◈ Episode 419. O Merciful Darkness (1)
“……
This isn’t a dream, right?”
Quests!
“This too? And this?!”
Wasn’t this exactly when the phrase “their eyes rolled back” was meant to be used?
World-class quests were flashing endlessly, without rhyme or reason.
On the Arcana Continent, the players racked their brains.
“The buffs we’ve got active right now are already insane.”
“If we can get world quest rewards on top of that……!”
“Wouldn’t that be turning your life around in one shot?”
No, turning their lives around wasn’t the issue.
Glances passed between the players.
If they were to let quests like these slip away just like that.
“……
In other words, we’d become penniless beggars in an instant.”
In that fleeting moment.
After thinking furiously.
Some had made their calculations.
“Yeah. It’s extremely regrettable that the Emperor closed his eyes, but in any case, the Empire and Antonium were protected, right? That means the urgent fire has definitely been put out.”
“More than anything, the Great Adventurer……. I mean, none other than Lee Hoyeol is supposed to be about to ascend the throne. Honestly, isn’t it safe to say we don’t have to worry about the Empire collapsing?”
“Exactly. There’s no need for even us to make a fuss for no reason.”
No matter who saw it, their true thoughts were rationalization.
“It’s the Arcana Continent in the first place, isn’t it? There’s even a saying, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Shouldn’t we be the first to follow the common sense of the Arcana Continent Biography era? Since when were players all friendly with each other, laughing and smiling together?”
“Now that I hear it, that makes sense?”
“Look, even the world quest contents.”[World Quest: Age of Violence][World Quest: Age of Death][World Quest: Age of Gold]…….
“Even at a glance, most of them are quests that compete with one another, aren’t they?”
People’s minds are different when entering the bathroom and when leaving it.
Now that they had learned the Arcana Continent was more peaceful than expected.
The Holy War Alliance that moved only according to pride?
Their affiliation, rather, felt cumbersome, like shackles.
The words coming from the portal behind them.
Seo Jeongyeon trembled all over.
“They’re really bastards worse than gnolls!”
Even the low-level monsters, gnolls, who had only been level 30 to 50, had camaraderie……! How could someone be human and change their mind as easily as flipping over a palm?
Choi Jeonghun let out a rotten smile.
“It’s obvious.”
“Obvious? What is?”
“When goodwill continues, people start thinking it’s their right.”
Han Seonguk silently agreed.
“They’ve judged that there’s nothing more to gain from the Holy War Alliance.”
“Nothing to gain? Do you know how many privileges players are getting in Frost or the Yusra Kingdom? They’re even freely going in and out of the Magic Tower, where they originally wouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near! Fine, let’s say that’s how it is in reality……. What about being fed and housed for free over there at the Claudi Estate?”
“Humans are creatures of adaptation. They’ve already adapted, I’m telling you.”
Choi Jeonghun added.
“They can’t even understand their place, and now they’re hoping for even bigger rewards.”
“That’s really too much…….”
Seo Jeongyeon looked tearful as she examined the quest contents.
Countless world-class quests had appeared.
But their contents had one thing in common.
-Join the irresistible violence. (In progress)
-Join the eternal death. (In progress)
-Join the immaculate gold. (In progress)
They had to make an enemy of the Empire.
“In any case, it’s true that Antonium is staggering and that the Emperor has died. I don’t know what bastards are aiming for the Empire, but it’s definitely an opportunity.”
“So what happens now? What about the Commander-in-Chief?”
“Well, asking a low-level like me that…….”
Because he wasn’t someone with experience.
That was as far as Choi Jeonghun could answer. But the rankers who had experienced similar quests back when Arcana had been nothing more than a game understood the seriousness of the situation even better.
Second Sun.
The guild master, Shreig, bit his lip.
“Damn it.”
The situation had become complicated.
Even if the Commander-in-Chief had obtained the right to ascend as Emperor of the Empire.
It was only natural that large and small disturbances would continue inside the Empire for a while.
Because Arcana’s system had been designed that way.
The officer, Zachary, searched his memory.
“Even when we occupied a small territory, there were forces that tried to stab us in the back. Even with sufficient relationship levels and influence, there were no exceptions.”
“Because you can’t run a territory with relationship levels or influence alone.”
“But the Empire? If he rises to the position of Emperor, of course there’ll be tremendous backlash……!”
Even now, that was the case.
Even the players were stirring.
No matter how much he was the Commander-in-Chief, it meant it would be impossible to quell, in a short period of time, internal strife in which countless interests were entangled. And yet, in that situation, forces aiming for the Empire were gathering players.
Shreig reached a conclusion.
“For now, let’s join up with the Great Alliance.”
Nam Taemin, Hisagi, Leoni.
Excluding Liuo Junchun, who had taken an independent path, they were rankers who would be more familiar than anyone with such situations. If they put their heads together and thought about it, wouldn’t they come up with some good method?
Zachary nodded.
