◈ Episode 17. You’re Not Good Enough (1)
The Shining and the Unification of Heaven and Earth.
The battle for world supremacy took place in a rift.
The winner was the Shining.
[Shining succeeded in the ‘Count Ascura’s Henchman’ raid…]
[Player Rankings No. 2 Rocks finally hits the 400 level plateau… only two levels behind No. 1 Skar].
[Experts 日, “Jesse Heinness played a big role.”]
The difference between the two guilds was Count Ascura’s henchman.
A level 390 demonic monster.
Demons are notorious for their ailments.
Not many players could stand up to Count Ascura’s henchman.
Shining, who had four top ten ranked players, was able to withstand it, but the relatively average leveled Tian Hai Tongil could not.
“Hmph.”
Shining defended his title of World’s Strongest.
However, Guild Master Rox’s expression did not show any signs of joy, as what awaited him when he emerged from the rift was a development he hadn’t anticipated in the slightest.
“What was that? What does everyone think?”
Base camp, the master’s room.
Four men and four women were gathered there, including Rox.
Project screens filled the walls.
The black man, watching the video play, said.
“You wouldn’t know if you asked me, would you, Rox?”
Dmitri, ranked eighth in the player rankings.
He was wasting this precious time.
Just an hour ago, he’d been rolling around in the cracks.
What was this meeting about?
“Rox, a guy like you who has girls lining up for him doesn’t know my desperation. How did I get this date, how did I manage to squeeze it in with my busy life, and you’re going to make me waste all that for a guy like him?”
Dmitri’s anger was directed at the man on the screen.
A silver-haired man in a long coat.
With a wave of his hand, walls and pillars sprang up in the square.
Camilla, the seventh-ranked player, spoke up.
“I don’t know… I’m not much of an archer.”
Bing-bing-bing.
She twisted her long, aged red hair into a bebe.
Then she leaned back against the couch.
“You think you’re good enough to make us care? Really?”
Rox didn’t answer.
It wasn’t because he was amazing.
It was just annoying.
“I don’t know. Jealousy, maybe?”
“Jealous? You’re also greedy, my boss~”
“Rox, it’s not uncommon for the media to make a big deal out of an insignificant newcomer. They want ratings, they want hits, they want to make a star out of him.”
Dmitry was right.
I’ve lost count of the number of players who’ve burst onto the scene and then disappeared without a sound.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of players have died in the rift after starting out as if they were something.
“But why did it happen on the same day?
Well, it was an amazing appearance.
Starting with that outfit.
But it was just that.
It was a no-brainer.
No. 2 in the player rankings, Rox.
He’d seen worse than that, including the #1 ranked Skrull.
Still, a shapeshifting sword was an interesting weapon to use.
“Anything else?”
Just then, Camilla and Dmitri stood up.
“We’ve just rented the entire hotel lounge, non-refundable. We need to make this date work, man.”
“I’m in, too, boss, don’t be so sensitive.”
Bye-bye, sweetheart.
While Rox was distracted, the two of them ran off.
Now there’s only one man left.
Jesse Heinness, fourth in the player rankings.
“……?”
Rox cocked his head. The same Jesse Hynes was staring at the man on the screen, and it wasn’t the same Jesse he usually saw.
Yes, just a few hours ago.
It was a glint in his eye that hadn’t been there when he’d been hunting monsters in the rift.
Rox asked cautiously.
“……Why, do you think you know something, Jesse?”
“Well, it’s …… very curious.”
“Curious? I’m more curious that you’re saying that.”
You’re telling me you’ve noticed something?
I asked, hoping to hear why.
He didn’t answer.
Jesse was too busy to answer.
“What skill is that?
Class, mage.
One of the most common classes, but Jesse was special.
Among players of her class.
A class quest that only one person could do.
Jesse was doing the Wizard class quest.
Throughout his class quest, he felt, realised, and learned the magic of many arcana. But the magic that was unfolding on the screen was…….
“It was different.
It was definitely different.
First and foremost, there was no chanting.
Of course, he could cast magic without chanting.
But it was far less efficient.
It would take more energy, and the effect would be weaker.
But the man on the screen…….
“There’s no such thing!
No. It could have been the other way round.
If it’s so ineffective, it’s still that effective?
How much horsepower does it have?
Jesse’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
It got on Rox’s nerves even more.
“……?!”
The moment.
The subtitles on the screen flashed a line from an article about a man.
[Player in question, “I’m not taking any questions.”]
……Did he really say that?
Rox was appalled.
He’s the second-best person I’ve ever met in my life.
Even he had never imagined such an arrogant statement.
‘……What the hell is he doing?
It’s bad enough that he’s buried the Shining’s victory and his own level 400 achievement.
Now Jesse is showing interest.
And he’s got a personality that makes even he tongue-in-cheek.
There were more than a few unbelievable points.
.
.
.
Yes, it was a shocking debut.
The appearance of Ho-yeol, a mysterious player, was an upset.
-True story. -Magic scale.
-I see you’ve been standing still since 7:10.
-You look at me and I’m shaking.
Above all, it was Ho-yeol’s behaviour that became a big topic.
There was even a programme that analysed his every move.
“Now, if you look at him from here, he’s completely unarmed.”
“He’s really wearing a suit even under the long coat?”
