◈ Episode 15. When Whales Fight, Another Whale Joins (3)
In the world of Arcana, there are countless gods.
And there are religions that worship those gods.
Where there are gods, there are also demons who oppose them.
Within those religions, there existed priests who fought against demons. ‘They called them exorcist priests, right.’ Of course, it wasn’t as if I had enough interest in the world of Arcana to dig into religions or other classes.
It was merely a forgotten memory surfacing. Just like everything else, this was a part I had heard to death while carrying out Demon Hunter quests.
—The exorcist priests’ rites of exorcism merely drive demons out. They cannot be a fundamental solution. We are different from them. We tear demons apart and kill them.…
No, I’m telling you, back then it really did sound cool.
—When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you? Even if we fall into evil and become demons ourselves, we simply hunt demons. Because that is the path of the Demon Hunter.
But looking at it now that I was older, there was no hellhole quite like this.
Forget labor laws.
This was a workplace that had thrown human rights to the dogs from the start, wasn’t it? ‘And to a middle schooler, a teenager who didn’t know anything, no less.’
Good riddance, Akshan!
I briefly tried to shift the blame for my dark history onto someone else.
—The place where that difference is revealed most clearly is the exorcism ritual.
[Exorcism Ritual].
Along with the Natural Enemy Relationship, it was one of only two unique skills Demon Hunters possessed.
I opened my skill window and checked the difference.───────Exorcism Ritual: Invite a demon into the ritual.───────Since becoming a player, I had used it only once.
You know, during the battle against the imp that possessed Nam Cheolmin.
Its effect had been half-baked.
No, it had been worse than that. ‘Only the most basic effect had activated.’
Not an effect that damaged the possessed person.
But an effect that directly damaged the demon possessing them.
That couldn’t be helped.
I hadn’t had the offering needed for the Exorcism Ritual.
—The Demon Hunter’s Exorcism Ritual differs from the offering itself. Other religions require pure, untainted offerings in order to borrow the power of their gods, but…
To begin with, Demon Hunters did not worship anything like gods.
If gods truly existed,
then things like demons would not exist in the world.
That was what Demon Hunters believed.
—Remember this. Our offering is anything in which evil resides.
Yes, anything in which evil resides.
While carrying out quests in the past and activating the Exorcism Ritual, I had seen what that offering was.
That item was none other than a demon item.
It was this thing that players regarded as a simple gacha item.
I looked at the necklace.
As I stared at it, well, the human heart was funny like that. ‘…I kind of want to draw it too.’
You know that feeling, right?
For no reason, you feel like you might hit the jackpot.
Above all, it was a necklace, an accessory.
For starters, it was confirmed to be a rare-grade item. If it had even one option related to mana regeneration… perhaps I could worry even a little less about mana efficiency. That sort of greed.
However, regardless of whether it was a dud or a win,
I knew that this was a pointless expectation. 『To Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo, wealth was but fleeting.』I knew very well that there was no way I could do such a thing.
Through experience, no less.
Furthermore, I had also learned that demon items were offerings for the Exorcism Ritual. 『No temptation, deception, or trial of any demon could so much as scratch Grandfell’s lofty pride.』“This too is a trivial temptation.”
Saying that, I gave up my lingering attachment to it.
Yet I felt no regret.
Even setting aside Grandfell’s lofty personality, now that I thought about it… this wasn’t something to regret. ‘…Wait, if it’s an Exorcism Ritual that uses an offering.’
Wouldn’t the effects of the Exorcism Ritual be properly displayed as well?
I recalled the effects of the Exorcism Ritual I had seen in past quests. ‘…If those effects carried over as well.’
…
This might be possible, no?
Of course, I didn’t mean that I could hunt down Count Ascura.
I was only level 91. Thinking I could defeat a level 430 monster would be arrogance. What I thought might be possible was none other than the quest.─Hunt the vampire. (In progress) ▲●Announce that the hunt has begun. (Success)●Make it feel the fear of being hunted. (In progress)
A class quest, not an ordinary quest.
Not hunting it.
But making it feel the fear of being hunted—wouldn’t that much be possible?
In any case, I would know once I tried.
