◈ Episode 13. Another Whale in a Fight Between Whales (1)
The rift’s collapse rate had skyrocketed.
—With the clear rate of the [Outskirts of the Territory] rifts nearing 95 percent, breaking news is coming in that the collapse rate of the [Count’s Territory] rift has surpassed a staggering 60 percent.
It had only been a single day.
The rift’s collapse rate had broken past 60 percent.
Since the Cataclysm,
countless rifts had formed and vanished.
—Well… I have to say, this is the first time I’ve seen a case like this.
For the collapse rate to rise this sharply was an unprecedented event.
Some of the panelists tried to speculate on the reason.
—The collapse speed differs a little from rift to rift, you see? Generally speaking, the stronger the monsters inside a rift are, the shorter the time the rift can endure.
—Are you saying the monsters inside the rift may be stronger than expected?
—That’s right. The problem lies in the fact that the collapse speed has increased. So, to be precise… it would be more accurate to say that “the monsters inside the rift have become stronger than before.” Compared to a day ago, that is.
At those words, the panelists were left speechless.
They had heard over and over again how difficult this rift was.
And yet, as if that weren’t enough, the monsters had become even stronger.
—…
There must be a reason it turned out that way, no? It’s not as if perfectly normal monsters would suddenly grow stronger for no reason.
Yes, there had to be a reason.
If they could only find that reason,
then perhaps they could prevent the monsters from growing any stronger,
and prevent the rift’s collapse rate from soaring because of it.
But no matter how many opinions they gathered, no answer emerged.
In the end, the anchor had no choice but to close with these words.
—I sincerely hope the players bring us good news…
I took my eyes off the screen.
I didn’t know about the other players, but…
‘…Somehow, I think I know.’
The reason the monsters inside the rift had become stronger,
and the reason the rift’s collapse rate had skyrocketed.
For someone who had returned to Arcana after ten years,
if anyone asked me why I was acting like I knew so much,
I could confidently ask back.
Still, when it comes to demons, I probably know more than you people do.
The endless training in Akshan!
The information about demons I had heard so often my ears had practically calloused over.
Naturally, among them were vampires.
—Vampires can share their authority through blood. Of course, they can also reclaim the power they shared. So do not let your guard down until the very end.
The vampire, Count Ascura, had granted his authority
to the [Blood-Soaked Beasts]
and the [Blood-Soaked Bandits].
As those monsters fell to the players, the authority divided among them naturally returned to Count Ascura…
‘That’s why the rift’s collapse rate skyrocketed.’
Indeed, when I thought about it that way, everything fit.
I could even predict what would happen next.
‘Wait, then if the territory is cleared, the fortress’s collapse rate is going to skyrocket.’
Considering the current collapse rate had already surpassed 60 percent…
‘It’ll be at least 90 percent, no matter how you look at it.’
Perhaps the fortress rift would collapse
and manifest in reality.
It was the worst-case assumption, but the probability was quite high.
And Count Ascura was already level 430 by level alone.
Thinking that monster might become even stronger,
I had to admit I felt somewhat at a loss.
However, my actions did not change.
As usual, I opened my wardrobe.
I selected my attire according to etiquette.
Naturally, it was a suit only slightly different in color from yesterday’s.
Still, there was something I had realized while shivering in the cold.
I draped an ink-black long coat over the suit.
…
Yes, a long coat.
It seemed like it would drag on the ground while I was active in the rift.
But it would be better than freezing to death. Probably.
Let’s think positively.
Yet apart from that, my mood was not especially good.
I murmured in a low voice.
“A noble does not give and then take away. Count Ascura.”
That was the pride of the head of the Claudi family,
Granfell’s pride as a noble.
That pride despised Count Ascura’s actions.
Click—
As I put on my shoes, I added,
“No, even the title of count is wasted on you. Ascura.”
If someone had seen me,
perhaps I might have looked fairly decent.
