Chapter 238: The World of Players (3)
The crisis at the fortress had been resolved, but that didn’t mean the entire middle floors were safe yet.
The borderlands between the Holy Kingdom of Sedes and the martial artists’ world, Murim.
Currently, a state of emergency had been declared here due to the presence of two high-ranking demons.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
With the sound of bells, the city gates swung wide open.
“Civilians, take refuge inside the fortress immediately! No time to grab your belongings, get in now!”
The captain of the guards shouted until his throat was hoarse.
Already, the rangers and knights, including all their auxiliaries, had been annihilated.
All that was left to rely on were the sanctified walls enhanced with holy power and the order of paladins.
“Once the last of the refugees are in, lock the gates immediately!”
Somehow, they had to keep resisting until the Empire could send support.
Until then, they would have to defend the walls, regardless of the casualties they had to endure.
Just then.
“Kraaaagh!”
“Heeheehee.”
A beast-like roar echoed from afar.
The approaching calamities, continuously drawing near even now, were Magdra and Shelkerim.
Magdra, a knight with a halberd, was about 7 meters tall.
In contrast, Shelkerim looked similar to an adult woman.
Of course, with a thin, long scythe and a glass bead filled with souls each in hand, she was a good distance from what one might call ordinary.
After a hard lesson from Antrad, the two demons who had joined forces prepared for worse scenarios and were currently wreaking havoc on both the Empire and Murim forces.
For hours, countless soldiers swarmed them like wasps, only to be turned into cold corpses.
Now, not a single reckless human stood in their way.
And at the very moment they had the Holy Kingdom of Sedes in their sights –
Swish.
A shadow appeared in front of the two demons.
“This is as far as you go.”
“Yet another one who doesn’t know his place appears.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})“Heehee. Right? Humans never seem to learn. Even a knightly order and thousands of troops couldn’t stop us. And you think you can, all by yourself? Are you serious?”
The demons raised their power disdainfully.
Koo-koo-koo-koo-koo!
The pressure that enveloped their entire bodies wasn’t something any human could withstand.
Right then.
Radiant golden hair cascaded down dazzling white armor.
“I can do it. By ‘we’, I mean.”
Those turquoise eyes stared straight ahead.
It was Theresa of Amsterdam, the saintess.
[Theresa unleashes her unique ability ‘Blessing of the Stars’!]
Bright radiance fell from the sky.
Her sword blade turned white.
The demons faced the ultimate holy power, enhanced further by one of the players who stood at the pinnacle of this domain.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
The light strengthened by ‘Blessing of the Stars’ cut through in a straight line instantly.
An unimaginable storm engulfed the two demons.
＊＊＊
Sssk!
Smoke billowed from the scorched earth.
The long scar carved through the forest was testament to the power of the recent attack.
But even with the sacred light, they couldn’t finish the demons.
Though somewhat damaged, both Magdra and Shelkerim revealed themselves, still very much alive.
“A paladin? Quite ferocious.”
“Heehee! Indeed. Out of all the paladins I’ve faced, you’re at least useful.”
Both Magdra and Shelkerim muttered to themselves.
A strong paladin, to be sure, but that was merely among humans.
They could never rival the demons themselves.
They planned to move quickly, snuff out their lives, then storm the fortress and slaughter all humans inside.
However.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})On the opposite side of the forest, another presence approached.
Thud.
This time, it was an aged man dressed lightly.
One of the two pillars that supported Cheonma, the Dark Emperor, himself.
“Hehe. Am I interrupting something? Seems I’ve awkwardly barged in.”
The Dark Emperor chuckled.
Despite his light steps, the weight of his presence could be felt.
“……!”
“…….”
Even Magdra and Shelkerim raised their mana instinctively, sensing the ominous atmosphere.
Intuitively, they knew. This old man was far more dangerous than the holy-powered paladin.
The Dark Emperor’s gaze shifted to Theresa.
