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Chapter 149: The Game of Kings (3)
"I’m going to make potions."
This was what Oscar declared in the conference room, just one day before the competition began.
The reaction was mostly positive.
"Potions, huh… Not a bad idea. In a survival game, they could be a powerful weapon."
"Hmm, if you’re going to make potions, you’ll need ingredients, so your base will be set up near the forest, right?"
The best places to find herbs in the arena were undoubtedly the forest and the mountains.
Between the two, the forest—being on level ground—was the easier option for gathering materials.
However, Oscar shook his head.
"No, we’re going to the mountains."
"Huh? The mountains? Why?"
Maxim couldn't figure out why the mountains would be better than the forest, no matter how he thought about it.
"Searching for herbs in the mountains will take a lot more energy."
"There are two reasons."
Oscar held up two fingers.
"The first reason is safety. If we set up our base on high ground, we’ll have a clear view of approaching enemies."
"There aren’t many magic towers left, so I doubt any of them would bother climbing up to attack us."
"We can’t assume that our only enemies will be mages."
He continued, pointing at the three-dimensional map on the table.
"If you look at the map, the best location is undoubtedly the city. But that also means the competition for it will be fierce."
In games like this, balance between regions is crucial.
If a place has intense competition, it must offer some kind of merit in return.
However, apart from being centrally located, the city didn’t seem to offer any clear advantages.
In fact, in a survival game, being at the center could be a major disadvantage—making them a prime target for everyone else.
"If you were the one designing this arena, Elder, what kind of advantage would you give the city?"
"Hmm…"
Maxim rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment, then let out a small exclamation.
"Ah, could it be monsters?"
"That seems like the most likely answer."
Oscar nodded.
"This is a survival game. If there were no threats aside from other mages, the game would drag on too long."
In other words, the game must have mechanisms in place to keep up the pace.
And the most likely mechanism was ‘monsters.’
"The mountains, plains, and forests are all areas where monsters could appear at any time. As the game progresses, mages will naturally start gathering toward the city."
It was inevitable that the monsters would become stronger over time.
Hearing this, Fran tilted his head.
"Hmm, then shouldn’t we also secure a base in the city instead of worrying about herbs? The ones who take over the city won’t give up their positions easily later on."
"That won’t be possible."
Oscar shrugged.
"If my guess is right, the city will be taken by the Yellow Tower, the Red Tower, and the Blue Tower."
"…All three of them? Would they really choose such an inefficient strategy?"
"That’s actually quite reasonable."
Sasha, who had been listening, nodded in agreement.
"…Because for them, simply surviving and winning isn’t enough."
"Exactly."
Winning was obviously important for the Yellow, Red, and Blue Towers, but what mattered even more was how they won.
"If they win in a shameful or unimpressive way, they’ll be ridiculed. They need to win in a way that matches their reputation—with overwhelming dominance."
No, it wasn’t just a matter of wanting to—
They had to.
This competition wasn’t just being watched by their senior mages,
but also by the elders and the tower masters.
"That means the most valuable location in this arena…"
Tap.
Oscar tapped the central city with a stick.
"They’ll want to claim the city from the start. They won’t want to look weak by moving to the outskirts for an easier start."
Even if the level 4 mages wanted a safer route,
those above them wouldn’t allow it.
For them, the image and pride of their towers were of utmost importance.
"Hmm, I see. Since we’re in the underdog position, we should take full advantage of that."
"Exactly. No one will criticize us for setting up in the northern mountains."
"Understood. If the first reason for choosing the mountains is safety, then what’s the second reason?"
"Securing labor."
"…Huh?"
Maxim and the others frowned at the contradiction.
Logically, gathering herbs in the forest would require far less effort than in the mountains.
"Wait, not labor reduction, but securing labor?"
"Yes, securing labor."
Oscar picked up the pieces representing the Black Tower and the Blood Tower and looked at the map.
"The Black and Blood Towers probably have confidence in their combat skills, but they aren’t strong enough to challenge the Four Great Towers from the start. They’ll likely choose a cautious approach, carefully observing the situation. And to prepare for any unexpected threats, they’ll settle in the plains—where they have the best visibility."
He placed the Black and Blood Tower pieces on the western and eastern plains.
Then, he picked up two more pieces.
"The Green Tower will definitely head for the forest. That’s where they can maximize their natural abilities."
After placing the Green Tower piece in the southern forest, Oscar twirled the piece representing the Violet Tower with a smile.
"Now, the city belongs to the three great towers, and the east, west, and south are all occupied. So where does that leave the Violet Tower?"
"…If the towers move as you predict, the only place left is the north."
"Bingo."
