[You have annihilated a fourth of the enemy army with a limited number of troops, while simultaneously commanding the Giants, who had no love for outsiders. By understanding the enemy and effectively using the environment, you were able to achieve the best possible outcome. You have earned the right to be called the Ruler of the Battlefield.]

[You have acquired the title 'Commander of Terror'. All forces under your command are buffed by 10%! Whenever you achieve an exceptional result in battle, this title will evolve.]

[All stats have increased by 10 as a result of the title. High Rank Command is now Lv2. All stats have increased by 5.]

Lee Shin-Woo’s flawless victory had earned him a title. In the evening, he used the bones his troops brought back to reinforce them. Since most of the bones belonged to normal soldiers, his troops didn't grow much, but low-level bones were best for healing injuries.

[Paul Zero made me a level 5!]

And those who came back with level 5, level 6, or elite bones became noticeably stronger. He had also collected all the bones of the foes the Giants had slain—The Giants knew not the value of either bones or Perium—and reinforced the Pauls with them, which resulted in far greater growth than he had expected.

[Ooh, Paul Zero is pushing our limitations...!]

"This is the result of all your hard work. Don't think about your limitations from now on. You can always keep growing."

[Paul Zero!]

[Paul Zero! Paul Zero!]

"They're fanatics...! They really are fanatical...!"

"It's nothing new."

Lee Shin-Woo planned on using all but a few of the bones on his subordinates. The fact that some of the Pauls had reached level 5 as a result assured him that he'd made the right choice. And...

[We'll try even harder. You won't regret giving us this chance.]

"Of course I won't. I trust in your potential."

Shino Rendu's role in the battle had been considerable. If he kept this up, he might even get to level 7. Contrary to when he was a hero, as an Undead Avenger, Shino Rendu had gone through hell and highwater to hunt and absorb bones as an Undead Avenger, which allowed him to grow incredibly quickly.

"Good. Everyone, good work. Rest until I give you your new orders. Ah, leave the Perium you’ve collected over here."

[Understood!]

[For Commander Paul Zero!]

"...There's a hill of karma gathering next to you, Paul Zero."

In exchange for reinforcing his troops with all the bones, Lee Shin-Woo took all the Perium. As they'd crushed 13,000 enemy troops, he gained a whooping 170 million Perium. Level 7 medicine apparently cost 1 million Perium, however, and he had gathered the equivalent of karma that would increase his stats by only a total of 170.

"That’s all for crushing a quarter of the great army. Now I'm starting to understand how hard our seniors have to work to raise their stats."

"Man, these guys are really stingy compared to dungeon monsters."

"They are, aren't they? If you want to level up this way, even destroying an entire army serving one of the twelve generals wouldn't be enough."

"You're saying something weird again. One should raise their stats by training their skills, not using medicine. The medicine is just a bonus!"

Lee Shin-Woo was a little concerned. While he had always taken Perium from his subordinates, he'd taken the Perium the Giants had collected this time as well.

Yes. He had saved the Giants’ lives and strengthened them by leading them in the battle. It shouldn’t be a problem to get bones and Perium from them in return. However, one of the Giants had killed a level 6 elite, and it just gave the level 4 artifact it acquired away, no question asked!

"Is this what it means to command a corps? I took all this stuff from them, but it's allowed since I'm their commander? This is the best!"

"Ah, Paul Zero's on a path of no return..."

For now, Lee Shin-Woo just collected all the Perium. Since he hadn't bought any bones from the Secret Shop lately, he'd been accumulating a great amount Perium. With this new addition, his total savings was close to 400 million, but increasingly, he had been feeling that he should save his permits and Perium.

"Ah, now that I think about it, I haven’t sold my wine yet."

"How's the wine making going lately?"

"I expanded the storehouse, and the Golems are continuously creating and maturing the wine."

"...I feel a bit sorry for the Dryads."

Once Lee Shin-Woo finished checking on his forces again, he created a few guerilla units consisting of elites even though all his troops looked battle ready. The guerilla units would be responsible for sowing chaos amongst the enemy troops so that they wouldn't find the Giants' domain.

[You need only to give us the order.]

"Alright."

Lee Shin-Woo assigned Bisher Moon, the level 7 Wolf Avenger, as the leader of the guerilla units, as he was proficient in magic and could see from great distances. Also, those assigned to him all had Ice Resistance as well as acid and poison abilities, which were the most effective means of killing a large number with only a handful of soldiers.

"I'll send a squad to collect the loot later on, so focus on stirring up chaos. They have this strange instinct to gather around their Corps Commander. Try your best to stop them. If you think you can't do it, retreat immediately."

[Understood!]

Lee Shin-Woo then created a recon squad composed of individuals who could move quickly. This mountain range was much too vast, and the natural environment much too perilous for him to rely solely on Rem's vision. Because the cold winds were so intense, he never knew when the landscapes would change.

With the knowledge in mind, it was paramount for him to create a recon unit if he was to formulate a proper strategy for the following day.

"Kratia, I'm counting on you to keep watch."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Giants. I'll go check how they're doing and then come back. They're probably still excited since it's been such a long time since they last fought."

