Transcendent Warrior with a Dimensional Shifting Inventory

46

Minhyuk led his soldiers up to the high ground overlooking Gaon Gorge.

The moon in the night sky was big and bright.

Looking down from the high ground, he could see the enemy camp at a glance.

“They definitely don’t know we’re going to attack tonight. If they did, they would never have set up camp like that.”

At General Drake’s words, the princess tilted her head and asked,

“What do you mean?”

Minhyuk understood what the general meant.

The sight of an army of 200,000 lined up in a single file along a valley with dense bushes reminded him of the Battle of Yiling in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Yubi, who knew nothing about military strategy, lost his entire army to a surprise attack by Ruxon when he deployed his troops in such a way.

“If we set fire to the valley right now, we could annihilate the enemy forces without breaking a sweat.”

As Minhyuk pointed out the crux of the matter, General Drake was inwardly impressed.

It was like a cat catching a mouse while simply backing up.

In any case, if they used fire attacks tonight, they could finish off the enemy without exerting much effort.

They didn’t have to kill with swords or bows just to earn return time.

During the process of retaking Tamryn Fortress, they had burned some goblins to death.

Even so, they had earned 10 seconds of return time for each one.

So, if they set fire to the valley and burned the entire 200,000-strong army to death, they could easily earn 2 million seconds of return time.

Converted to days, that was 23 days.

‘But that’s definitely not a good choice.’

Killing one enemy soldier earned them 10 seconds of return time, and that was it.

However, if they took that soldier as a subordinate, they would continue to earn return time in the future.

Even if they just captured a small beast, they would earn 10 seconds, and they would earn another 10 seconds if they healed its wounds once with the potion that Minhyuk had supplied.

Right now, Minhyuk had to choose between two options.

Completely wipe out Melbeck’s army and earn 23 days of return time right away.

Or, just kill King Melbeck and his followers and bring most of the remaining soldiers under his command.

‘This is a no-brainer.’

The ultimate goal of conquering Melbeck was to increase the number of soldiers who followed him.

But if he killed them all tonight, when would he get new recruits and when would he train them?

Thinking only about the small, immediate benefit of 23 days of return time and wiping them all out was as foolish as killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

“It’s a waste to kill them all.”

At Minhyuk’s words, General Drake nodded.

“That’s right! If we conquer Melbeck, they will automatically become loyal soldiers of the Asdel Empire!”

The princess also nodded in agreement with that idea.

Now, their objective was set.

Instead of an all-out war, they would aim for a precision strike against the king of Melbeck.

However, there was no way to confirm where King Melbeck was staying in that long camp that stretched for dozens of kilometers.

“How about using the Kunaz spy to find out King Melbeck’s location?”

At the princess’s suggestion, General Drake spoke up.

“It’s not an impossible method, but if we make a mistake, we could end up giving them a reason to suspect something is amiss.”

If a scout whose job it was to provide information about the enemy asked about the king’s location, it could arouse suspicion.

If that happened, everything would go awry.

Hmm-

As everyone was racking their brains trying to think of a good way to find out King Melbeck’s location, an officer approached and reported to Minhyuk.

“Commander, a suspicious person has come looking for you. He is requesting to meet with General Drake.”

Upon hearing those words, one person came to the general’s mind.

There was only one person who would come looking for him in this remote location, outside the territory of Gaho.

“Is his name, by any chance, Tarman?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

General Drake’s friend and once a great commander of Melbek, Tarman, came to visit.

Minhyuk instructed the officer.

“Bring him here.”

“Yes, sir!”

After a while, the officer brought a man in.

Just in case, the soldiers had him tied up.

His face was clearly visible under the moonlight.

It was indeed Tarman.

“Tarman!”

“Long time no see, Drake!”

General Drake ran to Tarman and untied him.

Tarman asked the general.

“Have you met my family?”

“Don’t worry, they’re already safe.”

“Thank you.”

Tarman was on his way to Fort Tamirn alone to meet his family.

Then he discovered the Asdel expedition moving and followed them.

He was worried that his letter might not have been delivered and that the expedition would fall into a trap set by the King of Melbek.

So he risked his life to show himself before the Asdel soldiers.

General Drake explained the situation to Tarman.

Thanks to his letter, they were able to capture the Kunaz spy planted by the King of Melbek, and in turn, they used him to create an opportunity for a surprise attack.

Tarman looked down at Melbek’s camp and said.

“If I were you, I’d use chemical warfare.”

As he said those words, Tarman’s expression was grim.

Melbek’s army was once the soldiers he had cared for.

It pained him to think of them all burning to death.

General Drake shook his head and said to him.

“Our commander has a different idea. He plans to kill only the King of Melbek and his aides and embrace all the soldiers.”

Upon hearing that, Tarman’s eyes widened, and he asked Minhyuk.

“Is that true?”

Minhyuk nodded.

Then Tarman said to Minhyuk with a serious expression.

“I know where the King of Melbek is right now!”

The reason Tarman did not accompany his family and remained in Melbek Castle was to find evidence that the current king had poisoned the previous king.

So as soon as the king left the castle with his army, he sneaked into the palace.

And there, he found the king’s secret chamber.

There, traces of all kinds of sorcery that had been attempted to claim the previous king’s life remained.

He also found the poison that the current king was thought to have used to kill the previous king.

And crucially,

He captured the sorcerer who served the current king there.

He was not a real wizard, but a man who had pretended to be a wizard under the king and earned money.

Tarman tortured him and received his confession.

