◈ Episode 54. Delusions Are Free, I Suppose (2)
Guild Gaon's analyst.
Nam Cheolmin checked the additional update notes.
『New monsters will be added.
'Demon King Army Foot Soldier': Lv. 350
'Demon King Army Demon Cavalry': Lv. 400
'Demon King Army Centurion': Lv. 420
'Demon King Army Brawler': Lv. 420
…….』
"Hoo."
As he alternated between the monitor and the update notes.
A sigh escaped him naturally.
The scenery of Frost within the footage sent by the filming drones.
It was natural for helplessness to overwhelm him.
"So it's not over just by capturing the gate."
Yes, they were already struggling just to capture the gate.
The real battle was only beginning after the gate fell.
Why, just look at the number of the Demon King Army waiting behind the gate.
Level 350 monsters.
There had to be at least a thousand of them.
A scale incomparable to that of Count Askyura.
But on the other hand, he could understand it.
Nam Cheolmin looked at the update notes once more.
"……The Demon King Army."
The Demon King.
If the boss monster was the king of demons.
Then yes, it wasn't strange that Frost had fallen.
Nam Cheolmin shook his head.
Put on his earpiece.
And spoke to the executives of Gaon, including Nam Taemin.
"There are monsters waiting behind the gate. Meaning there's no time to rest. You'd better manage your health and mana properly. Don't be too obsessed with contribution quests."
Kzzt—at that moment, the monitor screen cut off.
Nam Cheolmin's sigh deepened.
"Okay. Our last drone has crashed as well."
Worthy of the name Demon King Army.
They were cunning.
As if they wouldn't give away their information.
They destroyed the filming drones on sight.
"Still, I think we got off easy. Fortunately, even in this misfortune. It seems their long-range attack capabilities aren't that great."
Now, only one view remained for Nam Cheolmin.
The footage sent by his younger brother, Nam Taemin.
But. 'He's quiet.' Nam Taemin was different from usual.
Because he was his older brother.
He could tell the reason. 'Having been so excited, the shock must be just as great.' Because Frost was a city of great significance to Nam Taemin.
In Arcana, at least, he could call Frost his hometown.
And such a Frost had been trampled.
And in reality, vividly so.
The severed heads visible through Nam Taemin's field of view.
Nam Cheolmin could tell.
That his younger brother's silence was a silent fury.
So he added a word.
"Taemin, don't get too worked up. You know?"
Well, he didn't know if that was possible.
Truthfully, even he, who was only watching through the monitor, was trembling to the point his fingers shook.
With tension, anger, worry, anticipation…….
Because of various mixed emotions.
'In this situation, the only person who could possibly be fine…….'
……isn't it Hoyeol, after all?
When he recalled the appearances he had shown all this time.
He couldn't even imagine a nervous Hoyeol.
Thinking so, he grew curious.
"……Has he made some progress?"
Frost had 10 gates in total.
Gaon was quite far from Hoyeol's position.
Nam Cheolmin, as such, accessed the internet and was shocked.
"……Th-this is the siege warfare I knew?"
The common sense of Arcana that was second to none.
That common sense as an analyst was crumbling.
*Boom—the falling of the gate was the signal.
Thunder—!
Led by Harkon, Yesika, and Enoch.
The Lionheart Knights rushed out like a flash of light.
The Shadow Mercenaries followed close behind.
I watched that scene for a moment. 'They're strong.'
For an instant, but I could feel the gap.
No matter how strict the Demon King Army's discipline was.
They couldn't ignore the difference in weight class.
Vwooom—!
The sword from which sword energy flared, Harkon's sword.
When Harkon swung his sword, the formation immediately collapsed.
Instant death in one blow.
Because even the raised shields were cut like tofu.
"Charge!"
Thunder—!
The enemy's formation crumbled.
The knights of the Lion Heart hesitated not in the slightest.
They dug into the Demon King Army.
And reduced their numbers in an instant.
Thud—There was no hesitation in their movements.
Swish—Like lions that had spotted their prey.
