◈ Episode 203. Are You Pride Too?
The Giant Alliance.
Water and oil were, in their own way, beginning to mix.
[Wolfdog Biting a Famous Sword].
As befitted a level 650 named monster, its movements were anything but ordinary.
Rustle—
As the wolfdog wove through the forest.
Craaaack—
The ancient trees around it toppled in an instant.
Drifting—
A drone floated in the air.
Watching the course of the battle, Nam Cheolmin said,
“Smart. They’re changing the battlefield to suit their tastes, huh?”
So it hadn’t been carrying a sword in its mouth for no reason.
Like a field commander,
the wolfdog was changing the battlefield into terrain advantageous to itself and its kin.
Hisagi revealed his displeasure.
“Maybe it’s because it has wolf blood mixed in. It’s rougher than a dog should be.”
Their movements were restricted by the altered terrain.
But as stated before.
Water and oil, which had seemed as though they would never mix,
Gaon and Inazuma were slowly blending together.
Nam Taemin raised the corner of his mouth in a grin.
“You’re mistaken, mutts.”
“……?”
“Well, I guess a wolfdog wouldn’t know what true wildness is.”
A barbarian.
Nam Taemin, the Barbarian, declared to Hisagi,
“I’ll take the one with the sword in its mouth. Beasts are the sort that lose morale once you take down the leader. From then on, one at a time. Got it?”
The terrain created by the fallen giant trees was by no means easy to deal with.
No matter how agile one was, as long as one walked on two legs,
one’s movement was bound to be restricted.
But that did not apply to Nam Taemin.
[Berserk].
The moment he activated his unique skill,
as if he were running on all fours,
Nam Taemin lowered his body and shot forward.
Papapak!
Indeed, his movements were close to those of a beast retaining its wild nature.
The sheer force of it was enough to make even the wolfdogs yelp in surprise.
Hisagi muttered,
“You really are like a dog.”
It was neither an insult nor a double meaning, but his honest impression.
Because Nam Taemin really did charge toward the leader
like a hunting dog that had spotted its prey.
Hisagi did not remain still either.
Magic Lancer.
Shushushuk!
Sharp streams of magic poured from the tip of his spear.
As Hisagi’s spear cut through the air, the giant trees blocking the path split into several pieces.
Under Hisagi’s command, the players of the Giant Alliance began to surround the pack of wolfdogs.
Nam Taemin and Hisagi.
And the guild members.
Each of them would never admit it,
but.
“They’re matching each other perfectly.”
What, rivals?
If not for Mr. Hoyeol, they wouldn’t even associate with each other?
It wasn’t even funny anymore.
“If you’re going to lie, at least make it sound plausible.”
This was not a story that applied only to Nam Taemin and Hisagi.
Gaon and Inazuma.
Every guild member was making up for one another’s weaknesses.
Of course, the reason that was possible was because back when they had opposed each other as bitter enemies,
they had watched each other with burning eyes to find each other’s weaknesses. But for a third party, and a European at that, understanding Korean-Japanese sentiment was difficult.
The Berserker guild members spoke subtly.
“Sometimes we feel left out, you know, sis?”
“Crazy. What are you talking about, left out?”
“Of course, you wouldn’t feel that way, sis.”
“Hmph.”
Berserker was a class that grew stronger the lonelier it was.
It was a class whose combat power rose the lower its vitality became and the longer the battle continued. In any case, there were not many players who could match the breathing of such a berserker.
Leonie raised both hands.
“If you’re lonely, then you carry two too.”
Perhaps that was why she had been drawn to dual swords.
Soon, the Giant Alliance began to rampage in their own ways.
The one who flinched at that sight was none other than Second Sun.
An executive, Zachary, cautiously opened his mouth.
“Sh-Shraig. I think we might have come to the wrong place.”
For a moment, Shraig nearly nodded.
Second Sun had also formally participated in the holy war.
Thinking to coordinate with the Giant Alliance, who could be called their allies, they had followed behind them.
But the sight unfolding before them was far too different from what they had expected.
Zachary continued speaking again.
“Can you even call that an alliance?”
Each of their individualities was far too strong!
Second Sun.
Because they themselves were a top-ranking guild, they could tell.
