◈ Episode 311. I Will Put an End to It (2)
Breaking news poured in.
[Lee Hoyeol: “The balance patch is an illusion……”]
[“My very existence is proof.”]
[“If you can, you may start by denying me.”]
Even more comments poured in.
-Is this reporter getting full marks for being pro-Hoyeol? That paraphrase is insane lol
-This no-holds-barred interview is crazy
-Isn’t this basically a player telling the operator to come fight him??
-And not just any operator, but basically the creator, damn
Demon-type monsters.
Their pattern of pressuring players from beginning to end with the top-tier status abnormality, [Fear], was more troublesome than most named or boss monsters. To players, they were like nightmares.
Then what about a Demon King, a demon-type boss monster?
The Demon King’s first appearance.
The Battle to Retake Frost.
Back then, humanity had fallen into despair.
-I still get chills watching it after all this time, seriously;;
Decarabia, who had been no different from the lowest-ranked Demon King.
To think Frost, the great city of the north, would fall to him.
Players who knew Frost’s majesty had been unable to hide their shock.
But Frost had Hoyeol.
Starting with Decarabia, he had overwhelmingly hunted Demon Kings of every rank.
He was the one who had brought the winds of counterattack not only to humanity, but to the Arcana Continent as well.
-But no matter how amazing Hoyeol-nim is……
-Hunting all the Demon Kings would be impossible, for real
-Isn’t deletion on a completely different level from hunting……?
His opponent was neither a demon nor a monster, but Raymond Sean, a being no different from Arcana’s creator. If Hoyeol had crushed Demon Kings, Raymond Sean had deleted every Demon King with a single patch.
Because of that, reactions to Hoyeol’s declaration were clearly divided.
-If he’s that confident, he must have a plan
-I agree with that, but the problem is that it’s Raymond Sean??
-You can’t communicate with someone without pride, sigh
-Before pride, isn’t this common sense?
-Pride comes before common sense, what are you talking about?
-???
No matter what Hoyeol had shown them until now.
It was true that it was difficult to turn the momentum around with a simple declaration alone.
The players’ perspective was not much different.
Back again at Seoul Station.
Hoo—
The cigarette still hadn’t gone out.
“So how exactly is he going to show that he’s still going strong?”
He scratched his head.
With his mind already complicated enough, it wasn’t easy to immediately understand Lee Hoyeol’s way of speaking. But that minor question did not last long. Hadn’t it been said?
Even at this very moment, the rift collapse rate was soaring.
Now that the players had lost their motivation.
There were forces moving to fill their absence.
Before long, a commotion broke out at Seoul Station.
“Wait, what is this?!”
The sound of citizens murmuring could be heard. Only then did the players rise from their seats and check the source of the disturbance. It was a sight rarely seen.
“……
H-Huh?!”
The Lionheart Knights, led by Commander Harkon.
The strongest knight order of the Empire, which they had only ever seen in videos, was standing before their eyes. The knights moved systematically and assessed their surroundings. They spotted the rift and immediately went into action.
Harkon gave a concise order.
“All troops, proceed to close the rift at once. That is all!”
The people of Arcana were attacking a rift.
That alone was already astonishing, a sight rarely seen.
But it was not only the Lionheart Knights.
“Is, is this for real? They say the Magic Tower appeared overseas?!”
“The Goddess Church is in Busan……!!”
“And what’s with the Yusra Kingdom army?”
It was no exaggeration to say that every Arcana force existing in reality was moving. They were acting to attack the rifts in place of the disheartened players.
“What the hell is going on……?”
The reason was not difficult to find. They were the Holy War Alliance Army, and the leader of that Alliance Army was none other than a player, Hoyeol.
“……?”
They were startled for only a moment.
The players, who had been staring blankly at the rift, began to flinch. Though not even ten minutes had passed since they had entered, a brilliant light began to flow out from the rift.
Shock followed.
“I-It’s cleared already?!”
