Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 779: Strategic Retreat

After two days of marching to the south, Alex and his army finally clashed with the Ant Army, which had also started to move northward.

The King led his warriors to battle, while paying close attention to the battlefield.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that Charles was nowhere in sight. The battlefield rang with explosions, shouts, screams, and screeches, as well as the occasional clash between weapons and mandibles.

Alex told his club members to conserve their strength and leave the fighting to the Elven Army.

Due to their superior numbers, Alex successfully stopped the advance of the Ant Army that numbered at least five thousand.

One by one, the giant ants fell beneath the disciplined advance of the elven soldiers.

The Royal Knights formed the spearhead of the army, their enchanted weapons slicing through the Ants’ bodies with deadly precision.

Behind them, rows of archers loosed volleys of arrows that darkened the sky before raining down upon the monsters at the rear.

Explosions boomed across the battlefield as the Elven Mages decimated everything that was within their strike range.

“Kill!” Alex shouted.

“””Kill!””

The army repeated as they clashed with the monsters for the umpteenth time. Despite the fact that they were at a complete advantage, Alex felt uneasy.

Sure, the Ant Army was difficult to deal with. But it wasn’t something they couldn’t handle with their numbers. Given enough time, the ant army would be wiped out without fail.

But the big question was… where was Charles?

Whenever Charles summoned his ant army back in the academy, he would not be far from them.

At most, he would be watching everything from a distance, observing the enemies and understanding their abilities.

‘If only my map were working,’ Alex sighed helplessly.

After becoming King Aetherion, he could no longer use his map to check his surroundings. Dim Dim, who was perched on top of his head like a crown, was busy throwing brittle vials left and right.

The little bun even had this cheerful look on its face as if it was having fun!

“Dim Dim, can you sense Charles nearby?” Alex asked.

“Dim!” Dim Dim shook its head.

It couldn’t sense Charles anywhere on the battlefield, which confirmed Alex’s suspicion.

‘Could this be a diversion?’ Alex couldn’t help but frown.

While he was pondering if this battle was simply a diversion or not, the Ant Army suddenly retreated!

They all flew away, leaving the corpses of their brethren behind.

“Your Majesty, the Ant Army is headed east!” the Commander reported. “Should we pursue?!”

Alex hesitated. If this was Charles’ strategy to take them on a wild goose chase, he had to admit it was effective.

“Your Majesty, there are some Elven Villages in that direction,” one of the Royal Guards, who lived in the east, reported in a solemn tone. “If we don’t stop the monster’s advance, I’m afraid they will not be able to defend themselves from this onslaught.”

Faced with a hard decision, Alex forcefully calmed his nerves. If he pursued and found out it was indeed a diversion, they would have wasted precious time.

However, if they didn’t send help, the Elven Villages would be destroyed, and hundreds would die.

“Commander, take half of our troops and pursue the enemy,” Alex ordered. “Vaan, Renard, the two of you follow the commander and check if Charles is in the east. If you find him, do not engage him. Come look for us. We will continue to head south!”

“Understood.” Vaan nodded.

“Okay,” Renard replied curtly.

As half of the army led by the Elven Commander headed east, Alex continued to travel south.

Two hours later, they saw something that made Alex and his men have grim expressions on their faces.

A giant ant nest, the size of a small mountain, appeared before their eyes.

Countless giant ants patrolled the ground and the air, making sure no trespassers would enter their territory.

But that wasn’t really the problem.

The real problem was Dim Dim’s discovery.

The little bun informed Alex that the Ant Nest extended deep underground, and thousands of Giant Ants were currently residing there.

Not only that, but Dim Dim said that it also felt Charles’ presence deep underground, but it was very faint.

‘This is bad,’ Alex thought. ‘We are completely outnumbered.’

Alex was leading five thousand soldiers after the army divided itself in half.

During the first clash, they were at an advantage.

But now, the enemy outnumbered them at least four to one.

Alex wasn’t reckless enough to order a frontal assault.

Even if they managed to destroy the ant nest, the price they would pay would be too great.

Worker ants continuously entered and exited the tunnels, carrying chunks of meat from monsters they had hunted.

Soldier ants patrolled the surroundings without rest, while several winged ants circled the skies like vigilant sentries.

It was a fortress.

A living fortress.

“Charles…” Alex muttered.

If his friend was indeed inside that nest, then charging in blindly would be the worst possible decision.

But what should he do?

Retreat?

No. He couldn’t retreat.

Time wasn’t on his side. The only way for them to have a chance of winning was to merge with the army that had chased the ants eastward.

“Your Majesty, what should we do?” the Vice Commander of the army asked in a tense voice.

“Send fast riders to our army in the east,” Alex ordered. “Tell them to regroup with us as soon as they finish dealing with the monsters that threaten the villages in the east. Last, but not least, we will pull back three miles away from here.

“I’m sure the Ant Army is already aware of our presence. But since they are not attacking, it means that they also didn’t want to antagonize us. We should also retreat for now. We will take action as soon as our reinforcements arrive.”

His order made the soldiers sigh in relief. Everyone retreated in an orderly fashion and set up a camp three miles away from the Ant Nest.

Dim Dim was the only one who had extra energy left, and the little bun happily hummed as it summoned bamboo steamers to feed everyone.

The soldiers only thought that the little bun was their King’s contracted spirit, and treated it with respect.

Dim Dim was happy. Not only did it feed many people, but they also liked its dim sum.

Only Nessia didn’t share Dim Dim’s liveliness.

She was very worried about Charles and hoped there was still a way for her lover to be freed from the influence of the Synchronization Rate and return to her embrace.

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A/N: It has been a while since I posted 2 chapters. Enjoy reading.