◈ Episode 147. To Protect Our Pride (3)[Observatory of Pure Knowledge].[Map Connected to All Things].
Finally, even the [Demonic Eye (魔眼)
Telescope]
as well.
Being a Demon King's trophy, its effects didn't seem to be restricted to just one place, whether reality or the Arcana Continent. As expected, an Epic rank wasn't an Epic rank for nothing.‘Of course, the conditions are just as demanding as the fraudulent effects.’But.
Thump.
Though not a one-time use like the paper, there were conditions attached to the telescope as well.
There was a reuse waiting time, that is, a cooldown.
There was no need to add any further explanation.
Crystal Hall.
The eyeball that had been projecting the appearance of the Arcana Continent in the air closed its eyes.
The effect duration was about 10 minutes, while the cooldown was 6 hours…….
Somehow it didn't seem like a good bargain.‘But where else could I get something like this?’I had witnessed the continent with these two eyes.
It wasn't as though I could use Hiyel as an information source forever.
Frankly, if Hiyel were strong enough to be on par with an Elemental King, that might be different.
For I knew who she took after in being nothing but an imposing shell.
I retrieved the telescope and spoke.
"This is the current state of the Arcana Continent."
Sure enough, the demons' words that even millions were but an extremely small fraction had been the truth.
Wherever I looked, demons, and more demons.
If I had actually died with them, this would have been an unjust death, right?
If there was something as common as those demons.
It was the trampled cities and citizens of Arcana.
"……."
Silence fell.
I could understand it well enough.
They must have suspected, but it must still be a shock.
In the silence, the sound of whispering gradually grew louder.
"……
Impossible."
"Are there even any intact cities at this rate?"
"I definitely saw it. Smoke from the direction of the Imperial Capital……!"
The moment you enter the Magic Tower.
Your ties to the secular world are severed.
You needn't look far—even Marcelo would know.
The mages of the Magic Tower are bound by the rule that they cannot deeply involve themselves in matters outside the tower.
Even if it were a matter concerning their own family.
However.
"……
Damn it."
Senior Mage Bangrit ground his teeth.
He couldn't help the worry that naturally arose.
Furthermore, Bangrit was from a commoner family.
It was only natural for him to be more anxious than others.
But I know.
"That miserable sight is the Arcana Continent that has begun its counterattack."
"……!!!"
That was right.
Even now, it was a sight where not a single shred of hope was visible.
Even at this very moment, there were Arcanians fighting against those demons. There was Akshan's legacy, the Quernberg Mechanical Tower. There were Dwarven airships.
"The reason I showed the continent's state without reservation is simple."
It was not because it was too complicated to explain in words alone.
"Arcana is protecting its pride to the bitter end."
As I've been saying, the system does not lie.
From the days when Arcana was merely a game, and even after the Great Upheaval.
The Magic Tower, the organization acknowledged by all as Arcana's strongest military force, had never moved for any incident.
But I know. Even if I hadn't known, I learned through experience.
That even if the system remained the same, the NPCs were no longer NPCs of the past. That they were Arcanians no longer bound by the system.
That is why I was certain.
Activating authority functions in the Magic Tower?
No, there was no need to even mention that.
Because Arcanians would have their pride as Arcanians.
Step—At that moment, I sensed someone's presence.
The only Elder Mage in the Magic Tower at present, Yugwid Rwipeng.
She had risen from her seat.*[Quest: The Holy War That Does Not End (聖戰)]
From the Arcana Continent to reality.
The holy war against the demons is not yet over.
At the end of this war, neither reward nor spoils exist.
What remains is only pride.
Prove your own pride.—Prove your worth in the designated region. (In Progress)
Yusra Kingdom, Frost, Holy Land Muon.
Discussions among players had been ceaseless.
The reason was simple.
"So, do we join this war, or not?"
It was a holy war (聖戰)
with a grandiose name.
As if that weren't enough, the quest even specified the concrete enemy as demons.
Now that demon monster appearances had decreased.
Ironically, the players were once again feeling the danger of demon monsters.
"You know how it hits harder when you can't see them, right?"
"Of course I know what you mean."