There was no systematic agreement or coordination on this battlefield.
But Shraig was beginning to see it.
“……
No, perhaps that is the best way.”
Gaon, Inazuma, and Berserker.
All three were guilds with distinct characteristics even among the upper-ranking guilds.
Especially excluding Berserker of Europe.
Gaon and Inazuma were from Korea and Japan.
Were they not the two guilds that occupied overwhelming positions in their respective countries?
Since they had each taken their ranks in their own way,
their unique styles would not easily change.
“Rules within no rules, is it?”
Words like a contradiction.
Was that truly possible to realize?
It was a sight that anyone would have no choice but to doubt.
However, Shraig laughed it off.
“Well, if it’s pride, perhaps it can make that possible.”
Indeed, Shraig’s thoughts were not wrong in the slightest.
After the battle ended,
Shraig conveyed his intent to join to the guild masters of the Giant Alliance.
The discussion was swift and decisive.
“Pride?”
“Of course, pride.”
“It would not be bad to try coordinating our breathing.”
Except for one person, Leonie.
“???”
What the hell are those guys?
Is that some code only they know, or what?
Leonie was on the verge of losing her mind.
Then, a sound reached her ears.
Clop-clop!
It was the sound of Alexander’s hooves.
Neigh!
As though ignoring countless players, including Shining,
Skal, who had passed them by,
finally stopped in front of the Giant Alliance.
For a moment, Leonie was flustered.
‘What’s with him now?’
She had already been feeling dizzy from the pride question-and-answer.
And yet.
Skal, out of nowhere.
‘It’s my first time seeing him in person.’
Leonie and Berserker were players and a guild that had grown greatly only recently.
It was only natural that they had no point of contact with Skal, the rank one player who kept himself shut away.
But the other three were different.
‘Has the monster finally started moving in earnest?’
Back when Arcana was nothing more than a game.
Skal maintaining the position of the strongest?
They had considered it fully possible.
‘Whether it was thanks to his hidden class or whatever else, somehow.’
But after the Cataclysm.
Until Hoyeol appeared.
Seeing Skal never descend from the top forced the thoughts of rankers, including Nam Taemin, to change.
It was thanks to experience that had naturally accumulated.
‘There’s no changing the fact that he’s a monster.’
Rifts were places one had to risk one’s life to enter.
Even when entering with guild members one trusted more than anyone else, one could not loosen the tension in a rift. But Skal had no guild he belonged to.
And if one were to ask whether Skal had any players one could call his comrades, the answer was no to that as well.
To begin with, Skal rarely even showed himself.
And yet.
“Ahem.”
That Skal had stopped in front of them
and was clearing his throat.
He clearly had a purpose.
Of course, there was no law saying that purpose was entirely friendly.
Everyone kept their guard up
and waited for Skal’s lips to part.
“I have something I wish to ask.”
Skal continued in a more serious expression than ever.
“What, exactly, is pride?”
The moment his mouth opened, snap—
the cord of tension came undone.
Leonie clicked her tongue.
……
No, seriously, truly, even you are going on about pride?
*
“It is an obstruction to the march of pride.”
……
Do not misunderstand.
Those were not my words.
They were the nonsense Diend had spat out.
Every time Diend said something, the urge to send him right back to the Arcana Continent surged up within me. Well, even if I gave him the benefit of the doubt a hundred times, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
It really was obstructing our progress.
‘The heat is no joke.’
As befitted the dungeon name [Siren of Lava],
what awaited me was a sea of crimson lava. But what in the world did that have to do with pride?
‘Forget it. If I say anything, I’ll only tire myself out.’
Hurriedly ignoring Diend, I looked around the sea of lava.
Indeed, I finally felt that this was no ordinary cave.
It wasn’t a lake of lava.
There was a reason it had been compared to a sea.
It truly stretched beyond sight like the ocean.
“It harbors something beyond its station.”
……
At least thank you for omitting the subject, Granfell.
At the very least, I won’t look like a madman talking to a mountain range.
In any case.
It was fortunate that the timing had worked out so that I had equipped new gear.
Even without plastering it with fire affinity through enchantment, I could not feel the heat of the lava at all.
That must be the dignity of Epic-grade equipment.