Squeeze—
…
If not for
the green tea bag clenched in my hand, that is.
Let’s be grateful there were no eyes watching.
I headed for the Mage Tower.
*
The full-scale assault began.
[Count’s Territory]
[Recommended Level: Lv.350–400]
[Collapse Progress: 66.1%]
The rift’s information was checked once more.
Different reactions burst out from all over.
“The recommended level is 350 to 400?! This is insane, seriously.”
“Not even an hour has passed, and the collapse rate went up by 6 percent.”
“No, if the territory is already like this, what the hell is the fortress going to be like?”
The hundreds of [Outskirts of the Territory] rifts had all been cleared.
Now, once the thirty or so remaining [Count’s Territory] rifts were cleared, they would be able to enter the [Count’s Fortress] rift where Count Ascura was.
As the number of rifts had drastically decreased,
the war of nerves between players had grown fiercer.
It was only natural.
The recommended level was a staggering 350 to 400.
As a high-level rift, its experience and loot would surely be on a level that could not be ignored.
Since there were not enough rifts to go around, competition was inevitable.
In other words, it was a war of nerves to find the most manageable opponents.
Gaon’s guild master,
Nam Taemin, was in a relatively good position.
“Well, as long as we don’t overlap with Shining.”
Aside from Shining, he felt they could take on whoever came.
Nam Taemin had confidence.
Though they had lost the first clear to the unexpected variable called Berserker, they had truly been a hair’s breadth behind Shining.
Nam Cheolmin thought the same.
Nam Cheolmin tapped away on his tablet PC.
“Shining must be pretty worked up too. It won’t do them any good to choose the same rift as us in that state. That’d be nothing but mutual destruction, wouldn’t it?”
So let’s take this rift.
Gaon quickly claimed the base camp.
But then, an unwelcome guest they had briefly forgotten about appeared.
Nam Taemin’s eyebrow twitched.
“…
Ha. Look at these bastards?”
Guild ranking 4th, Inazuma.
As its name suggested, it was a Japanese guild.
Even if the Mage Tower had risen,
there was no way they would ever put down roots in Korea.
Because of their stubborn insistence,
Inazuma had taken a plane and only arrived in Russia after a full day, finally appearing at the rift.
Inazuma’s guild master,
Hisagi Kazuma, looked at Nam Taemin.
Nam Taemin did not avert his gaze either.
Not a single word passed between them.
But both knew what the other meant.
Nam Taemin said,
“That bastard’s saying he wants to go a round. What do you think, hyung?”
Nam Cheolmin tapped on the tablet, then shrugged.
“We got here first. It wouldn’t look good to back down, would it?”
Korea and Japan.
Gaon and Inazuma had chosen the same rift.
That rumor spread quickly.
Film crews from various countries began to buzz.
“Gaon and Inazuma are clashing?! That’s absolutely front-page material!”
But there were far too many scoops here.
New information poured in without pause.
Among them, there was another matchup drawing as much attention as the confrontation between Gaon and Inazuma.
“Second Sun and Bohemian. Berserker ended up with two competitors attached to them, didn’t they?”
“Looks like Berserker got the first clear and made things even more troublesome for themselves.”
“No business ethics at all, those guys. They call themselves the European Union, but somehow they fight each other even harder.”
But among them all, the most interesting was
guild ranking 1st and 2nd.
Shining and Tianxia Tongyi had gone head-to-head.
America’s Shining.
China’s Tianxia Tongyi.
Indeed, it was a competition worthy of drawing the entire world’s attention.
Depending on the result, the world order itself might be shaken.
“Did Tianxia Tongyi just decide to play spoiler?”
“What is this, mutual destruction?”
“If those two clash, neither side will gain anything.”
Naturally, for both guilds,
it was a losing deal.
After all, they would have to share the experience and loot of a new rift with their strongest competitor.
But neither side would back down.
So it was merely entertaining for the people watching.