Crunch—Like such lions' hearts.
Even against the momentum of the Demon King Army that outnumbered them several times over.
They showed not the slightest sign of intimidation.
I admired them anew. 'Damn.'
As expected, the dignity befitting the empire's strongest knight order.
Even if it was the Demon King Army, in large-scale battles, no one could match them.
Yes, it was surprising, but. 'They're the Lionheart Knights, they were amazing from the start.'
In that sense, the Shadow Mercenaries were unexpected.
Their total numbers were merely ten, including Commander Kichi.
But you could tell just by looking. 'Each individual is no ordinary person.'
Systematic movements?
As Kichi had said, there was nothing like that.
But each of them was toying with the Demon King Army on their own.
And the players who joined them, too.
"We will support you too!"
"Thank you, adventurer."
"Healers, follow up immediately! Don't ask about guild or party, treat the wounded first!"
Of course, the reason the players joined was probably for contribution points.
Since they were on the same side in the siege.
It seemed that actions of assisting allies also affected contribution.
In this cold-blooded society, there was no such thing as kindness without reason.
Yes, they were cooperating because there was give and take.
I was also quite savvy when it came to social life.
'I can save mana.'
Anyway, I was reaping the benefits greatly.
Because I could step back one pace and watch the battle situation.
Thanks to that, the mana consumed in destroying the gate was regenerating.
In that brief rest, I calmly finished grasping the subject. '……There's no need for me to step forward, is there?'
Above all, my reliable backing…….
No, my allies' level was too high, even.
Hadn't they said it was the Emperor's final command?
That alone would fill them with motivation.
Wasn't it the Lionheart Knights who now had the goal of rescuing survivors and recapturing Frost?
It was natural that their morale was soaring to levels incomparable to normal times.
Not to mention the combat power of the Shadow Mercenaries that surpassed my expectations.
But. 'Even though I've grasped the situation.'
It didn't mean I was going to stand around with my hands behind my back.
Because each and every one of those Demon King Army soldiers.
Was precious experience and contribution points to me.
Of course, I would need to conserve as much mana as possible.
'If I think of that great evil, Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins…….'
Hadn't I poured all my mana into taking down that helpless fellow?
Even if I had grown since then, the opponent was the Demon King.
The more thorough the preparation, the better.
So.
"Knowing when to step forward and when to step back."
Conserving mana as much as possible.
Yet needing to acquire no small amount of contribution.
And while doing so, acting in a way that didn't go against Granfel's pride.
I shamelessly continued.
"Such restraint is also part of the formality, is it not?"
……I'm getting more and more shameless, truly!
Yes, let's just gloss over the cringeworthy lines.
The important thing was, because of that, what that action was.
To anyone listening, there could be no greater riddle than this.
But not to me.
Because I had already done it several times.
That action, I mean.
The verification had been finished long ago, so there was no hesitation.
It was natural that the series of processes was extremely swift.
A search target all too familiar to me.
And skilled interference.
I looked at the manifested magic and thought. 'Freeloading, that's my specialty.'
Rumble—!
*There was no shortage of spectacles in Frost.
There were nearly 10 gates alone where the siege was taking place.
Top guilds attacking each gate.
Not to mention star players wielding popularity rivaling celebrities.
Their appearances alone were already being broadcast on dozens of channels.
Then, among those countless spectacles.
Who was receiving the highest attention?
The answer was inside the laptop monitor.
It was appearing as a real-time viewership graph.
"……Chief! We're number one in our time slot!"
News that burst out in the silence.
The VBC channel's viewership had broken a whopping 20 percent.
Considering it was not a terrestrial broadcaster.
Its ripple effect could be considered at least double that without being an exaggeration.
But there was no fuss.
Even CEO Nam Jinman, who usually went crazy over ratings.
"It's noisy. For now, let's watch that."
"Ah, y-yes. Sorry……."
He didn't even give the viewership graph a glance.
That was because he was so immersed in the studio situation.
VBC, which had more flexibility in programming than terrestrial broadcasters.
