◈ Episode 59. Mongrels, As Many as Five.
The demon legion commanders surrounded Hoyeol and his party.
It was only natural that those watching would be on pins and needles.
-WTF, is this for real?!
-Even so, this is way too much!!
-What are the other guilds doing? They can’t even pull aggro, seriously.
The movements of the Demon King’s army?
At least to the players, it was a familiar pattern.
The nature of monsters was to eliminate the most threatening enemy first.
After all, Arcana had an aggro system as well.
Even knowing it couldn’t be helped, they couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
However.
“……Wait a moment. I’m seeing some familiar faces?”
The atmosphere of despair did not last long.
The angle zoomed in.
Because within it, familiar faces began to appear.
“If my eyes aren’t mistaken, that looks like Jesse Heinness?!”
Jesse, why are you coming out from there……?
It was only natural for such reactions to burst out.
Wasn’t Jesse still a member of the Shining Guild?
But it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible, either.
After all, Jesse hadn’t shown herself even during the Yusra Kingdom incident.
-What? Was that rumor actually true?
-What rumor? They’re talking about stuff only they know again.
-No lol, the one saying Jesse might leave Shining lol.
-That’s legit bullshit.
-There’s always been talk that she wasn’t that attached to the guild in the first place, yeah.
But the more they looked, the harder it was to dismiss it as mere nonsense.
Jesse’s face on the broadcast screen.
Especially those eyes of hers, which were clearly different from usual.
Sparkling—brightly shining.
-Doesn’t she look super motivated or something??
-Is this really the Jesse Heinness I know???
-For real lol, she can’t even say one proper sentence at official events.
Just what in the world could the reason be?
One of the panelists threw out a provocative topic.
“……Come to think of it, Player Lee Hoyeol and Jesse Heinness aren’t meeting for the first time, are they? You know, during the Count Ascura raid. The two of them worked together……”
But that was a topic that should not be touched.
Who were Lee Hoyeol and Jesse Heinness?
If one spoke of public popularity, they were star players who ranked among the very top.
Even the mass media, which went crazy for provocative material,
couldn’t carelessly touch them when considering the backlash.
-Step aside.
-My patience has reached its limit.
-There is no decorum to be found.
Especially when it came to Lee Hoyeol!
Before the viewers could even bombard the message boards,
the host hurriedly began to defend himself.
“This is Expert Hwang Gyojun’s extremely personal opinion. I would like to make it clear that VBC, including myself, does not agree with Expert Hwang’s opinion in the slightest.”
“……Pardon? No, wait. I misspoke!”
Moreover.
Even setting that speculation aside, there seemed to be a clear reason.
Soon, Hoyeol’s magic manifested in midair.
Due to the influence of his Aesthetic stat,
a scene dazzling enough to be called resplendent began to unfold.
“To think elemental magic could feel so brilliant……!”
“It’s like watching a painting.”
“The generated sculptures have seized the legs of the demon legion commanders?!”
Even watching it through a screen, one thought it was beautiful.
Then what if one were seeing it right before one’s eyes?
-……Jesse, that magic nerd, would definitely lose her mind over this.
-For real, Jesse’s eyes weren’t sparkling for no reason lololol.
-Could it be a new skill? He grew again in that short time?!!
-Maybe it was just something he’d been hiding all along? lololol.
-Hiding, my ass. He just never needed to use it until now.
Even its outward appearance was extraordinary.
Was there any need to explain its power separately?
Hoyeol was controlling the battlefield with magic.
It was a scene too one-sided to even call a hunt.
It was nothing less than a massacre.
The time it took for the five legion commanders’ wings to be broken
was only a little over ten minutes.
“……It’s over, everyone.”
As dumbfounded as the panelists were,
the viewers didn’t have much to say either.
-All hail Homen.
The number of demon legion commanders defeated by Hoyeol’s side totaled six.
According to the additional update details……
Only four remained.
-No matter what, they should be able to take care of four, right? lolololol.
