◈ Episode 281. Starting from Zero (5)
There are elements on the Arcana Continent familiar to mankind. That is because Arcana was a game developed and serviced by Cosmo, AAU’s predecessor.
Nam Cheol-min swallowed dryly. ‘Of course, now…….’ AAU itself had even begun putting forth the claim that Arcana was not merely a game, but a world that had existed from the beginning……. What was certain was that Arcana contained hints and hooks that felt pleasantly familiar.
From legendary creatures such as dragons.
To this very moment.
To the weapon in Hoyeol’s hand, displayed on the monitor.
Excalibur.
The famed sword of legend, passed down through the tale of King Arthur, said to be embedded in stone and drawn only by the chosen one. The analysts, excited, began speaking one by one.
“Th-that’s really Excalibur?”
“Why are you even asking? Can’t you tell just by looking? The commander-in-chief pulled it out with his own hand. A sword that had been stuck so firmly it looked like it had risen out of the rock—he just slid it right out! Easily!”
“More than anything, the location is unusual. The Sanctuary of the Little Champion. If it’s a place that sacred……. It makes sense that an item suspected to be Excalibur would be buried there.”
All the analysts, including Nam Cheol-min, nodded as they listened.
Had the person in question been watching, it would have been a sight that made his hands and feet curl in embarrassment.
But the person in question was beyond the screen, inside a cave, focused on discipline.
“Who was it again?”
“……?”
“The one who said that if we released it as a press statement, everything would go quiet.”
“I-I said that.”
“That was an excellent idea.”
Nam Cheol-min clenched his fist. ‘Everything depends on the commander-in-chief’s will.’ But Nam Cheol-min had already been thinking ahead.
This world needed to show the commander-in-chief a little more respect.
Wasn’t Hoyeol already receiving sufficient respect?
No, the world constantly demanded proof.
After all, humans were creatures that could never be satisfied.
The government?
—A high-ranking official: “It is regrettable that there is no sharing of information.”
—“It is certain that this could be directly connected to public safety….”
—“We should follow the example of Tianxia Tongyi….”
Instead of being grateful.
They had continuously swayed public opinion, claiming that South Korea’s players, including Hoyeol, were not sharing confidential information with the government. Each time, Nam Cheol-min had responded with a sneer. ‘It’s obvious where that information would end up.’ And wondered just how much they had eaten from Tianxia Tongyi.
Public opinion?
—Now that I hear it, that kinda sounds right???
—For real, if information were just shared, wouldn’t civilian casualties be zero?
—Honestly, I am curious what Lee Hoyeol is going around doing;;
—To put it bluntly, even when the dragons went wild…….
He was not trying to blame the public.
When biased information poured in, it was not strange for such opinions to quietly raise their heads. However, the path Hoyeol had walked was as brilliant as the sun. ‘You can’t cover the sun with the palm of your hand.’ Clumsy media play?
It could be trampled down with ease.
Why, even now, that was the case.
—No, if the Black Dark Dragon hadn’t been there, Earth would’ve been destroyed lol
—For real, he handled it cleanly, but the forced hate is crazy
—If goodwill keeps going, do they start thinking it’s their right? lol
But Nam Cheol-min knew.
Someone would tireless sink their teeth into Hoyeol again. Because he knew that fact, perhaps that was why his heart felt fuller than ever right now.
A grand picture formed in his mind. ‘Lay the groundwork with the simultaneous raid of the Zero Mountains’ caves.’ The corners of his lips rose on their own. ‘Amplify expectations with the goddess, a being comparable to the Black Dark Dragon.’ Finally, the crowning touch. ‘Deliver the decisive blow with Excalibur, drawn from the stone.’ Just imagining it was enough for a thrilling heroic epic to spring forth. Of course, whether all of this would be revealed to the world depended on Hoyeol’s intentions. But Nam Cheol-min was content either way.
“You continue to prove yourself, commander-in-chief.”
Because Hoyeol was a being who made him feel pride simply from being able to move forward together. Moreover, all of this had happened merely one hour after the raid began.
In other words, this was only the beginning.
Nam Cheol-min sharpened his focus. ‘I can’t miss a single thing.’ Every single one of Hoyeol’s actions contained meaning.
The meaning bestowed upon each and every action.
Finding all of it without omission was surely his duty.
The other analysts knew that as well.
