◈ Episode 273. That Is Me (1)
It was so obvious that saying it almost made my mouth hurt.
The excuse that I hadn’t had a single moment’s rest on the Arcana Continent wouldn’t fly. To begin with, why had I so firmly nailed down the rule that the time I spent on the Arcana Continent would be limited to one day?
Thud—the scene that came into view as I shut the door.
Atop the office desk.
Work piled high after just a single day.
That was right.
The day I returned to reality after fifteen days.
I had realized anew just how many burdens I carried.
Had I not once been a working adult living alone?
Back then, whenever I saw people who didn’t put off housework,
I would click my tongue and wonder if they were even human.
Scratch, scratch.
And yet, the moment I returned to reality, here I was moving a quill pen.
I was probably several steps worse than those people……
Of course, I couldn’t keep whining forever.
“At least it’s a relief that it doesn’t strain my body.”
Players are called superhumans.
Simply having their stats rise grants them physical abilities incomparable to ordinary people. On top of that, I even had the effect of [Blessing of the First World Tree].
“It even ignores aging, so mere fatigue?”
Thanks to that, with posture this upright,
I could process my work.
And it wasn’t only my body that was fine. My mental strength was the same.
“It’s also fortunate that my efficiency hasn’t dropped.”
If it had been my concentration, that of me, Lee Hoyeol?
I wouldn’t have been able to clear the backlog at this speed.
Thanks to that, just as Granfell emptied the green tea in his teacup,
the documents on the desk disappeared one by one.
“By the way……”
Now that I had caught my breath in reality,
my thoughts turned to the Arcana Continent.
Time flowed four times faster there than in reality.
By the next time I entered, it might have changed noticeably.
“The Empire will manage on its own.”
To say it again out of needless worry, I had nothing more to concern myself with.
If only to keep myself from sinking under the weight of my own meddling.
The Emperor had to rule the Empire as an emperor should.
We had only exchanged a brief conversation, but even so, the Emperor seemed to possess at least that much qualification.
“An emperor. He was one who knew pride.”
In Granfell-speak, that meant he had shown the sprout of pride.
In that sense, the only things I needed to think about regarding the Empire were……
The contribution points I had accumulated. And the Quernberg Machine Tower.
“……
Now that I think of it, that’s a shame too.”
Swoosh—I shifted my gaze to the jacket draped over my shoulder.
That’s right. My level was still lacking.
I hadn’t shown it,
but this was something that had gone against my expectations.
A byproduct of the Primordial Evil.
It was regrettable that the lump hadn’t spit out even a little experience, but I hadn’t defeated the main body. I could call it stingy, but I couldn’t exactly feel completely wronged either.
Besides, up until then, I had something to rely on.
The dependable savings account called the Quernberg Machine Tower!
But the root of the problem was the new information I had heard through Chainwalker.
Hiel had said this.
—“Just as adventurers grow stronger by accumulating experience in battle, the leader of the dwarves, Chainwalker, has conveyed that the same is true for the Quernberg Machine Tower.”
The accumulated experience and fame wouldn’t have gone anywhere.
As I said, even if I stuck in a straw and sucked,
the current Empire wouldn’t produce a single drop.
And if I collected the experience and fame from the Quernberg Machine Tower,
which I had set up as a sentry for that very Empire?
The Empire’s military strength would fall greatly.
“So this is how I end up keeping the words I spoke.”
Whether it knew my feelings or not, my mouth spoke again.
“To fulfill the pride of Akshan until the moment it stops.”
In any case, since things had gone against my expectations,
I had to do my best on this side as well.
[Appropriate Level: Not recommended for anyone.]
As long as the Zero Mountains existed,
I didn’t have to worry about experience as long as I made the effort.
In the end.
“It means I just have to do well again this time.”
Rumble.
Once I finished thinking, I immediately manifested a portal.
The burdens I carried were not piled up only in the Magic Tower.
Moreover, today was the day of the Crusade Alliance Army meeting.
“Only one day.”
