◈ Chapter 124. Dark Clouds [Tepfern Fence] [Recommended Level: Lv.450]
The information on the rift appeared.
Even when the players first began to move, many had expected the main players of [Tepfern Fence] to be Unification Under Heaven.
Or perhaps Shining.
It was only natural.
After all, the rising forces currently threatening the status of those two guilds—
Gaon, Inazuma, Berserker.
The great alliance had already been in the middle of conquering another rift for several days.
“We’ll give up on Tepfern Fence.”
“Same for us. We don’t want to be extras.”
“Gaiber’s recovery comes first.”
The other massive guilds were no different.
If they got caught between Unification Under Heaven and Shining for no reason,
it was obvious they’d have a hard time earning even experience points, let alone leveling up.
And yet.
“Lee Hoyeol. No, why would Hoyeol-nim come to such a shabby rift……?”
Hoyeol had appeared in the [Tepfern Fence] rift.
And with an enormous army of spirits, no less!
They had no idea what was going on, but……
The NetTuber players’ faces lit up.
“Holy shit. I don’t know what’s happening, but isn’t that insane?”
“Even in Arcana, we’ve never gotten to see spirits before!”
“Thanks to Hoyeol-nim, we’re getting a real feast for the eyes.”
Hoyeol’s appearance alone was already welcome beyond words.
But on top of Hoyeol, there were spirits.
Wasn’t this a spectacle that surpassed the competition between Unification Under Heaven and Shining?
Soon, the viewers’ chats poured in.
- wtf lololololololol
- all good but seriously don’t go near him and ruin the mood ㅡㅡ
- fr it’s fine with other players but let’s not mess with Lee Hoyeol
- agreed, we should respect him considering how much we owe him
The NetTuber players made their living by reading the room.
Besides, no one was crazy enough
to approach Hoyeol without permission.
“Of course. Isn’t propriety the most important thing?”
Furthermore, the situation wasn’t one where they could do that anyway.
Hoyeol standing upright before dozens of spirits.
It was a scene that looked even more impressive from afar.
The NetTuber players let out pure admiration.
“……
Why do you think he came to this rift?”
“The people in robes beside him must be mages from the Magic Tower, right? They’re probably the only ones who can summon spirits.”
“With Hoyeol-nim’s level, he can’t have come here to hunt.”
Of course, apart from that, the questions still remained.
But their curiosity did not last long.
Before long, Hoyeol began moving away from his group.
Because he had approached a [Tepfern Scarecrow].
“Huh? Did he just come to hunt?”
The rumored estimated level of Hoyeol was a staggering level 900.
In comparison, the [Tepfern Scarecrow]
was only level 450.
To put it bluntly, even if he hunted hundreds of thousands of them, he probably wouldn’t level up……
So why was Hoyeol trying to hunt a [Tepfern Scarecrow]?
- ……A sword from the start?
- Oooh, his combat pattern is different from usual?
- Ahhh, what, was that it???
Clang—
Only after Hoyeol raised his sword
did some people begin to guess the reason.
A NetTuber player and explorer.
“Ah, I see!”
Yusra Kingdom.
At the corner in front of the Golden Palace Square, in the Golden Calf Tavern.
Bak Hwigang, who was watching the broadcast on the screen, was one of them.
“Tepfern Scarecrows are counter-type monsters!”
The knowledge of an explorer who had roamed every corner of the Arcana Continent!
“They have the characteristic of transforming into the type most troublesome for their opponent, depending on who that opponent is. Of course, since they can only transform into one type at a time, they’re not that difficult as long as you form your party properly and face them…….”
As could be seen, Hoyeol was alone.
Of course, since the level gap was enormous,
one scarecrow should not be much trouble.
In fact, Hoyeol’s movements were overflowing with composure.
Gulp—
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Rockid emptied a keg of beer in one breath.
The young brats gathered there might not be able to recognize it.
But he could.