-For now, Shining and Unification of the World will each cut one down.
-The rest can just form alliances and hunt them, I guess??
So how were things going on the other guilds’ side?
Curious, the viewers changed channels.
Some of them couldn’t help but flinch.
Because on the other side as well,
a development no one had imagined was unfolding.
A single player was facing a demon legion commander alone.
At his identity, the viewers in South Korea were shocked.
“……Hey, isn’t that Nam Taemin?!”
*
Nam Taemin had flinched.
‘A class quest……? All of a sudden?’
The number one-ranked Barbarian class.
Until now, Nam Taemin had scoured every rumor and quest for the sake of his class quest.
Yet when he had actually searched, he had not been able to find even a single clue.
For a class quest to suddenly appear in a situation like this.
Nam Taemin was somewhat happy.
‘……I might be able to do something.’
Frost was in crisis.
If it was a reward from a class quest, growth was practically guaranteed.
He might be able to contribute to Frost’s recapture.
With that thought, Nam Taemin checked the quest window.
[Class Quest: Proof of Ferality]
The chieftain has breathed his last.
Young and new chieftain.
Prove true ferality.
“……!”
And he realized.
The reason his class quest had appeared.
Chieftain.
That referred to the strongest barbarian warrior.
“……Kern.”
Back when Arcana was still a game.
Kern was an NPC who stayed in the forest near Frost and helped players change classes into Barbarians.
But Nam Taemin knew.
Arcana was no longer merely a game.
Kern was not an NPC, but a human like himself, an Arcana native.
‘Kern was killed by the demons.’
Suddenly, he recalled the conversation he had shared with Kern.
-A Barbarian’s secret technique? You want something like that?
Back when he had been asking around for information about his class quest.
Nam Taemin had asked Kern about it as well.
At that time, Kern had laughed heartily and replied.
-To be tempted by some secret technique. You are weak, little brother!
……At the time, he had let it pass without thinking much of it.
But only now did he feel he understood what those words had meant.
-When the time comes, you’ll naturally come to know it, brother.
That was right.
A Barbarian’s secret technique was granted only to the “chieftain.”
When the chieftain, Kern, breathed his last,
Nam Taemin’s class quest had appeared.
In other words, the fact that the class quest had appeared meant……
“……Kern was alive until just now.”
Those fucking demon bastards!
Crack—
Veins bulged over Nam Taemin’s muscles.
Nam Taemin felt rage truly surge within him.
From his own older brother, Nam Cheolmin, to Kern, who was as good as a sworn brother.
He had only ever been hurt by those demon bastards.
Crunch—
Under Nam Taemin’s grip strength, cracks began to form in the thick hilt of his greatsword.
It was then.
Before Nam Taemin’s eyes, [Demon Legion Commander, Horikan]
revealed himself.
A half-man, half-bird armed with a spear.
Horikan looked at Nam Taemin and tilted his head.
Then he looked at the blood on the tip of his spear and opened his beak.
“How strange. I clearly stabbed him in the side with this spear and killed him.”
“……?”
“Why is there another beastly bastard here giving off the exact same smell?”
“!!!”
Beastly bastard.
A vulgar nickname for barbarian warriors, Barbarians.
Nam Taemin was able to realize it at once.
This was the one.
The one who had killed Kern was this birdbrain.
As if to prove it, his older brother Nam Cheolmin’s voice rang in his ear.
-Hey, Nam Taemin!! Get a hold of yourself!! That bastard is at least level 500!!
Level 500.
His own level was only 374.
Naturally, he wouldn’t be able to win.
Just as his brother had said, it was right to run.
And yet his heart was pounding.
Thump, thump—
More violently than he had ever felt before.
Run. You can’t win. The level gap is too big.
His reason, which had been shouting endlessly, gradually blurred.
The muscles throughout his body began to writhe even more violently.
He could feel his stamina being consumed by nothing but the beating of his body.
