The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 97

All members of the Peregrine Division were veterans.

There was no need to mention the Elf warriors, and even those from the Janstrick Mercenary Group had faced countless battles in the northeastern region.

Compared to the two groups, even the members of the Black Eagle Regiment, who lacked practical experience, had been dispatched twice a year to the hunting tournaments where they encountered and hunted wild beasts and small to medium-sized monsters.

Yet, every one of these soldiers had their thoughts come to a halt.

‘Maybe… everything we’ve seen and experienced up until now was just part of a well-crafted script?’

‘If what we’re seeing right now is the real truth of this world…?’

They felt as though they were confronting a dark truth no one should have known, a truth they weren’t supposed to face, and as a result, the minds of these ordinary men froze.

“Um, am I going crazy, or is the world going mad?”

“……!”

At Miska’s comment, the soldiers snapped back to reality.

‘Are monsters really fighting like they’re in some kind of swordsmanship competition or jousting match?’

‘And the Ogre is acting as the referee?’

Reality still seemed fake.

But, there’s always something worse lurking beneath the surface.

Kieeeee…!?

Among the monsters being forcibly made to watch the battle by the Ogre’s overwhelming presence, one of them turned its head in their direction.

It was a Manticore.

Though hidden in the bushes, it seemed the medium-sized monster’s senses, equal to or surpassing those of wild beasts, detected the presence of dozens of Gau and the people riding on them.

Kieeee! Kiek!

The Manticore let out a strange shriek, as if tattling to the Ogre who was acting as the referee. (Though the soldiers couldn’t help but think it was absurd, that’s how they perceived it.)

Kuok!?

In response to the Manticore’s report, the Ogre snorted and sharply turned its head toward them.

Its blazing red eyes pierced through the Peregrine Division.

Then, as if the Ogre was getting ready to rise, it grabbed its axe.

Kwooooarrrrgg!!!

Killing intent? Sonic wave? Or sheer force of presence?

It didn’t matter what you called it.

An invisible force rippled across the surface of the swamp, covering the Peregrine Division in an instant.

“Grrk!”

“Ugh!”

Most of the soldiers, except for a very few, groaned and froze in place.

Even the thoroughly trained Gau reacted similarly.

The Gau collapsed onto their knees, wetting themselves in fear.

Kwoooargg!

Roaring once more, the Ogre began to charge toward them.

It was fast.

It was hard to believe that such a massive creature, towering over 4 meters tall, could move with such speed.

Thud thud thud thud thud…!

The 200-meter distance was rapidly closing.

“Sh-… Shit…”

But the once-brave veteran soldiers were struck head-on by the Ogre’s terrifying aura, and like butterflies caught in a spider’s web, they couldn’t move an inch.

The Elite Ogre, now with the helpless soldiers and their Gau completely within its sight, bared its massive fangs in a terrifying grin and leaped high into the air.

“……!?”

At that moment, the Elite Ogre’s sharp fangs saw something.

While everyone else had been lowered to the ground by the aura, one person remained standing as they were.

A single black horse, and the human riding on it.

And just as the Elite Ogre’s fangs saw that human lift their hand to touch a long, dark object,

its instincts, honed for survival, triggered a reflexive response. Neurons connected via synapses in its brain’s hippocampus at lightning speed.

This newly reconstructed memory commanded its body immediately.

Crackkk!

While holding a massive axe in midair, the Elite Ogre twisted its enormous body, flipping three times in the air.

Boom!

The Elite Ogre, now curled up, crashed to the muddy ground, skidding along the swamp for about 10 meters before coming to a stop just in front of the black horse. (Its upside-down axe acted as a good brake.)

Watching as the Elite Ogre slid right up to him and came to a stop, still kneeling as if in submission, Si-on finally spoke.

“Did you learn some new tricks while I wasn’t looking?”

Grooo…

“……???”

The Peregrine soldiers, who had just barely freed themselves from the Ogre’s overwhelming presence, couldn’t believe their eyes.

‘Did the Ogre really just do a somersault?’

‘Did it kneel and slide all the way here on its knees?’

Though they couldn’t hear what was being said, the Ogre was trembling and shrinking its neck as soon as Si-on opened his mouth.

‘Does this even make sense?’

Every single soldier had the same thought.

And it wasn’t just them; the monsters who had been watching the entire scene unfold were equally dumbfounded.

***

Monsters are strong and ruthless.

They may not have intelligence as high as humans, but they possess some degree of cognitive ability, and they can use both hands to create simple tools.

In simple terms, they’re smarter than primates like orangutans or chimpanzees on Earth.

