The Overgeared Empire had always been rich, so rich that it was hard to find a poor person in the empire. This was because the first thing Lauel had done after politically subjugating the Saharan Empire was to secure distribution channels by clearing roads and expanding warehouses.

This way, the large quantities of food harvested by Piaro and the farmers were quickly transported to various parts of the country without wasting anything. This resulted in a thorough reduction in food prices.

The empire had made it too easy for the people of this era to live comfortable lives. Their only goal had been not to starve. This had been done through the joint efforts of Lauel, who had modern knowledge, and Piaro, the God of Farming. Thanks to their efforts, the population of the empire had grown rapidly.

However, this had many side effects. People started avoiding hard work. Those who could eat their fill with minimal labor didn’t feel the need to work hard. The population was increasing, but the labor force was decreasing.

In other words, the burden on the empire had increased. This was a very serious situation, especially considering that the level of education in the Overgeared Empire was very high. Education was free and academies had been established in every region. People had been honing their skills smoothly, but they were standing locked in a corner of their houses, playing around and sleeping.

Peak Sword frowned and clicked his tongue before focusing on a section of the papers. “In any case, young people these days have bulging full stomachs. This is a problem... Huh? The application rate for enlistment has actually increased? Forget what I just said. There are so many great young people in the empire! They are genuine patriots who avoid trivial things and are full of devotion to serve their nation!”

“Nothing in the world is trivial,” Rabbit replied coldly. “Hey, can’t you check the statistics properly? Don’t just skim through the papers.”

Surprised, Peak Sword reviewed the papers once again. The sharp increase in the enlistment application rates had occurred in the last month. Prior to that, there had actually been a decline compared to the previous year.

“...This happened right after the public realized that eradicating the cultivators was certain.”

“On top of that, it happened after His Excellency the prime minister announced that new soldiers won’t be sent to war against the cultivators.”

“That’s because new recruits wouldn’t have been effective against the cultivators... Wait, then what is this? Are you saying that these people volunteered in the army to only suck up the benefits?”

“They probably thought the war would be over once the cultivators disappeared. Who would oppose the Overgeared Empire, which has become even stronger than before?”

Peak Sword wailed. “After teaching them so much, they are only good at being lazy. In any case, young people these days don’t have any conviction. Absolutely no conviction. They are just trying to earn money. So we have to be careful when increasing the people’s welfare, don’t we?”

Taking South Korean society as an example, Peak Sword argued that people should be pressured by adopting a more resolute and harsh policy.

Pon clicked his tongue. “Are you sure you’re not from North Korea?”

“...What? North Korea? You bastard…!”

Peak Sword was the president of the Korean Patriotic Association. He hated the Kim family in the north more than anyone else. It was hard for him to dismiss Pon’s words as a joke. His face turned so red, he was about to raise his voice.

Lauel interrupted him. “I don’t like saying this, but I agree with Peak Sword. It’s true that I gave too many benefits because I was focused on raising the standard of living and the education of the people. This is clearly my fault. I will swing a scalpel and operate on the comfort of the people, making their lives more difficult so that they can regain the passion they have lost.”

“Uhm... I know what you mean, but is this the right thing to do? Does it make sense to deliberately ruin the lives of our people?”

“I never said this would be devastating for them. I am saying that I will give them appropriate ordeals so that it will be hard for them to live without working.”

“Isn’t that the same thing...?”

There were many Overgeared members who protested to Lauel’s extreme and unconventional strategy. Lauel covered half his face with the arm tattooed with the black flame dragon and sneered.

“Is there a way to save the people other than the method I suggested? How are you going to drive them to work while maintaining the current state of welfare? If you can do it in any other way then go ahead. I think it’s impossible for all of you to pull this off since you don’t know anything about politics.”

“......”

The veins on the temples of the Overgeared members bulged. They were veterans who had navigated this ruthless and competitive world, so they sensed that Lauel was taunting them. This was an obvious challenge. Unlike the usual confrontation between everyone’s armed forces and resourcefulness, this was a confrontation meant to determine who was better at politics.

Naturally, the number one politician was Lauel. The Overgeared members knew this better than anyone else. But now the conditions were different. Lauel was in charge of over half the empire while the rest of the Overgeared members were in charge of only one or two territories.

The size of their territories easily exceeded the size of an ordinary kingdom, but... In any case, their territories were way smaller compared to Lauel’s. Lauel didn’t just manage his own territory. He also managed the territory under the imperial jurisdiction—Grid’s.

The first one to accept Lauel’s challenge was Vantner. “Okay... I will try to motivate people using a different method than you. I’ll also do it faster than you. My lion heart was honed in the war! I shall make the people in my territory feel rejuvenated! I will restore the labor force of my territory and rebuild its finances!!”

“Rejuvenated...?”

The Overgeared members couldn’t help whispering at Vantner’s declaration. They realized how Vantner had been destroying his territory’s economy so far.

Lauel sipped from his teacup leisurely and snorted. “Your spirit is admirable. Having confidence isn’t bad in politics but... Try harder.”

“Bah! I will flatten that arrogant nose of yours! Bahahaha!”