“I can’t see any jewellery on his fingers, neck, or ears.”
“So you’re saying that he did that magic with his bare body?”
“How does that make sense, Guru Park?”
Because the shabby armour was out of place.
He didn’t wear any jewellery, just because he didn’t have any.
“He also has a very good eye for the battlefield. As soon as he realised that the enemy’s mobility was a problem, he changed the terrain.”
“Watching the replay, even a second too late would have made me dizzy.”
“Your quick thinking saved Gaon and Inazuma’s lives.”
There was no thought of saving anyone.
Not even to the point of action-reaction.
I was just doing the best I could.
“As if that wasn’t enough, here. We’re just going to stand by and watch from here, aren’t we? Surely it’s a gesture of consideration, Gaon and Inazuma. Give them a good fight, that’s what it feels like.”
“Caring? Caring from that crack?”
“Yes. It’s inexplicable behaviour otherwise. This.”
It wasn’t caring, it was just disenchanted.
But there was no way to tell.
The only one who could tell was Ho Yeol.
It was no different for a Ranker with an extraordinary eye.
The Guild, the Berserker’s base camp.
Whirr-
Leonie threw the blanket she was wearing into the air and shouted.
“Ya’ll, I told you! I told you that’s not normal!”
“Sis. Okay, calm down and put the blanket back on, or you’ll catch a cold.”
“But what about these, don’t they have eyes that I can see, Kak. Are they really going to turn everything upside down?”
Guild, Inazuma.
“I can’t believe that silver-haired one is Korean…….”
“Since it’s come to this, we’ll definitely have to bring him to our side.”
“Hisagi Kazuma. I will carry out the mission with determination.”
To Kaon’s Nam clan brothers.
“You really should’ve tried to persuade me by grabbing me by the throat.”
“Whoops-yes, my bad. I didn’t recognise that potentate.”
“……But then again, it wasn’t exactly formal, was it?”
“Yeah. It was a market floor, not an interview.”
“I can tell by the way your eyebrows are wiggling, you’ve been holding it together. I almost misunderstood you again. I thought your lack of formality was because I’m a barbarian.”
“Well, maybe …… you’re not necessarily wrong.”
“What, even you?!”
His eyebrows twitched, an after-effect of disenchantment…….
Not that even he would notice.
In any case, interest in Ho-Yeol didn’t look like it was going to die down for a while.
Especially in Korea, no matter what channel you turned on, there was talk about the mysterious player.
And such an atmosphere.
It was the best time for the devil to move.
[Count’s Citadel].
[Suitable Level : Lv.400~450]
[Collapse Progress : 100 per cent].
“……What the hell, it was definitely 90% just now!”
“Everyone, get out of here!
“Get as far away as you can!”
Collapse degree: 100 per cent.
The rift collapsed and a castle was created in reality.
The vampire, Count Ascura.
He had appeared in Russia.
The collapse was sudden.
The screen immediately switched and the anchor broke the news.
A new crack had been updated.
The worst fears had come true.
“Guilds from all over the world are gathering around the citadel. Shining’s Guild Master Rox has revealed that he plans to enter the citadel without delay…….”
However, Ho Yeol had also anticipated this development.
-The vampire can give away his power through blood. Of course, they can also reclaim their power. So don’t let your guard down until the end.
So there was no defence.
Sweaty bodies.
The stacks of papers on the table once again.
And the status window.
[Name: Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 100]
[Stats]
Strength: 27 / Dexterity: 33 / Magic: 51 / Luck: 2
[Points held: 0]
The evidence was everywhere.
To stay afloat and not sink.
A swan never rests its legs for a moment.
*.
Reading.
I tried to build up my knowledge of the arcana.
There had been a gap of twelve years.
But even I could easily recognise the gravity of the situation: it’s common sense: the defender has the advantage in a siege.
…… Plus, it must be psychologically debilitating, right?
Count Asquira’s citadel.
Just looking at it made my heart swell.
“If we get lost, we’ll be in trouble.”
“Why don’t we send out a scouting party first?”
“……No, it’s not a foe worthy of dividing the main body.”
The gate was wide open.
As if chip particles were always welcome.
Thankfully, most of the players were waiting at the entrance.
And again-
But I was moving forward.
Was I not overwhelmed by its grandeur?
Fortunately or unfortunately, I wasn’t.
The Claudie family mansion of my black history.
It was too vast to be compared to this castle.
I looked around the citadel’s interior and said.
“It’s cramped, barely a place to hide. Ascura.”
I added in a confident tone.
“But even this is too much for you.”
Did he even hear my voice?
Woof.
A statue in the garden began to move.
…… It’s big. At least ten metres, this one.
The giant monster statue had come to life and was coming towards me.
But I didn’t run or dodge.
I just stood there, frozen in place.
I stared at the statue’s face.
Then I opened my mouth.
“The material, the texture, the depth, and the form of this statue are poor. You put this piece of crap in the garden to show off.”
So said the demanding aesthete of the Grand Palais.
Yes, I agreed.
I don’t know about anything else, but at least the materials.
“A few walls and columns I’ve built and broken.
Stone statues carved out of rock.
That’s a common material for me, too.
“It means I don’t have to do much to explore and interfere.
Kwajik─!