◈ Episode 282. You Are Not Special (1)
As if taking a deep breath.
Magic, Sword Aura, [Tenacity]
I focused in order to handle them naturally.
He was a suitable opponent for that practice.
‘Level 820.’
And a named monster at that.
He was an opponent who made me feel tense, since I couldn’t afford to let my guard down completely.
Practicing against a monster like that.
I really had lost my mind.
But what could I do?
The daily training quests that pushed my limits.
Excalibur, swung with [Tenacity] added to it...
No, even the sword manifested from stone.
This was the conclusion I had reached, and the path I had to walk.
Even so, that series of hardships became the basis of my confidence.
Along with that, the knowledge I had accumulated as the Magic Tower’s chief also counted as a basis, if one could call it that.
‘It would hurt my feelings if you thought its power was lacking.’
Magic tools crafted solely through magic existed even in the Magic Tower.
After all, such magic tools were what the School of Enchantment mainly dealt with.
Their performance?
‘They may not hit the jackpot, but a minimum standard is guaranteed.’
There was no reason for impurities or obstructive elements to be mixed in during the refining process.
To put it in terms of the Arcana system...
They would be classified as items of at least [Rare] grade and at most [Unique] grade.
The problem was that their efficiency was severely poor.
‘The School of Enchantment is in charge of the Magic Tower’s deficit, after all.’
Refining a magic tool with pure mana was, in essence, creating something from nothing through magic. However, as long as [The First World Tree’s Blessing]
existed.
Wasn’t I someone who could worry less about mana?
Swoosh—
The power of the sword created through pure magic was neither excessive like Gwicheol’s,
nor was it ordinary.
Yes, it meant it was more than suitable as a switch.
[“Confusion” occurs in the Champion Challenger Giant Rat.]
“Stand straight.”
“...!”
“Did I not tell you? My teachings would be strict.”
“Squeak squeak!!”
Whoosh!
Indeed, had the grit that challenged a champion gone nowhere?
Even under my ice-cold scolding, it quickly came to its senses.
It charged forward, baring its huge teeth.
‘Whether with magic or swordsmanship, I can easily parry it.’
However, what mattered was the flowing operation of magic, Sword Aura, and [Tenacity].
[Tenacity is converted into mana.]
I immediately converted [Tenacity]
and manifested magic.
The magic I intended to manifest was the all-too-familiar construction magic.
Cumbersome processes were boldly omitted in this special lecture.
Boom!
At last, a rock wall surged upward.
Because I had completely omitted the search and interference processes, even the act of it rising could not be seen. I wasn’t praising myself. The players’ reactions were proof.
“A-a wall appeared in midair?!”
“What is that? I-I’ve never seen anything like that even in the Magic Tower...?”
“You have taken another step forward, Commander-in-Chief.”
Among them, Hisagi, speaking meaningfully with narrowed snake-like eyes, was especially burdensome... However, as expected, I could not show it. Besides, as someone who valued procedure, could I divert my attention in front of the subject of discipline?
“If you cannot focus on your discipline, I shall make you.”
The one who had been unable to focus was me.
As expected, the words I spat out were shameless.
The giant rat tilted its head as if dumbfounded.
...
Squeak?
But soon, the rock walls that rose from all sides completely surrounded it.
Boom, boom!!
At the sudden restraint, it slammed its massive body into the rock wall.
However, this was a wall built by me,
Lee Hoyeol, who could be called the founder of construction magic.
“Noise is forbidden. If this is how it will be, there is no helping it.”
Crack!
Even if it cracked.
Sssss—
This time, I could just restore it with 『Reversal Magic』, which I truly had created.
So accept your fate.
Pitiful little beast of the mountains.
“From this moment on, I shall increase the intensity of corporal punishment.”
Magic, Sword Aura, Tenacity.
The path toward a trinity disguised as discipline.
In other words, cooperate obediently with that progress.
...
Squeak—
With a single cry, the giant rats collapsed.
[Your level has increased.]
Leaving the blinking message behind, Hisagi surveyed the state of the battle.
With the goddess’s appearance, the atmosphere had completely reversed.
What had played the greatest role above all was [The First World Tree’s Blessing].
Its effect was as tremendous as expected.
“The wounded?”
At Hisagi’s question, a resounding answer immediately returned.
“Everyone is safe!”
To fight a life-or-death battle against level 800 monsters and suffer no damage at all.
It was an achievement that could not be put into words.
Hisagi continued proudly.
“It must be because the Goddess of Victory was with us.”
“...?”
...
Had a modifier somehow been attached before “goddess”?
Tomoyo, who had been catching her breath, flinched, but only for an instant.
The battle had come to an end.
The players’ gazes naturally shifted toward Hoyeol.
‘Even so, this is not easy.’
Beyond imagination.
The Hundred Thousand Caves of the Zero Mountains were formidable.
Should one use dungeons or labyrinths as an example?
Normally, the number of named monsters did not exceed five, with one boss.
‘That was why demon kings were special.’