Rankers were competitive. They had been born this way. Rankers had beaten over two billion competitors and rose to the top of the rankings. Naturally, the Overgeared members, who were classified as high rankers, were even more aggressive than the rest. They fell for Lauel’s taunting even though they knew better. Unless something important was at stake, like the safety of their colleagues or the fate of the nation, their pride was the most important thing to them. They didn’t fall for Lauel’s tricks because they were stupid.

‘There is a good chance of winning. Thanks to the academy’s compulsory education, the intellectual level of the population has increased to an incomparable level to how it used to be a few years ago. The people’s level of education in the cities is incredibly high. There will be many people who will oppose Lauel’s coercive policy rather than respond to it. However, the people in my territory will listen to me if I persuade them sincerely. I treat them like family.’

High rankers predicted their chances of winning in any adverse situation. They based these predictions on their experience, information, and skills.

They thought, ‘There is a chance of winning as long as my opponent isn’t Grid.’

That was why they had fought against Absolutes such as dragons, gods, and cultivators.

Surprisingly, Kraugel spoke. “I also accept the challenge.”

“Me too,” Yura interjected.

The two of them were smiling despite their cold personalities.

Lauel couldn’t help gulping from nervousness. “The two of you... will be tough enemies.”

Kraugel had set up a sword tower in his territory. His people revered him as more than a lord. He was the Sword Saint. Anyone who walked the path of the sword inevitably admired him. This meant he could unite people better than anyone else.

Meanwhile, Yura’s territory was in hell. The inhabitants of hell were different from those on the surface. There was still a tendency to follow the logic of the law of the jungle in hell, so they obeyed the orders of their superiors no matter what. They weren’t very educated, so it was easy to manipulate them.

Even Rabbit was nervous. He whispered to Lauel, “...Can you beat them?”

Lauel replied in an equally low voice. “Does it matter if I lose?”

“...Well...”

Rabbit was at a loss for a moment. He couldn’t argue with Lauel. The real reason for this challenge was to revive the competitiveness of the territories and rebuild the finances of the empire. Regardless of who won, Rabbit would just be grateful if any of the Overgeared members were successful in any way. Lauel didn’t need to win. There weren’t even prizes at stake.

“Hey, Lauel! I’ll be the victor! I’ll boost the economy of my territory using a better method than yours!”

“Me too!”

“Me as well!”

“......”

However, the other members of the Overgeared Guild seemed to have forgotten their original purpose. All of them were excited as they left except for Euphemina and a few others. Rabbit was silent and bewildered.

Lauel began laughing eerily.

“The future of the empire is bright because the high-ranking nobles are so dedicated to the nation. Isn’t that right?”

“Ah, yes... That’s right...”

Today, Rabbit learned a lesson from Lauel today. He was truly impressed.

Euphemina shook her head. “Is it appropriate to use Kraugel and Yura to trick everyone else?”

“Hahaha.”

Starting that day, financial reconstruction plans were implemented in various parts of the empire, which had been devastated by the weakening competitiveness of its people and a series of wars. No one cared that Grid hadn’t returned from Asgard. Everyone was focused solely on their own work.

The role of the Overgeared Guild changed depending on the situation. It was the strongest collective in the whole world.

***

Grid’s clone joined him in Asgard. Together with Hexetia, the God of Blacksmithing, and Khan, he carefully crafted a new set of armor.

"How reassuring.”

Grid’s expression brightened as he grasped what everyone was doing on the surface based on what the clone told him. There wasn’t a single cultivator left on the surface and his wives were safe and sound. His colleagues had also returned to their respective territories and were committed to managing internal affairs.

Thanks to the thorough performance of the Overgeared members, Grid was able to focus on the future without worrying.

“Do you like the new armor?” the clone asked cautiously.

“Yes,” Grid replied without hesitation. He happened to be checking the information of the boots. “Asura will no longer be able to strike my Achilles tendon.”

The new set of equipment created by the clone focused on injury immunity. He determined that Grid’s defense and sustainability were sufficient on their own without acquiring any further improvements.

Grid was able to adjust his Stamina stat freely by using the stats redistribution function. Of course, there were a number of injury-suppressing effects on his original armor set, but they weren’t perfect. Why? Because the opponents Grid had fought one after another wielded the power of light and also copied the Annihilation energy. Armor was useless in the face of an all-destroying force.

However, the newly created equipment was designed to be used by infusing Grid’s Annihilation energy. It referenced Yura’s magic engineering, which allowed her to observe the flow of the jade magic power with her own eyes. Grid’s equipment itself possessed Annihilation energy circuits.

Once Grid injected Annihilation energy into these circuits, the target item itself would become infused with Annihilation energy. For example, the moment an enemy struck Grid’s ankle, Grid could inject Annihilation energy into his boots to cancel the impact. Even if Asura wielded the annihilation energy, the item would still destroy it.

‘Very efficient.’

Grid could use the Annihilation energy defensively by emitting it. However, he couldn’t use it in this way hastily because it consumed a large amount. But now things were different. The cost of injecting the Annihilation energy into these circuits was fixed at a small amount. He could now use Annihilation energy defensively as much as he wanted.

Raphael suddenly spoke nervously from the front of the group. “We will arrive soon.”

They were close to the center of Asgard where the temple of the gods were. This place should have fallen into Asura’s clutches by now.