"Ah."

Even if Kratia had the ability to command several troops, she was sure that she wouldn't be able to do what Lee Shin-Woo was doing. Checking on the Giants, inspiring his troops, keeping watch, sowing chaos amongst the enemy troops, and being prepared for what the enemy threw at them next; he was juggling more than a couple responsibilities at the same time.

She became curious as to where Lee Shin-Woo had come from and what he did; he seemed to have taken to the role of a commander so naturally. There was so much she wanted to ask him, but ultimately, Kratia simply shrugged and accepted the task.

"Leave it to me. Even if Metafel himself comes, I'll be able to stall him for a little while."

"Good. I'm counting on you."

Lee Shin-Woo left his troops to Kratia and went over to the Giants' domain. As expected, the Giants looked ready to leave their territory whenever.

[There are still...enemies...in this mountain range.]

[I can't forget the pleasure of breaking their skulls and stomping on their legs. I can still crush so many more enemies!]

[I'm still...in good condition! Why am I still here...?]

[Paul Zero. Paul Zero is here!]

While they were busy stoking each other’s ire, Lee Shin-Woo arrived. The hundreds of Giants simultaneously rushed over to Lee Shin-Woo and shouted.

[You said you'd help us in our fight... Not that you'd...get in our way!]

[I'm going...! I respect you, so I waited patiently, but...I cannot wait any longer!]

[Kuhaaaaaaaaaaah! The Titan is watching over us. We are still as invincible as ever, and we'll always be invincible!]

"All of you, calm down."

[Ugh...!]

Lee Shin-Woo saw an immediate difference now that his High Rank Command was level 2, which seemed to have made him even more imposing than yesterday. The Giants grew quiet. He used that opportunity to draw his sword.

"Look."

[What are you trying to show us with your sword... Huh?]

Ignoring the flinching Giants, he quickly drew a map on the icy ground. It detailed the location of the enemy troops and their number based on Rem's latest intels.

"Our fight today was close to perfect. But it won't always be this easy. Do you see? They're concentrating their forces around the Corps Commander. We succeeded because we’ve divided and conquered them, but if we hadn't, we would've lost a lot of comrades."

[If that's the case, shouldn't we be attacking!? By killing more, we prevent them from regrouping!]

"We came out victorious because we fought until we couldn't anymore. If we got too greedy, you would've been hurt."

He was now certain that Metafel had a skill that caused his troops to gather around him, or an artifact with a similar effect!

Despite Kratia using large-scale magic to collapse a mountain, Metafel's troops began to gravitate toward him rather than wandering away and getting lost. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the ability as supernatural. The Archmage clearly hadn't sent Metafel's corps here for no reason.

Even if something goes wrong with the artifact, he trusted that Metafel's ability would take care of the rest. It's frustrating, but he made a fine choice. As expected of one of the twelve generals...

[If that's the case...]

"Huh?"

Lee Shin-Woo looked up after he finished with his musings. One of the level 7 Giants had followed his orders and grown considerably unlike its empty-headed comrades, and it looked at him seriously despite its eyes being rotten.

[That means we have to figure out our next move. Isn't that why you came? To tell us that? Humans are weak, but I'm well aware of how strong they are when they gather. You're telling us not to charge into battle head-on.]

"Exactly. I've come to tell you my strategy."

Lee Shin-Woo was deeply moved. It became so much easier to explain his strategy since there was someone who actually understood what he was talking about. Once the level 7 Giant spoke, the hostile level 5 and level 6 Giants quieted down.

"As I’ve mentioned, we were only able to put up such a good fight because we stopped the enemies from grouping up and only fought troops that were stranded from the main force. So what do we do, now that they're gathering into one main force again?"

Lee Shin-Woo drew a line through the 37,000 undead on his rough map, cutting the tail end of the group.

Then he drew another line, and then another one after that. He drew dozens of lines until there was only one small group of enemies remaining.

"It's fundamentally the same. We divide and conquer. Thus far, we've been doing our utmost to keep them from grouping up, but from now on, we'll cut down that main force and lessen its size."

[How?]

"With mother nature."

The strategy wouldn’t work on a flatland. Neither would it work if he weren’t fighting alongside Giants. Here in this glacial mountain range, the 'Titans' were capable of manipulating mother nature with ease.

"If we don't have a wall, we'll break a hill and make one. If the ground they're walking on is stable, we’ll make it unstable. Become nature's fury and cajole your enemies. Once they fall into chaos, we'll cut them down bit by bit. It's time to show them how impressive you really are."

[How impressive we really are...]

[Nature's fury...]

The Giants seemed to be listening and pulled their rotten lips into a faint smile. Lee Shin-Woo's jawbone rattled, pleased; he had succeeded in convincing them to set up traps.

[I feel like you're worthy now.]

One of the level 7 Giants spoke up abruptly.

[I suppose it's alright to show you the Titan's Heart, as you're a human who understands a Giant's strength and is acknowledged by the Giants.]

"Oh...!?"

And now, he got an unexpected chance to advance his goals.