“Considering the efficiency of the portal, I think we’ll have to move a little farther south. About an hour or so? With that much, even the three who joined last can set foot in Antonium through the portal all at once.”
“Good. Let’s do that.”
However, as if their steps had been meaningless.
Before long, everyone came to a stop.
At a voice overflowing with composure.
“You there. Halt for a moment.”
The air of looking down on them was clear, but Shreig couldn’t flare up. The pressure he felt the moment he faced them. His vision had begun to flicker mercilessly.[Status abnormality, “Cowed,” has occurred.]
He could sense it instinctively.
“!”
If the opponent had been a monster.
Simply facing them would not have made it strange for the highest-grade status abnormality, ‘Fear,’ to occur.
That was how great the gap between them and themselves was.
“Adventurers, where is your destination?”
The reason they were asking their destination?‘No way.’He connected it to the world quests that had appeared just a moment ago and thought.
At this moment, the forces aiming for the Empire could not be counted on one hand.
In terms of probability, weren’t they one of them?……
Gulp—He swallowed dryly without realizing it.‘If I choose the wrong answer here.’Perhaps they would end up fighting them.
A pressure that turned his mind blank.
Could he overcome the status abnormality and properly face them?‘There’s no way.’However.
“We are heading to Antonium.”
Shreig did not bend.
If these people were enemies of the Empire.
That meant they were soon enemies of the Commander-in-Chief.
Whether there was a chance of victory or not, as the Holy War Alliance, they could not retreat.
“Antonium, is it.”
Had it been the wrong answer after all?
The pressure grew stronger.
An even colder voice continued.
“In that case, what is your purpose?”
Slowly.
Shreig’s hand reached toward the foil at his waist.
It was so he could respond to an attack at any moment.
Soon, Shreig gritted his teeth and shouted.
“To support Lee Hoyeol, our Commander-in-Chief!”
At that shout, Second Sun and the Great Alliance guild members responded.
Shing—!
He felt sorry for Seo Jeongyeon’s group, who had gotten swept up in it.
But they too, as if they had steeled themselves.
Each raised their weapon.
He looked straight at the warrior before him.
Then, for some reason.
His vision, which had gone white, returned.
Had his solemn resolve offset the status abnormality, ‘Cowed’?
Shreig shook his head inwardly.‘No, if will alone could solve it, it wouldn’t be Arcana.’That meant there had to be a reason the pressure had vanished.
He was soon able to find that reason.
The warriors blocking the road.
Because their eyes were incomparably red.
The leader, a man, opened his mouth.
“In that case, we are allies in the same boat.”
“Allies?”
“Our purpose is the same.”
The red-eyed clan, Dune.
Their leader, Shaheen Dune, let out a laugh as if he found it interesting.
They were still absurdly frail.
But that resolve alone was sufficient to serve Claudi, was it not?
“O infinitely deep darkness.”
“……
Infinitely deep darkness?”
“They have more than enough qualification to survive the noble secret strife.”
“……
Noble secret strife?”
“Good, you pass.”
“……
P-pass?!”
“We shall escort you to Antonium.”
Infinitely deep darkness?
Secret strife?
Pass?
No, in the first place, who were these monsters?
Shreig shook his head violently.
The number of things he had to ask the Commander-in-Chief was piling up like a mountain……!...
If there were those who did not overlook pride.
There were also those who had never realized pride in the first place.
Guild ranking 84th, [Apocalypto].
The guild master, Tyranno, twitched his muscular body.
“The Holy War Alliance was a boring fence for us.”
Those damned rules!
Now that they had entered the Arcana Continent and even world quests had appeared, this was the perfect time to break down the fence of the Holy War Alliance and escape. The officer, Mammoth, presented the options.
“The forces that suit us are, as expected, the primitive tribe Areszon and the Berserk Society, aren’t they, Boss? More than anything, I like that you can seize everything with strength.”
“I was thinking of heading to the Berserk Society anyway.”
“The Berserk Society……!!”
A legend of Arcana’s underworld, the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
The Berserk Society was an organization that had once divided Arcana’s underworld together with the Shadow Mercenary Corps. Of course, from back when Arcana had been nothing more than a game, it had only been setting for the sake of setting.
“The system doesn’t lie. The fact that it appeared as a quest means the Berserk Society has definitely returned. Though I can’t know by what means they revived.”
Tyranno clenched his fist.
“The moment we turn the Holy War Alliance, and Lee Hoyeol, into enemies, we have to become a force huge enough to swallow the Berserk Society whole. It means we have to swallow even the players who will gather to the Berserk Society with the same intentions as us!”
The guild members nodded.
“You mean we need a definite show of force, Boss!”
Apocalypto.
Their guild ranking remained in the 80s, but there was a reason for that. It was because all of their guild members were more accustomed to fighting people, to battles against players, than monsters.
“It’s not just this world quest. In the Berserk Society, we’ll carry out quests exclusive to the Berserk Society. If we successfully carry out those quests? It’s as good as duplicating rewards and spoils.”
