◈ Chapter 475. A Monarch? Beyond That (2)
Grandfell is merciful, or he is not.
Leaving that question aside, there was one thing I had felt.
When it came to holding grudges, at least.
He was so severe that he would lose to no one.
Lips parted in a low voice.
“Are you performing tricks?”
Three monsters that could even alter the field.
That was what I said to the Great Beasts. For reference, in the Arcana Continent Chronicle, being able to alter the field was practically the symbol of monsters on an entirely different “tier.” ‘It means they have their own unique presentation.’ The appearance of such tremendous boss monsters.
I watched and evaluated them with the bearing of a king, just as I had babbled to the hatchlings.
No.
“Your rolling tricks are no better than a grub’s.”……
At this point, it had gone beyond evaluation and become venomous criticism.
As you can see, even the words I spat out were thick with resentment.
But this time, it wasn’t just empty bluster.
I had already properly put on the Dawn’s Jacket, after all. ‘Not only the Strange. Everything about you will be denied, Oxidin.’ If my opponent was a mage, I had made them submit with magic; if a swordsman, with sword energy; and if an assassin skilled in all manner of tricks, I had likewise brought them down with technique, hadn’t I? ‘Though in truth, I was just watching and copying.’ Our dear Grandfell must have taken my struggles differently. I wore Yunaxus’s legacy, the Commander’s Gloves, an item of none other than [Myth] rank, and activated its effect.
Then, with 【Dragon Tongue】, to the Black Dark Dragon. 【Receive them as befits a king.】 And to the three hatchling dragons, I commanded.
Of course, I had no authority to control the hatchlings. ‘I haven’t even purified them of the Evil Fruit, either.’ Meaning the dragons, not in their right minds, couldn’t recognize who I was.
But that’s how society works, young dragons.
When I tell you to jump, you jump.
In other words, you’re subcontracted to a subcontractor.
Whoooosh. 【Show them that majesty.】 Following my command, the Black Dark Dragon spread its massive wings and glided down.
Then the three hatchlings, too, charged toward the Great Beasts.
Soon, messages appeared. [Hatchling, Nameless Young Dragon changes the field.]
Grandfell’s temperament, which would surpass and subjugate everything whether it was the opponent’s specialty or trump card, began to run wild in earnest. [Great Beast, Ten-Thousand-Catty Turtle : Lv.1,500]
No sooner had the creature transformed the area into an underwater field advantageous for swimming than the dragon breath the hatchling spat out evaporated every drop of moisture in the field. [Great Beast, Mythic Wooden Horse : Lv.1,300]
The Wooden Horse, a creature whose appearance seemed to be made of wood, was in an even worse state. It seemed to have flattened the earth so that the wheels on its four legs could roll smoothly……
Craaaack.
But making all that effort meaningless.
Whenever the dragons’ wings flapped, all things ran wild as if paying homage to the king. Dark clouds draped the sky, and an earthquake powerful enough to split the ground began to shake the area. Because of that, the Wooden Horse creaked early on.
The last one was. [Great Beast, Sunrise Viper : Lv.1,400]
Its compatibility with me was even more unfavorable. ‘If it’s a viper, that just means it’s a giant snake, right?’ Suddenly, a memory surfaced. Even the one sleeping in the Teppern Labyrinth, the one that had saddled me with the humiliating epithet of “Infinitely Deep Darkness,” had at least been an Imugi. ‘If it’s a mere viper worse than that, it should know its place and crawl.’
Dragon and snake.
An absolute compatibility that could not be defied.
That side did not even seem to have the leisure to alter the field.
It had no room to alter the field, not while lifting its long body upright.
Because the viper appeared to be wary of the hatchling before its eyes.
Three dragons blocking the Great Beasts.
Honestly, by my standards, Lee Hoyeol’s standards, it was a spectacle that passed the mark.
As the Dragon Lord.
It had sufficiently staged a scene of trampling a tyrant.
And in reality, that was how it was.
Kroaaaaar.
No matter how great the Great Beasts were, they could not stand against the king of all things.
If the Great Beasts had been so powerful that they had been unable to reveal themselves above the surface until now, then the dragons were on top of that, swallowing the shackles known as the Evil Fruit as well.
If the progress of that battle were expressed in Grandfell’s manner of speech……
“At last, you are beginning to learn your place.”
Thud……!
Like natural enemies.
The three Great Beasts before the hatchlings.
Were being overwhelmed without even putting up proper resistance.
