◈ Episode 14. When Whales Fight, Another Whale Joins (2)
I interfered with the collapsed ruins and altered their form.
Ruuuumble—!
“The most important thing is efficiency.”
That was what I’d realized from past experience.
In the battle against the bandits, I had learned just how dangerous running out of mana could be.
If it hadn’t been for those players’ help,
I’d probably be drowning in the Yellow Springs by now.
That was why I had spent all last night thinking.
“How should I fight to achieve maximum efficiency?”
First, the efficiency of offensive magic, including “Ignition,” was relatively poor.
After all, in the last Rift, my mana had begun draining rapidly from the moment I used “Ignition.”
“I’ll have to refrain from using it as much as possible.”
In that sense, what was the magic with the highest mana efficiency?
If someone asked me, the scene before my eyes was my answer.
Ruuuuumble—!
Magic manifested from the collapsed ruins.
In the aftermath of that magic, the ruins changed shape.
A massive barrier rose up.
It blocked the space between me and the charging soldier.
This was neither offensive nor defensive magic, but magic inspired by the [Alchemy Skill].
That’s right.
Among the magic I used, the alchemy category had the highest efficiency.
“The problem is that its applications are extremely limited.”
Of course, I could change the form into something a little more complex.
I could add lethality by making spikes protrude from the wall, or create it in the shape of a weapon from the start...
“Like how I maximized the heat retention of that teacup.”
Adding complex forms such as hooks for lethality consumed quite a lot of mana.
I had felt that while modifying arrowheads. The larger the object, the more mana it would take to add a complex form.
“In other words, the tail would end up wagging the dog.”
Besides, there was no need for it.
“This is enough.”
I’m not bluffing this time.
Perhaps it was because his level was so high.
Even though a massive wall had risen up, there was no hesitation.
The soldier quickly circled around the wall and approached me.
But I could say with confidence.
Even so, I would be faster.
Ruuuumble—!!
“?”
Because this required neither much mana nor much effort.
Just as I had turned the falling teacup back into a lump of stone,
I returned the stone wall to the remnants of the ruins.
Kwa-kwa-kwang—!
This wasn’t the destructive power of magic or anything like that.
It was the force of impact created by height.
I was a humanities major, so I’d forgotten the formula...
In any case, it was an undeniable law of physics.
Ruuuuumble—
The destructive force was as tremendous as the stone wall was tall.
I had guessed at the possibility through the teacup.
But honestly, this was beyond my imagination.
I checked my mana consumption.
“...At this rate, I think I’ll keep using this from now on.”
Mana had been consumed when I raised the stone wall, but when I restored it, there had been almost no mana consumption at all. As expected, staying up all night racking my brain had been worth it.
“...『Reversal Magic』.”
Its efficiency was good enough that even giving it such a grandiose name didn’t feel awkward.
Amid the rising dust,
I saw red eyes.
Of course, I hadn’t expected to bring him down with 『Reversal Magic』 alone.
There was a difference in level, after all.
But even with that level gap, he must have taken damage that couldn’t be ignored.
Just as I could see.
[“Fracture” occurs in Count Asqura’s Soldier.]
I looked at the soldier buried beneath the pile of stones.
Only his face was exposed.
He was still baring his sharp fangs at me.
Let’s finish this.
I took out the silver dagger.
In the past, I would have been too worried about its durability to swing it properly.
But now, it was fine.
Whoosh—
I threw the silver dagger into the air.
Search, interference, manifestation.
In that instant, the silver dagger changed shape.
Like a long, sharp awl.
Thuk—
The silver awl pierced through the soldier.
It severed the breath that had still been clinging to him.
I used Reversal Magic to restore its form.
The damaged silver awl had returned to an intact silver dagger.
When I checked its durability...
Fortunately, as expected, it was unharmed.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
...
An amount of experience befitting level 300.
The total increase was 5 levels.
With this, I had reached level 91.
At a glance, it probably looked like a complete victory, didn’t it?
From the outside, it must have seemed like I had overwhelmed the soldier without so much as lifting a finger.
But if you put it that way, I’d feel too wronged.
“...If I could, I’d like to fight comfortably too.”
The truth was, this battle had been fought by utilizing everything I possibly could.
Not just my mana consumption,
but the durability of my weapon, even the living expenses that would be invested in repairing it.
I had fought with all my might while my heart was in my throat...!