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Oscar placed the Violet Tower’s piece in the mountains, right next to the White Tower’s piece.
"We’ll let them move in first, then follow them afterward."
"What if they see us as a threat and start a fight?"
"They won’t. Not after yesterday’s match."
Even though the Four Great Towers had fallen from glory, they were still perceived as strong.
That perception was something they could use.
"We’ll make them provide us with labor. In exchange, we’ll give them a portion of the potions we make."
"…And if they refuse?"
"They can’t refuse."
The mages of the Violet Tower were weak.
Based on what they had shown over the past few days, they were clearly the weakest group.
If the White Tower extended a friendly hand, but the Violet Tower responded with hostility instead…
It would only ensure their downfall.
"Alright. Then, what do you plan to do after making all the potions?"
"We'll wait."
"...Wait? Wait for what, exactly?"
At that question, Oscar smiled silently.
* * *
Back in the arena.
After finding a sufficiently open clearing in the mountains, Oscar decisively gave his orders.
"Bolden, Jeremy, Fran. The three of you set up a palisade around the perimeter. If it's about five meters high, most monsters won't be able to jump over it. The important thing is that it must be finished before sundown."
"Veronica and Damian, patrol the area and set up alarm magic. Be extremely careful not to miss even the slightest movement."
"Killian, head up to that peak and establish a simple outpost to keep watch over the surroundings."
"The rest of you, let's build some temporary huts."
Simple yet detailed instructions.
Orders that made it clear what each person needed to do.
And then, Oscar waited for the tower's mages to bring back the herbs.
Four hours later, Iris appeared, still on guard, leading the mages.
"We gathered every herb we could find."
"Good job. And one more thing."
"...What? This wasn't part of the deal!"
"I knew it!"
The tower mages immediately took combat stances, their faces showing they knew they had been tricked.
Oscar let out a short laugh.
"Come on, I haven't even said anything yet."
"You just said you want us to do one more thing!"
"Yeah, but at least hear me out first."
Oscar crouched down and checked the sack of herbs before speaking.
"As early as tonight, monsters might start attacking."
The mages didn't seem too surprised—they had already anticipated the possibility of monsters.
"If they appear, do not engage."
"What? Are you telling us to just sit there and die—"
"Let me finish. We'll handle the monsters. Just don't use magic."
Iris furrowed her brow and stared at him, trying to read his intentions.
Oscar met her gaze and explained.
"Tonight, this area will be the most closely watched location by all the magic towers."
This mountain region was the only area, aside from the city, where two magic towers coexisted.
For Oscar, this was a perfect opportunity to create confusion among their enemies.
"I want to spread the idea that you might have already been eliminated."
"...So you want us to just sit back and reap the benefits?"
"If you don't like it, there's nothing I can do."
Iris thought for a moment, calculating the risks, then slowly nodded.
"It’s not a bad proposal for us. But if the monsters aren’t handled quickly and we judge that our mages are in danger, we’ll act on our own."
"Of course."
After checking all the herbs, Oscar slung the sack over his shoulder and waved his hand.
"As promised, I'll have five potions ready by morning."
* * *
"Damn it. We came all the way here just to eat canned soup."
"Be grateful. If we were stuck in a forest or mountain, we'd be eating mushrooms."
"And if we were in the plains, we'd have to hunt rabbits or something."
The Red Tower had secured the tallest building in the city as their base for the day.
Their day had been flawless.
They had won the power struggle against the Yellow and Blue Towers, secured this stronghold, and even sorted out all their meals.
On top of that, their daily task was trivial.
"Isn't today's task way too easy? All we have to do is run with someone else or stretch together."
"It's only the first day. If it was too hard from the start, that would be a problem too."
"...The real problem is that the task requires group participation."
At those words, the mages all turned their attention to the one who had spoken.
Leo Brult, a Level 4 mage of the Red Tower.
He was the first among last year's academy graduates to reach Level 4.
Despite being the youngest in the group, he was their undisputed leader.
No one could match his skills or his background.
"As the competition continues, some of our allies will die. Eventually, there will come a time when we can’t complete our daily task. That means we might have to cooperate with other towers to earn points."
"Ah, I see."
"So you're saying we might need to form alliances… I hadn't thought about that."
One of the mages, lost in thought, turned to Leo and asked.
"By the way, why do you keep looking toward the mountains?"
"There's someone there who caught my attention."
Leo Brult recalled the mage he had met months ago when he visited the White Tower.
"Oscar Crucian. Why did he go to the mountains?"
"Who knows? Maybe he went after the Violet Tower. I saw him chasing them earlier."
"Hmm."
Focusing his mana into his eyes, Leo stared toward the mountains and muttered.
"We'll find out soon enough."
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