“Whether he possessed Excalibur from the beginning or discovered it this time, we can’t know……. What matters is that he drew the sword. The vessel of a king—the title Dragon Lord was not in vain.”
“Now that you mention it, there was Dragon Lord too, wasn’t there? He has so many titles…….”
“Maybe this is him telling us to prepare ourselves. A warning in advance. You know the saying, don’t you? If you draw your sword, you should at least cut a radish.”
Thanks to that, lively opinions were exchanged among them.
“How about adding subtitle annotations during the final edit? It feels too much of a shame for only us to know the deep meaning contained in the commander-in-chief’s actions!”
Nam Cheol-min nodded.
“That isn’t a bad idea either.”
Those who possessed pride would recognize it without any explanation, but the world did not consist only of prideful people. Surely, if it were the commander-in-chief, he would show mercy even to such people.
Tat-tat-tat!
In case they forgot the meanings they had realized.
The analysts recorded them by typing.
As focused as they were, they flinched for an instant.
“……?”
A shiver—
Because, for a moment, they felt the sensation of every hair on their bodies standing on end.
Nam Cheol-min was no exception.
In Nam Cheol-min’s case, he could react even more sensitively.
“……?”
Because that unpleasant sensation was not unfamiliar.
But the fact that it was thanks to a rare “experience.”
He could not know that right away.
It could not be helped. ‘……No. This is no time to be distracted, Nam Cheol-min.’ To chase the source of that unpleasantness.
The Zero Mountains were vast.
And the weight he bore as an analyst was heavy.
*
Tianxia Tongyi.
Zero Mountains, District 7, assembly point.
A red flag marked with seven (七)
fluttered in the wind.
A huge man and a man of below-average height.
The two exchanged words in low whispers.
“It’s the same on the continent and here.”
“What do you mean?”
“The ones with nothing to them are always louder. Ptui!”
Rockid slightly lifted his mask and spat. It was not a crow mask. It was one of the masks used by Tianxia Tongyi’s self-proclaimed Five Stars to hide their faces.
“Hahaha! What can you do about one’s true nature?”
“True nature?”
“Humans are beasts in the end, are they not? Have you ever seen a beast of prey hunt in a pack? The weaker the animal, the more natural it is for them to gather together!”
“Ahh, so that’s why I go around alone.”
“Hahaha! As expected, there’s something about you that matches me.”
The one jovially going along with Rockid was the 3rd Seat, Henderson.
The two men had infiltrated Tianxia Tongyi’s assembly point for a purpose, so they had to proceed with utmost caution. For that, weren’t they a combination that stood out quite a lot just from appearance alone?
There was no room to refute it.
A place far away from the assembly point.
Eyes turned completely white.
“Vice-captain. Um……. Did it really have to be those two?”
The 8th Seat, Nadivo.
His ability was 『Sense Sharing』.
Nadivo shared the senses of Henderson and Rockid with every member of the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
Instead of an answer to Nadivo’s question, a sigh flowed out.
“I knew they’d be like that. Those idiots! How is that infiltration? More importantly, Rockid, why did that crazy bastard pick a mask that doesn’t suit him at all?!”
Not a pig, not a wolf, but a rabbit mask!
“It’s a good thing Isabelmaul originally spared the rabbit.”
If not, their hideous appearance would have immediately drawn suspicion, and the infiltration, the plan, everything would have gone awry. As if that weren’t enough, had they boiled and eaten mandragora or something?
“Why are both their voices so loud……!!”
The 5th Seat, Herkiora, clutched his head.
“……Still, they must have thought it through, right?”
The 4th Seat, Pimbi, asked with a face full of worry.
“What are you all fretting over so much?”
Alkari chuckled.
The captain, Kitch, had moments when she could not be trusted.
But the vice-captain, Wolf, was different.
He was a man far more capable than he appeared.
“Relax. It’s all according to plan.”
Wolf observed the senses being transmitted by Nadivo.
The leader of defeated soldiers.
Even a dishonorable past proved useful at times like this.
A familiar sight and smell.
See one thing, and you could know ten.
That meant Tianxia Tongyi’s abnormal governing structure inevitably provoked competition among its members. So at this moment, Tianxia Tongyi’s assembly point was no different from a battlefield.
Henderson and Rockid.
Why had he paired those two together?
The reason was simple.