“Hah, hah.”
Nam Taemin breathed roughly.
It was then.
Hiss—
Steam began to rise from Nam Taemin’s body.
At the same time, messages appeared before his eyes.
[You have met the conditions.]
[The reward will be issued.]
[You have acquired the class-exclusive skill, ‘Call of the Wild.’]
[You have met the conditions.]
[The class-exclusive skill, ‘Call of the Wild,’ has been activated.]
Craaaack—!
──────
Call of the Wild: Awakens true ferality and greatly increases Ferality.
──────
[Ferality].
The Barbarian class-exclusive stat.
The reason Barbarians could unleash explosive brute strength was precisely because of the Ferality stat.
That Ferality stat had increased.
And by a great amount, at that.
The improvement to his physical abilities was beyond description.
Craaaack—!
The hilt of the greatsword Nam Taemin held was completely shattered.
But he did not care.
Whooooosh—!
Because Nam Taemin threw the greatsword straight at Horikan.
The speed produced by that muscle strength was beyond imagination.
Even the winged Horikan could not fully dodge it.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-boom—!
He hurriedly raised his spear and blocked the greatsword.
But from the impact, Horikan was pushed back dozens of meters.
If he had not offset the force with his wingbeats,
he would have been driven into the pile of collapsed buildings.
Trembling, Horikan shook his head at high speed.
“I don’t know what happened. But indeed, you’re fitting for a beastly bastard. That one strength of yours is remarkable. But a beast is only a beast. I shall hunt you slowly.”
Flutter—
Horikan spread his wings and took flight.
‘There’s no need to fight him on the ground.’
That was the lesson he had learned while dealing with another beastly bastard.
Horikan had folded his wings, thinking Kern was nearly dead, and had almost truly suffered for it.
But in Horikan’s eyes, Nam Taemin and Kern looked different.
‘They are similar, but the scent they give off is different.’
The difference between a beast and a beast’s cub, perhaps?
If it was a beast’s cub, he could hunt it alone with ease.
It was right when Horikan was becoming arrogant.
Crack—!
“!”
He felt pain in his ankle.
It was because Nam Taemin had grabbed Horikan’s leg and was hanging from it.
[‘Fracture’ has occurred on Demon Legion Commander Horikan.]
“How dare you……!!”
Horikan swiftly swung his spear.
Nam Taemin, stabbed in the forearm, fell straight through the air.
But there was no impact from the fall.
He landed lightly on all fours.
Because his greatly increased Ferality had made Nam Taemin move truly like a beast.
Pa-bak—
Nam Taemin once again ran up a building and leaped.
“You beastly bastard!”
Horikan hurriedly tried to widen the distance, but it was not enough.
Tak—
Instead, Horikan was seized by the base of his wing.
Nam Taemin’s forearm twitched.
Riiiiip—!
And just like that, he tore off Horikan’s wing.
[‘Bleeding’ has occurred on Demon Legion Commander Horikan.]
Horikan lost his balance and plummeted.
Nam Taemin did not let such a Horikan go.
Crunch—
He grabbed Horikan’s long neck and began to twist it.
“……Kueeek!”
Horikan could not understand.
That one, and this one too.
Beastly bastards were different from ordinary humans.
But he, too, was not an ordinary bird.
‘I am different from that birdbrain, Kupikan……!’
Even if he had lost a wing, he still had arms and legs.
While falling, Horikan raised his spear.
Then he aimed it at Nam Taemin, who was holding onto him.
It was not to attack him.
It was to shake him off.
‘If he wants to dodge, he’ll have no choice but to let go.’
However.
Puk—
Nam Taemin was still holding onto Horikan’s neck.
He had clearly felt the sensation of stabbing him, and yet……?
For an instant, Horikan thought of Kern.
That beastly bastard, who had fought without rest for dozens of days,
who had been drenched in blood and had every bone in his body shattered,
yet still had not submitted until the very last moment.
‘Damn it……!’
