Chapter 62: The Countdown Has Begun!
It appeared his inventory couldn't accommodate something of this size, so two catapults materialized on the ground before him in all their imposing grandeur.
Kaiden looked at these two massive machines that blended the romance of the medieval era from his previous world with the magic of Aurandra in perfect harmony — and his eyes quickly filled with admiration. Like any man, he had a deep love for these formidable machines with their savage character.
He stepped forward, ran his hand along the thick beam of the nearest catapult's arm, and studied it with a careful eye.
The catapult was roughly the size of a standard workshop, constructed mostly of wood, while the parts most susceptible to breaking — such as the hollow projectile cradle and the large spring mechanism — were made of iron.
Even the long arm, though fashioned from wood, was clad on the outside in iron plating. The frame rested on a four-wheeled base, reinforced with solid iron to bear that enormous weight.
The longer he looked at it, the more the excitement burning inside him intensified. He had received many remarkable things since arriving in this world, but none of them had carried that overwhelming presence and staggering visual impact that the catapult possessed.
Especially since Aws's construction of a single catapult had resulted in two additional ones appearing all at once — saving him precious time he had been in dire need of, as well as a significant quantity of resources, since a single catapult consumed a tremendous amount of iron. He could only feel satisfied with this quest.
While admiring both catapults, he was also thinking about his next step. It didn't take long before he had made his decision. He turned toward Casper.
"Casper, follow me."
"Ah… yes, my lord!"
Upon hearing the Lord's voice, Casper snapped out of his astonishment quickly. Kaiden hadn't been the only one stunned by the sudden appearance of these two enormous machines.
"…And Josh, you as well."
Kaiden's eyes landed on Josh's bronzed muscles, and he pointed for him to follow along. After giving the villager left on guard duty a few instructions, the three of them set off.
Yes — Kaiden had decided to leave the catapults in their current location. Testing one catapult was no different from testing all three, and he saw no reason to create unnecessary commotion.
He also felt no concern about leaving them outdoors. They were still within the protective barrier's coverage, and there weren't even children in the territory who might tamper with them and cause trouble.
Driven by enthusiasm, their steps quickened, and before long they arrived before the Siege Weapon Maker's Workshop — where they found Aws just outside.
"My lord! What a coincidence! I was just on my way to inform you that the first catapult was finished — and here you are."
The moment he saw the Lord, Aws greeted him with obvious enthusiasm.
"Outstanding work, Aws. I'll reward you soon."
Kaiden patted him genuinely on the shoulder. The dark circles under his eyes and his thick, disheveled beard were the clearest testament to the enormous effort he had poured in over the past two days.
Upon hearing the Lord's words, Aws's eyes lit up — then dimmed slightly as he asked with hesitation:
"My lord… um… I was wondering whether there might be any tobacco? But if not, it's fine."
Kaiden laughed the moment he heard the request. As luck would have it, one of the workshops he had just built was a tobacco production workshop.
"Hahaha~ Don't worry, I'll set aside a full box of tobacco just for you."
As for tobacco being harmful to health — that was the last thing anyone in this world was concerned about.
The moment he heard the Lord's promise, Aws's eyes blazed with intense enthusiasm. Crafting complex machinery like catapults demanded extreme precision, and even the smallest error could significantly degrade performance — which placed enormous psychological pressure on him. So tobacco genuinely helped him ease his tension.
After that, everyone entered the Siege Weapon Maker's Workshop, where the massive catapult occupied its center, while Aws's assistants were still gathering tools scattered to the sides.
Kaiden wasn't surprised to see the catapult — he had already seen the other two. So the moment he entered, he announced:
"Now, let's pull this beast to the testing ground!"
The catapult received exceptional treatment — the Nascent Champions pushed it themselves. That had been Kaiden's idea when he caught sight of Josh's sculpted muscles, and it was also a practical necessity, as a weight this enormous could only be moved by someone possessing great physical strength, like the Nascent Champions.
Along the way, Aws enthusiastically explained the catapult's various operating mechanisms while Kaiden listened with keen interest, not hesitating to ask questions from time to time.
There were wide, open spaces near the Siege Weapon Maker's Workshop, so it didn't take long before they reached a suitable location.
After the Lord's Crown upgrade, the territory had grown considerably wider — so Kaiden no longer worried about projectiles flying out beyond the borders and revealing one of his cards ahead of time.
Once the catapult had been aimed toward a safe direction and a large rock placed inside the cradle, Kaiden called out in a loud voice:
"Fire!"
Aws's assistants were present specifically for this test. Since there was no specific target, the moment the Lord's order reached them, they pulled the trigger.
The long arm moved with a powerful creaking sound. It wasn't terribly fast — but it carried behind it enormous raw force.
FWSHHHH!!
The rock launched at a terrifying speed, tearing through the air with a sharp sound, soaring high into the sky. Everyone tilted their heads back to watch it cut its way across the sky.
The rock traced a wide arc spanning hundreds of meters before slamming into the ground with brutal force.
BOOM!
After impact, it continued rolling for a long distance, shattering everything in its path, until it finally came to a stop after exhausting its momentum.
"Magnificent!"
Kaiden exclaimed, clapping warmly — and everyone quickly joined in. The scene, both visually and destructively, was enough to impress anyone.
But not everyone was enjoying the spectacle at that moment.
Aws's assistants were working hard to crank the gear and return the long arm to its position, while Aws stood staring at the point where the projectile had landed. With a professional's practiced eye, he held an accurate sense of distances.
He turned to Kaiden and said:
"My lord, the projectile traveled an estimated distance of 455 meters."
"A good distance. Well done, all of you."
Aws had told him earlier that the catapult's theoretical maximum range was approximately five hundred meters — so the result was no surprise.
Reloading took roughly five to six minutes — a duration that remained within acceptable parameters.
Under Aws's personal supervision, the catapult was tilted to a higher angle this time.
Kaiden gave the signal, and the rock launched again, tracing an arc slightly longer than the previous one.
"510 meters!"
Aws shouted with visible enthusiasm.
With only the second attempt, the catapult had surpassed the target mark — though it was also very close to the maximum range it could achieve. Raising the angle further would start reducing the distance the projectile traveled.
The test wasn't over yet.
But at that moment, without any warning, an ominous feeling unlike anything he had experienced before swept through Kaiden.
His chest tightened suddenly, and he placed his hand over his heart — to find it beating at an abnormal pace.
And before he could even begin to wonder what was happening…
A long, terrifying alarm siren rang out across the entire territory.
WOOOOOIYYYYYOOOOOO!!
"What the hell is going on?!"
Kaiden cursed loudly.
And in the next instant, a massive semi-transparent screen appeared on the protective barrier, with enormous writing across it:
"Time remaining until the end of the Protective Barrier"
And beneath it, a counter appeared:
30:00 hours
Then, before everyone's eyes, it changed to:
29:59 hours
It was a countdown.
And at the same moment, a red system alert appeared before Kaiden.
[System Alert: Dear Lords, little time remains until the end of Beginner Protection. Please prepare!]
And this was not exclusive to Kaiden alone.
At that very same moment, alarm sirens rang out, the massive countdown screen appeared, and the system alert materialized before all Lords of every race across the entire world of Aurandra.
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— End of Chapter Sixty-Two —