Given the materials, it meant the basic defense and elemental affinity were both above a certain level.
‘By the way.’
Somehow, I don’t see a path.
But this is a dungeon, not anywhere else, so there is no need to panic.
Just like other dungeons,
there must be some mechanism hidden that will allow me to cross the sea of lava.
‘So this is why explorers are essential for dungeon raids.’
Even if I look around with my own eyes at the walls or beneath my feet, it’s not like anything will come into view…… In the end, it means I have no choice but to cross the sea of lava in my own way.
Did he notice my thoughts?
“My darkness can swallow even the fierce heat of lava, my lord.”
Diend opened his mouth first.
“You surely know better than I about plants that grow by consuming flames, my lord, do you not? If you should ever need my blessing, please tell me at any time.”
As if refusing to lose to him, Hiel continued elegantly.
Hiel, a unique spirit.
And Diend, who made even upper spirits tense.
This amount of lava could probably be made into a piece of cake.
How reassuring.
Reassuring indeed.
But putting aside how reassuring it was, guys……
When you both say things like that from either side,
my head gets a little dizzy.
‘My lord, my lord, at the end of every sentence……!’
What am I supposed to do if you start dyeing each other in each other’s colors, seriously?
‘This is why I was reluctant to summon both of them.’
Even so, the reason I summoned both Hiel and Diend was simple.
Why else? It was to become a little more familiar with spirit magic.
[Transcendent: Your transcendent realm is sufficient for you to be called a transcendent.
- Current achievements reached: Circle (all magic manifestation power increased by 1,000%) / Incomplete Swift Swordsmanship / None / None…….]
Spirit magic was also a branch of magic.
It was for the sake of properly using the manifestation power increased by the Circle.
Someone with as much academic zeal as a mage of the Magic Tower would surely ask.
The spirit’s {Nature} ability.
And 『Magic』—were they not different concepts?
A sharp question.
It was a question worthy enough that even if Granfell gave praise along with a green tea bag as a prize, it would not be lacking.
That is right. Spirit magic was, in truth, nothing more than magic that assisted a spirit’s {Nature} ability.
‘Senior Feiyan’s magic could not escape that concept either.’
It could not be helped.
Unless it was {『Oddity』}, it was a limitation of magic that could not be overcome.
But Granfell and I must take even one step further.
Because I had come to realize it.
That perhaps Oddity,
even if I completely stripped away the bubbles,
might be the one and only field in which I surpassed others.
‘As if I’d neglect that Oddity.’
Above all, it was Oddity that had even worked on the high-ranking Demon King, Gamigin. My conclusion was that, starting now, I needed to diligently polish Oddities of various concepts.
“Hiel, Diend.”
“Hiel is listening.”
“Your command, my infinitely deep darkness.”
……
What kind of answer is that long?
It feels like I’m already being drained just by their replies,
but there is no need for either of you to waste precious magic on mere lava.
“Store your strength.”
“?”
“There is no need for either of you to concern yourselves with mere lava.”
I could not speak for other players or Arcanaians,
but to me, the pioneer of Oddity, lava was nothing.
Even if it surged like an ocean, it was no problem.
And I had also wanted to check the performance of my new equipment anyway.
“……!!”
No, there’s really no need to look so moved, you know?
Amid the burdensome gazes pouring in from both sides,
I drew up my magic.
‘!’
My jacket fluttered.
The platinum embroidery rippled in response to my magic.
What I manifested was [『Oddity, Absolute Zero』].
The effect was astonishing.
While maintaining its bubbling form and glow,
the lava froze at a rapid pace.
The scenery created by absolute zero was endlessly beautiful.
I could instinctively tell.
[Aesthetic: Upper]
It seemed that Aesthetic had risen by one stage.
But this damned mouth, incapable of being honest about joy.
As always, I ended up spouting off.
“I decline excessive heat. There is no need to warm water for tea.”
Do not brag, in a situation like this, that you bought a new green tea that steeps well even in cold water, Granfell.
Enough. I forced myself to take a step……
“?”
Suddenly, a message appeared before my eyes.
[The effect of Aesthetic, which has reached Upper, is activated.]
……
Wait, an additional effect has been unlocked!