The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 120

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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A Mad Swordsman Returns – Chapter 120

I surveyed the newly emerged investment options before me.
They were investment items related to the Draken Tribe and Kaldrex.
Tribal attack power, defense, vitality, mobility, morale enhancement, automatic recovery, reduced mana consumption….
Considering how these would only multiply from here, the scale was truly staggering.
I sifted through the countless investment options and selected the most critical ones.

[· Slave Liberation – 3,000,000 (Original cost 6,000,000).]
[· Death’s Domain Restoration – 3,000,000 (Original cost 6,000,000).]
[· Great Hero, Kaldrex Recovery and Support – 1,000,000 (Original cost 2,000,000).]
[· Investment Promotion – 25,000 (Original cost 50,000).]

The moment I saw the number of coins required, I was left speechless.
And Kakasha was no different.

[U-ugh, grrrrgh…! No, this won’t do! It’s far too much, far too expensive…. M-my hands are trembling, they are!]
“I’m in the same boat. Were the Elfen Tribe investments this expensive too?”
[Most of those investment options were in the hundreds of thousands range. But since this is a completely fallen tribe, the circumstances are inevitably different….]

The Elfen Tribe had many investment options, but each cost was not expensive. According to Kakasha, none exceeded a million.
But here, not only did they exceed a million—there was an investment option that reached six million.
At this level of expenditure, even a Lord with a distinguished name would find it burdensome.

‘At least there’s the consolation that I can receive support.’

It appeared the divine side would provide half the coins.
I had wondered if they wouldn’t provide support because the costs were so exorbitant, but upon direct verification, I could see they had been reduced by half.

[S-support and whatnot! I don’t have the financial capacity to bear that, I don’t!]
“Opening the investment market to other Lords could be an option….”

I fell into thought.
Currently, the Draken Tribe and Kaldrex possessed nothing.
Meanwhile, the Elfen and Belakin were contending for hegemony with all their assets intact.
In such circumstances, would there be any Lords willing to show interest in this side?
Likely not many.

‘At the very least, I should establish the fundamentals before opening it to the public.’

The Elfen and Belakin realms were now gathering many Lords.
With wealthy Lords sweeping up investment opportunities, there would surely be many Lords left without places to invest their coins.
Was the Lord of Shadow not the same?
If an attractive market appeared before their eyes.
If investment opportunities materialized.

“We should definitely invest in this. Kakasha, how many coins do we have on hand?”
[W-well, you see. Originally, I had quite a stockpile of coins in my savings, but as you know, since we acquired the Difficult Realm….]
“I see we’ve spent quite a few coins. Is there a way to secure more?”
[Hmm, w-well… there isn’t no way, I suppose.]
“Why are you stammering?”

Kakasha groaned.
There was a method, but he clearly didn’t want to mention it.
Han Yu-sung waited in silence, and Kakasha finally spoke.

[We could take out a loan using collateral! If we pledge the Difficult Realm as security, we could receive a substantial sum of coins, but….]
“Then do it. Besides, there’s no other way anyway.”
[Are you certain? If we fail, the Difficult Realm….]

At those words, Han Yu-sung let out a dry laugh.
What was the point at this stage?
I had already crossed a point of no return.

“If I succeed, I gain everything. If I fail, I die. It’s too late to back out now. Besides, when have I ever failed?”
[Truly, your confidence is astounding…!]

Kakasha clicked his tongue.
But his words were true. Han Yu-sung had never failed thus far.
Surely, this time would be no different.
The Lord had decided to trust in the words of his sworn companion.

[Debtor! Are you listening! The Lord of War summons you!]

Kakasha shouted into the void.
Then, moments later.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve heard that name… how amusing.”

Space tore open, and a woman’s upper body emerged from the rift.
Hair the color of molten lava, skin burning red.
Even horns sprouted from her head.
In every way, she embodied the form of a “demon.”

“My, it’s been quite some time, Lord of War. I’ve been hearing troubling news of late, yet to see you unscathed….”
[Bah! Spare me the pleasantries, debt collector! Get to the point.]
“Hehe, you’re as direct as ever. I’ve told you countless times—my name is Hirdelheiss, not ‘debt collector.'”

Hirdelheiss—the debt collector—smiled sweetly as she spoke.
Her smile was pleasant enough, but her words carried a subtle edge.