Click—
Whatever the reason, perhaps because I had overcome a demon’s temptation,
I walked forward with an even more confident stride.
Then my steps came to a stop.…
Why are there so many of them?*I had sensed something was off from the moment we entered the main road.
Before it became ruins, it must have been a bustling district.
But on that vast street, not a single shadow could be seen. ‘Something’s not right.’
Nam Taemin’s intuition warned him.
Wasn’t the current situation strange?
Yes, judging coolly, it was unnatural. ‘There are too few of them.’
[Count’s Territory].
Since entering the rift, the number of monsters they had dealt with hadn’t even reached ten.
Had Inazuma taken them all? Unfortunately, the situation on their side probably wasn’t much different.
“I scouted ahead, and it’s the same over there.”
Stealth deactivated.
A guild member who revealed herself reported to Nam Taemin.
“Looking at the terrain, every road leads to the central plaza. If we keep going like this, we’ll run into Inazuma’s side at the plaza. So I’ll rejoin you.”
Indeed, it was just as she said.
When they entered the central plaza, the Inazuma bastards came into view.
Hisagi looked this way and spoke.
“Well, this is peaceful enough to make all that resolve feel meaningless. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Hisagi Kazuma.
If there were such a thing as a snake-man in the world, he would look exactly like that. That was how much he resembled a snake.
The way he smiled looked just like a snake flicking its tongue.
Nam Taemin frowned.
“I don’t think we’re on terms where we exchange greetings.”
“Now, don’t say such hurtful things.”
“Cut the bullshit there. I’m sick of it now. You, and Inazuma too.”
Nam Taemin did not like Hisagi.
When he had lost to him, and when he had beaten him.
Hisagi had always been smiling. As creepily as he was now.
But that too was in the past.
Now, neither he nor Gaon
had any reason to feel inferior to Hisagi and Inazuma anymore.
“Sick of it, you say. Koreans are far too direct. You wound me. Enough to make me want to return this pain to you.”
Nam Taemin gave a snort of laughter.
“Yeah. If you have the ability to return it, go right ahead.”
At that provocation, Inazuma’s guild members flared up.
“That bastard, seriously…!”
At that moment, a voice sounded in Nam Taemin’s ear.
Konoyaro, bakayaro.
The voices were so loud for people merely getting worked up.
When he turned up the volume on his earphones, Nam Cheolmin’s voice came through.
—Ah, can you hear me now?
“I hear you fine. I turned up the volume.”
—I’m glad you can hear me. But did you really have to say that just now?
“Hyung, in a rift, there’s such a thing as momentum. You can’t let yourself get pushed back.”
—Really? If you say so, then I guess that’s how it is…
Nam Cheolmin added.
—For now, I think it’d be better to get along.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
—I got information from Shining and Cheonhatongil’s side.
“…What? Those guys are progressing faster than us?”
—Well, it can’t be helped. Unlike us, who’re weighing what needs to be weighed, they’re in the middle of a chicken game driven by emotion. Anyway, thanks to that, I figured out the pattern.
He had figured out the pattern.
At those words, one burden lifted from his shoulders.
“Really? Putting you in as an analyst was worth it, hyung.”
—It’s a little tricky to explain in words. I’ll talk while watching the broadcast feed. But where are you right now? I can’t see anything around you. I haven’t seen any trees for a while either.
“Here? Looks like a plaza. A bunch of branching paths all lead here.” —…What?
At that, Nam Cheolmin spoke urgently.
—Get out of the plaza right now. Hurry!
“…!”
He didn’t know the reason immediately.
But if Nam Cheolmin said so, following his words was the best choice.
However, perhaps because of the standoff with Hisagi.
Damn it, they were one beat too late.
Dududududu—!
The sound of horse hooves shook the plaza.
Everyone flinched at that thunderous roar.
“…What is this?”
“W-wait! The ground is shaking?!”
“Enemies are coming! Locate them!”
Shing—
Nam Taemin quickly took a combat stance.
His class was Savage Warrior, Barbarian.
He raised a greatsword larger than most adult men.
—Damn it, can’t be helped. We’ll have to endure the first collision.
“These are knights, right?”