However, I did not express those desperate feelings.
As if I truly hadn’t lifted a single finger.
As if nothing had happened.
I walked forward with an expressionless face.
Click—
Was it completely unconcerned with my inner turmoil?
Looking at the long coat fluttering stylishly, I thought.
...If I hadn’t gotten any loot, I’d have died from sheer injustice. Seriously.
*
Gaon and Inazuma had clashed!
Even if the world didn’t know, Korea and Japan did.
The attention of both countries could only be focused on that Rift.
Soccer, baseball, volleyball...
Even ordinary sports became overheated when it came to a Korea-Japan match.
So naturally, this competition was drawing unprecedented attention.
Why, even if you set aside the title of Korea-Japan match, it was the same.
The background alone was fascinating.
“In the guild rankings, Inazuma is 4th. It’s true that our Republic of Korea’s Gaon is one step behind at 5th. But in terms of momentum, isn’t Gaon effectively ahead?”
“Yes, that’s right! Inazuma’s ranking has fallen from 2nd in the past to 4th now, you see. But Gaon has continued to rise ever since it was ranked 20th.”
“That’s right. And another thing we can’t miss is the rivalry between the guild masters.”
Nam Taemin and Hisagi Kazuma.
In the player rankings, Hisagi had the advantage, ranked 6th compared to 11th.
However, ever since the days when Arcana had been nothing more than a game,
Hisagi had consistently struggled against Nam Taemin.
In one-on-one duels in the Colosseum.
In boss monster raids.
Nam Taemin had been evenly matched with Hisagi to the point that the difference in their rankings seemed meaningless.
So there was no way anyone could miss such a spectacle.
The same was true for Park Hwigang, a NetTuber trying to make a living.
Park Hwigang heard the news late and rushed to the Rift.
──────
Title: A Broadcast as Persistent as a Cockroach! Hwigang’s Live Stream~
──────
No sooner had the live broadcast begun than viewers poured in.
-Is this also a Gaon and Inazuma broadcast??
-Try getting a different angle lol
-Even if we can’t watch in 3D, we should at least see it from various angles~
The viewer count was already 10?
Park Hwigang was surprised by the unusual level of interest.
As expected of a showdown between Gaon and Inazuma.
He could feel the excitement even in the viewers’ chat.
“Yes, I’m a little late, but I’ll chase after them as quickly as possible!”
Park Hwigang’s class was Explorer.
He had no combat ability whatsoever, but there was no class more suited to living as a broadcasting NetTuber.
Park Hwigang used a magnifying glass to detect the traces stamped into the ground.
“Everyone went this way. I’ll try following them properly.”
He activated the Explorer movement skill, “Run for It.”
As Park Hwigang hurriedly ran, the viewers’ demands poured in.
-No, dude;; Honestly, there are tons of Korean NetTubers filming Gaon;;
-If you wanna gather viewers, don’t you need something different??
-Can’t you just focus on that bastard Hisagi??
-Everyone’s watching with several broadcasts open anyway, so it’s fine
-Let us see Hisagi’s face rot lolol
...
Hearing the chat, it made sense.
How many NetTubers and broadcasting station-affiliated players must have gathered in this Rift?
Since he had entered late, he needed a differentiated angle.
“As expected, you viewers know broadcasting better than I do!”
Yes, let’s center the broadcast around Hisagi.
It was only natural for Japanese streamers to broadcast Hisagi,
but broadcasts by Koreans focusing on Hisagi would be relatively rare.
That was when Park Hwigang made up his mind.
Ruuuuumble—!
“Wh-what is it?”
A tremendous noise suddenly came from nearby.
-??? What was that just now?
-We’re late anyway, let’s check it out before going
-Whoa ㄷㄷ I thought my ears were gonna fall off. I heard that sound on other broadcasts too
Everyone seemed curious.
Park Hwigang immediately ran toward the source of the sound.
And then he witnessed it.
“...Who might that be, everyone?”
A long, ink-colored coat.
And a man with silver hair that contrasted with it.
Question marks flooded the chat window.
-?????
-What the hell is he now??
-Gaon doesn’t have a player like that… Is he from Inazuma?
-No way. Would a guild member be off alone?
-He’s a player, right? But what’s with the long coat????
Park Hwigang gulped down dry saliva and watched.
For now, he could guess the source of the noise.
A massive stone wall had risen in front of the man.