“Then, my lord. The reason you summoned me is…?”
[I wish to take out a loan. A substantial one.]
“As you surely know, we require collateral.”
[I am aware. Which is why I have prepared collateral.]

The most valuable thing Kakasha currently possessed.
Something worthy of offering as collateral without hesitation!

[I will pledge the Difficult Realm—the Hall of Trials—as collateral.]
“My, the Difficult Realm….”

Hirdelheiss’s eyes widened in surprise.
The news of the Lord of War’s devastating defeat at the hands of the Lord of Justice, and her subsequent catastrophic fall, had spread across the entire cosmos.
So she had been curious what collateral would be offered.
Never did she expect the Difficult Realm itself.

“You still possess a Difficult Realm? My goodness, and furthermore…. This is quite a fine one. At this valuation, the converted worth would be… hmm.”

It was no low-tier Difficult Realm either.
Even Hirdelheiss, who had witnessed countless Difficult Realms, found herself impressed.
It was remarkable that a fallen lord still possessed such a treasure.
But admiration could wait—her mind raced swiftly through calculations. The value of this Difficult Realm, the coinage she could lend against it.

“I believe I can lend you up to 5 million coins.”
[It falls short of what we desire. However, if we squeeze out the remaining coins, we should be able to gather the necessary amount. What say you, my friend?]
“Hmm….”

I had coins of my own, and Kakasha’s piggy bank still held a modest sum. If I spent everything, I could scrape together 6 million.
But that wouldn’t be enough.
Considering what lay ahead, I needed far more coins.

“What if I put this spear up as collateral?”
“My goodness….”

I presented the Thunder God’s Spear as I spoke.
Hirdelheiss gasped, covering her mouth with her hand upon seeing it.
Even by her standards, it was an extraordinarily magnificent sacred artifact.
The fact that a fallen Lord—and a sworn servant at that—possessed such a sacred artifact was equally remarkable.

“It’s a sacred artifact with tremendous potential. It seems it was once far superior…. Regrettably, at its current level, I believe I can lend you up to 3 million coins. How does that sound?”
[A total of 8 million coins, then. I leave the choice to you.]
“My…?”

Hirdelheiss’s eyes widened upon hearing Kakasha’s words.
It was the most dramatic reaction she had shown thus far.

‘A Star Lord is entrusting the choice to his sworn servant?’

Hirdelheiss had encountered countless Star Lords.
As such, she understood better than anyone how fiercely prideful these beings were.
Sometimes that pride felt like arrogance itself.
Lords bearing epithets were even more so.
For such a Lord to defer the choice to his sworn servant….

‘How intriguing. This is the first time I’ve witnessed such a thing….’

Hirdelheiss studied the human before her—Han Yu-sung—with keen interest.
After a moment of contemplation.

“Very well. I’ll lend you up to 10 million coins. As a gesture of goodwill toward a returning customer and a new one alike—how is that?”
“I’m not sure that qualifies as goodwill.”
“Hehe. The 2 million coins I’m lending as a gesture of goodwill come without interest, so wouldn’t you say that counts as goodwill?”

Without interest, this could certainly be called a favor.
A total of 10 million coins.
At this scale, I could overturn the entire game.
Han Yu-sung nodded.

“Fine, let’s do it that way.”
“Then, if you would sign this contract directly, my lord… Yes, that’s perfect. The collateral will be automatically seized if the contract is breached.”

Hirdelheiss offered a refreshing smile.

“I do hope neither of you will need to forfeit your collateral. Wishing you both great success in this trial, I shall take my leave.”

With those words, the upper body that had protruded from empty space vanished.
Immediately, a message appeared confirming that 10 million coins had arrived.

[So, your hands are trembling. A loan of this magnitude in such circumstances…! Kaldrex, that fool is sleeping without knowing anything about us!]
“Leave him be. He’ll have to work himself to death later anyway.”

Now that I thought about it, Kaldrex had been quiet for a while—he was sitting in a corner of the Underground Chamber, sleeping soundly. Or perhaps unconscious.
That was far better than having him pestering me from beside me.
I reviewed the three investment options.