I wondered just how much could have happened in reality,
but skipping procedure was unthinkable for me.
I headed beyond the portal to the Yusra Kingdom....
However, something had happened.
Unification Under Heaven.
Can’t you guys live up to your name even a little……?
I recited.
“So they have revealed the exact opposite intent.”
They would seize connectors by any means necessary?
That was practically walking straight into Raymon Sean’s scheme.
It wasn’t an incomprehensible judgment.
For some time now,
Unification Under Heaven had overtaken Shining and was defending first place in the guild rankings.
“They must be saying they won’t let their abilities go to waste.”
In other words, it meant they had confidence.
But even if I understood it,
that by no means meant I would tolerate their actions.
After all.
“Then I have no choice but to personally break that intent.”
Raymon Sean was no different from a demon.
Both I and Granfell had already come to that conclusion.
At my declaration, those gathered nodded.
Had there been a collision in the Zero Mountains?
The players, including Nam Taemin, nodded vigorously.
Hisagi opened his mouth in a grave voice.
“I was already thinking that Unification Under Heaven’s actions had crossed the line. Beyond business ethics, they can no longer be seen as a mere group of players or a guild. They are one body with a nation.”
The way his narrowed eyes flashed fiercely suggested he had quite a lot built up since Inazuma. Hisagi wasn’t the only one showing an unusual reaction. Nam Taemin, Leonie, and Schreig each added a word as well.
However, Nam Taemin added,
“……
But the cause of every conflict is probably Liu Zunqun. I once ran into a member of Unification Under Heaven by chance. The players there didn’t seem to be following Liu Zunqun because they liked him.”
Hakuna, the king of Yusra, flared up at that news.
“That man has no qualification to be a leader!”
Liu Zunqun’s arbitrary actions had long been notorious.
Still, there had to be a reason why the guild members couldn’t resist him.
Starting with Liu Zunqun’s rare class,
[Monarch],
and even the unavoidable homeland called China.
“The web of interests that outsiders can’t know about is complicatedly intertwined.”
Until now, I had no reason to pay attention.
But from this moment onward.
Since we had formed an antagonistic relationship with Unification Under Heaven,
I needed to know how Unification Under Heaven operated.
If you thought about it, it was unfair, wasn’t it?
Unlike me, whose every move was being revealed to the world,
I knew very little about their side.
Even so, I spoke calmly.
“If it is the Zero Mountains, I should be able to encounter them.”
If it was Unification Under Heaven, they wouldn’t neglect leveling up even while searching for connectors.
If I operated in the Zero Mountains in order to put my arms through this fluttering jacket, wouldn’t I naturally run into Unification Under Heaven as well? That was what I thought.
“……!”
At my words that I would visit the Zero Mountains, the faces of Nam Taemin and the others brightened abruptly. I wondered if they were simply happy, but it seemed there was another reason……
Harkon immediately opened his mouth.
“I was going to inform you of this anyway, Sir. While you were diligently traversing the Arcana Continent, the adventurers also fought hard in the Zero Mountains and achieved results.”
The position of commander-in-chief.
Because of that, Harkon had said he would use honorific speech in public settings…… Still, hearing polite speech from Harkon felt unfamiliar. Of course, I didn’t show it and accepted the parchment Harkon handed me.
Written on the parchment were those results.
Taking others’ hardships lightly was not prideful.
After slowly reading through the parchment, I opened my mouth.
“Indeed, to say they fought hard is no exaggeration.”
How many were there?
The hundred thousand caves existing in the Zero Mountains.
[Dungeon], [Labyrinth], [Battlefield], and so on……
Not only their types,
but even their number was difficult to count on one’s fingers.
Information on countless caves was densely written across the parchment.
The Lionheart Knights had been operating in the Zero Mountains alongside the players. Thanks to that, Harkon seemed to know why the players had hesitated.
“Most of these are caves discovered during the fifteen days when the commander-in-chief was absent. There is one reason they could not be reported quickly. The adventurers were concerned that they might steal your time, commander-in-chief.”