The named monsters commanded by a demon king.
The number of demon corps commanders usually started from ten on average.
But in the Zero Mountains, the common sense they had known until now did not apply.
“This makes the tenth one...!!”
They were only at the entrance.
This was a sanctuary whose end they did not even know. Yet the number of named monsters that had appeared at the mouth of the entrance had already reached the point where they could no longer be counted on one hand.
Hisagi narrowed his eyes and assessed their forces.
‘The reason we were able to survive.’
As mentioned, it was because of the effect of [The First World Tree’s Blessing].
And because the giant rats they had faced were ordinary monsters.
Because they had simple patterns.
It meant they could get the hang of it and deal with them skillfully.
Tomoyo spoke in a low voice.
“If the Commander-in-Chief had not been here...”
“Blessing or not, we would not have been able to respond.”
“That would have been the case, wouldn’t it?”
Even from their movements, they were clearly different.
There was nothing that could really be called a pattern.
Those [Champion Challenger Giant Rats]
rushed at Hoyeol.
Though it went without saying.
Hoyeol did not allow even a single effective hit.
Hisagi smiled faintly.
‘I am ashamed to the point I have no excuse.’
Hoyeol’s consideration could be felt on his skin.
No matter how much this was a cave in the Zero Mountains,
to the Commander-in-Chief, who was both Dragon Lord and Dark Dragon, it was surely nothing more than a trivial hunting ground. No, considering Hoyeol’s level, which he could not dare to guess, perhaps it could not even be called a hunting ground.
‘Even if they are level 820 named monsters.’
Considering the experience points Hoyeol required.
Even if he hunted thousands of them, it would amount to nothing more than a negligible number.
In that sense, it could have been a meaningless waste of time.
‘And yet he grants his precious time solely for our sake.’
Your pride remains endlessly profound.
Once he realized that fact,
Hisagi had no leisure to stand still blankly.
Since Hoyeol had given them his precious time, he had to live up to Hoyeol’s expectations.
And he had to repay him.
Hisagi commanded.
“We will begin the full-scale exploration.”
The explorers belonging to the Giant Alliance.
They held up their class-exclusive equipment, magnifying glasses, and began to search the cave thoroughly. They might obtain not only spoils, but also information that could be connected to quests.
‘I do not think these things will be enough to repay you.’
Perhaps Hoyeol knew more about this cave than the explorers did. It was not blind faith. If one saw one thing, one could infer ten.
After all, Hoyeol had pulled Excalibur from somewhere buried within the sanctuary.
Even so, Hisagi knew.
What mattered, in the end, was pride.
And so he murmured quietly.
“Please do not reject our pride, Commander-in-Chief.”
If the person in question heard it, it was a resolution that could only make his blood run cold...
*
[Citadel of Rose Vines]
[Appropriate Level: 750]
[Collapse Rate: 100%]
The level of the monsters?
Considering the difference in level, it was only natural that it would not be easy.
However, Leonie’s class was warrior of frenzy, Berserker.
It was a class that grew stronger in adversity.
──────
Unquenchable Fighting Spirit (Master): As vitality decreases, strength, agility, and vitality regeneration greatly increase. In addition, critical hits are converted into the status abnormality “Bleeding.”
──────
Damage that occurred continuously was commonly called DoT damage.
It meant damage that persisted like dots.
“Bleeding” was one of the representative DoT damage status abnormalities.
Drip—
Leonie, her entire body covered in blood, spat out blood.
“Tch.”
It was like spitting in her own face, but no matter how she thought about it, Berserker was a class with plenty of defects. To bring out its performance while facing high-level monsters, she had to risk her life every single moment.
‘I seriously want to grab the bastard who made this by the collar first.’
Back when Arcana was nothing more than a game, it ended with logging out.
But after the Cataclysm, it meant bidding farewell to life.
In other words, one wrong move and you crossed the River Styx.
[The status abnormality “Bleeding” occurs.]
...
In that sense, bleeding was awful, but absolutely necessary. If she could change critical hits into DoT damage, she would not suddenly fall into a state of incapacitation.
Kwa-ga-ga-gak!
Leonie’s twin swords stormed without pause.
The other guild members were no different.
A combat style that drove themselves to the very limit.
After all, the Berserker Guild was a guild that only accepted ruined people like herself.
“Haa—”
But now, even I’m at my limit...
“Daaaaamn it—”
A deep sigh surged up.
Even if Berserkers were specialized in fighting powerful enemies, making up for a level gap of at least 250 was impossible. On top of that, the longer the battle continued, the more natural it was for their concentration to drop.
That was common sense, yet Berserker was utterly contradictory.
“This is seriously pissing me off!”
A class that could only show its true performance when both body and mind were worn ragged.
As if she might fall from a tightrope at any moment.
Only by enduring the pressure she felt now could she move forward.
“Unnie...”
The Giant Alliance knew that fact.
The members of Berserker Guild looked at Leonie with pity.
Leonie pushed herself to the extreme every moment.