“Because the two of them shine on the battlefield.”
Aside from himself, Henderson and Rockid were the members most accustomed to battlefields. That meant they could quickly read the mood of a battlefield. The atmosphere they had read came through Nadivo.
“It feels like the calm before the storm…….”
Everyone nodded at Pimbi’s words.
“Hmm. Let’s see, it’s like a flask about to explode at any moment.”
Alkari’s comparison was accurate.
“It doesn’t matter who went in. In truth, even if we hadn’t gone in, the result would have been the same. In the end, bloodshed will break out at the assembly point.”
“Bloodshed……? You mean they’ll spill blood?”
“Even so, they’re allies, aren’t they? Even if we stirred up discord like true professionals. Would those things really turn their blades on each other as easily as flipping their hands?”
Wolf answered Pimbi and Herkiora’s doubts.
“Because that is the only possible outcome of their structure.”
“The only possible outcome of their structure?”
“The group known as Tianxia Tongyi.”
A gathering of members united for mutual benefit was called an organization.
In that sense, Tianxia Tongyi was異質.
It did not act for the sake of its members.
Only one person.
Its monarch, Liuo Junchun—they thought and moved only for him.
“In truth, that is what a monarch of the Arcana Continent is.”
A being who could turn even the irrational into the rational.
That was why they were dangerous.
However, that was limited to the monarch.
The loyalty of the members was directed only toward the monarch.
Not toward the organization or other members.
Alkari added to Wolf’s words.
“It means that even if that brat monarch were still in good condition, Tianxia Tongyi was festering to the point where it was time to burst. All we did was lightly touch the pus that would have burst someday anyway. Heh heh.”
The sight of them readily pointing blades at one another was proof.
At Alkari’s words, the members seemed to finally understand.
Wolf reaffirmed the plan.
“The more the discord spreads, the more the higher-ups will start intervening. I don’t know when our cold-hearted monarch of Tianxia Tongyi will reveal himself…….”
But he would appear soon enough.
Even if Liuo Junchun would not budge before any threat.
If his own life were at stake, he would have no choice but to hand over the connector.
“Until then, it’s actually better if we make a noisy mess.”
In that regard, Henderson and Rockid were perfect.
“Well, they sure are incredibly noisy, those two.”
With Herkiora’s grumbling, the conversation came to an end for now.
With that, the members’ doubts disappeared.
All they had to do was watch the situation.
Yet Wolf had felt something off even before the plan began. ‘Did he really not know?’ Liuo Junchun.
Would a monarch of that level truly not know that his own group was rotting away? No, this went beyond ignorance and was at the level of encouraging internal strife. It meant the structural weakness was so plainly visible that it felt unnatural.
But Wolf soon shook his head. ‘There’s no reason he’d do that knowingly.’ The number of monarchs whose lives he had taken with his own hands exceeded ten.
Thanks to that, Wolf knew monarchs well.
A monarch’s power was proportional to their group.
If the group became powerless, the monarch became powerless as well.
There was no reason for a monarch to make his own group fester.
As Alkari had said, Liuo Junchun likely just had an inexperienced side.
Because he was not a monarch of the Arcana Continent, but an adventurer.
Wolf shook his head. ‘You’ve lost focus, Wolf Saccharin.’
Kitch had disappeared.
And now that he had taken over the captain’s seat.
Perhaps he was paying excessive attention even to small things. ‘Everything is going according to plan.’ He admonished himself and watched the situation.
Then.
In Henderson and Rockid’s field of vision, he found a being that caught his eye.
“……?”
It was a man whose appearance did not match the heavily armed adventurers of Tianxia Tongyi. If one had to name the most prominent feature of his appearance…….
“Who is that?”
The man had no right arm.
...
Demons feed on negative emotions and grow.
That is the essence of demons.
And even great evils are no exception.
However, even a great evil cannot escape the relationship between natural enemies.
No—rather, because it is a great evil.
It cannot hide from its natural enemy, even in the vast Zero Mountains.
To the point that its stench can be smelled even deep within a cave.
Natural enemy.
Demon hunter.
A message appeared in Hoyeol’s vision.
[Skill, ‘Natural Enemy Relationship,’ has activated.]
A cold voice rang out.
“You have dared to show yourself before me again.”
“Wait there for your disposal, Demon of Question Marks (???).”