Hoyeol’s sword energy,
which had grown even more noble.
And yet, as if wielding that kind of sword energy wasn’t enough,
he was also the chief among those monstrous Magic Tower bastards?
Wasn’t that cheating?
That kind of thing would be cheating even in a no-rules colosseum.
“Tch. He’s keeping all the cool stuff to himself, that guy.”
It was growth impressive enough to make Rockid act pointlessly spiteful.
Whether he knew Rockid’s insides were burning or not,
Bak Hwigang continued, his face even more flushed.
“But the story changes when those Tepfern Scarecrows swarm you. No matter how the player acts, one of the scarecrows will be able to perfectly counter the player’s attack!”
As he had said,
Tepfern Scarecrows were counter-type monsters.
Even when facing just one, party hunting was recommended.
But what if one was instead surrounded by such creatures?
“In other words, regardless of level, things can get quite exhausting.”
No, it seemed Hoyeol had already fallen into an exhausting situation.
Before anyone knew it, Tepfern Scarecrows had gathered around Hoyeol.
Only then did the corners of Rockid’s mouth rise.
‘Good. You should struggle a bit. That overdone posing of yours should get crumpled a little too.’
When it came to battle, Rockid’s mind worked quickly.
Listening to Bak Hwigang’s explanation,
he judged that even if it was Hoyeol, this would not be easy.
“Looks like that clean face of yours will get a few stains.”
Kahaha!
However, the hearty-laughing Rockid did not know.
Just how many wells Hoyeol had dug all this time.
How many ways out he had prepared.
Even if counter-type monsters swarmed him in droves,
they could not surpass the number of 『Magic』, [Skills], and {Nature} abilities Hoyeol poured out.
“Th-that’s absurd!”
Even excluding [{『Oddity』}].
Thanks to that, even while surrounded by countless Tepfern Scarecrows,
not a single bit of the dignity soaked into Hoyeol was crumpled.
- Whoa damn, he’s just on a different dimension lololol
- What is this? Is he using Tepfern Scarecrows like sparring partners??
- wtf he’s using level 450 monsters as practice opponents lololol
Clatter!
In the end, Rockid shot up from his seat.
From his looks to his abilities.
“There’s a limit to how unfair things can be. That damn unlucky……!!”
……
There’s a limit to how much you can surprise someone!
From the Quernberg Machine Tower,
to the appearance of the new World Tree,
to the crushing of the Demon King.
He had learned that Hoyeol was involved in every single incident.
He had thought he had already been surprised enough.
And yet there was still something left to surprise him.
Whoosh—
Flames burst out from its breathing hole.
The fire drake snorted.
“You must be really shocked. You’re not even saying you’re hungry, Feiyan.”
The fire drake was right.
Perhaps even the beggar in his stomach had fainted from shock.
His stomach, which had been growling nonstop, had gone quiet.
‘That aside…….’
Feiyan looked at Hoyeol.
His use of 『Magic』 and {Nature} abilities through spirits was not surprising.
After all, Hoyeol was undeniably the chief mage of the Magic Tower.
What surprised Feiyan was, as expected, his swordsmanship.
‘Even without a discerning eye, I can tell.’
Tepfern.
One of the ten great mysteries of the Arcana Continent.
A region even the Explorers’ League had yet to finish investigating.
Above all, the creatures that appeared there were all bizarre.
Even the scarecrows that appeared at Tepfern’s outermost fence
were quite troublesome.
‘They have a rather difficult aspect to them.’
In other words, with half-baked swordsmanship, one could not even scratch a Tepfern Scarecrow. Put another way, it meant Hoyeol’s swordsmanship was not ordinary.
“I told you, didn’t I? That rumor is true!”
“The one about the great family?”
“That’s right! How else could he do something like that?”……
Why was he listening to the chirping sounds?
Probably because Feiyan himself did not think much differently.
More than anything, Feiyan knew the importance of talent.
