enslave you all!"

"Oof… Oof…"

Swoosh…

Kuakha pulled out the spear.

"Agh—!"

"Hihi! What should Kuakha do once he becomes king? I could kill you all. Huh? Tell me if that's okay."

"…"

"If you don't want to answer, die."

Swoosh—!

A spear attached to chains flew toward Brutul's face.

Clang—!

"Kik… Huh? Human?"

Seol, silently observing the fight, intercepted Kuakha's spear.

"Why is a human here?"

"You're too noisy."

"Kuakha's noisy? Kik… Noisy?"

"Yes."

"Everyone who said Kuakha is noisy is dead! Kuakha will kill you!"

Yeva and Ishi shouted.

"S-Seol! It's dangerous!"

"Don't interfere!"

Those who didn't know Seol's strength always said his actions were reckless. This time was no exception.

Swish—!

Kuakha pulled on the chain, retrieving his spear.

Swoosh…

Oof…

Seol took a deep breath.

"Are you nervous? Huh? Kihi… Kihihi…"

[Kuakha used Northwesterly Wind.]

[The weapon releases a cold wind. The wind applies a blade effect, slicing through targets.]

Swish—! 

Paf—!

Kuakha spun around Seol.

Paf!

Paaf!

Whoosh!

"Hihi! How about this? You can't see me, right? I bet you can't see me!"

At that moment…

Jamad woke up, wrapping around Seol's body.

BZZT…

Almost simultaneously, Kuakha sensed an ominous presence. He immediately concluded that he needed to dodge and execute it.

Or at least, he tried.

BOOM—!

CRACK!

"Kik… Kiik…"

[You use Earth Shamanic Spell: Stone Hand.]

[Restrain your target with hands made of stone. Your Strength and Intelligence determine the grip's strength.]

"Let me go! Let me go!"

A massive hand made of stone had grabbed Kuakha.