To the Holy War Alliance Army, it was only natural. Until now, the enemies the Holy War Alliance Army had faced had mostly been demon-type monsters, each one extremely high-level and possessing vicious patterns.
Those desperate battles had become experience, and that experience had led to growth. Compared to that, a rift with an appropriate level of only 100 to 200 at best? It was not strange that they cleared it in an instant.
Reports of victory rang out from everywhere.
-The Magic Tower is seriously insane;;; 500-level rift cleared in 1 minute!!!!
-It was on the verge of collapse so soldiers were standing by, thank goodnessㅠㅠ
-If this isn’t a holy war, what is it lololololol
They were lost in admiration for only a moment.
The players realized.
That was right.
“A mere player……”
The Holy War Alliance Army currently shaking the world had begun with Hoyeol, a single player. Just one player was exerting tremendous influence not only on Arcana, but on reality as well……?
From the perspective of the creator, Raymond Sean.
“……
Isn’t this some kind of provocation?”
Was this not a situation that could only grate on his nerves?
The reason Raymond Sean had given for deleting the Demon Kings was balance. From that perspective, Hoyeol himself was an out-of-standard existence who needed balance adjustment.
The players murmured.
“He’s literally saying he’ll prove it……!”
“He’s telling him to try it if he can!”
“So he wasn’t just saying that?”
Even at this moment, rifts across the world were likely being cleared at high speed.
That was not a picture Raymond Sean would want, either.
The players were certain.
“If it’s possible, he’ll definitely touch Lee Hoyeol……!”
But if no balance patch related to Hoyeol appeared.
That would mean Hoyeol’s declaration was true.
It would be proof that their concerns were nothing but needless worry.
Amid the tension, someone spoke.
“No, but does that really count as proof? Uniting the Arcana forces is, of course, an amazing ability, but…… it’s not his personal ability, is it? Is something like that also subject to balance adjustment?”
As expected of a fellow player, it was a sharp point.
But who was Hoyeol?
A man who considered every possibility.
A man with the drive to allow not even a single complaint.
There were no gaps in the way he handled things.
Soon, news reached the players.
“……
Wait, they say Lee Hoyeol moved personally?!”
It was no ordinary rift attack.
“Which rift? Is it a rift in our country?”
Forgetting that his cigarette was burning down, the man asked the person beside him.
“Let’s see. First, one in our country. One in Osaka, Japan. And one in the United States. One in Canada. One in Italy……. Wait, how many is this?!”
It was not several.
Nor even dozens.
He was attacking no fewer than one hundred rifts simultaneously.
Since the Cataclysm, overturning Arcana’s common sense.
An out-of-standard combat force had begun to reveal its true form.
*
The bigger the performance, the better.
‘I said it, so I have to keep it.’
If it is for balance, then try denying my existence first!
A bold declaration overflowing with confidence.
To realize it, I first had to prove that I was an existence beyond balance. Perhaps it was because I had once raised that trash-class character known as a demon hunter.
I’m quite good at self-objectification, you see.
‘I’m the one who’s the balance breaker.’
To be precise, it wasn’t thanks to me, but thanks to Granfell.
Reproducing magic just by seeing it, not to mention his graceful appearance and tremendous family background, and connections spread throughout the Arcana Continent to the point that they could make even a flying dragon fall……
‘I really can’t get used to this.’
Settings embarrassing enough to make my face burn just by reciting them had become reality and were together with me. Just the fact that Raymond Sean, who wanted the destruction of both worlds, was leaving someone like me alone told you everything, didn’t it?
Creator, my ass.
“How laughable, claiming omnipotence.”
Of course, sealing the omen had made me even more confident.
But from the beginning, I had never considered Raymond Sean omnipotent.
If only because of Granfell’s lofty pride.
“It is time for you to reveal your shabby true face.”
However, the world could not know the complicated battle of wits between me and Raymond Sean. So I had openly provoked Raymond Sean. This rift attack was part of that as well.
