The Overlord of Blood and Iron (WN)
chapter-8

While the 30,000 dimension travelers were scattered all over the world, spread out throughout Pangaea. 300 “special” dimension travelers of the Lord class opened their eyes in a different location. It was a large hall bigger than most gyms. And on the ceiling was a grand chandelier, which hung over shining floors. The wall was covered with life murals and crowned portraits of people all with dark, black hair.

“What, what is this?”

“Where is this?!”

“I was… at the Madison Square Garden!”

Those who had been appointed Lord unexpectedly were flustered, all talking in their respective languages.

“Where is this?! Was the dream true…! Allahu akbar!”

“Oh my God!”

There were also those who called out for their Gods (who probably appeared in their “calling”). As everyone called out in confusion, one man with crossed arms was slowly scanning his surroundings amidst the chaos.

It is the same. Nothing is different.

It was he, Kang Chul-In, the former Overlord.

I see a few familiar faces.

Kang Chul-In did not know all 300 Lords who had gathered in the hall, but he could recognize a few familiar faces. Amongst them was a couple that he had killed himself. But… someone called his name.

“Mr. Chul-In?”

When he turned his head, a pure looking Asian woman was looking at him with wide eyes. It was Lee Chae-Rin, the employee at M Entertainment.

God, I can’t believe that this woman was a Lord…

Kang Chul-In, who had recognized her, was astounded that this woman had also become a Lord. It was something he had not known in the past.

“You are Mr. Chul-In, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I was worried! What happened? No, more importantly, where is this? Do you know?”

Lee Chae-Rin didn’t seem like she was in her right mind.

That was understandable, because aside from Kang Chul-In who knew everything, this was a different world that was beyond one’s imagination.

“Just wait and see.”

Kang Chul-In did not pretend to not know.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“There he is. If you listen well to what he is saying, you’ll get the gist of it. Of course, it won’t seem real anyways.”

Kang Chul-In pointed at the platform that was in the middle of the hall.

Crack!

There were sparks from some current, and shortly after, a purple portal emerged.

[Welcome, Lords]

The being that had come through the portal was not human but had a human-like figure and was wrapped in golden light.

[I am Akan, the Representative of God, who oversees this world and will oversee you]

Akan’s voice vibrated and filled the room as if it was echoing.

“Oversee?”

“Representative of God?”

“What are you saying!?”

A few Lords scoffed at Akan’s words.

[Silence!]

Boom!

Akan’s voice roared as if thunder had hit.

Silence filled the hall immediately.

Only Kang Chul-In remained composed with his arms still crossed.

There is no point complaining to him.

Kang Chul-In knew well of Akan, the representative of God, as well as his role. Akan could be described in gaming terms as an admin or a Game Master of sorts and was an opponent who could not be touched by any means.

[I know that you are all confused and puzzled. However!]

Akan spoke with power.

[Your role right now is to listen and nothing more. Please listen carefully to what I am about to say]

It meant that he was going to have a one-sided communication, but there was no one who opposed him. There was an unimaginable sense of dominance in Akan’s words.

[You have been called by God as Lords, the most prestigious level that a dimension traveler can have]

Akan began his explanation.

[As a Lord, it means that you will be managing your respective territories. From this moment onward, you will expand your territories to control Pangaea and reign supreme]

At that, everyone began to listen carefully.

However, Kang Chul-In was different.

Rothschild, where is that damned bastard?

Kang Chul-In was half-heartedly listening to Akan’s words as his eyes moved from face to face, searching for a familiar one. Akan’s words were not new to Kang Chul-In and were rather boring.

It’s hard to find him.

He had looked carefully at the 300 faces, but he could not see Alex Rothschild. It seemed like he was farther away.

[From this moment on, all your actions and decisions will be recorded onto a system and will be analyzed for the rise and fall of Lord points. Please proceed with wisdom and caution]

Akan’s explanations continued for a while longer while Kang Chul-In focused on other things.

To summarize Akan’s explanations:

All Lords will manage territory respectively. The Lord’s actions will be recorded in points. There will be a yearly gathering of the Lords, and the 10 with the most points will be appointed to the position of “Overlord’’ and will have additional benefits and power. To gain more points… one way is to win and conquer in war against other Lords.