‘I don’t want to admit it, but that’s why bloodline matters.’
The descendants of magical families famous across every region of the continent.
Most of the mages who entered the Magic Tower were like that.
Occasionally, there were exceptions like Senior Bangrit, but……
Their number was extremely small.
‘Chief Marcelo’s abilities also originated from his family’s legacy.’
But even the power of such bloodlines had limits.
Just as a magical family could not produce a swordsman capable of wielding sword energy.
And just as the opposite was impossible as well……!
Because he knew that fact,
the questions surrounding Hoyeol could only grow even larger.
“……
Isn’t he a bit too excessively versatile?”
At that rate, it seemed like he possessed every good thing there was.
*
……
Recently, my ears have been itching often.
But I can understand it with generosity.
Everyone must be wondering what on earth I’m doing.
‘Level 900? Me?’
In any case, rumors were the problem.
I, the person in question, hadn’t said a word.
Yet before I knew it, my level had become at least level 900.
A severely burdensome overestimation.
No, when I considered how slowly my experience had been rising lately,
it was a number that made me wonder if it was even possible.
‘Of course, I can’t say the truth with my own mouth.’
Even if I excused it as being due to my tiresome personality,
someone would persistently ask.
Then why not just reveal your ranking information?
In that case, instead of answering, I would show them my status window.
[Name: Granfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
[Title: Last Adventurer]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 425]
[Stats]
Strength: 70 / Agility: 75 / Magic Power: 385 / Luck: 6 / Aesthetic: Low
[Unspent Points: 0]
Revealing ranking information that had been kept private to the world?
Yes, it wasn’t difficult.
No, if anything, it would be good.
It was better for both sides to correct unnecessary misunderstandings early.
However, I could never bear to see the name [Granfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
floating in the player rankings, even if it killed me……!
‘I might actually die of embarrassment.’
Yes, this was not a matter of Granfell’s pride.
It was a matter concerning my pride, Lee Hoyeol’s.
‘If that’s the case, I’d rather just reach level 900 myself.’
Because I knew that fact,
I hunted the charging [Tepfern Scarecrow].
[Natural Enemy Relationship]
was not activated.
For a proper test of my full strength, I had not even doped myself with elixir herbs.
It was good that I drew my sword from the start, Hoyeol.
As expected, this class had screws loose.
Demon Hunter.
‘It’s fast.’
Through class quests, I had raised my Strength and Agility stats as much as possible.
And yet, I had invested all the points gained through leveling into Magic Power.
[Tepfern Scarecrow: Lv.450]
Purely in terms of stats, it meant I had a hard time keeping up with it.
As if that weren’t enough, just as I had heard, this thing was difficult to deal with.
‘A counter-type monster. Depending on the attack, it acquires resistance to it.’
Swoosh—
I unleashed sword energy.
To think it endured a sword strike that maximized attack power.
“I shall praise you.”
That was the evaluation given by the ever-so-great Granfell himself.
Indeed, Tepfern, one of the ten great mysteries.
It was worthy of being called an unknown region whose true nature had not been revealed even on the Arcana Continent.
However, to me, there was no opponent more suitable than this.
“You possess the skill to block. However.”
Goooo—
Magic manifested at the same time as the sword strike.
If it blocked one, I simply had to pour out two at the same time.
And if one more came charging in?
“Can you block this as well?”
Then I only had to pour out one more there.
How many wells had I dug until now?
Against a few dozen of them, I had no need to bring up [{『Oddity』}].
‘They’re manageable.’
No matter how many screws were loose in the Demon Hunter class, there was an absolute advantage in stats.
After all, my total stats were about 100 points ahead of players of the same level.
‘It’s thanks to class quests and elixir herbs.’
How do you like the results of my desperate struggling?
Thud thud—
I murmured toward the collapsing Tepfern Scarecrow.
“You were not bad as a warm-up opponent.”
Words spoken calmly, unlike the emotions swelling inside me.