The one in charge of directing this special program was none other than Today Arcana's PD, Hyeon Yongseok.
It was all thanks to his strong insistence.
"In short, it's a Lee Hoyeol special."
For several hours.
No, the recapture of Frost could take days.
Hyeon Yongseok had pushed for a special program composition that illuminated only Lee Hoyeol for that long time.
It was practically a gamble.
No matter how great Lee Hoyeol was, everything had its fatigue level.
If you changed the channel, a completely different scene would unfold; how many viewers would keep watching only Lee Hoyeol?
There had been many opposing opinions in the programming meeting.
However.
"I knew it would be like this. I……!"
That was nothing more than needless worry.
Lee Hoyeol.
His fierce performance was such that it made viewers not even think of touching the remote, let alone changing the channel.
From the start, it was no joke.
Boom—!
In an instant, the gate collapsed.
The battle between players and the Demon King Army began.
At that sight, the cast members couldn't hide their surprise.
"……H-he took down the gate by himself!"
"It's truly an unbelievable utilization of skills."
"The moment I speak, Harkon's sword strike!"
"It's at a level players can't follow. That."
"The Shadow Mercenaries are following suit right away. Expert, how do you assess the level of the Shadow Mercenaries?"
"In Arcana, the evaluation of mercenaries is simple. What allows you to judge their ability is exactly their commission fee. The Shadow Mercenaries' commission fee is at an astronomical level……"
"Aaah! The moment I speak!"
A movement that forced him to cut off his explanation was captured.
Hoyeol, who had been silent, began manifesting magic again.
Rumble—!
Along with that familiar on-site sound, a memory he had momentarily forgotten.
"That's right. When you mention player Lee Hoyeol, it's definitely that!"
Boulders rising from the ground.
In the past, when Hoyeol had first been spotlighted by the media.
That skill which had caused people to mistake Hoyeol for an alchemist.
"It's the skill that saved our Gaon and Inazuma from crisis!"
Manifesting stone pillars and stone walls.
Hoyeol's appearance blocking the cavalry's charge and supporting Gaon and Inazuma had been a huge topic. In that sense, Hoyeol's actions were understandable.
"He intends to support the strong allies. That's what he must be thinking, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. No matter how strong player Lee Hoyeol is, the fact is that there is still a large gap between players and Arcanians……"
"Aaah! The moment I speak!"
But again, the explanation was cut off.
Because again, a sight that made it impossible not to cut off was captured.
The cast watching the screen stammered.
"……W-what kind of skill is this? Expert?"
"I-I don't know. It's my first time seeing it too?!"
"Viewers. Do you believe this!"
Inside the rising dust.
What was revealed was,
"S-stairs! Player Lee Hoyeol has……!!"
Dozens of stone stairs connected to the ramparts.
And the appearance of players climbing those stairs.
That wasn't all.
Whizz—The Demon King Army's long-range attacks flying in.
Rumble—And the massive barrier rising in response to them.
Even if he had stepped back one pace from the front line.
To call such an active performance from Hoyeol mere support was impossible given how massive the influence was.
Yes, if one had to classify it, this wasn't something like support…….
"He's perfectly 'commanding' the battlefield……!"
The appearance of a commander perfectly controlling and coordinating the battle situation.
The cast members couldn't help but exclaim in admiration again.
"Not just the players. The Lionheart Knights. And even leading the Shadow Mercenaries. It's an unbelievable sight, truly!"
"Looking again, that outfit is a bit like a commander's……"
"Then what happens to the contribution points, expert?"
"This is, well, isn't it no different from everyone just putting their spoons on the table that player Lee Hoyeol has set? I expect he has probably accumulated tremendous contribution points!"
Questions inevitably rose again.
Lee Hoyeol, who possessed such abilities.
How could he have remained silent until now?
Do we still not even have a guess as to his class?
The MC opened his mouth sincerely.
"It truly is a moment that makes one curious about his past!"
*The quest window flickering without a moment's rest.
I checked my current contribution.