[· Slave Liberation – 3,000,000 (Original Cost: 6,000,000)]
[All members of the Draken Tribe will reclaim their original forms. In this case, the existing ‘Regeneration Benefit’ will be removed.]
[Some time will be required until the slaves are liberated, after which they will reclaim their original forms.]

[· Death’s Domain Restoration – 3,000,000 (Original Cost: 6,000,000)]
[Restores Death’s Domain, corrupted by the Greedy Researcher’s hand, to its original state as the capital of the Draken Tribe.]
[Some of the destroyed facilities will also be repaired, and their effects will activate.]

[· Investment Promotion – 25,000 (Original Cost: 50,000)]
[Send a message promoting your investment to the Lords.]
[If you designate a specific Lord, the required coins will increase.]

I had prepared all the necessary capital.
I had also laid the groundwork to attract the Lords.
All that remained was to bring the Lords into the fold.

“Kakasha. Can you identify which Lords are participating in the trial? Check if the Lord of Pleasure and the Lord of Training are among them.”
[Hmm… Oh, they’re here. They’re in the opposing faction!]
“Good.”

I had already given the Lord of Shadow advance notice.
The Lord of Pleasure was obsessed with dopamine, so if I made the proposal, there was a high probability he’d rush in eagerly.
The Lord of Training was ambiguous.
Still, having just two Lords with titles was enough to make this worthwhile.
I selected all three investment options.

[Consuming 3,000,000 coins to liberate slaves!]
[Consuming 3,000,000 coins to restore Death’s Domain!]
[Consuming 25,000 coins to promote investment! Designating a Lord adds 5,000 coins! What message would you like to send?]

A window appeared before my eyes where I could write text.
I smiled and began to write.

“It’s time to overturn the board.”

The time had come.
To overturn the board that only the Elfen Tribe and Belakin Tribe had dominated.
With a race whose name no one had anticipated—the Draken.

* * *

The Lord of Pleasure watched the Battlefield with weary eyes.
I could see the Elfen Tribe and Belakin Tribe locked in fierce combat. And there, the sworn followers of the Lord of Pleasure were also fighting.
But it was too predictable. Nothing stirred my interest.

[I heard he was definitely participating in this trial.]
[Han Yu-sung, where are you…?]

The Lord of Pleasure grumbled and searched for Han Yu-sung.
It was already unfortunate that he was in the opposing faction, and now he wasn’t even visible.
If he were here, he would surely show me something entertaining.

[Sigh, so predictable… Just another mundane trial.]

There is nothing quite as tedious as a trial one can predict.
The Lord of Pleasure had completely lost interest and was about to turn his gaze away from the Battlefield.
Had it not been for the message that appeared at that moment, he would have done so.

[A message promoting an investment has arrived!]
[Would you like to check it?]

[Promoting? But there’s nothing left to invest in—what could they possibly be promoting?]

The Lord of Pleasure was bewildered upon seeing the message.
The Belakin Tribe’s investment had already concluded. Unless the next stage opened, no new investment opportunities would appear.
So what did this investment promotion mean?
Curious, he opened the message.

[Huh…?]

Upon reading the contents, the Lord found himself wearing a dazed expression without realizing it.
He had no choice.

[Lord of Pleasure. Don’t you wish to experience pleasures no one could have anticipated?]
[Sent by: Han Yu-sung.]

The message came from the player the Lord of Pleasure had awaited more than anyone else.
And the moment he read it, dopamine surged through his veins.

[You can now invest in a new race, the Draken Tribe! If you invest in this race, your affiliated tribe will change!]
[Will you accept this investment promotion?]

[Heh, hehehehe…. Ahahahahaha!]

Unable to contain his delight, the Lord of Pleasure burst into mad laughter.

[Just like last time, you’ve struck right at my weakness again!]
[Excellent! This is what I needed! Now I’m truly intrigued!]

Was it wise to change one’s tribal affiliation in such circumstances?
I didn’t know. No—I wasn’t even interested in the first place!
Had I been a Lord who concerned myself with such trivialities, I would never have earned the epithet “Pleasure.”
What mattered to me was the joy of the moment.
And so.

[Investment promotion accepted!]
[Lord of Pleasure’s tribal affiliation has been changed to Draken!]

The Lord of Pleasure readily accepted Han Yu-sung’s invitation.
And that was the beginning.
The catalyst for the Lords to join the Draken Tribe in succession.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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