The current king had wanted to take the throne from his father for a long time, and that he had poisoned his father’s drink during the Kudalkan expedition.

He had found convincing evidence that the current king had poisoned the previous king.

“I heard something else.”

Tarman heard a very interesting story from the fake wizard.

There was a reason why King Melbeck had settled in this Gaon Valley among the many places he had visited.

“There is an entrance to an ancient temple in Gaon Valley.”

In addition to the ancient temple Minhyuk had discovered in the bat cave last time, there was another temple in Gaon Valley.

King Melbeck planned to explore the temple there in search of treasure.

“If we go there now, we can catch that bastard!”

Then General Drake asked Tarman.

“What on earth is King Melbeck trying to get there?”

Minhyuk was also curious.

What kind of precious treasure was there that he would explore before the battle?

“That is…”

Tarman’s mouth popped out a story he had heard before.

“Gaon, the famous horse ridden by the God of Creation.”

***

The King of Melbeck entered the ancient temple with 50 guards.

He was moving with a small number of people in case he caught the eye of Asdel’s scouts.

‘To think that Gaon really existed!’

The king was filled with anticipation because there really was a temple entrance in the location the wizard had told him about.

A famous horse that could cross the continent in the blink of an eye.

It caught his attention at once.

He imagined himself riding Gaon and freely traveling between the twelve castles as the unified emperor.

Kekeke-

A frivolous laugh escaped again.

Then he suddenly came to his senses.

He hadn’t even gotten his hands on Gaon yet, and he didn’t know what dangers lurked in this temple.

King Melbeck, who had calmed down, spoke to his concubine, who was following close behind him.

“It’s dangerous, so I told you to just wait at the camp.”

“I will follow wherever Your Majesty goes! Even if it’s a pit of fire!”

King Melbeck looked at his concubine with loving eyes.

“Yes, we will be together forever from now on.”

“Your Majesty…”

Before they knew it, they left the narrow passage and reached a large underground space.

There was a black beast with long horns on its forehead.

It was three or four times larger than a normal horse, and its mane and fur were shiny.

Oh!

King Melbeck gasped in admiration.

“I have never seen such a magnificent beast! It is a steed worthy of a divine creator! Quickly, bring Gaon to me.”

At the king’s command, the royal guards approached the creature.

However,

Snap-

The beast lunged forward, clamping its jaws around the head of the nearest guard.

Thud-

A spray of blood erupted from the soldier’s headless torso.

Screech-

The concubine let out a piercing scream at the sudden spectacle.

Crunch, crunch-

The beast, its jaws working furiously, began to attack the other guards.

Only then did King Melbeck regain his senses and shout,

“Mon, monster! Kill it at once!”

The guards drew their spears and swords and charged at the beast.

But they were no match for it.

With lightning-fast reflexes, the creature dodged their attacks and continued to tear into their skulls.

“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous! You must flee!”

The concubine turned to King Melbeck and cried out.

But the king was already running away, leaving her behind.

“Your Majesty!”

She called after him, giving chase.

Crunch, crunch-

The beast, having dispatched the guards, turned its attention to the fleeing king and concubine.

King Melbeck ran with all his might.

If he could just reach the narrow passage ahead, the bulky beast would not be able to follow.

But then,

Swish-

The concubine overtook King Melbeck.

Her running speed was astonishing.

King Melbeck looked back in horror.

The monster was hot on their heels.

‘That wretch!’

King Melbeck reached out and grabbed hold of the concubine’s windblown hair.

Then, with all his strength, he yanked.

Screech-

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She stumbled and fell.

The king stepped over her and resumed his flight.

“Your Majesty!”

The concubine cried out after him.

But that was her last scream.

The monster bit her head off.

King Melbeck, who had sacrificed the concubine to gain time, safely entered the narrow passage.

‘I made it!’

But then someone suddenly appeared in front of him.

It was a muscular figure with flaming red hair.

“Who are you?”

“Are you the king of Melbeck?”

At Minhyuk’s question, the king was startled and shook his head.

“No! I’m just a wandering adventurer!”

Minhyuk checked his finger.

＜Durango’s Twin Rings＞

He was wearing a ring that formed a pair with the ring of the Kunak spy.

It was proof that he was King Melbeck.

“You’re the king.”

BAM-

Minhyuk stabbed King Melbeck’s head with a dagger.

＜You have killed a human.＞

＜As a reward, you have earned 10 seconds of return time.＞

Thanks to Tarman’s information, it was incredibly easy to kill King Melbeck.

Minhyuk took the ring and entered the underground space.

Since he had come this far, he wanted to confirm Gaon’s true form.

Creak, creak-

The beast that had been chewing on the concubine’s skull approached Minhyuk.

Information about it appeared before Minhyuk’s eyes.

＜You have discovered the One-horned Donkey.＞

＜You can earn 30 seconds of return time if you kill the One-horned Donkey.＞

It wasn’t a horse, but a donkey.

It wasn’t a legendary steed ridden by the God of Creation, but just a 30-second trash monster.

Swish-

The One-horned Donkey’s neck was severed by the greatsword that Minhyuk swung.

＜You have killed the One-horned Donkey. As a reward, you have earned 30 seconds of return time.＞

‘What the hell.’

He hadn’t had high expectations, but to be honest, he was a bit disappointed.

The true form of the grand legend was just a lousy donkey.

Still, he went deeper into the temple, just in case.

And unexpectedly,

＜You have discovered Gaon.＞

He found the real Gaon, who looked completely different from what he had expected.

**