◈ Episode 8. How Simple
The player community was in an uproar.
─Is this update for real? The balance is seriously fucked.
─It’s not just the balance that’s fucked, aren’t we gonna get fucked too??
─Ahaha, how the hell are we supposed to kill Count Ascurra, you crazy bitch Raymon lol
No, there was no need to go as far as the community.
Even on the news, talk of the new update never ceased.
“AAU has revealed that Count Ascurra is a vampire—in other words, a demon-type monster.”
“The major guilds are also expressing difficulty. Their stance is that they cannot recklessly enter a rift whose danger is evident.”
I belatedly checked the update.
And I was horrified.
‘……
What, level 430?!’
Level 430 meant he was higher than the current number one in the rankings, didn’t it?
It made me want to take back what I’d said about them being an inferior race.
As if that weren’t enough, he was apparently a demon.
Among players, demons were monsters that were troublesome to deal with.
In order to safely attack a demon,
it was common knowledge that one had to be at least 10 levels higher than it.
In other words.
‘They updated this and expect us to clear it?’
Of course that would be the reaction!
Only now did I understand why the world had fallen into chaos.
Since it was obvious there would be losses, it was only natural for the major guilds to react passively.
But what if they kept watching one another and the rift collapsed?
Then the gates of hell would really open.
Of course, I was fully aware of it.
───────
Natural Enemy Relationship: Combat power rises dramatically when fighting demons.
───────
Natural Enemy Relationship.
The effect of the Demon Hunter’s class skill was far greater than I had imagined.
But hadn’t the imp been only level 200?
Hunting Count Ascurra, whose level was more than double that, was something I couldn’t even imagine.
But that was merely the conclusion reached by the mind of me, Lee Hoyeol.
At this moment, my heart was beating no differently than usual.
Yes, it was a heartbeat that said it did not matter what sort of demon it was.
『No temptation, deception, or trial from any demon can leave so much as a scratch on Granfell’s lofty pride.』
Whether it was an imp or a vampire.
Even further, even before a Demon King.
This arrogant pride would never be broken.
Literally living and dying for form—a setting that urged death upon itself.
Of course, I had not the slightest intention of dying an untimely death while pursuing style.
As thin and as long as possible.
That was the life I wanted.
‘No, wait.’
But at this moment, even my mind was telling me it could be done.
The quest window sparkled.
─Hunt the vampire. (In Progress) ▲●
Announce that the hunt has begun. (In Progress)
As I looked at that quest objective, memories of the past came to mind.
The Demon Hunter’s method of hunting demons.
I ended up remembering it once again.
Thanks to that, I became certain.
‘If I follow the quest like I did back then…….’
That I might really be able to hunt the vampire.
That kind of certainty.
For a moment, a flower garden unfolded in my mind.
How much experience would I gain from defeating Count Ascurra?
Would he perhaps drop a good item?
Ah, I couldn’t forget the class quest reward either.
And yet not even the corner of my mouth twitched.
Because even the splendid flower garden I had imagined was, to Granfell, no better than a family garden glimpsed in passing.
To put it simply, all of that was only natural.
It meant they were things I would rightfully seize.
─New rift location is up!!! They say it’s in Russia?!!
I said in a cold voice.
“I shall add to your punishment for going to the trouble of hiding.”
*
The Magic Tower.
Its interior was so mysterious it was difficult to describe.
“Holy shit. It’s completely different from the outside?!”
A vast interior, as though different laws of physics applied within.
Countless books decorating that interior.
Among them, the most magnificent sight was the “portal” shining at the center.
“Russia? Imagine if we didn’t have the Magic Tower. Just thinking about it is horrifying.”
“As expected, the master’s judgment was right. We’re lucky we established ourselves in Korea early. Look at the Japanese or Chinese guilds. They got stubborn for no reason, and now they’ll have to take a plane to Russia.”
“It’ll be a problem even after they land, won’t it? I heard it takes five hours by car from the airport.”
Portal.
A large-scale teleportation spell.
As one could tell from its effect, it belonged to high-level magic.
Among players, those who could use portals could be counted on one hand.
Of course, it was impossible to compare players’ portals to the Magic Tower’s portals.