And…

[There will be some who have still not fully grasped what is going on. I understand. Earth is not a place where supernatural events occur. However…]

Akan spoke clearly so all 300 of them could understand.

[Pangaea is not a false reality. It is reality. Therefore, death in Pangaea…]

Gulp.

The sound of someone swallowing was heard in the hall.

[Has the same meaning as dying on Earth. Whether you die on Pangaea or on Earth, the fact that you died does not change. Please be mindful of this fact and do not waste your life in vain]

Horror overcame the faces of the Lords in hearing Akan’s words.

However, Akan quickly continued as if he couldn’t care less about their responses.

[More information will be given in detail later, so please learn slowly. Now… it is time to choose your territories.]

Then, hundreds of models appeared when Akan waved his hands in the air.

[The models that have appeared are smaller versions of territories that you will get to rule. Currently, there is ten thousand gold in your inventory. With that gold, you will need to choose and purchase the territories you wish. When you purchase your territories, you will be automatically transported to Pangaea. Well then, best of luck to all of you]

Akan, with those words, left in the portal in which he came. And the portal disappeared along with him, leaving the Lords in the large hall.

“What…what is this?”

“Darn! What a strange dream.”

“What kind of irresponsible bastard is that?!”

As soon as Akan left, the hall filled with complaints and protests from Lords who could not believe what was happening to them. It was like a flea market.

Every single thing is the same.

Kang Chul-In was reminded again that he had been reborn.

“Mr. Chul-In…”

At that moment, Lee Chae-Lin spoke to him.

“I don’t know what is happening. What am I supposed to do?”

Kang Chul-In thought for a moment and spoke.

“Like Akan said, you need to choose your territory.”

“I really don’t understand…”

“Even if you asked me, you will not get an answer.”

“Excuse me?”

“There is a saying that ‘seeing is believing.’ It will be faster for you to experience it for yourself.” Kang Chul-In treated Lee Chae-Lin coldly.

I could help her… but then I will be adding more unexpected variables. I will need to be careful with my words.

If he were to help Lee Chae-Rin choose her territory, it was more likely for her to choose a different one than what she would have chosen before. Then, it might change the determined future, so he decided to not say anything else. Of course, the future had begun to shift already, but if a big frame shifted, it would be bad. It would be right to not do anything different from before.

“First, let’s move separately. We can talk in detail when we return to earth.”

With those words, Kang Chul-In moved towards the models to choose his own territory.

“Mr. Chul-In…”

Lee Chae-Rin looked as if she was going to cry as she stared at the back of Kang Chul-In.

Kang Chul-In immediately went to select his territory.

I need a mobile fortress. It would be nice if it is an airborne city.

For Kang Chul-In who had to suffer because of Alex Rothschild’s mobile fortress, his preference for a mobile territory was understandable. Therefore, he would not choose Valhalla, his past headquarters. In the war between Lords, the “mobility of land” was not just a strategy but a tactical card and advantage. His teeth still clenched when he remembered how the entire Cyamodus invaded Valhalla where he met his end.

And that was not the end.

He had tried multiple times to take out Rothschild, but he had lost him multiple times because the mobile headquarters had escaped with great speed. If Kang Chul-In had a mobile fortress, he would have been able to kill Rothschild earlier, and he would not have fallen to the alliance of Baldur and Gulveig.

His pride would have been damaged, but at least he would have escaped.

If Rothschild had a tactical advantage only because of his mobility, he would teach Rothschild a lesson by choosing an airborne fortress.

Wait… this looks different.

Kang Chul-In, who was looking carefully at over 900 models, stopped at a territory that was atop a whale’s back. Information about the territory appeared after a few sparks appeared in the air.

[Uranus]

Type: Airborne city

Tendency: Conquest

Location: Southern Part, Alpheon province

Description: Land atop the back of a flying whale, Uranus.

Ability: Tactical weapon, Hydro Beam

Price: 8,000 Gold

Hydro Beam… Is that the energy cannon that charges quickly?

The territories that the Lords could buy had one or two special abilities and were limited to these, so he needed to decide carefully.

It was then.

Someone spoke to him as he was looking at the territories.

“Can you by any chance… tell me how you got the information to pop up?”

Kang Chul-In turned his head and looked at the person who had spoken to him. And that person was…