It was no wonder her personality became so nasty...
“You guys just thought I was a pain in the ass, didn’t you?”
“...
H-huh? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
Leonie laughed.
Hadn’t they said there were people whose personalities had subtly changed after awakening as players?
Perhaps she, too, had been properly affected by that awakening.
In order to relieve the pressure of reaching her limits in every battle.
She had to spit out curses, at least.
That was why she thought this was her limit now.
“It’s been a while, so I bet all of you thought I was a real pain in the ass, right?”
Yes, in order to preserve that damned formality.
She had been watching her mouth in a way that didn’t suit her at all.
But it seemed she couldn’t keep doing it anymore.
Leonie muttered softly.
“...
Still, isn’t pride more important than formality, Commander-in-Chief?”
Her vision, fixed on the monster before her, turned red.
It seemed the blood flowing down from her bleeding had entered her eyes.
Covered in lukewarm, strangely sticky blood.
Commander-in-Chief Lee Hoyeol.
If someone like you, who pays attention to every detail of your attire, were to see the state I’m in...
It would be a sight that would leave you unable to hide your shock.
Leonie gave a small laugh.
‘But... what if this is the pride I have in mind?’
Leonie had not forgotten.
That day when the beginning of the Giant Alliance was announced.
The public’s evaluations that had poured in.
—Gaon and Inazuma are forming an alliance??
—Wtf, live long enough and you really see everything lolololol
—But what’s Berserker doing there, not Second Sun?
—Exactly, the level suddenly drops hard...?
—Weren’t they rookies until just a while ago?
It was not that the evaluations were wrong.
Because they were not wrong, she had been even more furious.
Of course, she was not the type to lose heart wherever she went.
In order to chase after Nam Taemin and Hisagi, she gritted her teeth and swung her sword.
Only then...
‘I thought I might be able to chase after you too.’
But while acting as part of the Giant Alliance, she had come to feel it.
Following those two giants.
Chasing after you.
She realized that neither was possible while minding formality.
‘Because I am neither elegant nor noble like you.’
In my own way.
Like a berserker, I have to be desperate.
That was the only way she had realized she could even chase after their backs.
“Ha.”
Leonie burst into laughter.
Yes, as for what that damned pride was.
She still didn’t really know.
“If I do this, you’ll understand everything, won’t you?”
Thud—
With those words as the end.
One sword fell from Leonie’s hand.
Ah.
Damn it.
See? I wasted all my strength using honorifics that didn’t suit me...
It was the moment Leonie was thinking in a very Leonie-like way.
Goooooo—A cluster of light rose into the air.
Click.
A familiar footstep.
A voice rang out.
“You seem to be gravely mistaken about what formality is, Leonie.”
“……?”
“However, I will let it pass.”
His jacket no longer fluttering.
With a halo more radiant than ever.
Hoyeol revealed himself and continued.
“For now, it is enough that you have come to understand pride.”...
I immediately manifested a portal.
—The target coordinates are [Rose Vine Fortress]
!
Nam Cheolmin, the analyst currently briefing us on the three caves at once. Since he had judged that Leonie’s side needed support, I intended to move there at once through the portal.
Goooooo—……
As expected, the mana consumption is considerable.
Once I arrive, I’ll have to deal with things using Sword Aura for a while.
Just as I stepped into the portal, making plans in advance,
Hisagi asked politely.
“If you should require assistance, I will accompany you.”
I appreciated the sentiment, but. ‘The cost-benefit just isn’t…….’ It felt like the mana consumed to move each person through the portal would be more burdensome than the support each person could provide. So, conveying that meaning, I answered in my own way.
“I am sufficient on my own.”
Bow—As if he had expected as much, Hisagi immediately lowered his head and saw me off. Even if he owed me a lot from Frost onward, still. That reaction is seriously burdensome, Hisagi……! ‘……Forget it. It’s too complicated to explain.’ Swallowing down the sigh that rose in me,
I was advancing into the cluster of light.
In my blacked-out vision, a message appeared.
[Skill, ‘Natural Enemy Relationship,’ activates.]
My experiences on the Arcana Continent.
Was it because I had tracked the Primordial Evil while carrying out my class quest?
My sharpened senses spoke to me.
This was the presence I had felt not in the cave, but in the Zero Mountains.
In the instant the coordinates shifted.……
But could there really be such a coincidence in the world?
“To think you would brazenly show yourself before me again.”
Even if I didn’t know,
there was no way Grandfel would fail to remember a demon he had once faced.
On the day of the Magic Tower’s regular conference, when Senior Mage Bangrit had run rampant.
The question-mark demon I had faced in the [Dimensional Rift].
It was unmistakably that thing’s presence.
The giant one that had torn through dimensions and fled,
leaving its right arm behind.
In that sense, the timing was perfect.
Because at last, I too was fully prepared.
[Level: 700]
I finally get to wear it properly.
That item with a grand name from the start.
[Jacket of the One Who Waits for Dawn]
!