“Hmm. And who might you be? I heard all forces from the Empire and Murim have retreated. You don’t seem to belong to either of them.”
“I’m a player from Europe.”
“A player, you say… You bear no relation to this plane. But then why risk your life here?”
The Dark Emperor inquired, prompting Theresa to falter momentarily.
Her reason for coming here.
Why she would step up in a situation where she had no stake.
To protect innocent civilians caught up in the conflict?
Certainly, there was that reason.
But above all…
“I had a request from someone dear to protect the people here.”
It was a request from Jinhyuk she trusted.
That was reason enough.
“……I see. You must be the other person Baeksa mentioned.”
“Baeksa? You mean the grandfather is responding to Mr. Jinhyuk’s request too?”
Theresa widened her eyes in surprise.
“Hehe, I happened to mistakenly take in a disciple in my later years, and I found myself hooked. Really, what’s with that talent of his…”
Musing with a self-deprecating laugh, the Dark Emperor then added,
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})“Still, seeing people not hesitate upon his single request, makes me think it wasn’t such a wasted effort after all.”
A warm smile spread across his features.
Maybe it meant his choice hadn’t been wrong.
The Dark Emperor stepped forward and with that move.
Kwoom!
The ground cracked and split.
Like the shell of a tortoise cracking open, as if nothing that awaited him would be permitted to block his path.
The weight behind this one step was immense.
[Dark Emperor’s unique martial arts ‘Black Heaven’s Tyrannical Emperor Art’ blooms.]
A formidable power surged, abyssal as the deep sea.
An overwhelming force.
“Now, which of you dares come at me first? I’m pleased to take both at once.”
The Dark Emperor extended his hand towards the two demons.
＊＊＊
“Heh! So arrogant.”
Shelkerim balanced her long scythe on her shoulder.
“I’ll handle this old man. You take care of that woman.”
“Got it. But don’t be careless. Though the woman might be easy, the old man won’t be a pushover.”
“Don’t get beaten while playing around.”
“That’s one boring joke.”
Magdra sneered.
With the level that Theresa showed earlier, even the slightest possibility of a surprise was nonexistent.
It’s a matter of cleaning up swiftly then joining Shelkerim to deal with the old man.
Kwaang! Kwaang!
Immediately afterward, the battle between the Dark Emperor and Shelkerim commenced.
As a mid-level demon, Shelkerim began to spew various curses and magic.
Each one was tricky and lethal.
Koo-koo-koo-koo-koo!
And the Dark Emperor’s martial arts transcended the realm of humanity to counter them.
The terrain changed in the blink of an eye.
The sheer force exhibited by the two monsters was on a whole different scale.
“Sorry, but I need to join that side soon. So, let’s end our fight quickly.”
Magdra lifted his enormous halberd.
Confident that the outcome would be swift.
However, the sight that followed left him…
Huh?
Magdra gasped in shock.
“You got it. I will end this quickly.”
[Theresa activates ‘Corruption’.]
Black tears streamed down her pale cheeks.
Her eyes turned a sinister color, her lips curled in a subtle smile.
But what was most surprising was the quality and type of power emanating from her.
The once holy light was gone, and now the black flames on her sword exuded an ominous aura.
Woo-woong!
A crimson glow flickered with Theresa’s sword.
In a mere blink.
A thin line pierced through Magdra’s body.
Thunk!
Blood spurted from Magdra’s back.
“Cough?”
His magical barrier breached?
That’s simply impossible…
Magdra looked at Theresa in disbelief.
“The newbie mentioned it, remember? If ‘we’ stand together, we can win.”
Her seductive form spoke with a velvety voice.
Theresa swung her shield imbued with holy power and a corrupted sword in one fluid motion.
＊＊＊
A major incident caused by the demons – four demons were manifested by mages.
Right after the calamity deemed apocalyptic happened, exactly two days had passed.