And yet, the lofty standard remained unsatisfied.
“However, you are still far from observing proper form.”
In truth, they really were still far off.
Even if they were the same level.
A boss monster’s vitality, compared to an ordinary monster’s.
Was at least near the level of one against a hundred. ‘More importantly, I should do something too.’ If I just stood still like this, the legend of “Dragon Lord, Black Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol” would only ring out even more widely. The real Lee Hoyeol wouldn’t gain anything from it, would he?
Maybe I could quietly slip a spoon onto the prepared table……
The moment I thought that.
Suddenly, my vision flickered.
The scenery began to change. [The field is unstable.]
The field was unstable.
I could immediately determine the cause.
The boss monster presentation carried around by those Great Beasts.
The cause had to be the field changes.
That thought occurred to me. ‘Yugweed, the Great Sage, Oak Auction…….’ Those whose lives, deaths, and whereabouts were currently unclear.
Had they really been defeated by the Great Beasts?
They were strong.
Perhaps they were even stronger than I thought.
But precisely because of that. ‘……What if Raymon Sean laid a trap?’
The moment I asked the question. [The unstable field collapses.]
Messages flickered one after another. [An incomplete prototype rift appears. All types of gimmicks, including dungeons, labyrinths, and mysteries, are forming internal stages within the prototype rift.] ……
I knew it would be like this.
Raymon Sean, you crafty son of a bitch.
Soon, an irresistible light covered my vision. [You are entering the prototype rift.] [Appropriate Level : Unknown] [Type : Dungeon, Labyrinth, Mystery…….]
Like an ominous premonition, it seemed there was no right of refusal.
It was a situation more than bewildering enough.
And yet, there was not the slightest agitation in this iron mask.
“Your effort is commendable.”
Even as my vision changed, I spoke calmly.
“I shall rate it highly and personally indulge you. However, do not rejoice.”
With truly deep resentment……!
“For this is the final mercy I grant you.”*
Ruuuumble……!
Eastern Antonium.
In order to stop the advancing Great Beasts.
The Crusade Alliance had built a defensive line.
However, the defenders’ advantage vanished like a sandcastle.
Gulp.
His throat burned.
He fixed his askew glasses and looked.
He grasped the situation coolly from an analyst’s perspective.
“……Was I caught up in a rift?”
He berated himself.
“The cause, figure out the fundamental cause, Nam Cheolmin.”
Players had authority. They had the right to choose to enter rifts appropriate to their level. But at this moment, Nam Cheolmin had no choice.
Shwaaaa.
A powerful light from the rift poured down.
And now.
Nam Cheolmin gathered his senses.
There had to be a reason.
“……The Great Beasts.”
At the end of his memory, the scouts had been urgently relaying news.
—“Analyst-nim! The f-fields are interlocking and collapsing!!”
The Great Beasts, each of them boss monsters.
Each of them had altered the field.
He recalled the knowledge from the days when Arcana had been nothing more than a game. ‘Originally, they were boss mobs that would never clash with each other.’ But the Lord of the Great Beasts, Oxidin.
He was controlling the Great Beasts with the ability of his hidden class, [Tyrant].
Nam Cheolmin’s mind finally dragged out the answer.
“Did this rift form because the altered fields collided with one another?”
And an utterly incomplete rift at that.
Nam Cheolmin wiped away his cold sweat.
Yes, every question was beginning to unravel.
“The Great Sage, the elder mages, the Back Alley Merchant as influential as the Shadow Mercenary Corps. I think I finally understand why those incredible people disappeared without a trace……”
No one could be seen.
He could not sense anyone’s presence.
There was only one thing in sight.
The entrance to a complexly tangled maze.
His own level was barely around level 100.
Even so, his situation was probably better than those people mentioned earlier.
Because he was a player and could see system messages.
“Hoo.”
Nam Cheolmin caught his breath and checked the rift information.
“Dungeon, labyrinth, mystery…… An incomplete prototype rift where every gimmick is unstably tangled together……? You really are out of your mind, Raymon Sean.”
Even players of the [Explorer] class, who were called experts.
Needed considerable time and effort to clear a single dungeon.
It was already absurd enough for such a dungeon to be combined with a labyrinth.
But then there was the mystery type, which could be called an upper compatibility of that.
As if that weren’t enough, unknown gimmicks had also been added.
The people of Arcana wouldn’t even be able to know this information.