[Draco’s Swamp]
[Appropriate Level: Lv.150]
[Orc Settlement]
[Appropriate Level: Lv.200]
[Skeletons of the Sewer]
[Appropriate Level: Lv.180]
……
At best, they were level 250 to 300.
It went without saying, but for me, who had surpassed level 700, attacking rifts like these was a waste of time. That was not a metaphor; my experience bar truly did not budge.
“I pay respect to you who have not lost your valor.”
Uttering a grandiose monologue, I manifested a portal.
I was moving between rift and rift, hunting monsters that rushed at me, but in practical terms, there was no gain. Of course, from the outside, it would look quite impressive.
‘Literally, one man against a hundred, right?’
So, to compare it to the early days of the Arcana Continent……. It was like one player was monopolizing a hundred hunting grounds. Not merely occupying the spots, either, but slaughtering everything.
Naturally, it could not help but draw everyone’s eyes.
“It is a pity that I cannot answer that valor.”
As for Granfell, public evaluation and attention.
He didn’t care about it in the slightest, so it didn’t matter.
But I, Lee Hoyeol, found it uncomfortable in all sorts of ways…….
‘First of all, this monologue itself is seriously embarrassing.’
No matter how serious he was about everything.
Against monsters that were level 200 at best.
Did he really think it was right to say such grand lines……?
‘……
Forget it. What am I even saying?’
For now, let’s just focus on clearing one hundred rifts. In that sense, it wasn’t bad. Big and flashy was practically my specialty, after all.
Click—
I stepped into the rift visible beyond the portal.
[You have entered the rift, “Grizzly’s Den.”]
Kwaaaaaang!
“What a grand welcome.”
Countless monsters rushed in at the same time as the entry message. It wasn’t that I had entered through the entrance; rather, I had fallen into the middle of the enemy camp. Thanks to that, I was able to encounter the boss monster without difficulty as well.
‘Well, to me, it’s not much different from a regular mob.’
Still, there was no change in the fact that he was serious about everything.
Even when facing weak enemies, he did not forget the trinity of swordsmanship, magic, and tenacity.
In any case, thanks to that, I would be able to make it clear to the world.
‘That I’m this much of an out-of-standard existence.’
If Raymond Sean could not do anything to me, then that meant he possessed no authority such as creation or deletion. It would not be long before everyone realized that, would it? Players are pretty quick on the uptake, aren’t they?
Besides, before long, another piece of news would come from the Magic Tower. As it happened, I had received contact from the AAU. They said that the AAU database contained the initial settings related to the “Descendants of Twilight.”
‘Now we have physical evidence on top of circumstantial evidence.’
Didn’t I say it?
My grudges last quite a while.
I was not satisfied with merely sealing the omen.
‘I’ll make it so you can’t get out of this, Raymond Sean.’
It was the moment I was chewing over my lingering resentment.
“……!”
Suddenly, a presence touched my five senses.
There were not many beings that could grate on Granfell’s nerves, which, to put it nicely, were lofty, and to put it badly, looked down on everything. Even now, as you can see, Granfell was fundamentally merciful.
‘He’s kind not only to humans, but even to monsters.’
There was only one target toward which such a Granfell openly revealed hostility.
I opened my mouth coldly.
“It smells of an inferior race.”
A demon.
But this was different from before.
First, [Natural Enemy Relationship] had not activated.
That meant there were no demons nearby.
Yet my steps headed there naturally.
Before long, I came to a stop.
What entered my field of vision was a bloodstain.
Yes, I smelled a demon from the dried traces of blood.
The demon hunter’s senses, diversified to a degree incomparable to before.
I had an intuition as to the reason for that growth.
Why else would it be?
Because the mighty Akshan had been revived.
Because of Akshan, there really isn’t a day when the corners of my eyes are dry.
Mourning, reunion, and now I was so dumbfounded that tears were about to come out.
[The legend, “Akshan, Hero of the New Era,” materializes.]
A black Akshan uniform fluttered in the air.
……
So I’d been completely obsessed with that sort of look?
This won’t do. Add tears shed from shame to the list……!