“When will I ever get to use magic like this?”
“Probably impossible even if you hit max level.”
“……
Max level? Arcana has a max level?”
“No. That’s why I’m saying it’ll be impossible forever.”
“Hey, the way you talk—”
Because players’ portals were not a means of transportation, but merely a means of emergency escape.
The mana consumed to maintain a portal was no joke.
“Still, when else would we get to ride portals this freely?”
The portals provided by the Magic Tower had originally not been free to use.
But just as the world had changed, so had the Magic Tower.
A large crowd had gathered around the portal.
And naturally, the ones receiving the most attention were “Gaon.”
“Has Gaon discovered a strategy for clearing this Count Ascurra raid?”
“What is the reason you decided on an expedition before the other guilds?”
“There are opinions that even if Gaon fails in the attack, the information gained through it should be shared with other guilds. What do you think?”
Ranked fifth in the world.
The greatest guild in South Korea, Gaon.
The guild master, Nam Taemin, answered the flood of questions.
“Unfortunately, we have no strategy. Since when have we challenged rifts by weighing strategies……? The reason we decided on an expedition before the other guilds? Naturally, it’s to get ahead in the competition.”
Befitting his position, Nam Taemin’s words were overflowing with confidence.
“And what? Even if we fail, we should share the raid information with other guilds? Unfortunately, that won’t happen. They’ll spout nonsense about how it’s for the peace of humanity or whatever. If they don’t like it, I’d like to tell them to challenge the rift themselves, like we are. That’s what’s really for the sake of peace. Isn’t it?”
His momentum was enough to make even the gathered reporters flinch.
But unlike his brazen attitude, Nam Taemin was burning up inside.
Because Gaon had staked a great deal on this expedition.
‘We have to produce results.’
Because of the Magic Tower, major guilds from all over the world had flowed into South Korea.
From the government’s or the people’s perspective, that might be a good thing.
But not for Gaon.
Their standing in South Korea was shrinking by the day.
Gaon’s movement stimulated other guilds as well.
The reporters murmured.
“……
Huh? Wait, isn’t that the Shining Guild?”
Ranked first in the world.
The undisputed strongest guild, Shining.
They had appeared at the Magic Tower, leading an expedition force.
“Good, that’s how you should come out.”
Shining had moved.
It was clear the other guilds would follow as well.
The reporters who had flocked to Nam Taemin moved over toward Shining.
Only then did Nam Cheolmin approach and pat his younger brother on the shoulder.
“No need to be impatient. In any case, this will become a long battle.”
“I know. I just got a little motivated.”
“Anyway, my first day at work sure is dynamic. Really.”
“Hyung, just think of it as being blessed with too much work.”
Nam Cheolmin was participating in this expedition as an analyst for the Gaon Guild.
He hadn’t known he would be taking part in such a grand attack from the very beginning……
Even so, he was faithful to his duties as an analyst.
Being called a parachute hire was one thing.
But he couldn’t be called a parachute with holes in it.
“I finished briefing the guild members.”
“Briefing?”
“Yeah, this new rift’s layout is extremely unusual.”
Nam Cheolmin took out a tablet PC.
On it were three overlapping circles.
Nam Cheolmin pointed with his finger at the outermost circle.
“This is the rift on the outskirts of the territory. I didn’t draw it as a circle to make it look neat. Hundreds of rifts were actually discovered in a circular formation.”
“……
Hundreds? Wait, then what’s the circle inside it?”
“That’s the count’s territory rift. It’s a bit smaller, right? There are roughly thirty of those.”
“Then the innermost circle must be the count’s stronghold.”
Nam Cheolmin nodded.
“Yeah, Count Ascurra is in the innermost stronghold rift.”
“Wait, somehow its shape really does look like a castle……?”
“Exactly. That’s why I had this thought too.”
“?”
Swipe—
Nam Cheolmin touched the tablet.
When the screen changed, a medieval castle appeared.
“If the rift collapses, what if Count Ascurra’s castle is truly summoned?”
“……
Hyung, isn’t that still going too far?”
“What’s impossible about it? The Magic Tower appeared, didn’t it?”
“…….”