In that process, they would get some blood on their hands, but…….
It didn’t matter.
In the first place, they had gotten blood on their hands again and again, dozens of times.‘We were only pretending otherwise.’Lee Hoyeol was far too naive.
He trusted the ugly existence called humanity too much.
I’m simply giving that Lee Hoyeol a bitter lesson.
“After all, it’s the axe you trust that cuts your foot.”
Tyranno let out a sneer.
“Then let’s depart, to the Berserk Society’s hideout.”
However, Apocalypto could not move a single step from their spot.
Since when, exactly……?
Because there had been people who had been eavesdropping on their conversation for quite some time.
“You heard that, old man?”
“My ears are still fine, so speak softly.”
“Yeah? Glad to hear you’re still hale and hearty.”
It was the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
“……
How?”
To the point that Tyranno’s muscles, which had seemed burly, looked feeble.
A possessor of a physique on a completely different level.
Rockkid grinned.
“What do you mean, how, you son of a bitch? Is this your first time seeing an assassin conceal their presence? Seriously, bastards who live by the blade have no manners. Look at you, spitting out casual speech from the start.”
“You’ve lived plenty by the blade yourself, haven’t you, Rockkid?”
“Yeah. That’s why I talk casually to this old geezer. Wahaha.”
The Shadow Mercenary Corps.
At the point when their leader, Kichi, had gone missing, their numbers were only nine.
But a player recognizes another player.
Tyranno’s face became dyed with despair.‘Even if I died and came back to life, I couldn’t win……!’If it had been the usual Shadow Mercenary Corps.
It would not have been strange if they had cut off the heads of every member of Apocalypto right about now.
But the situation was what it was.
The vice leader.
No, now the leader, Wolf, opened his mouth.
“I, too, will give you two choices.”
“……?”
“Either obediently tell us the whereabouts of the Berserk Society.”
His eyes were sharper than usual.
“Or tell us just before you die, after agonizing torture.”
Tyranno’s eyes rolled.
It was obvious what sort of thoughts he was harboring.
He was probably going to put forth his status as an adventurer and bring up Hoyeol, who was also an adventurer.
But unfortunately for him.
The one who had given them their orders was none other than Hoyeol.
“Don’t entertain any pointless thoughts.”
Crunch!
A thunderous sound came from his fist.
Rockkid spoke bluntly.
“It doesn’t go against our pride, and wrenching your snouts open is no difficult task either!”...The Four Houses.
They, too, had already begun to act in accordance with their master's will.
The Trembling Acamond.
Family Head Retel Acamond.
A player lay prostrate before her.
Retel sat down, using the player as a chair, and spoke.
“Adventurer. Have you lot no intelligence?”
He could not understand.
“Unlike the Arcana Continent, it seems His name has long since resounded in your world……. Why is it that you adventurers cannot properly behold His greatness even compared to us?”
Retel blew sharply on the nail she had been tending.
As expected, it was because Claudi was all too merciful. After all, He was one who had generously forgiven even the atrocities of the Four Houses, herself included. And so, if only to repay His mercy.
“We shall need to settle the continent’s disturbances on our end.”
As secret and great as Claudi….
The Five Stars.
One of Liu Junchun’s five stars.
Baek Seongryun was in the midst of executing his lord’s orders. He had departed his territory to search for a force among those that had emerged as World Quests, one suitable for the Heavenly Unification to absorb.
“!”
Even such a Baek Seongryun encountered Hoyeol’s deployment. Whether it was a misfortune or a blessing could not be known, but his opponent was alone, just like Baek Seongryun. Baek Seongryun asked the man blocking his path.
“What is your purpose?”
Chuk—In an instant, a glaive aimed at the man’s neck.
However, the man showed no sign of intimidation whatsoever and asked in return.
“Tell me your destination.”
Baek Seongryun sensed an unusual air. In times like this, it was best to evade appropriately. If only to carry out his lord’s command. Baek Seongryun swallowed his pride and answered.
“Do you think a wandering foreigner traveling alone would have a destination? I merely wish to find a nearby village. And in the midst of this, a stranger has blocked my way, so I had no choice but to draw my weapon.”
From outside, not from within the Heavenly Unification.
This was Baek Seongryun, who had survived until now by hiding his identity.
His ability to handle himself was remarkable.
However, that standard.
“Is that so?” The problem was that it was limited to ‘humans’.
Rustle.
Soon, a man revealed himself between the branches.
The man possessed beautiful features.
If only his ears were not far too large for a human’s.
Baek Seongryun’s pupils went wide.
Because he realized at once.
“But why…”
However, before Baek Seongryun could even be shocked.
The man opened his mouth.
No, the leader of the elves.
The High Elf continued.
That’s right, at this very moment.
The Heavenly Unification that had fled from their homeland to the Arcana Continent to escape Elsidore.
To them, a great calamity surpassing Elsidore.
“Is it that the scent of Elsidore wafts from you?”
“……!!!”
It was Argentres who had descended.