◈ Episode 436. I Knew It (3)

The Holy War Alliance and the AAU.

The emergency meeting was over.

The branch leaders let out a deep sigh.

“Haaah.”

“The pressure is really killing us.”

“I’m so nervous, my neck is stiff.”

I feel like I’ve been thrown in front of a wild beast.

“I know it’s not going to happen, but it’s such an instinct…….”

It’s always a burden to face a player as a commoner, but there were some who were even more difficult to face: the great names of the Arcana continent.

Someone spoke up.

“Have you seen Senior Black Mage, Matisse?”

“To my displeasure, I caught a glimpse of him……. It wasn’t really a joke, was it?”

“Especially his eyes, they were amazing, like he could see right through you.”

Among them, the executives of the Magic Tower were something they couldn’t get used to seeing.

Not that there was anything wrong with their demeanor, of course. Ever since Hoyeol had taken over as Chief Mage, the Magic Tower had been more than friendly to humanity.

Suddenly.

Park Minjae, who was listening, interjected.

“It’s not good to judge people by their appearance.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Park.”

“What? I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about Magic Tower. From senior Matisse to Marcelo Tower Master. They all have that visual presence, but they’re actually very gentlemen.”

Park Minjae had been in close communication with Tower Master Marcelo to resolve the situation. It was safe to say that it was thanks to him that Magic Tower quickly began to suppress the collapse rift.

It’s all thanks to the update of Magic Tower in Seoul.

He’d been watching them for a long time.

Park Minjae was able to treat Magic Tower without prejudice.

‘……Why are you apologizing to me all of a sudden?’

No way, I’m more intimidating than the mages.

Does it look like a lame……?

Park Minjae asked curiously.

“Am I still being called a crazy dog?”

“……Do you have any green tea tea bags here?”

“Haha. Is that enough about that, Mr. Park?”

Branch leaders suddenly getting distracted.

Mr. Baker, the London branch leader, mediated the situation.

Baker patted Park on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

“It can be hard to deal with them, but we know better than the players what the mages of the Magic Tower are like, don’t we? Maybe it’s a prejudice from the days when Arcana was just a game.”

Park nodded at Baker’s words.

“It’s not like I wasn’t nervous.”

In any case, Park and the other branch leaders made it through the meeting.

Despite the nerves, the meeting went off without a hitch.

This was thanks to Hoyeol leading the meeting, not anyone else.

“Do you remember what General Manager Yusra said?”

He emphasized in a way that was hard to miss.

“This is just the beginning.”

It wasn’t a threat, it was a fact.

“It really doesn’t stop.”

“Is it the same in the US?”

“No notice, but I’m sure China is too.”

At this point, the branch leaders’ phones were still ringing off the hook.

The Evil Eye that emerged from the collapse rift broke through the atmosphere.

It was even reported to be floating at the same height as the satellite.

“I’m sure you’ve all seen the pictures from the Another Spaceship, Evil Eye, those eyes are smiling from space.”

The only difference was that the number of pupils had been reduced from eight to seven. I can’t be sure, but that’s probably the work of Yusra General Manager Lee Hoyeol.

Park Minjae looked at the branch leaders.

“This is just a prelude, I can’t imagine what terrible trials will befall humanity in the future……. Anyway, don’t you think we have something to do right now?”

“Of course we do. Mr. Park.”

Evil Eye had no aggression.

Or, if there was aggression, it was not directly offensive.

In Arcana terms, it was nothing more than a non-combatant monster.

“Even with eyeballs like that, we’ll have to shoot them down to the best of our ability.”

Seug.

Park Minjae’s finger pointed to the sky.

It was a bright city night sky, glowing with neon lights.

There were no stars to be seen.

A few large, red stars twinkled in the sky.

It must be Evil Eyes.

Park gritted his teeth.

“They must have wanted reality to be chaotic. To be overwhelmed with negative emotions. Now that we know their ulterior motives, we must not hold back, even if it means using force to repay our debt.”

ppadeug.

He wasn’t just called a crazy dog.

It was because he was the head of an AAU branch and could not be overlooked.

The lives of the players were sacrificed.

Park Minjae recited.

“Mourn, but don’t be sad.”

His eyes shone with determination.

“We shouldn’t be sad…….”

Joshua’s voice trailed off at Park’s words.

“That’s not easy to do right now, Mr. Park.”

Okay, maybe not easy.

But Park wasn’t deterred.

He thought to himself.

He’d gotten this idea because he’d poked around in the database at Cosmo.

Akshan.

He talked to Yoon Soogyeom and Sung Hyunjoon and looked at their records.

Looking at it again, a class that is missing a few screws is the Demon Hunter.

But because of the missing screws.

They were able to face demons.

Park Minjae remembered the Akshans’ mindset.

“No sacrifice, no accident, no death.”

This is what an Akshan Demon Hunter would have said.

“The players fought and died with pride.”

*

The real world and the Arcana continent.

Two completely different worlds.

News from the real world arrives through the players.

The three guild masters of the Great Alliance.

Schreig from Second Sun.

And Skal.

“It’s……!”

The players of the Holy War Alliance breathe a sigh of relief. It was time on the Arcana Continent, where time moves four times faster than reality. This made the wait seem long, but it was worth it.

“So there was a reason why the Commander-in-Chief refused!”

Hisagi concluded sharply.

“Even if we had joined, it would have been less effective.”

Even if we had been able to utilize the portals of the Magic Tower.

To subdue the collapse rifts of the nations of the world.

Eventually, they’d have to enter the rift themselves.

“Yeah, well, it’s not like we don’t have a job to do.”