"I really never wanted to see them again."
That it appeared as a quest meant that they would reappear at some point.
Before being players, they were people.
They couldn't help but agonize over it.
"Frankly, if this were during the former days of the Arcana Continent, maybe."
But this was reality, not a game. Lives were on the line, weren't they?
Setting aside rewards and spoils, they could not make the decision easily.
It was an honest feeling that they wanted to avoid it if they could.
"But we can't avoid it, can we? It's a predetermined reality that those demons are crossing over to reality through rifts……. And the only ones who can enter those rifts are us players."
"No, it's not like we're the only players……."
"If we keep pushing this onto each other, what gets resolved? What'll happen other than the rifts collapsing? What'll happen other than demons and demon kings being unleashed upon reality?!"
"Hey, why are you snapping at me?"
"I'm frustrated too! Frustrated!"
No matter what decision they made, their hearts were not at ease.
"They're the ones who broke Frost, the iron wall of the north. We're already short even if all players unite, and if we're already split like this……."
"Can we really stop a demon invasion that even Arcana couldn't block with just us?"
"Frost isn't the old Frost anymore either……."
However, as if to say there was no need for such worries.
There were those who moved.
Namely, the grand alliance.
"……
Are they crazy?!"
Gaon, Inazuma, Berserker.
In some ways, it was understandable.
Those three guilds had wielded considerable influence since the early days of the Yusra Kingdom's founding.
Even so, it was unexpected.
"Don't they have too much to lose?"
The more one has, the more one has to lose.
Unlike during the Yusra Kingdom where there was something to gain, this quest explicitly stated that there were no rewards or spoils whatsoever.
"They've received a lot until now. Maybe they're repaying a favor?"
Yusra Kingdom, King Hakuna.
The player who possessed [Authority]
equal to him, I Hoyeol.
It was certain they had moved to repay the debt they owed to Hoyeol.
The players speculated.
—"It's to protect the pride in our hearts."
Tap, tap—Until Nam Taemin thumped his chest.
"……
Pride? What kind of dog-grazing-on-grass nonsense is that?"
However, the grand alliance was only the beginning.
Another movement detected from Frost.
"I thought it would serve as motivation. There is no other reason."
The super-giant guild that was one of only two (唯二)
alongside Cheonha Tongil, Shining.
They too had decided to participate in the holy war.
No, it wasn't just them.
The Goddess Church's holy land, Muon.
Europe's strongest guild, Bohemian.
Guild Master, Gaiber, played the fool in front of the camera.
"Well, to be honest, the place where I was hit by the arrow and the back of my head are still tingling. But it wouldn't make sense for a Holy Knight to be absent from the holy war, would it? Besides, we just need to pay back the debt to those demon bastards, right?"
With the grand alliance's participation, the atmosphere began to shift.
Not just guilds, but even individual players acting on their own.
Yusra Kingdom, Frost, Muon.
They had begun heading to each region.
Crowds flocked to the Magic Tower, where the movements of such players could be grasped at a glance.
"The Magic Tower portal is currently teeming with players!"
To achieve the quest objective.
Players entering through the portal.
That scene spread across broadcasts to the entire world.
To those watching, it was certainly an unfamiliar sight.
"Goodness. I've never seen players act like this before."
What were players to ordinary people?
The days when they were revered as heroes simply for being players were long gone. From the start, players had acted more for their own gain than as heroes.
But this time, the situation was different.
"There's nothing to gain and they're risking their lives? Really?"
"What wind blew over them all?"
"I don't know what pride is……. but it looks kind of romantic?"
Above all, because I Hoyeol was there.
"Just imagine Liu Wujunchun was involved in the quest."
The reason the quest has no rewards or spoils?
All this talk of pride and whatnot, wouldn't it be natural to suspect it's a scheme to snatch the rewards and spoils for himself? It would be the same no matter who it was.
Except for one person, I Hoyeol.
Because he did not pursue wealth or honor.
Hoyeol had always shown it through his actions.
Yusra Kingdom.
Even when faced with the temptation of great evil offering the Golden Palace.
—"Are you not foolish? The moment you close your eyes, the only thing you can take with you is the pride in your chest."