Nam Taemin could not retort.
Because there was nothing particularly wrong with what his brother had said.
But what was certain was that if the rift collapsed.
If Count Ascurra’s castle was truly summoned……
“……
Couldn’t it turn into a siege battle?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about too.”
“Are you kidding me? We’re already barely hanging on as it is!”
In Arcana, siege battles overwhelmingly favored the defending side.
In this case, the defending side was naturally Count Ascurra.
Nam Taemin could be certain.
“At that point, it would really become impossible to clear.”
Nam Cheolmin answered by merely shrugging his shoulders.
The brothers fell silent for a moment.
Nam Taemin opened his mouth first.
“All we can do is our best.”
“Good thinking.”
“Hyung, you try to be enthusiastic too.”
“My first task is just too heavy, that’s all.”
Nam Cheolmin had something to say about that too.
“I was planning to focus only on recruiting that rookie for now. I was adjusting the contract again and politely rewriting the message again. But then the update suddenly dropped……”
The rookie Nam Cheolmin was talking about here was, of course, Hoyeol.
In truth, even at this moment, Nam Cheolmin was concerned about Hoyeol.
Nam Taemin was the same.
“Tsk. Every single player is precious for this raid.”
“That’s why I told you we should raise the ratio!”
“Hyung, it was 9.5 to 0.5. We were the 0.5! What ratio was there left to raise? We were buying him a house, buying him a car, and supporting his activity expenses too. With the ratio looking like that, it would take more than ten years to recover……”
“Ah, I don’t know. It’s your fault.”
Their bickering lasted only a moment.
“Anyway, let’s start getting ready.”
It was finally time to enter the portal.
Having said that, Nam Taemin tilted his head.
“……
What, you’re already ready?”
“What would an analyst need to prepare?”
“No, I mean, Hyung, aren’t you going to smoke before we go?”
“Ah, cigarettes?”
Nam Cheolmin smiled brightly.
“I quit. Once my worries disappeared, I stopped reaching for them.”
*
I opened the closet.
The location of the new rift was Russia.
Russia’s current average temperature was roughly 2 degrees Celsius.
It was only proper to choose thick clothes.
And yet I was dressed in a suit.
This, too, was probably because of that setting that could not live without formality and dignity.
Get used to it. I had no choice but to get used to it.
Still, it was a relief.
One of my few jackets was fairly thick.
I checked my reflection in the mirror.
As if I had been born with silver hair.
There was not a trace of black left in my hair.
My face had changed too.
My features could not be rearranged like my hair, but perhaps because the shape of my eyes had changed,
I could feel that the aura my face gave off was different from before.
My physique had become even more solid as I repeated the training quests.
The suit that had once been loose now fit like a tailored outfit.
Thanks to my noble palate, I had kept even my diet strict.
It was only natural that there would be visible muscle growth.
I looked at myself in the mirror and said,
“It is me.”
Yes, I knew that this changed appearance was also me.
It was no one else’s appearance.
Because this was the dark history of me, Lee Hoyeol.
Knowing that fact, there was no hesitation in my actions.
Preparations were complete.
I was going to Russia.
To do that, I headed for the Magic Tower.
……
Wait.
“I nearly forgot.”
Just as I was about to put on my shoes and leave through the front door, I stopped.
I opened the cupboard and grabbed a handful of barley green tea bags.
I carefully tucked them into the inner pocket of my jacket.
……
Yes, being unable to live without teatime was also me.
Of course, just having tea bags didn’t mean I could brew green tea.
But it didn’t matter.
Because I could 『Search』, 『Interfere』, and 『Manifest』.
Yes, it meant I had succeeded in manifesting 『Magic』.
I looked at the teacup on the table and said,
“Even a teacup is unnecessary.”
The neatly stacked pile of papers beside the teacup was proof of that.
...
I arrived at the Magic Tower.
I looked at the brilliantly shining portal.
“!”
The high-level magic known as “Portal,” which among players could be used by only a handful.
And this was a portal manifested by the NPCs of the Magic Tower, who were comparable to great mages.
And yet.
‘Why?’
To my eyes, that high-level magic looked simpler than the “Ignition” I had seen on NetTube.