“……Putting strength aside, it’s only natural they couldn’t get out.”
Of course, he had no leisure to worry about others.
He was an analyst, after all, and thanks to that, his level was pathetic.
Nam Cheolmin checked his inventory.
“I promised Taemin I would never wear it again.”
Clank.
He equipped his plate armor and shield.
Because he had vowed never to wear it again.
Their durability was not intact. [Plate Armor That Is Only Sturdy] [Rank : Magic] [Restriction : Lv.35] [Effect : Due to low durability, all performance is slightly reduced]
But for some reason.
“But Taemin, I think hyung’s gotten a lot bolder.”
Compared to the past.
Compared to when he had entered a rift whose appropriate level was incomparably lower than now.
His heart actually felt more at ease now.
Slide.
With his fingertips, Nam Cheolmin touched the cause of the durability loss.
The scar carved into the plate armor.
Specifically, it was from the past when he had been possessed by a low-rank demon, an imp.
It was the trace Hoyeol had left while saving him.
“To feel relieved in a situation like this……”
Even though at this very moment.
Neither Hoyeol, nor Taemin, nor the guild members were by his side.
Yet for some reason, he felt as if he was not alone.
“It must be my imagination, but anyway……!”
Nam Cheolmin loosened his stiffened body.
And for the sake of clearing the rift.
The moment he was about to enter the maze to escape.
Suddenly.
—……Hyung!
A voice rang in his ear.
Nam Cheolmin let out a hollow laugh despite himself.
“No matter how you look at it, hallucinating voices is a pretty serious stage, isn’t it?”
But then.
—……Hyung! Can you hear me?!
“?!”
It was not an auditory hallucination.
Nam Cheolmin hurriedly reached for the sound coming from his inner pocket.
Then Nam Taemin’s voice was coming from the in-ear.
“W-what is this? Taemin, what are you?!”
This was the Arcana Continent, through and through.
There was no signal, so there was no way a call should be possible.
How was communication working……?
“Are you a Strange?!” —……A Strange? What kind of random nonsense is that all of a sudden? Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. So where are you right now, hyung? You didn’t fall into the rift alone like me too, did you? ……
Like me too?
A possibility suddenly flashed through his mind.
Nam Cheolmin muttered.
“……Wait, if it’s an incomplete rift.”
If among all the gimmicks this prototype rift possessed, there was also a gimmick related to “reality”? Then this phenomenon was fully understandable as well. If so……
“Taemin, I think the time has come for us to use our heads.”
—Use our heads? Hyung. Sorry to betray your expectations, but…… I’m a barbarian. When you say use my head, the only thing that comes to mind is a headbutt.
“It doesn’t matter. What’s important is gathering heads.” —……Gathering heads? It’s not going to be a headbutting contest, so what is it?
Nam Cheolmin smiled faintly.
Why Hoyeol-ssi had emphasized [『the Strange』] so much.
He felt as if he was beginning to understand that meaning, one piece at a time, even if belatedly.
“If we utilize our collective intelligence through the study of the Strange. No matter how difficult the dungeon, labyrinth, mystery, or whatever new gimmick is waiting for us may be, we’ll be able to clear it in the end!”
Nam Taemin stammered.
—Study of the Strange? Collective intelligence? Hyung, can you not use difficult words?
At those words, Nam Cheolmin stated the core point simply.
“They say even a sheet of paper is easier to lift together. We’re in a situation where we can contact players in reality and even the AAU, aren’t we? If everyone just figures out that the prototype rift is connected to reality, if they realize we can contact one another, then we can overcome this without too much difficulty.”
Then Nam Taemin immediately asked back.
—Then what about the Commander-in-Chief, no, Hoyeol-ssi?
“……The Commander-in-Chief?”
—Will he take our call? What if he says it’s troublesome like usual?
Well.
Even Nam Cheolmin could not rashly predict that far.
But he was not worried.
Slide.
His gaze turned toward the sword scar left on the armor.
“Before worrying about him, Hoyeol-ssi is on a different ‘level’ from us, isn’t he?”...
Nam Cheolmin’s thought was correct.
A space surrounded on all sides by a maze.
An ominous 【Dragon Tongue】 rang out. 【Break.】 Then it broke.
Crash! [You have cleared the prototype rift, ‘Labyrinth.’]
“That makes one.”
One.
It meant that a single character for endurance, 忍, had been carved.
Hoyeol’s cold voice continued.
“Pray that you do not test my mercy.”