—Right. Level 350. Count Ascura’s knights.
Dudududu—!
So they really were knights.
To think they appeared on horseback.
Their level was one thing, but the fact that they were cavalry was an even bigger problem.
Nam Cheolmin knew that too.
—Even if you put the tanks up front, they’ll take fatal injuries. Even Cheonhatongil’s tank line couldn’t completely stop the charge. That’s why you needed to face them in as narrow a place as possible, but…
He was right.
In a wide-open space like this, the destructive power of cavalry was doubled.
There was another problem too.
“…Master!”
“Talk. I’m listening.”
“This is a three-direction attack! Aside from the south, where we came from, cavalry are charging in from three directions!!”
Three directions.
At this rate, it would be difficult even to put up a front line prepared to take losses.
But Inazuma was in the same situation.
Hisagi said to Nam Taemin,
“I’m not fond of it, but there’s no choice. I’ll entrust my back to you.”…
Entrust your back?
This shameless bastard.
Nam Taemin wanted to snap back, but Nam Cheolmin stopped him.
—I understand how you feel, but there’s no choice. For now, you have to leave your backs to each other. If we take the east and Inazuma takes the west, what’s left is the north? Damn it. We need to avoid a melee…
Yes, they had to avoid a melee if possible.
Ranked 11th among players.
Nam Taemin’s level was 368, higher than Count Ascura’s knights, but there were far more guild members who were not. If it turned into a chaotic melee, that gap was sure to lead to heavy casualties.
“…It’s my mistake.”
Something was wrong.
When his intuition had warned him,
he shouldn’t have naively entered the plaza.
No, if only he hadn’t gotten into that pointless standoff with Hisagi…
But there was no use crying over spilled milk.
“I’ll take the north.”
At that, Nam Taemin’s eyes began to burn.
More intensely, more savagely.
The Barbarian’s unique skill had activated.───────Berserk: Attack power greatly increases, and you become insensitive to damage.───────—…Are you crazy? You’re going to take the north alone?
It was madness.
But one had to take responsibility for one’s mistakes.
Just as Nam Taemin was steeling himself with grim resolve,
Count Ascura’s knights finally revealed themselves.
Dududududu—!
Cavalry came rushing in from three directions.
Their majesty was truly eerie.
Eyes as red as blood.
As though expressing their thirst for blood,
they breathed roughly.
If not for Berserk, he surely would have been cowed.
But he was prepared.
It was the moment he gripped his greatsword tightly.
“?!”
Kugugugung—!
A thunderous roar!
It was different from the sound of horse hooves.
If the horse hooves had made the ground tremble,
this had the force of overturning the earth itself.
“…This?”
This roar—he had definitely heard it before.
Nam Taemin and Hisagi.
The two men froze at the same time.
In the next instant, their hesitation turned to shock.
“!!”
The trembling ground began to rise.
Like an enormous fortress wall.
The stone wall, which had soared up to a dizzying height before they knew it,
completely repelled the knights’ charge.
“W-what the hell is this all of a sudden?”
“…Gaon has a player who can use magic like this?”
“Don’t tell me this is Inazuma’s doing?”
Amid the commotion,
click—
suddenly, the clear sound of dress shoes rang through the plaza.
Without realizing it, Nam Taemin turned his head toward the sound.
There stood a man wearing an ink-black long coat.
Then,
Nam Cheolmin’s voice, more flustered than ever before, sounded in his ear. —…W-wait! That face…? It’s him. What is this? D-don’t tell me he’s the one who summoned that stone wall?! No, hold on. Is that even possible? No, that makes no sense?!*I had raised a wall.
Calling it simple 『magic』 would make me feel slighted.
Not only had I considered the efficiency of mana, ‘It is what you would call the law of action and reaction.’
but I had also desperately gathered even the basic knowledge of physics I had learned in my school days
and used it as the foundation to raise this rampart.
Yes, as you can see, I was giving it my all at every moment.
To keep from sinking.
I was flailing with all my might.[‘Stun’ occurs on Count Ascura’s Knight.][‘Stun’ occurs on Count Ascura’s Knight.][‘Stun’ occurs on Count Ascura’s Knight.]…