Horikan realized.
‘This beastly bastard is the same!’
Yes, beastly bastards had no such thing as reason.
When words did not get through, threats could not possibly work.
Horikan twisted his body with his one remaining wing.
Had it worked?
“!”
The hand gripping his neck was gradually loosening.
“Hah, hah…….”
[Call of the Wild], which came at the cost of extreme stamina consumption.
Because his stamina had been depleted, [Call of the Wild]
was canceled.
And Nam Taemin’s reason had returned as well.
Of course, to Horikan, the reason did not matter.
Crash—!
With a thunderous roar, Nam Taemin crashed to the ground.
Horikan approached him.
“Stupid beastly bastard. Even your miserable end is the same.”
Miserable end?
Bullshit.
He wanted to sneer at him, but he didn’t even have the strength for that.
Nam Taemin laughed inwardly. ‘……
I think I finally understand.’
What Hoyeol had meant by the pride within one’s heart.
Yes, what had moved Nam Taemin was pride.
Kern’s pride, which he had wanted to protect.
And his own pride, which could not turn away from that pride.
That was why he had no regrets.
“Beastly things are somehow more foolish than beasts. Even beasts tuck their tails and run when they meet their natural enemy. Did you think I, Lord Horikan, would fall to the likes of you? Know your place, you verminous human.”
A beastly thing.
Yes, he had even thrown away his greatsword and run on all fours……
To anyone else, he must certainly have looked that way.
If he could, Nam Taemin wanted to ask, playfully, ‘Hyung, did I look like a beast to you too?’
Because, you know.
If your last words are serious, they only make the ones left behind sadder.
Of course, at the moment he had fallen.
With his earphones smashed, there was no way he could hear his hyung’s voice.
However.
Click—
The answer to that came back clearly.
“A beastly thing, you say? You speak without knowing your place.”
Ironically.
“However, I understand, lowly demon.”
From Hoyeol.
“!”
Through his blurring vision, he saw Hoyeol.
And he saw his guild members running toward him.
Nam Taemin could tell by instinct. ‘……
Hyung?’
Nam Cheolmin had relayed the situation to the guild members.
Nam Taemin flinched for a moment. ‘……
Then did he perhaps see me running on all fours too?’
Wasn’t Hoyeol someone who valued formality above all else?
There could be no sight more lacking in decorum than that.
After all, even he thought he had looked no different from a beast.
But that was truly a needless worry.
“Because you know nothing of pride. Of humans who fight to uphold their pride.”
“……!”
“That is something you inferior race called demons can never understand.”
Hoyeol spoke as calmly as ever.
Nam Taemin was overcome with emotion, while Horikan was thrown into confusion.
‘Why?’
A dangerous scent was wafting from the silver-haired man.
……
The scent of the blood of six demon legion commanders, including Kufikan, mingled together!
Horikan realized it instinctively.
That man was none other than his natural enemy……!
‘I-I have to run.’
If he were in perfect condition, it might have been different, but his wings had been torn off.
Horikan twitched his beak.
‘Yes, I’ll bewitch him with words, then seize the opening and……’
“K-Kuweeeek!”
But Horikan could not even open his beak.
Whoosh—!
Instant search, interference, manifestation.
Because flames surged up from that very beak.
He twisted his body in agony, but only for a moment.
“I do not converse with prey.”
A cold voice reached Horikan’s ears.
“Be silent. Mongrel.”
*AAU Korean Branch.
“……
I can’t believe it.”
They stared at Hoyeol on the monitor as if their souls had left their bodies.
Among them.
Tap tap tap tap—!
Yoon Su-gyeom, who had been hammering away at his keyboard, opened his mouth.
“……
I think I’ve got it, Hyeonjun. What kind of guy the Demon King is!”
“R-Really? Sunbae?!”
“Yeah. I’m 99.9 percent sure.”
The time had finally come for him to earn his keep.
And besides, this was information that would help Hoyeol more than anyone else.