“Now, at this point, let’s take a vote!”
The ones as excited as the reporters were the Nettuber players.
Only players could enter rifts.
Even yesterday, they had made a tidy profit broadcasting the situation inside the rifts.
So the Nettubers had no choice but to read the room as well.
“Put your votes in chat! I’ll actively reflect donation messages too!”
Indeed, which rift should they choose to gather the most viewers?
A repeated war of nerves upon nerves upon nerves.
The one person who could be free from that war of nerves…
was only a single man.
…
The current temperature was minus five degrees Celsius.
Was this for real? Seriously?
For it to drop more than five degrees in a single day.
It was a good thing I had at least put on a coat.
Otherwise, I would have frozen to death before even entering the rift.
Steam rising gently—
I warmed my hands with the heat of the teacup.
As expected, the extra care I had put into the processes of 『Exploration』 and 『Interference』 had been worth it.
All I had done was make the shape of the teacup slightly more complex.
Yet even in the subzero knife-like wind, the teacup did not cool easily.
‘I’m starting to get used to it.’
Not to a [Skill],
but to 『Magic』.
And to Granfell’s talent for rapidly learning such magic.
I emptied the cup, then simply let go of the handle.
Thud—
The teacup transformed once more in midair.
By the time it fell, it had returned to the form of stone.
‘Returning it to its original state also reduces the effort needed for Exploration and Interference.’
This, too, was an application method I had discovered as I grew accustomed to magic.
I seriously pondered.
‘…Of course, the question is whether I can actually use this in real combat.’
That was something I would have to find out by throwing myself into it.
Of course, I was not underestimating this rift.
‘Count Ascura’s Confidant’: Lv.390
‘Count Ascura’s Knight’: Lv.350
‘Count Ascura’s Soldier’: Lv.300
To begin with, these weren’t levels I could afford to take lightly, were they?
Putting aside the soldiers and knights for the moment…
there was a difference of more than 300 levels between me and the confidants.
But since when had I ever weighed such things?
Click—
It was not as if this had happened only once or twice, so now I had resigned myself to it.
『Even if I sink beneath that weight and drown.』
This was simply the fate I had no choice but to live with.
So all I could do was struggle with everything I had.
Like an elegant swan,
kicking frantically beneath the surface so it would not sink.
I, too, merely struggled desperately where no one could see.
Just as I had from yesterday until early this morning.
Hoping, earnestly, that those efforts would have meaning.
Click—
Without hesitation, I entered the rift.
…
What I saw upon entering the rift were buildings collapsed into ruin.
[Count’s Territory]
It was far too shabby to be called that.
Even if it was an environment where reality and Arcana’s scenery were mixed together, this was too much.
One might say the aesthetic eye of a noble naturally frowned.
“A wretched territory. Ascura.”
I moved forward, my coat fluttering.
“!”
And soon, I encountered a “Count Ascura’s Soldier.”
The soldier’s eyes were burning red.
Developed fangs protruded from his mouth.
As if he were thirsty,
saliva endlessly dripped from the corners of his lips.
That soldier sensed my presence and charged at me.
I stared at the charging soldier.
Yes, with this, it became certain once again.
That was not an action born from loyalty.
He was merely
a pitiful victim suffering under
the ugly vampire’s curse disguised as authority.
I spoke once more.
“Even upon seeing it again, it is wretched.”
I performed 『Exploration』 on the collapsed building and 『Interference』 on its form.
“But even that is wasted on you.”
Then magic 『Manifested』.
Kwa-kwaang—!!
…
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!
A tremendous roar came from behind them.
“?!”
The two men turned their heads at the same time, as if by unspoken agreement.
They saw a faint cloud of dust rising.
Grind—
Nam Taemin and Hisagi Kazuma gnashed their teeth at the same time.
‘…Whoever it is, don’t you think you’re overdoing it?’
They already had their hands full paying attention to each other.