At a glance, it looked to be at least ten meters tall.
“It seems like that sound came from that thing popping up.”
Park Hwigang whispered toward the camera.
-...Huh? He summoned that stone wall?
-Is there even a skill like that?
-Whoa, damn, he must’ve used a ton of mana?? Look at the size
Just as he was about to check the incoming chat,
a terrifying-looking soldier burst out from the other side of the stone wall.
Park Hwigang flinched.
“Demonkin!”
Park Hwigang was level 220.
Due to the nature of his class, which inevitably forced him to explore relatively dangerous areas, he had seen many monsters with levels higher than his own.
But no matter how many times he saw demonkin, he never got used to them.
“Good thing there’s some distance.”
If there hadn’t been, he would definitely have been hit with a status abnormality.
Park Hwigang’s relieved sigh lasted only a moment.
Suddenly, his thoughts turned to that man.
“Th-that?!”
The man was unarmed.
Meaning, he had neither weapons nor armor equipped.
Even his stance was defenseless.
He must have noticed the soldier approaching...
But somehow, that upright posture did not waver in the slightest.
“This looks d-dangerous, doesn’t it?”
However, something else did waver.
As if he had been waiting only for the soldier to approach.
Ruuuuumble—!
“?!”
The stone wall shattered and collapsed.
To exaggerate slightly, it was like a meteorite falling.
The impact made the ground rumble, and dust covered the entire area.
“Uwah. One moment!”
Park Hwigang hurriedly wiped the camera lens.
Then the man’s back appeared on the screen.
-Whoa;; What was that just now? Did he aim for that??
-Crazy lol His skill usage is insane
-What the hell is his class ㄷㄷ
-lol I don’t know anything else, but I admit his confidence
-Fr lol No wonder he came wearing a coat
Upright.
It was as if he had anticipated everything.
That the stone wall would collapse.
That the soldier would be buried beneath the pile of stones.
The surprise did not end there.
“!”
Soon, something leapt up above the man’s head.
It lasted only an instant, but the keen eyes of an Explorer shone.
Park Hwigang said,
“...I think it’s a sword?”
No, it had definitely been a sword.
But in an instant, its shape changed in midair.
The sword, transformed into a sharp awl, executed the soldier buried beneath the pile of stones just like that.
Then it changed back into the form of a sword again, didn’t it?
“Wh-what kind of equipment is that, everyone...?”
Including Park Hwigang,
everyone watching was astonished.
-No, is that a living sword or what???
-Fr, from what I saw, that’s at least Unique
-Only Unique? If it’s really a living sword, that means it’s an Ego Sword, and Unique wouldn’t be enough. It’s probably just changing shape
-...But even just changing shape is amazing, isn’t it?? Have you guys ever seen that?? I haven’t, at least
-Me neither
It was none other than a level 300 demonkin monster.
A monster that even rankers could find burdensome depending on the circumstances had been hunted overwhelmingly...
And not in proper armor, but while wearing a long coat and dress shoes.
-Ah lol I forgot about Gaon while watching this
-You too? Me too lolol
-I’m more curious about who that guy is than the Korea-Japan match
-Fr lol
The mysterious man who had suddenly appeared.
It was only a matter of time before rumors spread.
Interest in the man was appearing in the form of numbers.
──────
Title: A Broadcast as Persistent as a Cockroach! Hwigang’s Live Stream~
Current Viewers: 2,229
──────
*
Click—
I checked the item I had obtained from “Count Asqura’s Soldier.”
Purple, which I was touching for the first time since becoming a player.
In other words, it was a Rare item.
[Necklace Imbued with the Curse of Blood]
[Grade: Rare]
[Restriction: Lv.300]
[Effect: Sealed]
[Description: Its effect has been sealed by the curse of a demon and vampire. To know its true effect, it must be purified.]
A so-called demon item.
It seemed players called them that.
They were items added along with demonkin in the new update.
Items with the concept that their effects were sealed by a demon’s curse.
“They said it’s called a hit or miss depending on the effect, right?”
In a word, it was a gacha item.
Gacha.
If you’ve played games even a little, you can’t help but shudder at it.
A truly vicious system.
“So ‘demon item’ was a double entendre?”
However, I knew.
“Unfortunately, you’re using it wrong.”
That was something only a demon hunter knew.
In other words, for now, it was a method of use known only to me.