Entering Frost with a straight posture when no guild dared to do so.
Whether it was a regular update or an emergency update.
Because he was Hoyeol, who had silently cleared any rift that threatened humanity.
There was no doubt.
Though there was concern.
"……
Yeah, all that's fine. I get it."
"Damn it, then what's the problem?"
"I'm asking if this holy war has any chance of winning."
That was an objective concern.
"Even if I Hoyeol, the Yusra Kingdom, Frost, Holy Land Muon, and players like us all join the holy war. The opponent is the demons who turned the entire Arcana Continent into a wasteland!"
But such concerns were merely needless fears.
In the lobby of the Magic Tower.
A message appeared before the players hesitating at the portal as well.[Quest: The Holy War That Does Not End (聖戰)]
The quest had appeared.
"……!!!"
The meaning of those words was simple.
The undisputed strongest military force in Arcana.
Because of that, not even once.
The Magic Tower, which had never shown official movement.
It meant they were participating in the holy war.
"……
Wait, if that's the case, this completely changes everything, doesn't it?!"
Possibility, chance of victory, and hope were beginning to appear.*Elder Mage Yugwid Rwipeng opened her mouth.
"We learned a painful lesson not long ago."
She smiled.
"We cannot afford to lose something precious again while bound by mere discipline, can we?"
It was a benevolent smile, but to the demons, there could be no smile more chilling than that. Yugwid's words clearly meant that the Magic Tower, the strongest military force in Arcana, was joining the holy war……!
To be honest.‘Now I can finally feel at ease.’It was true.
The mages of the Magic Tower were warriors who could fight at least a hundred each.
Even including the Arcana Continent, there would be no allies superior to the Magic Tower.
Of course, there were the dragons who had been victorious in the Dragon-Demon War, but……‘I want to avoid getting involved with them as much as possible.’Getting entangled with final content where I didn't even know if they were allies or enemies.
My level was still infinitely lacking for that.
Round Table Conference adjourned.
At the same time, the quest [Quest: The Holy War That Does Not End (聖戰)] appeared in my vision as well. It must have appeared for the other players in the Magic Tower too.‘Everyone will know.’That the Magic Tower had dipped its feet into the holy war.
Won't there be quite a few players who trust in such a Magic Tower and decide to participate?
In that sense, I immediately headed to the Yusra Kingdom.
Before the Magic Tower joined.
Because there were grateful individuals who had declared their intention to participate even after seeing a quest that looked like it had no chance of winning whatsoever.[Breaking News: Grand Alliance, "Decision to Participate to Protect Pride."]
When I first saw the breaking news.……
I wondered what was going on.
I had even seriously considered the absurd worry of whether this too was thanks to investing points into [Luck]. But what did the reason matter?‘They're reliable.’The grand alliance of Gaon, Inazuma, and Berserker!
I didn't know what had caused Gaon and Inazuma, who had been nemeses, to cooperate, but did I really need to know?
I was simply more grateful than anyone that they had joined the holy war first.
"Truly, they are ones who know pride."
And above all, since their reason was to protect pride.
It wouldn't be strange for Grangfel to be more pleased than I was.
That is why, being so grateful, a grand welcome was needed.
Of course, incorruptible and clean.
Though by my standards, even hospitality wasn't anything special.
The symbol of the Golden Palace.
The Golden Round Table.
Soon, the doors opened and familiar faces appeared.
"M-Mr. Hoyeol?! You were here?!"
"It's been a while, Lord Hoyeol. I didn't know you were here."
"……
Huk."
The wide eyes of the three people.
Was there really a reason to be so surprised?
As always, I opened my mouth calmly.
"Before we speak, shall we have a cup of tea first?"
Even if it was merely a 300-won green tea.
"……
Y-yes! Please give it! No, may I have it?! Finally!"
At Leonie's passionate response, I thought.‘As expected, there are indeed grades even among teabag green teas.’It was definitely not for nothing a five-star satisfaction green tea….
Clatter!
Without anyone going first.
The three people holding teacups flinched in surprise and coughed roughly.……
What did we just hear?