In fact, when considering the sheer numbers across all species, they aren’t too far behind humans in population.

So why is it that, while monsters might occasionally prey on humans, they end up being driven into remote areas like forests or gorges?

There are many reasons, but the most decisive factor is the monsters’ short lifespan.

Even if they never faced a natural predator and died of old age, small monsters like goblins or kobolds typically live for less than 10 years.

Mid-sized monsters like trolls or ogres live slightly longer, but monsters living beyond 20 years are incredibly rare.

And the rare exceptions are elite monsters like the ‘Big Fang’ or those above that level, known as champion monsters.

But the Big Fang is the king of the Brandin Mountain monsters.

In other words, no creature in the mountains has lived longer than the Big Fang.

That’s why the monsters gathered in the swamp had no idea why that brutal Ogre was acting that way.

They had no idea who that tiny human was, either.

Monsters are simple.

They’re not livestock, but, well, let’s just say they’re smart in a weirdly ambiguous way.

An elite monster like Big Fang, or even a champion who could understand some human language, would be considered a genius in the monster world.

And even that genius, after being beaten nearly to death by Si-on, moved according to a newfound “higher purpose.” That’s exactly what was happening now.

Likewise, the monsters gathered in the swamp had their own basic purposes, or principles, that guided their behavior.

One of those principles, ingrained in Big Fang’s instincts long before Si-on beat him, was something like this:

— I don’t listen to anyone weaker than me!

Of course, the monsters in the swamp had already bowed down the moment they realized the power gap after hearing Big Fang’s roar.

But.

Why was this strongest brute cowering in front of someone ‘weaker than me’?

This contradiction clashed with their core principle.

The monsters were confused by this complicated situation.

But as I said, monsters are simple-minded.

Their intelligence is strangely ambiguous.

And so, these somewhat intelligent creatures came to a very simple yet clear conclusion.

— I don’t follow anyone weaker than me!

— But the Ogre is stronger than me.

— However… what if it’s not just ‘me,’ but ‘us’?

The medium-to-large monsters, who normally would have been eager to devour one another, exchanged glances.

In that moment, an invisible will united the monsters under the same category, creating something that transcended species.

This monumental force was unseen by the monsters themselves, but for the sole “User” of this world, it was clear.

***

[Error.]

[Under certain conditions, the will of the monsters has been temporarily connected.]

“What now…?”

Si-on stared in disbelief at the dozens of medium-to-large monsters now focused on him.

Then again, the message that had appeared just before had been equally baffling.

[Error.]

[Elite Ogre (LEVEL 49) has fully submitted to User No. 01, Jang Si-on.]

[You have tamed a monster for the first time.]

[You have tamed an Elite Monster for the first time.]

[Elite Ogre (LEVEL 49) entity $$&&## has %%%$$###]

[Error.]

It was clear enough that Big Fang had fully submitted.

But between the errors and the strange symbols, the whole thing was a mess.

It was probably because he, as the world’s only user, kept breaking the rules of this world before the “main story” had even started.

‘Well, whatever. What the heck are they doing now? Some kind of cross-species teamwork ritual?’

Si-on, being familiar with Korean internet culture, couldn’t help but think that the monsters in front of him had no other explanation.

Even though the message had popped up, the sight of blue energy strings flowing out from the monsters’ heads and intertwining with each other was too absurd for words.

“……”

Si-on firmly believed that this world was real.

Ever since meeting Derkios, learning pieces of the world’s secrets, and seeing the status window and what was clearly a “system message,”

all the experiences, people, and emotions he had felt were undoubtedly genuine.

That’s why Si-on had come to think of this world as an alien place with a game system attached to it.

However, the current situation made him utter something he never thought he would say.

“This is one hell of a trashy game.”

But Si-on was the only player in this trashy game. (For now.)

Moreover, when you really thought about it,

‘This is actually a good thing.’

He had planned to clean up the medium-to-large monsters by using Big Fang if he ever saw it again.

Now they had gathered on their own?

And they were all fairly high-level too?

Si-on glanced back.

Though still flustered, the Peregrine soldiers had sensed the change in the monsters’ demeanor and were quickly adopting a combat stance.

You think they’re just bits of data made of 0s and 1s?

Bullshit!

They’re my men.

And for my men, who I’ll treasure and take care of (and work to the bone) in the future, there’s only one thing to do, right?

“Hold on tight, everyone. I’ll be your driver today.”

“A dr-driver (技士, Driver)?”

What does it matter if it’s this kind of knight or that kind?

Whether I run them over with a bus or cut them down with a sword, all that matters is catching monsters.

Thus, Driver Jang charged toward the swamp monsters.