Moreover, the Holy War Alliance had work to do on the Arcana Continent.

Defending the Empire from the factions that had risen up in the wake of the Emperor’s death?

It couldn’t be more important.

But the words faded.

“Well, not really in Antonium, but…….”

It was all due to something out of the ordinary.

The level of reinforcements that had arrived in Antonium! 4 Houses, Red-eyed Dune, and Diamond Top. Players who had interacted with them in Antonium and understood their power.

Leonie stuck out her tongue.

“They’re all monsters, and they won’t need our help.”

How the Commander in Chief could lead such a force was beyond her comprehension. But she was not disheartened. Why, the Commander in Chief hadn’t said anything.

“At first, I had no idea what you were saying.”

I would like to ask for the Arcana Continent.

With those words, Hoyeol left.

He headed back to reality alone.

“I understand now, what we need to do.”

Nam Taemin spoke up.

“We have to find the rift here.”

Reality and the Arcana Continent.

The Rift is a strange space where two completely different worlds intertwine.

If there is an entrance, there is an exit.

If a rift appeared in reality.

a rift must appear in the Arcana Continent.

Nam Taemin clenched his fist.

“I haven’t confirmed it yet, so it’s just a guess, but……. We might be able to clear the rift from this side before it collapses. I mean, we don’t have to stay still and suck our fingers.”

Schreig stroked his chin.

“That makes a lot of sense.”

Did the Barbarian invest stats in [Intelligence]?

Nam Taemin, whom he’d dismissed as a hunk of muscle, looked familiar again. He must have been in a lot of operations with the Commander-in-chief. His view of the situation was much wider than his own.

‘I’ll have to work harder.’

It was a moment of reflection for Schreig.

Snake eyes narrowed.

Hisagi’s sharp point continued.

“I assume that’s your opinion, Analyst Nam Cheolmin?”

“……what?”

“Because Mr. Taemin doesn’t have that kind of creativity.”

“No creativity? Well, you’re not wrong, but…….”

Was it something like that?

“What, me again.”

Schreig smirked.

Somehow, even at Nam Taemin’s comment.

Hisagi, Leonie, and Skal didn’t seem to mind.

Apparently, this was a common occurrence.

Of course, Hisagi didn’t disagree with the idea itself.

About 30.

Nam Taemin and his group left Antonium with the top executives of each guild.

Nam turned to the silent Skal.

“Hey, Skal. Are you and the World Tree okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be protecting it?”

Of course he should.

The fully rooted World Tree was growing rapidly.

Skal’s face, on the other hand, was pale and worn.

“……I don’t have the energy right now.”

The long-awaited encounter with the dragon was the worst.

-“Shut up, kid.”

-“You’re a long way from riding on my back.”

-“I’m bored, try sing me a song, Dragon Knight.”

What a real dragon wouldn’t know.

A polymorphic Frostnax.

Or a Skal who’s just been tortured by a chick.

“……I need to recharge.”

All those hopes were dashed.

Well, nothing is easy in this world.

Nam Taemin shrugged his shoulders, thinking it was no big deal.

[Hawkeye].

“I knew it!”

The player who was scouting the surroundings with a wide field of vision called out.

Nam Taemin. No, just as he had predicted.

He had found a rift in the Arcana continent.

By the way.

“Can you see it?”

“No. Nothing.”

“I don’t see it either.”

“Schreig, what about you?”

“Same.”

No information from the rift was visible.

The rift was in plain sight.

No message came to mind.

Nam Taemin racked his brain like Nam Cheolmin.

“Let’s see, it’s because the rift hasn’t been created in reality yet. It’s still under construction, so to speak. The tent hasn’t been removed, so the message isn’t coming through.”

Hisagi adds.

“Maybe it’s an unstable rift.”

He rolled his eyes, trying to figure out where they were.

Several kilometers.

Close enough to see Antonium with the naked eye.

Even if the inevitable happened inside the unstable rift.

“That’s enough to get us out of here.”

Skal chimed in.

“That chick……. No, Frostnax told me, It’s me who holds the reins, not you, the Dragon Knight. So don’t even think about going far away.”

……something seemed to flip.

“Good for you. Whatever.”

It was also within reach of Frostnax’s support if anything happened to Skal. Because it was a World Tree that took root not far away in northern Antonium.

So there was agreement.

“Let’s go in, then.”

It was inevitable.

It was as visible as it was known.

They just didn’t recognize it.

The realm of the Anomaly.

Unstable meant there was plenty of room for interference. The rift on the brink of creation was the only gap through which the Demon World, a world separate from reality and the Arcana Continent, could reach out.

Those ignorant of the anomaly simply did not know.

They could not see it, hear it, or feel it.

Within the rift, the Primordial Beings of the Demon World.

-I see.

-Is it possible to enter the Rift in ignorance?

-Of course, its potential is threatening.

-It would be better to crush them beforehand.

-There is no objection.

What they didn’t realize, however, was that they were not alone.

That they are not the only ones who have entered the realm of the anomaly.

Suddenly, a magnificent sound began to echo through the unstable rift.

It was the sound of heels.

ttogag.

Yes, it was.

ttogag.

Familiar to some.

ttogag.

The sound of shoe heels.

.

.

.

Indeed, a loot worthy of a 4th ranked Demon King.

It has a truly overwhelming effect.

Thanks to it, we were able to prevent a potentially catastrophic accident.

But at this moment.

I couldn’t feel pure joy.

A message flashed before my eyes.

[Activates the unique skill, ‘Heavenly Demon Reign’.]

……The real Lee Yerim, you are my Wensu