I swallowed a sigh of relief inwardly.
“How long has it been since this happened?”
Since goodwill toward me had worked in the correct direction. If not for the consideration Harkon mentioned, this damned pride would probably have been delighted to add the conquest of the hundred thousand caves to my daily schedule immediately.
“I nearly ended up suffering even more than I already do.”
But thanks to their consideration, I could now move efficiently.
It wasn’t killing two birds with one stone, but three birds with one stone.
I opened my mouth in a generous voice.
“There is no need for you to worry about me.”
What was with these damned formalities? I couldn’t be honest.
“However, just this once, I shall gladly accept your goodwill.”
See? It made me add words I didn’t even need to say.
They could have thought I was insufferable,
but fortunately, they seemed simply pleased.
“Well, considering the level of the Zero Mountains, that’s understandable.”
I looked again at the appropriate levels written on the parchment.
──────
[Appropriate Level: Lv.800]
[Appropriate Level: Lv.850]
[Appropriate Level: Lv.750]
…….
──────
Every single one of them was a cave at a level current players alone could not conquer. However, they must have thought that if I joined them, they could conquer them smoothly.
“I really do need to clear away this bubble someday……”
Seeing the way legends spread across the Arcana Continent had made me feel it keenly.
That it was right to correct unnecessary misunderstandings as quickly as possible.
Because no one knew in what form they might come back around.
[Level: 681]
Including the stats I had gained through grinding class quests,
if you looked only at the total, I possessed strength above my level.
But as expected, the problem was my screw-loose class, Demon Hunter.
Of course, considering the tricks I had accumulated so far and the newly acquired [Legend] and [class-exclusive skill]……
I might be able to clear something around appropriate level 800 even on my own.
“But I don’t want to use them if possible.”
Even setting aside the fact that the pride of a Demon Hunter would not allow me to summon Tempest, Akshan’s guardian spirit, before ordinary monsters rather than demons.
“The Black Dragon of Darkness absolutely cannot be used……”
More than anything, I needed to suffer.
If I suddenly said I needed to suffer, you might ask what I was talking about.
What I meant was that I had been freeloading far too much until now.
“From now on, I need fundamental skill.”
It wasn’t that I wouldn’t use tricks.
Only by adding tricks on top of basic skill
could even those tricks be used like trump cards.
“Then there is no reason to delay.”
In any case, rest did not exist in my fate.
Heading straight to the Zero Mountains wouldn’t be bad either.
It was just as I was about to wrap up the Crusade Alliance Army meeting.
“Wait, Hoyeol-ssi…… No, commander-in-chief!”
Nam Taemin opened his mouth.
It seemed he still had something left to say.
There was no particular reason not to listen.
When I nodded, Nam Taemin continued.
But then.
A word I had never imagined came out of his mouth.
“May we hear the story about the Black Dragon of Darkness!”
……
The Black Dragon of Darkness?
For a moment, dizziness struck me.
But I didn’t show it and pulled myself together.
He might simply be curious about the Black Dragon of Darkness, right?
This was different from the Arcana Continent.
In reality, the fact that I was the Black Dragon of Darkness had not spread.
“That’s right, Hoyeol. There’s no need to flinch because you feel guilty for no reason.”
Just as I was shamelessly calming my mind,
even more unbelievable words followed.
This time, from Hisagi’s mouth.
“To think the commander-in-chief was the Black Dragon of Darkness. In my foolishness, I never even imagined it.”
……
What the hell?!
H-How do you know that?
No, more importantly, why is no one surprised……?!
The players.
No, even the Arcanians.
Everyone here.
No one was surprised to hear that I was the Black Dragon of Darkness.
Only at that moment did I belatedly realize it.
Bzzzzzt—
The smartphone that had been vibrating noisily in my inner pocket for a while.
[Missed Call: My Nemesis]
It seemed that everyone in reality had found out.
That I
was the one the dragons had wailed about so desperately.
The Black Dragon of Darkness……!!