Antrad, the first to appear, had been extinguished by Jinhyuk and Cheon Yuseong. Magdra and Shelkerim fell on the plains of the Holy Kingdom of Sedes at the hands of Theresa and an enigmatic elderly man.
“…So only Velmaryiel remains unknown, who dealt with it?”
Jinhyuk asked Cheon Yuseong, who walked beside him.
“That’s right. Since the ‘Hall of Honor’ only updates once a day, the person who defeated the last demon will be revealed tomorrow.”
Jinhyuk had believed that Theresa and the master would be more than capable of dealing with the demons…
But he could not grasp who might have taken out Velmaryiel.
‘Whoever it was must be quite skilled…’
Who could it be?
Lost in thought, Jinhyuk crackled a smile.
This is why the Tower of Trials was fascinating.
It continually sprung elements that stimulated his curiosity.
“Stop grinning to yourself like a child. What about the items we were rewarded? When do you plan to give me my share?”
“Ah… those items? You should have said something earlier. It’s been two days; I’ve sold it all off. Now I’m broke.”
“What? You sold off items we hunted together without discussing it with me?”
“The thing is, in this business, there’s something called a ‘statute of contributions,’ and if you don’t claim it the same day, it’s over. Haven’t you played games before?”
In which game does one claim ownership of an item days later?
If you don’t claim it at the moment, that was the end of it.
“Besides, soon enough we’re off to the Imperial Capital to receive our own rewards from the Emperor. Be happy with that.”
A grand celebration was in store, and the whole Empire was abuzz with excitement over the event.
It was probably more to solidify the Emperor’s power, but since he was throwing a big party and opening up a grand distribution of honors to players…
There was likely to be a handsome share for everyone.
“If this isn’t the most devious thing I’ve heard… Even you mustn’t…”
Cheon Yuseong was furious at such a bandit’s reasoning, but Jinhyuk had long plugged his ears with his fingers.
Suddenly, Elis, who was on the other side, poked Jinhyuk’s side with her finger.
“Is there any chance we could eat before we go? I’m seriously starving after walking for hours.”
“Mogi!”
Elis and Goguma chorused their demands for food.
“Did our Mogi get hungry?”
Jinhyuk’s voice softened considerably.
Having finished up with the Insect Labyrinth, Goguma had just returned to Jinhyuk that dawn, his magical essence having completely changed.
He had grown incredibly.
Cute as ever, of course, but a bully’s bite indeed.
The five Elemental Lords were also resting in the spatial inventory, so soon it would be time to call them out and assess their growth.
“Right, we’ll feed you. Eat up, Goguma, eat plenty!”
Cradling Goguma close, Jinhyuk placed a marrow-rich magical bone treat in his little mouth.
“Mogi! Mogi!”
Chomping down, Goguma moved his mouth repeatedly.
“What about me?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve prepared something special for you too.”
“Wow. You’re commendable. What is it, fine wine? A prime steak? Even the dish mixed with sea urchin and crab meat wasn’t bad. Tell me, what’s the special dish?”
Elis’s eyes lit up, her small black wings fluttering swiftly, stirred by hunger.
“Mint chocolate. I even filled a half-gallon size just for you.”
He had given her more than the standard portion, so surely she could gorge all day long.
“Would you prefer death or suffocation? Choose one.”
Elis’s expression turned ice cold.
There are still so many who don’t understand the taste.
While Jinhyuk and Elis squabbled,
“Someone’s there.”
The foremost Cheon Yuseong stopped in his tracks.
“There is?”
Looking ahead, there was a person standing near a uniquely-shaped tree at the fork in the road.
With the Empire and Murim at war and with demons on the loose, there was no reason for a civilian to be here.
And without any armor, it would be curious to think they’re military.
But the moment he saw the person’s face,
‘Ah, that guy was on the 20th floor too…’
Jinhyuk’s pupils quivered.
He couldn’t not know.
How could he not recognize one of the most desired beings in the tower amidst countless residents?