Even if others—
“You were exactly as you said, a warm-up opponent.”
Even if Hiel did not acknowledge it,
I myself knew.
This was truly progress that brought tears to my eyes, Hoyeol……!
Now, at the very least, there would be no need to act pathetically in front of monsters of the same level.
If my overflowing heart had its way, I would have liked to enjoy this sense of achievement a little longer.
But the back of my head prickled.
When I turned around, I saw the mages, including Feiyan.
I told them to commune with the spirits since it had been a while.
So why were they staring holes through me?
I did not know the reason.
But enough.
It wouldn’t do to keep them waiting forever.
It was about time to return to the Magic Tower.
Rumble—
For some reason.
In an instant, dark clouds hung over the sky of the Rift.
I straightened my clothes and stepped forward.
“The heavens are howling.”
Good thing there was no one to hear me.
I would be the one howling long before the sky was done crying.
In any case, I should hurry. Even if the [Warmth] buff was almighty, it couldn’t keep out the rain……....
The first to notice the signs was the high-ranking fire spirit.
The Fire Drake.
The Fire Drake, which had been lying prone, rose to its feet.
“Peiyan. I sense an unusual presence.”
At those words, Peiyan belatedly surveyed her surroundings.
And then she realized.
The presence of an “alien spirit” lingering nearby.
Peiyan’s pupils quivered faintly.‘……
This presence is?’……
A spirit of darkness!
That was a spirit even Peiyan, a senior mage of spiritology, had never once witnessed.
Thus, the only thing Peiyan could recall was the knowledge of spiritology she possessed as a senior mage.──────Spirits of darkness differ from spirits of other attributes from the moment of their birth.──────Spirits of darkness are beings that reveal themselves only when specific conditions are met.
As Peiyan recalled those conditions, she flinched.
She had forgotten in all the fuss.
“Oh no……!”
That this place was the domain of Tetpeoreun.──────Spirits of darkness are beings born from dense darkness. The only places they appear are regions that have yet to be revealed to the world. Places whose origins remain unknown—such places are their very source…….──────One of the Ten Mysteries of the Arcana Continent.
[Tetpeoreun].
A place even the Explorers’ League had yet to finish investigating.
It was a region that satisfied the first condition.
And on top of that, the troublesome second condition as well.──────……
The region in question must be filled with communion power.──────Communion power.
Thanks to the spirits summoned by Peiyan and the other mages.[Tetpeoreun Fence] was brimming with more than enough communion power within the Rift.
Peiyan slipped a hand into her sleeve.
“I was such a fool.”
She had not taken out some snack.
What she drew out was a magic tool—a wand.
Her attention had been elsewhere, and she had overlooked a dangerous variable.
Peiyan bit down hard on her lower lip.
“……
At this rate, I’m unfit to be a senior of spiritology.”
Just like the Fire Drake.
The spirits had detected the unusual signs.
The skilled mages seemed to have readied themselves mentally.
But the apprentice mages were plainly flustered.
Peiyan felt a sense of responsibility.‘At the very least, I have to keep the adventurers from getting caught up in this.’Putting everything else aside, she could not allow the Magic Tower’s reputation to be tarnished.
She did not want to cause a commotion, but there was no avoiding it.
As stated, spirits of darkness were “alien spirits.”‘Ordinary people are incapable of communing with them at all…….’That was right.
Alien magic power.
Only those capable of handling what black magic called “suitable magic power” could attempt to commune with a spirit of darkness. And among those possessing that level of “suitable magic power”…….‘The only person I know is Senior Matis.’But Matis was not here.
And so, Peiyan gritted her teeth.
“As expected, we have no choice but to drive them out.”
“Understood. Peiyan.”
“With everything you have. We have to keep the adventurers from getting caught up in this.”
However, rendering Peiyan’s grim resolve meaningless.
There was someone here who could stand in for Matis.
No, someone who possessed “suitable magic power” that surpassed his.
Click—